Cinemas bring back $4 ticket day

And 'Suits' creator talks reboot chances

What to know

• Nation Cinema Day is coming back this Sunday, offering $4 tickets… If you’ve been waiting to see any of this summer’s blockbusters, you might want to clear your Sunday. After seeing record turnout last September with a $3 ticket offer, 3,000 movie theaters are bringing back National Cinema Day, slashing all ticket prices to $4. And that’s $4 for any format, any time. Hello, Oppenheimer in IMAX. Besides Gran Turismo opening wide, and Bottoms and Golda opening limited this weekend, there’s a lot of good stuff in theaters, including Barbie, the aforementioned Oppenheimer, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, and Strays, as well as rereleases of Jurassic Park, Old Boy, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Lady Bird. Last year, this event drove $23.6M in revenue. While this announcement seems to be coming a bit last minute, considering the movies available this year and the bump in price, National Cinema Day 2023 could be even bigger. 🎟️

• Suits creator throws cold water on reboot or reunion — for now… 2011 USA drama Suits is the biggest show of the summer. There’s been a lot of speculation as to how and why that happened, but to me the answer is simple: The power of Netflix’s algorithm, the fact that it’s comforting, traditional, yet still well made TV across 134 episodes, and of course, that it has Meghan Markle. In response to this newfound viral success, series creator Aaron Korsh posted on X, f.k.a. Twitter, that there are no plans for a reboot or sequel at the moment because of the strikes and the other hurdles it would take to get a streamer on board and everyone together. He said he’d consider it in the future, but it’s not a priority right now. He also went on to agree with someone who said “very few reboots ever really work.” That said, Netflix nor NBCUniversal would want to leave money on the table, and based on this success, I think a reboot is all but inevitable. ⚖️

• AI-created art isn’t copyrightable, judge rules… As the writers and actors hope to seek protections against AI, the courts just issued a win in their favor. Because if the studios can’t copyright work created by AI, the thinking is they’d be less inclined to use it. I don’t think this is going to stop the studios from using AI as a tool within screenwriting, production, and post-production (they already are, quite a bit!) — so we could see some interesting copyright court cases in the future testing works created by humans and AI together. The decision said copyrights could be given out to works created by humans using AI tools on a case-by-case basis. 🤖

• Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has died at 66… The industry lost a bright star this weekend. Cephas Jones, who notched over 40 screen credits and most memorably earned acclaims for This Is Us, died of a “long-standing pulmonary issue.” He won multiple Emmys and a SAG for This Is Us, but was also fantastic on Mr. Robot, Luke Cage, and in films like Half Nelson, not to mention his stage work with Steppenwolf and the Public.

• *NYSNC rumored to be reuniting for new song on Trolls Band Together soundtrack… Considering the trailer teases a boy band reunion storyline for Justin Timberlake’s character Branch, I’d say this rumor rings true. If they do indeed put out a new song, it will be the boy band’s first in 22 years. 🎶

• The Outsiders musical coming to Broadway in April… After premiering at La Jolla in March. It’s hard to get too excited about another movie adaptation, especially when it doesn’t have any big talent attached behind the scenes — but we’ll see. 🎭

• Anti-Defamation League says Bradley Cooper's Maestro nose isn't anti-Semitic… Context is always key. ✡️

• Barbie finally unseated atop the box office by Blue Beetle… There’s a bug in the toy bin. 🪲

• Britney Spears musical to close on Broadway… They will leave Britney alone. 🎤

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What’s new

• Ahsoka — Aug 22 | Disney+ Star Wars show | 🍅

• How to Blow Up a Pipeline — Aug 24 | Hulu indie drama | 🍅 94%

• You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah — Aug 25 | Netflix Adam Sandler comedy film | 🍅 100%

• Vacation Friends 2 — Aug 25 | Hulu comedy film | 🍅

• Gran Turismo — Aug 25 | Sports drama in theaters | 🍅 58%

• Returning: Invasion s2, Ragnarok s3

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What to watch

It’s nice when a movie lives up to its trailers. Raunchy dog comedy Strays, which was written by American Vandal co-creator Dan Perrault, directed by Barb and Star helmer Josh Greenbaum, and produced by Lord and Miller, comes as advertised. It’s outrageously funny and absurdly dirty. Just when you'd think Perrault would run out of dog jokes he finds more. It features dialed up, energetic vocal performances from Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx. And a shocking amount of heart for what it is. The movie is truly empathetic to dogkind and will make dog owners hug their pups a little tighter. But it’s also representing anyone, hound or human, who has been a victim of abuse. Metaphorically speaking. Perrault’s script is pretty remarkable in that way. Strays manages to have its non-chocolate cake and eat it too by getting to be the very thing that it's mocking. It’s not going to win any awards, or even make much at the box office, but considering the state of the R-rated comedy these days, it’s amazing that it exists at all.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!