PGA Awards and WGA Awards

►Looking good for CODA. Another big weekend of awards shows in Hollywood, beginning with the 2022 Producers Guild Awards on Saturday at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. CODA, Succession and Ted Lasso were the big winners with Sian Heder's film taking the top prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award. Summer of Soul, Encanto, Mare of Easttown and The Beatles: Get Back also took home PGA Awards. The winners list. 

—Momentum. On Sunday, CODA added another trophy to its haul this season at the 2022 Writers Guild Awards. CODA has now scooped the top prize at PGAs, the WGAs and the SAGs. The Ashley Nicole Black-hosted virtual WGA Awards ceremony saw Siân Heder also win best adapted screenplay for CODA and Adam McKay and David Sirota win original screenplay for Don't Look Up. The winners list. 

—Scott's take. With the 94th Academy Awards a week away, THR's awards expert Scott Feinberg considers how CODA's showing at the PGA Awards makes the Oscar best picture race a true toss up. Scott lays out the arguments for Netflix's longtime frontrunner The Power of the Dog and for Apple's late-surging title. The analysis.

—Greig's still in the Oscar race. Greig Fraser’s lensing of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for a feature film during the 36th annual ASC Awards, which were presented during a hybrid event, both in person and live streamed from the ASC’s Hollywood Clubhouse. The story. 

More news from the PGAs...

—Rita Moreno defends actors sharing political views 

—Greg Berlanti on why his PGA honor comes mixed with sadness

—George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy accept milestone PGA honor from Steven Spielberg

Zelensky Thanks Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher 

►"Among the first to respond to our grief." Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his thanks to Mila Kunis and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, for their efforts to help the people there amid its war with Russia. Kunis, a native of Ukraine who moved to the U.S. as a child, and Kutcher have set up a GoFundMe campaign that has so far earned nearly $35 million toward refugee and humanitarian aid efforts. The couple also pledged $3 million of their own money. The story. 

—No dice. Ratings company Nielsen has rejected an acquisition offer from consortium of private equity firms, including the activist firm Elliott Management, in a deal that would have valued it at about $14 billion, including its hefty $5 billion debt load. In a statement Sunday, Nielsen said that the offer, which was for $25.50 per share, “significantly undervalues the Company and does not adequately compensate shareholders for Nielsen’s growth prospects.” The story. 

—The saga continues. Kanye “Ye” West’s rep says that an unannounced performance at the Grammys has been pulled due to “concerning online behavior.” The rep confirmed reports that West allegedly received a call Friday evening notifying him that he was scrapped from the Grammys performer line-up. West is up for five nominations this year, he has not confirmed whether he will attend the ceremony. The story.

—Deepening relationship. THR's Scott Roxborough has the scoop on Alex Pina, the creator of Spanish-language Netflix hit Money Heist, extending his global exclusive deal with the streamer, a pact that will include Pina’s new high-concept series inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. The still-untitled series is set in a luxury underground bunker, where the country’s 1 percent retreat to escape catastrophe on the surface. The story. 

—Angling for that last minute invite? West Side Story star Rachel Zegler revealed on social media that she didn't get an invite to the Oscars. On Sunday, the actress responded to a comment on Instagram about her potential Oscar outfit, writing: “i’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.” The story.

How the Academy Museum's Jewish Exclusion Became Exhibit A 

►"Overcorrection due to wokeness." When AMPAS opened the doors in September to its long-awaited institution the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, many industry leaders and donors were shocked at the lack of representation of the town’s immigrant Jewish pioneers. Amid cries of "intellectual dishonesty," insiders reveal to THR's Gary Baum what happened and the plans to make good. The story. 

—The end is nigh. Maury, the long-running daytime talk show that turned paternity tests into entertainment, is coming to an end. With host Maury Povich planning to retire, the NBCUniversal series will stop original productions this year. New episodes will continue to be broadcast through September, at which point reruns will air in syndication. The story. 

—Closing down. The Shanghai Disney Resort temporarily shut its doors until further notice Monday in response to China’s worst COVID-19 outbreak since early 2020. Disney is shutting down its entire facility in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disneyland, the Disneytown shopping and dining district, and the adjacent Wishing Star Park. The story.

—Panic rooms are so hot right now. Amid crime concerns, wealthy Los Angeles homeowners have pushed the demand for safe rooms sky-high, with some steel-encased versions running up to $1 million to build while one Malibu project included a secret tunnel out to the beach. The story.

Box Office: 'Batman' Earns Another $36M, Hits $300M Domestically

►All smiles at DC. Warner Bros.' The Batman remained number one at the box office for the third consecutive weekend, grossing $36 million for a superhero-like domestic total of $300.1 million. Matt Reeves' grimdark take on the Caped Crusader is also nearing $600 million worldwide after earning another $49.1 million overseas for a foreign tally of $298 million.

THR's Pamela McClintock writes that The Batman was only down 45 percent in North America, as well as overseas. (It didn’t hurt that there no new major Hollywood studio releases.) The box office report.

—China no longer a goldmine? The Batman saw its global earnings blitz slow to a crawl in China over the weekend, with the movie opening to just $12.1 million. THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that figure is the biggest Hollywood opening in China this year, but a COVID-19 outbreak and sinking Chinese interest in Hollywood moviemaking were to blame for the muted opening. 

Local word of mouth for The Batman was solid — social scores of 7.7. on Douban and 8.9 from major ticketing apps Maoyan and Tao Piao Piao — but fan recognition didn’t translate into significant ticket sales. Maoyan currently projects the film to finish its China run with a total of only $26 million. The China box office report. 

TV review: 'Bridgerton' S2   

►"A sophomore season that's less sexy, but almost as sweet." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews season two of Netflix's Bridgerton. The second season of the Regency-era romance follows viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) as he pursues Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) — if only he can get past her disapproving sister, Kate (Simone Ashley). The review. 

—"You can't judge an Atlanta season on only two episodes, but they're both great." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews season three of FX's Atlanta. Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz are finally back — and off to Europe — after a nearly four-year absence. The review. 

—"Colorful, cheerful, sometimes enlightening corporate propaganda." Dan reviews Mickey: The Story of a Mouse. Director Jeff Malmberg and producer Morgan Neville delve into the origins and evolutions of Mickey Mouse for this future Disney+ release. The review. 

—"An inspiring, if slightly tidy, portrait of a remarkable man." Dan reviews Ron Howard’s We Feed People. The director documents José Andrés' journey from acclaimed culinary superstar to globe-trotting humanitarian. The review. 

—"A charming spin on a classic setup." THR film critic Sheri Linden reviews Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. In the first Bhutanese film to be nominated for an Academy Award, a reluctant young teacher is assigned to a remote school in the Himalayas and learns life-changing lessons. The review. 

In other news...

—Was the BAFTA weekend behind a spike in industry COVID cases? 

—Angela Bassett says Black Panther sequel will “top” first film

—Hulu takes Hugo Weaving drama Love Me for U.S.

—Dune tops CAS Sound Mixing Awards

—Hollywood Beauty Awards: Wayman + Micah, Jenny Cho, AB + DM among winners

—Jimmy Lydon, William Powell’s oldest son in Life With Father, dies at 98

—Ed Garner, surfer who joined the wave of beach party movies in the 1960s, dies at 77

—John Clayton, longtime NFL reporter for ESPN, dies at 67

—Six exciting new hotels to visit in Mexico from Riviera Maya to Punta de Mita 

—All the best new hotels and restaurants to visit in Cabo right now

What else we're reading...

—Spencer Kornhaber on the growing legend of UCL dropout Charli XCX [The Atlantic]

—Ben Shapiro's conservative media company The Daily Wire says it's a $100m a year business and will lean into scripted dramas [Axios]

—Critic Jason Zinoman on the lessons from Texas Chain Saw Massacre that few horror films get right [NYT]

—Can't get enough of the wacky tales of WeWork’s Adam and Rebekah Neumann? Well here's a few more, including Adam's search for immortality [VF]

—Why racism is the real horror in Regina Hall’s college-set thriller Master [LAT]

Today...  

...in 1997, Warner Bros. brought Selena, the story of Selena Quintanilla Perez, to the big screen with Jennifer Lopez in the title role. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Gary Oldman (64), Rhys Darby (48), Scott Eastwood (36), Jasmin Savoy Brown (28), Sonequa Martin-Green (37), Matthew Broderick (60), Timothy Dalton (76), Suraj Sharma (29), Jaye Davidson (54), Jace Norman (22), Rosie O'Donnell (60), Karyn Kusama (54), Sabrina Le Beauf (64), Piotr Adamczyk (50), Kevin Federline (44), Denise Di Novi (66)