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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 1h

Kudos to the reader who sent me an email with this subject line

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 1d

It's mainly boosting TV shows and probably some indie movies

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 2d

Apply to get help applying

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 2d

"One Battle After Another" domestic ticket sales dropped 50% on its second weekend, dashing hopes that strong reviews and audience scores would translate to a long and profitable box office run.

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 2d

So sorry to hear that. Sadly it's a common story.

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 3d

I loved talking to animators. And I love animation!

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 3d

Actually we already published an entire article about that: www.wsj.com/business/med...

Disney’s Marvel Abandons Georgia, Taking Livelihoods With It

Tax incentives lured studios to help build the ‘Hollywood of the South,’ but now Marvel and others are going overseas for cheaper labor costs.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 4d

And here are a few fun details for fans of Fast & Furious on what's coming down the road for Dom's crew:

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 4d

Short answer: 2023's "Fast X" was the franchise's most expensive movie ever and the lowest grossing in 12 years. Universal barely made a profit. The studio will only make another if producers can slash the budget from $340 million to around $200 million.

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 4d

This story started with a simple observation: 2025 is the first odd numbered year since *2007* without a Fast & Furious movie. Why is Universal in zero hurry to make the next sequel? And what does that tell us about the economics of franchise filmmaking? www.wsj.com/business/med...

Fast & Furious & Way Less Expensive. A Star Film Franchise Gets a Reality Check.

Long-running film series are sputtering at the box office. Universal wants to cut the budget of its most important franchise by $140 million.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 5d

And I have to say I was truly humbled at how honest and vulnerable so many people were with me about the pain they're experiencing as their livelihoods evaporate. I've never seen so many people cry in interviews with me before.

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 5d

The most important human story in the entertainment industry right now is the severe downturn in film and TV production in LA and how it's affecting middle-class crew workers. I spoke to dozens of them for this story about the depressed Hollywood economy. www.wsj.com/business/med...

L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie

Work is evaporating, businesses are closing, longtime residents are leaving, and Los Angeles’s creative middle class is hanging on by a thread.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 8d

OpenAI is risking pissing off a lot of Hollywood with the next update of Sora, which will allow you to generate videos with copyrighted content (Iron Man, Shrek, etc.) unless the owner specifically opts out.
Scoop with @keachhagey.bsky.social and Berber Jin
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...

Exclusive | OpenAI’s New Sora Video Generator to Require Copyright Holders to Opt Out

Executives at the company notified talent agencies and studios over the last week.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 9d

Disney has scheduled a Simpsons movie for release on July 23, 2027

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 9d

"One Battle After Another" is Paul Thomas Anderson's biggest opening ever. But Warner Bros. greenlit it as a Leonardo DiCaprio action movie and this was one of his worst openings ever (particularly as an adult in a film that's not lower-budget Oscar bait)

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 10d

Sometimes teen boys go looking for extremist content online. Often, it finds them. Julie Jargon and I
spoke to young men who fell down dangerous Internet rabbit holes and came out the other side. www.wsj.com/tech/how-two...

How Two Young Men Got Pulled Into Internet Darkness, and How They Got Out

Teens and men in their 20s look for belonging in corrosive online spaces but often end up feeling more isolated. “The beliefs themselves instilled loneliness,” one says.

www.wsj.com

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 10d

California newspapers not exactly playing hard to get with Gavin Newsom in this ad in today's LA Times

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 10d

Close Disney watchers may also appreciate this is the first time a company executive (general counsel Horacio Gutierrez) has gone on the record about the Kimmel situation. And he shared some new and interesting info about *when* Disney decided to suspend the late-night host.

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 10d

It's not often graffiti taggers go after a CEO. But it's been that kind of month for Bob Iger. Here's our close-up look at why Disney's leader suspended and then reinstated Jimmy Kimmel and what the fiasco's done to his legacy and reputation for defending free expression.
www.wsj.com/business/med...

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 11d

It's rare a critic finds a new way to be mean clever enough to make me LOL

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 13d

Whoever added me to this press list knows exactly why I get up in the morning.

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 15d

I have literally not heard a single person in Hollywood say the words "One Battle After Another," including people closely involved in it. Everyone calls it "the PTA movie." Probably a sign it's not the most user-friendly title.

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 16d

Ugh this is so much grimmer than I realized. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/t...

Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 16d

This chart says it all. www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...

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Ben Fritz @benfritz.bsky.social · 20d

Graffiti sighting in Hollywood

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