Film and TV Briefing: Friday 3 January 2025
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
‘Wicked’ passes ‘Mamma Mia’ as biggest global Broadway adaptation (Variety)
‘Squid Game’ second series breaks Netflix records, drawing in 68 million viewers (Deadline)
Kate Beckinsale reveals assault and abuse on film sets (The Guardian)
‘The Traitors’ lures 5 million viewers to watch opening episode (Deadline)
Disney announces major expansion of cruise line business (Hollywood Reporter)
Women directors accounted for only 16% of the top 250 top grossing movies of 2024 (Variety)
‘Nosferatu’ takes $40 million over Christmas opening (Variety)
Trump takes steps to pause TikTok ban (Hollywood Reporter)
‘Gavin and Stacey’ draws 15.2 million watchers for Christmas finale (Broadcast)
The Trump Presidency could usher in a new era of media censorship (Hollywood Reporter)
Features and commentary
What does the future hold for British cinemas? (BBC)
Deadline’s critics pick the best movies of 2024 (Deadline)
Variety’s critics pick the worst movies of 2024 (Variety)
The Guardian spotlights the films to look out for in 2025 (The Guardian)
Industry announcements
Animation Guild votes to accept new contract with streamers and studios (Hollywood Reporter)
Resources
WGGB provides recap for 2024 developments (WGGB)
Legal updates
Both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni file lawsuits regarding ‘It Ends With Us’ (The Guardian)
