What's news: Trevor Noah signs up for the White House Correspondents' Dinner; Studios trot out their biggest titles at the Super Bowl; Berlin film market dealmaking heats up. And: Remembering Ivan Reitman. — Erik Hayden
Also interesting - "Super Bowl Synch Report." "Marketers went for more recognizable synchs this year, including classics by Ray Charles, the Staple Singers and Electric Light Orchestra." [Billboard]
Elsewhere...
► Box office update: Death on the Nile topped Super Bowl weekend at the domestic box office with a subdued $12.8 million. Marry Me, which opened to an estimated $8 million at the box office, came in No. 3 after being edged out by holdover Jackass Forever ($8.1 million). Story.
► Berlin market update: Among many titles expected to sell out by the end of the market are Rich Flu, a social commentary thriller about a pandemic that only kills the wealthy, to be directed by helmer Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and star Rosamund Pike; the Saoirse Ronan drama The Outrunfrom director Nora Fingscheidt; and the Asa Butterfield, Natalia Dyer high-concept horror movie All Fun and Games. Deal watch.
► Being shopped: Dane DeHaan, Sophie Turner crime thriller. Written and directed by Daniel Casey, Wardriver centers on a tech-savvy thief. Highland and CAA Media Finance are repping the film.
► Peak COVID cinema? Berlin festival films like Peter von Kant, Fire and The Outfit were shot with COVID restrictions in mind, creating a distinctive cinematic style. Story.
► Trevor Noah will headline the next WHCD. The Daily Show host will emcee the Beltway journalists' event on April 30.
► Discovery paints optimistic picture of Olympic viewing. The opening week of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has brought Discovery streaming audiences in Europe that have surpassed its performance for the 2018 Winter Games. Details.
► R.I.P., Ivan Reitman. The influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies from Animal House to Ghostbusters has died. He was 75. Full obit I Remembrances
What else we're reading...
— "Instagram’s video ad-revenue sharing program has underwhelmed participating publishers." "'Underwhelmed' is how one publisher described their view of the money they are making from uploading long-form videos — formally labeled IGTV." [Digiday]
— "The scorched-earth gallery lawsuit everyone in the art world is watching." "Why a recent civil complaint from a former Gladstone Gallery employee that alleges labor violations and bad behavior (which the gallery denies) is a Rorschach test in Chelsea." [Vanity Fair]
— "The right’s would-be kingmaker." "Peter Thiel, one of Donald J. Trump’s biggest donors in 2016, has re-emerged as a prime financier of the Make America Great Again movement." [New York Times]
— "Omicron aside, employees have logged fewer sick days." "Better safety rules and 'presenteeism' are keeping people on the job." [Bloomberg]
— "Blackstone buys casino business for $6.3 billion." "Crown Resorts Ltd., one of Australia’s biggest casino operators, said Monday that it agreed to a $6.3 billion takeover" by the private equity giant. [Wall Street Journal]
— "Spotify backlash offers rare insight into reeling music industry." The "new economic realities created by the pandemic and the growing influence of streaming services can be daunting." [Washington Post]
— "Amazon and Spotify are considering rival takeover approaches for Audioboom, the London-listed podcasting group which has seen revenues and its share price surge during the pandemic." [Sky News]
Today in 1994: On Feb. 14, 1992, Paramount took Wayne's World to the big screen with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.
Today's birthdays: Freddie Highmore, 30, Danai Gurira, 44, Rob Thomas, 50, Simon Pegg, 52, Carl Bernstein, 78.
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