Latest in Disney

Saturday AM Update: Updated with NYC B.O. data Even with three new wide releases at this weekend’s box office and New York City finally reopening, numbers still aren’t at pre-pandemic levels. But there’s a lot of drama going on. Let’s start with Disney’s theatrical day and date Disney+ release of animated pic Raya and…

EXCLUSIVE: Today, Disney rolls out Raya and the Last Dragon, what is arguably its first domestic theatrical hybrid release; second worldwide if you count Mulan. The animated movie which is booked at 2,045 theaters, sans roughly 250 Cinemark locations, but including the newly reopened New York City market, is on its…

Warning: The following recap of WandaVision, Episode 9 “The Series Finale” contains some major spoilers: First off, if the title of the episode is any indication, we definitely won’t be getting a second season of WandaVision.  Marvel Boss Kevin Feige told the press at TCA last week “to never say never” when it comes…

David Beckham is in talks to front a show for Disney+ in which he will mentor a team of young soccer players in London. Deadline understands that the show is yet to be greenlit, but conversations are taking place after The Sun reported that producers have been casting at Hackney Marshes, a mecca for grassroots soccer…

Disney+ suffered more technical difficulties as subscribers rushed to watch the season finale of Marvel series WandaVision. Downdetector, a website that monitors web outages, showed that there had been a big spike in people reporting problems with their Disney+ service — just as the latest episode of WandaVision…

In Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, the titular character is strong, resilient, clever, has a strong bond to her community of the world of Kumandra and, above all, hopeful. That said, it’s no wonder that Kelly Marie Tran was chosen to voice the titular heroine. The Vietnamese-American actress emits those qualities…

Almost exactly a year since the park closed due to Covid-19, Universal Studios Hollywood will take its first step in re-opening with "Taste of Universal," an outdoor dining and shopping experience taking place within select themed lands. The event will take place Friday to Sunday from noon to 7:00 p.m. beginning…

EXCLUSIVE: New Turner, new Hooch, same David Sutton. Reginald VelJohnson, who co-starred in the 1989 film Turner & Hooch, will reprise his role as David Sutton — now a mayor — on the upcoming Turner & Hooch sequel series for Disney+. On the show, from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix, when an ambitious, buttoned-up US…

Kevin Mayer, whose long tenure at Disney culminated in the successful launch of Disney+, is joining sports streaming outfit DAZN as chairman. He replaces former colleague John Skipper, the longtime former ESPN executive who steered DAZN through launches in the U.S. and other global territories. Backed by billionaire…

Disney is continuing its retreat from traditional television by selling its stake in German family channel Super RTL. The U.S. company’s joint-venture partner, the German broadcasting giant RTL, has acquired Disney’s 50% holding in the channel. RTL will now own 100% of Super RTL. Financial terms were not disclosed…

Disney has debuted a suite of tools and offerings for advertisers designed to unify its linear networks and streaming platforms into a streamlined home for sponsored messages. At a tech showcase for media buyers, an online prelude to the traditional mid-May upfront, executives emphasized the versatility of Disney…

I suppose it’s not fair to compare CGI animated movies about a boy — or girl — and their dragon, but if I must, let me just say this right off the top: I really prefer DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon and both of its sequels to the latest entry from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Raya and the Last Dragon. It had…