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Monday, July 24, 2023

"Barbenheimer" blows out the box office, publishers prepare to take on A.I. companies, Jason Aldean benefits from culture wars controversy, Alphabet and Snap prepare to report earnings, AOC joins protesting actors and writers, a prominent MAGA Media figure actually calls for Joe Biden's death, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

X Marks The End

CNN Photo Illustration/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Bye bye, birdie.

Twitter, the text-based social media platform that played an outsized role on society by serving as a digital town square, was killed by its unhinged owner Elon Musk on Sunday. It was 17 years old.

A zombie Twitter, known only as X, reluctantly endures. A warped and disfigured platform, X marches on like a White Walker, an ugly shell of its former self under the command of a loathsome leader.

Whereas Twitter was once a fountain of authoritative information, X is a platform where trolls can pay a small fee to have their ugly content boosted ahead of reputable sources.

X is a platform where identity verification no longer exists and impersonation is only a paid subscription away.

X is a platform where journalists are banned and smeared while the most repellant and dishonest voices are elevated.

X is a platform where the rules are unclear and content moderation is largely an idea of the past.

X is a platform where the most important and consequential decisions are made on a whim and can happen without any warning.

And X is a platform where vital infrastructure is crumbling and the most basic of features often fail to function.

X might resemble Twitter. It might occupy the same address on the internet that Twitter once did. But make no mistake, it is not the same platform it once was — even as recently as nine months ago, when Musk took over, quickly decapitated the former leadership, and threw the company into chaos and turmoil.

That platform has ceased to be. It arguably died some time ago, before it was announced to the public by way of a sudden and disorderly rebranding.

In many ways, Musk has done to Twitter what Donald Trump did to the Republican Party: wholly remade it in his own image. At least, with Musk, the deformed entity is getting a different name, one that allows the public to perhaps separate Twitter from what Musk has transformed it into.

X will, of course, inherit all of Twitter's business problems. Musk is the entity that has proven toxic to advertisers and much of the user base, not the widely recognized bird logo. How the billionaire ultimately turns that ship around is unclear, particularly as he faces new competition from Mark Zuckerberg and Threads.

So far, however, there is little hope Musk will be able to successfully steer the ship out of iceberg-ridden waters. He is, after all, the captain who led the ship into them — all while manically laughing alongside his inner circle while standing at the wheel.

THE SIDE BAR

Elon Musk's decision to turn Twitter into X is set to wipe out billions in brand value, Aisha Counts and Jesse Levine report. (Bloomberg)
"The Twitter bird was more than just a logo; it also dovetailed with the language used to describe the service," Jon Porter notes in his eulogy to the iconic branding. (The Verge)
Inside Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, conference rooms have been "renamed to words with X in them, including 'eXposure,' 'eXult' and 's3Xy,'" Ryan Mac and Tiffany Hsu report. (NYT)
Linda Yaccarino tries to rally employees around the inexplicable decision to rebrand the troubled company, telling them in a memo that it needs to embrace the "inventor mindset." (CNBC)
Todd Spangler points out that the rebranding to X has been off to a "confusing, haphazard start." (Variety)
Even less functionality: Amid the madness, Twitter also announced it will limit the number of DMs unverified users can send. (NBC News)
Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg hints he's adding key features to Threads. The Meta boss responded to a user complaining about the lack of a desktop version for the app, teasing that "lots of basic functionality" is headed to the platform "soon." (Threads)
Analysts believe that Threads could steal advertisers away from Twitter, a platform which is now — correctly — viewed by Madison Avenue as unpredictable and chaotic. (Reuters)
🔌 Reliable Sources is on Threads! Follow the flagship account here; editor Jon Passantino here; and I am posting daily here.
TikTok is also now getting in on the text-based posts. (The Verge)
And Mastodon has once again seen a surge as users come to terms with Twitter's death, Sarah Perez reports. (TechCrunch)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Warner Bros./Universal Pictures

'Barbenheimer' Blowout: The theater industry cannot be more thrilled. The "Barbenheimer" phenomenon that washed over the U.S. in recent days led to massive totals at the box office, with Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" collecting a staggering $162 million at the domestic box office and Christopher Nolan's R-rated "Oppenheimer" earning a cool $82.4 million. Those numbers tower over the initial projections for both movies, effectively doubling them. It was easily the best weekend at the box office since the pandemic upended the industry. Variety's Rebecca Rubin has more.

THE TICKET STAND

Both AMC Theatres and Cinemark broke summer weekend records as people turned out to theaters in droves to see the blockbusters. (BoxOfficePro)
The success of "Barbie" meant director Greta Gerwig broke a record for female directors. (AP)
The success of "Barbenheimer" sent a "clear message to Hollywood," Brooks Barnes writes: "If you want to commandeer the culture, you must give moviegoers something new — not just the same old threadbare franchises." (NYT)
$5 million in tickets for "Oppenheimer" were sold because "Barbie" was sold out, according to a survey. (IndieWire)
"It's more than a bit ironic that [Christopher] Nolan, the consummate anti-streaming auteur, benefited so much from all those 20-somethings turning 'Barbenheimer' into TikTok and Twitter phenomenons," Matthew Belloni writes. (Puck)
Nikki McCann Ramirez reports on how "right-wing cranks" have been assailing "Barbie." Though, given the massive box office numbers the film posted, their attempts to destroy the movie were a flop. (Rolling Stone)

THE FOURTH ESTATE

IN THE INDUSTRY

The WaPo is on track "to lose about $100 million in 2023," Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson report. The duo reports that the losses come as owner Jeff Bezos is "paying attention" to the paper again. (NYT)
Ben Smith reports that news publishing giants The NYT, News Corp., Axel Springer, and IAC are "close to formalizing a coalition that could lead a lawsuit as well as press for legislative action" against major A.I. companies. (Semafor)
Altice USA is "weighing a potential sale of Cheddar News," Lauren Hirsch and Benjamin Mullin report. (NYT)
The BBC has apologized for an "inappropriate" question one of its reporters asked the captain of the Morocco women's national team. (CNN)
Another local news outlet has died. The Santa Barbara News-Press filed for bankruptcy on Friday, with all jobs eliminated effective immediately and no additional content slated for publication. (Independent)
Agent Olivia Metzger chats with Kayla Cobb about the news business as she marks five years at her boutique talent agency firm. (The Wrap)
RIP: Long-time BBC reporter George Alagiah has died at 67. (BBC)

MEDIA MOVES

NPR named Edith Chapin senior vice president of news and editor-in-chief. (NPR)
CNN hired Kayla Tausche as senior White House correspondent. (CNN)
The NYT tapped Liz Johnstone as a news director for its politics desk and Zachary Small as a staff writer for its culture desk. (NYT/NYT)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Amplifying Aldean: The culture wars have catapulted Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" from obscurity to a hit. Before the song became the subject of national headlines, it had only sold a mere 1,000 units. But last week, after Aldean became ensnared in controversy, the song sold 228,000 units, THR's Mesfin Fekadu reported Monday. Streaming numbers for the track have, meanwhile, jumped a staggering 999%. And the song debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Fekadu has more on its rise here.

🔎 Zooming in: The success of the controversial song is another example of how powerful the right-wing media machine has become in 2023, where criticism in traditional media can also give oxygen to those who capitalize off of the uproar. Aldean in recent days has been lionized in right-wing media, with commentators and outlets portraying him as the victim of a leftist mob for penning what they characterize as a patriotic song. Of course, that narrative leaves out some crucial facts. But facts rarely get in the way of narrative in such circles.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

"Supporting the film has become a cause du jour for the MAGA crowd": Lorraine Ali writes about how right-wing media has also been in overdrive promoting "Sound of Freedom." (LAT)
Stephen A. Smith rips Ron DeSantis over Florida's new teaching standards on Black history, calling them "unconscionable." (Mediaite)
Charlie Kirk, one of the most popular figures in MAGA Media, says that Joe Biden, whom he describes as a "bumbling dementia filled Alzheimer's corrupt tyrant," should be "put in prison and/or given the death penalty for crimes against America." (MMFA)
Jeremy Barr and Josh Dawsey report on how Fox News hosts are "pushing Trump to join the Fox News GOP debate." (WaPo)
"After a torrid six-month period characterized by significant year-over-year audience increases, growth at FoxNews.com has cooled off," Howard Polskin reports. (The Righting)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Tech Talks: Alphabet and Snap are both set to report earnings Tuesday after the bell. The tech companies are the first in Silicon Valley to report their quarterly earnings, and will serve as a general bellwether for the entire digital advertising industry. Analysts will also be paying close attention to see what both companies, particularly Alphabet, are doing as the A.I. wars heat up. The WSJ's Charley Grant reports that, broadly speaking, Wall Street "expects smooth sailing for Big Tech earnings." We'll see.

TOO MANY TABS

Meta is also reporting earnings this week. "There's plenty to like as Meta steamrolls toward the release of its fiscal second-quarter results on Wednesday," writes Jon Swartz. (MarketWatch)
Spotify is increasing the price of Spotify Premium for the first time in more than a decade. It will now cost $10.99 a month. (The Verge)
Still far from perfect, A.I. platforms require human labor to correct errors. Karen HaoFollow and Deepa Seetharaman report that many of such roles are occupied by low-paid employees in East Africa, whose jobs require them to sift through traumatizing content. (WSJ)
The Anti-Defamation League released a report showing online video games continue to struggle when it comes to moderating usernames, with many bearing racist and anti-LGBTQ+ language. (NBC News)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Caught in the Crossfire: Film and television crew members who make their living by working on Hollywood sets are struggling amid the dual strikes that have shuttered the industry. The LAT's Anousha Sakoui and Stacy Perman reported on Monday that for the thousands of members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 44, the strikes have created extraordinarily difficult circumstances. "The strike is causing a lot of turmoil in the IATSE membership because it's not our contract, and yet we are being affected by it as if it was our strike," one lighting technician said. IATSE chief Matthew D. Loeb said "the economic fallout for below-the-line crews members is real" and has called on studios to continue paying crew members. Read Sakoui and Perman's full story here.

OFF STAGE

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined striking writers and actors, describing the strikes as a "fight against greed." (THR)
George R.R. Martin said he's "shocked" that Max's "House of the Dragon" will continue shooting in the U.K. despite the ongoing strikes. (The Wrap)
Meanwhile, Disney is reviewing its movie release schedule. (Bloomberg)
Switching gears: AMC Entertainment boss Adam Aron said the company faces a more difficult time raising cash following a Friday court ruling. (Deadline)
In London, Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial has gone into its first day of deliberations. (AP)
Jamie Foxx discussed his time in the hospital for an undisclosed illness earlier this year for the first time, saying he went "to hell and back" and thanked his fans for their support during the turbulent time. (CNN)
Jennifer Maas details how Warner Bros. Discovery recruited "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa to participate in "Shark Week." (Variety)
Prime Video released the first teaser for its spinoff of "The Boys," titled "Gen V." (YouTube)
"Back to the Future" is Back: "Back to the Future: The Musical" will open on Broadway on August 3. (NYT)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.