Showbiz Sandbox 590: New Warner Bros. Discovery Strategy Is A Little Batty

The newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery held its first earnings call last week making so many headlines it was all anyone in the entertainment industry could talk about. The company has a ton of debt, but a plan to get into better financial shape; stop producing expensive scripted shows, shelve pricey projects and layoff thousands of employees. Most controversially the media giant decided to completely abandon the nearly finished DC movie, “Batgirl.”

Speaking of comic book movies, the Wall Street Journal believes Disney’s Marvel titles are in a bit of a slump. Their movies are grossing less, getting worse reviews are not a big deal on social media. Do people even like superhero movies anymore?

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the story behind all those expensive Springsteen tickets, why Beyonce is changing the lyrics to one of her recent songs and why “To Kill A Mockingbird” is leaving Broadway.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Eisner Awards Winners 2022, As Announced At San Diego Comic-Con
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-eisner-awards-winners-2022-as-announced-at-san-diego-comic-con/

At the Euro 2022 Final, England Takes its First Major Women’s Soccer Title
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/31/1114792604/euro-2022-england-beats-germany-women-title

‘Bullet Train’ Clocks $62.5M Global Bow; ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Overtakes ‘Doctor Strange 2’

‘Bullet Train’ Clocks $62.5M Global Bow; ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Overtakes ‘Doctor Strange 2’ & ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Crosses $1.35B WW – International Box Office

‘Moon Man’ Holds Off ‘Warriors of Future’ on Another Strong China Box Office Weekend
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/china-box-office-moon-man-warriors-of-future-1235335634/

Jafar Panahi Ordered to Serve Six-Year Sentence by Iranian Authorities
https://variety.com/2022/film/global/jafar-panahi-6-year-sentence-iran-1235319533/

Unsealed Transcripts Open Door to End of Roman Polanski’s 45-year Legal Saga in the U.S.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-18/unsealed-transcripts-open-door-to-end-of-roman-polanskis-45-year-legal-saga-in-the-u-s

Chris Cuomo Will Join NewsNation in Return to TV News
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/chris-cuomo-return-newsnation-tv-1235326569/

Aaron Sorkin’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Abruptly Cancels Return to Broadway, Blaming Producer Scott Rudin
https://variety.com/2022/legit/news/to-kill-a-mockingbird-broadway-scott-rudin-1235329501/

Netflix Touts Record 7.7% Share Of Total TV Viewing In June
​​https://deadline.com/2022/07/netflix-record-share-of-total-tv-viewing-june-binge-release-model-1235072665/

Arbitrator Rules in Favor of WGA, Netflix Pays Millions More in Residuals
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-08-04/lat-et-ct-wga-netflix-film-residuals

Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings to Host Expanded ‘Jeopardy’ Franchise
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-jeopardy-1235327403/

The Case of the $5,000 Springsteen Tickets
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/26/your-money/bruce-springsteen-tickets.html

Could License Fee Strife In France & The UK Spell The Beginning Of The End For Europe’s $36B Public Broadcasting Sector?
https://deadline.com/2022/08/analysis-uk-france-licence-fee-public-broadcasting-emmanuel-macron-nadine-dorries-1235081070/

How the Breakdown in U.K. TV Negotiations Could Disrupt Production Worldwide
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/uk-tv-drama-pact-bectu-agreement-negotiations-1235332213/

Live Nation Posts Robust 2022 Second Quarter, Says It’s on Track for a Record Year
https://variety.com/2022/music/news/live-nation-2022-second-quarter-record-year-1235333710/

Even When Well-Intended, Changing Lyrics Retroactively Can Feel Dystopian
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/even-when-well-intended-changing-lyrics-retroactively-can-feel-dystopian-1392614/

Warner Bros Discovery’s DC Universe, and its Direct-to-Streaming Strategy, are Getting a Reset
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/04/warner-bros-discovery-streaming-strategy-in-focus-for-q2-earnings.html

Why HBO Max Spent $130 Million to Shelve ‘Batgirl’ and ‘Scoob 2’
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-08-07/why-hbo-max-killed-batgirl-and-scoob-2

The Great HBO Freak-out of 2022 Was Unwarranted, but Understandable
https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/8/8/23296010/hbo-max-streaming-freak-out-warner-bros-discovery-earnings

Olivia Newton-John, Pop Singer and ‘Grease’ Star, Dies at 73
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/08/olivia-newton-john-grease-singer-dies/

Bert Fields, Litigator to the Stars, Dies at 93
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/bert-fields-dead-famed-hollywood-litigator-dies-93-988209-1235194632/

Roger E. Mosley, Actor on ‘Magnum, P.I.,’ Dies at 83
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/roger-e-mosley-dead-magnum-1235194403/

Tony Dow, Wally Cleaver on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ Dies at 77, His Reps Confirm
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tony-dow-dies-wally-cleaver-leave-it-to-beaver-1235187025/

Nichelle Nichols, Uhura in ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 89
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/nichelle-nichols-dead-star-trek-the-original-series-1235330159/

Paul Sorvino, ‘Goodfellas’ Actor, Dies at 83
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/paul-sorvino-dead-goodfellas-1235324940/

Pat Carroll Dies: Veteran Actress Of Stage, TV, Film And Voice Of Ursula In ‘The Little Mermaid’
https://deadline.com/2022/07/pat-carroll-dead-voice-of-ursula-in-the-little-mermaid-was-95-1235081904/

Bob Rafelson Dies: Oscar-Nominated Director Of ‘Five Easy Pieces’, Co-Creator Of ‘The Monkees’ Was 89
https://deadline.com/2022/07/bob-rafelson-dead-oscar-nominated-director-five-easy-pieces-cocreator-the-monkees-was-89-obituary-1235076422/

Mary Alice, Tony Winner for Her Role in ‘Fences,’ Dies at 85
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/30/arts/mary-alice-dead.html

Paul Coker Jr., Designer Of Timeless Rankin/Bass Holiday Special Characters, Dies At 93
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/paul-coker-jr-rankin-bass-rip-219281.html

Emmy-Winning Writer, Comedian Kevin Rooney, Who Worked With Jay Leno and Dennis Miller, Dies at 71
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/kevin-rooney-dead-writer-comedian-leno-dennis-miller-1235185398/

Mo Ostin, Legendary Warner Bros. Records Chief, Dies at 95
https://www.billboard.com/pro/mo-ostin-warner-bros-records-chief-dead-95/

David Warner, British Actor Known for ‘The Omen’ and ‘Tron,’ Dies at 80
https://variety.com/2022/film/obituaries-people-news/david-warner-dead-dies-omen-tron-1235324582/

Taurean Blacque Dies: Emmy-Nominated ‘Hill Street Blues’ Actor Was 82
https://deadline.com/2022/07/taurean-blacque-dead-hill-street-blues-actor-was-82-1235074307/

David McCullough, Master Chronicler of American History, Dies at 89
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/08/david-mccullough-dead-american-history/