On December 17, the Academy unveiled the shortlists for ten categories for the 97th edition of the Oscars, giving Italy four reasons to cheer as projects with national ties advance in the race for the golden statuette. The categories announced include International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Live Action Short Film, Original Score, and Original Song. On January 17, the Academy will narrow these shortlists, selecting only five nominees per category, with the Oscars ceremony set to take place on March [...]

Skydance Acquires Paramount and the Year’s Other Major Agreements   In 2024, Hollywood experienced a wave of transformative mergers and deals that reshaped the entertainment industry. Recognizing these pivotal moves, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the standout players and agreements in its annual "Top Dealmakers of 2024" list. Undoubtedly, the most significant transaction of the year was Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global. David Ellison's Skydance struck a deal to absorb Redstone's National Amusements and plans to merge Skydance with [...]

TikTok has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court, requesting an injunction to block a federal law that would enforce a U.S.-wide ban on the app unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its stake by January 19, 2025. The move follows a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The court concluded that national security concerns outweigh TikTok’s argument that the law infringes [...]

The year 2024 proved turbulent for Hollywood, marked by box office disappointments (Joker: Folie à Deux and Kraven the Hunter), widespread layoffs, prolonged labor strikes, and shrinking production opportunities amid a broader industry downturn. Yet, amidst the struggles, a few key players and projects managed to emerge victorious. Disney faced significant hurdles at the start of the year: slumping stock prices, a money-losing streaming division, and a renewed proxy fight from activist investor Nelson Peltz. However, the entertainment giant staged [...]

A new report by Fandom, the world's largest fan platform, highlights the entertainment franchises that captivated audiences this year, with gaming IPs claiming unprecedented dominance. Topping the list is Warhammer, propelled by massive anticipation for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Amazon's upcoming movie adaptation featuring Henry Cavill. Other standout franchises include Marvel, League of Legends (and its Netflix adaptation Arcane), and Fallout, which entered the rankings for the first time. Fandom’s rankings, derived from its 350 million monthly users [...]

With Apple’s release of "Submerged", its first original scripted film for the Vision Pro headset, director Edward Berger proclaimed it a turning point for filmmaking. This sentiment rings true as immersive technologies - spanning advanced spatial tech, LED screens, dome projections, and next-gen headsets like Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and HTC Vive - transform how stories are told. Despite limited mass adoption, these tools are unlocking unprecedented creative possibilities. "Submerged", the first short film scripted for Apple Vision Pro, exemplifies [...]