Week of May 18, 2026

Indie Film Financing, Lionsgate on Movies Anywhere, ‘Stranger Things’ Ratings, Germany Production Incentives & Horror Box Office Record (May 25–29, 2026)

In this week’s Friday Five: Western Alliance Bank’s Melanie Krinsky unpacks what makes indie films bankable (Media Services) [https://www.mediaservices.com/blog/what-makes-your-film-bankable-with-melanie-krinsky/], Lionsgate adds its library to Movies Anywhere (Deadline [https://deadline.com/2026/05/lionsgate-movies-anywhere-michael-1236929087/]), “Stranger Things” leads the 2025–2026 TV season rankings (Variety [https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/most-popular-tv-shows-2025-26-ratings-stranger-things-1236760828/]), Germany boosts production incentives and moves toward investment obligations (ScreenDaily [https://www.screendaily.com/news/germany-boosts-production-incentives-to-250m-and-paves-way-for-investment-obligation/5217235.article]), and “Obsession” delivers a record-breaking second-weekend box office surge (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-obsession-second-weekend-spike-1236606229]), alongside other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

Week of May 18, 2026

In this week’s Friday Five: Spain celebrates a historic three-film presence in Cannes competition, Lionsgate’s “Michael” moves toward $1B worldwide, and we cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

Week of May 11, 2026

In this week's Friday Five: UK and Ireland box office is forecast to rise 10%, UK and French unions launch a joint campaign at Cannes against long working hours, and we cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry.

Week of May 4, 2026

In this week’s Friday 5: SAG-AFTRA reaches a tentative four-year agreement with studios, and thousands of filmmakers call on the EU to safeguard cinema funding. We also cover other key developments shaping the entertainment industry this week.

Week of April 27, 2026

In this week's Friday Five: “Michael” sets a new box office record with a $218.7m opening weekend, The CW announces major streaming deals with ESPN and Roku, and more key developments shaping the entertainment industry.