Good News from Home and Abroad

►Shaken, stirred and drunk on box office success. It appears the wait was worth it, as No Time to Die rocketed to $119.1 million from 54 markets in its foreign debut, a number that set numerous records and fuels hopes that moviegoing is resuming in earnest. 

THR's Pam McClintock writes that in a weekend of good news, the 25th film in the James Bond franchise became the first Hollywood title of the pandemic era to cross $100 million in its overseas launch without needing China.

The film smashed Imax records, including setting the best opening weekend for a Bond film in 24 countries, led by the U.K. where No Time to Die posted the third-biggest weekend of the franchise with $34.8 million, and the sixth-biggest for any film. It is receiving the widest release ever in the U.K., playing in 772 cinemas. 

Elsewhere, more good news for Hollywood as Dune crossed the $100 million mark, after grabbing another $13.7 million. The foreign box office report.  

—"The death of movies has been greatly exaggerated." No Time to Die doesn't open in the U.S. till Oct. 8, but no matter as Sony's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, led by a bravura performance by potential future Bond Tom Hardy, gave the domestic theatrical business a shot of adrenaline by opening to a stunning $90.1 million — the biggest three-day launch of the pandemic era and the biggest weekend overall since COVID-19 shut down theaters in March of 2020.

Driven by Venom 2, Pam writes that this weekend was the first time during the pandemic era that domestic box office revenues came in less than 15 percent behind the same weekend in 2019. On the same weekend two years ago, Joker opened to $96.2 million, with Venom 2 having the second-best October launch of all time behind that film. The domestic box office report. 

—The real global champ. Bond 25 and Venom 2 had stellar opening weekends, but the truly enormous box office business was happening over in China, where war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin opened with $235 million during the country’s long National Day holiday weekend. The propagandistic ensemble film My Country, My Parents opened in second place with a healthy $90.6 million during the same stretch. The China box office report. 

IATSE Workers Go Public, As Pressure Mounts on Studios Amid Strike Vote

►"Unsustainable and unhealthy." Tens of thousands of IATSE members are currently voting on authorization to call a strike. THR's labor reporter Katie Kilkenny writes that however the vote pans out, this negotiation period has inspired crewmembers to get increasingly candid about work conditions, particularly how the 12-hour workdays, short rest periods and under-$18-an-hour rates are "just cruel."  The story. 

—"We are not breaking for lunch for 16-, 17-hour days." With the vote underway, some IATSE members on Saturday further spoke up about the issues while hosting drive-through car painting with pro-union messages in the parking lots of the Hollywood headquarters of the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and Motion Picture Editors Guild (Local 700). The story.

—Tax the rich. Elton John, Ringo Starr, Shakira, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias are among the big names named in the Pandora Papers, the largest trove ever of leaked private financial documents exposing offshore investment and tax avoidance schemes. Already, tax authorities in Australia and the U.K. have confirmed they will investigate the documents for wrongdoing. The story. 

—"It is a big deal and would make this country a better place." John Oliver admonished Democratic senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia for holding up President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion government-overhaul plan during Sunday’s installment of Last Week Tonight. The story. 

Founder Says Ozy Media Won’t Shut Down After All   

► Dumpster fire. Just a few days after saying that it would wind down its operations, Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson went on NBC’s Today show this morning and said that he and the company’s board had a change of heart after speaking with advertisers and the company’s investors. "We are going to open for business, so we are making news today," Watson told NBC’s Craig Melvin. "This is our Lazarus moment, if you will." The story.  

—ICYMI. Saturday Night Live paid tribute to late cast member Norm Macdonald during the “Weekend Update” segment in the show’s season premiere last night. Pete Davidson wore a t-shirt emblazoned with Macdonald’s face and at the end of the segment, anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che briefly honored the comedian before throwing to a highlight reel of the former “Update” anchor’s best jokes. The story. 

—Is $2 billion really a defeat? Apologies if this is a spoiler of sorts but the news isn't exactly a secret that Sunday's season finale of Billions saw Damian Lewis' character exit after five seasons. Fret not, the show and Showtime are moving on with the sixth season coming on Jan. 23 and there's also a new trailer. The story. 

—Changing dates. After seeing the 2020 ceremonies pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Academy’s TV Awards and TV Craft Awards have moved back into their traditional slots for 2022. The story. 

—Update. Alyssa Milano says her uncle Mitch Carp is “doing well” but may need surgery following a car accident in August that required her to help save his life. The story. 

'Fauci' Doc Makers Talk Pandemic Polarization 

►"Caught all of us by surprise." Filming on the documentary Fauci, which debuts on Disney+ on Wednesday, began in the fall of 2019 as a “biographical portrait” of long-time public servant Dr. Anthony Fauci, but then COVID-19 changed everything. Directors Janet Tobias and John Hoffman talked to THR about how they developed trust with Fauci and his belief that “what COVID reveals is how much we need to heal things in America beyond COVID.” The interview. 

—In it for the long haul. Britney vs Spears filmmaker Erin Lee Carr and producer Sarah Gibson talk to THR's nicest man Chris Gardner about how they plan to stay with pop star’s story beyond the recent developments in the conservatorship battle, discuss critics who say they exploited Britney's story for profit and reveal a "shocking" new project about a new subject. The interview. 

—Wildcard. In the third episode of the second season of Apple’s The Morning Show, Julianna Margulies jumps into the fray as veteran broadcast journalist Laura Peterson. Margulies and Reese Witherspoon talk to THR's Jackie Strause about how refreshing it was to bring in a female character to "upset that balance." Warning spoilers. The story. 

—Depressing realization. On the Talking Sopranos podcast, Michael Imperioli explains his decision to reprise his iconic Sopranos character in The Many Saints of Newark and also offered up his take to the film's revelations. Warning spoilers.The story. 

In other news... 

—Theater review: Six. 

—Netflix: Movies and TV shows leaving in October. 

—Netflix’s new releases coming in October 2021.

—Frank Marshall on why Diana: The Musical opened on Netflix before Broadway.

—James Austin Johnson makes SNL debut with Joe Biden impression.

—Where Venom goes after that mid-credits scene.

—Why this year’s CineEurope attendees have a reason for hope. 

—Veteran entertainment lawyer Stephen Saltzman leaves Paul Hastings for Fieldfisher.

—How The Room star Greg Sestero channeled Tommy Wiseau for his debut feature Miracle Valley.

What else we're reading...

—"The Arbuckle Affair and the Modern Celebrity Scandal" [New Yorker]

—"He's The Most Popular Man On TikTok. And He Doesn't Say A Word" [CNN]

—"Brian Cox Has No Sympathy for His Filthy-Rich Family on Succession" [New York Times]

—"The Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen, Says She Wants to Fix the Company, Not Harm It" [Wall Street Journal]

—"Endeavor’s Chairman Renegotiates How Movie Stars Get Paid Online" [Bloomberg]

Today... 

... in 1990 a new show made its debut on Fox. Beverly Hills, 90210 went on to become a pop culture phenomenon, turning Jason Priestly, Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry into household names, inspiring spin-offs like Melrose Place and Models Inc. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Caitriona Balfe (42), Melissa Benoist (33), Nick Mohammed (41), Dakota Johnson (32), Alicia Silverstone (45), Vicky Krieps (38), Christoph Waltz (65), Dan Mazer (50), Rachael Leigh Cook (42), Liev Schreiber (54), Susan Sarandon (75), ​Armand Assante (72), Bill Fagerbakke (64), Tchéky Karyo (68), Ella Balinska (25), Jimmy Workman (41), Hoyte Van Hoytema (50), Stephen Gyllenhaal (72)