Steve Pond's Blog, page 63
August 7, 2025
Warner Bros. Discovery Posts Q2 Revenue of $9.8 Billion, Driven By Streaming, Studios Growth
Warner Bros. Discovery swung to a profit and saw revenue growth of 1% during its second quarter of 2025, driven primarily by its studios and streaming businesses.
The streaming business saw revenue grow 9% to $2.8 billion and eked out a profit of $293 million, compared to a loss of $107 million a year ago, as HBO Max continued its international expansion. The company added 3.4 million streaming subscribers for a total of 125.7 million globally, including 57.8 million domestic and 67.9 million international, with growth partly driven by HBO Max’s launch in Australia in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, studios grew revenue 55% to $3.8 billion, while its profits came in at $863 million, up from a profit of $210 million a year ago, due to the strong box office performance of “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” that resulted in a 38% increase in theatrical revenue.
But the global linear networks business weighed on the results with revenue falling 9% to $4.8 billion and profits falling 25% to 1.5 billion due to cord-cutting, the absence of the NCAA March Madness Final Four and Championship and the timing of third-party licensing deals.
Here are the quarterly results:
Net income: $1.58 billion, compared to a loss of $9.99 billion a year ago. This included $1.7 billion of “pre-tax acquisition related amortization of intangibles, content fair value step-up, and restructuring expenses,” as well as a $3 billion “pre-tax gain on the extinguishment of debt.”
Earnings Per Share: 63 cents per diluted share, compared to a loss of 23 cents a share expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
Revenues: $9.81 billion, flat year over year, compared to $9.83 billion expected by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance.
Streaming subscribers: Added 3.4 million subscribers for a total of 125.7 million globally.
WBD is targeting at least 150 million streaming subscribers by the end of 2026 and anticipates the streaming segment will deliver a profit of approximately $1.3 billion in 2025. The company expects the studios business to generate $2.4 billion of profit for full year 2025 and has set a long-term goal to reach at least $3 billion of adjusted EBITDA.
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In the streaming segment, subscriber-related revenues grew 10% to $2.7 billion, but content revenue fell 17% to $102 million due to lower third party licensing.
Domestic average revenue per user fell to $11.16, primarily driven by broader wholesale distribution of HBO Max basic with ads, while international ARPU came in at $3.85.
Looking ahead, the company expects streaming segment distribution revenue growth in the low single digit range in the third quarter, but expects a reaccelaration in the second half of 2025 and in 2026 as HBO Max expands to Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In the studio segment, total content revenue grew 61% to 3.6 billion, which included a 115% increase in TV revenue driven by higher intercompany licensing revenue due to the timing of renewals.
During the first half of 2025, content created by Warner Bros. Studios accounted for over half of global hours streamed on HBO Max, with almost all of its global viewing accounts having watched a WB-produced title.
It also noted that Warner Bros. film and TV libraries have generated roughly $5 billion of annual revenue on average over the last five years, some of which is through third-party licensing and internal licensing to HBO Max. The company expects internal licensing to HBO Max to weigh on the division’s profits in the near-term, but expects it to return over time.
In the future, WBD said it would target 12 to 14 theatrical releases annually, including 1 to 2 Warner Bros. Pictures tentpoles primarily based on its well-known IP, 1 to 2 DC Studios films, 3 to 4 New Line Cinema releases, 1 to 2 WB Animation titles and a select number of “moderately budgeted” original films.
The latest results come as WBD is gearing up to split into two companies in mid-2026: Warner Bros. and Discovery Global.
The former, which will be led by WBD CEO David Zaslav, will house Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros. Games, Tours, Retail and Experiences, as well as studio production facilities in Burbank and Leavesden.
The latter, which will be led by CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, will include CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, Discovery+ and Bleacher Report (B/R). Discovery Global will retain a 20% stake in Warner Bros. to help the company deleverage and is expected to take the majority of WBD’s debt.
In connection with the split, the company completed a tender offer and repaid a $1.5 billion term loan due in 2026 that was financed by a $17 billion bridge facility. That resulted in a $2.2 billion reduction in gross debt. They also repaid $500 million in debt, resulting in a total reduction of $2.7 billion in the quarter.WBD ended the quarter with $4.9 billion of cash on hand and $35.6 billion of gross debt.
As a result of the bridge loan, WBD expects its quarterly interest expenses to increase by approximately $80 million to over $500 million as a result of the higher interest rate through the end of the year. The company paid $250 million on separation-related costs during the quarter and will make a $725 million cash tax payment on the $3.2 billion of debt discounts captured in connection with the tender offers during the second half of 2025. It will also incur one-time transaction and restructuring costs that will impact free cash flows through the closing of the separation, which it plans to quantify after finalizing separation decisions.
More to come…
The post Warner Bros. Discovery Posts Q2 Revenue of $9.8 Billion, Driven By Streaming, Studios Growth appeared first on TheWrap.
August 6, 2025
Jimmy Fallon Jokes Trump’s Polling Is So Bad ‘More Men Approve of Walking Around a Yankee Candle Store’ Than Him | Video
Jimmy Fallon was amused Wednesday night during his “The Tonight Show” monologue while talking about Trump’s latest bad poll numbers with men. He imagined Trump’s less popular than activities men stereotypically don’t like.
Before he got to that joke, Fallon noted how Apple CEO Tim Cook “joined President Trump at the White House to announce that they’re investing another $100 billion in the US. Apple said they plan on making it back by selling six iPhones.”
“I’m not sure Tim Cook enjoyed his time at the White House because afterwards he called Trump the green text bubble of presidents,” Fallon added.
“Meanwhile, it just came out that Trump’s approval rating has hit a historic low with men at just 39%,” Fallon continued, referring to this news indicating his support is dropping steeply with what is normally considered his best demo.
“39%? More men approve of walking around a Yankee Candle store,” Fallon quipped.
Then he noted that “in a new interview, Trump said that he’d like to run for a third term, but will probably not seek one. Trump said that he might not be sharp enough in his mid-80s. And then went back to wandering around on the roof of the White House.”
Shortly after, Fallon continued by noting “the stock market has been on a wild ride lately due to disappointing jobs report and uncertainty over tariffs. But there are a lot of reasons why stocks go up and down. I’ll show you what I mean,” he said, setting up a segment called “stopwatch.”
“First up, KFC’s stock is up because they used it to lure President Trump off the White House roof. Next up, Hunt’s ketchup stock is down because their wish to ‘Freaky Friday’ with Heinz didn’t come true. Here’s another one, Better Help therapy. Stock is up because your kids walked in on you watching ‘The Hunting Wives.'”
There’s more, and you can watch the whole monologue below:
The post Jimmy Fallon Jokes Trump’s Polling Is So Bad ‘More Men Approve of Walking Around a Yankee Candle Store’ Than Him | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Former Superman Dean Cain Says He’s Joining ICE ‘ASAP’
Dean Cain, the actor who portrayed the Man of Steel on the 90s ABC series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” says he is joining the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known to the public by the acronym ICE.
It’s unclear what kind of role the actor will have with ICE, though he did state he will be “sworn in” to the agency “ASAP.”
During an appearance Wednesday on Jesse Watters’ Fox News show, Cain said this all came about after Watters shared an online clip Cain recorded to encourage people to join ICE.
“I put out a recruitment video yesterday, I’m actually a deputy sheriff, a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer. I wasn’t part of ICE, but once I put that out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy. So now I’ve spoken with some officials over at ICE, and I will be sworn in as an ice agent, ASAP,” he said.
Watch the clip below:
Bad Hombres better watch out. Primetime accidentally drafted SUPERMAN into ICE.@RealDeanCain is joining the 80,000 new ICE recruits who are ready to make America safe again pic.twitter.com/vI7Aj6HadO
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) August 7, 2025
Can said he doubts that he’ll be part of activities like the raids that have terrorized communities all over California, though he told Watters, “I would be there in a heartbeat” if the agency’s director asked him.
“Hopefully a whole bunch of other former officers, former ICE agents, will step up, and we’ll meet those recruitment goals immediately and will help help protect this country,” Cain also told Watters.
This comes about a month after Cain publicly complained when “Superman” director James Gunn said the Man of Steel’s background as an immigrant — from the planet Krypton of course — makes it part of “the story of America.”
“Bringing Superman into it, I think that was a mistake by James Gunn to say it’s an immigrant thing, and I think it’s going to hurt the numbers on the movie,” Cain told TMZ in early July. “I was excited for the film. I’m excited to see what it is because James Gunn seems to have a sense of humor and the last iterations of Superman didn’t have much humor, and I love the humor in Superman. So I’m rooting for it to be a success, but I don’t like that last political comment.”
The post Former Superman Dean Cain Says He’s Joining ICE ‘ASAP’ appeared first on TheWrap.
Stephen Colbert Calls RFK Jr. a ‘Roid-Addled Nepo-Carnie’ for Cutting Vaccines Funding: ‘F– You’ | Video
Stephen Colbert gave what he promised was a “measured, nonpartisan response” to the harrowing news on Wednesday that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pulled $500 million in funding for vaccines.
“F— you, you roid-added nepo-carnie!” the “Late Show” host declared during his Wednesday night monologue.
Colbert got to that joke by first informing his audience that “there’s bad news of fans of living,” then touching on that news.
Colbert then explained that “specifically, Bobby Jr is nixing 22 projects that use mRNA technology. But that’s the latest vaccine technology. That’s like saying, ‘kids, I’m turning off the GPS. We’re going to make our way to Six Flags by using the stars. Hand daddy the sextant. Yes, crank down. crank down windows in daddy’s car.”
Colbert then ran a clip Kennedy defending this move by saying, “most of
these shots are for flu or COVID, but as the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract.”
Colbert had another succinct response to this.
“Counterpoint: F— you, you roadkill-munching, luddite, human Slim Jim. You’re gonna kill people,” he said.
Suffice to say, Kennedy’s claim about mRNA vaccines is not supported by any evidence. He is also a longstanding and well-documented opponent of live-saving vaccines generally.
Earlier in the monologue, Colbert talked at length about the ongoing Epstein Scandal, starting with the reported meeting of Trump officials to discuss strategy on the Epstein scandal, and he included a fun couch joke about Vice President JD Vance. He also talked about other Trump-related things. You can watch Colbert’s entire “The Late Show” monologue below:
The post Stephen Colbert Calls RFK Jr. a ‘Roid-Addled Nepo-Carnie’ for Cutting Vaccines Funding: ‘F– You’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne Unpack ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Relationship Dynamic Shifts: ‘It’s a Constant Balance’
Note: This story contains spoilers from “Platonic” Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2.
By the time “Platonic” picks up for Season 2, Seth Rogen’s Will and Rose Byrne’s Sylvia are closer than ever, with Sylvia stepping in to help plan Will’s impending wedding to Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom). There’s just one problem, though: the relationship might not be the right thing for Will.
“Will is in a relationship that maybe on its surface seems healthy and has a lot of potential, but very close under the surface is pretty unhealthy and probably should not continue,” Rogen told TheWrap. “But he really wants to feel like someone who has his life together, and feel like a responsible, normal man in his 40s, so he’s ignoring a lot of red flags, I guess, that Sylvia very clearly sees.”
While Sylvia might see some of these red flags, she makes her best effort not to intervene in Will’s relationship given the mess that transpired the last time she did, and gives her best shot at having a “typical friendship” with both Will and Jenna.
“They’re trying to be like, ‘Let’s have dinner. We’ll be normal,'” Byrne told TheWrap, adding that Jenna and Will are “just so different.” “I’ve had that in my life where I’m like, ‘Okay, I need to reframe. I love my friend. I need to figure out how to relate to this person they’re with — that’s their choice.’ She does try, I think, in the best way, and initially is kind of going well, [then] quickly devolves.”
The first sign of trouble for Sylvia comes when Will insists on dipping out of his engagement party (which Sylvia planned) to restock on champagne, and then makes a detour where he introduces Sylvia to his crush, a young employee at a local sandwich shop. While Sylvia shakes off a crush as just a crush and rushes Will to get back to the engagement party, Rogen said Will was likely hoping the visit would push Sylvia to tell him not to get married.
“[He] doesn’t want to do it himself, and is too cowardly to acknowledge it, but is hoping that she will be like, ‘you shouldn’t get married. This isn’t for you,'” Rogen said. “He wants it to be her responsibility to pull the ripcord, because he, himself, is just too scared to have that conversation.”
Instead, Sylvia tries even harder to connect with Jenna, who is, naturally, rather unhappy with the duo’s excursion during the engagement party, with Sylvia inviting Will and Jenna over for dinner at her home. As can be expected, the dinner party doesn’t go too smoothly, as Will and Jenna bicker the night away.
“It’s quite an awkward, tense evening,” Byrne said, adding “that’s a very relatable experience — having dinners with friends who are couples and … revealing dynamics between people.”
“What they think is a normal dynamic … you’re like, ‘this is not a normal [dynamic],'” Rogen said. “They think it’s a fun night out with friends, and you’re like, ‘you guys are terrible to one another, you shouldn’t be together.'”
Seth Rogen and Rachel Rosenbloom in “Platonic” Season 2 (Apple TV+)While Sylvia makes her best effort to form a friendship outside of Will with Jenna, the tables turn when, while the pair are out for dinner in Episode 2, Jenna tells Sylvia she’s no longer intimidated by her friendship with Will, saying that Sylvia is “nothing,” which leaves Sylvia speechless.
“Initially she’s sort of gaslit, like ‘wait, what? Would she really say that? What did she mean? Is that me, am I overthinking it?’ and then she comes home to Charlie, and loses her s–t,” Byrne said. “It’s a strange, weird comment to make. It’s one of those things that you would just ruminate on for the rest of your night, at least.”
While Sylvia and her husband, Charlie (Luke Macfarlane), are on the observing end of Will and Jenna’s relationship woes, Season 2 sees the situations reverse as Sylvia struggles with her own issues in her family and professional life, which, in turn, forces Will into a positions.
“Both their lives are not going that well, but they’re trying to have more boundaries with one another and be more respectful of one another’s lives, but at the same time, can’t help but see the reality of one another’s lives,” Rogen said, adding that “it’s a constant balance” for both Will and Sylvia on when to and when not to weigh in on the other’s troubles.
“They’re very bad at deciding what to do with those situations, but they want the best for the other person,” Rogen said. “They genuinely have very poor boundaries with one another. They really do shock me.”
“Platonic” Season 2 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
The post Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne Unpack ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Relationship Dynamic Shifts: ‘It’s a Constant Balance’ appeared first on TheWrap.
Sacha Baron Cohen Praises ‘Don’t Feed the Lion’ Children’s Book on Antisemitism: ‘Fierce and Necessary’ | Exclusive
“Don’t Feed the Lion,” an upcoming middle-grade novel co-authored by CNN’s Bianna Golodryga and Israeli primetime news anchor Yonit Levi, may not hit shelves until Nov. 11, but it can already has one fan speaking its praises: Sacha Baron Cohen.
In an exclusive statement to TheWrap, the Oscar-nominated entertainer and activist shared that the book — meant for readers aged 8-12 and exploring themes of identity, allyship and courage in the face of antisemitism — praised the project as “fierce and necessary.”
“When hatred is dressed up as opinion, we need stories that teach kids the difference,” Cohen said. “‘Don’t Feed the Lion’ is a fierce and necessary reminder that silence is never the answer.”
The book follows three schoolmates in Chicago who confront bullying and bigotry after a swastika appears on a school locker and a soccer star makes an antisemitic remark. Arcadia Children’s Books announced the upcoming release on Tuesday, platforming it as an effort to combat antisemitism and hate through the eyes of middle schoolers.
“When visiting libraries and bookstores in search of books about antisemitism that speak directly to young readers, we were surprised to find very few options available,” Golodryga and Levi said in a joint statement. “With the sharp rise in explicit antisemitism and hate around the world, our goal was to write a book for all readers who want to feel less alone in their identity, and for those who want to stand up against bias and discrimination with empathy and awareness.”
Golodryga is an Emmy-winning journalist and CNN’s senior global affairs analyst. She anchors “One World With Zain Asher and Bianna Golodryga” on CNN International and CNN Max. Levi, meanwhile, has anchored Israel’s primetime news program on Channel 12 for over 20 years and hosts the podcast “Unholy: Two Jews on the News.”
“Don’t Feed the Lion” is available for pre-order ahead of its nationwide release on Nov. 11.
The post Sacha Baron Cohen Praises ‘Don’t Feed the Lion’ Children’s Book on Antisemitism: ‘Fierce and Necessary’ | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.
NASCAR Phenom Kyle Larson Says ‘Talladega Nights’ Turned the Sport ‘Into a Joke’: ‘Did Not Do Anything Good’
Kyle Larson is arguably the best all-around driver currently behind any wheel, and is a first-place contender every time he competes in the NASCAR Cup Series – just don’t compare him to Ricky Bobby.
The series champ appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the “Games With Names” podcast, hosted by New England Patriots Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman. Mid-conversation he was asked whether he liked “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” the 2006 hit comedy starring Will Ferrell as a wildly successful but dim-witted NASCAR driver who coined the phrase “If you’re not first, you’re last.”
“Do (drivers) like ‘Talladega Nights?’ Is that movie funny or is that dumb for you guys?,” co-host Sam Morrill asked Larson, who somewhat hesitated to answer.
“I — I mean I like the movie,” Larson said. “I think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into like a joke unfortunately. But uh, it is — I mean that’s got to be like the most — one of the most popular race movies.”
Edelman tried to block-and-tackle for the 2006 hit by Adam McKay – “It’s just a funny comedy with those boys,” he said – but Larson stayed in the gas.
“Yeah. But that’s just — I feel like it — just the rest of the world, like that’s what they think about our sport now,” Larson said.
[Note to Larson: They already thought that.]
“I still think of … one of the hottest short men of all time getting pulled over by some really smoke-show scene after winning the Daytona 500,” Edelman said. “Yeah, that’s what I think of. The coolest.”
“That might be one of the best movie scenes in the history of movies, dude,” Larson said.
Alright, so maybe not great for NASCAR, but good for short dudes.
“That’s what I always used to say when I had a taller girlfriend,” the relatively diminutive (for the NFL) Edelman said. “Real relationship right there, baby. I feel like a NASCAR driver right now. I’m about to get in my car.”
Larson also noted that his friend (and Hendrick Motorsports boss) Jeff Gordon told him the other night that a “Days of Thunder” sequel is seriously on the mind of Tom Cruise.
“[Gordon] is good friends with Tom and he went to … the premiere or whatever of ‘Mission Impossible,'” Larson said. “When [Gordon saw] Tom, he’s like, ‘We’re doing it. We got to do another ‘Days of Thunder.’ So, let’s go.”
Watch the entire exchange in the video above.
The post NASCAR Phenom Kyle Larson Says ‘Talladega Nights’ Turned the Sport ‘Into a Joke’: ‘Did Not Do Anything Good’ appeared first on TheWrap.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3: Biggest Changes From Jenny Han’s Books So Far
Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3, Episodes 1-2.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is back for its third and final season, bringing Jenny Han’s beloved book trilogy to a close. But Han has teased that book fans might not know how the Prime Video series will conclude.
The author and series creator has gone off script in past seasons — most notably in crafting a romance between Belly’s best friend, Taylor (Rain Spencer), and Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman) — but in Season 3 bringing an end to the love triangle between Belly (Lola Tung), Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), even more changes to the book “We’ll Always Have Summer” could impact the endgame.
See below for the biggest changes from the book in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 so far. This story will be updated weekly as new episodes drop.
Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (Erika Doss/Amazon)Time jump to Belly’s junior yearWhile Season 3 kicks off by showing Belly’s move-in to Finch for her freshman year of college, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” quickly jumps to the end of Belly’s junior year and Jeremiah’s senior year, pushing back much of the action that happens in the book two years.
The Prime Video series fills in the gaps of the last two years: Belly had an injury that forced her to leave the volleyball team and meanwhile discover her passion for sports psychology; Jeremiah has been enjoying his fraternity life, but will be graduating a semester late after not completing the correct classes; Taylor has become rush chair of her sorority; Steven has graduated from Princeton early and began working at finance firm Breaker — headed up by Mr. Fisher; and Conrad is still pursuing his medical studies at Stanford.
Belly and Jeremiah have seemingly been together this entire time, and their conflict in Episodes 1 and 2 surrounding Jeremiah’s spring break trip to Cabo is the same turn of events as in the book.
Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Adam (Tom Everett Scott) in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (Erika Doss/Amazon)Taylor and Steven’s on-again, off-again relationshipGiven that Taylor and Steven don’t have a romantic relationship in the books, Han has already gone off script with their fling in the first two seasons, and she told TheWrap crafting their storyline was the hardest part of writing Season 3.
Season 3 establishes that Taylor and Steven broke up before Belly and Taylor’s move to Finch, but it’s clear they’ve hooked up across the past years, leading to them now cheating on their respective partners — Davis and Mia. Notably, Taylor does date a Davis in the books, but it’s earlier while she’s in high school, who was seemingly subbed for Taylor’s boyfriend, Milo, in Season 2.
Steven breaks up with Mia (who remains unseen) to be with Taylor, who is hesitant to truly pursue a relationship until …
Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Taylor (Rain Spencer) in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (Erika Doss/Amazon)Steven’s car accidentAs soon as “The Summer I Turned Pretty” dropped its Season 3 trailer, fans immediately glommed onto the car crash involving Steven, which is entirely new from the book, with some fans even speculating Steven could die.
Luckily, fans didn’t have to anticipate the car crash for too long, as Episode 2 sees Steven crash his car after Taylor tells him to let her out of the car. Steven is okay by the end of Episode 2, but he said it serves as a “wake up call” that he shouldn’t be pursuing Taylor anymore — a realization that he tells Taylor right as she’s about to ask him to make a relationship work.
New charactersWhile book fans were waiting to meet Belly’s college best friend Annika, Conrad’s close friend and former hookup, Agnes, and other Finch students Redbird and Lacie Baron (if you know you know), some new characters were introduced in Taylor’s boyfriend, Davis, Steven’s girlfriend, Mia (who remains unseen), and Steven’s co-worker and junior associate at Breaker, Denise.
Laurel (Jackie Chung) in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (Erika Doss/Amazon)Laurel and John’s romanceBelly’s parents, Laurel and John, are divorced in the books and don’t rekindle their romance on the page, but the first two episodes of Season 3 see them running into each other at a conference and flirting up a storm before eventually hooking up.
Redbird is potentially queerIn the books, Redbird is one of Jeremiah’s fraternity brothers who sparks the eye of Taylor later in the book. In the show, Redbird mentions to Jeremiah how emotionally devastated he was after he and Sean broke up, though Redbird’s sexuality is not discussed further.
Study abroad discussed earlier — and in a different placeThe possibility of Belly heading to Paris to study abroad during the fall semester of her senior year is brought up in the Season 3 premiere, much earlier than the discussion in the book, which sees Belly head to Spain during her junior year. Jeremiah graduating late factors into her potential study abroad, but Jeremiah encourages her to go and follow her dream.
The car accident plays a role in Belly and Jeremiah’s engagementIn the book, Belly and Jeremiah’s engagement happens purely in the wake of their breakup — prompted by Belly learning Jeremiah slept with Lacie over spring break. Jeremiah says their breakup made him realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Of course, the engagement in the show also happens in the wake of that, but it seems like Steven’s car accident plays a bigger role in raising the stakes for the characters.
Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” (Erika Doss/Prime Video)Belly and Jeremiah’s original summer and living plansIn the book, Belly is planning to head back home and pick back up her old waitressing job over the summer while Jeremiah interns at his dad’s company in an effort to save money for the wedding, but it’s mentioned in Episode 3 that their plan was to spend the summer in Cousins together. Now with the wedding on their minds, Belly says their plan is to tie the knot over the summer.
As for their living plans in the fall, in the book, Jeremiah sells the engagement to Belly by promising they can live together off campus after they’ve tied the knot. In the show, Belly is still, at least by Episode 3, planning on studying abroad in Paris in the fall, while Jeremiah lives by himself for that last semester. Who knows if that plan might change …
Lucinda’s money woesWhile Taylor’s mom, Lucinda, isn’t too big of a character in the third book, Episode 3 sees Lucinda meddling in Taylor and Steven’s relationship by asking Steven to take a look at her salon’s books, prompting Steven to reveal to Taylor — who then tells her mother — that the business is in grave danger of going under.
Details of the dedicationThe dedication of the garden at the women’s shelter in honor of Susannah is also a major event in the book, but some details have been shifted in the series. Belly’s dad, John Conklin, had never planned to come to the dedication in the book, but his rekindled romance with Lauren sparked a question of if he might join, though he ultimately does not.
Like in the book, Conrad shows up at the dedication late and stays in the back until the end of the ceremony, when Laurel, Adam, Conrad, Belly, Jeremiah and Steven all head to lunch. (In the book, Adam pays for lunch, making the extravagant seafood tower and other meals less glaring than putting it on Laurel’s tab in the show.)
Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” (Erika Doss/Prime Video)In the book, it’s Jeremiah who makes the grand announcement that he and Belly are engaged, but the series sees Belly share the news after seeing Steven and Conrad get applauded for their accomplishments while Adam lays it on thick that Jeremiah is graduating late, calling him a “super senior.” Like in the book, their announcement abruptly ends the lunch and Laurel drags Belly away from Jeremiah.
That birthday breakfast and John putting his foot down to LaurelWhile Belly, Laurel and John have a similar breakfast conversation in the books to the one that plays out in Episode 4 — which sees Laurel say she won’t support the wedding — John is much more insistent to Laurel privately that he’ll be at the wedding, should it happen.
Notably, in the show, the family gathers for Belly’s birthday — which has been moved from August in the books to June — rather than the formal conversation set up to discuss the wedding in the book.
Lucinda joins for wedding dress shoppingWith Lucinda playing a much bigger role in the show than the book, she joins Taylor and Belly as they hunt for a wedding dress. In the show, Belly expressly asks Laurel to join her — and Laurel says no — but their interaction in the book is more subtle.
In the book, they go to several stores before finding the right dress, but the show sees Belly hit the jackpot at the first prom-centric store and the dress is pretty much how it’s described in the book: “long and white and silky and something you could wear on the beach.”
Lola Tung in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” (Erika Doss/Prime Video)Conrad’s decision to stay in CousinsBy the time Belly and Jeremiah wake up in Cousins, they’re surprised to learn Conrad has been staying at the beach house instead of heading back to California, though Conrad makes plans to head back west after learning he got a job at Stanford, and then reverses course to be there for Belly. In the book, there was never any consideration of Conrad leaving Cousins.
In the book, Conrad has a similar conversation with Jeremiah while surfing — down to the “ridiculous” comment — but their conversation doesn’t involve the prospect of Conrad being Jeremiah’s best man. In the book, Conrad seems supportive enough of the wedding to help Belly with wedding tasks.
Conrad’s resistance to help Belly run errandsThe show sees Conrad having an internal crisis about helping Belly run her wedding errands in order to shield himself from his feelings for her, but in the book, Conrad has no problem offering to help Belly get her stamps, in fact offering to save her a ride.
Christopher Briney in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 (Erika Doss/Amazon)Belly taking the GREOne other addition from the time jump is Belly’s grad school aspirations, which sees her planning on studying for the GRE over the summer.
Adam wanting to move the wedding to the clubWhile Adam eventually does cave and offer his financial support for the wedding — which is sometimes less than ideal — there’s never a discussion about moving the wedding from the house to the club.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 releases new episodes Wednesdays on Prime Video.
The post ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3: Biggest Changes From Jenny Han’s Books So Far appeared first on TheWrap.
‘Wicked: For Good’ Is Already One of the Top 10 Titles Audiences Are Most Excited About, Months Before It Debuts | Chart
What are the entertainment offerings that consumers are most excited about? It’s a question that marketers, distributors, advertisers and media publications are always asking.
ScreenShare, a data partnership between Screen Engine/ASI and TheWrap, tracks the Top 10 most-mentioned entertainment options every week and whether each has gained or lost momentum compared to the prior week. The chart lives on the Data & Analysis page of the WrapPRO Members Hub.
For an eighth consecutive week, “Superman” holds the top spot. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” also remains steady at No. 2 for another week. The Netflix original movie “Happy Gilmore 2” jumps into the top three, rising four spots. Buzz for its final season keeps Netflix’s “Stranger Things” in the top five, though it slips one spot to No. 4. Rounding out the top five, “NFL Football” holds its position at No. 5 amid preseason excitement.
Anticipation for its season premiere on Aug. 6 pushes the Netflix series “Wednesday” up two spots to No. 6. “Jurassic World Rebirth” slides three spots to No. 7 almost a month out from its theatrical premiere, but just days before its premium digital release. The chart sees three new entries this week, starting with Amazon Prime Video’s TV series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” debuting at No. 8 during its third season run, and the film sequel “Freakier Friday” entering at No. 9 before its release this Friday. Finally, the highly anticipated sequel “Wicked: For Good” makes its first appearance on the list at No. 10, more than three months ahead of its release.
Weekly Top 10 (July 26 – Aug. 1)“Superman”“The Fantastic Four: First Steps”“Happy Gilmore 2”“Stranger Things”“NFL Football”“Wednesday”“Jurassic World Rebirth”“The Summer I Turned Pretty”“Freakier Friday”“Wicked: For Good”The post ‘Wicked: For Good’ Is Already One of the Top 10 Titles Audiences Are Most Excited About, Months Before It Debuts | Chart appeared first on TheWrap.
Time Defends Its Cover of Starving Gazans Amid Allegations Photo Could Be Staged | Exclusive
Time defended its use of an image of hungry Palestinians in Gaza City on its Aug. 1 cover Wednesday, telling TheWrap that reports of similar images out of Gaza being staged were not related to the cover story, as Ali Jadallah is not among the photographers accused.
The news outlet declined, however, to clarify with certainty that the Getty image was not similarly staged as calls for owner Marc Benioff to address the allegations mounted on social media.
“The photographer referenced in the Bild story did not take the photograph that appeared on the cover of Time,” a spokesperson said. “The photograph that appeared on the recent Time cover, dated Aug. 1, 2025, was taken by photographer Ali Jadallah in Gaza City on July 22 and licensed by Time from Getty Images.”
Further responding to the report from German news site Bild, titled “This Gaza Photographer Stages Hamas Propaganda,” the spokesperson directed TheWrap to the Getty landing page for Jadallah’s work from July 22.
“Photos taken by Jadallah on the same day at a charity food distribution site can be found here, and provide greater context for the photograph by Jadallah that appeared on Time’s cover.”
The latest cover of Time features crowds lining up in Gaza City to receive food amid a reported famine and mass starvation while the military action between Israel and Hamas continues to impact the area. The authenticity of that image by Jadallah, however, was brought into question this week after a Bild report found that similar images may have been “deliberately staged.”
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Photographer Anas Zayed Fteiha was shown in the report allegedly staging an image of Gazans waiting at a food distribution site similar to the one shown on the Time cover. “Gaza photographer Anas Zayed Fteiha stages the real suffering of Palestinians for the world public – to the benefit of Hamas and its propaganda,” the lead image’s caption (translated from German) read.
The report also alleged that in the Gaza Strip, “almost exclusively Palestinian photographers are now taking photographs – quite a few with Hamas connections.” Gerhard Paul, who Bild cited as a historian and photography expert, was also quoted: “In southern Gaza, Hamas controls 100% of image production.”
“The goal: to generate sympathy in the West and stir up anger against Israel,” the report read.
The Bild story, published Tuesday, soon circulated internationally across social media, which led to rising public pressure for Time owner Benioff to address the authenticity of the magazine’s cover image from photographer Jadallah. Some readers noticed similarities between the cover and the allegedly staged photo from Fteiha, who Bild said was pro-Palestine.
“I know you’re not involved in editorial decisions Benioff, but this is worth your attention. Millions of people will see this image and take it at face value, but it turns out it was all staged,” one user wrote on X, apparently conflating the Bild report on Fteiha with photographer Jadallah.
I know you’re not involved in editorial decisions @Benioff, but this is worth your attention. Millions of people will see this image and take it at face value, but it turns out it was all staged. https://t.co/BAFzOycpT0 pic.twitter.com/nsCORFktS9
— David Marcus (@davidmarcus) August 5, 2025
Meanwhile, nearly all of the top comments on Time’s Instagram post featuring the cover are questioning when the outlet will either confirm or deny whether or not the Jadallah image was staged. Time did not respond to a second request from TheWrap to clarify whether the Getty photo was staged.
These photographs are in part a result of Israel controling the flow of foreign journalists and photographers into Gaza, as reported by The New York Times — meaning most, if not all, journalists documenting the famine would be Palestinian, as stated in Bild’s report.
German @BILD ”In the Gaza Strip, almost exclusively Palestinian photographers are now taking photographs – quite a few with Hamas connections. Historian and photography expert Gerhard Paul told the Süddeutsche Zeitung: "In southern Gaza, Hamas controls 100 percent of image… pic.twitter.com/ROY8hr43ji
— Magnus Ranstorp (@MagnusRanstorp) August 5, 2025
President Donald Trump acknowledged July 28 that the state of affairs in Gaza had grown increasingly dire as its people appear to be starving to death: “That’s real starvation stuff … You can’t fake that.”
Time editor-at-large Karl Vick wrote in the Aug. 1 cover story that the images coming out of Gaza encapsulate “the elemental power of mass starvation.”
“Its specter can, overnight, reframe a conflict that already has cost 60,000 lives, and fueled tense global debates on morality, antisemitism, the laws of war,” Vick wrote. “When children are starving, the enemy is hunger.”
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