South Korea Scores a Hit, the DGA's AI Worries and How Piracy Secretly Helps Studios

Don Lee delivered a much-needed box office punch [Don Lee in 'The Roundup: No Way Out']( [The Korean Box Office Needed a Hit and Don Lee Delivered With 'The Roundup' | Charts]( By Scott Mendelson South Korea’s box office proved remarkably resilient during the pandemic. Theaters never really closed. But the market has needed a big local blockbuster, and “Train to Busan” star Don Lee provided it with his return as a cranky detective kicking righteous ass in the critically acclaimed “The Roundup: No Way Out.” With a massive $60.35 million in just over two weeks, the action sequel was what South Korean theaters needed after a slow start to 2023 mostly dominated by Hollywood films like “Avatar: The Way of Water” and Japanese releases like “The First Slam Dunk.” [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [directors-guild-dga-amptp]( [2 Words in the New DGA Contract Have Some Members Worried About AI]( By Jeremy Fuster Members of the Directors Guild of America are now poring through the details on the new labor contract that is up for a ratification vote, and some of them are raising objections to the guild’s negotiated protections regarding AI use based on a two-word phrase: “without consultation.” [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [streamer-piracy]( [Studios Say They Hate Piracy – but It Offers a Treasure Trove of Data | Charts]( By Lucas Manfredi Media piracy is on the rise lately, as consumers facing a crackdown on password sharing and rising subscription costs turn to the illegal downloads known as torrents or unlicensed websites. That’s one more headache for streamers which are looking to bolster their profitability and retain subscribers. Yet there’s an upside to piracy that few in the industry care to openly discuss: The information gleaned from illicit streaming and downloads can give a glimpse into consumer tastes, and potentially guide streamers to new audiences or programming. And since streamers tend to keep their own viewing figures closely guarded, piracy data can be one of the few ways to get a broad view of what people want to watch. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [transformers-spider-verse]( [How ‘Spider-Verse’ and ‘Transformers 6’ Are Helping Theaters]( [Amazon Freevee to Launch MGM, Warner Bros. Discovery FAST Channels]( [New York Times]( [The New York Times Lays Off 4% of The Athletic Newsroom]( [AFC Richmond players bid farewell to their coach in the "Ted Lasso" series finale.]( [‘Ted Lasso’ Scores One Last Goal for Apple TV+ | Charts]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Wrap Pro logo] Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( TheWrap | 2034 Armacost Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](