Warner Bros. Is Considering Pushing 3 Highly Anticipated Movies to 2024 Amid the Hollywood Strikes

As “Barbiehiemer”  heads into its second weekend in cinemas, a new anticipated film — Disney’s family pic “Haunted Mansion” — has entered the chat.

Following Barbie’s explosive box office success, Mattel is ready to make its iconic toys part of a cinematic universe.  

Risks in Hollywood pay off. “Barbie” has already grossed half a billion dollars after nine days in theaters, with no signs of slowing down as the film heads into its second box office weekend.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director When Warner Bros. contacted “Charm City Kings” filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto about potentially directing a DC comic book tentpole, he geared up to pitch the studio on a much different movie. “I wanted to pitch ideas, and one of them was the Bane origin story,” Soto recently told Den of Geek magazine.

Rumors went viral in recent weeks that the real Barbara Handler made a cameo appearance in the movie Barbie, but that wasn’t actually her in the film.

It’s no longer just a Barbie world — Mattel’s Polly Pocket toy is now getting the live-action blockbuster treatment.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Traditionally a strong performer in the fall and holiday TV season, Food Network is sizzling this summer, too. From Memorial Day on May 27 through July 20, Food Network content has drawn more than 50.6 million total viewers across the linear TV channel, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamers Max and Discovery+.

William “Bill” Cunningham, who more than 50 years ago founded the company that became CESD Talent Agency, has died at 96. The agency said he died July 15 at his West Hollywood home but gave no other details.

It’s still hot out there in much of the country, and SAG-AFTRA told its members today that picket lines in New York City have been canceled for the next two days.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon just keeps going. To wit: there is so much energy happening at international box office turnstiles that Tuesday’s grosses on Warner Bros’ Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie and Universal’s Christopher Nolan opus Oppenheimer were down just 1% from Monday. The offshore gross through Tuesday on Barbie is now $258.5M with global at $472.6M.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent After dominating the box office and breaking records with “Barbie,” Mattel has officially arrived in Hollywood. In 2018, after a tumultuous period of declining toy sales, Mattel brought in a new CEO, businessman Ynon Kreiz, who had a vision to turn the storied toy company into an IP-driven machine, essentially creating a Mattel cinematic universe. Now, with the immense success of “Barbie,” the path is clear for Mattel to make whatever they want — and they already have a ton of projects in the works with A-list partners attached.

Warner Bros. Discovery is searching for start-up media companies to invest in after launching a new accelerator program.

Whoopi Goldberg is taking her love to the next level. The host of ABC's showed off her quirky footwear on Tuesday's broadcast, wearing white boots with a clear platform heel that was filled with decapitated Barbie doll heads.The style statement came as Goldberg, 67, was engaged in discussion about recent criticism of Greta Gerwig's blockbuster film, defending the movie against judgment from conservative columnist Ben Shapiro and Senator Ted Cruz.«It’s a movie!» she declared on the show. «It’s a movie about a doll!»She continued, «I thought y'all would be happy.

Naman Ramachandran Hugh Grant’s casting as an Oompa Loompa in “Wonka” has been criticized by an actor with dwarfism. The film belongs to the universe created by British author Roald Dahl in 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” It is directed by Paul King (“Paddington”) and produced by Heyday Films, Village Roadshow Pictures and Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Max is getting into the NFL Sunday Ticket huddle. Google’s YouTube TV will offer a special bundle combining Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max with the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market football package, Alphabet and Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler told analysts on the internet company’s Q2 earnings call.

EXCLUSIVE: Despite all the champagne popping at Warner Bros and Universal over the bananas box office success of Barbie and Oppenheimer, distribution executives continue to sweat over a possible lengthy SAG-AFTRA strike that is already blowing up the fall release calendar. We told you first last week this was going to happen. All major motion picture studios are assessing release-date changes the longer SAG-AFTRA strike goes on. Many want their stars to promote these films.

“Barbie” continues to heat up the box office after a blockbuster opening weekend that soared far beyond initial predictions.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Much media attention has been paid to conservative figures such as Ben Shapiro and Ted Cruz being outraged over Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie. Even Elon Musk jointed the anti-“Barbie” brigade by mocking the film for taking aim at the patriarchy. “If you take a shot every time Barbie says the word ‘Patriarchy,’ you will pass out before the movie ends,” Musk posted.

joined the WGA in taking strike action on July 13, after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represent major studios like Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Warner Bros. and others.Both unions are seeking better pay, streaming residuals and safeguards against the use of AI technology amid the rise of streaming services.The strikes look set to have a major impact on the release calendar of upcoming TV shows and films, with many shutting down production in solidarity.Screen Actors Guild national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, recently said the strike could last until the early months of 2024.“I wouldn’t rule out January or February,” Crabtree-Ireland told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Oppenheimer has only been in theaters for a few days, but star Cillian Murphy is already thinking about his next gig — and his fans have some ideas.

Everyone didn’t stop going to the movies on Monday with Barbenheimer in full force: Warner Bros posted the best Monday at the domestic box office with Barbie grossing $26.1M while Universal’s Christopher Nolan pic Oppenheimer wasn’t shabby with $12.6M.

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Collins is Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Group Vice President, overseeing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employee initiatives across North America. She will report to Chief DEI Officer Asif Sadiq.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed Lisa Collins as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, overseeing employee-initiatives across North America. She will report to chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer Asif Sadiq.

Mattel is renewed its licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, continuing as the studio’s toy licensee in preschool, plush, dolls, vehicles, games, and novelty toy categories.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Come on, Barbie, let’s go make (more) box office history. Greta Gerwig’s plastic, fantastic “Barbie” added $26 million on Monday, resulting in the best Monday gross in Warner Bros. history.

The box office has been set ablaze as Barbie and Oppenheimer stormed cinemas, creating a historic cinematic weekend.The duo, collectively known as Barbenheimer, not only dominated the top two spots with earnings of over $100 million and $50 million, respectively, but also sparked a unique crossover craze among fans. Barbie, a movie set in both the 'real world' and 'Barbie Land,' introduced audiences to a captivating world of multiple Barbie's and Ken's. Oppenheimer, starring the talented Cillian Murphy as the renowned J.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Barbie” is a box office smash, along with its acclaim from critics and audiences alike. If you follow the social media chatter and the general feeling from most pundits, it could be a viable awards contender for Warner Bros. One category being debated is where the screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach would be able to compete — whether in original or adapted screenplay. The answer lies in how the WGA classifies it and whether the Academy could or would overrule that choice. Variety confirms there are ongoing conversations with strategists and Warner Bros regarding where “Barbie” would compete at next year’s ceremony. On the title cards, it reads “Based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel,” which is, of course, a toy company. At the same time, there have been multiple CGI films and TV series featuring the fashion doll since its debut in the late 1980s (42 to be precise). This would point to an “adapted” run. However, take the case of Pixar’s inaugural feature “Toy Story” (1995), which picked up an original screenplay nom (Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Joe Ranft). In that case, it offers a pathway for original. The CGI classic features characters such as Mr. Potato Head, a Hasbro product, and other toys such as Etch A Sketch, Magic 8 Ball and even parts of Barbie herself. Part of the Mutant Toys, which are creations of Andy’s sadistic kid neighbor Sid, he has one called “Legs” — which are a pair of Barbie doll legs attached to a green toy fishing rod.

the social media nickname given to the one-two punch of Warner Bros’ “Barbie” and Universal’s “Oppenheimer” — did boffo business at the domestic box office, grossing a combined $235 million. “Barbie,” at $155 million alone, had the biggest three-day opening of the year so far. And right on cue, the usual pronouncements are being made:Audiences love originality! (Everyone has seemingly forgotten that Barbie is a super-famous doll and not from director Greta Gerwig’s imagination.) Stories about women sell! (Just as with men’s stories, like floperoo “Indiana Jones,” sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. “Oppenheimer,” which many online are calling sexist toward women, sold tremendously well at $80 million.) It’s quality, stupid! (Tell that to “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Women Talking,” “The Fabelmans” and most of the other Best Picture Oscar nominees released last year.) However, the real takeaway of #Barbenheimer — a cinematic Brigadoon that will soon disappear into the fog — is one that is becoming increasingly obvious in the entertainment world at large: Ticket-buyers want Events. It’s not enough for consumers to regularly attend good movies or nice Broadway shows or average concerts and then head home and go to bed.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Discovery’s Shark Week has been a TV institution for 35 years, a summertime staple that has never changed its core purpose: Celebrating the great white and its brethren. But a lot has changed around Shark Week in the decades since, including an explosion of popularity (as “30 Rock” once put it, we all now strive to “live every week like it’s Shark Week”), more competition, a few controversies and one giant corporate acquisition. In 2023, the Warner Bros. Discovery-produced TV event now has a few more boxes to check: From keeping its linear ratings (which grew 10% year-over-year in 2022) up to driving customers to two streaming platforms, Max and Discovery+. Shark Week has also been enlisted to help promote other TV shows and movies in the WBD family. But it also faces lingering concerns over the makeup of its programming (often criticized for lacking enough scientific research or proper experts), while simultaneously competing with younger copycat programming from rival companies Nat Geo’s Sharkfest.

Warner Bros Discovery President of International TV Distribution Robert Blair is leaving after 25 years with the company.

Naman Ramachandran Robert Blair, president, Warner Bros. Discovery international TV distribution, is departing the company after 25 years. His position will not be replaced. In an internal memo to staff, seen by Variety, Gerhard Zeiler, Warner Bros. Discovery president, international, wrote: “Last year, we unveiled a new org structure for international, which we believed best positioned us for success at that time. But we also acknowledged that in an ever-changing industry and market, we would need to continue to evolve in a thoughtful and strategic way, along with the climate around us. Seven months into 2023, although we remain confident about our trajectory as a business, we are at another inflection point, and one where the global economy has not rebounded as quickly as we had hoped.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Unless you’ve been trapped in a plastic toy box, there’s no escaping the Barbie-core movement that’s sweeping the globe — and potentially contributing a nationwide shortage of the color pink. The marketing department at Warner Bros. has been working in overdrive to entice the masses for Greta Gerwig’s cotton candy-colored fantasy “Barbie,” which has been all but inescapable this summer. A key factor has been a dizzying array of partnerships with products that range from a bright fuchsia Xbox (for STEM Barbie) to this $1,350 Balmain cropped hoodie (for Disposable Income Barbie). And that’s only scratching the surface of the brands that helped propel the movie to cultural touchstone status before arriving in theaters on July 21. In Malibu, there’s a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse that’s bookable through Airbnb. There’s also a themed boat cruise that’s setting sail in the Boston area.

While the Hollywood Studios and WGA and SAG-AFTRA are at a standstill in labor talks –streaming residuals being a big bone of contention– the theatrical side of the business exploded with Barbenheimer together grossing over $511M worldwide, $235.5M of that being domestic. Never before in the history of Hollywood movies have two films opened respectively to $100M+ and $50M at the domestic box office.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Toronto Film Festival is at a critical moment after three difficult years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but “the festival will take place,” says Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. TIFF has typically been a star-studded affair and staple of awards season. However, what the red carpets at the gala premieres and tribute ceremonies that have gone to significant A-listers like Kate Winslet will ultimately look like, remains unknown. The longtime festival director doubled down on moving forward with this year’s festival, whether the big stars are in attendance or not. This comes amid ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have halted the Hollywood industry, putting the remaining months of movies and TV shows into unknown territory.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is now playing in theaters nationwide, but one if its most emotional scenes might not have made it to the big screen had the filmmaker not held her ground against studio executives. In several interviews before the comedy’s theatrical release, Gerwig revealed that it was suggested she cut out the scene where Barbie (Margot Robbie) meets an elderly woman on a bench and tells her she’s beautiful. “I love that scene so much,” Gerwig told Rolling Stone. “And the older woman on the bench is the costume designer Ann Roth. She’s a legend. It’s a cul-de-sac of a moment, in a way — it doesn’t lead anywhere. And in early cuts, looking at the movie, it was suggested, ‘Well, you could cut it. And actually, the story would move on just the same.’ And I said, ‘If I cut the scene, I don’t know what this movie is about.'”

It’s Day 8 of the SAG-AFTRA strike and Day 81 of the WGA strike.