Global Box Office Record; Lachlan's Time; Terrifying 'Us' Debut; Writers-Agents Update

What's news: Lachlan Murdoch is finally taking over his father's media empire. Plus: A writers-agents update, Us tracks to a strong debut and a record year at the global box office. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( March 21, 2019 What's news: Lachlan Murdoch is finally taking over his father's media empire. Plus: A writers-agents update, Us tracks to a strong debut and a record year at the global box office. — Will Robinson ^Another year, another record: A boom at the U.S. box office saw worldwide ticket sales hit a record $41.1 billion in 2018, a slight year-over-year gain of 1 percent, according to the Motion Picture Association of America's annual report, Pamela McClintock reports: + Domestic gains: Revenue from North America and Canada came in at best-ever $11.9 billion, a mammoth 7 percent spike over 2017, while attendance was up 5 percent. * Different story abroad: The foreign box office collected $29.2 billion, a 1 percent dip from the prior year that marked the first decline in recent memory offshore, even if slight. The flattening out internationally is due in part to currency fluctuations, as well as diminishing admissions in more mature markets, a problem cinemas across the U.S. are all too familiar with. + Demographic shift: Three of the five biggest films in North America — Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Incredibles 2 — saw Caucasians make up less than 50 percent of their audience. That compares to none last year among the six top-grossing films. Also, per capita attendance increased among all ethnicities, according to the report. + Staying at home: Global home entertainment spending jumped 16 percent in 2018 to $55.7 billion, putting total box office and home entertainment revenue at $96.8 billion, a year-over-year gain of nine percent. Spending on digital entertainment — which has increased 170 percent since 2014 — led the charge with $42.6 billion. [Full story.]( Lachlan's Time Succession plan: After years of waiting in the wings and learning behind his father Rupert Murdoch, eldest son Lachlan Murdoch is finally taking the reins of Fox Corp. Sarah Ellison profiles the new CEO. + Against Disney lowball: The Mouse had initially won over Fox with a $52.4 billion offer, before a bidding war with Comcast pushed it up another $20 billion. "Bob Iger had boasted about the bargain price he paid when Disney bought Lucasfilm years before. Lachlan didn’t want Iger talking the same way about the company that his father spent 66 years creating. 'For Lachlan, it was just so emotional for him that he wasn’t ready to let go,' says one close associate involved in the negotiation." + Fox News relationship: "Lachlan, who speaks nearly every day to Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott, was briefed [but didn't] have a hand in crafting the statement about Jeanine Pirro. 'He does care that it is seated in real journalism,' [said Chris Silbermann, a friend of Lachlan’s and a founding partner at ICM Partners]. "'It’s Lachlan versus the president,' said a 21st Century Fox film executive. 'Who do you think is going to win that?'" [[The Washington Post](] Elsewhere in TV... ► Writers yield to agencies on indie film financing, sales. The proposal permits agencies to receive a percentage of funds raised in film financing and sales, provided that the writer client is first informed of the fees and provides advance written consent. * What about packaging? Nothing yet. There’s no indication that either side will move from their positions on television packaging and affiliate production: the guild wants to flatly prohibit these practices, while the agencies want to permit them with the client’s informed consent. [Full story.]( ► UTA reveals TV writer pay details in effort to counter guild claims. The research is intended to dispute the Writers Guild narrative that packaging disincentivizes agents from zealous representation. UTA's study asserts that television writers earn more on packaged shows than non-packaged shows. [Other findings.]( * The counter... Some TV writers on Twitter disagreed with the UTA's numbers. The Good Place and Broad City writer Jen Statsky asserted they were inflated by showrunner contracts. ► Netflix dissolved global marketing team earlier this month. "The precise reasoning behind the brand marketing decision remains unclear, though Netflix has been known to regularly reshuffle its departments. ... This move would appear to be part of such a reorganization, and it is not clear where the duties previously performed by brand marketing will now fall." [[Adweek](] ► Netflix gives series order to Mindy Kaling semi-autobiographical comedy. The untitled half-hour coming of age comedy is [inspired]( by the actress-writer-producer's childhood as a first-generation Indian-American teenage girl. ► OWN orders Ava DuVernay romance anthology series. The Queen Sugar creator [deepens]( her relationship with the cable network with a series pickup for Cherish the Day. ► Sony fights lawsuit alleging it plotted to destroy Days of Our Lives. "Pure fiction," states Sony in court papers, adding that the soap is returning less profits because of declining ratings. [Inside the suit.]( ► Late-night producer Gavin Purcell signs overall with Universal TV. The pact will see him exclusively [developing]( unscripted and scripted projects. Casting call... ► Michelle Dockery, It star join Chris Evans Apple series. Dockery and Jaeden Martell [will star]( with Evans in Defending Jacob, about a couple whose teenage son is accused of murder. ► Andy Garcia to star alongside Kenan Thompson in NBC comedy. Now called The Kenan Show, the single-camera pilot [would mark]( the actor's biggest broadcast role ever. ► Katherine Heigl to star in CBS family comedy. She joins Malcolm Barrett in multicamera pilot Our House, [marking]( her first series regular role in a half-hour entry. ► Lizzy Caplan, Tim Robbins, Elsie Fisher to star in Misery-themed season two of Castle Rock. Garrett Hedlund is also [among]( the seven cast for the Hulu anthology from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King. ► The Many Saints of Newark adds Leslie Odom Jr. The Tony winner [will join]( Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga in the Sopranos prequel. [Quoted:]( "These past couple of weeks have been a freakin' roller coaster. Me and my cast have experienced pain and anger and sadness and frustration and really don’t know how to deal with it, you know?" — Empire's Lee Daniels, on dealing with the Jussie Smollett controversy. ^Friends and family influence. Shows consumers already know and recommendations from other people are the biggest drivers of content choice on streaming, according to a Nielsen survey, Rick Porter reports: + Trust factor: 66 percent of Nielsen's respondent noted is recommendations from family and friends is the second-biggest influencer, behind already known programs. That ranks several points ahead of any other method of discovery, as seen in the graphic below, and 18 percentage points ahead of the streaming services' own recommendation engines. [Full results.]( -> Online video subs outnumber cable for first time. Americans now spend 52 percent of their media time on a digital platform, the MPAA said. [Details.]( * Study: Netflix Originals now dominate streamer's new titles. As U.S. studios pull titles from the streamer ahead of launching competing services, it has [bulked up]( on homegrown productions, making it less reliant on licensed fare than competitors. From the Live Feed... ► Survivor sends biggest casualties yet to Edge of Extinction. Two big players are sent packing in the double-sized Survivor episode, Josh Wigler recaps. [Spoilers.]( Digital digest... ► New paid Apple News service said to feature Wall Street Journal. "Other major publishers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, have opted out of joining the subscription service, said the people, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans." [[NYT](] For your consideration... ► Days of Our Lives scores leading 27 nominations in Daytime Emmys. General Hospital and The Young and the Restless were each nominated more than 20 times. [Nominees.]( * Hollywood Reporter lands nod for Roundtable series. Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter, produced with SundanceTV, features Oscar- and Emmy-nominated talent [discussing]( everything from their individual projects to their craft and true stories from the business. Honorees... Andy Cohen to be honored for LGBTQ advocacy at GLAAD Media Awards. The entertainer [became]( the first openly gay host of an American late-night talk show with the premiere of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2009. Enjoy reading this? Six days a week, look for Today in Entertainment in your inbox to stay up-to-date on the industry. Sign up for this newsletter (and others) at [THR.com/Newsletters](. Terrifying Debut Jordan Peele's follow-up: Universal and Blumhouse's release Us is tracking to take in anywhere from $38 million to $48 million after staging a buzzy premiere at SXSW, Pamela McClintock reports: + Positive buzz: Critics have lauded Us, which currently boasts a near-perfect score of 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Peele produced the $20 million film via his Monkeypaw Productions company alongside creative director Ian Cooper. Offshore, Us opens in 48 markets this weekend timed to its U.S. launch. + Going it alone: In a testament to the massive success of Get Out, no other studio dared open a new film nationwide opposite Us. Peele's directorial debut opened to $33.4 million domestically on its way to grossing $176 million in North America and $79.4 overseas million for a total of $255.4 million against a tiny $4.5 million production budget. [Weekend box office.]( Other box office return... ► Gone With the Wind sets another record for Fathom. Special 80th-anniversary screenings of the classic movie [generated]( $2.23 million from just six screenings. Elsewhere in film... ► Spyglass Media Group closes former Weinstein Co. NY office, lays off 15. The newly-formed company plans to [consolidate]( its operations in Los Angeles. The layoffs were across all divisions of the company, a Spyglass spokesperson confirmed, though they are being characterized as a temporary head count reduction. ► Lisa Nishimura to run indie film in Netflix exec shuffle. In the wake of the move, Brandon Riegg will take over stand-up comedy and docuseries at the streamer. [Shake-up.]( ► Lionsgate names Jen Hollingsworth Motion Picture Group COO. Hollingsworth had been [serving]( as executive vp of strategic planning and operations, where she was responsible for worldwide deal analysis, operational management and strategic planning for the company’s film slate across multiple film labels. ► Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow tackling 1990s comic book Danger Girl for big screen. Robert Kulzer of Constantin Film, Jeremy Bolt of JB Pictures and Adrian Askarieh of Prime Universe Films are [producing]( the adaptation of the all-female action adventure. ► IFC Films takes U.S. rights to Rooney Mara's Mary Magdalene biopic. The revisionist Biblical drama from Lion director Garth Davis, which also stars Joaquin Phoenix, was earlier [orphaned]( during The Weinstein Co.'s bankruptcy. ► Roadside, Samuel Goldwyn Films pick up Fiddler on the Roof doc. The two distributors will [release]( Max Lewkowicz's film about the Broadway musical in theaters this summer. ► GKIDS acquires domestic distribution rights to Children of the Sea. It's the latest feature from Japan’s STUDIO4°C and is [directed]( by Ayumu Watanabe, with a score by composer Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away). Casting call... ► Elizabeth Debicki joining Christopher Nolan's next movie. Robert Pattinson has also been [added]( to the cast of the film that will open July 17, 2020. It's a date... ► Bill & Ted 3 begins production, sets 2020 release date. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter shared a message for fans as Face the Music kicks into gear. [Watch.]( ► National Board of Review sets date for 2020 awards gala. Willie Geist [will return]( to host the event for the sixth consecutive year. ► Human trafficking doc Ghost Fleet gets summer release date. The release on June 7 is meant to [coincide]( with World Oceans Day the day after. Musical notes... ► Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Twenty One Pilots, The Strokes headlining Lollapalooza. The Chainsmokers, Kacey Musgaves, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill and Hozier are [also playing]( the Aug. 1-4 festival in Chicago. Console wars... ► Epic Games launches new $100 million grant program. CEO Tim Sweeney [unveiled]( the Epic MegaGrants program during the company's keynote presentation at the GDC convention. Around town... ► USC names new president to usher "new era" amid college cheating scandal. "I want to be a part of fixing this," said Carol Folt of taking on the job following the scandal. Folt [will become]( USC's 12th president and the first permanent female president in school history. Coming attractions... ► Photo: Sony shares look of Tom Hanks as joyful Mister Rogers on TV icon's birthday. The film about the PBS star, co-starring Matthew Rhys, is set to hit theaters in November. [Pic.]( Noah Centineo in talks to star in Masters of the Universe as He-Man. Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway [penned]( the screenplay, along with Adam and Aaron Nee, who are set to direct. The actor broke out with Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Pushing for Diversity Fostering new voices: The PGA's Diversity Workshop helps TV writers find their way and break into the industry and the "relationship business," TV scribe Sylvia L. Jones attests: + Finding way in: In the dozen or so “coffee meetings” I talked my way into while trying to find the right entry point into the industry, I'd hear people mention other writers, producers, directors or studio executives with the description, "We came up together." I needed that, and The Producers Guild Power of Diversity Master Workshop supplied it in spades. + Essential pitch prep: I started as a stumbling, blundering mess — or at least that’s how I felt. But over time, I got better. I have since put my training to work in pitching both a feature film and a TV series to industry executives — including producers I met through the workshop. After all, it's a relationship business. [Full column.]( What else we're reading... — "Nine Reasons Why Disney+ Will Succeed." Matthew Ball writes: "Disney’s vast IP stores and output also gives the company the ability to improve SVOD performance almost at will. If the company ever needs to shore up lagging subscriber growth (or just decides it wants the service to grow faster), it can simply conjure up a new ... series or shift a film from a theatrical release to Disney+." [[REDEF](] — "Stadia Is About YouTube's, Not Gaming's, Future." Vlad Savov considers: "From a gamer’s perspective, YouTube is the lever that Google will lean on to stir interest in its nascent game-streaming platform, but from Google’s point of view, the new game-streaming platform (hugely ambitious as it may be) is a necessary measure to keep YouTube where it is today." [[The Verge](] — "Donna Brazile Explains Why She’s Working for Fox News." Isaac Chotiner talks to the former head of the DNC: "MSNBC is quite an interesting place. ... You can go on that [network] and agree not with just the types of topics and questions that are often posed but also make your case. Well, after six months, I just found myself thinking that, you know what? What if I tried to do the same thing with Fox?" [[The New Yorker](] — "In Conversation: Catherine O'Hara." E. Alex Jung has a long talk with the comedian: "John Candy made it known that Andrea [Martin] and he and I were not being paid the same as the other guys, and John was a great fighter. He had great self-respect. So I’m sure I was encouraged by him. I can’t remember the details, but I loved him and he was a great ally in work and in all things." [[Vulture](] Last night, on late night... + "Amy Schumer opens up about tough pregnancy." [[Late Night](] + "Hasan dishes on the admissions scandal." [[Patriot Act](] + "Jemaine Clement got dissed by Moana fans he tried to impress." [[Tonight Show](] + "Rob Lowe watches his retro $10,000 Pyramid clip." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] From the archives... + Today in 1997: Warner Bros. brought the story of singer Selena Quintanilla Perez to the big screen. The beloved biopic Selena pulled in over $35 million at the U.S. box office and cemented Jennifer Lopez's star status: "What makes this movie work is Lopez's electric performance ... capturing the charismatic aspects of Selena's stage persona and the essence of her maturity as a growing woman." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Scott Eastwood, 33, Sonequa Martin-Green, 34, Matthew Broderick, 57, Rosie O'Donnell, 57, Gary Oldman, 61, Timothy Dalton, 73. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( March 21, 2019