WEBVTT - Daily Variety — Box Office: Good First Steps for ‘Fantastic Four’; Cosplay Soars at Quieter Comic Con 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and

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<v Speaker 1>analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Monday, July twenty eighth,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am

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<v Speaker 1>co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>in LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters

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<v Speaker 1>around the world covering the business of entertainment. In today's episode,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll get the lowdown on another big summer box office

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<v Speaker 1>weekend from Rebecca Rubin and Michael Schneider breaks down four

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<v Speaker 1>days of Comic Con for us. Before we get to that,

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<v Speaker 1>here are a few headlines just in this morning that

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<v Speaker 1>you need to know. Three power players have teamed to

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<v Speaker 1>launch First Light story House. This is an effort to

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<v Speaker 1>amplify Asian voices worldwide through TV and film. The initiative

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<v Speaker 1>is founded by Mickey Lee, leader of cj E, and

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<v Speaker 1>m Janet Yang, who is a producer and President of

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<v Speaker 1>the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Dominic Ing,

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<v Speaker 1>who is CEO of East West Bank. The goal is

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<v Speaker 1>to support authentic Asian and Asian American stories and introduce

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<v Speaker 1>them to global audiences. Amazon MGM Studios has set its

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<v Speaker 1>first German language theatrical film release in Germany. Derrek Tiger

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<v Speaker 1>from director Dennis Gansel, will go into theatre's September eighteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>before bowing on prime video. MSNBC is bringing its fan

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<v Speaker 1>event back to New York City. MSNBC Live This Is

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<v Speaker 1>Who We Are will be held at New York's Hammerstein

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<v Speaker 1>Ballroom on October eleventh. That's right around the time MSNBC

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<v Speaker 1>is expected to formally begin its new chapter as the

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<v Speaker 1>channel separates from NBC Universal. Now we turn to conversations

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<v Speaker 1>with Variety journalists about news and trends in show business.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's Monday, it means we're talking box office with

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<v Speaker 1>Rebecca rubin Variety's Century of the Turnstiles. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>big weekend for Marvel, which got The Fantastic four First

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<v Speaker 1>Steps off to a good start. Rebecca, thanks for joining me,

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for having me another big summer weekend, The

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<v Speaker 1>Fantastic four First Steps. It's from your headline. It sounds

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<v Speaker 1>like those First Steps were pretty well received all around.

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<v Speaker 1>How did this movie perform?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Fantastic four First Steps opened to one hundred and

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<v Speaker 2>eighteen million dollars domestically, and that was enough to be

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<v Speaker 2>the fourth best opening weekend of the year. But kind

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<v Speaker 2>of more importantly for Marvel, it was the studio's first

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<v Speaker 2>movie to open to above one hundred million dollars in

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty five, and they've had a bit of a

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<v Speaker 2>rocky go and so it's been encouraging for them.

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<v Speaker 1>Aeople showed up they wanted to see. I am such

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<v Speaker 1>a Vanessa Kirby fan. I'm going to give her outside credit.

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<v Speaker 1>What did the early numbers tell you about who turned

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<v Speaker 1>out to see this movie?

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<v Speaker 2>It was overwhelmingly male. About sixty eight percent of opening

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<v Speaker 2>weekend audiences were men, and that was a little surprising

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<v Speaker 2>to me. Not because it's surprising that men like to

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<v Speaker 2>see superher movies, because that is really the target demographic,

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<v Speaker 2>but if you've seen Fantastic Four, especially like you mentioned,

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<v Speaker 2>Vanessa Kirby's character and storyline is very female centric, and

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<v Speaker 2>she's pregnant, and I don't think Marvel's had a pregnant

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<v Speaker 2>superhero before, and so I am curious if in the

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<v Speaker 2>coming weeks it'll start to over index a little more

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<v Speaker 2>with females, because I'm sure there will be people who

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<v Speaker 2>resonate a lot with her character. And then something else

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<v Speaker 2>that was notable was that nearly fifty percent of ticket

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<v Speaker 2>sales were coming from premium large formats, which means that

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<v Speaker 2>when people did go to see it, they really wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to see it on the biggest and the brightest screens,

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<v Speaker 2>and that has definitely been a trend that has been

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<v Speaker 2>increasing since the pandemic. When audiences want to leave the house,

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<v Speaker 2>they are really over indexing on Imax, DOLB for DX,

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<v Speaker 2>just these screens that they really can't replicate in the home.

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<v Speaker 1>Imax has been around for a long time, but they

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<v Speaker 1>really seem to be part of the conversation now every

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<v Speaker 1>weekend like they haven't been before.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it almost feels like it's become part of the

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<v Speaker 2>marketing campaign for a lot of these big films, and

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<v Speaker 2>Fantastic four is one of them that uses IMAX cameras

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<v Speaker 2>and so's it's almost become a selling point. And of

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<v Speaker 2>course for theater owners and studios, those tickets are more

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<v Speaker 2>expensive and so they are more than happy for people

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<v Speaker 2>to shell out for that.

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<v Speaker 1>Recca, as we spoke a couple of weeks ago about Marvel,

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<v Speaker 1>had a lot writing on this both to have good

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<v Speaker 1>critical reception. Have the fans embrace this and like it,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course have people show up and go through

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<v Speaker 1>the turnstiles. They appear to have both of those, because

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<v Speaker 1>the reviews have been very strong and these are new

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<v Speaker 1>faces coming into the MCU. It's one of Marvel's first

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<v Speaker 1>real successful attempts in post pandemic times to spotlight newer heroes.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course Fantastic Four have been on the big

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<v Speaker 1>screen before. Most of those films were not particularly embraced

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<v Speaker 1>by critics or audiences, but this is the first time

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<v Speaker 1>they're part of marvel cinematic universe. They haven't been a

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<v Speaker 1>part of any Avengers stories or anything like that.

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<v Speaker 2>And the movies that have really worked for Marvel post

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<v Speaker 2>pandemic have been the real heavy hitters like Spider Man,

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<v Speaker 2>No Way Home, Deadpool, and Wolverine, Black Panther, Wakonda Forever

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<v Speaker 2>just sequels to some of their biggest properties. But the

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<v Speaker 2>ones that haven't been as successful are Thunderbolts Eternals, the

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<v Speaker 2>Marvels just characters that people were not as familiar with.

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<v Speaker 1>Another question I know that you were looking at going

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<v Speaker 1>into this weekend, was was there room enough in this town?

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<v Speaker 1>Two superhero movies and would Superman hang in there in

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<v Speaker 1>weekend three with the Fantastic Four arriving. How did that

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<v Speaker 1>play out?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it was a big question of whether or not

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<v Speaker 2>two superhero movies would be able to succeed in the

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<v Speaker 2>month of July, and a lot of people thought that

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<v Speaker 2>was risky because many comic book adaptations have not been

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<v Speaker 2>doing well. There was a time that superhero movies could

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<v Speaker 2>truly do no wrong at the box office. It didn't

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<v Speaker 2>really matter what the reviews said. Everyone went out to

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<v Speaker 2>go see them. And that is not the time we

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<v Speaker 2>are living in, and so to have them so close together,

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<v Speaker 2>there was genuine and valid concern will people see both?

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<v Speaker 2>And I think the answer to this weekend is they

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<v Speaker 2>will see both because Superman had a debut above one

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<v Speaker 2>hundred million and has continued to do well into his

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<v Speaker 2>second and third weekends, and now we have Fantastic four

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<v Speaker 2>first steps also having a very sizable opening weekend, and

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's sort of proving that it's not necessarily

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<v Speaker 2>superhero fatigue. I think it's more bad movie fatigue, and

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<v Speaker 2>when audiences want to see the movie, they are willing

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<v Speaker 2>actually to go see both.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me ask you regarding the large screen the premium screens.

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<v Speaker 1>Are there enough of those theaters so that Superman and

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<v Speaker 1>Fantastic Four could have a decent distribution in these theaters

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<v Speaker 1>or is it the kind of case that whatever the

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<v Speaker 1>new movie is coming in kind of crowds out anything

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<v Speaker 1>else that might be holding on. Definitely the latter of

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<v Speaker 1>what you said. The new movie tends to take up

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<v Speaker 1>all the oxygen, and it's definitely something that these distribution

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<v Speaker 1>chiefs that studios are douging it out. They want their

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<v Speaker 1>film on the largest number of premium large formats they

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<v Speaker 1>can get, and so I think that's why we saw

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<v Speaker 1>this weekend Superman. Although it's holding on decently well, it

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<v Speaker 1>had a pretty big drop this weekend. It's been chugging

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<v Speaker 1>along pretty well during the week, so it's made almost

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<v Speaker 1>three hundred million dollars domestic, but a fifty eight percent

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<v Speaker 1>drop is pretty notable, and probably because it lost so

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<v Speaker 1>many of its premium large formats that went to Fantastic Four.

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<v Speaker 1>In general, how has midweek business been this summer.

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<v Speaker 2>It seems definitely film dependent. Something like Superman has had

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<v Speaker 2>pretty strong week to week holds, and they think that

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<v Speaker 2>definitely speaks to just the strong word of mouth, people

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<v Speaker 2>are talking about it, really enjoying it on all audience,

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<v Speaker 2>all family film. But the box office right now is

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<v Speaker 2>about twelve to thirteen percent ahead of last year. The

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<v Speaker 2>top four movies this weekend were Fantastic Four, Superman, Jurassic

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<v Speaker 2>World Rebirth, and F one, and those are all big

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<v Speaker 2>properties that have gotten people talking, and interestingly, all of

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<v Speaker 2>those movies actually crossed pretty notable box office milestones this weekend.

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<v Speaker 2>Superman and F One both crossed five hundred million dollars globally,

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<v Speaker 2>and then Jurassic World Rebirth crossed seven hundred million dollars globally.

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<v Speaker 2>And while there's only been one movie this year to

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<v Speaker 2>cross the billion dollar mark, that's Leelo and Stitch, it's

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<v Speaker 2>a good indication that at least some movies are getting

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<v Speaker 2>close and hitting at least a half billion dollar mark.

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<v Speaker 1>Certainly this beats the alternative. Next Up TV editor Michael

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<v Speaker 1>Schneider dishes about the buzz, the biz, and of course,

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<v Speaker 1>the cosplay that was on display this past weekend at

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<v Speaker 1>San Diego Comic Con. Mike is one of the Kings

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<v Speaker 1>of Comic Con, doing no less than three big panels

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<v Speaker 1>at the four day event.

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<v Speaker 3>Welcome to the return, the long awaited return of Phidias

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<v Speaker 3>and Firm. We last celebrated at the end of Phidias

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<v Speaker 3>and Here at Comic Con is who here was there

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<v Speaker 3>at that finale?

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<v Speaker 1>Now, Michael Schnyder, just back from San Diego and the

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<v Speaker 1>wilds of Comic Con four busy days. What stands out

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<v Speaker 1>to you now?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I was cosplaying as a frazzled and now exhausted

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<v Speaker 4>journalist and you can tell my costume is off, the

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<v Speaker 4>sweat is still dripping from my brow.

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<v Speaker 1>It just makes it authentic.

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<v Speaker 4>It was very authentic.

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<v Speaker 3>You know.

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<v Speaker 4>It was a fun comic con. It was a crowded

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<v Speaker 4>comic con. It was not a newsy comic con. There

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<v Speaker 4>wasn't a lot coming out of it. I think that's

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<v Speaker 4>a sign of the times and what the studios are

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<v Speaker 4>now investing in, and it's not necessarily in big events.

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<v Speaker 4>That being said, there was some amazing fun activations from

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<v Speaker 4>especially Disney and NBC Universal and a couple other studios,

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<v Speaker 4>and some great panels, but nothing that was big hall

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<v Speaker 4>h worthy as there have been in years past.

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<v Speaker 1>Probably the closest from my vantage point very far away,

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<v Speaker 1>was when George Lucas himself Yoda appeared in the at

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<v Speaker 1>the convention to talk up something that is near and

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<v Speaker 1>near to him, his upcoming museum.

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<v Speaker 4>He had actually never made it down to San Diego

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<v Speaker 4>Comicon before and it took his own museum to bring

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<v Speaker 4>him down there. So that rounded things up. But Hall

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<v Speaker 4>H which normally is busy on Sunday with Marvel panels,

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<v Speaker 4>what have you, that was the only panel on the

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<v Speaker 4>final day of Comic Con.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, of course journalists down there are looking for headlines,

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<v Speaker 1>but for fans, you said, the crowd was biggest as

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<v Speaker 1>you've seen since the pandemic. Were the fans happy despite

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<v Speaker 1>the lack of headline news?

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<v Speaker 4>You could tell more people were in costume this year.

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<v Speaker 4>I brought along my sons and they definitely noticed that

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<v Speaker 4>as well. And there were a lot of fun events,

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<v Speaker 4>including things that didn't require a pass, so if you

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<v Speaker 4>didn't have a ticket into Comic Con, you could still

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<v Speaker 4>go to crunchy Roll had a big two day concert event.

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<v Speaker 4>They had all these activations all throughout downtown San Diego.

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<v Speaker 4>So thankfully one of the sponsors with a big pop

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<v Speaker 4>up this year was Old Spice hopefully passing out deodorant.

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<v Speaker 1>Very helpful and close like that there was one that

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<v Speaker 1>was quite topical, and you were there for the whole thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Mike tell us about the south Park panel. That was

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<v Speaker 1>probably the buzziest thing of the week.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, that the south Park panel, which also, to be fair,

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<v Speaker 4>included Mike Judge talk about Beavis and Bud Heead and

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<v Speaker 4>also Andy Samberg talking about his show Digimon. But everyone

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<v Speaker 4>was in hallh on Thursday night to see what Trey

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<v Speaker 4>and Matt would say, especially after that episode aired on Wednesday,

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<v Speaker 4>the South Park season prenier that the shot heard round

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<v Speaker 4>the White House and the boys man Trey. They didn't

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<v Speaker 4>say much, of course, you know, as a journalist, I

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<v Speaker 4>wanted them to just burn the place down. They didn't

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<v Speaker 4>do that. They were very subtle, but they did refer

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<v Speaker 4>to a few things about some of the depictions of

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<v Speaker 4>President Trump in that episode, including the fight that they

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<v Speaker 4>had with Comedy Central over the depiction of his penis

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<v Speaker 4>in the episode. So we got some good information enough

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<v Speaker 4>that that was one of our leading stories on the

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<v Speaker 4>website throughout the weekend at Variety dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In addition to royally aggravating the President, they also struck

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<v Speaker 1>a very big and groundbreaking deal. Were there any indications

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<v Speaker 1>that they have just set a deal with Paramount, which

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<v Speaker 1>is in the throes of a transition to a new owner.

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<v Speaker 1>But they've just set a deal for fifty new episodes

0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.920
<v Speaker 1>and expanded streaming rights. Did they make any reference to that.

0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.160
<v Speaker 4>No, you know, they didn't, And that was the originally

0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:24.120
<v Speaker 4>why we were excited to go to that panel before

0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.720
<v Speaker 4>that episode aired, because we thought, well, they were sort

0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:28.840
<v Speaker 4>of battling sky Dance. As you know, they were not

0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:32.240
<v Speaker 4>happy with Jeff Shell and sky Dance because they had

0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:36.160
<v Speaker 4>a agreement on They had an agreement in word with

0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:38.920
<v Speaker 4>Paramount for a new deal. Skydance came in and wanted

0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:41.600
<v Speaker 4>to renegotiate it. They were not happy. But then by

0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:44.320
<v Speaker 4>the time Comic Con came, they were about a billion

0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:46.280
<v Speaker 4>and a half dollars richer, So I think they were

0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.840
<v Speaker 4>happy that evening when they approached the stage at Comicon.

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<v Speaker 1>Mike, you are a highly in demand moderator and you

0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:56.880
<v Speaker 1>always get some great slots at Comic Con. This year

0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.640
<v Speaker 1>we did three big, high profile panels. Let's start with

0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.840
<v Speaker 1>King of the Hill, the return of this beloved former

0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:07.120
<v Speaker 1>Fox animated calm family comedy that kind of broke all

0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:09.400
<v Speaker 1>the rules of animated even for adult animation.

0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.800
<v Speaker 4>There's a lot of anticipation. I think people really still

0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.960
<v Speaker 4>love this show. There's a huge activation outside the convention

0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:18.480
<v Speaker 4>center for King of the Hill as well, and that

0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:22.280
<v Speaker 4>line just snaked down the marina. They aired an episode

0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.680
<v Speaker 4>first time people had seen it, and I really think

0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:26.440
<v Speaker 4>fans of the original King of the Hill are going

0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:29.320
<v Speaker 4>to be really impressed with what they've done with this show.

0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:32.160
<v Speaker 4>And we had a great conversation, a lot of fun,

0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.320
<v Speaker 4>and the crowd was just just overwhelmed.

0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:40.040
<v Speaker 1>This show brought a Texas sensibility to screwing American culture

0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:43.359
<v Speaker 1>and that did not always hwe to the more conventional

0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.200
<v Speaker 1>wisdom in Hollywood or New York.

0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:48.120
<v Speaker 4>They do a good job of threading that needle, very

0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:51.160
<v Speaker 4>much like South Park in a way in that you know,

0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:54.080
<v Speaker 4>you can come to the show from any different political

0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:57.040
<v Speaker 4>viewpoint and maybe you're watching and thinking that, well they're

0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:00.280
<v Speaker 4>satirizing that, and other people maybe looking at how they're

0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:01.520
<v Speaker 4>satirizing something else.

0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:04.880
<v Speaker 1>Speaking of shows coming back, another panel you did was

0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:08.560
<v Speaker 1>Phineas and Ferb. I still love the theme song. Tell

0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:10.520
<v Speaker 1>me what was it like to get back with Swampy

0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:11.560
<v Speaker 1>and Dan in that game?

0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.360
<v Speaker 4>Well, this one was really special because I did the

0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.400
<v Speaker 4>farewell panel for Phineas and Ferb back in twenty fifteen

0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:20.000
<v Speaker 4>there at Comic Con, So in some ways we've come

0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.200
<v Speaker 4>full circle and to be back ten years later after

0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:26.560
<v Speaker 4>saying goodbye to Phineas and Ferb and welcoming them back

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:30.040
<v Speaker 4>and again, this is a show that hasn't missed a beat.

0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:33.880
<v Speaker 4>If anything, it's become even more perhaps geared towards the

0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:37.360
<v Speaker 4>grownups watching. I think they appreciate the fact that most

0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.920
<v Speaker 4>of the fans who enjoyed Phineas and Ferb back in

0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:43.720
<v Speaker 4>the late two thousands are now adults or teenagers and

0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:45.920
<v Speaker 4>maybe they have kids of their own, so some of

0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:49.400
<v Speaker 4>the humors even more slightly subversive, but also you know,

0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.640
<v Speaker 4>really still reaches young people as well.

0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:53.920
<v Speaker 1>Tell me about the third panel you hosted down there.

0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.280
<v Speaker 4>The third panel had a chance to talk to a

0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.280
<v Speaker 4>bunch of producers from some of the Sony dramas, including

0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:02.240
<v Speaker 4>Ron Moore, talking a lot about the franchises, because you know,

0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.200
<v Speaker 4>they've they've really turned Outlander into a franchise with the

0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:08.000
<v Speaker 4>new show The Blood of My Blood for All Mankind,

0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.120
<v Speaker 4>which is one of my personal favorite shows, has a

0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.840
<v Speaker 4>spinoff coming up called Star city that The Boys, of course,

0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.640
<v Speaker 4>has turned into quite a franchise that was represented on

0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:17.120
<v Speaker 4>the panel.

0:16:17.440 --> 0:16:20.680
<v Speaker 1>Two last quick questions for your recommic. Number one. Alien

0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:23.720
<v Speaker 1>Earth a big project for FX. I know they had

0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:27.160
<v Speaker 1>some activations down there. Did you sense any organic buzzs

0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:28.200
<v Speaker 1>for it from fans?

0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:30.600
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I definitely did. You know, partly they did a

0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.080
<v Speaker 4>good job of plastering the side of a hotel with

0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:36.000
<v Speaker 4>the big imagery from Alien Earth. There was a huge activation,

0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:38.720
<v Speaker 4>like you mentioned, long lines eighteen plus, so it was

0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:42.560
<v Speaker 4>definitely a scary activation. But yeah, so I think people

0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.280
<v Speaker 4>are primed and ready for that.

0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.520
<v Speaker 1>That's a big launch coming up for all of Disney

0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:48.760
<v Speaker 1>here in a couple of weeks. And then, of course

0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.080
<v Speaker 1>pomic Con is a kind of a weather rain for

0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.160
<v Speaker 1>the genre world. Was there anything that stood up to

0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:56.080
<v Speaker 1>you in the causeplay? What impressed you?

0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.600
<v Speaker 4>I would say my favorite costume was I was walking

0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:02.800
<v Speaker 4>down this and along comes a man carrying some balloons,

0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:07.439
<v Speaker 4>wearing a blue turtleneck pants, big bushy mustache. It was

0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:13.040
<v Speaker 4>Melchick from Severance. Whoever was cosplaying as Milchik did such

0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:16.720
<v Speaker 4>a fantastic job down to the balloons with Adam Scott's

0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.000
<v Speaker 4>face on it and it was brilliant.

0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:19.600
<v Speaker 2>I saw.

0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:23.280
<v Speaker 4>I saw a lot of severance costumes, a lot of

0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:25.359
<v Speaker 4>great ones, but that one really stood out.

0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:27.880
<v Speaker 1>Mike, thank you so much for your labors in San

0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:31.280
<v Speaker 1>Diego and for being in demand for those panels. It's

0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:32.399
<v Speaker 1>a testament to you.

0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:34.960
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I'm glad I got that free old spice.

0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.080
<v Speaker 1>As we close out today's episode, here's a few things

0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:42.760
<v Speaker 1>we're watching for. It's going to be a busy week

0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:47.560
<v Speaker 1>for earnings. Spotify and Electronic Arts report on Tuesday, Meta

0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:52.520
<v Speaker 1>and Microsoft report on Wednesday, and Thursday brings Comcast, Amazon,

0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:56.440
<v Speaker 1>and Apple, among others. We're also on twenty four to

0:17:56.520 --> 0:18:00.840
<v Speaker 1>seven Paramount Skuydance Media watch that merger is heading toward

0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:05.919
<v Speaker 1>the finish line after overcoming some truly unbelievable obstacles. But

0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.679
<v Speaker 1>it ain't over till it's over. We're keeping watch at

0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:12.919
<v Speaker 1>Variety dot com. Coming up on Friday, Variety and CJ,

0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:16.359
<v Speaker 1>E and M are hosting an invite only gathering for

0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:20.520
<v Speaker 1>industry insiders tied to the Kkon Korean Culture fan event

0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:24.520
<v Speaker 1>that unfolds this weekend in downtown LA. Before we go,

0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:28.200
<v Speaker 1>congrats to Benjamin Kramer. He's been named president of US

0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:32.840
<v Speaker 1>distribution for Black Bear, the indie studio backed by Teddy Schwartzman.

0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:37.919
<v Speaker 1>Kramer was formerly co head of CIA Media Finance. Thanks

0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.080
<v Speaker 1>for listening. This episode was written and reported by me

0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:45.800
<v Speaker 1>Cynthia Littleton, with contributions from Rebecca Rubin and Michael Schneider.

0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:51.000
<v Speaker 1>It was edited by Aaron Greenwald Stick's Nick's Hick Picks.

0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:53.879
<v Speaker 1>Please leave us a review at the podcast platform of

0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:56.960
<v Speaker 1>your choice, and please tune in tomorrow for another episode

0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.720
<v Speaker 1>of Daily Variety