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Amid falling traffic, publishers are investing in engagement, registration and citations
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Uber Advertising, the NFL, WPP Media and Mazda are among the finalists of the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards
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Maya Media Brief — Mayo Clinic AI-listens to ER visits, ArXiv bans AI slop, and a private Iran-future conference at Uber HQ
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ChatGPT ad delivery struggles are testing advertiser patience
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify How long can FOMO support OpenAI’s ad business? That’s the question likely hanging over the head of OpenAI’s global head of ads, David Dugan, right now.
Variety·1 minEddie Peng and Ewan Mitchell to Lead Action Feature ‘The Healer,’ Highland Film Group Launching in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)
Eddie Peng and Ewan Mitchell are set to star in the action film "The Healer," marking the directorial debut of Can Aydin, known for his work as a stunt coordinator on major projects. The film is being produced by Highland Film Group and 66cc, which will handle international sales during the Cannes Film Festival. Aydin has previously contributed to notable titles such as "Thunderbolts" and Disney's "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, bringing a wealth of experience to this new project. The collaboration between Peng and Mitchell is anticipated to generate excitement, given their rising profiles in the film industry. Highland Film Group is actively promoting "The Healer" as part of its lineup at Cannes, aiming to attract international buyers and showcase the film's potential. With a focus on action, the film is expected to leverage Aydin's expertise in choreography and stunt direction to deliver thrilling sequences.
‘Backrooms’ Heads For $90 Million Opening as Horror Beats ‘Star Wars’ at Box Office
__DEGRADED__ If you are looking for a paradigm shift in Hollywood, this weekend’s box office may be it. A24/Chernin’s “Backrooms” and Focus Features’ “Obsession,” two buzzy non-franchise horror films directed by YouTube-trained Gen Z filmmakers Kane Parsons and Curry Barker, are reigning atop the box office while the former box office titan “Star Wars” is seeing a steep 69% second weekend drop for its latest film “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” “Backrooms” earned an excellent $38.4 million opening day from 3,442 locations, and is now projected by industry estimates for a stunning $90 million opening weekend that ranks as the third highest domestic opening ever for a horror film behind the $117 million opening of “It” in 2017 and the $91 million of “It: Chapter Two” in 2019. It is also more than triple the highest opening weekend ever for A24, blasting past the previous record of $25.5 million set by “Civil War” in 2024. Presales and interest in the film skyrocketed over the past week, especially after critics gave the film strong reviews with an 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. The only slight blemish against “Backrooms” is that audiences weren’t quite as enthusiastic as critics, giving the film a B- on CinemaScore and a 74% audience RT score. But even if that means “Backrooms” ends up being more frontloaded than “Obsession,” this opening weekend is enough to make this a massive win for A24 and its producers, which include Peter Chernin’s North Road Films, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps and James Wan’s Atomic Monster, the latter of which is now merged with “Obsession” co-producer Blumhouse. And speaking of “Obsession,” the arrival of “Backrooms” has done absolutely nothing to halt its historic box office run as it has increased its weekend grosses yet again by 19% to $28 million this weekend, blasting past $100 million in domestic grosses. With this strong of a hold against a direct horror competitor — possibly with fans of the genre seeing both “Obsession” and “Backrooms” as a double feature — there is nothing stopping Curry Barker’s film from passing $200 million domestic and passing recent horror hits like “Weapons” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” And then there’s “Mandalorian and Grogu” in the No. 3 spot with an industry estimated $24 million second weekend, a staggering 70% drop from its $81.7 3-day Memorial Day weekend opening. It was expected that the feature follow-up to the hit Disney+ series could be a strong family play, and theatrical sources say that has been the case. But general audience turnout, particularly among the under-30 crowd, is sagging due to the competition from the two horror films conquering the marketplace. More to come… The post ‘Backrooms’ Heads For $90 Million Opening as Horror Beats ‘Star Wars’ at Box Office appeared first on TheWrap.
How YouTube’s First Late Night Show Is Both an Ode to and an Evolution of the Medium
__DEGRADED__ Last Thursday, CBS aired the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” This Thursday, the first-ever creator-led late night show premiered on YouTube. It’s an almost too-on-the-nose example of what the future of this medium may look like. “Our tagline is the evolution of late night is here,” Ben Gleib, the host of “Good Night with Ben Glieb,” told TheWrap. That’s not just a slogan for the 47-year-old comedian. During its first episode, “Good Night” featured several staples associated with the late night format: a house band (led by Keith Harris of the Black Eyed Peas), an opening monologue from Gleib, a desk interview with a celebrity (filmmaker and podcaster Kevin Smith), two pretaped man-on-the-street segments and a roundtable interview with two of Gleib’s guests (comedians Zainab Johnsonn and Brent Pella). But woven between those tried-and-true moments were flourishes that could only be expected from the YouTube age. Instead of an expansive and cold studio, Gleib films his show from a repurposed segment of his home. Though there were a handful of audience members watching Thursday’s show in person, a projector to the side of Gleib showed a wall of people who had digitally purchased a ticket and were watching the premiere live before it was posted on YouTube Friday. Smith’s interview wasn’t the typical seven to 10 minutes you may expect from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” or “Late Night with Seth Meyers;” instead it ran for half an hour, a conversational runtime more similar to a podcast episode than a broadcast TV show. Later Smith was joined author Max Lugavere for an even longer discussion with Gleib. And when the episode ended, Gleib led his makeshift studio into another part of his house, a move straight from the livestreaming playbook that gave his audience a behind-the-curtain look into both his late night show and the following afterparty. “We’re trying to really honor the history of the format and also take it to brand new levels. It’s going to be uncensored, and we’re going to cuss a lot,” Gleib said. “Good Night” didn’t come from nowhere. The late night series is showrun and executive produced by Stewart Bailey, a late night veteran known for “The Daily Show,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and the shortlived but culture-changing “The Jon Stewart Show.” Nikki Glaser and Scott Galloway are also supporters of the show and are set to appear in future episodes. “There’s a freedom with being independent that I feel working with [‘Good Night’] that I haven’t felt in a while,” Bailey told TheWrap. “There aren’t any allegiances or bridges we can burn because we are starting from scratch.” For Bailey, “Good Night” is a reminder of why he was drawn to late night in the first place. As a mainstay in the comedy scene, Bailey worked with Gleib for years and has long been impressed with both his comedic wit and his ability to improvise with the crowd on the spot. The two also share a deep love for one late night star in particular. “We both were inspired by early Letterman in the ’80s. That’s why I got into late night,” Bailey said. “I didn’t even get a lot of the jokes, but I loved the tone and irony of it.” So when Gleib contacted Bailey about making his lifelong dream of hosting a late night show a reality, he jumped at the chance. “It’s not that I’m going backwards. I’m really just returning to the freedom of rolling up your shirt sleeves and making a show,” Bailey said. “You can’t, historically, ever get a late night show unless you are offered one, but the landscape changed. YouTube became the most powerful entertainment platform on the planet and I realized I could just give myself my dream,” Gleib said. “I’ve been developing and crafting it in my mind for a full five years.” There’s another major reason why both Gleib and Bailey were drawn to YouTube. Because this team is creating their show from the ground up, they don’t have to answer to any network executives or corporate demands, insights that can put intense pressure on talent and stifle creativity. “For the first time in late night, we’re going to offer real value to the audience by booking — alongside celebrities — guests who could really change their lives: thought leaders, changemakers, experts,” Gleib said, noting that because this show will live on YouTube, it will be easier than ever for audiences to check out his guests’ work. “Also, it’s much richer for me to make comedy out the canvas of the whole world and not having to ask Chris Hemsworth for the 15th time about if [Thor’s] hammer is still heavy.” “When you’re making a show on YouTube, you’re writing basically because you believe in something, not because you think it’s going to test well or be a ratings juggernaut,” Bailey said. “We don’t have to entertain millions. I’d love to get to that point with Ben, and I do think that’s a possibility for us, but that pressure can be crippling.
Variety·6sPascal Plante’s ‘King’s Daughters,’ Starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Boarded by WTFilms (EXCLUSIVE)
WTFilms has secured worldwide rights to Pascal Plante’s new film "King’s Daughters," a historical survival drama with elements of folk horror. The film features a cast that includes renowned actress Sandrine Bonnaire alongside Laurie Babin, Lauréna Thellier, Zoé Adjani, and newcomer Marguerite Champoux. Set in 1663, "King’s Daughters" tells the story of a cursed transatlantic journey, exploring themes of survival and the supernatural. Plante is known for his previous works, including the cyber-thriller "Red Rooms," the punk rom-com "Fake Tattoos," and the sports drama "Nadia, Butterfly." The acquisition by WTFilms positions "King’s Daughters" for a global audience, highlighting the film's potential appeal due to its unique blend of historical narrative and folk horror elements. The film is anticipated to resonate with viewers interested in both dramatic storytelling and the eerie aspects of folklore.
‘CNN NewsNight’ Panelists Exchange Jabs in Heated Debate Over Trump’s Slush Fund: ‘Extremely Misogynistic!’ | Video
__DEGRADED__ “CNN NewsNight” saw two of its panelists clash amid a debate about Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund Friday night, forcing host Abby Phillip to intervene. During Friday’s broadcast for “NewsNight,” Phillip and her panelists, including former Trump administration staffer Harrison Fields and comedian Paul Mecurio, discussed a judge blocking the president’s “anti-weaponization” fund. The topic appeared to take a tense turn, however, with Fields accusing Phillip of not discussing brutality against ICE agents and those in law enforcement. “We talk about it all the time on this show,” Phillip defended. Fields, who repeatedly spoke over the host, responded, “Abby. C’mon. Please be real.” As Phillip tried to pivot away from the topic at hand, Mecurio chimed in with a reprimand for Fields. “You run from a specific question,” the Emmy winner said, before Fields tried to interrupt him. “Let me finish. You run from specifics when people ask you to be held – I’m speaking. I’m speaking to you … Don’t run from it, man.” “I’m not running from it,” Fields chimed in. As Mecurio defended that the American public was upset about the situation with Trump, Fields erupted, “No they’re not! They are not.” At this moment, Mecurio appeared to reach his breaking point, snapping, “Harrison, stop interrupting me. Stop! It doesn’t work this way. Ask my wife. Don’t interrupt me.” Despite Phillip’s pleas to Fields to let Mecurio finish, he jumped in with a new jab, noting, “What is it? Misogynistic? Extremely misogynistic!” While Mecurio exploded at Fields to “stop,” Phillip encouraged him to “finish your point.” “When you say and dodge whether or not cops got hurt, whether or not it was a bad day, the plumber sitting at home goes, ‘I don’t even know what country I am living in,'” Mecurio said. “You can’t say, ‘White is white and black is black -“ Once again, Fields interrupted him, defending that the average plumber likely voted to reelect Trump. “Again, it’s not gonna work,” Mecurio retorted. “I’ll just keep talking, and I’ll talk louder. So, we can do it this way or do good TV and let one person talk.'” Mecurio: Harrison, stop interrupting me. Stop! It doesn't work this way. Ask my wife. pic.twitter.com/IJQPgUSLqQ — Acyn (@Acyn) May 30, 2026 It didn’t take long for the fiery conversation to get clipped and shared on X, with many voicing their support for Mecurio. One critic wrote on X, “There are level headed, reasonable Republicans. Why can’t @CNN and @abbydphillip book any of them?” Another stated, “@abbydphillip needs to NEVER have this ignorant little sycophant on her show again. Rude and disrespectful as well as a Trump ass kisser.” Although, some found both panelists out of line, with one user commenting, “Harrison was on a bunch of bs as usual. What made my eyes widen was when Mecurio said ‘It doesn’t work this way. Ask my wife.’ I mean, that was a moment I’ll never forget.” Watch the heated exchange for yourself above. The post ‘CNN NewsNight’ Panelists Exchange Jabs in Heated Debate Over Trump’s Slush Fund: ‘Extremely Misogynistic!’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
