GizmoSapiens Podcast

Chris and Matt talk of the things going on in the Entertainment arena!

May and June 2026 brought box office surprises, streaming mega-mergers, and a couple of franchise casualties.

Star Wars stumbles, then gets outdone by YouTubers. The Mandalorian and Grogu opened stronger than expected at $82 million domestic, but still ranks among the weakest live-action Star Wars debuts ever — though its smaller $165 million budget softens that blow. The bigger story came a week later: the film dropped a brutal 70% in its second weekend, landing in third place behind two ultra-low-budget horror hits directed by YouTubers in their 20s (Backrooms and Obsession). Disney's reset attempt, Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling, is locked for May 2027.

Media mega-mergers keep landing. The DOJ approved Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery with no conditions attached, merging HBO Max into Paramount+ for a roughly 200-million-subscriber service — though state AG lawsuits could still complicate things, and Paramount has accused Netflix of running a "scorched-earth campaign" to sink the deal. Separately, Fox announced a $22 billion buyout of Roku, folding in Tubi and pairing its networks with Roku's platform and data reach — a move existing Roku owners are none too happy about.

Streaming regulation heats up. Canada's CRTC tripled the required Canadian-content spending for Netflix, Apple, and Amazon, from 5% to 15% of Canadian revenue, while lowering traditional broadcasters' requirement to 25%. Meanwhile, a fully AI-generated streaming channel, Artlist TV, launched June 1 to open hostility from filmmakers and viewers alike.

Franchise shake-ups. Amazon quietly killed its in-development Stargate series despite an official season order, reportedly over fears it would only appeal to longtime fans. Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has left the show again, alongside Bad Wolf, leaving the BBC without a Christmas Special this year and the franchise "out to tender." On a happier note, Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch got a season 2 renewal before season 1 even finished, after becoming Paramount+'s biggest series launch ever.

Reviews were mixed to rough. Toy Story 5 drew praise for finally giving Jessie the spotlight but was knocked as a nostalgia-heavy retread. Supergirl fared worse, criticized for its script and murky VFX, with Jason Momoa's Lobo the one performance critics agreed on.

Human interest: Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández (Dani Rojas) signed a real professional soccer contract with El Paso Locomotive FC. And a New Mexico jury awarded $13 million to the family of Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols over hospital negligence in her 2022 death.

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