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Have you ever switched on your television and scrolled through the sea of content before giving up to simply stare aimlessly at the screen? Been there, done that. With new movies and shows coming in droves every week and some beloved oldies resurfacing on <keyword id="19936815" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT-platforms" source="keywords">OTT platforms</keyword>, one might feel spoilt for choices. However, one may just as easily feel overwhelmed with the sheer quantity, making it hard to find that one show with the oomph we’re looking for. And so, we bring to you five new shows on Netflix that were released in May 2024 across different genres that may appeal to a range of audiences. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bridgerton Season 3" comment="subhead" text="Bridgerton Season 3"><keyword id="19916279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bridgerton-Season-3" source="keywords">Bridgerton Season 3</keyword> </cmsannotation>Few people know what it is to be patient the way Bridgerton fans do. Over two years after the second season’s release, the highly anticipated Season 3 of Bridgerton is finally here, ready to whisk you back into the world of steamy Regency romance, gossip, and grand balls. As for whether it’s worth watching, the general consensus seems to be yes. Nicola Coughlan steals the spotlight as Penelope Featherington as she navigates the treacherous transition from wilting wallflower to society darling. So if you have a historical drama itch by any chance, Bridgerton will do a wonderful job of scratching it. With only the first four episodes of the new season out so far, the show has garnered an IMDb rating of 7.4/10, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 4/5 stars on Common Sense Media. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Baby Reindeer" comment="subhead" text="Baby Reindeer"><keyword id="21762646" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baby-Reindeer" source="keywords">Baby Reindeer</keyword> </cmsannotation>Don't be fooled by the initial comedic vibes. Baby Reindeer, the new seven-part drama created by and starring comedian Richard Gadd, is a gut punch disguised as a dark comedy. Gadd, who plays Donny, dives headfirst into his own harrowing real-life experience in this series. Enter Martha, a seemingly vulnerable woman who becomes fixated on Donny, developing a relentless stalking campaign that creates a suffocating atmosphere. But Baby Reindeer is more than just a stalker thriller. As the series progresses, it delves deep into the traumas that shape both Donny and Martha, leaving a lasting impact that will stay with you long after the credits roll. However, if you're seeking a lighthearted watch, Baby Reindeer might not be your cup of tea. The show boasts a 7.9/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes! <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar" comment="subhead" text="Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar"><keyword id="20415021" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Heeramandi-The-Diamond-Bazaar" source="keywords">Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar</keyword> </cmsannotation>Diamonds may not be the only things sparkling this season! Another period drama that’s been on everybody’s tongue is Heermamandi. Set in pre-independence era India, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus features the lives of tawaifs — Lahore’s courtesans. Far from just skilled entertainers, these tawaifs wielded great power and influence, something that the lead actors Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditi Rao Hydari among others brought to life pretty convincingly. While critics do believe that the storyline was lacking and the pacing was rather slow, the show is certainly worth a watch if only for all the noteworthy performances and the sheer grandeur of the sets. Expect romance, intrigue and quite a bit of betrayal. Heermanadi has gotten an IMDb rating of 6.5/10 and 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="3 Body Problem" comment="subhead" text="3 Body Problem"><keyword id="21076420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="3-Body-Problem" source="keywords">3 Body Problem</keyword> </cmsannotation>Looking for a mind-bending journey that transcends the boundaries of our world? The Netflix original 3 Body Problem, a genius series from the genius creators David Benioff, DB Weiss (from Game of Thrones) and Alexander Woo (True Blood), might be it for you. The sci-fi show throws humanity headfirst into a chaotic dance with an alien civilisation from a three-sun system, where their very existence is a constant struggle for survival. This gripping narrative explores not just the challenges of first contact, but also the deep societal divisions that erupt when faced with an existential threat. Prepare to be challenged, surprised, and captivated by the massive scale and ingenuity of Cixin Liu's visionary tale. Already renewed for a second season, 3 Body Problem has an IMDb rating of 7.5/10 and Rotten Tomatoes score of 79%. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bodkin" comment="subhead" text="Bodkin"><keyword id="21186040" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bodkin" source="keywords">Bodkin</keyword> </cmsannotation>A journalist, a researcher and a podcaster set out to a quaint little Irish town called Bodkin in hopes of turning a decades-old mystery into a podcast. While Bodkin lures you in with its cozy vibe and seemingly friendly townsmen, it soon becomes apparent that the dark comedy is more interested in going the chaotic route. The podcasting trio uncovers a web of secrets and hidden threats that lurk beneath the town's picturesque facade. With equal parts humor and suspense, Bodkin promises a captivating journey that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you’re looking to embark on a wild ride filled with unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and a whole lotta Irish charm, you might want to give this show (which was actually produced by the Obamas) a chance. Bodkin got 7/10 on IMDb and 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Honourable mention: <keyword id="20215793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Demon-Slayer" source="keywords">Demon Slayer</keyword> is back with its fifth season and the first two episodes are already out. The show has adopted the Hashira Training arc and is gearing up to be very exciting. However, with just one episode coming out every week, binging might not be an option.

Netflix watchlist May 2024: Here are our top 5 picks to help you keep up with all the memes and trends

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="840528" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anime">anime</keyword> film "<keyword id="10176724" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Demon-Slayer">Demon Slayer</keyword> The Movie: Mugen Train" was released in US theaters on April 23.</li><li>The film set a <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> record in the US, and some coverage described its success as surprising.</li><li>It shouldn't have been: "Demon Slayer" is a massively popular anime series. </li></ul>Over the weekend, the anime film "Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train" notched a major American box office win. <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/04/mortal-kombat-demon-slayer-weekend-box-office-battle-1234742886/">Per Deadline</a>, it brought in $21.1 million in its opening weekend, setting a record for a foreign-language film debut in the United States and nearly beating out "Mortal Kombat," which brought in $23.3 million.That's impressive for an R-rated movie premiering during a pandemic, but while <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/news/box-office-mortal-kombat-opening-weekend-demon-slayer-1234959837/">some coverage</a> heralded the film's box office success as surprising, it shouldn't have been. "Demon Slayer," is, to put it bluntly, one of the biggest anime series in the world right now. "Mugan Train" represents the first major event for anime fans stateside since the beginning of the pandemic, and it hit the American public at a time when moviegoers seem to be more willing to return to theaters than they were even a few months ago. That confluence of factors, and the intense <keyword id="1610727" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Fandom">fandom</keyword> buildup to "Mugen Train," shows that its success makes perfect sense.<h2>'Demon Slayer' is a massively popular series that began as a 2016 manga</h2>"Demon Slayer," also known by its Japanese name "Kimetsu no Yaiba," is one of the biggest anime series worldwide. It began as a manga series of the same name in 2016 <a href="https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2021/5937744/koyoharu-gotouge/">written by Koyoharu Gotouge, </a> but its popularity exploded in 2019 when the anime adaptation began airing that summer. "Demon Slayer" takes place in Taishō-era Japan and follows Tanjiro, a young man who trains to join a secret organization known as the Demon Slayer Corps after a demon slaughters his entire family. His younger sister, Nezuko, survives the attack but becomes a demon in the process, setting Tanjiro on a path to turn her back into a human and avenge the rest of his family. Along the way, he teams up with fellow demon slayers Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibara.<div type="image" title="demon slayer tanjiro zenitsu inosuke" height="705" width="941" msid="82282637" hostid="261"></div>Praised for its <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2021/01/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-netflix-streaming-record.html">ethereal animation, brilliantly choreographed fight sequences</a>, and the strength of its characters, "Demon Slayer" was <a href="https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2020/02/15-1/winners-of-the-2020-anime-awards-updated-live">named anime distribution platform Crunchyroll's anime of the year in 2020</a>, an award that's determined both <a href="https://www.crunchyroll.com/animeawards/en/faqs/index.html#:~:text=How%20are%20the%20winners%20selected,the%20event%20of%20any%20ties.">by a judging panel and fan votes</a>. Its popularity has clearly continued in the lead-up to the film's release."Mugen Train" picks up immediately following "Demon Slayer's" first season. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke join Kyojuro Rengoku, an elite slayer with the title of Flame Hashira, on a train plagued by mysterious, demon-related disappearances. It's not a standalone film, but rather a continuation of the main story that picks up immediately after "Demon Slayer's" first season. That makes its success somewhat unique - there's a narrative barrier you need to hop in order to understand the movie, but in turn, it's necessary viewing for fans of the series, of which there are many.<h2>Some coverage described 'Mugen Train's' box office win as surprising, but it was already a proven hit</h2>"Mortal Kombat" and "Mugen Train" posted the highest American box office numbers of the pandemic thus far, <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/news/box-office-mortal-kombat-opening-weekend-demon-slayer-1234959837/">Variety reported</a>, citing Comscore. That's an encouraging sign for box office analysts as theaters continue to open at wider capacities, according to Variety. Variety's headline described the box office performance of "Mugen Train" as "surprisingly strong;" The Hollywood Reporter described it as locked in a "surprise battle" with the dominant "Mortal Kombat." <div type="image" title="Demon Slayer Flame Hashira Mugen Train" height="1080" width="1440" msid="82282639" hostid="261"></div>However, "Mugen Train" was already a smash hit - and that's putting it mildly. The film was one of the first to premiere in Japan amid relaxed pandemic movie theater restrictions, <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/demon-slayer-movie-mugen-train-us-release-anime-series-explained.html#:~:text=Set%20during%20Taish%C5%8D%2Dera%20Japan,been%20turned%20into%20a%20demon.">Vulture reported</a>, and audiences <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/10/demon-slayer-tenet-japan-china-global-international-box-office-1234599364/">showed up for a record-breaking $44 million opening weekend</a>. It eventually dethroned Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away" as the top-grossing film ever in Japan, and also holds the title of the top-grossing anime film worldwide, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-04-23/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-movie-mugen-train-anime-success-story">and as the Los Angeles Times reported</a>, it was the fourth highest-grossing film of 2020 worldwide. That meant that "Mugen Train" beat out Christopher Nolan's fifth-place "Tenet," which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/business/media/tenet-movie-theaters-coronavirus.html">bore the hopes and dreams of the ailing movie theater industry in 2020</a> and ultimately wasn't able to deliver amid ongoing pandemic safety concerns.<h2>'Mugen Train' represented a major event for anime fans in the United States</h2>At this point, anime has become a major part of American pop <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword>. Michael B. Jordan <a href="https://thesource.com/2019/10/04/coach-michael-b-jordan-naruto-collection/">launched a Naruto-inspired collection with Coach in 2019</a>. Megan Thee Stallion <a href="https://www.papermag.com/megan-thee-stallion-2639723905.html">posed in "My Hero Academia" cosplay on the cover of Paper Magazine</a> that same year. Anime franchises and audio clips <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/21/21075974/tiktok-anime-important-part-of-our-culture-memes-danganronpa-explained">are a major part of the fabric of TikTok culture.</a> That's due in part to increased accessibility. You can watch anime on distribution platforms Crunchyroll and Funimation hours after episodes premiere in Japan. Many popular series - "Demon Slayer" included - are available to watch on Netflix, which produces its own original anime, and other major streaming services like HBO Max and Hulu. Screenings of films like "Mugen Train" <a href="https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-09-21/promare-anime-film-ranks-at-no.3-in-u.s-on-thursday/.151392">or 2019's "Promare"</a> are a big deal for fans. The anticipation building up to "Mugen Train" online was palpable, particularly given that it represented the biggest in-person anime event since the pandemic began. TikTok posts <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vale.x8x/video/6953063314352082182?sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6891259809896056326&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;is_copy_url=0s_copy_url=0">leading up to </a>and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@francisdominicano19/video/6954961966112853254?is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6891259809896056326809896056326">following the film's release</a> give an insight into that anticipation, even if it's through memes about people yelling out random TikTok or fandom-related phrases. Ultimately, "Mugen Train's" success makes sense: a continuation of a popular, highly acclaimed series, it represented a major event for fans as people are starting to become more comfortable going to the <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword>. It's also a testament to anime's broader standing in American pop culture - "Mugen Train" is a smash <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> hit, but it fights right into the American <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> landscape as well."Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train" is currently in theaters in the United States and will be available digitally on June 22.

The anime movie 'Demon Slayer' broke box office records. That shouldn't come as a surprise.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fseries%2Ff2c277c5-62b4-417c-b277-8435b70176dd" rel="nofollow sponsored">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a>" is a cult favorite sci-fi show adapted from the 1992 film of the same name.</li><li>The <keyword id="12007221" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="book" source="Orion">book</keyword> "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fbooks%2Finto-every-generation-a-slayer-is-born-how-buffy-staked-our-hearts%2F9780306826689" rel="nofollow sponsored">Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts</a>" revisits the series.</li></ul><ul class="summary-list"></ul><keyword id="12690777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sarah-michelle-gellar" source="Orion">Sarah Michelle Gellar</keyword> revealed who she would like to see star in a <keyword id="11949125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="reboot" source="Orion">reboot</keyword> of "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fseries%2Ff2c277c5-62b4-417c-b277-8435b70176dd" rel="nofollow sponsored">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a>." "I vote <keyword id="11932134" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zendaya" source="Orion">Zendaya</keyword>," she told author <keyword id="13409017" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="evan-ross-katz" source="Orion">Evan Ross Katz</keyword> in an interview for his new book, "<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/evan-ross-katz/into-every-generation-a-slayer-is-born/9780306826702/">Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts</a>," which is a retrospective looking back on the classic show.<a target="_merchant" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0306826682"></a><a target="_merchant" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0306826682">"Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts" by Evan Ross Katz</a><a target="_merchant" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0306826682">$26.10 FROM AMAZON</a>Originally $29.00 | Save 10%<a target="_merchant" href="https://bookshop.org/books/into-every-generation-a-slayer-is-born-how-buffy-staked-our-hearts/9780306826689">$26.68 FROM BOOKSHOP</a>Originally $29.00 | Save 8% Gellar played the teenage vampire slayer throughout the series' entire seven-season run from 1997 to 2003 ("Buffy" first on The WB and later moved to UPN for its final two seasons). The show, from creator Joss Whedon, was based on Whedon's 1992 film of the same name.<div type="image" title="A picture of Zendaya in &quot;Dune.&quot;" height="843" width="1125" msid="90300740" hostid="261"></div>Buffy faced a variety of dark forces in addition to vampires including demons, werewolves, and other monsters. The show was a huge hit that retains a devoted following years after it went off the air. It has inspired podcasts, fan fiction, and other art from those who love getting lost in its ghoulish universe. In the book, Gellar's "Buffy" costar <a href="https://www.insider.com/ncis-celebrity-cameos-2018-5">Julie Benz</a> agreed with her choice. "That would be amazing," she replied of Gellar's Zendaya fan-casting.Zendaya is no stranger to on-screen heroics. She appeared in <a href="https://www.insider.com/dune-denis-villeneuve-best-movie-of-the-year-2021-12">2021's sci-fi epic "Dune"</a> and will also <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/dune-part-2-release-date-cast-plot-details/">star in "Dune Part II," due out in 2023</a>. She also plays this generation's version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man's love interest MJ in <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/spider-man-no-way-home">"Spider-Man: No Way Home."</a><div type="image" title="sarah michelle gellar" height="800" width="1066" msid="90300741" hostid="261"></div>Zendaya has also been battling foes of the more spiritual sort on the HBO drama "<a href="https://www.insider.com/judd-apatow-crying-watching-maude-apatow-euphoria-daughter-2022-3">Euphoria</a>" where her character, teenager Rue Bennett, struggles with drug addiction. Gellar is not the first actress to endorse Zendaya continuing the legacy of their franchise. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/independence-day-resurgence-trailer-2015-12?_ga=2.119695819.23079106.1647268579-1996747788.1647018266">Vivica A. Fox</a> told <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/film/vivica-a-fox-kill-bill-sequel-remake-plans-tarantino-zendaya-2696532">NME</a> in 2020 that she would be pleased with the actress assuming the role of her on-screen daughter in a future "Kill Bill" sequel."<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/evan-ross-katz/into-every-generation-a-slayer-is-born/9780306826702/">Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts</a>" is available now on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Every-Generation-Slayer-Born/dp/0306826682" rel="nofollow sponsored">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fbooks%2Finto-every-generation-a-slayer-is-born-how-buffy-staked-our-hearts%2F9780306826689" rel="nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">Bookshop</a>.

Sarah Michelle Gellar fully supports a 'Buffy' reboot and knows exactly who she wants to take over the role: 'I vote Zendaya'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>For 20 years, a petite, beautiful blonde girl has subverted the norm."Buffy the Vampire Slayer" premiered on March 10, 1997, and ever since, we've been able to watch (and re-watch) Joss Whedon's fast-talking, atypical heroine&#xa0;save the world a hundred times over from vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness."Buffy" spawned a fanatic cult following, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BuffySpeak">created its own language</a>, inspired&#xa0;hundreds of scholarly books and articles (often dubbed <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/the-rise-of-buffy-studies/407020/">Buffy Studies</a>), and truly was "golden" even before the almighty&#xa0;Golden Age of Television started.Beyond the show's large cultural footprint, "Buffy" also launched careers for many of its main stars. And some have had some surprising paths.See what the main&#xa0;"Buffy" cast has been up to since the show premiered 20 years ago:

THEN & NOW: What happened to the stars of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 20 years later

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A long-running feud between the stars of the 1990s show "Charmed" is back in the spotlight.</li><li>In December, Shannen Doherty accused Alyssa Milano of getting her fired from the show.</li></ul>For fans of "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/charmed-fun-facts-2018-10">Charmed</a>" and its long-running behind-the-scenes drama, the show's legacy has always been tough to parse.The TV hit, about three sisters who happened to be witches, premiered in 1998, building on the success of other supernatural "girl power" stories of the era like "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-dolly-parton-producer-2024-1">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a>" and "The Craft."For eight years, The Charmed Ones fought literal demons while hitting viewers over the head with the script's unsubtle emphasis on morality, sisterhood, and female empowerment. But off-screen, stories of bitter feuds between costars, reported attempts at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/holly-marie-combs-padded-push-up-bra-charmed-2022-3">sexualizing the female actors</a>, and the abrupt replacement of its star Shannen Doherty with Rose McGowan in its fourth season told a different story.Doherty's departure was initially framed as her decision. But in December 2023, more than 20 years later, she claimed that was far from the truth, an allegation costar Holly Marie Combs has cosigned.However, Milano, who recently broke her silence on the claims, has painted a different story of how everything went down.<h2>Milano said she didn't have the power to get Doherty fired</h2><div type="image" title="Alyssa Milano speaks at MegaCon Orlando 2024 at Orange County Convention Center on February 02, 2024 in Orlando, Florida." height="2880" width="4500" msid="107470209" hostid="261" sizebytes="618006"></div>Appearing on a panel at MegaCon in Orlando on February 2, Milano responded to claims that she was responsible for the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum's abrupt departure from "Charmed" following its third season in 2001.On the show, Milano played Phoebe Halliwell, alongside Combs, who played her on-screen sister, Piper Halliwell, and Doherty, who was initially cast as their older sister, Prue Halliwell."I knew this was going to come up in one way or another, and I want to be very thoughtful in how I respond to any of this, and I will just say that I'm sad," Milano said when asked about the situation, <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2024/02/charmed-alyssa-milano-responds-claim-she-had-shannon-doherty-fired-1235813488/">Deadline reported</a>."I'm the most sad for the fans," she continued. "I am the most sad that a show that has meant so much to so many people has been tarnished by a toxicity that is still to this day almost a quarter of a century later still happening."Milano followed up her comments at the event with a post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C25AQxjgY81/">shared to Instagram</a>, in which she said she "did not have the power to get anyone fired." "I don't know one other show that has had the success that 'Charmed' had where the cast still speaks ill of the experience a quarter of a century later," Milano wrote in the caption on the post, which featured <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C25AQxjgY81/">screenshots of her transcribed comments</a> from the MegaCon panel.Writing about her time working on "Charmed," Milano added in the caption that she had "absolute certainty" that "everything was documented.""There was a professional mediator (I was told Holly and Shannen would not participate in any mediation) and an on-set producer/babysitter who were both brought in to investigate all claims," she wrote."The studio, Aaron Spelling, and network made the decision to protect the international hit that was Charmed," Milano added. "I did not have the power to get anyone fired. Once Shannen left we had 5 more successful seasons and I am forever grateful."Doherty <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@disadventurelife/video/7331802750117891371?embed_source=71929436%2C121374463%2C121351166%2C71838017%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_blank&amp;refer=embed&amp;referer_url=decider.com%2F2024%2F02%2F05%2Fshannen-doherty-cries-alyssa-milano-charmed%2F&amp;referer_video_id=7331802750117891371">addressed</a> Milano's denial during a separate MegaCon panel she participated in with McGowan and Combs on February 4."A lot of things have been said and a lot of them are very hurtful," Doherty began. She said that she and Combs were not "mean" when discussing their history with Milano on her podcast and that they stand by what they said."We simply told the truth, because the truth actually does matter. But we wanted to try to save you, the fans, from heartbreak as much as humanly possible," she continued."At this point in my life, with my health diagnosis — sorry if I start crying — with fighting horrific disease every day of my life, it is also incredibly important to me that the truth actually be told, as opposed to the narrative that others put out there for me," Doherty said, referencing her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.today.com/health/shannen-doherty-says-she-s-dying-stage-4-terminal-cancer-t173207">terminal cancer diagnosis</a> in 2020. Combs also responded to Milano's post a day later, saying in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday that she felt the need to defend herself after Milano "stepped out on the stage and essentially called Shannen and I liars."Combs added that she was "shocked and a little disappointed," particularly by Milano's Instagram post the day after her comments at the panel, claiming that Milano had been texting her "words to the contrary" at the same time as her post."This is not revisionist history. This is just the history she didn't want people to know about. And the history Shannen wasn't ready to talk about until one month ago," she wrote, in part. <h2>The drama between Milano and Doherty kicked off in December 2023, when Combs said Milano threatened to sue 'Charmed' producers if they didn't fire Doherty</h2><div type="image" title="Holly Marie Combs (L) and Shannen Doherty attend the premiere of the film &quot;Ocean's Eleven&quot; December 5, 2001 in Los Angeles, CA." height="3000" width="2090" msid="107470212" hostid="261" sizebytes="253544"></div>On her podcast "<a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7to9J2tlUqsZ7bsAO8WFp3">Let's Be Clear</a>," which launched in late 2023, Doherty discussed her time on the show with her longtime friend and former costar Combs.Combs claimed that one of the show's producers, Jonathan Levin, told her Doherty was fired after Milano threatened to sue producers, People reported."We didn't mean to, but we've been backed into this corner — we're basically in this position where it's one or the other. We were told [by Alyssa] it's her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment," Levin reportedly said.Doherty added: "The narrative that I quit was assigned to me by other people. I didn't assign it to myself. And I think I'm just at that point in my life where I don't want to keep lying about something," she said."I don't think that there's anybody in their right mind that would quit a hit show that's paying them a good amount of money that they actually really enjoy working on."Representatives for Milano, Doherty, Combs, and CBS Studios, which now owns "Charmed" production company Spelling Television, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Doherty <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRKkvfxytW0&amp;ab_channel=Let%27sBeClearwithShannenDohertyPods">suggested</a> at least part of the rivalry had to do with her and Milano fighting for Combs' friendship. She accused Milano of blocking Doherty from <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/health/holly-marie-combs-reveals-closeness-with-charmed-cast-following-health-scare/">visiting Combs in the hospital</a> while filming season two of the show and said she cried every night during that period.<a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/11/11/shannen.doherty.new.book/index.html">Doherty's "bad girl" reputation</a> was, at the time, believed to be to blame for her departure from "Charmed." Rumors resurfaced that she'd been previously fired from a starring role on "Beverly Hills 90210" after a series of on-set issues, per People.Following her statements, many fans <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bishopmortimer/video/7314165040746138923">took</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thoughtswgracie2.0/video/7314173207886564638">social media</a> to side with Doherty, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mdwstdietcoke/status/1736900466322313444">suggesting</a> she was unfairly vilified by the "Charmed" fandom.But it's not the only off-air relationship they're discussing. <h2>The resurfaced drama has reignited speculation about feuds between other 'Charmed' stars</h2>On Reddit, where "Charmed" fans still passionately debate every aspect of the show, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/charmed/comments/18l5uc4/what_we_learned_in_lets_be_clear_with_shannen/">thread</a> about Doherty's claims about Milano has very active. One of the key questions surrounds Combs' relationship history with the two women.Just a year ago, Milano <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClueN7GPkZJ/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">posted on Instagram</a> in celebration of Combs' birthday, writing, "Love you so much," suggesting the pair were friends at the time.Combs and Doherty have had ups and downs. Combs said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoKKmVUKptY&amp;ab_channel=WomenonTop">in a 2020 interview</a> that despite years of friendship, she and Doherty were no longer in touch after becoming "too close."But Combs' participation in Doherty's podcast — in particular, her supporting Doherty's allegations and saying she wanted to quit "Charmed" in solidarity but was threatened with a lawsuit — has caused speculation among fans. Milano also has a fraught relationship with costar Rose McGowan, who joined the show following Doherty's exit in 2002. This dates back at least to their separate involvement with the #MeToo movement.In early October 2017, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html">The New York Times</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories">The New Yorker</a> published exposés about the sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. A week after the story broke, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rose-mcgowan-says-harvey-weinstein-offered-her-1-million-in-hush-money-2017-10">McGowan tweeted that she had been raped</a> by "HW," later clarifying she was referring to Weinstein, BI previously reported.Three days later, Milano <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/alyssa_milano/status/919659438700670976?lang=en">tweeted</a> asking women to reply "Me Too" if they had been sexually harassed or assaulted. It went mega-viral and has been credited with popularizing the #MeToo hashtag.In 2020, multiple outlets <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/tv/rose-mcgowan-accuses-alyssa-milano-toxic-behavior-charmed/">reported</a> that during a Twitter spat over politics, McGowan accused Milano of stealing the MeToo movement from activist <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-metoo-movement-started-where-its-headed-tarana-burke-time-person-of-year-women-2017-12">Tarana Burke,</a> who founded it in 2006 to support survivors of sexual violence, in particular women of color. (Burke and Milano have made many public appearances together and Burke was a guest on the <a target="_blank" href="https://sorrynotsorrypod.com/episodes/me-too-with-tarana-burke-and-joe-biden/">inaugural episode of Milano's podcast</a> "Sorry Not Sorry" in 2019, along with Joe Biden.)McGowan's tweets are no longer available to view, but she also reportedly said Milano made the set of "Charmed" toxic and called her a fraud. At the time, a representative for Milano told People: "Hurt people hurt people. Commenting any further doesn't align with my wellness plan."McGowan did not respond to a request for comment from BI.<h2>Generations of fans are left reckoning with the show's messy legacy</h2>Across social media, many fans are saying they're seeing the show through a different lens since the recent developments. Some are <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/itsRoJay/status/1737137950394048707">re-evaluating the acting</a> for being so believable despite the behind-the-scenes tension and saying Combs' portrayal of grief after Doherty's character was killed off <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/itsRoJay/status/1737153771854012417">takes on new depth with the added context</a>.Add to years of feuds a 2018 reboot that was vocally slammed by some of the original show's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34392507/charmed-reboot-feud/">cast</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://tvline.com/news/charmed-feud-origjnal-series-reboot-series-finale-twitter-1234842441/">writers</a>, and it seems the "Charmed" reckoning may never end. Ironically, for a show where most characters fit neatly into a "good" or "evil" box, much of the real-life drama seems to live in a gray area.Since the show ended nearly 18 years ago, Milano and McGowan have thrown themselves into politics and activism, while Combs hosts a "Charmed" rewatch podcast with co-stars Brian Krause, who played her husband on the show, and Drew Fuller, who played their adult, time-traveling son. Doherty, meanwhile, has been outspoken in her experience living with cancer, which she was first diagnosed with in 2015 and announced had returned and was terminal in 2020.Despite everything, Combs and Doherty said during the December 2023 podcast episode that they're open to reprising their "Charmed" roles, echoing McGowan's statement at a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hFlD9kPtEk&amp;ab_channel=DutchCountryGirl">panel</a> in 2023 that she'd "love" to do the same."I just think there's three generations now that have watched the show," Combs said. "Some things are bigger than you, and some things are more important than personal feelings."As for how the actors might make it work given the cast dynamics, she said: "There's also split screen and green screen, and people don't have to work with each other if they don't want to.""We can just make it look like you do."

The feud between 'Charmed' costars Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty just got even messier

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10810000" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="butch-hartman">Butch Hartman</keyword> has been accused of plagiarizing art on <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword>.</li><li>A recent commission from the "Fairly Odd Parents" creator was scrutinized as bearing close resemblance to another artist's work.</li><li>Hartman has spent the past three years dealing with controversies stemming from his Oaxis network.</li></ul>Butch Hartman, creator of multiple Nickelodeon shows like the "Fairly Odd Parents," "T.U.F.F. Puppy," and "Danny Phantom," is being accused of plagiarizing art by a Japanese artist who posts their work on Twitter. On Saturday, Hartman posted a commissioned piece he drew of Mikasa Ackerman from "Attack on Titan" that some fans thought looked a little off. Anyone can purchase a commissioned piece of artwork from Hartman on his website for upwards of $200.<h2>Butch Hartman posted a commission that some thought resembled another artist's work</h2>After Hartman posted the photo, internet detectives quickly compared it to a 2018 drawing by Japanese artist @028ton on Twitter. The account, with over 35,000 followers and started in 2016, posts drawings of anime characters from franchises like "Pokemon" and "Demon Slayer." The next day, @028ton tweeted that they "checked the tweets and found many similarities to my work" and that Hartman did not have permission to use the illustrations. The story quickly picked up online, with many defending @028ton's work and expressing confusion over the fact that Hartman would potentially have copied or traced someone else's work for a paid commission. By Monday afternoon, Butch Hartman was trending on Twitter with over 70,000 tweets talking about the former Nickelodeon creator alongside "Butcher Hartman." Some pointed out the fact that Hartman has been accused of copying or tracing for commissions in the past. <h2>Who is Butch Hartman?</h2>Hartman has been working in the animation industry since 1986, storyboarding and working on titles like "An American Tail," "Johnny Bravo," and "Dexter's Laboratory." In 1997, he created the first "Fairly Odd Parents" short for the "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" block on Nickelodeon, which was eventually picked up for a full series in 2001. The show was a massive success, leading him to eventually create three other shows for Nickelodeon before leaving the company in February 2018. Leading up to his departure throughout 2016 and 2017, Hartman invested a lot of time into creating and maintaining a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8iVuEUisbubpH9z5p0eUsg/videos">YouTube channel</a>. His videos discussing his creations, interpretations of <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword>rs, and the future of his content pulled in hundreds of thousands if not millions of views. By the time he had started YouTube full time, it seemed like his channel was prepared for success.In June 2018, Hartman launched a Kickstarter campaign for his <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oaxisentertainment/oaxis-entertainment">Oaxis Entertainment network</a>, meant to be a "family-friendly" alternative to other streaming services. Shortly after the project was closed and raised over $268,000, a video of Hartman talking at a Christian private conference started to circulate online. In it, Hartman talks about his multi-year plan for the network and acknowledges that "Oaxis is a family-friendly online media platform that will shift the narrative of Hollywood.""We're going to save families and speak to them in parables," Hartman says. "My stuff has got to be hip to reach the secular people." Backers were bothered by the fact that Christianity was never part of the Kickstarter page and YouTubers started to make their own videos about Oaxis. Over two years after the Kickstarter was funded, Oaxis still hasn't launched, with the website saying they <a href="https://oaxis.tv/">are "almost ready." </a>After this scandal, Hartman's reputation never really recovered.In 2019, Hartman produced an animated series for the YouTube kids channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/HobbyKidsTV">HobbyKidsTV</a> featuring animated animal <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfC3UkeZ09I">versions of the kids and parents. </a>He also released "The Garden," <a href="https://www.thegardencartoon.com/">which the website</a> describes as "fun," "family-friendly," and "christ-centered." His 800,000 subscriber YouTube channel started to dwindle, with his most recent uploads barely breaking 10,000 views. Hartman did not return a request for comment.

'Fairly Odd Parents' creator accused of plagiarizing from Japanese Twitter artist for commissions

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Because of the pandemic, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" will likely be the last <keyword id="6356021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="movie">movie</keyword> to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-just-crossed-the-1-billion-mark-and-it-has-only-been-out-12-days-2015-12">cross $1 billion</a> for some time.</li><li>Yet <keyword id="107172" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Imax">Imax</keyword> CEO Richard Gelfond said a film could hit that threshold this year if enough people were vaccinated.</li><li>Films like "Spider-Man 3" or "Avatar 2" could reach billion-dollar status when they premiere.</li></ul>The coronavirus pandemic upended the <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> last year.Theatrical <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/movies-impacted-by-coronavirus-no-time-to-die-mulan-sonic-2020-3">releases were delayed</a> or <a href="https://www.insider.com/movies-coming-to-theaters-this-year-titles-hurt-by-coronavirus-2020-3">pushed back</a>. Some films, including Pixar's "Soul" and Disney's "Mulan," were sent to streaming, while others, such as "My Spy" and "Coming 2 America," were sold to streamers. Warner Bros. went a different route altogether, deciding to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/warner-bros-movie-2021-debut-hbo-max-theaters-same-day-2020-12">release its entire theatrical slate simultaneously on HBO Max</a>.In a year when there should've been at least a few billion-dollar movies <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/box-office/box-office-us-misses-record-disney-dominates-1203453752/">after a record-breaking 2019</a>, we didn't wind up with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/?ref_=bo_nb_di_tab">a single movie crossing half a billion</a>. The closest we came was "Bad Boys for Life" (<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3944174085/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_2">$426.5 million</a>) and the Chinese film "The Eight Hundred," the <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2020/?ref_=bo_lnav_hm_shrt">highest-grossing movie of 2020</a>, with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr832590341/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_1">$461.3 million.</a> The last time a movie failed to <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2007/">cross $1 billion was in 2007</a>. Still, it's a milestone so rare that only <a href="https://www.insider.com/highest-grossing-movies-box-office-2017-1">47 movies have ever achieved</a> it.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/highest-grossing-movies-box-office-2017-1">Only 47 movies have ever hit $1 billion at the box office - here they are</a>As the pandemic continues and theaters remain closed or opened at limited capacity, will another movie reach that benchmark? For this year, the answer is likely no.But industry experts said that the box-office slump was temporary and another movie would cross that threshold again. It'll just take time, herd immunity, and a mammoth movie.<h2>What does success even look like for a movie right now?</h2><div type="image" title="tenet warner bros" height="1250" width="2500" msid="80652917" hostid="261"></div>Usually it's very clear-cut which films are performing well at the box-office and which missed the mark. Weekend box-office numbers immediately told analysts and studios what overperformed and underperformed.If something was No. 1 for the weekend in North America, it became an easy marketing tool to help get more viewers into theaters the next weekend.But when some theaters are closed worldwide - <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/12/movie-theaters-2021-outlook-poised-for-rebound-covid-black-widow-1234661930/">including 60% in the US and Canada</a> - and others <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-new-york-movies/movie-theaters-outside-new-york-city-to-reopen-at-25-capacity-cuomo-says-idUSKBN2720OT">operating</a> <a href="https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/movie-theaters-prepare-to-reopen-as-covid-19-restrictions-eased-across-minnesota/5970385/">at 25%</a> <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/safety-standards-and-checklist-theaters-and-performance-venues">capacity</a>, we're not getting the same box-office reports weekly.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/hollywood-is-dying-pandemic-2021-1">How the $100 billion Hollywood machine is scrambling to come back after its worst year in decades</a>"<a href="https://www.insider.com/best-kids-movies-of-2020#the-croods-a-new-age-will-remind-you-not-to-be-afraid-of-letting-others-into-your-tribe-7">The Croods: A New Age</a>" brought in <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3209528833/?ref_=bo_di_table_1">$9.7 million on opening weekend</a> instead of the expected $30 million to $40 million it would have made over the Thanksgiving holiday. (The first film opened to <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0481499/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">$43.6 million, in 2013</a>.)How do you even make sense of which films are performing well right now, when some went straight to video on demand ("Trolls World Tour") or have been swooped up by streaming services? You don't.<div type="image" title="the croods 2" height="1035" width="2071" msid="80652920" hostid="261"></div>Netflix, which has been notoriously private about its streaming analytics, will tell you its top 10 movies and TV shows. But the problem, as <a href="https://screenrant.com/netflix-top-10-list-rankings/">many have pointed out</a>, is that a view may be counted regardless of whether someone is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-netflix-calculates-its-new-daily-top-10-lists-2020-2">streaming content for two minutes</a> or makes it through the end of a show or film."It's hard because at least with the box office I can be a box-office analyst. I can analyze hard numbers," <a href="https://www.ercboxoffice.com/">Exhibitor Relations'</a> senior analyst Jeff Bock said, referring to how success for a film is measured right now. "I can't analyze these mythological top 10s. I just can't because there's just nothing to base them off of."Bock said that something like Netflix's "Away" series, featuring Hilary Swank, which was <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/10/21/netflix-cancelling-away-shows-you-cant-always-count-on-the-top-10/?sh=759ba54d5be1">in Netflix's top 10 for a while</a>, but wound up getting canceled after one season."To be accurate, you need to have a solid foundation, and that's not there yet," Bock added. "I don't know what the aggregate is going to be in the future, but it definitely needs one."<h2>We could have a billion-dollar movie this year, but not from Warner Bros.</h2><div type="image" title="Dune Warner Bros" height="1080" width="1920" msid="80652921" hostid="261"></div>Out of the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=big+five+film+studios&amp;oq=big+five+film+studios&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64j69i60.6849j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8ome&amp;ie=UTF-8">five major film studios</a>, WB's decision to simultaneously release its full 2021 theatrical slate in theaters and on HBO Max leaves them largely out of the box-office conversation."None of their films on their list will even come close to a billion now because it's free on HBO Max, at least for a month," Bock said.WB could still have a pretty big year with its slate, including "The Suicide Squad," "Matrix 4," and "Dune." Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/warner-bros-movie-2021-debut-hbo-max-theaters-same-day-2020-12">Every Warner Bros. movie being released on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously</a>But even if WB's films make money in theaters, the studio's returns will be far less than expected.<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/2020s-big-plot-twist-how-wonder-woman-1984-came-to-upend-hollywoods-future">According to The Hollywood Reporter</a>, some theaters are considering making ticket sales <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cinemas-cut-warner-bros-ticket-prices-hbo-max-streaming-movie-2020-12">for any WB title $3 to $5, </a>which is a steep reduction considering that the average movie ticket price was <a href="https://www.natoonline.org/data/ticket-price/">$9.16 in 2019</a>, the National Association of Theater Owners reported. In addition, theaters will want to keep <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/2020s-big-plot-twist-how-wonder-woman-1984-came-to-upend-hollywoods-future">75% to 80% of movie revenue</a>. Usually, chains such as AMC and Regal <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/movie-theaters-sneaky-ways-spend-more-money-amc-regal-2019-8">take in about 50% of ticket sales each year</a>.Experts said there's also the opportunity for piracy once these films are on the streamer for 30 days, which could hurt revenue. When "Wonder Woman 1984" was released last month, it accounted <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/wonder-woman-1984-is-a-massive-hit-on-pirate-sites-after-early-hbo-premiere-201230/">for about 10% of illegal downloads on its first day of release</a>, a large number that file-sharing blog Torrentfreak referred to as "a potential game-changer."<h2>Will people even want to head back to theaters? What would it take to get people to return? Herd immunity and a vaccine.</h2><div type="image" title="amc theaters nj 2" height="2250" width="3000" msid="80652923" hostid="261"></div>As COVID-19 kept many away from theaters, movie lovers didn't just binge Amazon, Hulu, Disney Plus, and other streamers. They also invested in home-entertainment systems.A <keyword id="515907" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dolby">Dolby</keyword> <a href="https://news.dolby.com/en-WW/193290-global-survey-from-dolby-reveals-new-trends-in-home-entertainment-consumption-and-purchasing">survey conducted in October</a> found that 82% of respondents planned to upgrade their <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> <a href="https://news.dolby.com/en-WW/193290-global-survey-from-dolby-reveals-new-trends-in-home-entertainment-consumption-and-purchasing">equipment</a> within the next six months, with 64% paying for streaming upgrades, including an ad-free experience or enhanced picture and sound quality.If people are pouring more money into home-theater systems and streaming, will they want to return to spending in theaters? <a href="https://insider.com/category/imax">Imax</a> CEO Richard Gelfond told Insider the answer is yes. <div type="image" title="amc theaters nj covid 19" height="2250" width="3000" msid="80652926" hostid="261"></div>"People are just tired of sitting in their homes on their couches watching streaming," he said, adding that there's a reason the movie business has existed for over 100 years."People can eat in their houses and they go to restaurants," Gelfond said. "People can watch sports in their houses and they go to sporting events. I just don't understand the narrative that moviegoing has changed."Still, Bock said that if families have upgraded their movie-watching experience at home, they may not want to risk heading out to theaters.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/going-to-movie-theater-during-pandemic">I secretly drove 2 hours to go to a movie theater for the first time in 6 months. This is what it was like.</a>"For the average consumer, $15 buys an entire month of HBO Max or Netflix or Disney Plus," he added. "For one night of going to the theaters, it's just not worth it anymore."<a href="https://morningconsult.com/2020/12/11/movie-theaters-need-new-films-and-sanguine-customers-what-will-next-year-bring/">Only 24% of American adults</a> said they felt comfortable going to a movie theater right now, a recent Morning Consult poll found.But to get theaters open at a larger capacity again, you need <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-can-i-get-a-coronavirus-vaccine-timeline-2020-11"> 75% to 80%</a> of people, Dr. Anthony Fauci has said, to take vaccines and eventually reach herd immunity, which could take until the end of this year.<h2>We'll see another $1 billion movie, but expect the future of the box office to depend largely on overseas</h2>One glimmer of hope comes when you look at international markets. As of August, <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/china-first-box-office-recovery-1234751777/">China's box office had more or less returned to normal</a>. Japan <a href="https://qz.com/1919386/japans-box-office-is-breaking-records-while-hollywood-stalls/">broke records</a> thanks to an adaptation of the popular manga "Demon Slayer.""'The Eight Hundred' is the No. 1 film of 2020. That has never happened before," Bock said of the Chinese historical war drama. "Get used to that happening a lot more.""I can't see domestic ever reaching the heights that it did again, especially if all the studios are all in on streaming, like they seem to be," Bock said. He predicted that China would be the box-office leader after the pandemic. It <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/its-official-china-overtakes-north-america-as-worlds-biggest-box-office-in-2020">overtook the North American box office last year</a>.Gelfond is particularly optimistic about the box office's eventual return to normality. Two-thirds of the company's revenue is from outside North America, and he's watched China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan deliver <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/11/demon-slayer-imax-japan-all-time-record-freaky-opening-weekend-tenet-china-global-international-box-office-1234615988/">record</a><a href="https://deadline.com/2020/10/china-national-day-films-imax-record-tenet-after-we-collided-greenland-international-box-office-1234595371/"> results</a> since reopening."People talk about 'Is the business changed forever?' 'Will the US ever come back?' I think that's just a false narrative, unless human nature is different in the US than it is in the rest of the world," Gelfond told Insider. "I think movies will be back in the same way they were around before the pandemic came."<h2>What kind of movie will it take to cross $1 billion again? 'Avatar 2,' a live-action 'Spider-Verse,' or another massive event movie.</h2><div type="image" title="avatar" height="999" width="1777" msid="80652927" hostid="261"></div>The first movie to cross $1 billion again has to be a massive four-quadrant film, meaning it has broad appeal, to all genders, both above and under the age of 25.Universal's "Fast and Furious 9" and MGM's next Bond movie seem like slam dunks. The former has a fan-favorite character seemingly returning from the dead, while the latter is poised to be Daniel Craig's final time as 007.Maybe it's a giant crossover movie like "Avengers: Endgame" or an anticipated sequel such as "Frozen II." Maybe it pushes the boundaries of technology like "Avatar." Perhaps it checks multiple boxes."The only way I could imagine now a film that actually hits a billion would be something like 'Avatar 2,' because you have a master tactician like James Cameron at the helm possibly pushing how great the 3D is or pushing new barriers like he did with the first one," Bock said, hinting at a <a href="https://screenrant.com/avatar-2-recordbreaking-underwater-scenes-rival-original-3d/">groundbreaking underwater element</a> expected in the 2022 sequel.Cameron has been promising "Avatar 2" (<a href="https://www.insider.com/avatar-2-delayed-to-2022-2020-7">and a third, fourth, and fifth film</a>) since 2009. Yes, the director has been the box-office king with two of the highest-grossing films of all time in "Titanic" and "Avatar." But are people really going to still turn out for this sequel more than a decade later even if the technological advancements Cameron makes live up to his promise that you'll "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/james-cameron-avatar-movies-will-be-2014-11">s--- yourself with your mouth wide open</a>"?<div type="image" title="Chadwick Boseman Letitia Wright Black Panther" height="1200" width="1600" msid="80652928" hostid="261"></div>Bock thinks so, citing Cameron's previous efforts on "Aliens" and "Terminator 2."Who else has the potential to break box-office records once again?Disney is the most logical answer, with its impressive lineup of <a href="https://www.insider.com/marvel-movie-release-date-schedule-2020-4">a dozen anticipated Marvel projects</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/star-wars-disney-plus-shows-movies#wonder-woman-director-patty-jenkins-is-making-a-star-wars-movie-called-rogue-squadron-11">"Star Wars" films</a>. The studio, which also has "Avatar" after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-as-disney-swallows-fox-a-new-era-dawns-for-hollywood-2017-12">its Fox acquisition</a>, plans to release five Marvel movies in 2022, including sequels to two billion-dollar movies.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/marvel-movie-release-date-schedule-2020-4">Disney has 12 more Marvel superhero movies in the works. Here they all are.</a>"Maybe we see a billion-dollar number when the next iteration of either 'Captain Marvel' or 'Black Panther 2' comes out. That was going to be a billion-dollar movie anyway," Bock said of the franchise once led by Chadwick Boseman, who <a href="https://www.insider.com/black-panther-star-chadwick-boseman-dies-of-cancer-age-43-2020-8">died last year at age 43</a>."It's going to take an event-level film that only Disney can produce," Bock said.<div type="image" title="live action spider man" height="600" width="1200" msid="80652929" hostid="261"></div>A Spider-Man movie with previous cast members from former "Spider-Man" franchises may do the trick as well. According to reports, Sony, alongside Marvel Studios, is bringing back <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-3-jolt-jamie-foxx-returning-as-electro-exclusive">Jamie Foxx</a>, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-3-alfred-molina-returning-as-doctor-octopus">Alfred Molina</a>, <a href="https://collider.com/spider-man-3-cast-doc-ock-alfred-molina-andrew-garfield/">and more</a> into its next "Spider-Man" flick, starring Tom Holland, to create a live-action Spider-Verse.Nothing may scream must-see event more than a "Spider-Man" movie that could star three Spideys played by Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire, with villains from multiple franchises.If studios really need a box-office rebound, which they do, maybe it means we could finally see the ultimate crossover film in a "Justice League vs. Avengers" or another DC vs. Marvel kind of film."When we talk about Marvel-DC crossover, when Warner Bros. and Disney plan to get together and say, 'We are going to make this film,' yes, you're talking about a billion dollars there, because of what the buildup will mean to get to that point," Bock said.This story is part of <a href="https://www.insider.com/hollywood-is-dying-pandemic-2021-1">Insider's State of Hollywood</a> digital series, which details how the $100 billion entertainment industry shifted in 2020. <a href="https://www.insider.com/hollywood-is-dying-pandemic-2021-1">Click here to read more.</a>

The $1 billion box-office movie is dead - for now

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul><li>Jason Hall, director of the upcoming movie "Thank You for Your Service," first got into the business as an actor in the late 1990s.</li><li>After a stint in rehab and his own personal "welcome to Hollywood" moment, he turned to screenwriting.</li><li>Hall convinced Steven Spielberg to give him a chance at directing after earning an Oscar nomination for writing "American Sniper."</li></ul>&#xa0;The way things were playing out for Jason Hall at the start of his career, the combination of hard luck and personal demons could have led to him being just another rising star who faded out too quickly.Coming out to Hollywood as an actor in the 1990s after studying film at USC, Hall had the tools to make it. He had chiseled looks and studied acting with some of the best teachers after going through a two-year Meisner acting course. That quickly landed him work on a few TV shows, including a recurring role as Devon MacLeish on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."He had also caught the eye of James Toback. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind "Bugsy" and director of movies like "Fingers" and "The Pick-up Artist" was trying to get "Harvard Man" off the ground, a movie about a Harvard basketball player who throws a game for the mob and then tries to fend off both them&#xa0;and the FBI while on a bad LSD trip.<h3>The time James Toback was going to make him a movie star</h3>A female friend of Hall's had met Toback at an airport and the director wanted to audition her for the movie, Hall recalled. He said his friend thought Toback was "a little bit strange" but she took the script and, after realizing she wasn't right for the movie, passed on it, instead telling&#xa0;Toback to consider Hall for the male lead. (Toback has recently been <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-james-toback-sexual-harassment-allegations-20171018-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">accused by over 30 women</a> of sexually harassment.)"He met me and we clicked," Hall told Business Insider over the phone earlier this month. "I had been to prep school and I had done some of the experimentation that the character in the movie had and he was like, 'You're the guy! I've sat down with everybody in Hollywood and you're the guy.'"But nothing in Hollywood goes according to plan, and "Harvard Man" was Hall's first lesson in that.As Toback tried to get financing, Hall said the two would often work together on scenes from the script but also do a lot of things that had nothing to do with the movie. One time, Hall picked up Toback from a Los Angeles airport and drove him to a Beverly Hills bank, where Toback withdrew cash so he could then race off to Las Vegas to gamble."It was a strange relationship," Hall said, looking back.But what came out of it was the first important decision of Hall's career: He went to rehab for substance abuse and got himself clean. When he got out, Toback was ready to make "Harvard Man," but not with Hall."I came back and he said, 'You changed!'" Hall recalled. "And I'm like, 'I stopped doing all that nonsense so I can do the work,' and he said, 'Yeah, but now you're not the guy. I don't see it anymore.'" (Business Insider contacted Toback for comment but did not get a response.) "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier eventually landed the lead role in the movie, which was released in 2001.That led to the second most important decision of Hall's career:&#xa0;writing his first&#xa0;screenplay.<h3>From failed actor to Oscar-nominated screenwriter</h3>"I was like, am I going to be James Toback's guy on acid or am I going to live a clean life and try to pursue a career in the arts and not die by the time I'm 35," Hall said. "So I started writing scripts for myself."He thought the plan was foolproof. Feeling he could come up with better material than the scripts he was auditioning for, he decided to write himself into his own scripts and make the deals for them contingent on him acting in them (a la what Sylvester Stallone did with "Rocky" or Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with "Good Will Hunting").But it didn't go according to plan.&#xa0;Hall found interest for the scripts but no one wanted him to act in them. He finally relinquished his dreams of being a movie star and decided to move forward as a screenwriter. The first script he sold was the 2009 movie "Spread," starring Ashton Kutcher. He also got a writing credit on the 2013 Liam Hemsworth thriller, "Paranoia."Then he hit pay dirt around 2011 when he got his hands on the yet unpublished memoir of the deadliest marksman in US military history, Chris Kyle. Hall spent time with Kyle and his friends, earned their trust, wrote the screenplay, and got Bradley Cooper involved, but nothing happened until two months after Kyle's murder at the hands of a former Marine suffering from PTSD in February 2013. Steven Spielberg read the script for "American Sniper" and bought it for his company, DreamWorks, with an eye to direct it.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Clint Eastwood would end up directing, and with Cooper starring as Kyle, "American Sniper" went go on to become one of the surprise hits of 2014, earning over $350 million domestically of its <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americansniper.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$547.4 million worldwide</a> total (the movie was made for $58.8 million) and getting six Oscar nominations, including one for Hall. The film would end up winning an Oscar&#xa0;for best sound editing.But that wasn't the last gift Spielberg gave Hall. While writing drafts of the "American Sniper" script for Spielberg, the legendary director said he had something else he thought Hall would be good to work on."I think we were working for two months on 'American Sniper' and he came in and dropped a book on the table," Hall said. "He said he wanted to do more for the veterans."<h3>Convincing Spielberg he can direct - and almost getting kicked off a plane in the process</h3>The book was "Thank You for Your Service," written by journalist David Finkel, and it examined the recent string of soldiers coming home and struggling to adjust to civilian life."Spielberg and I both loved that aspect of the story, what the coming home was like," Hall said. "And Spielberg posed the question after reading the book, 'You don't think this and 'American Sniper' are too similar?' I said there are similar aspects but only in as much as one is the story of Achilles and other is the story of Odysseus. 'Thank You for Your Service' can be the homecoming."Like "American Sniper," Hall could tell that, with Spielberg's work load, he probably wouldn't get around to directing "Thank You for Your Service," so while writing the script he threw his hat in the ring.Following a pitch call - which Hall said occurred while he was in the middle of boarding an airplane and the flight attendants were close to kicking him off because he wouldn't hang up the phone - Hall scored a formal meeting with Spielberg to interview for the directing job. His persistence paid off, and he got the gig in June of 2015."Thank You for Your Service" follows a group of soldiers (among them Miles Teller) returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into civilian life with their families. Dealing with both physical and mental wounds, the men's search for normalcy often brings them back to each other to find strength to continue on."I felt like this was a way to bring all these guys all the way home," Hall said of the cloak of PTSD that hangs over the movie. It's a struggle he said he'd seen with countless veterans, including Kyle, whom he felt had turned a corner when they spoke over the phone for what turned out to be the final time two days before his murder."I felt the guy was making it home," Hall said of Kyle. "I heard him laugh and be at ease in a way that I hadn't before."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>"There's a whole other battle to fight once a solider comes to the decision to seek help," Hall continued. "I definitely relate to that, realizing I needed help and being in a place of struggling but knowing I needed help."But Hall says he knows his struggle with substance abuse pales in comparison to what most veterans deal with, simply because of the overworked and&#xa0;chaotic&#xa0;US Department of Veterans Affairs they have to deal with to get help. The frustrations veterans have with the VA is something that Hall prominently puts in his movie after numerous visits he took to the VA in Los Angeles before shooting."It's a circus down there," he said. "They are out there all day to get help and the place sometimes just cut it off and say, 'We're done, come back tomorrow.' It's hard enough for these guys to admit some kind of vulnerability, so when they are able to take that courageous step to ask for help the help should be there for them."Hall has found his niche in Hollywood by telling stories about American heroes coping with life beyond the battlefield. And if it's up to him, his most epic look at the topic will come next.He's got a script in the drawer titled "The Virginian" he's trying to get into production about a conflicted young George Washington who tries to conquer a French fort. Getting the project off the ground won't come easy, but if it's one thing Hall knows, it never is."Thank You for Your Service" opens in theaters on Friday.<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gretchen-carlson-more-sexual-harassment-cases-public-fox-news-2017-10">There's a legal loophole that's preventing most sexual harassment cases from seeing the light of day - here's how to fix it</a></h3> <div> </div> </div></hr>

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