On today’s episode, Variety’s Marc Malkin helps put Rob Reiner’s legacy and impact in Hollywood into perspective. And Rebecca Rubin breaks down the weekend box office as “Zootopia 2” reclaims the No. 1 spot and “Ella McKay” stumbles.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Monday, December fifteenth, twenty
twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am co
editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm in
LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters around
the world covering the business of entertainment. This is an
(00:32):
extremely sad day. Hollywood is still processing the news that
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle's singer Reiner, were killed
in their Brentwood home. The couple's thirty two year old son, Nick,
is in police custody. That's pretty much all we know
at this recording. Rob Reiner was an enormous figure in
(00:53):
Hollywood's creative community. He carried a lot of moral authority.
He was part of a respected family only comedy dynasty.
As the son of the great Carl Reiner. Rob Reiner
put himself out there on a number of occasions to
advocate for issues he cared about. His legacy is enormous.
(01:14):
Mark Malkin will join me to help put Reiner's career
and work into context as Hollywood grieves this heartbreaking loss,
and we'll also have our regular Monday box office segment
with Rebecca Rubin. Before we get to that, here are
a few headlines just in this morning. Netflix is defending
its deal to acquire Warner Brothers and HBO. Leaders of
(01:36):
the streaming giant are clearly getting tired of reading statements
about how this deal will destroy the fabric of the
entertainment business. In a memo to employees, co CEOs Ted
Sarandos and Greg Peters Wright quote, we are strengthening one
of Hollywood's most iconic studios, supporting jobs and ensuring a
healthy future for film and TV production end quote. Netflix
(01:59):
has all also hired Danny Dudik as chief communications Officer.
She comes from Instacart and she has also worked for
Zinga and MySpace. Showrunner Darren Starr is now a Legion
of Honor Medal awardee in France. The Emily and Paris
creator got the nod from the French President Emmanuel Macron
in Paris on Monday. All of these stories and so
(02:23):
much more can be found on Variety dot com Right now.
Now we turn to conversations with Friday journalists about news
and trends in show business. Mark Malkln, Variety's senior Events
and Culture editor, covered Rob Reiner for decades. He joins
me now to pay tribute to this force in entertainment
(02:44):
and the civic life of California. Mark Malkin, thank you
for joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
This is a sad morning, and I cannot believe what
we're seeing, what is unfolding here. It's just unbelievably sad.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
This is beyond sad. It's beyond comprehension. When you think
about Rob Reiner in Hollywood, in the cultural zeitgeist, this
is a man who was so beloved. You never heard
anyone say anything negative about Rob Reiner. This was a
guy who always had a smile on his face. On
(03:23):
red carpets, He shook your hand, he looked you in
the eyes. This is someone who is so down to earth.
Weught such a huge cultural force.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I can't stress enough as a big personality and a
presence in our business. He was enormous. He had physical stature,
He kind of had the moral authority. Once you start
on all in the family. In the nineteen seventies, you
could pretty much strut around Hollywood as somebody who'd really
really made a mark, and then he goes on. As
(03:53):
others have mentioned, this incredible run of movies that literally
define the generation, from Spinal Tap to A Few Good
Men to movies later that weren't as successful. As we
speak here Monday morning, there is a human story here,
and there is an unfolding crime story, and because I
always want daily variety episodes to age, well, we are
(04:16):
just going to leave it as there is an unfolding
crime story. As always with these things, the details change
quite a bit. We know very little, but what you
and I know was covering Rob Reiner for decades and
just understanding the incredible presence of Rob Reiner, his father,
Carl Reiner. Carl Reiner was literally the definition of an entertainer.
(04:40):
He was on camera, he was a director, he was
a writer, he was a molder of other careers. You'd
covered him many times, including what appears to have been
one of his last major public appearances, the premiere in
September of Spinal Tap. The end continues. Tell me about
what you remember.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
You know, I'd been covering Rob Rhiner for really decades now,
and anytime he was on a red carpet, he always
spoke to the press. He always gave his time. He
always shook your hand, He looked you in the eye.
This was a big moment. This was the Spinal Tap sequel.
He was so excited to be, you know, reuniting with
men like Christopher Guests for this movie. They had been
(05:21):
wanting to do this sequel for many, many years, and
it was all tied up in business and rights. They
finally got the rights back to do it. You know,
there was Rob on the red carpet in his signature
baseball cap. The entire family was there. His wife Michelle
was there, of course, she was a producer on the movie.
His kids, Jake, Nick, and romy were there, and everyone
(05:43):
was in just such a good mood, just so excited
it was Spinal Tap. There is a bitter sweetness to
the fact that his last major project was the Spinal
Tap sequel.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It sounds like Rob was one of those people. You
see him coming down the red carpet and you're like, Okay,
I know this is money. I'm going to get a
good interview. He's going to give me the bite to
that puts his movie in perspective. Was he that kind
of person to you.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Listen, He knew how Hollywood worked, He knew how a
red carbra worked, He knew how the press worked. This
was a man who grew up around it. You know,
he was part of this Hollywood dynasty, so he knew
how all of this worked. But he also talked very
openly about I understand I got my foot in the door.
My dad was Carl Reiner. But he said the pressure
(06:29):
to do even better than everyone else because of that
was really high, and he succeeded one hundredfold. He became
a household name because of All in the Family. This
was a show that tackled issues that no other show
ever tackled before in such an incredible way. With obviously
Archie Bunker the Conservative, and then you had Rob Riiner
(06:51):
the Meathead, and having conversations and having conversations about these issues.
Rob Reiner was part of the legacy of Norman Lear.
He was a trailbre blazer in tackling social issues in
pop culture.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Did he have a good sense of humor about Meathead?
Because I bet for all of his directing success, there
were still a lot of people as he walked around
this country that said, hey, Meathead, did he have a
good sense of humor about the All in the family legacy.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
He has famously said, if he wins the Nobel Peace Prize,
the headline will say Meathead wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
No doubt he embraced it. He leaned in. He understands
what the significance of Meathead versus Archie Bunker meant. Like
you said, Meathead and Archie Bunker got families who were
(07:39):
watching television to sit down and talk about real issues.
So he did not in any way try to run
away from being Meathead, or he was Meathead through and through.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Even when he was out advocating for really tough stuff
anti prop eid the incredible universal preschool program that became
this larger First five California initiative that has literally helped
give preschoolers breakfast and education for going on twenty years.
And I have no doubt that that legacy. Waking up
(08:09):
knowing that you had a big part of that, I
can imagine, really really was meaningful to him and just
a great example of what you can do. You can
be successful, you can have beautiful homes in Brentwood, but
you can also use your celebrity and your energy to
do to really do amazing things to change the lives
of people.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Listen, Rob. He became a household name because of All
in the Family. Rob Erroner was part of the legacy
of Norman lear was. He was a Trailbury blazer in
tackling social issues in pop culture.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
All in the Family allowed America to work out a
lot of issues on the counterculture, on Vietnam, on women's rights,
on the murgeoning LGBT movement, and I definitely remember he
was an important voice against Prop eight, which was California's
a horrendous same sex marriage which on the I'll ever
forget that passed and Barack Obama was elected on the
(09:04):
same night.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
You know, he wasn't just a face. He wasn't just
a name. This is a man who co founded a
group that was fighting in the courts this ban on
same sex marriage. And he actually convinced Ted Olsen, who
was a conservative attorney, to join the fight because Rob
was able to convince him that it was a civil
rights issue, it wasn't a political issue.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I wish I had the words to sum up this
incredible life. What's happening right now is so overwhelming and heartbreaking,
But just want to salute the incredible legacy of philanthropy
and activism. The state of California in particular is better
for the fact that Rob Reiner lived here and that
is a legacy.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That is a legacy, and as we say in the
Jewish tradition, may his memory be a blessing. And what
that means is when you think of someone who's departed,
that you should be inspired, encouraged to follow in their
footste all the good deeds that they did. And Rob
serainly di at.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
He sure did. Thank you, Mark. Thanks, and now it's
time for our Monday box office segment with Rebecca Rubin.
It was a seesaw weekend at the Turnstiles for Disney
Zootopia two was up. La McKay, not so much, Rebecca Rubin,
thanks z ever for joining me, Thank you for having me. Well,
(10:26):
would you call this the mid December Old Rooms. It
was kind of a whole hum weekend at the box office.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yes, I would say this was the calm before the
Christmas storm. Next weekend, movie theaters will hopefully be very
busy with Avatar, fire and ash. There's also the SpongeBob
movie opening and Lions Gates film The Housemaid, which is
a thriller, and that should provide a range of offerings
for families. This weekend was pretty slow because the only
(10:56):
new release was Disney's political comedic drama Ella McKay and
it opened with two point one million dollars, below already
low estimates of four million dollars. And with this opening,
it's one of the worst debuts for Disney in modern times.
So it's surprising all around really that Disney released a
(11:19):
movie like this, because it's just very much out of
their wheelhouse these days, they of course, have really focused
on the big franchise Fair and so to me, the
question is where did this movie even come from on
disney slate.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
From filmmaker James L. Brooks, who that great mix of
comedy and heart and drama like in his hands, terms
of endearment as good as it gets the Mary Tyler
Moore Show, Taxi, The Simpsons, an incredible filmmaker. With the disclosure,
I have not seen this movie. It did seem sort
of a mismatch for the times. Do you think the
studio knew that well?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
To your point, this movie feels very mismatched even with that,
because it's set in two thousand and eight, it's this
idealistic feel good film about a young girl who becomes
her state's governor after her boss takes a position in
the Obama administration. And again, it just feels like who
(12:16):
is this movie for? And I'm sure Disney was not surprised.
There was a little surge of interest in the film.
There was something called the Ella McKay challenge. People were
posting on social media trying to recreate the poster for
the film where Ella is standing up and grabbing her foot.
(12:36):
That did not translate at all into people going to
see the film. So I'm sure Disney was not terribly surprised.
But as you said, Jims L. Brooks is a legendary
filmmaker and he will be working with the studio on
the Simpsons movie, which comes out in twenty twenty seven,
and so maybe this was a gesture of goodwill, one
(12:57):
for you, one for us situation.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So, in terms of the number one spot, Zootopia two
came back to number one, not because of a particular surge,
but because it was just relatively light weekend.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
The good news for Disney is that they have much
more to celebrate. They don't need to focus on Ella
McKay because z Utopia two just became only the second
Hollywood film this year to cross the billion dollar mark.
It beat another Disney film, Leelo and Stitch, to now
stand as the highest grossing movie of the year with
one point one three billion dollars, and they have, of
(13:31):
course Tar three two end the year, and it definitely
eliminates the sweet spot of the studio, which really has
been these animated family films, and that's really what largely
has been driving their success this year.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
The interesting surprise to me, Rebecca in your report is Hamnet.
This is by definition an art house movie. Chloe Jao.
It got absolutely white hot reviews coming out of the
fall festivals. Jesse Buckley is on everybody's lips for best Actress.
Oscar Little Hamnet from Focus Features seem to punch above
its way.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It does seem like this is one of the few
art house movies that is resonating. And to your point,
I think that's a big part of that is because
it was so rapturously received on the festival circuit and
it's a slow and steady winner. This weekend it made
one point five million dollars from just seven hundred and
(14:25):
fifty venues, and it's going to continue a slow and
gradual rollout into the new year. A lot of films
recently have actually unsuccessfully deployed a platform release like this,
and they've really only work when word of mouth is exceptional.
And even though this is a very sad, heart wrenching movie,
it is not a feel good film. People feel compelled
(14:47):
to go see it in theaters and that directly just
speaks to the word of mouth, the quality of the film,
And so far it has made seven million dollars while
just playing in limited release. It hasn't gone nation wide
yet and so it'll be interesting to see how well
it sticks around once it does expand beyond one thousand venues,
(15:08):
but it definitely an encouraging result for Focus.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Well obviously Rebecca. Exhibitors are certainly gearing up for the
arrival of the latest Avatar movie. I would imagine this
is going to be a huge draw for the premium
large format screens. Are you aware of anything special that
Cameron and Disney have cooking for the PLF market around Avatar?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
It will probably be another huge draw in these premium formats.
The first two were just absolutely massive draws in Imax
and Dolby and three D and so that's largely expected
to continue.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Here.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Something to remember about the Avatar films, which people forgot
for the second one, is these films don't always have
the biggest opening weekends, but they stick around forever. And
so if this movie opens in the one hundred and
twenty five million dollar range, which is around what is
tracking now, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's destined to
(16:05):
not become a hit. Obviously that's a great number, but
it's not juggernaut status, and it's opening weekend, and that's
just never been the course for these movies. Hollywood executives
love to say this, but it really is true for Avatar.
You have to see how they continue to play in
the subsequent weekends, and it will be really interesting to
see if it is able to have enough momentum to
(16:26):
get to the two billion dollar mark that the prior
to installments have reached.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
As always, Rebecca, really important context. Thank you so much
for setting all this up. It will be a very
big weekend to watch. We are going to give you
a break though for a couple of weekends. We're taking
a break on Daily Variety. We'll be back at it
January fifth, so we will catch up with how and
that's perfect for Avatar because we do need to give
it a couple of weekends. Rebecca, thank you so much
(16:52):
for your commitment to talking through the box Office to
Daily Variety listeners. I get so much feedback about these segments.
Listeners really them. I'm so grateful.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Well, thank you for having me, and we will catch
up on all things box office in the ear.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
As we close out today's episode, it's clear that the
industry is slowly winding down for the winter holidays. One
thing we're watching for is the TikTok Awards on December
eighteenth in Hollywood. I'm looking forward to taking it in.
Before we go, we want to send the condolences of
the entirety of Variety to the Reiner family and all
(17:32):
who loved them. Blessed be their memories. Thanks for listening.
This episode was written and reported by me Cynthia Littleton,
with contributions from Mark Malkoln and Rebecca Rubin stick'snixt hick Picks.
Please leave us a review at the podcast platform of
your choice, and please tune in tomorrow for another episode
(17:53):
of Daily Variety, and don't forget to tell us what
you think at podcasts at Variety dot Com, Hanks
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Monday, December fifteenth, twenty
twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am co
editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm in
LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters around
the world covering the business of entertainment. This is an
(00:32):
extremely sad day. Hollywood is still processing the news that
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle's singer Reiner, were killed
in their Brentwood home. The couple's thirty two year old son, Nick,
is in police custody. That's pretty much all we know
at this recording. Rob Reiner was an enormous figure in
(00:53):
Hollywood's creative community. He carried a lot of moral authority.
He was part of a respected family only comedy dynasty.
As the son of the great Carl Reiner. Rob Reiner
put himself out there on a number of occasions to
advocate for issues he cared about. His legacy is enormous.
(01:14):
Mark Malkin will join me to help put Reiner's career
and work into context as Hollywood grieves this heartbreaking loss,
and we'll also have our regular Monday box office segment
with Rebecca Rubin. Before we get to that, here are
a few headlines just in this morning. Netflix is defending
its deal to acquire Warner Brothers and HBO. Leaders of
(01:36):
the streaming giant are clearly getting tired of reading statements
about how this deal will destroy the fabric of the
entertainment business. In a memo to employees, co CEOs Ted
Sarandos and Greg Peters Wright quote, we are strengthening one
of Hollywood's most iconic studios, supporting jobs and ensuring a
healthy future for film and TV production end quote. Netflix
(01:59):
has all also hired Danny Dudik as chief communications Officer.
She comes from Instacart and she has also worked for
Zinga and MySpace. Showrunner Darren Starr is now a Legion
of Honor Medal awardee in France. The Emily and Paris
creator got the nod from the French President Emmanuel Macron
in Paris on Monday. All of these stories and so
(02:23):
much more can be found on Variety dot com Right now.
Now we turn to conversations with Friday journalists about news
and trends in show business. Mark Malkln, Variety's senior Events
and Culture editor, covered Rob Reiner for decades. He joins
me now to pay tribute to this force in entertainment
(02:44):
and the civic life of California. Mark Malkin, thank you
for joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
This is a sad morning, and I cannot believe what
we're seeing, what is unfolding here. It's just unbelievably sad.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
This is beyond sad. It's beyond comprehension. When you think
about Rob Reiner in Hollywood, in the cultural zeitgeist, this
is a man who was so beloved. You never heard
anyone say anything negative about Rob Reiner. This was a
guy who always had a smile on his face. On
(03:23):
red carpets, He shook your hand, he looked you in
the eyes. This is someone who is so down to earth.
Weught such a huge cultural force.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I can't stress enough as a big personality and a
presence in our business. He was enormous. He had physical stature,
He kind of had the moral authority. Once you start
on all in the family. In the nineteen seventies, you
could pretty much strut around Hollywood as somebody who'd really
really made a mark, and then he goes on. As
(03:53):
others have mentioned, this incredible run of movies that literally
define the generation, from Spinal Tap to A Few Good
Men to movies later that weren't as successful. As we
speak here Monday morning, there is a human story here,
and there is an unfolding crime story, and because I
always want daily variety episodes to age, well, we are
(04:16):
just going to leave it as there is an unfolding
crime story. As always with these things, the details change
quite a bit. We know very little, but what you
and I know was covering Rob Reiner for decades and
just understanding the incredible presence of Rob Reiner, his father,
Carl Reiner. Carl Reiner was literally the definition of an entertainer.
(04:40):
He was on camera, he was a director, he was
a writer, he was a molder of other careers. You'd
covered him many times, including what appears to have been
one of his last major public appearances, the premiere in
September of Spinal Tap. The end continues. Tell me about
what you remember.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
You know, I'd been covering Rob Rhiner for really decades now,
and anytime he was on a red carpet, he always
spoke to the press. He always gave his time. He
always shook your hand, He looked you in the eye.
This was a big moment. This was the Spinal Tap sequel.
He was so excited to be, you know, reuniting with
men like Christopher Guests for this movie. They had been
(05:21):
wanting to do this sequel for many, many years, and
it was all tied up in business and rights. They
finally got the rights back to do it. You know,
there was Rob on the red carpet in his signature
baseball cap. The entire family was there. His wife Michelle
was there, of course, she was a producer on the movie.
His kids, Jake, Nick, and romy were there, and everyone
(05:43):
was in just such a good mood, just so excited
it was Spinal Tap. There is a bitter sweetness to
the fact that his last major project was the Spinal
Tap sequel.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It sounds like Rob was one of those people. You
see him coming down the red carpet and you're like, Okay,
I know this is money. I'm going to get a
good interview. He's going to give me the bite to
that puts his movie in perspective. Was he that kind
of person to you.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Listen, He knew how Hollywood worked, He knew how a
red carbra worked, He knew how the press worked. This
was a man who grew up around it. You know,
he was part of this Hollywood dynasty, so he knew
how all of this worked. But he also talked very
openly about I understand I got my foot in the door.
My dad was Carl Reiner. But he said the pressure
(06:29):
to do even better than everyone else because of that
was really high, and he succeeded one hundredfold. He became
a household name because of All in the Family. This
was a show that tackled issues that no other show
ever tackled before in such an incredible way. With obviously
Archie Bunker the Conservative, and then you had Rob Riiner
(06:51):
the Meathead, and having conversations and having conversations about these issues.
Rob Reiner was part of the legacy of Norman Lear.
He was a trailbre blazer in tackling social issues in
pop culture.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Did he have a good sense of humor about Meathead?
Because I bet for all of his directing success, there
were still a lot of people as he walked around
this country that said, hey, Meathead, did he have a
good sense of humor about the All in the family legacy.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
He has famously said, if he wins the Nobel Peace Prize,
the headline will say Meathead wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
No doubt he embraced it. He leaned in. He understands
what the significance of Meathead versus Archie Bunker meant. Like
you said, Meathead and Archie Bunker got families who were
(07:39):
watching television to sit down and talk about real issues.
So he did not in any way try to run
away from being Meathead, or he was Meathead through and through.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Even when he was out advocating for really tough stuff
anti prop eid the incredible universal preschool program that became
this larger First five California initiative that has literally helped
give preschoolers breakfast and education for going on twenty years.
And I have no doubt that that legacy. Waking up
(08:09):
knowing that you had a big part of that, I
can imagine, really really was meaningful to him and just
a great example of what you can do. You can
be successful, you can have beautiful homes in Brentwood, but
you can also use your celebrity and your energy to
do to really do amazing things to change the lives
of people.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Listen, Rob. He became a household name because of All
in the Family. Rob Erroner was part of the legacy
of Norman lear was. He was a Trailbury blazer in
tackling social issues in pop culture.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
All in the Family allowed America to work out a
lot of issues on the counterculture, on Vietnam, on women's rights,
on the murgeoning LGBT movement, and I definitely remember he
was an important voice against Prop eight, which was California's
a horrendous same sex marriage which on the I'll ever
forget that passed and Barack Obama was elected on the
(09:04):
same night.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
You know, he wasn't just a face. He wasn't just
a name. This is a man who co founded a
group that was fighting in the courts this ban on
same sex marriage. And he actually convinced Ted Olsen, who
was a conservative attorney, to join the fight because Rob
was able to convince him that it was a civil
rights issue, it wasn't a political issue.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I wish I had the words to sum up this
incredible life. What's happening right now is so overwhelming and heartbreaking,
But just want to salute the incredible legacy of philanthropy
and activism. The state of California in particular is better
for the fact that Rob Reiner lived here and that
is a legacy.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That is a legacy, and as we say in the
Jewish tradition, may his memory be a blessing. And what
that means is when you think of someone who's departed,
that you should be inspired, encouraged to follow in their
footste all the good deeds that they did. And Rob
serainly di at.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
He sure did. Thank you, Mark. Thanks, and now it's
time for our Monday box office segment with Rebecca Rubin.
It was a seesaw weekend at the Turnstiles for Disney
Zootopia two was up. La McKay, not so much, Rebecca Rubin,
thanks z ever for joining me, Thank you for having me. Well,
(10:26):
would you call this the mid December Old Rooms. It
was kind of a whole hum weekend at the box office.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yes, I would say this was the calm before the
Christmas storm. Next weekend, movie theaters will hopefully be very
busy with Avatar, fire and ash. There's also the SpongeBob
movie opening and Lions Gates film The Housemaid, which is
a thriller, and that should provide a range of offerings
for families. This weekend was pretty slow because the only
(10:56):
new release was Disney's political comedic drama Ella McKay and
it opened with two point one million dollars, below already
low estimates of four million dollars. And with this opening,
it's one of the worst debuts for Disney in modern times.
So it's surprising all around really that Disney released a
(11:19):
movie like this, because it's just very much out of
their wheelhouse these days, they of course, have really focused
on the big franchise Fair and so to me, the
question is where did this movie even come from on
disney slate.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
From filmmaker James L. Brooks, who that great mix of
comedy and heart and drama like in his hands, terms
of endearment as good as it gets the Mary Tyler
Moore Show, Taxi, The Simpsons, an incredible filmmaker. With the disclosure,
I have not seen this movie. It did seem sort
of a mismatch for the times. Do you think the
studio knew that well?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
To your point, this movie feels very mismatched even with that,
because it's set in two thousand and eight, it's this
idealistic feel good film about a young girl who becomes
her state's governor after her boss takes a position in
the Obama administration. And again, it just feels like who
(12:16):
is this movie for? And I'm sure Disney was not surprised.
There was a little surge of interest in the film.
There was something called the Ella McKay challenge. People were
posting on social media trying to recreate the poster for
the film where Ella is standing up and grabbing her foot.
(12:36):
That did not translate at all into people going to
see the film. So I'm sure Disney was not terribly surprised.
But as you said, Jims L. Brooks is a legendary
filmmaker and he will be working with the studio on
the Simpsons movie, which comes out in twenty twenty seven,
and so maybe this was a gesture of goodwill, one
(12:57):
for you, one for us situation.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So, in terms of the number one spot, Zootopia two
came back to number one, not because of a particular surge,
but because it was just relatively light weekend.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
The good news for Disney is that they have much
more to celebrate. They don't need to focus on Ella
McKay because z Utopia two just became only the second
Hollywood film this year to cross the billion dollar mark.
It beat another Disney film, Leelo and Stitch, to now
stand as the highest grossing movie of the year with
one point one three billion dollars, and they have, of
(13:31):
course Tar three two end the year, and it definitely
eliminates the sweet spot of the studio, which really has
been these animated family films, and that's really what largely
has been driving their success this year.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
The interesting surprise to me, Rebecca in your report is Hamnet.
This is by definition an art house movie. Chloe Jao.
It got absolutely white hot reviews coming out of the
fall festivals. Jesse Buckley is on everybody's lips for best Actress.
Oscar Little Hamnet from Focus Features seem to punch above
its way.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It does seem like this is one of the few
art house movies that is resonating. And to your point,
I think that's a big part of that is because
it was so rapturously received on the festival circuit and
it's a slow and steady winner. This weekend it made
one point five million dollars from just seven hundred and
(14:25):
fifty venues, and it's going to continue a slow and
gradual rollout into the new year. A lot of films
recently have actually unsuccessfully deployed a platform release like this,
and they've really only work when word of mouth is exceptional.
And even though this is a very sad, heart wrenching movie,
it is not a feel good film. People feel compelled
(14:47):
to go see it in theaters and that directly just
speaks to the word of mouth, the quality of the film,
And so far it has made seven million dollars while
just playing in limited release. It hasn't gone nation wide
yet and so it'll be interesting to see how well
it sticks around once it does expand beyond one thousand venues,
(15:08):
but it definitely an encouraging result for Focus.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Well obviously Rebecca. Exhibitors are certainly gearing up for the
arrival of the latest Avatar movie. I would imagine this
is going to be a huge draw for the premium
large format screens. Are you aware of anything special that
Cameron and Disney have cooking for the PLF market around Avatar?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
It will probably be another huge draw in these premium formats.
The first two were just absolutely massive draws in Imax
and Dolby and three D and so that's largely expected
to continue.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Here.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Something to remember about the Avatar films, which people forgot
for the second one, is these films don't always have
the biggest opening weekends, but they stick around forever. And
so if this movie opens in the one hundred and
twenty five million dollar range, which is around what is
tracking now, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's destined to
(16:05):
not become a hit. Obviously that's a great number, but
it's not juggernaut status, and it's opening weekend, and that's
just never been the course for these movies. Hollywood executives
love to say this, but it really is true for Avatar.
You have to see how they continue to play in
the subsequent weekends, and it will be really interesting to
see if it is able to have enough momentum to
(16:26):
get to the two billion dollar mark that the prior
to installments have reached.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
As always, Rebecca, really important context. Thank you so much
for setting all this up. It will be a very
big weekend to watch. We are going to give you
a break though for a couple of weekends. We're taking
a break on Daily Variety. We'll be back at it
January fifth, so we will catch up with how and
that's perfect for Avatar because we do need to give
it a couple of weekends. Rebecca, thank you so much
(16:52):
for your commitment to talking through the box Office to
Daily Variety listeners. I get so much feedback about these segments.
Listeners really them. I'm so grateful.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Well, thank you for having me, and we will catch
up on all things box office in the ear.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
As we close out today's episode, it's clear that the
industry is slowly winding down for the winter holidays. One
thing we're watching for is the TikTok Awards on December
eighteenth in Hollywood. I'm looking forward to taking it in.
Before we go, we want to send the condolences of
the entirety of Variety to the Reiner family and all
(17:32):
who loved them. Blessed be their memories. Thanks for listening.
This episode was written and reported by me Cynthia Littleton,
with contributions from Mark Malkoln and Rebecca Rubin stick'snixt hick Picks.
Please leave us a review at the podcast platform of
your choice, and please tune in tomorrow for another episode
(17:53):
of Daily Variety, and don't forget to tell us what
you think at podcasts at Variety dot Com, Hanks
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