logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
32m 47s

A ‘Minecraft’ Megahit and the Studios Be...

The Ringer
About this episode

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the first surprise blockbuster of 2025, ‘A Minecraft Movie’; who deserves credit; what its success says about the current moment in IP-driven moviemaking; and whether video game adaptations are the new gold mine for attracting younger audiences (02:36). Finally, Matt makes a prediction about the ratings of the NCAA men's championship game (25:17).


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
Aug 22
‘The Traitors’ and How to Craft Hit Reality TV in 2025
Live from the Edinburgh TV Festival in Scotland, Matt is joined by television producer and executive Stephen Lambert to discuss the current state of reality TV, his newest hit, ‘The Traitors,' how to cast reality competition, what streamers are looking for in 2025, how that's cha ... Show More
45m 20s
Aug 20
Why Fox Is Finally Entering the Streaming Wars
Matt is joined by Pete Distad, CEO of Fox's direct-to-consumer streaming platform, to discuss Fox One, the company's first significant foray into streaming, which will offer all of Fox’s news, sports, and entertainment branded content together in one platform. They talk about the ... Show More
32m 27s
Aug 18
The 10 Worst Things to Happen to Hollywood Since 2010
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look back on the past 15 years in Hollywood and determine which moments were the most detrimental to the industry. In descending order, they each rank and explain their top five moments that had the most meaningful and negative effect o ... Show More
38m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
No Spoilers: Sinners and Minecraft
Amy and Paul are switching things up this week! They’re taking a spoiler-free look at what’s hitting theaters right now, spotlighting two of the biggest releases: Sinners (directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan) and A Minecraft Movie (featuring Jason Momoa and Ja ... Show More
42m 45s
Jun 2019
Matthew Ball on Amazon vs Apple vs Netflix vs Disney, and how he built a digital media career by writing for free
Analyst/writer/investor-to-be Matthew Ball gives his predictions on how Disney, Netflix, Apple and Amazon are faring in the ‘battle royale’ - the streaming wars. He gives Peter Kafka his insight on Amazon Video from his time there, and talks about why he's bullish on Disney but s ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2024
Blake Lively Bombshell & Beast Games
What happens inside a Hollywood smear machine? This week Blake Lively filed a legal complaint which revealed private messages detailing an alleged campaign to tarnish her, after she accused director and co-star Justin Baldoni of misconduct on the set of “It Ends With Us.” Where d ... Show More
45m 50s
Jul 2024
Ep537 - GG33 Academy
If you’re checking out this episode you’re in the right place because we have some amazing life hacks! GG33, aka Gary, is a numerologist who has life figured out and is willing to pass some of his knowledge on to us. Want to make a ton of money? Just have a sale on the 8th. Boom! ... Show More
2h 43m
Feb 2020
The Truth About Charlie with David Lowery
Director and filmmaker David Lowery joins the two friends to talk about a weird remake of an Audrey Hepburn movie, except bad, starring Mark Wahlberg in his self-described worst role. There are insane hat choices and a very long ballroom scene. What was the last video game that L ... Show More
2h 14m
Apr 2025
Minecraft: A Huge Mess But A Huge Hit
Is 'A Minecraft Movie' going to be the biggest hit of 2025? Do young people know or care about The Beatles? What was the inspiration behind Charlie Brooker's seminal 'Black Mirror'? Like many parents across the world, Marina watched the Jack Black and Jason Momoa fronted Minecraf ... Show More
59m 51s
Apr 2025
‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best …
Sean and Amanda cover the absolute box office phenomenon ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a video game adaptation starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa. They explore the event film of the year and discuss why the theatergoing experience of the film is such a great thing for the industry at lar ... Show More
1h 30m
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
Sep 2020
Going from Shorts to Marvel movies. Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck on making Half Nelson, Mississippi Grind & Captain Marvel.
This week Giles interviews writing and directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to discuss their impressive career and body of work from the indie scene to working with Marvel. Anna and Ryan first made an entrance with their indie hit Half Nelson, which picked up a best actor nom ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2025
The 15 Most Anticipated Movies at CinemaCon, and Our Trip to Las Vegas!
Sean and Amanda recap their recent trip to Las Vegas for CinemaCon and catch up on the latest news from around the industry, including some exclusive insight on the ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ sort-of sequel, which will reportedly be directed by David Fincher. Then, they ar ... Show More
1h 37m