Variety 11/8/2023

PRESENTED BY ON NOVEMBER 2, VARIETY HOSTED A BREAKFAST FEATURING CONVERSATIONS THAT EXPLORE HOW THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING STORYTELLING THAT FEATURES CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES.…

This edition of Variety is packed with terrific stories, fabulous photography (who knew “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan’s eyes were so blue!) and business insights. And yet, as of this writing, it’s hard for many of us to concentrate on anything but the fate of the SAG-AFTRA strike. As of Nov. 7, the work stoppage is already historically long. The discord this year between management and labor has taken an enormous toll on union members, industry insiders and businesses around the country. It’s been made extremely clear that the fallout from a Hollywood strike is felt not just in New York or Los Angeles but in places like Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans and as far away as Vancouver, Toronto, London and Sydney. The artistry of making movies and TV shows is the…

Executive editor Brent Lang profiled Christopher Nolan, a great defender of the theatrical experience, and wrote a feature on Netflix, the company making it easier for people to watch movies at home. Now, he’ll sleep. Senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay has always been curious about how things get done — that’s one reason why she wrote about the Oscar contenders in the artisan races this week. Variety art director Ted Keller is interested in how artists overcome obstacles to get things made. For instance, how to fit the very long word “Apocalypse” onto the first page of the Christopher Nolan story. Cover photographer Chantal Anderson, who met Christopher Nolan in L.A., says, “We photographed him at his office, and it was wonderful to think about the creative decisions that have…

Apple’s first major theatrical release, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” has generated $120 million globally after three weekends of release. Is that a good result for a movie backed by a streaming service? A terrible outcome for a glowingly received, $200 million crime epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro? Or somewhere in between? Everyone who follows the movie business has a different take, so parsing these ticket sales could take longer than the film’s daunting three-hour-and-26-minute run time. “I don’t see how its current global box office puts it in a position to turn a profit,” says Eric Handler, a senior media and entertainment analyst at Roth Capital Partners. “It will need to drive a lot of new subscribers to Apple TV+.” If…

A decade ago, when TV upfronts were all-out affairs where networks would court advertisers with lavish parties, then-Bravo president Frances Berwick noticed something unusual about the sponsors’ behavior. They “would go absolutely nuts” for the reality stars employed by the NBCUniversal cable channel. “They all wanted pictures, and it was this huge experience,” says Berwick, now chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment. Witnessing that frenzy sparked an idea: What if there were a Comic-Con-like convention that brought together Bravo stars — from the women of “The Real Housewives” to “Below Deck” yachties — with their ardent fans? But “we weren’t absolutely sure that we could sell tickets,” she says wryly. Four years later, on the final day of BravoCon at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Berwick smiles at the thought. After all,…

Nia DaCosta survived the roller coaster of making “The Marvels,” but London’s rush hour traffic threatens to make her sick. It’s late October, weeks from the Nov. 10 release of the $250 million superhero movie, and DaCosta is conducting a Zoom interview from the back seat of a car as it inches toward her home. “I apologize for the motion,” she says. The setting is apropos for how DaCosta’s life has played out over the past seven years — racing from one project to the next. DaCosta was 28 when her debut feature, “Little Woods,” starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James, won the Nora Ephron Award for female filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival. Then, with 2021’s “Candyman,” she became the first Black female director to hit No. 1 at…