8-year-old film tops 2023 streaming chart

And Jack Black goes full Bowser on 'Mario' critics

Feb 02, 2024

The most watched movie on streaming in 2023 was an animated film from 2016… Nielsen just revealed the top 10 most watched movies on streaming last year — and it’s dominated by library titles mostly aimed at children. Disney took 6 of the top 10 spots with movies like Elemental, Frozen, Encanto, and the #1 streaming film of 2023, Moana. For the record, Moana came out in 2016 but remains on a loop for American children (and many adults) everywhere. Because it’s that good. Nielsen estimates Moana has been viewed 775 million time since it was added to Disney+ in 2019. While Netflix dominated the top original streaming shows chart, Disney movies are still king in the apps. Which any parent will tell you, makes absolute sense. 🌊
Jack Black called out the critics who gave Mario bad reviews… In case you’re not away, Mario has just a 59% on RottenTomatoes, but it also holds a 95% audience score. While speaking to Total Film, the Bowser actor opened up about all this , “They screened it for me a month before it hit theaters. I was like ‘We’ve got a hit on our hands.’ I’m laughing and smiling the whole way through this movie.” Sounds like he had the same reaction most audience members did. Black went on. "And then it came out and it got horrible reviews. I was like, 'What movie did they see?’” I can understand how this would be jarring. Critics mostly dinged the movie for its thin plot, but Jack Black explains that the Mario team and its fans got the last laugh. “Luckily, the world didn’t listen to Rotten Tomatoes, and it was one of the biggest hits of all time." Indeed, Mario is the 17th highest grossing movie ever. 🍄
Matthew Vaughn says it’s weird that Milly Alcock has been cast as Supergirl despite the movie having no director… On paper that might sound weird, but super hero franchises do this all the time. Chadwick Boseman was cast as Black Panther for Captain America: Civil War by Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers, Ryan Coogler was not part of the decision. Likewise, Spider-Man Homecoming director Jon Watts didn’t have a hand in casting Tom Holland as Spider-Man. That was also done by Kevin Feige and Sony exec Amy Pascal, as well as the Russo brothers ahead of Civil War. As for Alcock, Variety suggests that she’s been cast this early because there could be a change she appears in Superman Legacy. So despite the new Supergirl movie having no director yet, it’s not actually all that weird that James Gunn and Peter Safran have already given her the role. 👍
Sony snaps up 28 Years Later, aiming it at theaters… Danny Boyle will direct, Alex Garland will write, Cillian Murphy is currently a producer but not yet attached to star. (Though I’d say chances are good he does, right?) The deal includes multiple films each with an estimated $60M budget. Boyle will not be directing any beyond the first film though. It’s nice to hear this is getting a theatrical release. 🧟‍♀️
Austin Butler walked away from a Top Gun: Maverick audition to be in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood… Talk about a dilemma most actors would kill for. I think he made the right call. 🙇🏻‍♂️
Larry David says Curb is done for real this time… At this point, I think it’s fair to believe him. I wonder what he’ll do next? I’d love to see him write another movie. 🔚
Talking Heads turned down an $80M reunion tour offer from Live Nation… Sounds like home is where they want to be. 🎶
Beetlejuice 2 is actually titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice… Which is just a fantastic title. Kudos to the team on that one. 👏
Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon to star in President Garfield assassination Netflix series… I’m listening. 👀
Hijack renewed by Apple; Colin From Accounts renewed by Paramount… Heard that second one is pretty good. 2️⃣
Donald Glover says Community movie script is done and he’s all in… Break out the coffee cups and paintball guns. 📚
Jason Sudeikis revives Ted Lasso for Super Bowl ad with Lionel Messi… That was fast! ⚽️
Margot Robbie says don’t feel bad about her Oscars snub… But that Greta G was deserving. 🏆
Gillian Flynn is redoing Dark Places as an HBO miniseries… If at first you don’t succeed. 📺
Tim Burton to direct Attack of the 50-Foot Woman from Gillian Flynn… Good day for G Flynn, I guess. This is an odd project announcement though.
Hulu to crackdown on password sharing… The free rides are ending. ⛔️
American Fiction hits VOD on Feb 6… Finally! 📗
Broadway legend Chita Rivera has died at 91