Friday Five

Cast & Crew Presents
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A quick, weekly breakdown of what’s happening in the entertainment industry. Five stories, one short episode, every Friday, designed to keep you updated without overloading your week.

  1. 4 days ago

    'Grey's Anatomy' Production Accounting, Sony's $100M Cosm Bet, Academy's Most Diverse Voter Class, Google Backs A24, Bond Auditions Heat Up (June 22–26, 2026)

    In this week's Friday 5, payroll accountants Candy Carstensen and Brad Rees join Beyond the Budget to discuss the production accounting behind “Grey's Anatomy” and the shift from paper timecards to digital workflows (Cast & Crew), Sony Pictures Entertainment makes a $100 million investment in Cosm, the immersive dome venue company, to expand experiential cinema (The Hollywood Reporter), the Academy invites its most diverse class of Oscar voters yet, with 529 new members including Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, and new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro (Deadline), Google's DeepMind unit partners with A24 in a $75 million deal to develop AI-powered filmmaking tools (Variety), and director Denis Villeneuve begins personally calling actors who have advanced to the next round of James Bond auditions, set for August (Deadline), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry. Resources: Story 1 — Cast & Crew / Beyond the Budget: beyond-the-budget-brad-and-candyStory 2 — The Hollywood Reporter / Sony x Cosm: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sony-pictures-invests-cosm-dome-immersive-theaters-1236629509/Story 3 — Deadline / Academy Voters: jacob-elordi-josh-oconnor-jenna-ortega-529-new-oscar-voters-1236966297/Story 4 — Variety / Google x A24: news/google-a24-ai-filmmaking-tools-1236787297/Story 5 — Deadline / James Bond: james-bond-auditions-august-next-round-the-dish-1236964582/

    2 min

  2. 20 Jun

    'Weather Hunters' With Al Roker, 'Toy Story 5' Eyes 2026 Record, FX Unifies Streaming, Fox Buys Roku, TIFF Launches Its First Market (June 15–19, 2026)

    In this week's Friday Five, Al Roker and Dete Meserve discuss the making of "Weather Hunters" (Media Services), "Toy Story 5" tracks for a $150 million-plus opening weekend that would set a 2026 box office record (Deadline), FX formalizes a new strategy debuting all its series simultaneously on linear TV and streaming, ending years of "FX on Hulu" confusion (Variety), Fox Corp. enters a definitive agreement to acquire Roku for $22 billion, combining live sports and news content with the leading connected TV platform (The Hollywood Reporter), and TIFF announces that more than 130 buyers from 49 countries have already confirmed attendance for its inaugural TIFF: The Market, running September 10–16 in Toronto (Screen Daily), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  3. 12 Jun

    Greece at Cannes Marché, DGA Deal Done, Mario Hits $1B, Fan Ticketing Reform, “Stranger Things” Final Curtain (June 8–12, 2026)

    In this week's Friday Five, Greece is named country of honour at the 2027 Cannes Marché du Film (Screen Daily), the Directors Guild of America reaches a tentative four-year deal with major studios (Variety), “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” crosses $1 billion at the global box office (The Hollywood Reporter), NIVA launches a fan-facing tool to fight deceptive ticket resale as 20 states advance price cap legislation (Billboard), and “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” announces its final performances on Broadway and London's West End (Variety), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  4. 5 Jun

    Academy Cinema List, Hasbro AI Studio, Sports Upfront Market, Ad-Supported Streaming Hits 48%, Scorsese Joins AI Firm (June 1–5, 2026)

    In this week’s Friday Five: The Academy launches a global cinema recognition program (Screen Daily), Hasbro debuts an AI studio for licensed character experiences (The Hollywood Reporter), sports continues to dominate the TV upfront market (Variety), ad-supported streaming approaches half of all US subscriptions (The Hollywood Reporter), and Martin Scorsese joins an AI company as an adviser (Variety), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  5. 29 May

    Indie Film Financing, Lionsgate on Movies Anywhere, ‘Stranger Things’ Ratings, Germany Production Incentives & Horror Box Office Record (May 25–29, 2026)

    In this week’s Friday Five: Western Alliance Bank’s Melanie Krinsky unpacks what makes indie films bankable (Media Services), Lionsgate adds its library to Movies Anywhere (Deadline), “Stranger Things” leads the 2025–2026 TV season rankings (Variety), Germany boosts production incentives and moves toward investment obligations (ScreenDaily), and “Obsession” delivers a record-breaking second-weekend box office surge (The Hollywood Reporter), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  6. 22 May

    Week of May 18, 2026

    In this week’s Friday Five: Spain celebrates a historic three-film presence in Cannes competition, Lionsgate’s “Michael” moves toward $1B worldwide, and we cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  7. 15 May

    Week of May 11, 2026

    In this week's Friday Five: UK and Ireland box office is forecast to rise 10%, UK and French unions launch a joint campaign at Cannes against long working hours, and we cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

    2 min

  8. 8 May

    Week of May 4, 2026

    In this week’s Friday 5: SAG-AFTRA reaches a tentative four-year agreement with studios, and thousands of filmmakers call on the EU to safeguard cinema funding. We also cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry this week.

    2 min
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A quick, weekly breakdown of what’s happening in the entertainment industry. Five stories, one short episode, every Friday, designed to keep you updated without overloading your week.

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