The Box Office Podcast

Beavers and Bridezillas!

Charlie Jane Anders, long-time sci-fi author and sci-fi entertainment journalist (whose work has won — among others — the Crawford Award, Hugo Award, Lambda Literary Award, Locus Award, Nebula Award, and Theodore Sturgeon Award) joins the gang as we dig deep into what went right with Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers and what went wrong with Warner Bros.’ The Bride. Among the topics of discourse are everyone’s favorite Pixar flicks, the value of kid-friendly memes for all-quadrant toons, the ups and downs (real and imaginary) for Disney’s previously A+ animation brand over the last 15 years, whether Maggie Gyllenhaal’s big-budget monster-mash ever had a commercial chance in hell and if Scream 7’s massive decline portends grim fortunes for Scream 8. Recommended Reading * Scott Mendelson notes that Hoppers’ solid opening again debunks Disney’s narrative implictely blaming its early 2020s box office struggles on wokeness [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/box-office-pixars-hoppers-again-debunks]. * Jeremy Fuster reports on a distinctly “America 2026” demand among the unions representing Universal Studios park workers: protection from ICE [https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/labor-unions/universal-studios-hollywood-employees-want-ice-protections-in-their-next-union-contract/]. * Lisa Laman goes long [https://landofthenerds.blogspot.com/] debunking the idea that cancel culture or performative wokeness was anything beyond an online bubble and/or a strawman to wield against the disenfranchised voices supposedly controlling the narrative. * Ryan Scott details how, believe it or not [https://www.slashfilm.com/2115696/scream-7-deleted-scene-ghostface-resurrection-stu-macher/], Scream 7 could have been even worse. * Charlie Jane Anders picks 2025’s best sci-fi/fantasy novels [https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/11/19/best-scifi-fantasy-novels-2025/]. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] * Charlie Jane Anders [https://www.charliejaneanders.com/] - Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/charlie-jane-anders/?itid=ai_top_CharlieJaneAnder12222022] and Happy Dancing [https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Make You Wanna Scream?!

Semi-regular guests Aaron Neuwirth (of 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla and OutNow With Aaron and Abe) and Brandon Peters (The Brandon Peters Show) reprise yet again to discuss the confluence of Tinseltown terrors and real-world horrors that makes a $64 million domestic and $97 million worldwide debut for Spyglass and Paramount’s Scream 7 feel… less than cheerworthy. Max Deering couldn’t make it because… I guess fighting off zombies in and around Racoon City takes priority over (and makes me doubt his dedication to) The Box Office Podcast. All agree that A) the so-called “boycott” was never anything more than a few social media hashtags and B) most folks viewed the seventh Scream film as just another installment of a recently revived horror franchise whose past two sequels played to relative fortune and glory. And, speaking of vexed train engines, all participants agree that Skydance now (probably) owning both Paramount and Warner Bros. is an almost-certain-to-be cataclysmic event. Brandon Peters argues that those pissed about Melissa Barrera being fired from Scream should have put their energy into boosting the likes of Your Monster, Abigail, and her (Simu Liu-starring) Peacock streaming show, The Copenhagen Test. Lisa Laman offers a few recommended films by Palestinian filmmakers. She argues that the same Hollywood suits that ignored the outcry over Barrera’s firing should also ignore online calls for inclusivity in franchise films and shows. Jeremy Fuster notes Paramount’s genuine marketing success in selling a new Scream movie, seemingly pitched at older fans, that nonetheless attracted strong viewership among the younger demographics. Come what may, at least the kids didn’t feel like the olds had snatched away their Scream franchise. Aaron Neuwirth discusses the uniqueness of the Scream property beyond just whether an installment centers on Sidney Prescott or Sam Carpenter, leading into an extended digression about the unexpected endurance of the Insidious saga, which horror franchises comparatively belong to “today’s kids” and whether or not Texas Chainsaw Massacre can actually even be more than an IP-for-IP’s sake whiff. Hint: “On your left!” “Do your thing, cuz!” Scott Mendelson notes how Scream 7 plays like a proverbial Creed IV that fired Michael B. Jordan and recentered Sylvester Stallone while gaslighting audiences about its successful, acclaimed Rocky-free predecessor, while mourning a current pop culture that metaphorically watches Ben Affleck’s final scene in Hollywoodland and declares, “I want that, actually!” As for the “Skydance now owns WB and Paramount” situation, there’s little reason for hope or optimism. It’s not as heavy an episode as that all might sound, although there’s a certain “laugh so as not to cry at the end of the world” mentality. Jeremy fears for the future of theatrical, doubts Ellison’s promises to release 30 movies a year, and mourns the coming consolidation bloodbath. Lisa worries about quality and variety from studios potentially owned by a guy whose idea of a “good movie” is Ghosted and The Fountain of Youth, and who is prioritizing conventionally macho fare, no matter what the marketplace dictates. Brandon notes the potential peril for physical media while wondering if this is the grim endgame foretold way back when The Exorcist made exactly enough money in 1973 to start attracting the attention of the corporate world. Aaron notes that Skydance’s hires, such as Brett Ratner, John Lasseter, Johnny Depp, and Max Landis, feel more punitive than coldly calculated, and may be merely SEO-friendly distractions for even less-ideal hires or plans for the studio(s). Finally, Scott again wonders why the hell Warner Bros. keeps being bought by and frankly abused by a series of seemingly smaller companies. Recomended Reading… Scott Mendelson argues that, as long as Disney and Pixar’s animated sequels and live-action remakes continue to make buckets of box office, it should barely matter whether originals like [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/as-long-as-zootopia-and-moana-are-blockbusters-disney-pixar-originals-like-hoppers-encanto-can-become-box-office-bommbs]Hoppers, Elio [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/as-long-as-zootopia-and-moana-are-blockbusters-disney-pixar-originals-like-hoppers-encanto-can-become-box-office-bommbs]or [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/as-long-as-zootopia-and-moana-are-blockbusters-disney-pixar-originals-like-hoppers-encanto-can-become-box-office-bommbs]Hexed [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/as-long-as-zootopia-and-moana-are-blockbusters-disney-pixar-originals-like-hoppers-encanto-can-become-box-office-bommbs]make all that much in theaters [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/as-long-as-zootopia-and-moana-are-blockbusters-disney-pixar-originals-like-hoppers-encanto-can-become-box-office-bommbs]. Lisa Laman dissects the complicated new normal [https://www.looper.com/2111028/what-is-box-office-flop-explained/] of determining what still qualifies as a box office bomb. Jeremy Fuster digs into everyone’s genuine terror [https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/paramount-buys-warner-bros-hollywood-directors-reaction/] over the Ellisons potentially controlling 1/3 to 1/2 of the big-deal entertainment ecosystem. Ryan Scott raises a glass [https://www.slashfilm.com/2111869/adam-driver-underrated-sci-fi-movie-midnight-special/] to Jeff Nichols’ terrific sci-fi melodrama Midnight Special on the eve of its tenth anniversary. Aaron Neuwirth’s latest podcast episode details his time at this year’s Santa Barbara Film Festival [https://thecodeiszeek.substack.com/p/out-now-bonus-41st-sbiff-recap-interview-mockbuster-director-anthony-frith]. Sadly, unlike last year, Kevin Costner did not bring along the latest chapter of Horizon: An American Saga. Brandon Peters’ newest ongoing series dissects the 1960s [https://thebrandonpetersshow.com/episode/60s-batman-at-60-instant-freeze-rats-like-cheese-with-scott-mendelson/]Batman [https://thebrandonpetersshow.com/episode/60s-batman-at-60-instant-freeze-rats-like-cheese-with-scott-mendelson/]show — episode by episode — on the eve of its 60th anniversary [https://thebrandonpetersshow.com/episode/60s-batman-at-60-instant-freeze-rats-like-cheese-with-scott-mendelson/]. I popped in for the fourth installment to discuss Mr. Freeze’s surprisingly “grounded” and “dramatic” debut. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] * Aaron Neuwirth - The Code is Zeek [https://thecodeiszeek.substack.com/] and We Live Entertainment [https://weliveentertainment.com/author/aaron-neuwirth/] * Brandon Peters - The Brandon Peters Show [https://thebrandonpetersshow.com/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Failure of Soft Powell

Longtime film writer, movie reviewer, entertainment journalist, and author Marya E. Gates is this week’s extra-special guest. Considering this relatively barren weekend for new releases, it would have been deeply ironic had this (among other things) expert in the realm of silent cinema arrived on a week with little to talk about. The good news is that while Hollywood mostly took the week off (again), the 105-minute episode is nonetheless packed with tangents, digressions and the usual chaos you’ve come to expect. We’ve got anecdotes from the world of film marketing, discourse about whether Sony’s “send these movies to Netflix” gambit might still have boosted the Sony Animation brand, and debates as to why How to Make a Killing likely never had a chance, even if it had received a wider, higher-profile release. Included is also a conversation concerning Jacob Elordi’s budding stardom, during which our guest (quite accidentally and indirectly) drops the most vulgar line of the show. The question of the day is everyone’s favorite Elvis Presley song, as Max Deering finally sees Return to Silent Hill and tries his best to explain why his current home country (The Netherlands) is apparently gripped by Roarball fever. Recommended Reading… * Scott Mendelson discusses whether [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/goat-sony-box-office-animation-pixar-disney-illumination-netflix-cvovid]GOAT [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/goat-sony-box-office-animation-pixar-disney-illumination-netflix-cvovid]is the start of a new era [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/goat-sony-box-office-animation-pixar-disney-illumination-netflix-cvovid], or at least a return to the early 2010s era, for original animated films. * Jeremy Fuster investigates the chilling possibility [https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/wuthering-heights-box-office-films-for-women/] that films for/from/about women might actually have a future in the COVID-era box office recovery. * Lisa Laman discusses, well, “Please, Keep Letting Directors Talk About Movie Theaters And Projection Formats. [https://landofthenerds.blogspot.com/]” * Ryan Scott argues that the marketing for Lucasfilm and Disney’s The Mandalorian and Grogu implies that, well, “Begun, [https://www.slashfilm.com/2104103/star-wars-sequel-trilogy-nostalgia-here-not-bad-thing/]Star Wars [https://www.slashfilm.com/2104103/star-wars-sequel-trilogy-nostalgia-here-not-bad-thing/]sequel trilogy nostalgia has. [https://www.slashfilm.com/2104103/star-wars-sequel-trilogy-nostalgia-here-not-bad-thing/]” * Max Deering kinda-sorta takes center stage in the latest Silent Hill [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2WlDgHtdMw23U0x1D3rcYS]-centric episode [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2WlDgHtdMw23U0x1D3rcYS] of Action for Everyone. * Marya E. Gates has written almost everywhere about almost everything entertainment/movie-related, but for now, just buy her book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words [https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847846610/]. As always, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Land of the Nerds [https://landofthenerds.blogspot.com/], Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] * Marya E. Gates - Roger Ebert [https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/marya-e-gates], Cool People Have Feelings Too [https://oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/] and much more [https://maryaegates.com/]. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Wuthering Fights!

Longtime journalist and podcaster Jordan Crucchiola guests on this week’s episode as the gang discusses the reception and commercial performance of Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. Well, she eventually skips out at around the halfway mark since she hadn’t yet seen the other new releases amid a crowded President’s Day weekend. Still, the remaining four of us (Scott, Lisa, Jeremy and Max) have much to say about the differing fortunes for the other movies. To wit… Max hashes out the complicated issues related to casting Jacob Elordi as “not quite a white guy” Heathcliff, which Jordan notes that white filmmakers (even women) can find themselves in a lose/lose scenario when telling stories about or in conversation with race-based inequities. Scott explains why, in a rare exception, he finds himself indifferent to the outcry over this specific would-be whitewashing, as Jeremy notes that the film is another instance of disproportionately hyperbolic online response skewing the more middle-of-the-road real-world buzz. There’s a lot where that came from, but once Jordan sneaks away, the gang gets down to “real business,” including whether $35 million is exceptional or merely pretty good for Sony’s original GOAT. Jeremy argues that the lowered ceiling remains an issue, while Lisa argues that the sky-high results for non-sequel animated films from the early 2000s to the late 2010s might have been a momentary fluke. Everyone agrees that Crime 101 cost too much and grossed too little, and they all have opinions about what Amazon is or isn’t up to regarding its theatrical plans. Finally, everyone gives a modest hat tip to the “could have been so much worse” debut for Good Luck, Have Fun Don’t Die while noting that at least some subjective disappointment over Wuthering Heights’s mere $38 million Fri-Mon domestic debut was about hyperbolic expectations and an unexpected plethora of healthy competitors and holdovers. In the long run, it’s arguably better for the big tentpole to open a little smaller alongside healthy competition rather than having the entire theatrical ecosystem depending on the official big would-be blockbuster pulling the best-case-scenario box office. Apologies, but I’m running behind, so no “recommended reading” for this week. That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Land of the Nerds [https://landofthenerds.blogspot.com/], Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] * Jordan Crucchiola - Feeling Seen [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feeling-seen/id1593299703], Vulture [https://www.vulture.com/author/jordan-crucchiola/] and NPR [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-20111/jordan-crucchiola] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Little Movies That Could

In what was a needlessly barren weekend in terms of new releases from major studios, the newbies and the smaller distribution outlets picked up some of the slack. So, for the occasion of what was technically Super Bowl weekend, Chrissi Michael, content strategist by day and box office nerd by night [https://cmstudiescinema.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search], returned for the fourth time as she attempts to stake her claim as the Steve Mart… err, uh… Emma Stone of The Box Office Podcast. Among the subjects of discourse… * Jeremy and Max don’t say jack s**t since neither of them could make it. * Scott, Lisa and Chrissi dissect Send Help’s staying power. * Lisa notes the sheer volume of semi-regular small-scale/indie releases. * Chrissi offers a critical deep dive into Charli XCX’s The Moment * Scott notes the surprising muscle shown byVertical and Bleecker Street * Lisa argues that Solo Mio again shows that rom-coms can still work. * Chrissi demonstrates that she’s far too committed to the Box Office Podcast. * Scott accidentally makes Dracula sound much better than it actually is. * Everyone engages in way too much Wuthering Heights pre-release chatter. * And more! Apologies, but I’m running behind, so no “recommended reading” for this week. That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Land of the Nerds [https://landofthenerds.blogspot.com/], Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] * Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies [https://cmstudiescinema.substack.com/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]