Variety

It would be easy to think it’s high time once again for everything getting the sequel treatment after the instant success of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." But there are still more rebooted titles arriving in the coming months that could provide an unwelcome reminder that dusting off old intellectual property for another go-round doesn’t always work.

New tools and investment in virtual production could help advance the sector, projected to top $8 billion by 2030.

The MTV VMAs saw a jump in viewership over last year’s telecast, according to Nielsen data. The VMAs nabbed approximately 4.08 million viewers with the original telecast and two encore airings. That is up roughly 8% compared to last year’s show. https://bit.ly/4d8FfL0

Taylor Swift, the most famous childless cat lady in the world, drove a huge spike in traffic to the U.S. government’s Vote. gov information site following her endorsement of VP Kamala Harris for president. https://bit.ly/47mu6VP

Join top execs from Expedia Group, Paramount Global, Google and more at Variety's Entertainment & Technology Summit for an exclusive conversation discussing how they are maximizing opportunities in AI across our industry. variety.com/enttech

Even heavy streaming consumers are eager to see flicks in theaters — in the right circumstances, per an exclusive moviegoing survey from Roku and National Research Group.

“The Penguin” is set one week after the events of Matt Reeves’ 2022 movie “The Batman,” but it would be too simplistic to call it a villain origin story. Instead, HBO’s limited series — created by Lauren LeFranc — revolves around the rise of Oz “the Penguin” Cobb (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell), whose fixation on power blossoms into something so grotesque it becomes uncontainable. A masterful examination of criminality, the show is twisted, disturbing and deeply enthralling.? ? https://bit.ly/4gk4eOr

Jon Crowley, Tom Bernard, Wes Mathews, Governor Phil Murphy, Tammy Murphy and more joined the New Jersey Reception at the Toronto International Film Festival.?Choose New Jersey, Inc.

News that HBO’s upcoming #HarryPotter reboot has begun casting the lead trio – Ron, Hermione and, of course, the Boy Who Lived – has resulted in a frenzy across the U.K. But while being plucked out of obscurity to star as Harry Potter in a global TV series might sound like a dream come true, it’s impossible to escape the fact that pushing one's kids on a path toward child stardom often takes them somewhere far darker. Read the full column here: https://bit.ly/3Tlo2qU

It's official: You *can* fact-check presidential candidates during debates. But ABC News' decision to do so, which changes the format of such events, brings with it some criticism that may be hard to weather.... https://lnkd.in/e2ikk-xf #disney #newsmedia #journalism #media #abcnews #mediastrategy #mediaindustry