Erik Hayden

The first time, only 34 percent of the sci-fi film’s opening weekend audience were between ages 18 and 35, Hollywood’s sweet spot. For the sequel, that stat was nearly 50 percent.

The town's canaries in the gold mine, i.e., crewmembers, voice alarm about an anemic state of production following the strikes: "Everybody's waiting to see what the new normal is.”

At the time, it was seen as the ultimate Academy Awards snub that sent the town abuzz: When studio mogul Jack Warner stole the Oscars statuette from Hal Wallis on stage it proved the last straw in an increasingly contentious relationship.

The Duchess of Sussex, speaking during a keynote panel at SXSW, criticized social and tech platforms that provide an outlet for hate and bullying.

Even after the toll of the dual work stoppages last year, totals for a host of broadcast shows are on par with or better than their 2022-23 averages.

As 14 shows open over the course of 11 days, the next several weeks are crucial for new titles trying to find an audience: "We just can't take anything for granted."

For issues-focused creators, the Jeff Skoll-backed company was an ally, a champion and deep-pocketed backer willing to tackle tough subjects in an increasingly commercialized nonfiction environment.

Overall, only one studio unit among Hollywood conglomerates posted profit growth for the calendar year 2023 amid fast-paced change and disruption in the industry.

Filmmakers who work on the (ever smaller) slate of major studio movies are dealing with risk-averse execs and a still wobbly distribution environment, with their films sitting in the larger ecosystem of publicly traded parent companies. And if a movie flops with critics or at the box office, they’re the first to get sentenced to movie jail.

Allen Media, the owner of the Weather Channel, will cut employees across the company.