A scene from "Avatar: Fire and Ash." (Image via 20th Century Studios)
America’s standing in the world has diminished in the last year, reflected, among other things, by sharp declines in tourism. But as Ryan Seacrest and company prepare to ring in 2026, Hollywood has seen encouraging signs that the international pipes still work with movie franchises like “Avatar” and “Zootopia,” a welcome box-office blip on a fading EKG, with implications not just for the coming year but beyond.
Those Disney titles, which will join the studio’s “Lilo & Stitch” as the year’s only billion-dollar worldwide U.S. releases, are drawing more than 70% of their revenue from outside North America. And while that happened with regularity in the not-so-distant past, like so much in Hollywood, theatrical releases have broken internationally into a few haves and more have-nots—an especially fraught shift as the industry faces an increasingly unsettled future.
Behind those topline numbers, however, studio executives and international distributors are privately grappling with a far more uneven—and worrying—picture…
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Paramount boss David Ellison. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
A group of journalists at CBS News are preparing a memo urging Paramount chief David Ellison to uphold the network’s editorial independence after Bari Weiss spiked a “60 Minutes” segment on Trump deportees, Taylor Herzlich and Alexandra Steigrad reported. [NY Post]
Layoffs across the media and entertainment sector rose 18% in 2025, to more than 17,000 positions, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. [The Wrap]
Two more concerts were canceled at the Kennedy Center after it was renamed to include Donald Trump. The head of a dance company called it, “financially devastating but morally exhilarating.” [NYT]
The founders of Tenet Media, which was accused of funneling Russian money to MAGA podcasters Benny Johnson and Tim Pool, are back in the U.S. thanks to the Trump administration, Will Sommer reported. [Bulwark]
CBS ranked as the most-watched network overall this year, with Fox News as the top cable network in Michael Schneider’s handy breakdown of broadcast and cable TV viewing. [Variety]
Marjorie Taylor Greene discussed her “seismic political rupture” with Donald Trump, as Robert Draper described it, after his remarks at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, in an exhaustive magazine profile posted Monday. [NYT]
Beyoncé has joined the (very) select ranks of billionaire musicians. [Forbes]
Barring a rules change, “Heated Rivalry” won’t be eligible for Emmy consideration because the hockey series—which was picked up by HBO Max—is a fully Canadian production. [Variety]
“Disney’s MVP” of 2025? Alex Weprin makes the case that it’s the alien half of “Lilo & Stitch,” which sold more than $4 billion in merchandise. [THR]
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sons Christian and Justin will discuss their father’s trial in a docuseries for Zeus Network. [Billboard]
Hulu dropped a trailer for the “Malcolm in the Middle” revival series that premieres in April. [YouTube]
