Daily Variety

Box Office: ‘Michael’ Returns to No. 1 as Exhibitors Brace for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ and the Start of Summer Blockbuster Season

On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin explains why Lionsgate’s “Michael” made a surprise return to No. 1 in a weekend [https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/box-office-michael-reclaims-first-place-obsession-starts-strong-1236751550/]that marks the calm before the start of summer blockbuster season with Disney’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” opening over Memorial Day weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Upfronts 2026: What We Learned From TV's Biggest Platforms; Crafting the Music of ‘Heated Rivalry’

On today’s episode, Variety’s Michael Schneider breaks down the last lap of upfronts week as Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and YouTube [https://variety.com/t/upfronts/] grab the megaphone. And Variety music chief Jem Aswad goes deep on the music of “Heated Rivalry” [https://variety.com/2026/music/news/heated-rivalry-jacob-tierney-music-team-sex-scenes-russia-1236745247/] in a session with showrunner Jacob Tierney, composer Peter Peter and music supervisor Scotty Taylor. It was recorded May 7 at Toronto’ s Departure Festival for music creatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

‘Survivor’ at 50: What Makes CBS’ Reality Franchise So Durable?

On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, we put the spotlight on “Survivor” [https://variety.com/2026/tv/features/survivor-50-editing-backlash-mike-white-lion-1236745458/] as the reality stalwart hits Season 50. As detailed by Variety’s Emily Longeretta and Selome Hailu, CBS’ innovative and enduring unscripted juggernaut has set the standard for the reality-competition genre for 26 years and counting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Tech Talk, Streaming, Sports and Reboots Dominate Upfronts; NBCUniversal’s Liz Jenkins on Risk-Taking Amid Disruption

On today’s episode, Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports on the triple-header kickoff of Upfronts week [https://variety.com/t/upfronts/] after attending Monday’s NBCUniversal, Fox and Amazon Prime Video presentations. He parses each platform's pitch to Madison Avenue. And we’ll hear from NBCUniversal Entertainment chief business officer Liz Jenkins on risk-taking in the time of disruption, in remarks delivered this month at SeriesFest in Denver. [https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/lord-of-the-flies-spartacus-house-of-ashur-seriesfest-1236723049/] "We've found our cruising altitude again," she says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Upfronts 2026: Disney’s Rita Ferro Details the Mouse House’s Cross-Platform Push, Embracing Live and Connecting Grammys, Super Bowl and the Oscars for the Biggest Brands

On today’s special Upfronts-themed episode [https://variety.com/t/upfronts/], Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, offers a preview of the Mouse House’s May 12 presentation to advertisers in New York. Ferro details Disney’s plan to link the live spectacle of the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Oscars [https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/oscars-disney-advertising-super-bowl-grammys-live-shows-1236632874/] for big brands. She gives her perspective on the state of the scatter market, the mood of the upfront compared to last year, and how Disney is embracing the creator economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]