ADAMPOST

The shills and woke media got an early look at James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water and of course every reaction is glowing as the film is going to make billions and billions of dollars. But, according to James Cameron it will lose money unless it does at least $2 billion worldwide. Does it really have any chance to pull this off? PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Woke Media Loves ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’: Reactions Are In https://cosmicbook.news/woke-media-love-avatar-way-water Tom Page who writes for CNN International says it all and offers, “Avatar: The Way Of Water is ‘more is more’ writ large. It’s more beautiful, more in awe of Pandora; more vocal in its environmentalism, more damning of humans. It’s an adrenaline shot to 3D filmmaking and an uncompromising doubling down. You’d expect nothing less from Cameron.” Check out the first reactions below that have hit Twitter. While the box office is estimated to open to around $175 to $200 million, director James Cameron recently said in order to break even the flick has to perform as well as Star Wars: The Force Awakens which finished with a box office of $2 billion. Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened to similar numbers and will be lucky if it hits $800 million. Cameron has also caused controversy as of late with some of his comments directed at comic book movies as well as odd comments about testosterone. Cameron blasted DC and Marvel movies stating the characters act like they are all in college and don’t experience things that really ground us. Regarding the testosterone comment, the director who is known for movies such as Terminator 2, called testosterone a toxin. “A lot of things I did earlier, I wouldn’t do — career-wise and just risks that you take as a wild, testosterone-poisoned young man,” he filled in THR, declining to specify further. “I always think of [testosterone] as a toxin that you have to slowly work out of your system.” Avatar the Way of Water What do the Avatar: The Way of Water reactions say: Avatar The Way of Water What is Avatar: The Way of Water about? Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the Lightstorm Entertainment Production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet, with Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement. Screenplay by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno.

In a rather one-sided report by Variety who reports on the Black Adam theatrical release potentially losing millions of dollars, reps for Warner Bros. dispute various projections. Warner Bros has the actual accounting and reports Black Adam breaks even at $400 million worldwide and says it broke even. In this video we give you the truth. PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ In The Black: Saved By Home Entertainment https://cosmicbook.news/dwayne-johnson-black-adam-black-saved-home-entertainment The article writes how in order to break even that Black Adam needs to make $600 million, then says $450 million, but WB tells the site that the break-even number is actually only $400 million. The current worldwide box office is $384 million so Black Adam is just shy of that number. As Dwayne Johnson has pointed out, Black Adam is the #1 movie on iTunes – and it remains so – and reps for Warner Bros. fill in Variety that the flick is overperforming in the home entertainment market. It’s further pointed out in the Variety article that Warner Bros. says “that the film is poised to get into the black” thanks to ancillary revenues, which means it will end up making money not losing money. Dwayne Johnson Black Adam Comic-Con The hierarchy of the DC Universe has changed So for a movie that introduces an unknown DC hero and an unknown team of heroes, breaking even or even just being slightly profitable isn’t all that bad because it sets up things to come that just might be more profitable in sequels and related movies. Black Adam has a favorable 89% favorable Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score, so that says most fans loved the flick. The producers have also said they can get a sequel ready to go ASAP, so that’s more good news. “When I talk about [how] the hierarchy of the DC Universe has changed… We established Black Adam, around the world, as the most powerful and dominant, unstoppable force in the DC Universe. That is a fact,” said Johnson. “And we established the Justice Society around the world, too, and keep in mind, if you were not a hardcore comic book fan, no one heard of Black Adam or the Justice Society. The hardcore comic book fans, we got your love, we got your loyalty and I appreciate that to the bone. The rest of the world had no idea who Black Adam was, so we are establishing the brand.” Dwayne Johnson Responds To 'Black Adam' vs. 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Box Office Trolls Why compare Black Adam to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? What I find odd is how Variety and the Marvel shills are constantly comparing Black Adam to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a character and franchise that has been around for six years while Black Adam, again, is totally new and hasn’t been connected to any of the other DC characters or Justice League. The Marvel shills do realize Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will barely break $800 million at the box office and that it’s underperforming at almost 50% less than the first Black Panther? If that’s not a big bust, I don’t know what is. I’ll also add the first Aquaman has blown Wakanda Forever out of the water, and that pun is intended. I can’t wait to read Variety’s article about that. L

According to Margot Robbie herself, she really wants to see Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy get it on in the DCU. PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Margot Robbie Really Wants Lesbian Romance for Her Harley Quinn https://thedirect.com/article/margot-robbie-harley-quinn-lesbian-romance According to Margot Robbie herself, she really wants to see Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy get it on in the DCU. Classically, Harley Quinn is known for being in a relationship with the Joker. However, in more recent years, the two of them have gradually drifted away from each other. In fact, Robbie’s first appearance in live-action focused on her getting away from that toxic relationship and not staying in it. These days, Quinn seems to be going green. But will her history with Poison Ivy be explored with Robbie’s current live-action take on the character? The actress herself sure wants it to be. Margot Robbie Wants Poison Ivy Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn Warner Bros. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the DCU, has reiterated on how much she wants to see Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy's relationship on screen. Robbie noted how "[she's] been pushing for [Harley and Ivy] for years:" “I have been pushing for that for years. I cannot tell you how hard I’ve been pushing for that. I want it too..." When asked if she could picture which actress would bring Poison Ivy to life in live action, Robbie admitted that she "couldn't really actually picture [a specific] actress:" “Honestly, when I pictured, I always picture like Poison Ivy in the comics. I don’t really actually picture [a specific] actress doing it, but I agree, that would be so good.” Previously, while talking with Den of Geek, Robbie had revealed how "[she] chew[s] [Warner Bros.'] ear off about it all the time:" “Trust me, I chew their ear off about it all the time. They must be sick of hearing it, but I’m like, ‘Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy. Come on, let’s do it.’ I’m very keen to see a Harley-Poison Ivy relationship on screen. It’d be so fun. So I’ll keep pestering them. Don’t worry.” Bringing Poison Ivy to the DCU While live-action may not have seen Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy hit it off, the two have been in the limelight thanks to HBO Max’s animated Harley Quinn series. In fact, while the first two seasons only ever saw the duo flirt with the notion of being together, the third made it official—needless to say, it was a lot of fun. So much fun that even new DCU co-lead James Gunn showed up for a cameo. But when will Poison Ivy show up in live-action? Well, technically, she was in 1997’s Batman and Robin; more recently, Batwoman on the CW created their own version of the character with Nicole Kang's Mary Hamilton. As for the DCU itself, there’s been no sign of the character making an appearance yet. However, given James Gunn’s affinity for Margot Robbie, it wouldn’t be surprising if the relationship between Poison Ivy and Harley is one of the first big story elements of the director’s vision for the DC Universe. It would certainly please Robbie herself and maybe pave the way for her return sooner than previously expected. Sadly, it seems Ivy and Quin will have to wait a little longer for the spotlight, as Joker 2 seems to be focusing on the character's dynamic with Mr. J himself—hopefully, it won't long after that until Harley gets to pick her own Poison.

Another franchise RUINED at Disney. The first superhero sequel to feature the character's world but not the character and it's a flop. They won't lose millions, but they won't make anything either as they completely trash the success of the iconic original and all of the goodwill and momentum Marvel was building up until they released this and the rest of Phase 4. PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Expected Huge Bust: Finish $800M Worldwide https://cosmicbook.news/black-panther-wakanda-forever-huge-bust The estimates are now offering that the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever box office will finish much lower than anyone expected, looking around somewhere in the $800 millions. Deadline offers the news in its latest box office update where it is noted: “The offshore drop on Wakanda Forever was 39% as it heads to a finish in the $800Ms worldwide.” That means the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever box office won’t even match up to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which finished with close to a billion dollars at the box office with $955 million worldwide. Of course, that also means the sequel won’t come anywhere close to the first movie, which finished with over $1.3 billion. So what happened? The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever box office is getting hammered by the foreign box office as it has only brought in $339.3 million, while the first flick brought in a massive $681 million. You can’t blame it all on China, either, as China was responsible for only $105 million. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought in over $544 million internationally without China and Thor: Love and Thunder brought in over $417 million, so the foreign audience hasn’t come out to see Wakanda Forever. The domestic audience for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is more in line with DS2, and looks to possibly surpass DS 2’s $411 million, but again, Wakanda Forever can’t live up to the first Black Panther‘s massive $700 million domestic box office. The sequel also has a huge budget of $250 million, probably more with all the shutdowns and relaunching of production plus the cost of marketing, so there is probably the question if it will make any money or even break even. Black Panther Wakanda Forever Why was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made? I also have to question why this movie was even made. Kevin Feige said they didn’t want to recast Black Panther, but then why make the sequel? It would have been better to put the character on the back burner and then relaunch with a new actor in the role, not Letitia Wright’s Shuri as the new Black Panther who comes off barely able to roar. She just can’t match up to Chadwick Boseman in any comparison (or Michael B Jordan) and when she’s in the suit (or the CGI version of her) it’s just totally unbelievable. I also felt the sequel didn’t match the scope of the first movie or Infinity War, which it should have. Both the armies of Namor and Wakanda came off as lackluster, especially the former. You are trying to tell me Namor and his army of 50 men are going to be able to take on the surface world with spears, water bombs, all the while riding whales? Who thought this was a good idea? Ironheart is another terrible character, which is more forced inclusion from Feige and his woke producer team. I felt she was totally unneeded and took away screentime from the other characters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is another mess in a line of Kevin Feige Phase 4 messes and the future of the MCU doesn’t look to have a smooth road ahead.

Disney will face “organizational and operating changes within the Company to address the Board’s goals. While the plans are in the early stages, changes in their structure and operations, including within DMED (and including possibly the distribution approach and the businesses/distribution platforms selected for the initial distribution of content), can be expected.” PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove MASSIVE PRODUCTION CUTS COMING TO MARVEL PHASE 5 AND 6! Report: Disney Restructuring and How it Affects Marvel Studios https://www.thecosmiccircus.com/disneys-restructuring-and-how-it-will-affect-marvel-studios/ Earlier this week, Deadline reported that Disney would face some restructuring in the coming months. These reports come just a short time after the reinstatement of former Disney CEO Bob Iger. With The Walt Disney Company set to change how they operate and handle all levels of its business, one has to wonder what this means for Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios’ future projects. According to Deadline’s report, Disney will face “organizational and operating changes within the Company to address the Board’s goals. While the plans are in the early stages, changes in their structure and operations, including within DMED (and including possibly the distribution approach and the businesses/distribution platforms selected for the initial distribution of content), can be expected.” We’ve been talking to our sources about what might be going on with Marvel in regard to Disney’s restructuring plans, and have some interesting things to share. I’ll break it all down for you in my latest report below. Marvel Studios and the problem with oversaturation Marvel’s success back when it was developing and rolling out the Infinity Saga was partly due to the way Marvel paced itself with its releases. In a span of eleven years, they released twenty-three films that explored the MCU with the Infinity Saga. In comparison, Phase 4 has had nineteen projects alone, one after another, over the span of two years. Eight Disney+ Series, seven theatrical releases, two Disney+ Specials, and the Legends and I Am Groot shorts. MCU Marvel heroes Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Loki, Black Widow, Thor, Shang-Chi, and Shuri. This great overflow of projects then branches out as a series of other issues with how Marvel has handled Phase 4. First and foremost, a significant part of the audience feels there is an oversaturation of Marvel currently. Not having a rest period between projects makes it hard for fans to keep up with the saga, and interest in future projects begins to grow stale. This is likely due to not allowing fans to garner enough anticipation toward the next upcoming project. There’s also the issue of quality control. Having too many projects released at once spreads a production workforce thin. Ultimately, this leads to issues with the quality of the final product, which have resonated in Phase 4 projects as of late. There have been issues with editing and pacing, incongruencies with scripts and stories, and problems with the visual effects of several projects. All of these issues and more are a result of the larger problem involving increased releases. What we heard regarding re-evaluating The Multiverse Saga We have received word from our sources that Marvel Studios is currently re-evaluating its release lineup for Phases 5 & 6. As Phase 4 comes to a close, we’ve been informed of internal negative feedback about how Phase 4 was handled regarding product distribution and quality. Phase 5 marvel slate Kevin Feige announcing Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU at SDCC. (Getty Images) This has led to fear that Phases 5 and 6 are headed in the same direction as Phase 4. Therefore, as a preventive measure to ensure quality control, Marvel and Disney are now re-evaluating future releases. Moving forward, they are interested in pushing a quality-over-quantity approach to these phases as a way to address the issues some audiences have had with Phase 4. One possible move by Disney would be to develop a sort of creative oversight on Marvel Studios future releases as a way of establishing more quality control moving forward. We’ve also heard that the idea of Special Presentations has gained more traction as a distribution method for more potential projects moving forward.

Disney reappointed Bob Iger as its chief executive recently, abruptly replacing his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, and giving Iger an early goal — find a new replacement during the next two years. PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Who will be Disney’s next CEO? Here are the top contenders to succeed Bob Iger https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/04/disney-ceo-top-contenders-succeed-bob-iger.html Disney reappointed Bob Iger as its chief executive recently, abruptly replacing his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, and giving Iger an early goal — find a new replacement during the next two years. Iger’s attention has quickly turned to the other part of his mandate from the board — the immediate challenges facing Disney’s business, such as the company’s reorganization, cost structure and the future growth of its streaming business. But that hasn’t quelled speculation about who his successor could be. Media industry executives and company observers are putting together a roster of potential candidates Iger and the board will likely consider in deciding whom to groom for the role next. The pool of possibilities include former Disney executives who were previously considered the future of the Mouse House before being passed over for Chapek, a few internal rising stars and some sleeper picks who are either close to the creative community or already have ties to the company. Another possibility some consider is that Iger, whose return was applauded by Wall Street and employees, sticks around longer than his two-year contract. Here’s a look at some of the people who could be next in line to lead Disney. Calling up from the bench Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television speaks onstage during the 25th anniversary of UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation's "Taste for a Cure" event at Fairmont Century Plaza on April 29, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television speaks onstage during the 25th anniversary of UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation’s “Taste for a Cure” event at Fairmont Century Plaza on April 29, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Polk | Getty Images Before calling Iger, Disney’s board considered a few internal candidates to replace Chapek, but ultimately decided they were too new to take on the various pressures on the company, CNBC previously reported. One of the candidates considered was Dana Walden, said people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly on the topic. She is the head of general entertainment content and in charge of creating original entertainment and news programming for Disney’s streaming platforms, broadcast and cable networks. Walden’s been known to have a hands-on role with content creators. In Iger’s first memo to employees following his reinstatement, he mentioned Walden as among the top lieutenants who would work with him on Disney’s new structure, which would put “more decision-making back in the hands of our creative teams and rationalizes costs.” “Disney will likely choose a successor that leads with talent relationship capabilities,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO and chairman of Patriarch Organization and Reputation Management Consultants. “The downfall of Chapek is he maimed Hollywood relationships.” One of the notable missteps made by Chapek during his quick turn as CEO was his handling of Scarlett Johansson’s pay dispute. Walden took on her role in June after her boss, Peter Rice, was ousted after clashing with Chapek. Like Rice, Walden came to Disney in 2019 as part of the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s assets. When she was promoted, Chapek had called Walden “a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse.” At the time, Disney’s board had put its support behind Chapek. Still, Walden lacks experience on business decisions, and has focused her time on the creative side.

Variety calls Marvel Phase 4 "pointless" and tries to make excuses for Marvel, and THEDIRECT reports Marvel is aware they making changes to deal with the negative reception to Phase 4. Will they ever give up on being woke, or will they cut back massively to deal with fake "superhero fatigue"? PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove PANIC AS WOKE MEDIA CALLS MCU PHASE 4 "POINTLESS"! Marvel Forced To Make Changes To Phases 5&6! Marvel Studios could be making some massive changes to their Phase 5 and Phase 6 lineups after the negative reception to some of the content in Phase 4. There's no denying that this first new Phase of MCU content post-Avengers: Endgame was mixed. While projects like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Spider-Man: No Way Home were widely praised, movies such as Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder missed the mark for many. Many feel that this is due to Marvel Studios and Disney focusing on quantity over quality, especially when it comes to utilizing Disney+ as a storytelling tool. Nearly all of those new MCU shows had reactions ranging all over the place, with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier taking the brunt of the negativity. Now, following the lukewarm reception to Phase 4, and the firing of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Marvel Studios is looking to make some changes. MCU Multiverse Saga Shuffle on the Way? MCU Phase 5 and 6 Slates Marvel A new report from The Cosmic Circus sources revealed how Marvel Studios might be facing some big changes after Bob Iger's return as CEO at Disney and the negative feedback Phase 4 has received from fans & critics. Many believe the last two years of Marvel content have been lukewarm and that the studio is prioritizing quantity over quality. According to Cosmic Circus and the outlet's sources, Marvel themselves have picked up on those worries about the overall approach for Phase 4. So now, "as a preventative measure to assure quality control," both Marvel and Disney are "re-evaluating the future releases" of Phase 5 and beyond that are not already in production. Their sources say that Marvel Studios is hoping to hammer in a quality-over-quantity take on its future projects to avoid the issues it faced with Phase 4. They note that one move behind considered by Marvel and Disney is to "develop a sort of creative oversite" on the MCU's future releases in order to "establish more quality control moving forward." The Cosmic Circus also reiterated how they heard that Special Presentations are gaining more traction behind the scenes as a medium to deliver more potential projects moving forward. It's worth noting that even with any changes, Phase 5 is likely to contain a similar amount of releases to Phase 4, assuming nothing already announced is outright canceled. The important thing is that fans shouldn't expect Marvel Studios to start increasing its output even more than the studio is currently doing. What Will Change for Phases 5 and 6? After hearing that news, there's likely one question running through the mind: what changes should be expected? As Cosmic Circus pointed out, any outright cancelations of Disney+ series or theatrical movies are unlikely. Shifts in format are more probable, such as the rumor of Nova shifting from series to Special Presentation or Armor Wars going from show to movie. Looking ahead into 2024, only two series are known: Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox's show even has 18 episodes, meaning that it will run for a good chunk of the year. Past that, the only two projects that seem to still be in the works as shows are Vision Quest and Wonder Man. Currently, it isn't known if they'd be a part of Phase 5 or Phase 6. It's hard to pinpoint if this will lead to fewer shows overall or just fewer new IPs. For example, while there might not be as many newly introduced series, there will be more space for Marvel to explore second seasons for characters such as Ms. Marvel or Moon Knight. With how much content Marvel Studios has access to, some might not be able to help but feel that the MCU won't be able to build everything it needs to in time for Avengers: Secret Wars. Whatever happens, this is a good move for Marvel Studios. Phase 4 was a mixed bag for many, and a re-evaluation like this should help assure fans that the company cares about the final products it pushes out the door. The next MCU project, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is set to hit theaters on February 17, 2023.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s television-focused production arm is partnering with Amazon Studios to create new animated projects based on DC Comics’ IP, yet another sign of how the company is changing under CEO David Zaslav’s leadership. PLAYLIST 85 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon are teaming up to produce new animated DC projects https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/30/23486386/warner-bros-television-studios-amazon-dc-animation-harry-potter WARNER BROS CEO TO CLOSE DEAL WITH AMAZON FOR DC STUDIOS ANIMATED SHOWS In Massive Strategy Shift! Warner Bros. Discovery’s television-focused production arm is partnering with Amazon Studios to create new animated projects based on DC Comics’ IP, yet another sign of how the company is changing under CEO David Zaslav’s leadership. During a keynote session at C21Media’s annual Content London event this week, Warner Bros. Television Studios chair Channing Dungey opened up about some of the new moves the company plans to make as part of Zaslav’s vision for its future. According to Variety, Dungey expressed excitement for her division in particular and pointed to Zaslav’s openness to collaborating with outside production outfits as one of the major reasons why. Unlike the old guard who felt like “everything has to stay in house, we don’t want anything to go outside,” Dungey said that Zaslav’s been far more keen on the idea of working with others and getting the studio’s content onto platforms it doesn’t own outright. “David Zaslav has been much more open to our exploring all of our animated IP and being able to do it on different platforms,” Dungey said. “Certainly HBO Max is going to be our first stop but we’re already in the process of closing a big deal with Amazon that’s going to feature some of our DC-branded content in animation.” While Dungey didn’t go into detail about what the big Amazon deal entails — like whether these new projects will live on both Amazon Prime and whatever HBO Max is fated to become — earlier this month, Zaslav made very clear his desire to double down on existing IP like Superman. Zaslav also stated that he’s interested in returning to the world of Harry Potter to cash in on the franchise’s still-extant popularity, a sentiment Dungey echoed and said that the studio is currently having “a number of different conversations about.” “I wish I could tell you that something was ... imminent on the horizon but there is a lot of interest and a lot of passion for it, so absolutely,” Dungey said in response to a question about whether a scripted Harry Potter might be in the works. “Our unscripted team did a fantastic ‘Return to Hogwarts’ special for HBO last year, that resonated so tremendously, then we did a quiz show, ‘The Tournament of Houses,’ that Helen Mirren was the host for. The audience is ready, they want to go, so we’re just to figure out what the right next step is.” In light of the recent round of layoffs and restructuring at Warner Bros. Television, it makes a certain amount of sense that the studio’s moving to outsource some of that work to third parties. But the optics of Warner Bros. Discovery tapping Amazon to churn out DC superhero-themed content while it’s also trying to figure out how to keep Harry Potter relevant is somewhat depressing and makes it seem like Zaslav’s intent on sticking to his guns by going back to the well of big name IP.

While he may be waving away any deal talk, the incoming CEO built the company with a slew of splashy buys — Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox — and could have another big idea up his sleeve. Deals is really all that Bob Iger knows how to do. PLAYLIST 82 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Bob Iger’s Disney Return: 5 Far-Fetched (or Are They?) Megadeal Scenarios https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bob-iger-disney-hulu-espn-apple-1235271915/ DISNEY'S FIVE MEGA DEALS At Least ONE Of These WILL; HAPPEN In The Next 2 Years! Since Nov. 21, when Disney revealed the shocking return of Bob Iger as CEO and the ouster of his chosen successor Bob Chapek from the role, the informed speculation rumor mill about the future of the Burbank-based entertainment giant has been in overdrive. Iger, in a town hall with employees on Nov. 28, dismissed the idea that another megadeal is what’s driving this new era for the executive at Disney. “We have a great set of assets here,” Iger told staffers. “Nothing is forever, but I am very, very comfortable with each of the assets that we have,” he added, and specifically called the idea that Disney could sell out to Apple “pure speculation.” Related Stories Bob Iger wearing a handyman's outfit walks with Mickey Mouse toward Disneyland BUSINESS Bob Iger's Austerity Era Begins at Disney: Behind His Most Pressing Concerns Kareem Daniel BUSINESS Kareem Daniel to Exit Disney as Bob Iger Unwinds Chapek Era Structure That hasn’t stopped Wall Street analysts, investors and longtime Disney observers to note that Iger has built Disney into what it is today with a series of big swing bets — Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006, Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012 and 21st Century Fox assets for $71.3 billion in 2019 — that have shored up its intellectual property edge among rivals. As Hollywood is ushered into an era where seemingly unthinkable deals are now discussed as possibilities, here’s a survey on the reasoning for and against those bets. Disney Sells to Apple Why it makes sense: Disney+ is growing fast, but that’s been costly. Apple offers a quick fix with troves of cash to fuel Disney’s streaming ambitions. Disney would also gain access to more than a billion Apple devices where its content would be integrated and boosted. In return, the tech giant would acquire Hollywood’s biggest brand to complement Apple TV+, which has struggled to feature enough original content to compete. Plus, Iger has close ties to Apple, sitting on the company’s board from 2011 to 2019. He noted in his autobiography, “I believe that if Steve [Jobs] were still alive, we would have combined our companies, or at least discussed the possibility very seriously.” Why it doesn’t: Maybe it could make sense. But despite Department of Justice saber-rattling, it’s up in the air whether a sale to Apple would violate antitrust law, as Apple TV+ accounts for a minor share of the streaming market. If there was interest in a deal, the two sides could choose to bide time until a possibly better regulatory environment arrives post-Biden. Apple would also likely have to burn its cash reserves to make a deal happen, which may not be wise considering the recent downturn in the tech sector. Factor in the tech giant’s disinterest in stepping into the theme park business, there may not be enthusiasm for a deal on either side. — Winston Cho Disney Sells Hulu to Comcast Why it makes sense: Hulu would likely command a bidding war and high sale price from interested parties and help Disney raise some much-needed cash as the company seeks to cut costs. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has already champed at the bit in public for a Hulu acquisition, making statements describing Hulu as a “phenomenal business” that would trigger a “robust auction” from parties including Comcast if it went for sale. And with the pressure to improve NBCUniversal’s streaming business, where the Peacock streamer has failed to drive subscriptions, parent company Comcast could be willing to pay top dollar. Why it doesn’t: Disney is already on track to buy out the remainder of Comcast’s 33 percent stake in Hulu by 2024 at a guaranteed sale price that values the streamer at $27.5 billion. Hulu, which has more subscribers than Disney+ in the U.S./Canada, attracts a more adult audience and drives the highest average-revenue-per-user of Disney’s streaming portfolio. As Disney’s streaming losses have grown to $1.5 billion, the company needs all the paying subscribers it can get. — J. Clara Chan

The Rotten Tomatoes scores are now available which offer the Disney Plus series doesn't do the original movie justice. This is Ron Howard's fault, he directed the original and destroyed the sequel series. PLAYLIST 82 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Fans Not Happy With Disney+ ‘Willow’ Series https://cosmicbook.news/fans-not-happy-with-disney-plus-willow-series DISNEY DISASTER RON HOWARD RUINING WILLOW! Just Like STAR WARS And INDIANA JONES! It’s another day, and it’s another day where fans aren’t happy about a Disney+ series, and this time it’s Lucasfilm’s Willow series. The first two episodes are now streaming on Disney+, but according to early fan reactions, it’s not all that good. The Willow Rotten Tomatoes scores are now available where the critics seem to think it’s okay as the show currently has an 83% Critics Score, but the fans aren’t liking what they are seeing at all as the Audience Score is at a meager 58%. Update: Audience Score has dropped to 38%. Willow Rotten Tomatoes Disney+ series For a comparison, interestingly enough, the scores are flipped for the cult-classic 1988 movie as the Critics Score is at 53%, while the Audience Score is at 79%. While I have yet to watch the episodes myself, Polygon points out, “The big surprise of Disney’s Willow show: queer romance is front and center, a decision creator Jonathan Kasdan says was ‘just organic’ to creating the sequel.'” Recently saw Disney’s LGBTQ Strange World animated movie bomb at the box office which also wasn’t marketed as featuring LGBTQ representation. Disney Plus Willow What do the fans have to say about the Willow Disney+ series? Regarding what the fans have to say about the Willow Disney+ series, the comments on Rotten Tomatoes offer the series doesn’t feel like Willow. – This is like a modern sitcom not mid evil fantasy. Does not feel like willow. – Lost its charm. Not sure about the teen drama/sitcom screenplay angle. Who is the target audience again? Modernized dialog is always a terrible idea for fantasy shows. See if I can last the season. – Only one episode in, but so far it feels like a cheesy Medieval Times series. Then throw in a rainbow unicorn princess and a bunch of other very cliche poorly written characters/dialogue. Maybe it will get better. However, if this is what you put out as the premiere episode, the chances aren’t great. – This was completely unwatchable. I lasted about 15mins.. but husband (a big fan of the original as a kid) insisted we keep trying.. 20 mins was enough even for him. This show is another great example of not a single character being a fun and good person that you want to hang about with. The two main girls, are insurable, not Galadriel level, but darn close. The scene where she is at a call to meet her appropriately weaselly new husband and has a tantrum is one of the worst scenes I have sat through in a long time, and there has been some shockingly bad moments in tv and film this year. This show is absolute drivel. What a pathetic waste of the IP. Ready, get set…. terrible. – Pretty poor – I was excited to check this out as a fan of the original films. Devoid of any real magic sadly. Willow Disney Plus series What do the negative reviews have to say? The negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes offer similar sentiments as the fans. “Willow is a prime example of the potential heartbreak of reviving IP. Disney has enough data to see that their Lucasfilm property has enough fans to warrant a revival, but not enough creativity to understand why.” – UPI “An underdeveloped legacy sequel that somehow stretches the source material to its breaking point, while never reaching the same heights of good old-fashioned fun that a fantasy epic should have at its heart.” – Playlist “Sadly, I think my childhood Willow nostalgia wore off a few episodes ago. While I enjoyed seeing Warwick Davis back in his Willow role, I think his whole mythical world kind of crashed around me as the episodes kept dragging on…and on…and on.” – Raising Whasians “A show that can’t decide exactly what it wants to be, nor who its intended audience is.” – Rolling Stone

While still officially a rumor, It's claimed that Kathleen Kennedy is going to destroy Indy just like she did with Star Wars. And there are more comments from test screenings to back it up! PLAYLIST 82 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove DISNEY DISASTER KATHLEEN KENNEDY RUINING INDIANA JONES! Just Like STAR WARS! ‘Indiana Jones’ 5 Worse Than Thought Reveals Test Screening https://cosmicbook.news/indiana-jones-5-worse-thought-test-screenings Indiana Jones 5 is claimed to be worse than thought according to a test screening, which would of course mean that director James Mangold is fibbing just a tiny bit about the flick. Mangold recently shot down claims about Indiana Jones 5 having test screenings involving Phoebe Waller-Bridge replacing Harrison Ford that surfaced from YouTuber Doom Cock. However, Doom Cock’s claims were backed up by The Daily Mail. Now a 4Chan post offers more of the same, with Doom Cock offering the following ending is 100% right and that Kathleen Kennedy wants to ruin Indiana Jones just as she did with Star Wars. It’s said a few different endings were screened for audiences all featuring Phoebe Waller-Bridge replacing Harrison Ford, with the following being the worst ending and that it is the ending Kathleen Kennedy wants to go with. It’s also said Kennedy and the studio have been butting heads over the ending to Indiana Jones 5 as Kennedy wants the following ending but the studio is stating no to it. What happens remains to be seen but a big problem could be that Bob Iger is back who always backs Kennedy, so just like Disney Star Wars and what is now happening with Kevin Feige’s Marvel, Indiana Jones 5 could be next to turn to dust as well. Worth a mention is the recent Empire Magazine article and images back up the time travel claims. WARNING: What follows may be FULL SPOILERS for Indiana Jones 5. Indiana Jones 5 Mads Mikkelsen What do the Indiana Jones 5 rumors have to say? So following Mangold shooting down the rumor, someone claiming to have been present at an Indiana Jones 5 test screening wrote up the following details and posted them to 4Chan with the title “Indy 5 sucks and James Mangold is a liar.” I’ve actually contacted my own little birds but I haven’t been able to find out if there actually have been any screenings (my buddy is signed up for test screenings and recently saw Creed III). Indiana Jones 5 4Chan rumors 4Chan rumors Indiana Jones 5 test screening claims via 4Chan: – Indiana Jones 5 has had test screenings and I attended one. The reason he’s claiming it didn’t is because basically everyone at my showing hated it. – Marion appears toward the beginning of the movie and encourages Indy to come out of retirement for one last adventure. Mutt is mentioned but not seen in this scene. – Sallah appears for one scene (you can see him wearing a fez on the right of the pic) – Phoebe Waller Bridge is playing “Helena Brody”, the granddaughter of Marcus Brody, and is quite possibly one of the most annoying characters put to screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wrote her own lines. She constantly lectures Indy about his “privilege”. – Harrison looks like he doesn’t want to be there the entire movie. – Mads Mikkelsen is playing a younger version of Toht from the first film and he does a decent job. – Antonio Banderas is probably the best part of this movie and thats probably the only reason his character’s death had any impact. he sacrifices himself to save Indy and Helena right before they get sent back in time. – The main McGuffin is a golden clock that’s the key to an ancient time portal. A group of neo-Nazis is trying to track it down before Indy can. First they go to ancient Rome for a bit but they go back through and end up in 1933. – A significant chunk of the movie is set in 1933 and the main “trio” is old Indy, Helena, and younger Indy. – In my screening, the movie ends with young Indy sacrificing himself to save Helena, causing old Indy to fade away like Marty does in BTTF. Helena picks up his hat and the movie ends with a montage of her in iconic Indiana Jones scenes set to the John Williams score. – The movie also had a “Helena will return” thing at the end sort of like what Marvel movies do. – Overall, 2/10. I’d rather watch Crystal Skull 50 times than sit through this atrocity again. I hope Disney does some serious reshoots or just cans the movie entirely.

However, Disney committed to a global theatrical release for Strange World, even though they knew they had bad audience test scores. Why did Disney go theatrical on a movie they knew had bad audience diagnostics and not streaming? Answers revealed! PLAYLIST 82 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove ‘Strange World’ To Lose $147M: Why Theatrical Was Best Decision For Doomed Toon –Not Disney+– As Bob Iger Takes Over CEO From Bob Chapek https://deadline.com/2022/11/strange-world-bombs-box-office-disney-glass-onion-bob-iger-bob-chapek-1235182222/ Such is life in Hollywood, and at the end of the day, the estimated $147M loss which is expected for Disney Animation’s Strange World isn’t spilt milk to cry over for the entertainment conglomerate. The bombing of the Thanksgiving family title, with a $28M global opening, in the face of Netflix’s theatrical experiment with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, with $13.3M over 5-days, has prompted discussion this weekend as to what’s really prime for theatrical and what’s really ideal for streaming. No question about it, Netflix is leaving money on the table in their $400M-plus investment in the Knives Out franchise with a one week only theatrical only release before its Dec. 23 streaming drop. RELATED STORY 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Leaps To $676M WW; 'Strange World' Inanimate - International Box Office However, Disney aren’t idiots for committing to a global theatrical release, even if it’s not full, for Strange World. which will debut on Disney+ around Christmas. Why did Disney go theatrical on a movie they knew had bad audience diagnostics and not streaming? (I spoke with someone who saw Strange World in an early test screening back in August, who believed Disney should have held the movie). Why didn’t Hocus Pocus 2 go theatrical, given its massive eyeballs on Disney+ and cult fandom? Why did Disenchanted, a sequel to a 3x Oscar nominated, $340M-plus grossing global hit go to streaming? Such questions will have easier answers in the post Bob Chapek-Kareem Daniels’ era. It’s clear in Iger’s move to put the distribution and P&L decisions back in the hands of the studio’s creative heads, the people who actually steer such product, an indication that smarter creative and financial decisions are afoot at the studio. Disney hasn’t commented on whether there’s less movies going straight to Disney+ as Iger takes over. The feeling by industry sources is that more expensive theatrical movies will go theatrical, and significantly lower-budgeted ones without any big screen potential will make their way on the service. No more opulent feature stunting to get subscribers is the sense we’re getting, which is a similar philosophy to that of Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s in regards to features films and HBO Max. Disney’s pivot to Iger and pushing out of Chapek and Daniel is a sign to many that the entertainment conglom wants to appease Wall Street’s appetite for profits from streamers, not subscription counts. So if Disney knew Strange World, with its problematic title, was a dud, why did it not go straight to streaming? Disney has a history of launching a family animated title over Thanksgiving. Audiences come to expect that. That alone is of significant reputation value to Disney, and meeting their fans’ demands. Had Disney pulled another movie from the theatrical schedule and sent it to streaming (a standard Chapek business move), especially at Thanksgiving, there would be a great uproar from exhibition, and they’ve already had their share of punches in subtracting Mulan, etc., from the release schedule, not to mention their controversial day-and-date experiment with Marvel’s Black Widow, etc. Had Strange World gone straight to Disney+, it would be a PR nightmare for the studio, particularly in the wake of Chapek’s Florida “Don’t Say Gay” quagmire. A strict Disney+ release for Strange World would indicate that the Burbank, CA studio is giving a lesser release and a lesser profile for a big movie with a gay character versus a global theatrical launch. In addition, a straight to Disney+ release for Strange World would be a continued slap in the face to its animation team, which have seen years and years of their life’s work, intended for full-on theatrical, go to streaming, i.e. Pixar’s Soul, Turning Red, Luca, and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. The return of Iger is also intended to boost Disney creatives’ morale in the wake of the binary and bean-counting Chapek era, an executive who one former Disney big wig told me was known as the “swiss army (knife) of executives at the company,” able to make a profit at whatever division he took charge of.

Disney CEO Bob Iger addressing an audience of employees at a company-wide meeting and assured them he would keep the company's policies for acceptance and inclusion the same. Iger said “one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion, and acceptance and tolerance. And we can’t lose that, we just can’t lose that… how we actually change the world through the good must continue. We’re not going to make everyone happy all the time, and we’re not [going to] try to. We’re certainly not going to lessen our core values in order to make everyone happy all the time.” PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Bob Iger Talks Disney Hiring Freeze, Streaming Spending and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ in First Town Hall Back as CEO https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bob-iger-returns-disney-town-hall-dont-say-gay-1235443266/ DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TELLS STAFF "WE WILL STAY WOKE"! Billionaire Nelson Peltz Wants Iger Out! “Filled with gratitude and excitement to be back,” Iger wrote on his personal Twitter account, attaching a photo of the studio lot’s Disney Legends Plaza, a building on which the seven dwarves from “Snow White” serve as pillars. It’s been just over a week since Disney’s board of directors shocked Hollywood and global markets with news that Iger would replace Bob Chapek as chief executive. Iger’s first town hall before in-person and virtual employees saw him touch on several hot topics: a planned hiring freeze implemented by Chapek following Disney’s recent lackluster quarterly earnings report, the profitability of Disney’s streaming portfolio and the corporate giant’s stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Clarence Gilyard Jr., ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ and ‘Die Hard’ Star, Dies at 66 The latter was an Achilles heel for Chapek in his roughly two-year run as CEO. After floating the message that Disney should not be involved in politics, employees and content creators led a full-on social media rebellion decrying his silence on issues like Florida’s incendiary policies on trans children and classroom policies in acknowledging queer people. When asked Monday during an employee Q&A about where the studio would now fall on the matter, Iger said “one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion, and acceptance and tolerance. And we can’t lose that, we just can’t lose that… how we actually change the world through the good must continue. We’re not going to make everyone happy all the time, and we’re not [going to] try to. We’re certainly not going to lessen our core values in order to make everyone happy all the time.” The remarks were tweeted by numerous employees at the content studios, as well as parks and stores. One staffer noted that Iger’s answer came with “no hesitation.” Two sources familiar with the meeting confirmed his comments. Iger said he would uphold Chapek’s hiring freeze for the time being. He also said Disney’s streaming businesses — which includes Disney+ and Hulu — should look toward profitability instead of chasing subscriber growth, according to employees at the meeting. Since Chapek’s firing, many on Wall Street and in media circles have been entertaining ideas of a significant transaction surrounding Disney, including acquisitions to service its reported $5.5 billion in debt, or an outright sale to a tech monolith like Apple. Iger shot down those rumors, calling the Apple scenario pure speculation, and cautioned employees not to expect any new purchases (like the deals that made Iger the modern model of a CEO, in buying Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar). Iger’s comeback has been toasted by every corner of the entertainment ecosystem, from creatives to dealmakers to our favorite subgenre of the magic kingdom’s landscape, the Disney Adult. On Monday, however, some employees were ruffled by a new Iger mandate — people need to come back to the office. Iger spoke of the importance of working side-by-side in person, according to one source with knowledge of the town hall. As many workplaces have not yet fully adjusted to pre-COVID work habits, the issue continues to make some employees squirm.

Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav is being brutally honest about what it’s like to restructure Warner Bros. and it’s no easy task as it turns out he inherited a bigger mess than he thought he would. The studio, DC, the streaming offerings at HBO Max – all of it is a challenge he sums up with a quote from Kevin Costner on Yellowstone. PLAYLIST 81 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove David Zaslav Calls Rebuilding DC and Warner Bros. Is “More Challenging Than We Thought”: “We Have An Awful Lot To Do, And an Awful Lot To Undo” https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/11/28/david-zaslav-calls-rebuilding-dc-and-warner-bros-is-more-challenging-than-we-thought-we-have-an-awful-lot-to-do-and-an-awful-lot-to-undo/ Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) RBC Capital Markets Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Conference 2022 Transcript https://seekingalpha.com/article/4558052-warner-bros-discovery-inc-wbd-rbc-capital-markets-technology-internet-media-and Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav is being brutally honest about what it’s like to restructure Warner Bros. and it’s no easy task as it turns out he inherited a bigger mess than he thought he would. The studio, DC, the streaming offerings at HBO Max – all of it is a challenge he sums up with a quote from Kevin Costner on Yellowstone. “We have an awful lot to do, and an awful lot to undo,” Zaslav said during a keynote conversation at the RBC Media conference as reported by Deadline. “It was much more challenging than we thought. You opened up the closet, things fell out. We are fixing them. Some assets are better than we thought at the core – the talent is better than we thought.” However, the tenacious executive feels up to the challenge. In fact, he welcomes it. “But there was a lot that was unexpectedly worse than we thought,” he continued. “For me, I don’t want to buy a company that is really well run. It’s hard to make it better. So every day we open a closet, and something comes out.” HBO Max is the most cluttered closet, bursting at the seams from mismanagement for the past two years and dubbed “irrational” by the executive. Content including major releases available in 2021 netted subscribers who didn’t stay for long. “Right now, we can get 30 million people with Euphoria, but they can come on for two months, watch Euphoria and then leave.” Zaslav added, “Do we want to create incentives for people to be there? There are a lot of companies that have a business where the majority of people are there for the year.” According to his numbers, HBO paid $2.5 billion for content in 2019 and that’s exactly how much they made that year. Last year, they spent almost $7 billion, losing $3 billion. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that,” he said. Making note of “all those direct-to-streaming movies” released last year “right on top of the service,” Zaslav continued, “Our whole library went on HBO Max. We weren’t selling any of it. But it was all…there.” And most of it was not being watched or adding subscribers. “We looked, and we said, most of that is not being watched, or we don’t think anyone is subscribing because of this. We could sell it non-exclusively to someone else,” he explained, realizing at the same time the option of taking matters into their own hands is still in play. That would entail creating their own free service. Regina King as Angela Abar in Watchmen Season 1 Episode 4 “If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own” (20019), HBO But Zaslav reminded everybody that those services, from Tubi to Pluto, are actually ad-based. “We can create a Tubi and a Pluto. But instead of buying content for someone else to populate our AVOD, we can create the content ourselves,” he said. The trouble is global market factors pinch those apps’ operations. The ad market is “very weak” right now. Europe is in a better position than the United States. Still, advertisers there “are waiting to see how things play out for the economy, inflation, interest rates, and consumer spending” as they creep out of COVID. Between HBO, HBO Max, and Discovery+, WBD tallies 94.9 million direct-to-consumer subscribers as of the third quarter. In 2023, they’ll have just one service to worry about. Plans are in place to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into one entity with potential tiers including a free entry-level one. Consolidation being fundamental, new releases probably won’t be part of any package. Zaslav will look to other, more traditional avenues of making money in show business, mainly back at the theaters selling the tickets.

Gunn himself confirmed on Twitter Sunday, video games will also be included in the franchise. The publishing side of things, however, will remain its own thing, meaning comics and graphic novels will reside in their own continuity outside of the DC Universe. PLAYLIST 81 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove JAMES GUNN CONFIRMS NO CONTINUITY With DC COMICS & DC STUDIOS! Only Filmed Entertainment And Games! James Gunn Reveals Whether He Has Any Control Over DC's Comics https://comicbook.com/movies/news/does-james-gunn-oversee-dc-comics-studios-revealed/ James Gunn and Peter Safran have found themselves atop DC Studios, serving as co-chairmen of the new entity created by Warner Bros. Discovery to oversee the production of all DC-related films and television shows. Under the purview of DC Studios, movies and series live-action and animated will combine to form an interconnected universe now called the DC Universe. As Gunn himself confirmed on Twitter Sunday, video games will also be included in the franchise. The publishing side of things, however, will remain its own thing, meaning comics and graphic novels will reside in their own continuity outside of the DC Universe. "Very open communication," Gunn tweeted of the chatter between his outfit and the comics arm of DC. As everyone knows I'm a huge comic book fan & I hope everything we do will lead to more people reading @DCComics (& vice versa). But Peter & I are not in charge of the comics – just all filmed DC entertainment." When is the new DC Studios slate being unveiled? Earlier this month, Gunn also confirmed that he and Safran hope to reveal the first DCU slate at some point within the next two months, showing fans the first batch of films and television shows that will help beef up the budding film franchise. It's unclear if the first reveal will confirm which existing movies and television shows are also considered part of the new continuity of the universe. "We're honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we've loved since we were children," Gunn and Safran added in a joint statement first announcing their appointment. "We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved. Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. We're excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told." 0 COMMENTS The most recently released DC Film to hit theaters was the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam. Black Adam stars Johnson and features Aldis Hodge (Underground, The Invisible Man) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I Love Before, Charlie's Angels) as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets, Euphoria) as Cyclone, Sarah Shahi (The L Word, Sex/Life) as Adrianna Tomaz, and Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, Mamma Mia!) as Doctor Fate. Uli Latukefu, Marwan Kenzari, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, and Bodhi Sabongui have also been cast.

Namor was apparently the coolest character in Black Panther and while they made him as uncool as possible with a ton of unnecessary changes, we just found out that... they didn't really need to make these changes at all for character rights issues. They just wanted to push their social agendas and ruin something great from the past. PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove DISNEY RUINED NAMOR FOR NO REASON! There Was NO RIGHTS ISSUE Forcing These RIDICULOUS CHANGES! Even as Marvel Studios settles many of its rights issues through its Sony deal and buying Fox, two MCU superheroes heroes still have their rights stuck at Universal. Marvel Studios has been dealing with rights issues since the inception of the MCU, with Fox, Sony, and Universal holding onto various characters. This all stems from an age in which Marvel was dealing with financial difficulties and sold off the film rights to the likes of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Namor. One report previously purported that Disney had finally reclaimed these rights from Universal almost three years ago. However, the latest evidence may have suggested that, while the rights remain out of Marvel Studios' hands, they will reclaim ownership in June 2023 based on the original terms of the deal. And now, fans finally have official word on the current status of Universal's Marvel rights, revealing that two heroes are unfortunately still trapped just outside Disney and Marvel Studios' clutches, preventing them from developing certain projects. Universal's Marvel Rights Remain In-Tact Namor, Hulk, Marvel Studios Marvel A recent report from The Wrap revealed that Universal still holds the rights to both Hulk and Namor, placing limitations on their use in the MCU. The outlet added a comment from Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore who revealed the character had to be "borrowed" for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, just like the Hulk has been. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed in 2013 that Namor would not be appearing in the MCU due to Universal holding the rights. But by 2018, the MCU boss changed his tune to share his belief that "there’s a way to probably figure it out" to allow the underwater anti-hero to join the franchise: “I think there’s a way to probably figure it out but it does have — it’s not as a clean or clear as the majority of the other characters.” Marvel Studios has long had to endure similar difficulties with Hulk, as his rights issues have prevented him from starring in his own standalone movie or series since 2008's The Incredible Hulk - which Universal distributed. Disney has entered deals with the studio several times in recent years, including allowing characters from Unbreakable to appear in Universal's Split and Glass. Back in 2005, NBCUniversal even traded sportscaster Al Michaels - who was casting the Disney-owned ESPN's Monday Night Football - for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who was created by Walt Disney in 1927 for Universal. The producer also revealed how Universal's ownership of the rights prevents Disney and Marvel Studios from developing a Namor spin-off movie and adding limited his appearance in Black Panther 2's extensive marketing campaign. Will Disney Ever Reclaim Hulk and Namor from Universal? Earlier in the year, an SEC filing was uncovered from the original Marvel-Universal deal that indicated the initial term of the contract may be just 15 years. Granted, this may not be certain, but there's every chance that the distribution rights to Hulk and Namor may be back with Disney and Marvel Studios as soon as June 2023. As Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man, they are free to develop and distribute projects starring the character and those related to him. But since Universal only has the distribution rights to Hulk and Namor, they are not able to develop their own ventures, only distribute any from Marvel Studios. This technically means that Marvel Studios could give Namor his own solo outing or produce its rumored World War Hulk movie. However, Disney would not be able to distribute it, with that duty falling to Universal, who would in turn receive a chunk of the profits, giving the House of Mouse plenty of incentive not to bother. Nonetheless, just last month, Feige teased that the prospect of Namor receiving his own solo project depends on the reception to Wakanda Forever, clearly leaving the door open to the possibility. So, perhaps the studio is about to reclaim the rights, especially given reports that they are already working on a Hulk project.

Behind the surprise change in leadership at Walt Disney Co. on Sunday was festering discontent among investors and top executives including Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy, who in recent weeks had expressed to directors her lack of confidence in Chief Executive Bob Chapek. Disney executives and investors had been complaining for months to the prior CEO, Robert Iger, about the direction of the company under Mr. Chapek. Mr. Iger advised some of these executives to take their concerns to the company’s board, some people familiar with the matter said. PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Christine McCarthy, Walt Disney Co. ’s longtime finance chief, took an unusual step when she expressed a lack of confidence in the chief executive to directors of the entertainment giant. Finance chiefs usually deliver on their chief executive’s strategy and aren’t known to commonly speak against them. But Ms. McCarthy had raised concerns to Disney directors, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week. Bob Chapek was out as CEO Sunday. “She is respected and well regarded by the board, so she has pull. She has the weight and the influence and the history with the board,” said Jonathan Kees, a senior research analyst at a subsidiary of Daiwa Securities Group Inc., the Japanese investment bank. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Smith College and a master of business administration in marketing and finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management, Ms. McCarthy joined Disney in 2000 following years in banking, including as chief financial officer of Imperial Bancorp. NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. SUBSCRIBE NOW She was hired as Disney’s treasurer and gained additional responsibilities over the years, becoming executive vice president with oversight of real estate and operations alongside her treasurer duties in 2005. In 2008, she also took on procurement, corporate alliances and partnerships, and in 2015—after 15 years as treasurer—succeeded Jay Rasulo as finance chief, the first female to take that role at Disney. Ms. McCarthy’s promotion to the CFO role came after Mr. Rasulo and his predecessor, former CFO Tom Staggs, vied over who would succeed Robert Iger as CEO. Both of them eventually stepped down from the company. Her first steps as CFO weren’t easy. During her first earnings call as finance chief in August 2015, with Mr. Iger, Ms. McCarthy delivered a cut to the company’s outlook for its cable business, pointing to cord-cutting. “In many ways, that had cascading impacts to investor sentiment for Disney and the broader media sector for years to come,” said Kutgun Maral, a media analyst at RBC Capital Markets, a financial services firm. People who got to know her when she was treasurer and oversaw Disney’s real-estate portfolio laud her knowledge and expertise. One executive who considered buying one of Disney’s properties in New York and toured the site with Ms. McCarthy described her knowledge as impressive. She is supportive of other female executives and a mentor to young finance talents, analysts said, and she sits on several boards, including Procter & Gamble Co. Under Ms. McCarthy, Disney has surpassed analysts’ expectations for reported earnings per share in 17 of 30 quarters, and has completed a string of acquisitions, including the major entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox in 2019. She is considered a levelheaded person with a sense for what’s right and what’s wrong, according to people who have worked with her. During the pandemic, when nearly half of the company’s revenue vanished temporarily as its theme parks and movie theaters were closed and cruise lines were shut down, Ms. McCarthy kept in close contact with ratings firms and Wall Street investors, according to Neil Begley, a senior vice president at ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service. Disney took on about $23 billion in emergency liquidity, stopped buying back shares, paused its dividend and furloughed thousands of workers. “She has the ear of Wall Street,” said Peter Supino, a media analyst at Wolfe Research LLC, a research firm. More than two and half years since the beginning of the pandemic, Disney’s dividend has yet to be restated. The company, which has $11.61 billion in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet, has several billion in debt maturing in coming years.

Disney has once again proven they are willing to put ideology over profits, even if it means withholding their latest children’s animated films from international markets because gay teen romance is too important to the story they want to tell. Kareem Daniel seems to be the guy to blame here, formerly of Disney, but let's look into this in detail! PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove ‘Strange World’ is Disney’s Biggest Bomb in Years https://bleedingfool.com/news/why-disneys-strange-world-is-their-biggest-bomb-in-years/ Disney has once again proven they are willing to put ideology over profits, even if it means withholding their latest children’s animated films from international markets because gay teen romance is too important to the story they want to tell. But apparently this approach isn’t looking too good for “Strange World” since on it’s opening day the movie only made $800,000 dollars and projects show it’s doing dismal over the holiday weekend. Usually, Thanksgiving holiday’s extended weekends are owned by Disney, but at its current trajectory “Strange World” could become Disney’s lowest-grossing animated feature family film in a very long time. To put things in perspective, “Lightyear,” which was considered a Disney flop earlier this year, had a $5 million preview night and went on to gross $118 million domestically (and $100 million abroad). Industry insiders are convinced that those missing potential viewers may believe they can simply wait to see “Strange World” on Disney Plus. But if this is truly the case, theaters may be in for a difficult season ahead. Directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen and written by Nguyen, Strange World was released in theaters this week as the third major animated feature to be released by Disney this year after Pixar’s Turning Red and Lightyear. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Quaid, and Lucy Liu, and Jonathan Melo, Strange World brings viewers into the fold of a new adventure and story centered on a family of explorers. Roger Friedman at Showbiz 411 reports that this looks to be the lowest family movie debut in Disney’s modern history: “…at this rate, “Strange World” will reap around $20 million from Tuesday- Sunday. That will be the lowest first week, or six days, probably in Disney modern history. Families are obviously waiting for this film to be on Disney Plus, or they just don’t care at all. Luckily, Disney doesn’t have to care either. They have “Wakanda Forever” at $313 million, but slowing down precipitously. Maybe audiences will move on to the half dozen or more adult movies in which no one flies except maybe on an airplane.” The movie reportedly cost the studio $135 million, and if this pace remains the same, earning around $20 million or so over the five day weekend, then the studio is going to lose A LOT of money. Mr. H discusses some of the problems the studio is facing. The reviews for the movie aren’t faring so well either, with dismal audience scores at both Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and the usually reliable professional critics don’t seem too impressed either. While most of the critical reviewers are making good points, it’s the critical audience reviews that tell the tale. Still, few names in the entertainment media are willing to entertain any notion that that the film is struggling because most families aren’t interested in taking their small children to an animated film that centers on gay teen boys in love. Breitbart notes the sleight of hand tricks that outlets like Deadline are now deploying to try to diminish how big a deal this actually is: I give you Deadline’s anti-science excuse for Strange World’s box office disaster: One former Disney exec once told me, “They’re very good at making the best worst case decision” and in the scenario of Strange World, that’s sending it to Disney+ by the holidays. Ohhhhhh…. So that’s why Strange World tanked. It’s not the enviro-propaganda or the teenage homosexuality… No, no, no… Strange World tanked because it will be on Disney+ in 30 days. After all, why go to the movies when you can watch it at home in 30 days, right? Except Disney did the exact same thing with Encanto last year. And I do mean the exact same thing. In 2021, Encanto was released in theaters for the Thanksgiving weekend and dropped on Disney+ in time for the Christmas holidays. Nevertheless, it opened to $41 million. So, under the exact same conditions, why would Encanto open to $41 million and Strange World do about half that?

If Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, the actor wants a new version and doesn’t want the return of the Goofy Thor and Bassam Tariq already refused to direct the rebooted Blade when Kevin Feige refused changes to the script. PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Chris Hemsworth Done With Goofy Thor and Taika Waititi https://cosmicbook.news/chris-hemsworth-done-goofy-thor-taika-waititi MARVEL TALENT PUSHES BACK! Thor Actor, Blade Director, DEMAND CHANGES In WOKE Marvel Studios Films! If Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, the actor wants a new version and doesn’t want the return of the Goofy Thor that was a huge bust in Love and Thunder and maybe even director Taika Waititi himself. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth makes a point of stating he doesn’t want to work with any more “mad” geniuses, where worth a mention is that the last two out of three of his movies fit that description, with Taika Waititi who directed him in Love and Thunder (and Ragnarok), and George Miller in Furiosa. “I’m just at the point of my life where I’m meeting with different directors and [people say] “Oh yeah, look, he’s a mad genius. He’s mad, but he’s a genius and he’ll make great films.” I’m like, “Is that who I want to spend my days with?” Four months, five months of shooting, and then you’ve got press and possible reshoots and so on,” says Hemsworth. Related: Taika Waititi Star Wars, Thor 5 in doubt. Chris Hemsworth Thor What kind of Thor does Chris Hemsworth want? Chris Hemsworth is also asked about his future as Thor responding that he doesn’t know and says, “I think there’d be more to say if the people want to hear me say it.” It’s pointed out that the end of Love and Thunder said there will be more Thor, but Hemsworth says he wants a different approach to the character. “Yeah, I think they always do. Look, I’m completely open to it, if there is something unique and fresh and unexpected to do with the character and the world. I’ve always loved the experience. I’ve been very thankful I’ve been able to do something different each time,” he adds. Taika Waititi Thor Love and Thunder premiere Does Chris Marvel want to stop playing Thor? Hemsworth even went so far as to state he wouldn’t mind seeing his time as Marvel’s god of Thunder come to an end. “Yeah, for sure. I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean?” reveals the actor. “I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it’d probably be the finale, but that’s not based on anything anyone’s told me or any sort of plans. You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don’t know—am I at that stage? Who knows?” Chris Hemsworth Thor Love and Thunder Chris Hemsworth wants a drastically different Thor Chris Hemsworth also said more of the same about a new direction for Thor while appearing on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused Podcast. “You look at Thor 1 and 2, they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love and Thunder are similar. I think it’s about reinventing it,” explains the actor. “I’ve had such a unique opportunity with Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character. I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes. It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me invested.” Hemsworth continues, “I’ve said this before but when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk in getting lazy then because I know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’m even invited back, but if I was, I think it would have to be a drastically different version in tone, everything, just for my own sanity [laughs]. Thor lost his mind in that last one. He’s got to figure it out now.” Hemsworth also reveals he is taking a big break following getting warned about a possible future Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Bob Chapek was on track to destroy Disney and while that could have meant Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar could have been potentially under new management in a fire sale buy-out, the board of directors did not want that to happen. There were many reasons to fire Bob Chapek, from losing the confidence of wall street investors to never having a single creative success (like creating the Baby Yoda character) to arguing publicly with Scarlett Johansson about compensation and losing billions more than necessary on streaming and so much more! PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove WHY BOB CHAPEK WAS FIRED! Here's Why He HAD TO GO Before DISNEY Was Completely DESTROYED!

Disney was moving some shows that were supposed to be Disney+ originals and air them first on other networks like the Disney Channel to hide costs from streaming only shows in their cable channel division. Disney's CFO was concerned about this strategy and ultimately lead the push to get Chapek removed as CEO! PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Bob Chapek Moved Disney+ Originals To The Disney Channel To Make The Financials Look Better https://whatsondisneyplus.com/bob-chapek-moved-disney-originals-to-the-disney-channel-to-make-the-financials-look-better/ PANIC AS DISNEY GETS CAUGHT FAKING NUMBERS As Reported By Wall Street Journal! Got CEO Chapek Fired! When the second season of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” was recently released on Disney+ in October, the series also did something a little different, in that new episodes, were being released on the Disney Channel the day before they were being added on to Disney+. While many fans thought this was a way of promoting the show more, trying to get a bigger audience and utilize the value of a show with a dual streaming/linear release. However, it seems the only reason this happened, was because former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was trying to shift the show’s production and marketing budget from the streaming division to the linear division. According to the WSJ, Disney is moving some shows that were supposed to be Disney+ originals and air them first on other networks including the Disney Channel, people familiar with the matter said. By doing so, the costs of production and marketing of the shows—which included mystery show “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and medical drama “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.”—would be shifted away from the streaming service, making its financial performance look better, they said. Ms. McCarthy was concerned about this strategy, the people said. Just prior to Bob Chapek’s removal from the Walt Disney Company, he conducted a financial results investors call, which spooked the board of directors and investors, as the streaming division lost $1.5 billion dollars in the last quarter. The idea that some Disney+ Originals were being shifted to linear, just to make that division look better, is obviously an interesting development. It also might indicate why more shows from linear television haven’t been moved or available on Disney+ or Hulu straight away, because Bob Chapek was trying to cook the books to make Disney+ and the streaming division look better with some creative accountancy. And according to the Financial Times, it was Disney CFO Christine M. McCarthy who led the rebellion against Bob Chapek, and this situation looks like it was one of the many reasons why this happened. Currently, we don’t know when the second season of “Doogie Kamealoha MD” is due to be released on Disney+, but it looks like it might be coming up pretty soon, if Bob Chapek was planning on sending the show to the Disney Channel, just to shift the costs to another division. It will be interesting to see if the second season of “Doogie Kamealoha MD” does still release on both Disney+ and the Disney Channel next year, or if this becoming public will make it go back to the original plan.

AVATAR had a $237 million budget. The sequel has a $1 billion budget. Early estimates say Avatar: The Way of Water may open to $150 Million domestically when it debuts in December, with the higher $175 million number possible. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened to $181 million. PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove DISASTER AVATAR SEQUEL PROJECTED UNDER BLACK PANTHER 2! Won't Break Even Unless It Does $2 Billion! ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Opening Box Office Tracking Less Than ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ https://cosmicbook.news/avatar-way-water-box-office-tracking-less-than-black-panther-wakanda-forever With those numbers, how is it supposed to outperform both Star Wars and Spider-Man? By Matt McGloin / Wednesday, November 23, 2022 - 1:09PM 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Box Office Opening Tracking Less Than 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' More potential bad news for Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water as the flick’s box office opening is tracking less than the opening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The early estimates are offering Avatar: The Way of Water may open to $150 Million domestically when it debuts in December, with the higher $175 million number possible. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened to $181 million. While the first Avatar movie released in 2009 only brought in $77 million for its opening weekend, that was a much different time and Avatar was something new. That flick had massive legs and a massive international box office: Its domestic run ended with just short of $750 million, with its foreign gross at a massive $1.993 billion. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever domestic box office is running in line with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that finished with a domestic haul of $411 million, so if Avatar: The Way of Water performs similarly, that’s like nearly a 60% drop. Wakanda Forever also looks to finish with less than a billion-dollar box office. Also worth questioning: Is the international box office for Way of Water going to come anywhere near that original $2 billion number? Seems unlikely, though unbelievably, it has already been announced that Way of Water has a China release, so it looks like James Cameron pulled some big strings. The first movie made over $260 million in the Middle Kingdom. To boot, the film also has a 3 hour and 12 minute runtime. Avatar the way of water poster Avatar the way of water poster Will Avatar: Way of Water hit $2 billion at the box office? James Cameron recently said Avatar: The Way of Water needs to make around $2 billion just to break even so that would put The Way of Water above Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened domestically to over $247 million, finished with $936 million domestically, and brought in $1.13 billion internationally. Spider-Man: No Way Home made just short of $2 billion and had a domestic opening weekend of a whopping $260 million to finish with an $804 million domestic gross. The flick made another $1.1 billion internationally and that is without China, so if The Way of Water hits two billion, it needs huge international support. Cameron also hinted there might not be any more sequels as he questioned if there is any interest in the brand. “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable,” he said. Regarding needing two hit two billion, Cameron said the movie is “very f-cking” expensive and told the studio that the film represented “the worst business case in movie history.” Avatar: The Way of Water opens Dec. 16

Disney is losing billions on streaming ($4 billion in 2022) and likely even more than that (accounting tricks). Every new subscriber they add makes them lose more money (revenue actually went down as their subscriber numbers went up!) Board of Directors panicked and fired Bob Chapek, but now what can Bob Iger do to fix a mess he helped create? PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove TOTAL PANIC AT DISNEY! Must Fix Streaming But They LOSE MONEY On Every New Subscriber! The Iger+ Streaming Strategy https://puck.news/the-iger-streaming-strategy/ How does Bob Iger fix streaming? That’s the main question that people I’ve talked to in Hollywood want answered, following his re-emergence at Disney and the abrupt defenestration of Bob Chapek as C.E.O. That query is typically followed by a pause and then an important supplementary question: What, exactly, is wrong with Disney streaming, anyway? Political blunders aside, Chapek was ousted largely on account of the board’s lack of confidence in his ability to turn around Disney’s streaming business after it posted a loss of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter. And yet Chapek was largely following the expensive growth playbook that his predecessor set in motion. Remember, it was Iger who launched Disney+ in 2019 and acquired control of Hulu while purchasing most of 21st Century Fox. It was Iger who bought BAMTech, the streaming tech company, which got this whole ball rolling. From a top-line subscription perspective, the Disney playbook appeared to be working just fine. The company has more than 164 million Disney+ subscribers—yes, they’re triple-counting bundle subscriptions in that number—and has also enjoyed significant year-over-year growth on both ESPN+ and Hulu. Meanwhile, Disney+ has become one of a select few destination platforms thanks to its mega-popular franchises. Disney also boasts the largest share of audience demand of the major companies operating in streaming, according to Parrot Analytics, where I work as director of strategy; Hulu has the largest on-platform demand share (when looking at the entire catalog) in the U.S., and Disney+ has the third highest demand share for originals. But all this success has come at a price. Disney+ added more than 12 million subscribers in Q4, but direct-to-consumer revenue declined from $5.1 billion in the previous quarter to $4.9 billion. Year-over-year operating expenses jumped from $0.8 billion to $1.5 billion, in part as Disney pushed to bring all its titles back in-house rather than license them to partners. It may be a necessary long-term decision, but it cost the company $200 million in Q1 alone. Average revenue per user also decreased in various regions in the past quarter, with a notable decrease of 10 percent in Disney+’s domestic market. And with the “vast majority” of new signups in the US coming from the bundle option in Disney’s fourth quarter, according to Chapek, we know less than ever about how usage and average revenue per user (ARPU) actually breaks down across all three platforms in its core market. So how can Iger tweak his original plan to keep Disney’s top line numbers growing while stanching losses in a more challenged, more crowded streaming economy than the one he left behind? Some of the answers will make the Street happy; others will require walking back some of Iger’s own original thinking. In fact, it’s likely going to look different from the thesis Iger articulated before his temporary retirement. Triple Threat Disney is a three-pronged streaming house. Disney+ is the flagship, of course, and it’s here that Iger and Chapek’s visions most diverged. Chapek saw a need for more adult content on Disney+ to appeal to non-Disney households, and he started to explore bringing more mature offerings to the platform. Iger, on the other hand, always envisioned Disney+ as an extension of everything that defines the brand: affordable, accessible, family-oriented, and multigenerational. When Disney+ launched in November 2019, it was Kevin Mayer, Disney’s head of streaming, who refuted the idea that non-family-friendly movies would wind up on Disney+. My two cents: Iger won’t explore expanding Disney+’s TAM by bringing in 20th Century horror movies, especially when titles like Prey help drive subscribers and engagement on Hulu. Content will expand beyond tentpole branding, but Disney+ isn’t going to compete with Netflix on steamy projects.

arlier this week it was announced that the Walt Disney Company’s former CEO, Bob Iger, has made his return to the company as Chief Creative Officer. He was the driving force in acquiring many notable Disney-owned intellectual properties, including Lucasfilm. Now there are unconfirmed reports the job of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is in danger. PLAYLIST 81 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove Star Wars Boss Kathleen Kennedy Next To Be Fired? https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/star-wars-kathleen-kennedy-2.html Rumor: STAR WARS Boss KATHLEEN KENNEDY Next To Be Fired! Iger Wants Her Out ASAP! Earlier this week it was announced that the Walt Disney Company’s former CEO, Bob Iger, has made his return to the company as Chief Creative Officer. He was the driving force in acquiring many notable Disney-owned intellectual properties, including Lucasfilm. Now there are unconfirmed reports the job of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy is in danger. The Direct reports that there are rumors that Disney plans to relieve Kathleen Kennedy of her position. For 10 years, Kennedy has presided over the brand and has vastly expanded the projects being developed for Star Wars, as well as the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 and Willow series. But there has also been the closure of LucasArts and rumors of hectic productions for several Star Wars projects, including Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Rise of Skywalker. Not to mention the box office returns for Solo were less than desirable. star wars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo RELATED: Bob Iger Planning To Sell Disney Off To Another Major Corporation? For years there have been stories circulating that Kathleen Kennedy’s time with George Lucas’ old studio is numbered, and a new development may see her departure sooner than later. Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy have never been pals, so it remains to be seen how things will work with the pair of them working together again. Iger will surely put the Lucasfilm issues at the forefront of his to-do list. In 2019, Kathleen Kennedy remarked in an interview with LA Times that future Star Wars films will move away from the trilogy structuring as it can be restricting. Iger countered this in an interview with Variety, where he remarked, “I don’t know about that,” and went on to say that he and Kennedy talked about trilogies being difficult. Still, he didn’t appear to count them out completely. Iger also talked about listening to and respecting the views of Star Wars fans, while still being careful not to overreact to their responses, especially those of the more hostile Internet trolls. Youtuber John Campea says he has sources that have informed him that the move to remove Kathleen Kennedy has already been decided. Campea has contradicted other reports that Iger is a fan of Kennedy, and she will at least remain through her current contract that ends in 2025. He has always thought Iger and Kennedy get on well, and his return would secure her position. He went on to say two separate sources have notified him that his speculations are inaccurate and Kennedy could be out in the upcoming year. If the rumors are true and Kathleen Kennedy does get pushed out, Lucasfilm could see a new president assigned in 2023, and that person will oversee the numerous projects rumored to be in development. Lucasfilm’s next major theatrical release will come on June 30, 2023, with the premiere of Indiana Jones 5, starring Harrison Ford. The movie will use de-aging CGI technology to alter Harrison’s appearance in the film in the opening sequence. Only time will tell the fate of Lucasfilm and its current president Kathleen Kennedy.

Bleeding Cool gets the word that DC Comics has encouraged its talent pool to make Hive accounts and to build their audience using the hashtag #comicstwitter. PLAYLIST 80 VIDEOS: WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY & DAVID ZASLAV https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUPkiRW84R1gxDL-u2P1Ac4bE5bONlHix SUBSCRIBE TO ADAM POST SPEAKS: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamPostSpeaks Follow ADAM POST on Twitter: https://twitter.com/comicswelove DC Comics Suggests Creators Move From Twitter To Hive https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dc-comics-suggests-creators-move-from-twitter-to-hive/ DC Comics Suggests Creators Move From Twitter To Hive However, it appears that someone else has already grabbed the @dccomics and @dc addresses on Hive. Indeed, the @dccomics address is currently owned by someone called Marvel Studios. I expect that DC will have to sort that out with Hive before they go all in. DC Comics Suggests Creators Move From Twitter To Hive Just, when downloading the Hive app, make sure you get the Hive social one and not the one I downloaded for managing my thermostat temperature remotely. You'll find me at @richjohnston on Hive and I see that Bleedimg Cool general manager Mark Seifert has already grabbed @bleedingcool. No way to link them… yet. DC Comics Suggests Creators Move From Twitter To Hive Hive was launched in 2019 by Kassandra Pop and her team of developers wanted to create a "user-friendly, multimedia-sharing platform that has a chronological home feed" However, until the beginning of 2021, the app only had 15,000 users, then doubling in a month when at got a couple of viral TikTok and Tweets. However, that was about it for Hive, until Elon Musk starting playing with Twitter like a kitten bats around a dormouse. And suddenly, with Mastodon needing work, Hive became the recipient of all manner of social media folk seeking refuge from what Twitter was becoming. It looks (a bit) like Twitter as well as Instagram, including photo and video posts, status updates and reposting content, and even a personalized music section but, most importantly, it has no algorithm, just a chronological feed. But it has yet to have a web presence, and is limited to apps on devices. For now.