Scott Mendelson

Plus we already got the best Tron update we'll ever have: Wreck-It Ralph.

The third act of Tron: Ares heavily focuses on two 50+ year old white men talking about how much they love Depeche Mode, a microcosm of why these big Disney blockbusters aren't resonating with young people anymore

No, it really just is my generation who keeps making movies for ourselves and I find it baffling. Every time a movie targets the teens, it makes bank. Every time an old IP underperforms, critics scratch their heads.

Jared Leto *is* AI: a tacky thing corporations keep forcing on consumers by putting him in everything even though he’s unprofitable and nobody likes it

Why Predictable Box Office Bombs Like 'Tron: Ares' Hurt Everyone Theaters are forced to subsist with inferior IP leftovers, while studios get to blame “Nobody goes to the movies!” and/or “Go woke, go broke” for predictable flops.

Theaters are forced to survive on expired brand leftovers and IP-for-IP franchise attempts, while studios can blame “Nobody goes to the movies!” and/or “Go woke, go broke” for their painfully foreseeable mistakes.
(The #TronAres Friday #boxoffice report, sadly 15 morbillion years in the making)

Rebecca Ferguson Gets Candid: “I Will Shove Someone Under a Bus to Make a Point” The 'Mission: Impossible' star on working with Tom Cruise and providing more details about that mysterious on-set clash with a certain co-star.

Jacob Tremblay, your days are numbered, you diabolical sonavabitch...

a person is riding a red motorcycle with africanrabbit written on the bottom right ALT: a person is riding a red motorcycle with africanrabbit written on the bottom right

Well, TRON ARES is the best TRON movie yet... by default! And just as the Disney-produced remake of STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN LI (aka ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY) was superior to the “original,” so too is TRON 3 indeed better than HITMAN: AGENT 47.

When the conservative outrage machine *finally* starts complaining about ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER two weeks after it opens in theaters...

No, 'Minecraft 2' and 'Simpsons 2' Should Not Open on the Same Day WB just dated its video game sequel for July 23, 2027, the same slot currently occupied by Disney and 20th Century Studios' animated follow-up. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid a showdown.

WB just dated its video game sequel for July 23, 2027, the same slot currently occupied by Disney and 20th Century Studios' animated follow-up. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid a showdown.

That absolutely helped (as noted in a post I just dropped)

Why Warner Bros. Was Right To Turn Down 'Heat 2' Quality aside, Michael Mann’s crime classic was only a (modest) hit because it was the first time Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had co-starred together.

Quality aside, Michael Mann’s crime classic was only a (moderate) hit because it marked the first time that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had co-starred together. Spending over/under $200 million on a decades-later follow-up sans those actors (even with DiCaprio) would be madness for a legacy studio.

I’m old enough to remember that the only reason most general audiences gave a damn about HEAT (to the extent they did, it was a solid grosser but not a blowout) was that it offered the first onscreen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. *That’s* what made it special.

Box Office: 6 Hot Takes From A Modest Swift-ian $80 Million Weekend Taylor Swift's second theatrical, feature-length commercial boosted what otherwise would have been a staggeringly poor weekend, but all that glitters is not 'GoldenEye'.

Taylor Swift’s second theatrical, feature-length commercial boosted what otherwise would have been a staggeringly poor weekend, but all that glitters is not 'GoldenEye'.
(Weekend Box Office Analysis for 10-05-2025)

AI-Generated Actress Controversy Was A Triumph In Garnering Free Media Attention The Tilly Norwood announcement was primarily about drumming up a clickbait controversy to boost the media profile of the startup company that created her.

Will AI be used for personal IP-specific fanfiction and/or personalized pornography? Probably. But Hollywood can barely get audiences to watch original films & shows with actual known movie stars, let alone “fake” digital protagonists.

Taylor Swift Rocks Box Office With $16 Million Friday But The Rock's Oscar Gambit Flops With $2 Million Even by A24 standards, a likely $6.5 million weekend is pretty bad for Dwayne Johnson’s seemingly mainstream ‘The Smashing Machine’.

The must-read (under pain of torture) Friday box office punditry:
- Taylor Swift’s latest theatrical commercial will win the weekend with an over/under $35 million domestic debut.
- Dwayne Johnson’s underdog sports biopic gets KO-ed.
- Audiences mostly skip the return of Avatar 2.
- And More...!

There is only one type of man who would be allowed to just run roughshod over everything unchecked in this way, where every dumbass thing that comes out of his mouth is explained away, called “genius” or just allowed. Mediocre white male privilege is NOT a myth. I don’t care who that truth offends.

interesting how they pretend that "vehicular homicide" isnt a literal category that exists so the headline can make it sound like prosecutor overreach.

AI-Generated Actress Controversy Was A Triumph In Garnering Free Media Attention The Tilly Norwood announcement was primarily about drumming up a clickbait controversy to boost the media profile of the startup company that created her.

The Tilly Norwood announcement was primarily about drumming up a clickbait controversy to boost the media profile of the startup company that created her.

Box Office: 11 Key Questions for October Is the third time the charm for Tron'? Is Colleen Hoover a franchise unto herself? Will Taylor Swift and 'Avatar 2' help theatres make up for a missing 'Michael'? Plus, seven other critical ponderings...

Is the third time the charm for TRON?
Is Colleen Hoover a franchise unto herself?
Will Taylor Swift and AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER help theatres make up for a missing MICHAEL?
Plus, seven other critical concerns for the tenth month of 2025.

Eeek, sorry! Okay, I redid the joke with no direct link.

I was *not* expecting Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl to end with a smash cut to a black screen with text imploring viewers to visit "therossifiles" for more information...

I sincerely do not expect anyone actually to click on it, but noted and thanks.

a man wearing sunglasses and a beanie talking on a phone with the caption " you know i don t remember that part ALT: a man wearing sunglasses and a beanie talking on a phone with the caption " you know i don t remember that part

The best format for viewing #OneBattleAfterAnother is the one that is most convenient and affordable for each theatrical moviegoer. It’s a terrific film, and it’ll look and sound great in any properly operated auditorium with a decent-sized screen and functioning speakers.

I'm not sure, and while I won’t entirely defend “the marketing,” I also know that it’s not like WB wanted to come out and say, “It’s a full-blown political action comedy that is absolutely about our current Trumpian hellscape.”

The Age of Adaline (2015)

How "Now a Major Motion Picture" Regained Its Cultural Cachet After a decade of theatrical exhibition taking a backseat to streaming and social media, the notion of an IP or brand receiving a big-screen installment or adaptation is reaffirming its merit badge va...

After a decade of exhibition taking a backseat to streaming and social media, the notion of an IP or brand meriting a big-screen installment or a theatrical adaptation has reaffirmed its merit badge value.

How "Now a Major Motion Picture" Regained Its Cultural Cachet After a decade of theatrical exhibition taking a backseat to streaming and social media, the notion of an IP or brand receiving a big-screen installment or adaptation is reaffirming its merit badge va...

After a decade of exhibition taking a backseat to streaming and social media, the notion of an IP or brand meriting a big-screen installment or a theatrical adaptation has reaffirmed its merit badge value.

'One Battle After Another' Tops Box Office With Low (For DiCaprio) $22M Weekend WB deserves the kind of “winning just for making it” credit which usually only benefits Netflix, but essentially half of what Leo used to bring in that initial Fri-Sun period means the film *needs* as...

Warner Bros deserves the kind of "winning just for making it" credit which usually only benefits Netflix, but essentially half of what Leonardo DiCaprio used to bring on that initial Fri-Sun frame means that ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER now needs spirational legs (which it will hopefully/probably get).

'One Battle After Another' Tops Box Office With Low (For DiCaprio) $22M Weekend WB deserves the kind of “winning just for making it” credit which usually only benefits Netflix, but essentially half of what Leo used to bring in that initial Fri-Sun period means the film *needs* as...

Warner Bros deserves the kind of "winning just for making it" credit which usually only benefits Netflix, but essentially half of what Leonardo DiCaprio used to bring on that initial Fri-Sun frame means that ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER now needs spirational legs (which it will hopefully/probably get).

Friday Box Office: 'One Battle After Another' Opens Soft, Still Pushes Warner Bros. Past $4 Billion Worldwide For 2025 Whether or not WB "needs" this to commercially succeed, it's an underwhelming opening for a Leonardo DiCaprio star vehicle.

Whether or not WB “needs” this to commercially succeed, it’s still an underwhelming opening for a (well-reviewed and well-received) Leonardo DiCaprio star vehicle.