Steve Pond's Blog, page 78
July 24, 2025
Imax Rides ‘Sinners,’ ‘Mission: Impossible 8’ to Boost Second Quarter Revenue to $92 Million
Led by the success of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” at the box office, Imax reported $91.7 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2025 on Thursday.
The result is in line with the $92 million consensus Wall Street estimates and tops the $89 million in revenue generated in the second quarter of 2024. Adjusted net income came in in at $14.6 million, a 51% jump over the year-ago period, or 26 cents per share against Wall Street estimates of 13 cents per share.
Other key takeaways:
BOX OFFICE: “Mission: Impossible 8” was Imax’s top grossing film for the quarter with $75.8 million grossed worldwide, or 12.8% of the film’s $588 million global gross. “Sinners,” which was partially filmed with Imax cameras and got a special 70mm engagement on nine Imax screens, earned $38.3 million worldwide while “F1” earned $28 million on Imax in its opening weekend at the end of the quarter, with a $79 million running total including July grosses.
For all three films, Imax accounted for at least 10% of the film’s global gross, showing the format’s continued influence on the box office. Its domestic total for the quarter reached $143 million, a second quarter box office record for the company.
SIGNINGS: Through the first half of the year, Imax has signed deals for 124 new and upgraded auditoriums worldwide, putting it on pace to blow past last year’s total of 130 theaters.
RECORD PACE: At the start of the year, CEO Rich Gelfond predicted that Imax would have a record global box office total in 2025 of $1.2 billion. With $281 million in the first half, Imax projects that it remains on pace to reach that record with $51 million grossed by Warner Bros.’ “Superman” and films like Disney/Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Universal’s “Wicked: For Good” and Disney/20th Century’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” coming in the second half of the year.
“Imax delivered outstanding financial results in the Second Quarter as the key drivers of our business worked in concert, with strong network growth worldwide, record box office in North America, and impressive market share gains driven by more releases filmed with our technology than ever,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax.
This past month, Imax made an unprecedented move by selling tickets to 70mm screenings of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” a full year in advance, selling out opening weekend screenings for July 2026.
The company also renewed Gelfond’s contract, keeping the longtime CEO at the company through 2028.
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July 23, 2025
Stephen Colbert Jokes ‘I always said’ Elon Musk Is ‘a Good Guy Who’s Right About Everything’ After Latest Trump-Epstein Report | Video
Elon Musk’s June 7 claim that Donald Trump is “in the Epstein files” gained new credibility on Wednesday when the Wall Street Journal reported that multiple government insiders have confirmed exactly that. And in his monologue later that night, “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert was so giddy about said report that he even praised Musk — well, kind of.
“Elon knew it! He knew it! I always said. I always said that he’s a good guy who’s right about everything,” Colbert said with obvious sarcasm. “I mean, everything. It is a great idea to name a baby 420 Kleep-Klorp 69.”
“And this is obviously the most beautiful shape for a car,” Colbert added as a photo of a Tesla Cybertruck appeared on screen.
If you’re somehow just now catching up, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning that Donald Trump’s name appeared “multiple times” in documents related to billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alongside other people’s names. Also, WSJ reported that Trump was informed of this months ago, and that the decision by Attorney General Pam Bondi to keep the documents secret instead of making them public as previously promised was made soon after.
Meanwhile, earlier in his monologue, Colbert joked about what other names could be contained in the Epstein documents — including “Micropenis DJT.” Read more about that here.
Then later in the monologue, Colbert continued, “this new reporting is on top of what we learned last night when CNN, the K file released new never before published photos of Trump and Epstein. Good job, I guess. But do we really need more evidence that these guys were best buds? Just in from CNN, shocker: Frog and Toad are friends.
Watch the whole monologue below:
The post Stephen Colbert Jokes ‘I always said’ Elon Musk Is ‘a Good Guy Who’s Right About Everything’ After Latest Trump-Epstein Report | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
‘South Park’ Season Premiere Rips Paramount’s Trump Settlement With Fake PSA: ‘His Penis Is Teeny Tiny’ | Video
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone may have signed an extremely lucrative new streaming deal with Paramount, but on Wednesday they proved that deal won’t keep them from criticizing the company — or President Donald Trump’s genitalia.
The new episode, called “Sermon on the Mount,” roasted the way various media companies and institutions have caved instead of fighting Trump’s various lawsuits or institutional abuses. Depicting Trump literally in bed with Satan and featuring a sermon from the show’s version of Jesus Christ urging everyone not to provoke Trump and begging them to be afraid of him, the episode ended with the town of South Park agreeing to settle a clearly nuisance lawsuit filed against it by Trump, for $3 million.
But the money alone didn’t settle the matter — as one character explains, the town of South Park also agreed to produce pro-Trump content pro bono, a parody of stipulations other Trump settlements have contained. And then, the show ended with just that in the form of a fake public service announcement.
The ad, seemingly filmed in live action, opens on a desert through which a lifelike, CGI-generated version of Trump is trudging.
“Who walked through the desert for you? Who survived the wilderness and gave the ultimate sacrifice?” the ad asks. “When things heat up, who will deliver us from temptation? Donald J Trump.”
“No matter how hot it gets, he’s not afraid to fight for America. With conviction, discipline and trust in God, he survived the desert” the ad continues as the fake Trump, sweating heavily, removes his clothing and, eventually, collapses naked on the ground.
The camera then pans down where the fake Trump’s very small penis rises into the frame. Then the penis speaks, saying, “I’m Donald J. Trump and I approve this message.”
“Trump: His penis is teeny tiny. But his love for us is large,” the ad concludes. The joke also references the fact that Paramount says its settlement with Donald Trump did not include obligations to produce PSAs.
Watch the fake PSA below.
On Monday, Parker and Stone resolved their months-long conflict with Paramount Global, parent company of “South Park” network Comedy Central, over streaming rights with a new global deal with $1.5 billion over 5 years.
This deal includes 50 new episodes of “South Park” and finally brings both the current season as well as all 26 previous seasons to Comedy Central and Paramount+ for the first time.
The post ‘South Park’ Season Premiere Rips Paramount’s Trump Settlement With Fake PSA: ‘His Penis Is Teeny Tiny’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Jack Schlossberg Calls Out Ryan Murphy Over ‘Odd Choice’ Comment: ‘Say It to My Face’
Earlier this week, Ryan Murphy responded to criticism of his upcoming drama about John F. Kennedy Jr.’s relationship with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, from Kennedy’s nephew Jack Schlossberg, by dismissing Schlossberg’s connection to Kennedy.
On Wednesday, Jack Schlossberg responded in part with a blunt clap back: “Say it to my face.”
Some background. On a recent episode of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast, Murphy talked about the backlash against “American Love Story,” saying in part, “thought it was an odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember.”
In an Instagram post Wednesday, Schlossberg edited a screenshot of an article about Murphy’s comments, with the words “Ryan Murphy: Say it to my face” along the top.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jack Schlossberg (@jackuno)
Schlossberg then continued in a message accompanying the image, “My earliest memories are of John calling me Jackolatern and ‘the nudist,’ picking me up from school, his Pontiac convertible. I remember being the ring bearer at his wedding and the day he died. I remember Wyclef singing at his funeral. More memories are passed down from stories —like the time he locked himself out of a car in an intersection and asked the guy screaming at him if he could borrow a golf club to smash the window to get the keys, and then did it,” Schlossberg wrote.
“You’re making millions off John, making a public spectacle of it but won’t contribute any of your riches to the causes he championed, or the legacy of public service he represented,” Schlossberg continued. “Also odd that the actor playing the sexiest man alive is bloated!”
The beef started in June, when Schlossberg wrote on Instagram, “Lately, my news feed has been filled with pictures of my uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., a great man. For those wondering whether his family was ever consulted, or has anything to do with the new show being made about him, the answer is no, and there’s really not much we can do.”
Schlossberg, 32, is the son of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg and grandson of President John F. Kennedy.
The post Jack Schlossberg Calls Out Ryan Murphy Over ‘Odd Choice’ Comment: ‘Say It to My Face’ appeared first on TheWrap.
Stephen Colbert Roasts Trump Over WSJ Epstein Files Report: ‘Mystery Man Known Only as Micropenis DJT’ | Video
Stephen Colbert roasted President Donald Trump for reportedly being named in the Epstein files in a video posted to social media on Wednesday. The recently axed late night host titled the clip, “In the words of Elon Musk, ‘Donald Trump is in the Epstein files.'”
“There’s been a lot of smoking guns in this case, but shortly before we taped this show, we got the smokiest yet — because the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that back in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed the president that his name was in the Epstein files,” Colbert told his audience. “‘But he said he hardly knew the guy!'”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Late Show (@colbertlateshow)
“You know how they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity? They’re not talking about this,” he continued. “The president wasn’t alone. An official familiar with the documents said they contain hundreds of other names. Of course, names like Donald Trump, Donald John Trump, Donald J. Trump, Donny Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Father, Big Daddy, Big Daddy Bronzer, aka the Donald and a mystery man known only as micropenis DJT.”
The late-night host was fired up in his monologue, gleefully chanting “he’s in the files!” Last Thursday, Colbert announced that CBS will be dropping him as a host and canceling “The Late Show” altogether next May.
This announcement came after Colbert criticized his network’s parent company, Paramount Global, of paying a “big fat bribe” to President Trump by settling his lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment broadcast during the presidential campaign, paying out $16 million. The media giant is still awaiting FCC approval of its pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
On his first night back since the cancellation, several late night hosts rallied around Colbert, showing their support for him by attending his first show back. Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper all appeared in the audience as Lin Manuel Miranda and Weird Al Yankovic played a Coldplay song and alluded to the since viral fan camera. The last couple they panned to was an animation of Trump and the Paramount logo cuddling and hiding from the camera like the viral Coldplay concert affair couple.
The post Stephen Colbert Roasts Trump Over WSJ Epstein Files Report: ‘Mystery Man Known Only as Micropenis DJT’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Star Lola Tung Weighs in on Belly and Jeremiah’s Break Debate and That Infidelity Twist
Ever since “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 debuted its first two episodes last week, there’s been debate online about whether Belly and Jeremiah were officially broken up when Jeremiah hooked up with Lacie on spring break, but star Lola Tung said “it’s wrong” either way.
“No matter whether you think that he cheated or not, it’s wrong,” Tung said in a Wednesday interview with Elle, referring to Jeremiah rebounding so quickly and hiding it from Belly, even if it was a proper breakup. “I personally don’t think they were on a break or broken up, because that argument was so quick and everything happened so fast.”
The argument between Belly (Tung) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) happened before he jetted off to Cabo for spring break with his fraternity brothers, about which Belly felt in the dark. However, Tung said Belly was “not completely blameless” in their supposed breakup.
“She didn’t reach out either,” Tung said. “There is a little bit more of a mess in her own head.”
Jeremiah doesn’t come clean about his hookup with Lacie when he arrives back on campus and he and Belly make up, leaving Belly to find out about his cheating by overhearing Lacie and her friends talking during a party at his fraternity months later.
The realization prompts “pure shock for Belly,” Tung said. “This is someone who’s been her rock for so many years and who she’s known her entire life … It can be heartbreaking when you feel like you don’t know everything [about someone].”
This time, their breakup is crystal clear, but when Steven gets into a car accident that leaves him in critical condition, Tung said Belly’s priorities shift again when she comes face-to-face with Jeremiah, who asks her to marry him, to which Belly accepts.
“She’s almost lost someone else in her life that’s really important to her, and they both experienced a huge loss years before that — it’s still obviously affecting them and their relationship,” Tung said, referring to the death of Susannah.” The thought of losing more people in her life, whether it is Steven or Jeremiah, is just not an option.”
“Jeremiah is showing up and trying to be there whenever she will let him. I think, in that moment, she’s completely overcome with all of these emotions and is in a very vulnerable space,” she continued. “They both are, and they really want to lean on each other, because they do love each other. Even though Jeremiah did mess up, I think when it’s put into perspective, it feels so silly compared to literally a life-or-death situation.”
While Tung said Belly isn’t “thinking of Conrad in that moment,” she admits Belly and Conrad will always have an “unspoken connection.”
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3 releases new episodes Wednesdays on Prime Video.
The post ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Star Lola Tung Weighs in on Belly and Jeremiah’s Break Debate and That Infidelity Twist appeared first on TheWrap.
NBCUniversal Considers Launching Cable Sports Channel With the NBA, Peacock Offerings
In the wake spinning off much of its cable assets in a new company, NBCUniversal is considering launching a new cable sports channel, according to media reports.
While the move has not yet been made official by NBCUniversal, the channel would primarily carry Peacock’s current sports offerings, including the NBA. If greenlit, the channel could launch as early as fall, per the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
A fall launch would be in alignment with when NBC’s 11-year rights deal with the NBA kicks off, with NBA games set to broadcast on NBC as well as stream on Peacock. The new channel would be made available to cable and satellite distributors as a part of a package of similar networks, per the Journal.
NBCUniversal declined to provide a comment for this story.
The potential launch of a cable network seems counterintuitive for NBCUniversal, which is in the process of spinning off a good deal of its cable channels into a standalone company called Versant, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The assets being spun off from NBCUniversal to Versant include CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine, while Bravo, NBC and Peacock stay with NBCUniversal.
That said, sports have increasingly been one of the only constants in the industry guaranteed to bring in viewers, with much of linear TV facing declining viewership.
Ahead of the NBA’s launch on Peacock and NBC, NBCUniversal is pulling out the big guns to lure viewers in, including bringing on basketball legend Michael Jordan as a special contributor to the season coverage beginning in October and launching interactive features on Peacock to fully immerse NBA fans.
The post NBCUniversal Considers Launching Cable Sports Channel With the NBA, Peacock Offerings appeared first on TheWrap.
Black Women in Entertainment Launches as National Network for Black Woman Creatives in Hollywood
Black Women in Entertainment (BWIE), which began as a mobilization effort for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, has launched as a national network centered on supporting and connecting Black women in the entertainment industry, the organization announced Wednesday.
“Today marks one year since I turned inspiration into action,” BWIE founder and communications strategist Evan Seymour, who previously served as the global publicity lead for Apple TV+, said in a social media statement. “After watching the historic Win With Black Women Zoom, I decided to bring together a few of my incredible entertainment industry friends to support then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to serve as leader of our country. We organized in a WhatsApp, and that WhatsApp grew from 10 women into hundreds mobilizing across the country in a matter of days.”
Evan Seymour, founder of Black Women in Entertainment and ERS Communications (Photo courtesy of Black Women in Entertainment)
Black Women in Entertainment (Photo courtesy of Black Women in Entertainment)Per a statement obtained by TheWrap, BWIE is an “evolution of ‘Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala’ — a 2024 election-year political collective that brought together more than 500 Black women in entertainment to mobilize voter education, support then-Vice President Kamala Harris and amplify Black women’s voices in media and politics.”
Previous supporters of Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala include Debra Martin Chase, Debbie Allen, Yvette Lee Bowser, Robin Thede and more.
As part of its new development, BWIE has a mission to uplift Black women in the industry through acts of service, including hosting virtual and in-person networking events, educational workshops and community-service initiatives. In addition, BWIE seeks to support mutual aid organizations and local grassroots efforts, and its members will offer one another resources in order to create opportunities for mentorship, creative collaboration and professional advancement.
Black Women in Entertainment organization (Photo courtesy of Black Women in Entertainment)“As powerful as that moment was, what remained after the election was even more important: community,” Seymour said in a Wednesday statement to media. “We wanted to continue building something that celebrated us — not just our labor or influence, but our ideas, joy and creativity.”
She continued: “The call to do something doesn’t end on Election Day. Now, we’re choosing to do something that centers us — our growth, our care and our collective brilliance.”
The post Black Women in Entertainment Launches as National Network for Black Woman Creatives in Hollywood appeared first on TheWrap.
Lionsgate, Universal Set ‘Michael’ for April 2026 Release Date
Lionsgate and Universal have set “Michael,” Antoine Fuqua’s biopic about Michael Jackson, for release on April 24, 2026.
Lionsgate will handle domestic distribution for the film while Universal handles overseas with the exception of Japan, where it will be distributed by Kino Films. “Michael” will have global Imax support.
While the release date is technically a weekend before the usual start of the summer box office season on the first weekend of May, “Michael” will be the de facto kickoff tentpole release for theaters to start the critical theatrical period. Historically, a Marvel Studios film has been set for release on the first weekend of May, but that won’t be the case in 2026 and 2027 as Disney has moved “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” out of that slot and into the holiday season.
During Lionsgate’s last earnings call in May, CEO Jon Feltheimer announced that “Michael” had been pulled from its previous release date this October, saying that Fuqua and producer Graham King had turned in a 3.5-hour cut of the film. Jaafar Jackson will star in the movie as his late uncle.
“Michael” also stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long as the pop star’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, with Miles Teller as John Branca, Jackson’s attorney and advisor.
There are no current competing wide releases set for April 24, with 20th Century’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and Warner Bros.’ “Animal Friends” set for release on May 1.
“Michael” also joins a 2026 Lionsgate slate headlined by the “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping,” set for a Thanksgiving release. The studio has also set Kingdom Story Company’s sequel to “I Can Only Imagine” for a February release and also plans to release Mel Gibson’s “The Resurrection of the Christ,” a sequel to his 2004 biblical epic “The Passion of the Christ,” on a date to be determined next year.
The post Lionsgate, Universal Set ‘Michael’ for April 2026 Release Date appeared first on TheWrap.
July 22, 2025
Fortune Feimster Wonders ‘Does the Guest Host Still Get Paid?’ if Trump Gets Jimmy Kimmel Canceled | Video
This week comedian Fortune Feimster is serving as the latest “Jimmy Kimmel live” guest host, but after Donald Trump claimed to have heard signs Kimmel might be canceled just like Stephen Colbert, Feimster had one question: “If the President cancels a show… does the guest host still get paid?”
The joke was inspired by Trump saying on Tuesday morning, “The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is next to go in the untalented Late Night sweepstakes.” Colbert, of course, informed his audience last week that CBS is canceling “The Late Show” next May — and many have speculated since he was fired to appease Donald Trump.
Feimster explained the president’s comments and then also joked, “Am I in trouble if Jimmy’s show gets cancelled while I’m hosting? ‘Hey thanks for letting me cat sit. Oh also – your cat’s dead,'” she continued.
“And just a little fact check, Jimmy Kimmel is NOT the next to go. Girl, he already WENT like a month ago. He is doing shrooms at Six Flags right now,” Feimster continued, adding, “Just wait until the President finds out that Jimmy hired a substitute lesbian.”
“That’s right. I’m a DEI hire. Well, except for the D. I haven’t SEEN a D since I was in junior high school,” Feimster joked. Then she added, “I mean what an insane day to become a late-night host. But I think we can all agree I’m getting into the game at the perfect time.”
Watch the full monologue below:
The post Fortune Feimster Wonders ‘Does the Guest Host Still Get Paid?’ if Trump Gets Jimmy Kimmel Canceled | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
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