The Box Office Podcast

In what may be the least surprising development in the history of The Box Office Podcast, Aaron Neuwirth and Terence Johnson were the official guests for this (mostly) Godzilla: Minus Zero-centric episode. I say mostly because last weekend offered perhaps the most diverse (in terms of size, scale, genre, and studio) and least Hollywood-focused box office weekend I can recall.The introductory question, courtesy of Lisa Laman (of course), is, uh, “ What Bible story would you most like to see get invaded by Godzilla or a related Kaiju monster?” I laughed, but the responses from my co-hosts and guests were surprisingly (?) nuanced and thoughtful, so I guess the joke is on me.It took a while to run down the “top ten” (around eight minutes in), a chat that included extended digressions for The Cat in the Hat, Drummer Boy and Ramayana, among others. The Seuss-ian soliloquies included thoughts on next summer’s Man of Tomorrow, recorded 24 hours before the big turnover announcement. Whoops?Those who only want the box office-focused Godzilla: Minus Zero chatter (Shame on you!), skip to roughly 55 minutes in. And it’s almost nothing-but-the-Zilla for the final half of the 103-minute episode, so you will get your proverbial money’s worth.Among the subjects of discourse…* A (box office) ceiling for the cat and his hat* Will Bollywood’s Ramayana be a commercial disappointment?* Angel Studios’ mini-comeback year* Netflix’s aggressive push for La Bola Negra* Godzilla: Minus Zero’s breakout sequel status* The PLF boost (and how it might impact legs)* Toho’s promotional confidence* How and why Godzilla finally became a “cool” franchise in America* And much more!Recommended Reading/Listening…* Scott Mendelson argued that it’s time to stop trying to make a DC cinematic universe “happen,” as audiences have rejected it several times.* Jeremy Fuster and Umberto Gonzalez both wrote about and recorded a 14-minute video chat for TheWrap about the DC Studios turnover.* Lisa Laman discussed Cloud Atlas, Moonlight, and La Bola Negra as sprawling, multigenerational queer melodramas.* Ryan Scott’s unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” notes the fifth anniversary of Disney and Marvel Studios’ Eternals.* Max Deering’s latest Action for Everyone, with special guest Aaron Neuwirth, focused on, obviously, Godzilla: Minus Zero.* Aaron Neuwirth guested on Filmspotting to discuss his personal recommendations for those diving into the world of Godzilla movies.* Terence Johnson and Aaron Neuwirth discussed Hanna-Barbera’s animated Godzilla show, which aired from 1978 to 1979, and Godzilla: The Series, an animated spin-off of Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla that ran from 1998 to 1999.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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone* Aaron Neuwirth - The Code is Zeek and We Live Entertainment* Terence Johnson - 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla and Le Noir Auteur Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

In what we can only hope is the calm before the year-end storm, the three of us begin by chatting about the late Patrick Stewart’s best roles, as well as what made him a uniquely momentous screen presence, and whether it will be more or less funny when Professor Charles Xavier presumably gets killed off for the fifth time in the opening moments of Disney and Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. I’d like to think that the frequent Seth MacFarlane collaborator would find it bemusing. Anyway, at roughly 10:23, we get into the actual box office punditry, with lots of navel-gazing about You Can See Everything’s solid hold (even better than the estimates implied, natch). Jeremy digs into how much A24’s documentary smash compensated for the month’s other underperforming “conventional wisdom says” releases to deliver a solid October total (around $590 million). Lisa discusses how Black Bear’s Wicker is another example of how A) audiences want romance movies that feel of the moment and B) smaller studios score big when they offer what the bigger studios are not. Everyone tries to be fair to Clayface, which held fine and will unquestionably be a rate-of-return success without necessarily doing much for the overall DC Studios brand. As for Wildwood, the final grosses were noticeably higher (from $7.5 million to $8.9 million) than Sunday’s estimate, meaning its drop on weekend two wasn’t a “high-ish for Laika” 39% but a “lower than any Laika movie since Coraline” 27%. So, to the extent that the discourse perhaps should have been slightly more upbeat on that one (not that we were crying into our microphones), its weekend-to-day-ten multiplier is now 2.2x, well above prior Laika titles. If I wasn’t flying home from Ohio (and editing this pod during the bumpy flight), I might have penned an updated weekend box office post. But there you go.We pivot back to Wicker as Lisa discusses the role 4DX can play in the current marketplace (Jeremy is apparently putting his courage to the sticking place this Wednesday), but there isn’t much to offer on the weekend’s feeble new-release slate offers little. Well, Lisa argues that Everest: The Other Side shouldn’t have had to share IMAX screens with a rerelease of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Scott also notes that Musk being pulled from theaters isn’t part of a vast political conspiracy but because nobody is showing up for the four-hour documentary.The show closes with roses for Resident Evil as it passes $400 million worldwide and stones for Street Fighter, which will barely crack $105 million globally, along with last-minute opening weekend predictions for Godzilla: Minus One.Recommended Reading/Listening… * Scott Mendelson explains why the notion of a box office battle between Avengers: Doomsday and Dune Part Three isn’t as fun as it was even a month or two ago.* Jeremy Fuster offers another deep-dive update on the melodrama surrounding the (likely-to-pass) federal film tax credit.* Lisa Laman boldly predicts the biggest box office bombs of 2027.* Ryan Scott raises his glass for Patrick Stewart’s turn as the leader of a group of neo-Nazi in Jeremy Saulnier’s terrific thriller Green Room.If you like what you hear…Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. To reach out, offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, email us at [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Jeff Ewing (finally?) joined the Box Office Podcast to discuss everything Wildwood and his ongoing work on an upcoming stop-motion documentary. After a quick weekend box office rundown, the next 45 minutes or so are 95% about Wildwood and Laika (with a touch of tough-love criticism), because Mr. Ewing had a hard out. So if you only care about Clayface, skip to the 57-minute mark, though it’s a shame if that’s all you want. Anyway, in the final fifteen minutes or so, we discuss You Can See Everything’s superb second weekend, Wicker’s shockingly robust debut, and why Klara and the Sun got so brutally eclipsed.* 00:39 Enter… Jeff Ewing!* 01:59 Weekend box office rundown* 06:47 Jesus Christ… It’s Jeremy Fuster!* 13:40 Wildwood, Laika and stop-motion animation* 54:47 Jeff exits stage right* 57:18 Clayface enters stage left* 75:14 Huzzahs for You Can See Everything and Wicker* 81:20 Paying respects to Klara and the Sun(Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams innocent)* 88:53 Closing shopRecommended Reading/Listening…* Scott Mendelson discussed what an okay opening for Clayface says about the automatic IP/brand value of DC Comics movies* Jeremy Fuster digs into long-term projections after You Can See Everything’s excellent second weekend.* Lisa Laman argues that October 2026 has been among the very best months of theatrical moviegoing of her lifetime.* Ryan Scott discusses the mostly forgotten sci-fi horror flick Moontrap, starring Walter Koening and Bruce Campbell.* Max Deering offers a hearty recommendation to Ryoo Seung-wan and Jung Doo-hong’s 2006 actioner The City of Violence.* Jeff Ewing offered up an oral history of In the Mouth of Madness, which has slowly become perhaps my favorite (not the best, natch) John Carpenter movie.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, offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, email us at [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone* Jeff Ewing - The Direct, The Hollywood Show and Inverse Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Most of this episode discusses what went so incredibly right for Nathan Fielder’s You Can See Everything and what went only kinda-sorta okay for Legendary and Paramount’s Street Fighter. We also mourn Whalefall, raise a modest glass for Sense and Sensibility and discuss what’s “finally” a genuinely overcrowded theatrical slate packed with good, interesting and/or buzzy movies in theaters near you.Among the topics of discourse:* Jeremy Fuster takes a courageous stand against Lisa Laman’s uncommonly ridiculous (which for her is saying something) question of the day.* Lisa notes the continuing trend of PG or R-rated video game adaptations performing better than PG-13 game-based adaptations.* Scott Mendelson rants about Street Fighter for not providing an actual ending.* Lisa tells A24 to get their s**t together on overseas distribution.* Scott politely asks A24 to stop strong-arming movie theaters.* Everyone mourns a weaker-than-hoped debut for Whale Fall.* Jeremy explains why WB’s Clockwork is probably safe for now.* Lisa raves about Warner Bros.’ 4K restoration of The Devils.* Jeremy wonders whether a sky-high per-screen average for Netflix’s La bola negra will affect the streamer’s expansion plans for its big Oscar-season contender.* Everyone offers opening weekend predictions for Clayface and Clara and the Sun.* And much more!Recommended Reading* Scott Mendelson notes that You Can See Everything is yet another example of how you don’t need IMAX and other PLF auditoriums to get folks to show up.* Jeremy Fuster wonders, following the high-profile dismissals of Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy, if Hollywood will learn the wrong lessons from their big-swing strategy.* Lisa Laman reviews The Devils and Naza (which just got a shot in the arm with word that Neon will jump in to expand the documentary’s theatrical footprint).* Ryan Scott’s latest unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” notes the 20th anniversary of Chris Nolan’s The Prestige, which bemusingly opened just months after 2006’s other period-piece magic flick, Neil Burger’s The Illusionist.If you like what you hearPlease like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out, offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, email us at [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

No guests this week, so it’s just Scott Mendelson, Lisa Laman and Jeremy Fuster talking shop (mostly) about Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s The Other Mommy and Sony’s indifferently received The Social Reckoning. Oh, and Lisa pitches an A+ idea for a Hot Wheels movie while Jeremy helps Scott correctly pronounce the last name of everyone’s favorite Angel Studios movie star.Among the subjects of discourse…* Everyone picks their favorite from the top 25 films on Letterboxd* Poor reviews and lousy buzz couldn’t stop Other Mommy* A $40 million debut in China helped Resident Evil again rise to the top of the charts at the global box office* Why The Social Reckoning got unfriended* Amazon MGM needs to firm up its upcoming release dates* The Odyssey returns to snatch IMAX screens from Digger* Misc thoughts on arthouse titles, Angel’s latest and Verity legs* And much more!If you like what you hear…No recommended reading, if only because I’m off to a Wildwood screening and traffic isn’t getting better. Nonetheless, 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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

The episode title refers to one of Verity's odder moments, but you’ll have to listen to figure out what it means. Speaking of “what it all means,” we do eventually get into spoilers for Digger around the 40-minute mark (with a literal countdown), and we eventually discuss (at roughly 75 minutes in and as broadly as possible) why we all found Verity so damn vexing, so “spoiler warning” if you’re so inclined.Luke Y. Thompson returns to discuss the shattering of the “Tom Cruise is the biggest and last movie star left in Hollywood” myth. That includes Jeremy Fuster explaining why Days of Thunder 2 isn’t anywhere near as safe a bet as Top Gun: Maverick, or even F1: The Movie. Sidenote, I’m half-tempted to start a semi-regular “Jeremy explains to Scott what’s actually going on right now in the wide world of sports” spin-off, but I digress.Among the subjects of impassioned and righteous anger…* Everyone offers their pick for the most “underrated” Warner Bros. movie* Scott runs down the top grossers, with the usual contextual digressions and on-the-fly analysis, while Lisa and Jeremy make sure he doesn’t forget about the indie flicks.* Coyote Vs. Acme is now an uncontested domestic theatrical success.* Beware Boiúna continues an annoying trend: wide-release, major-studio movies now get showtimes all day.* Avengers: Endgame knocks Avatar, for the second time in seven years, down to second place to become the biggest global grosser of all time.* Mazel tov to Naza with an $86k Wed-Sun gross in one theater.* Luke discusses finally catching up with The Odyssey.* The many hows and many more whys of Digger’s monumental box office failure* The hows and whys of Verity’s chart-topping domestic debut* An unexpected update in our semi-regular Beaver-watch!* And much more!!Recommended Reading/Listening…* Scott Mendelson goes way too long on the cruel circumstances of Skydance, a production company with a flop-filled track record and Paramount, a studio that has mostly struggled for the last decade, now taking over Warner Bros., a studio that has thrived amid unprecedented challenges and has consistently helped theaters survive over the past decade.* Jeremy Fuster discusses a study that finds Hollywood studios currently spend more than half of their production budgets outside the United States.* Lisa Laman offers her picks for the five most important Warner Bros. movies* Ryan Scott discusses a PG-rated cut of Cannibal Holocaust that, if you’re even remotely aware of the 1980 Italian horror film’s infamous history, will at least spark your morbid curiosity.* Max Deering interviewed Linus Larsson and Mattias Snygg about Wych Elm’s upcoming 90s-horror-influenced video game, Silver Pines* Luke Y. Thompson discussed “finally” seeing Obsession after the hype “finally” died down and offered a “correct” way to adapt Chronicles of Narnia.If you like what you hear…Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. To reach out, offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, email us at [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone* Luke Y. Thompson - Mortal Cinema, TV Line and SlashFilm Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

No special guests this week, just a meat-and-potatoes episode about what turned out to be a surprisingly crowded and relatively “better for theaters than for studios” end-of-quarter three weekend. Avengers: Endgame was #1 with $26 million as it prepares to knock Avatar out of the all-time global top spot for the second time, which of course led to plenty of chatter about to what extent the MCU is “back” and/or the extent to which the Infinity Saga finale might also remind audiences that Marvel Studios used to have a far better artistic batting average. Among the other topics of discourse…* Which other 2019 movies deserve a theatrical rerelease* A comparatively solid second-weekend hold for Resident Evil* Is a $50 million worldwide launch good enough for Paramount’s $82 million Brad Pitt-starring Heart of the Beast?* Whether Universal could have done anything differently in promoting DreamWorks' well-reviewed Forgotten Island* What a robust “opening weekend” for Avengers: Endgame Encore means for the current health of the MCU brand* Primetime’s excellent debut -- bolstered by younger viewers -- alongside (slightly) divisive consumer reception* And much more!Recommended Reading* Scott Mendelson notes that Resident Evil is just the latest successful video game adaptation that, unlike most such offerings from the 2010s, isn’t mostly dependent upon overseas box office.* Jeremy Fuster discusses what the big Avengers Endgame Encore opening means for Disney’s InfinityVision PLF branding.* Lisa Laman digs into how A24 is following in the footsteps of Fox, UPN, and Netflix in becoming less inclusive as it grows into a bigger player.* Ryan Scott’s latest unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” discusses the 12-year anniversary of Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer.If you like what you hearPlease 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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Apocalypse, Extinction, The Final Chapter… all potential outcomes as the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. seems on the cusp of fruition. What was supposed to be an upbeat episode, about a studio taking the right lessons from successful IP revivals and scoring a best-case-scenario debut for reasons only partially related to the brand itself, became something of a downer. Spoiler: We got word right as we started recording that, yes, Skydance was indeed going to go from owning zero legacy studios in late 2024 to now owning two as of late 2026. Good lord, can we not be allowed to be happy for more than a few days? Anyway, after a $60.2 million domestic debut and $107 million worldwide opening weekend, Sony and friends’ Resident Evil has earned $77 million after six days in North American theaters amid a (roughly) $136 million global cume. Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten’s Austin Abrams-starring video game-based horror adventure is (between crying fits and wall-punching) the main subject of this week’s episode of The Box Office Podcast. And for the occasion, producer Max Deering gets upped to “fourth chair guest” on account of his Resident Evil video game knowledge and fandom. To be fair, as he explains, he hasn’t been on air as much due to his own life responsibilities. Speaking of which, with the Umbrella Corporation scoring an existential victory, Jeremy Fuster’s appearance on the episode was confined to the first third amid his as-it-happens reporting for TheWrap. Nonetheless, before he is whisked away, Jeremy discusses what went right and why the film might leg out over the course of the spooky season.Max discusses the conundrum of… certain fans wanting a replica of something they can already get in the video game.Lisa notes the irony of the last few Resident Evil movies and shows bombing, creating a kind of “Well, we haven’t actually seen or watched one of these in a while” mentality among general moviegoers.Scott emphasizes the extent to which the film has succeeded for reasons beyond just Resident Evil being a recognizable and (for gamers, obviously) popular franchise, and how making adaptations that work on their own terms and garner new fans for the brand is a far better strategy than attempting to placate a vocal minority online fandom.Everyone, of course, agrees that mergers are bad and that this specific kind of “buy a company mostly with debt and then foist that debt onto the company you just bought” (which is how private equity killed the likes of Borders and Toys R Us) should be very, very illegal.Recommended Reading/Listening…* Scott Mendelson argues that since almost all of Skydance’s theatrical success (and even more of its reputation as a Hollywood power player) was courtesy of Tom Cruise movies, at least some of the blame (moral or otherwise) for this potentially industry-killing merger falls on “Mr. Savior of the Movie Theater.”* Jeremy Fuster discusses what the looming “Warnermount” means for creatives.* Lisa Laman lays into Disney for turning Searchlight into an IP factory. I shared it last week, but sadly it’s become even more topical as we see a slew of release dates for cheap horror sequels like Longlegs 2, Crawl 2, Heart Eyes 2 and Freaks 2.* Ryan Scott’s latest unofficial Tales from the Box Office notes the 15th anniversary of Drive, while his look at five ‘far cheaper than they look’ sci-fi flicks reminds me that A) I quite enjoyed The Vast of Night and B) I need to catch up with the recent Deathstalker remake.* Max Deering’s latest Action For Everyone episode discusses Resident Evil and features an extended interview with Lady Jill to talk about the art of ‘trans action’ and her short Wakashu.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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

This is a somewhat overstuffed, super-sized episode, whereby Kenny Miles stops in to discuss the Telurude Film Festival, Aaron Neuwirth and Terence Johnson stop by to discuss the Godzilla Minus One trailer (as 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla premieres its third season), and everyone joins in on discussing what went, well, less right than hoped for Practical Magic 2. And we even found time for another round of Lisa Laman’s “Financial Flashback” game. Among the other subjects of discourse…* The question of the day is “most ill-advised sequel.”* Runner’s halfway decent opening and the apparent existence of a longer, more violent cut available in other non-domestic territories.* Shocker! Trying to sell The Uprising as a Robin Hood movie didn’t help.* What went wrong, in terms of timing, demographics, and artistic quality, with Practical Magic 2, and how it continues a brutal cold streak for Warner Bros.?* A few buzzy documentaries that might break out in the coming months.* And quick thoughts on the positive reception to I Play Rocky, including an, uh, emotional debate over who John Cena should play if we get to I Play Rocky IV.* And more!Recommended Reading or Listening…* Scott Mendelson drops his ridiculously long summer-movie box-office recap.* Jeremy Fuster speaks with LA City Council’s Adrin Nazarian about his new committee to fight job losses in and around Hollywood.* Lisa Laman lays into Disney for turning Searchlight into an IP factory.* Ryan Scott’s unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” notes the five-year anniversary of James Wan’s Malignant, which was obviously too pure for this terrible world.* Max Deering’s latest Action For Everyone discusses Hope and the once-vibrant marketplace for direct-to-video sequels to theatrically successful movies.* Kenny Miles reviews Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World.* Aaron Neuwirth offers a commentary for the 40th anniversary of Blue Velvet.* Terence Johnson joins Aaron for the third-season premiere of 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla, which goes long(er) on Roland Emmerich’s infamous 1998 disaster.If you like what you hear…As always, 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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone* Kenny Miles - We Live Entertainment* Aaron Neuwirth - The Code is Zeek and We Live Entertainment* Terence Johnson - 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla and Le Noir Auteur Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

When you have the biggest-grossing summer in domestic box office history, there’s only one person to call. The Box Office Podcast welcomes back Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak (the company until recently known as Comscore), as we dive into what went right (and what could have gone better still) in what indeed turned out to be an industry-best $4.765 billion between May 1 and September 7 of this year. Alongside at least some chatter about the mostly underwhelming Labor Day newbies, the topics of discourse include…* Each of us picking the happiest surprise from the summer movie season* A surprisingly robust and consistently solid indie/arthouse marketplace* Shocker: Today’s kids do (somewhat) like Looney Tunes!* Also, the kids love Insidious!* The likelihood of continued momentum thanks to seemingly exciting films like Resident Evil, Verity, Whalefall, Wildwood and Godzilla Minus Zero* The still-potent value of a good trailer playing before a well-liked movie* Milestones and trivia related to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey* Whether or not “Dunesday” can create the first $500 million weekend* Buddy and Coyote Vs. Acme’s sturdy legs show the potential for smaller films to use the pre-Labor Day weekend frame as a glorified sneak-preview weekend.* And more!(Plus, listen for the two moments where jokes or comments from Lisa and Jeremy make Scott laugh so hard that he has to turn off his microphone as he gasps for air) Recommended Reading/Listening… * Scott Mendelson dives deep into why the $2.4 billion-and-counting success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day does not mean that superhero movies are “back.”* Jeremy Fuster digs into how Jon Voight seems to have convinced Donald Trump to support a federal film production tax incentive. * Lisa Laman discusses the extent to which Netflix is promoting La Bola Negra as a theatrical title rather than an SVOD offering that will first have a limited theatrical run.* Ryan Scott discusses the extent to which Practical Magic 2 can be the exception to the rule, namely in being a successful sequel to an outright box office bomb.* Max Deering’s latest Action For Everyone episode offers a deep dive into what was shown and what went down at this year’s Big Bad Film Fest.* Paul Dergarabedian’s debut episode of Rentrak’s Lights, Camera, Box Office interviews Michael O’Leary, President & CEO of Cinema United.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 [email protected].* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone* Paul Dergarabedian - Rentrak Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe