Updated every Friday 12:00 PM
July 24 - July 30

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Apple TV announced that "The Morning Show," the acclaimed Emmy, Actor Award and Critics Choice Award-winning series, starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, will return for its fifth and final season in 2027. The culture-defining series was among the flagship original titles that launched Apple TV's award-winning streaming service in 2019, and has been praised by fans and critics all over the world as a "prestige," "brilliantly executed drama" that consistently delivers "top-tier entertainment" and "stunning performances."...

Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, The Odyssey, has officially entered the IMDb Top 250 movies chart at #59, making it the director's ninth film to join the list. No other director has many films currently on the list, firming up Nolan's reputation among cinephiles. Nolan has surpassed several cinema legends with multiple films in the IMDb Top 250, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Stanley Kubrick, each with seven films on the list...

When will we see the impact of the $750 million expansion to the California tax credit for filming in the state? Maybe next quarter.According to the latest numbers from FilmLA, production in Los Angeles was down again this quarter compared to the same period last year, a 12.7 percent decrease from Q2 of 2025. It's also 35.9 percent down from the 5-year average. In all, it amounted to 4,711 shoot days for the quarter, and it was also a drop from the 5,121 shoot days just last quarter. So when are things going to turn around? FilmLA notes that 170 projects have been granted tax credits as part of the the California Film & The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is finally set to reopen after six years of lying dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic. Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired the movie palace, which is a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument, and plans to reopen and restore the Dome and the adjoining multiplex under the operation of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Sony announced that restorative renovations of the Dome will begin next month and continue through early 2028. When it does finally reopen, it will be operated by Alamo Drafthouse, and the 14-screen theater complex adjacent to it, formerly an ArcLight Cinemas location, will become an Alamo. The Dome, however, will not operate as a dine-in theater the way other Alamo locations are, but it will feature Alamo's programming, repertory screenings, filmmaker series, premieres, and special events. The Dome will also retain the Cinerama name and the same exterior branding that has been there since it first opened in 1963. The Cinerama Dome is famous for its large-format, curved screen presentation, an 86-foot-wide, immersive screen that features 70mm exhibition. The theater opened with the premiere of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," which was the first movie to be screened in the Cinerama format that shares the theater's name. The adjoining 14-screen multiplex that will become an Alamo will also retain 35mm capabilities to showcase archival film prints and will house several premium format screens with immersive audio and 4K laser projection, including 70mm capabilities. "There is no moviegoing destination anywhere in the world that commands the affection, history, and cultural significance of the Cinerama Dome. It represents the kind of singular experience we value and champion," said Ravi Ahuja, chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment. "This is a meaningful moment for our company, our industry, and Los Angeles. We look forward to honoring and extending the Dome's extraordinary legacy."...

Director Zack London, better known as the face of the YouTube and generative AI filmmaking team Gossip Goblin, has made his first feature-length film generated entirely by artificial intelligence, and he's borrowing an approach from fellow YouTube creator Markiplier by self-releasing his film into theaters. Gossip Goblin's "Gods Don't Give Gifts" will be released in limited theaters across the U.S. on October 30. Today on July 22 Gossip Goblin released a preview short film of the movie called "Pomegranate," which you can find on the Gossip Goblin YouTube page. "Gods Don't Give Gifts" is a sci-fi, horror-tinged film about what London calls the "Second Cycle of Humanity," where transhumanism has accelerated to the point that humanity looks very different. In this future, humans have figured out ways to transmit consciousness and effectively become immortal with hybrid human and robotic figures, but the film explores the psychological consequences of being more physically enabled by technology and the dangerous ways we still chase our basest human desires. while Gossip Goblin is not the first to make an entire feature with AI, he can claim to be the first to experiment with narrative storytelling via generative AI video tools, and he's become one of the most influential names in the AI space today. His films are AI generated, but "Gods Don't Give Gifts" was made across two months with a team of 10 artists all working on it, and each of his videos has a distinct look that has become synonymous with Gossip Goblin's brand. London strives for AI images that go beyond realistic fidelity and aim to be fantastical, kaleidoscopic, and strange in a way that AI excels at. He also uses real voice actors dubbing in with the characters rather than synthetic AI dialogue...

Halfway through the rollicking, tumultuous fourth season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," one guest onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise is fed up. "I'm sorry, but I have stood by this lunacy long enough," she says to the unblinking crew gathered around her. "I am aware that pandemonium is the status quo on this Starship, but just this one time, could you please acknowledge that this entire situation is absurd?" After a considerate beat, Ortegas (Melissa Navia) states the obvious — or what's obvious to everyone except their aggravated guest: "Absurdity is kind of baked into the premise." While perhaps not its formal mission statement, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" has only grown more comfortable embracing absurd scenarios. Outrageous one-offs like the body swap episode, the musical episode, the murder-mystery episode, and more populate the first three seasons of the prequel to "The Original Series." Season 4 keeps 'em coming,..

Create the Writers Room, a creative incubator for underrepresented storytellers, is expanding its ongoing partnership with the Roku Channel. Select films from CTWR's "Five Film Fridays" are streaming the Roku Channel, giving the filmmakers and talent exposure to the platform's 100 million subscribers. Create The Writers Room was founded in 2018 by filmmaker Rickey Castleberry with the mission to provide filmmakers with exhibition opportunities, as well as to equip them with the tools, education and industry insight necessary to retain creative control and build sustainable careers. "Five Film Fridays" is CTWR's bespoke screening series: each quarter, five standout short films or proof-of-concepts are handpicked by industry insiders and showcased. The initiative also features intimate panels and fireside chats centered on ownership, authorship and navigating the evolving entertainment landscape. "I was inspired to create Five Film Fridays as an outlet for creatives to network, build community, and truly understand the business behind their art," Castleberry said in a statement. "Our collaboration with Roku reinforces our commitment to not only visibility — but education, ownership, and long-term creative control."...