What's news: AMC Theatres reverses course as movie theaters embrace face masks, two high-profile free speech cases hit courts, Black artists call on cultural industries to disassociate from the police, WGA settlement pays off for Simpsons and Family Guy writers. Plus: How much does network TV depend on cop shows? and inside Dave Franco's drive-in directorial debut. --Alex Weprin

 Masks On

►AMC Theatres reverses course, will require face masks upon reopening. The country's largest cinema chain came under fierce scrutiny Thursday over comments made by its CEO Adam Aron. Aron said he didn't want to make masks a requirement and be drawn into a political controversy. In its Friday statement, AMC said it quickly realized that it hadn't gone far enough in its mask policy, based on the outcry from customers (patrons are still expected to be allowed to take off masks to eat or drink concessions). The story.

+Regal and Alamo Drafthouse too: "When we open, the safety of our teammates and guests cannot be compromised. This is not political," Alamo said in a tweet Friday morning. "We will require that guests wear masks at the theater [except when eating/drinking). Those without mask will be given one." Regal Cinemas also announced that it would require masks of guests. More.

+Not in Canada (yet): Canada's Cineplex won’t require guests to wear face masks in its theaters when they start reopening later this month. "Taking the lead from public health authorities and provincial guidelines, we are not requiring guests to wear masks, but they are welcome to do so if they wish," the company said in a statement. More.

+The analyst take: Credit Suisse analyst Meghan Durkin has ranked the health and safety protocols of the four biggest U.S. cinema chains as they reopen movie theaters after the lockdowns due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In her Friday report, she said that they will be "key to a successful" return of exhibitors and their clients and have the "potential to drive attendance share shifts" over time. More.

 What About Older Moviegoers?

^Will older moviegoers return to theaters post-pandemic? Senior film fans around the world have been a boon for the box office and are the core audience for art house cinemas — but the demographic is most at risk for COVID-19, Scott Roxborough writes. The story.

 With shades of historic First Amendment court battles from decades past and high stakes given the country is in the midst of a presidential election year, a D.C. federal judge on Friday refused to halt the imminent release of John Bolton's The Room Where It Happened. Instead, he's taking the matter under submission and will make his final decision after an in-camera review of confidential information with DOJ lawyers. The story.

+IMDb's age censorship win affirmed by appeals court. The appeals court found the content in IMDB profiles isn't commercial speech, doesn't facilitate illegal conduct and doesn't implicate privacy concerns. Therefore government restriction of such content is subject to strict scrutiny. "Here, the State has not explored, or even considered, a less restrictive means to combat age discrimination in the entertainment industry before resorting to the drastic step of restricting speech," writes Circuit Judge Bridget S. Bade in the opinion. The story.

►Gabrielle Union, Sterling K. Brown and more artists call on cultural industries to disassociate from police. In a statement published Friday, hundred of Black artists additionally argued that arts organizations should do more to promote pay equity, Black leadership and get educated on Black history. The story.

►Kenya Barris, Pharrell Williams in talks with Netflix about Juneteenth-inspired musical. The creative duo are working with the streaming giant on developing a feature to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. Happy singer Williams and Mimi Valdes will co-produce via their I Am Other banner, while Barris will produce through his Khalabo Ink Society production venture. The story.

 Animation Remuneration

►Writers Guild scores $5.25 million interest award from Disney on Fox animation residuals. It’s the largest interest-only settlement in the WGA’s history, the union said. (The residuals themselves were paid in 2018, late.) The settlement was reached by the guild’s “legal team,” the union announcement to members said, adding that over 250 writers have already received checks. The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad were among the shows impacted. The story.

►How to broach race when you're not the most powerful person in the writers room. In a guest column for THR, Jerrica Long and Jackie Decembly explain why it's frustrating when upper-level white staff are the ones addressing racism in the room and that the best way to kill an offensive joke is “to beat it with something funnier.” The column.

►TV Long View: How much network TV depends on cop shows. Crime-solving has been part of the TV landscape for the medium's entire history, but with calls to significantly change or cut such shows, THR's Rick Porter examined how prevalent they are. The column.

 Inside the drive-in premiere of Dave Franco's directorial debut: "So much more fun than putting on a suit." Franco screened his film 'The Rental' at Vineland Drive-In on Thursday, reimagining the typical Hollywood event with socially distanced cast photos, masked photographers and a Zoom Q&A. The story.

►Emmys: 30 supporting actors on character quarantining, co-star bonding and craft services. THR's annual supporting actor group shoot may have been waylaid by COVID-19, but there was no stopping the powerful performances by these stars, who reveal their most challenging scenes and favorite co-star moments. The story.

►Broadcast TV ratings: ABC's game show Don't declined some in its second outing, as did lead-out To Tell the Truth. The network, however, still notched a victory in primetime in both adults 18-49 and total viewers, edging out CBS in the latter category. The numbers.

Obituaries: Alan Metter, who directed several big-screen comedies, including Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield, has died. He was 77... Mark Glamack, an Emmy-nominated animator who worked on such projects as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, All Dogs Go to Heaven and Life With Louie, has died. He was 73...

In other news...

--Macquarie Capital analyst Tim Nollen has upgraded his rating on the stock of Fox Corp. to "neutral" and boosted his price target by $9 to $31, citing improving advertising trends that led him to increase his financial estimates, among other things.

--Peter Faricy, who was named in 2018 to head up Discovery's global digital and streaming businesses, is leaving the media group.

--Snapchat has removed a Juneteenth filter that required users to smile in order to break a series of chains in the backdrop behind them, acknowledging that it was "offensive" and went live before being properly reviewed by the company.

--Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts have canceled their fall schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the New York City Ballet called off its annual holiday presentation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

--Oscar and BAFTA winner Mark Rylance is set to take the lead in comedy-drama The Fantastic Flitcrofts, to be directed by Craig Roberts and based on the adapted screenplay by Simon Farnaby.

--Becoming Ellie: Ashley Johnson navigates grief and guilt in The Last of Us Part II.

What else we're reading...

--"NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell has no time for Hollywood egos" [WSJ]

--"Social media giants support racial justice. Their products undermine it" [NY Times]

--"When it comes to the descendants of Jaws, more is more" [The Ringer]

--"How L.A.'s black-owned music companies hope to change an unjust record business" [LA Times]

Today's birthdays: Nicole Kidman, 53, John Goodman, 68, Lionel Richie, 71, Brian Wilson, 78, Robert Rodriguez, 52.