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☀️ Hollywood Day Of Movie Deal Frenzy

'White Lotus' goes French / BLACK BEAR sets 1st pic / NETFLIX's new tennis deal

Sean McNulty

Sep 5

∙

Preview

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Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Friday, September 5, 2025.

Where I’m pretty sure players spitting on each other, an hour+ weather delay and 2nd half with just . . . one field goal was not on the NFL’s wish list for its opening night game highlights (nor NBC’s).

YOUTUBE and TSwift — only one way to go from there tonight!

Gonna need a Portugese translation on that one this evening. Via Giphy

BUT: So close, KALSHI! Eh, rugby pitch . . . football field, it’s all the same. Now, why Jalen Hurts is in a practice jersey — ya got me on that one. Nice work, digital ads team.

WELL: If you’re still working at PARAMOUNT come 2026 🤞 . . . you’re really gonna be working at PARAMOUNT! Ellison’s new OG 5-day-a-week RTO policy will begin in January/post-layoffs.

VPs and below have 10 days to decide if that’s a problem for them and want to take a package, although the RTO policy will be phased in later in the year for offices outside of NY/LA on a global scale.
But for folks in LA or NY — enjoy that holiday season! Because there’s nothing that says “great for morale” like restarting a 5-day-a-week commute into Times Square in the dead, cold heart of an NYC winter.

AND: LIONSGATE will stream all 5 Twilight films for free on a loop on its YT page for a week, FAST channel style, starting Sunday in advance of the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

ALSO: Add WBD to the list of companies suing AI firm MIDJOURNEY, joining NBCU and DISNEY.

OH: If you loved the ass-kissery in Trump’s 3+ hour Cabinet meeting last month 🤌 — our country’s leading tech bros said, “Hold my NVIDIA chip,” at the White House yesterday (but, uh, like, give it back to me later. Those things are expensive).

All the big names were there — Gates, Sundar, Altman and of course Zuck seated right next to Trump to talk all the latest UFC tea — and all doing their best to effuse their vociferous support for the president . . . although never let it be said that Trump isn’t a gracious host, returning the flattery by describing the room as full of “high IQ people,” after making them literally go around the table and tell him how much they are investing in the U.S. in data centers essentially.
Although it seems Sundar Pichai didn’t use that IQ to point out that it was the Trump admin that initially brought that lawsuit against GOOGLE in 2020 that just had a major ruling this week . . . a ruling which Trump naturally mentioned, and said came from Biden.

AH: Yes, here is your latest U.S. jobs report this morning from Trump’s favorite government office, a report which I’m sure is wholly unrelated to what’s behind all of those data centers.

THEN: TIKTOK is adding in-app movie ticket purchasing ability via FANDANGO, starting with Tron: Ares in October.

IN TODAY’S EDITION:

Hollywood certainly sharpened the film deal closing muscles yesterday to get ready for the start of TIFF market negotiations, including PAR’s official move to hit that new output goal in time for another ongoing deal negotiation.
NETFLIX makes another sports move, a big day in TV casting, HELLO SUNSHINE makes an executive change and much more.

WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL

I’m gonna run with the bulls for once and go high with The Conjuring this weekend, esp. with the IMAX boost.

NEW POD

Summer Duds, Fest Buzz: What the Hell is Happening to Movies

The Ankler Podcast

32:38

THANKS!

To the folks at HBO for the up-close invite to check out the Task premiere last night in NYC, where at least I had plenty of leg room and didn’t need to wear my glasses.

Somewhere left of shot, Casey Bloys is giving a fine introduction — my 0.5x zoom could only do so much.

Really enjoyed it — right in the HBO DNA, anchored by 2 great performances, layered characters and cinematography that was hand in hand with the creative.

On a more personal note, I worked with Tom Pelphrey back in the day on the marketing campaign for one of his early roles in CINEMAX’s Banshee — awesome to see that guy develop into an actor who really holds the screen as a lead.