Tom Hanks beats the box office odds
And huge star joins 'Only Murders'
What to know
Tom Hanks’ Otto beats the box office odds… Did you know Tom Hanks has a “hit” movie in theaters right now? I put “hit” in quotes because A Man Called Otto’s $36M global take on a $50M budget is humble compared to the Hanks mega hits of yore — but as far as 2023 adult-aimed comedy-dramas go, it’s a remarkable success. As you’ll recall, people aren’t going to these types of movies anymore, so the fact that it connected at all is headline news. Variety reports Otto is reaching older moviegoers, while Deadline says Sony “hit a double” by succeeding outside NY and LA. Mostly though it seems the movie is building momentum off good word of mouth, it’s got an A Cinemascore. 📈
The completed 4th and final season of Snowpiercer won’t air on TNT… WBD wasn’t done killing scripted shows just yet. Hopefully this is the last of its tax-write offs, but you never know. This was the last scripted series on TNT, marking the end of an era. I’ve never seen the Snowpiercer show but I have to imagine this stings for fans. It will be shopped elsewhere. 🚂
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are getting China releases… After 3.5 years, Beijing is lifting its de factor ban on Marvel. This is huge for Disney, which reportedly missed out on hundreds of millions in potential revenue because of the ban. Does this mean a return to the status quo, in which China was a key market for Hollywood? 🇨🇳
Meryl Streep joins Only Murders in the Building season 3… I'd say that's a big get for the Hulu comedy but who wouldn't want to work with Martin Short and Steve Martin. Streep doesn't do TV often, so this will definitely be a special treat for audiences. A guest-role Emmy is probably in Streep's future. 🔪
Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood participate in Thelma and Louise stage musical workshop… Indeed, Seyfried missed accepting a Golden Globe because she’s working on this. Sounds interesting! Especially considering Neko Case is writing the music. 🎭
Paramount+ removes the wounds from Jeremy Renner’s face on Mayor of Kingstown posters… Yeah, that’s just bad timing — but the posters do look better now. As for Renner’s health, the actor has reportedly been discharged from the hospital. 🏔
The Last of Us scores HBO’s second-best debut in a decade… No surprises here! It turns out people still love zombies and recognizable IP. That said, The Last of Us is also quite good (thanks Craig Mazin!). 🧟
Avatar: The Way of Water nears $1.9B, set to overtake Spider-Man: No Way Home at No. 6 all-time… Pandora continues to print money. I can’t believe we ever doubted it would turn a profit. 🌊
Indie horror phenom Skinamarink made 60 times its budget opening weekend… Impressive, but also its budget was $15,000, so we’re not exactly talking Avatar money here. 🤑
Netflix cancels Neil Patrick Harris’s Uncoupled after one season… Sad, but not surprising. Its singular season is a nice, complete arc that I’d still recommend checking out. 😢
Brendan Fraser delivers emotional, triumphant acceptance speech at Critics’ Choice Awards… Next stop, Oscars? 🏆
Channing Tatum eyeing Ghost remake… The man is clearly trying to make his career in the shape of Patrick Swayze’s. 👻
Netflix is getting into the reunion special business with Power Rangers… Hey, it worked for HBO Max, so why not? 🍿
Bob Chapek got $20 million in severance from Disney… Imagine getting $20 million not to work somewhere. 🙃
Disney Channel fav Phineas and Ferb returning for 40 more episodes… But it’s unclear where it’ll air. 🤔
Sally Field to receive SAG Lifetime Achievement award… Very deserved. Expect Flying Nun clips. 👏
The Simpsons is the top Disney+ show by far… All the Star Wars and Marvel in the world can’t top Bart. 🐭
Disney drops Mandalorian season 3 trailer… This is the way… to more Grogu. ✨
What’s new
Night Court — Jan 17 | NBC sitcom | 🍅 67%
That ‘90s Show — Jan 19 | Netflix sitcom | 🍅
Women Talking — Jan 20 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 90%
Missing — Jan 20 | Thriller film in theaters | 🍅 84%
Returning: The Legend of Vox Machina s2,
What to watch
There was a lot of news today so I’ll keep this recommendation brief. Disney’s Strange World deserves better than the reception it received. Now available on Disney+, the 61st film by Walt Disney Animation Studios is a rollicking, imaginative ride with stunning design and thought-provoking themes. While the plot feels oddly rushed and under-baked at times, the visual splendor, the progressive environmentalist ideas, and the impressive world building put forth by director Don Hall and writer Qui Nguyen more than make up for it. The film has a genius third-act twist that will not only re-contextualize the entire movie for you, but might get you thinking about how we interact and treat our own strange world. Like Lightyear, Disney’s other misunderstood animated sci-fi adventure from 2022, Strange World is way underrated and more than worthy of a second glance.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!