logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
33m 26s

The Four Hottest Topics Around Town: ‘Mi...

The Ringer
About this episode

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the hottest narratives around town and give their optimistic and pessimistic views of each. These narratives include: Hollywood is catering its content to Trump’s audience, movies like ‘Mickey 17’ leaving theaters so quickly are killing theatrical films (01:41), Warner Bros. is doomed as a movie studio, and Apple TV+ is quietly becoming a hitmaker (15:35).


For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com


Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw


Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Oct 7
David Ellison’s $150M Bet on Bari Weiss and a New-Look CBS News
Matt is joined by Semafor cofounder Ben Smith to discuss what to expect from CBS News in the David Ellison and Bari Weiss era. Ellison, the new owner of Paramount, has tasked 41-year-old Weiss to run its news division and also acquired her company The Free Press for $150 million. ... Show More
32m 19s
Oct 6
The 'Smashing Machine’ Bomb and A24’s Big-Budget Burden
Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw use the disappointing box office performance for A24’s sports drama ‘The Smashing Machine’ with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to examine the current state of A24, the difficulty of living up to its sky-high valuation, and the natural life cycle of a gr ... Show More
32m 25s
Oct 2
Sora 2, AI Actors, and How Hollywood Can Fight Back
Matt is joined by SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland to discuss OpenAI’s new app, Sora 2, an AI video tool and video-sharing app, and the problems it presents for Hollywood. They discuss how this product can threaten the legitimacy of image and likeness ... Show More
37m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
The 10 Best Movies at Sundance, and the Astonishing ‘Nickel Boys’
Sean and Amanda discuss the evolving story of Karla Sofía Gascón’s old tweets (1:00) and what it might portend for the ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscar hopes. Then, they discuss an underwhelming Sundance 2025 (12:00) before diving deep into one of the best movies of 2024, ‘Nickel Boys’ (44:0 ... Show More
1h 44m
Jun 2025
28 Days Later
Hot on the heels of Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, Paul and Amy are bracing for the zombie apocalypse with a deep dive into 28 Days Later. They explore the film’s parallels to COVID-19 and 9/11 and reveal how Stephen King once bought out 800 tickets on opening night. This episode ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2025
Why Hollywood Turned on the Trans Mexican Cartel Movie | Episode 9
The trans Mexican cartel movie “Emilia Pérez” went from being favored to win best picture at the Oscars, to now being public enemy number 1 in Hollywood — here’s why. The Brett Cooper Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bbrettcooper By joining Cooper Confidential you are di ... Show More
36m 41s
May 2017
IFW 5.18.17: A Game-Changing Law for Freelancers & Are Indies Rising From the Blockbuster's Ashes?
In this episode of Indie Film Weekly, No Film School co-hosts Liz Nord, Jon Fusco, and Charles Haine wonder if the massive decline predicted for summer box office returns is a hidden boon for indie filmmakers. We also discuss the new rules that might affect every freelancer, new ... Show More
37m 17s
Mar 2025
What the Oscars tell us about streamers, studios, and Hollywood’s future with The Ankler's Janice Min
The Oscars aren’t just about filmmaking—they’re a real-time look at the culture, business, and power plays shaping Hollywood and larger entertainment industry. The Ankler CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to unpack the night’s biggest turning points — including how Sean Ba ... Show More
26m 56s
Oct 2
Only Murders in the Building, Hacks -- is Hollywood getting aging right?
With the release season 5 of ‘Only Murders In The Building’, the films ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ and ‘Eleanor The Great,’ Elamin is joined by film and tv critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart, and screenwriter and show-runner Anthony Q. Farrell to discuss the ways character ... Show More
28m 47s
Aug 28
The Snack: Taylor and Travis Engagement, Ashley’s Bach, and Cracker Barrel Uproar
Welcome back to The Snack – a lighter serving of Girls Gotta Eat. This week, we’re talking about: Taylor and Travis’s engagement and all the reactions Selena Gomez’s bachelorette Ashley’s bachelorette Justin Bieber impersonator and thirst traps Gwyneth Paltrow biography and Ben A ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2025
28 Years Later
Blank Check is going back to the British Isles with Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and one extraordinarily well-endowed zombie this week as they discuss 28 Years Later. This movie has so much to love in it – wet bones, third-act Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer doing a thing, the Angel of ... Show More
2h 52m
Aug 19
ROXIE SINNER RATES MEN'S SIZES WITH JAMIE LYN RIN
Send us a textIn this episode, Ryan is joined by the rising star Roxie Sinner, with the bombshell Jamie Lyn Rin co-hosting. Between Roxie’s candid stories and Jamie’s unfiltered commentary, things get wild fast—expect laughs, chaos, and maybe a few truths Ryan wasn’t ready to hea ... Show More
1h 12m
Mar 2025
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Seth Rogen created a new AppleTV+ series, The Studio, which is a satirical look at how executives in Hollywood make decisions on what movies get made. He stars as the head of a fictional Hollywood studio who is trying to save the struggling company. Also, New Yorker staff writer ... Show More
48m 46s