Parrot Analytics is hosting a webinar on Thursday to walk through its quarterly report, highlighting the top platforms and TV shows across markets as well as how SVOD market share trends have changed over the last two years.

The 60th New York Film Festival starts Friday and runs through Oct. 16. James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” starring Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway, Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” and Noah Baumbach’s Adam Driver-led “White Noise” are among the Oscar hopefuls in this year’s lineup. 

Hulu kicks off its annual Huluween on Oct. 1. Throughout the month, the streaming service will release some of its latest horror TV shows and movies, including highly anticipated projects like the “Hellraiser” reboot.

PaleyWKND 2022 kicks off in New York City on Friday and runs through Oct. 2. The festival, which merges media, sports, gaming and entertainment, will feature a weekend of meet-and-greets and fan activations from HBO Max, Marvel, Nickelodeon, the NBA and WNBA and more. 

TV shows

• NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” kicks off its 48th season this Saturday, with “Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller hosting and Megan Thee Stallion as the musical guest.

Movies

• Netflix’s “Blonde,” adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ 1999 novel of the same name, stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in a fictionalized account of the legendary actress’ life and career. It is the streaming service’s first NC-17 rated film — and has already been the center of controversy online following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month. 
• Universal Pictures’ “Bros” starring Billy Eichner (who co-wrote the screenplay) and Luke Macfarlane, follows a New York museum curator who falls in love with a lawyer who’s the complete opposite of him. The movie marks the first gay rom-com from a major studio.
• Paramount Pictures’ latest horror flick, “Smile,” centers on a doctor who starts to experience mysterious and frightening visions after a traumatic incident involving a patient. Just in time for spooky season.
• Walt Disney Co.’s “Hocus Pocus 2” premieres on Disney+ this Friday. After 29 years, the Sanderson sisters are back to cause havoc in Salem once again. Given the popularity of the original 1993 film, the sequel should be a hit with fans.

This week, I wrote a story about the racist backlash to the casting of actors of color in Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” Morning Consult data shows that about half of U.S. adults — and clear majorities of readers of the source material for each series — said they support casting actors of color in TV and film adaptations, even when the source material explicitly states the race of characters as white. 

Some data that didn’t make the article? Broken down by generation, 63% of Gen Z adults, 70% of millennials, 66% of Gen Xers and 65% of baby boomers said they think it’s important for Hollywood to have casts that are diverse and representative of multiple races, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual/gender identities. Read more here. 

Now, for the rest of the news from the week:

• Sony Pictures’ “The Woman King,” starring Viola Davis, debuted at the top of last weekend’s box office, surpassing expectations with $19 million in ticket sales. 20th Century Studios’ horror film “Barbarian” fell to the second spot with $6.3 million, while A24’s horror prequel “Pearl” debuted at third place with $3.1 million.
• A report in Vanity Fair details the troubling behavior and misconduct allegations against “The Flash” star Ezra Miller, citing more than a dozen sources who claim the actor verbally and emotionally abused those around them and allegedly suffers from delusions. Warner Bros. Discovery and Miller declined to comment for the story, but a source close to the situation said Miller is working with a PR crisis professional and is considering undergoing therapy, while three sources say their legal problems have disappeared through nondisclosure agreements and paying off alleged victims.
• Apple Inc. is reportedly discussing the possibility of releasing “Emancipation,” a Civil War era film starring Will Smith, by the end of the year in order to qualify for the 2023 Oscars, according to three people who worked on the film. The film, which completed filming before Smith’s infamous slap of comedian Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, reportedly received positive reactions at an audience test screening.
• Adnan Syed was released from prison after Baltimore judge Melissa Phinn overturned his conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a case that was the center of the wildly popular true-crime podcast “Serial.” Phinn, who ruled that prosecutors violated their legal obligation to share evidence with Syed that may have helped his defense, ordered Syed to be placed on home detention and wear a GPS monitor, giving prosecutors 30 days to either seek a new trial date or dismiss the case.
• The Golden Globes are officially coming back, and will air on NBC and Peacock after a year of being off-air, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association confirmed. The news of the ceremony’s return to broadcast comes after HFPA reorganized itself following widespread criticism for the lack of diversity and inclusion among its membership.
• Warner Music Group Corp. has named YouTube executive Robert Kyncl as its new chief executive officer, filling the position once current CEO Steve Cooper leaves in February, according to a statement from the company. Kyncl will be tasked with negotiating the best deals for its top artists, including Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars, and expanding the company’s digital footprint.
• Apple Music will replace PepsiCo Inc. as the new sponsor for the Super Bowl halftime show beginning with this season’s event on Feb. 12, the NFL announced. Though terms were not disclosed, analysts anticipate the league will get around $50 million per year for the rights.

34%

The share of U.S. adults who said they are less interested in watching men’s tennis without Roger Federer, following the news of his retirement, according to a recent Morning Consult survey.

1) If You Work in Film and TV, Get Ready for Layoffs

Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg

2) A Clear Majority of Book Readers Support Casting Actors of Color in ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘The Rings of Power’

Saleah Blancaflor, Morning Consult

3) ‘They Didn’t Wait for Lady Gaga’: Why a Controversial Theater TikToker Says ‘Funny Girl’ May Be ‘Cursed’

EJ Dickson, Rolling Stone

4) David Zaslav’s Strategy Shift: Licensing Out Warners’ IP Treasure

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter

5) Netflix and Disney are racing to sell ads for their cheaper versions launching later this year. Here’s why Disney’s pitch is winning over advertisers.

Lucia Moses, Insider

6) Fandom’s 2022 State of Gaming Study Reveals Trends & Issues Facing the Gaming Industry

Fandom

7) Why ‘House of Dragon’ separated the older and younger actors for Alicent and Rhaenyra

Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway, Reuters

8) ‘House of the Dragon’ Stars Say Goodbye to HBO’s Biggest Hit

Sean T. Collins, The New York Times

9) Disney Shows Adjusted Pay Data by Race and Gender for First Time

Jeff Green, Bloomberg

10) For Gen Z, TikTok Is the New Search Engine

Kalley Huang, The New York Times

• Woody Allen Walks Back Claims, Says He Has ‘No Intention of Retiring’ (Variety)
• Netflix’s aggressive move into ads made noise, but Disney’s pitch for ad tier Disney+ Basic is winning over advertisers with lower pricing and seasoned sales teams (Insider Premium)
• Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock Say Paramount Is Cheating Them Out of Millions (Bloomberg)
• Comcast, Verizon, AT&T Settle Piracy Suits (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Warner Bros. Discovery Restructures DEI Team With an International Geographic Focus (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Spotify Offers Audiobook Service With 300,000 Titles (The Wall Street Journal)
• Twitch Says It Will Reduce Payments for Many Popular Streamers (The New York Times)
• James Bond Producers Search for a New 007 Who Will Commit for a Decade: ‘Bond Is Evolving as Men Are Evolving’ (Variety)
• Charlie Collier Exits Fox Corp. to Join Roku as Streaming Platform Seeks to Evolve Into ‘Next Generation Media Company’ (Variety)
• Netflix Reduces Payments for Comedy Specials in Some New Deals (The Wall Street Journal)