Bob Iger's Terrible PR Week; Venice and Toronto Score Starry Line-Ups Despite Strikes; U.S. Theaters in Crisis; 'The Beasts' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( July 25, 2023 What's news: Venice and TIFF have revealed their first wave lineups. SAG-AFTRA is set to meet with midsize PR firms affected by the stoppage. AOC stopped by the picketline in NYC. Dan Patrick has reupped his deal at NBC Sports and iHeartMedia. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Unpacking Iger's Terrible, Horrible, No Good PR Week ►"He has never felt this level of stress in his career." THR's editor-at-large [Kim Masters]( writes that many in Hollywood hoped re-upped Disney CEO Bob Iger, long considered the corporate leader most in tune with talent, would emerge as a levelheaded mediator who could end the labor impasse. And then he spoke his mind. [The story.]( —"This is COVID again. It’s super-triggering." Staying with the stoppage, THR's Scott Feinberg has the scoop on SAG-AFTRA meeting with publicists over midsize PR firms getting crushed by the strike. With the strike precluding actors from doing promotional press and film festival appearances, some performers have had to go on hiatus from their reps. One firm's proprietor says business is already down 80 percent and layoffs can only be fended off until September or October. [The story.]( —"How many private jets does David Zaslav need?" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the SAG-AFTRA and WGA picket lines in New York City on Monday, encouraging workers to keep fighting and taking aim at executives such as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and their “insatiable greed.” Speaking in front of the Netflix offices in Union Square, AOC joined in on the chants and took selfies with many on the lines. She was accompanied by AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler. [The story.]( —"The energy on the line is really strong and people are just really excited to be standing together." THR's [Gary Baum]( spoke to AOC at the NYC picket line where she excoriated CEOs who “cry poverty,” and discussed how greed can “erode” entertainment brands’ value. [The interview.]( —"This is why we strike." Amid the strike, actors have been taking to social media to reveal how little they are making from working on film and TV productions. On Monday night, 13 Reasons Why star Tommy Dorfman became the latest actor to shed light on how much they made working on a hit streaming show, revealing that she barely earned enough to qualify for insurance. [The story.]( Venice Scores Starry Line-Up Despite Strikes ►The red carpet "will not be empty." Despite the ongoing double strike, the Venice Film Festival unveiled a star-studded and A-list heavy line-up on Tuesday of films that will premiere at the 2023 Biennale, including the movies competing for this year’s Golden Lion. The program included some of the most hotly-anticipated features of the year, including new movies from Bradley Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, Michael Mann and Ava DuVernay. [The lineup.]( —Which stars will hit the Lido? THR's [Alex Ritman]( writes that while producers may already be applying for SAG-AFTRA waivers, so that the stars of their films can attend Venice without breaking actors strike rules, the festival has acknowledged that some major names will not attend. But given the strike, which talent will actually be allowed to attend? [The analysis.]( —Grim. THR's [Scott Roxborough]( writes that controversy will once again dog Venice, thanks to a selection of movies from directors nearly as well known for their scandals as for their films. The festival, in its wisdom, has decided to double down on new features from the likes of Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson. [The story.]( —Business as usual. On Monday, the Toronto Film Festival bet on a “star-studded” 2023 event with a strong U.S. presence in September as it unveiled 60 films for its highest-profile gala and special presentations programs amid the strikes. The festival will host a world premiere for Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money, and there will be international bows for Chloe Domont’s Fair Play and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's NYAD. [The lineup.]( —"We’re in great shape." As TIFF revealed its latest wave lineup, THR's [Etan Vlessing]( spoke to CEO Cameron Bailey about the American presence at the fest. Bailey said major studios and streamers won't bring onscreen stars to Toronto for high-profile premieres, but indie films with SAG-AFTRA members in the cast may get waivers to allow travel to Canada. [The story.]( 'Beanie Bubble' Directors Talk the Craze They Barely Remember ►"Look under the surface and you’ll realize that this wasn’t a weird blip in time." THR's [Mikey O'Connell]( spoke to Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash about their new Apple TV+ feature The Beanie Bubble. The husband and wife team, who co-directed the film based on Zac Bissonnette's book, discuss how they came to the story and the “absurd cultural touchstone” that inspired it. [The interview.]( —He said no CGI! Christopher Nolan may be known for his aversion to CGI, but when it comes to bowing to the sensitivities of some countries, it would seem this is of little relevance. In Oppenheimer, a scene featuring a topless Florence Pugh fell foul of the censors in the Middle East and India. Rather than cut the scene in question, sources close to the film say that a “soft base” version, with Pugh digitally dressed in a black dress, was used to secure a release across the Middle East and India. [The story.]( —"Do better Hollywood." Amy Schumer took part in the Barbenheimer phenomenon over the weekend and has seen both Barbie and Oppenheimer, the two movies lighting up the box office. The comedian, in an Instagram post Monday, wrote that she “really enjoyed” both films, but she joked that she thinks she should’ve played Emily Blunt’s role in Oppenheimer. Schumer had worked on an earlier iteration of Barbie that ended up being directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie. [The story.]( U.S. Theaters in Crisis ►"The big hits... they’re not hitting as high numbers as they necessarily did before the pandemic and the lows are hitting deeper lows." Unlike Broadway, which has seen a rebound, theater attendance across the U.S. as a whole has not returned to pre-pandemic levels while costs of producing are rising due to inflation as well as labor shortages. THR's [Caitlin Huston]( looks at the steep challenges faced by the industry as nonprofit leaders across the country sound the alarm bell of theaters nearing a point of financial crisis. [The story.]( —"It’s sort of an Elton John Farewell Tour, where it’s going on for years." Dan Patrick isn’t retiring just yet. The former ESPN anchor and radio host has inked a new multiyear contract extension with NBC Sports and iHeartMedia, which will keep his The Dan Patrick Show running through the end of 2027. Patrick had stoked some speculation about his future when he said on his radio show last week that he would be retiring in four years. [The story.]( —Mixed bag. Spotify reported 551m monthly active users in its second quarter, adding 36m from the previous quarter and hitting an all-time high for the company. Additionally, the music giant added 10m paid subscribers, three million above its guidance forecast and a record for the second quarter, to reach 220m. Still operating losses at the company, which has been promising to focus on profitability, grew to reach €247m, missing the company’s guidance of €129m. [The results.]( —Update. Julian Sands’ final cause of death has been deemed undetermined six months after the British actor went missing in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. The determination came nearly a month after his body was recovered from the Mount Baldy area and was made due to the condition of Sands’ body. No other factors were discovered during the coroner’s investigation, San Bernardino County Police Department public information officer Mara Rodriguez told THR. [The story.]( Film Review: 'The Beasts' ►"Tense and territorial." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Beasts. French actors Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs star as a couple desperately trying to keep their organic farm afloat in a hostile foreign land. [The review.]( In other news... —TikTok [jumps on text bandwagon]( —Netflix [launches new personalized hub tab on mobile phones]( —CNN hires [Kayla Tausche as senior White House correspondent]( —Streamy Awards: [MrBeast leads nominations]( —Inside [Givenchy’s starry L.A. launch party]( —Korean drama [A Normal Family inks distribution deals ahead of TIFF premiere]( What else we're reading... —Wonderful Mike Ryan interview with Greta Gerwig who discusses the incredible opening for Barbie and her undying love for Sylvester Stallone [[Uproxx]( —Hannah Strong interviewed some London moviegoers on what motivated them to see Oppenheimer at 4 a.m. on opening day [[GQ]( —Citing lovely charts and figures, Brooks Barnes suggests that Barbenheimer's boffo opening is a sign that the pandemic is officially over [[NYT]( —George Hammond and Scott Chipolina report that OpenAI founder Sam Altman's vision for the ChatGPT company is attracting regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. government [[FT]( —Aisha Counts, and Jesse Levine report that Twitter becoming X is set to kill anywhere between $4b and $20b in brand value [[Bloomberg]( Today... …in 1980, Warner Bros. unveiled the Harold Ramis-directed, R-rated comedy Caddyshack in theaters. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Zawe Ashton]( (39), Matt LeBlanc (56), Darren Star (62), D.B. Woodside (54), Jay R. Ferguson (49), Grace Dove (32), Shantel VanSanten (38), David Denman (50), Miriam Shor (52), Meg Donnelly (23), James Lafferty (38), Iman (68), Linsey Godfrey (35), Juan Pablo Di Pace (44), Dallas Jenkins (48), Katherine Kelly Lang (62), Chloë Annett (52), Ana Lily Amirpour (47), Anthony Tyler Quinn (61), Yvonne Sciò (54) Arthur “Buddy” Botham, who served as a cinematographer on The Dukes of Hazzard and handled second-unit shooting on films including Blake Edwards’ Skin Deep and John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned (1995), has died. He was 88. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. 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