Judge Dismisses Lawsuit From Paramount Streaming Subscribers Seeking to Block Warner Bros. Merger

 A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a lawsuit from some consumers trying to stop the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.did not have enough legal grounds.The judge, Araceli Martínez-Olguín, said the people who started the lawsuit—three current Paramount+ users and two people who might subscribe—did not show they were harmed by the merger.She also said the lawsuit didn't clearly show any real damage to consumers that would require government action.But she gave the lawsuit writers a chance to fix their argument and try again.

The judge wrote that the lawsuit included general claims like "lower quality and variety" and "less choice" but didn't provide specific facts to show these issues actually happened or would happen.

She also said the lawsuit’s main argument was that being a consumer means you’re harmed if big entertainment companies merge, which she found too vague.

The same judge will also handle another case involving 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America, who argue that the merger will hurt the entertainment industry.

That case is set to go to trial in March 2027.

Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison recently wrote an article in The New York Times, saying the reason the state attorneys general are against the merger isn't because of companies getting too big, but because he might take over CNN if he gets Warner Bros.

Ellison has connections to former President Donald Trump, who has criticized CNN, and recent issues with the show "60 Minutes" have made some people in Hollywood worried about what will happen to CNN.

Ellison said the real issue is not about market share, but whether he can be trusted to run CNN properly.

He promised that he doesn’t want to influence the newsroom and believes that news should be based on facts and truth.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Becomes Second-Fastest Film to Hit $1 Billion Globally

Tom Holland stars in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).After a very successful opening weekend, Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day is making history by becoming the second fastest movie to reach $1 billion at the global box office, doing so in just six days.

Avengers: Endgame was the first to reach this milestone, achieving $1.22 billion in five days back in April 2019.

That long time frame was rare then, which makes Brand New Day's success even more amazing.It is only the second movie to cross $1 billion in under a week, beating Avengers: Infinity War, which took 11 days to hit that mark.

Here are the 10 fastest movies to reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office:

1.

Avengers: Endgame (2019): 5 days  

2.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026): 6 days  

3.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018): 11 days  

4.

Ne Zha 2 (2025): 12 days  

5.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015): 12 days  

6.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021): 12 days  

7.

Jurassic World (2015): 13 days  

8.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): 14 days  

9.

Zootopia 2 (2025): 17 days  

10.

Furious 7 (2015): 17 days

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Obliterates Expectations With $927 Million Global Debut

 All hail Peter Parker.

Sony and Marvel's web-slinging adventure, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," made $927 million worldwide during its first weekend, which is an amazing and incredible achievement.

Very few films make that much money in just three days, let alone by the end of their run.It's the second-biggest opening in history, just behind "Avengers: Endgame" from 2019, which made $1.2 billion.The third biggest is "Avengers: Infinity War" from 2018, which earned $640 million.

"Brand New Day," the fourth comic book movie featuring Tom Holland as Spider-Man, made $572 million internationally and $355 million in the U.S.

China was the biggest market, earning $121 million, followed by the UK with $49 million, Mexico with $38.3 million, and South Korea with $25 million.The movie set records in several countries, including France with $26.6 million, India with $31.8 million, Brazil with $23.8 million, and Spain with $15.6 million.

With such a strong start in China, "Brand New Day" could eventually reach $2 billion globally — a mark that only seven films have ever passed.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home," the previous movie, made $1.9 billion in 2021 without playing in China.Even though China has been uneven with recent Hollywood films, Peter Parker still appeals to many there.

Big screens were a big hit, and people wanted to see "Spider-Man" on the largest and brightest ones.

"Brand New Day" set records for Dolby ($10 million in the U.S.), 4DX ($17 million worldwide), and ScreenX ($14.4 million globally).Even though the movie didn't play on IMAX screens in the U.S.because of "The Odyssey," it did play in China, Japan, and South Korea, making $23 million combined.

"Brand New Day" was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also directed "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." The movie takes place after Peter Parker decides to erase himself from everyone's memory at the end of "No Way Home." A mysterious force now threatens New York City, while Spider-Man deals with his growing powers.

His girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are making memories at MIT without knowing who Peter is."Brand New Day" received great reviews and strong audience reactions, scoring 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" on CinemaScore.With little competition, the comic book sequel is expected to be the top movie this summer.

Producer Amy Pascal said, "We're incredibly grateful to audiences for embracing the bold, creative, and deeply emotional vision Destin took with this film.

It's exciting to see such a powerful response to a story that never lost sight of what makes Peter Parker so enduring—his humanity.This remarkable opening reinforces that moviegoers are hungry for stories that are both spectacular and deeply human, and we're thrilled to see that resonate on such a global scale."

‘Wonder Man’ Co-Creator Says ‘Contracts Were Signed, Schedules Were Cleared’ Before Marvel Series Was Canceled: ‘This Is Not a Marketing Stunt’

Andrew Guest, the showrunner and co-creator of "Wonder Man," posted on TikTok on Saturday to thank fans and explain the show's cancellation.He said, “I’ve been listening.I really appreciate all of you.I feel what you’re feeling, and I want to clear things up when I can.This isn’t a marketing trick.There’s no movie in the works, and no one’s schedule was the issue.Yahya, Destin, Sir Ben, and I all loved making this show.We were all really passionate about continuing it and wanted to.Contracts were signed, and schedules were cleared.”

He added, “The writers’ room was supposed to start this month.

Production was set to begin early next year.But Disney and Marvel made a decision internally that it didn’t make sense for them, even though it did just a few months ago.That’s about all I know.”

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Variety reported in late July that "Wonder Man" was canceled by Disney+ before its second season could launch.

This was a big change for Disney, which had announced in March that the show would return for Season 2.

Star Yahya Abdul Mateen II, who won an Emmy for his role as Simon Williams, shared his thoughts on Instagram when he heard the cancellation.

He wrote, “Word just dropped that Wonder Man won’t be coming back for Season 2.(And if you don’t knowww, now ya knoww!) That’s life, right?Everything will shake out.”

Other main cast members from Season 1 included X Mayo, Demetrius Grosse, Zlatko Burić, Arian Moayed, and Olivia Thirlby.

Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," co-created "Wonder Man" with Guest and directed the first episode.

The show’s description says, “Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen II) is struggling to get his career going.

During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery (Kingsley), an actor whose biggest roles may be behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak (Burić) is remaking the superhero film ‘Wonder Man.’ These two actors, at opposite ends of their careers, both chase life-changing roles in this film, offering audiences a look behind the scenes of the entertainment industry.”

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Power Biggest Collective Weekend in Box Office History With $430 Million

Two big movies — "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" — helped make the biggest weekend in box office history. Together, they made about $430 million in total.

Before this, the top weekends were led by "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019 with $402 million, "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018 with $314 million, and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 2015 with $313 million. It’s a big win for Tom Holland and Zendaya, who star in both "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey."  

"We have conquered a box-office milestone that seemed forever out of reach," says Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. "This is now only the second $400 million-plus weekend in box office history."  

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the fourth comic-book movie with Holland as Spider-Man, made $355 million in its first week at the box office.

That puts it as the second-biggest opening of all time and the second movie to make over $300 million in one weekend.It almost broke the record set by "Avengers: Endgame," which made $357 million.Some analysts think "Brand New Day" might end up beating that record when final numbers come in on Monday."Brand New Day" also made $72 million during its preview and $168 million on its opening day.

But "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" didn’t do it alone. "The Odyssey" kept doing well in its third week with $51 million.Other movies like Disney’s "Toy Story 5" and "Moana," and Universal’s "Minion & Monsters" also helped make the weekend exciting.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the sequel to "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which made $260 million on its opening day — the third-biggest ever — and ended up making $1.9 billion.

That was without China, which is a big market for Marvel movies."No Way Home" was huge because it had all three Spider-Men — Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield — in one movie.Since "No Way Home" ended with a big twist — Peter Parker erased his identity to save the multiverse — fans have been waiting five years to see what happens next."Brand New Day" lived up to the hype, with critics and audiences giving it high marks.It has a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" grade on CinemaScore — setting it up to make a lot of money in theaters through the rest of August.

"The Odyssey" is also doing really well.

It has made $911 million worldwide after three weeks in theaters.It’s expected to cross $1 billion soon, which shows how much people love Christopher Nolan’s film.It will soon pass "The Dark Knight" ($1.008 billion) and "The Dark Knight Rises" ($1.08 billion) as Nolan’s highest-grossing movie ever.That’s impressive for a movie based on a poem that’s over 3,000 years old.

Wonder Man’ Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Reacts to Marvel Series Cancellation: “See You at the Emmys

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played the title character in Marvel's Wonder Man, shared his thoughts after the Disney+ series was canceled.

Disney+ had planned to make a second season of the show in March but later decided not to renew it.

The decision was unexpected, especially since the first season did well.It opened in late January and had 618 million minutes of viewership during its first week, according to Nielsen data.Although it didn’t stay in the top 10 original streaming titles, it still got good reviews from critics and fans.Abdul-Mateen was also nominated for an Emmy for his role in the show.

After the show was canceled, Abdul-Mateen posted on Instagram to talk about how he felt.

He wrote, "Word just dropped that Wonder Man won't be coming back.

That's life, right?Everything will shake out."

He added, "I wanted to say thank you to everyone who watched the show, enjoyed the show, and shared that they enjoyed the show in some way or another.

The show worked.And that's my favorite thing about it.I could see it on the faces of the YouTube Reactors (because I watched along with you all this time.Shoutout to you all) and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day.So, thinking of you all today.I'm glad we got to be a part of something cool."

He ended his post with, "Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the EMMYS."

Abdul-Mateen is up for best actor in a comedy series at the Emmys, along with Steve Carell, Matthew Rhys, Jason Segel, and Martin Short.

The creators of Wonder Man, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, had also planned to return for the second season.

They executive produced the show along with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Jonathan Schwartz, and Brad Winderbaum.Guest was the showrunner, and Cretton directed several episodes.

The cast also included Ben Kingsley, X Mayo, Demetrius Grosse, Zlatko Burić, Arian Moayed, Olivia Thirlby, Dan Donohue, and Kameron J.

Meadows.

Samara Weaving to Play Emma Frost in Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Reboot

Samara Weaving is leaving the movie "Ready or Not" to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The Australian actress has been cast in Marvel's new version of "The X-Men." She will play Emma Frost, a character who has changed from being a villain to a hero in the comic books.Emma has the power of telepathy.

A spokesperson for Samara Weaving didn't talk about the news, and a Marvel rep didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This casting comes after Marvel had a big event at Comic-Con last weekend.

They introduced Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider and also announced that David Jonsson, who was in "Alien: Romulus," will play the king of Wakanda in "Black Panther 3." Even though Marvel has been the most successful movie brand, they’ve had some tough times at the box office.Recent movies like "Captain America: Brave New World" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" didn't do well.However, this weekend’s "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is doing really well and breaking records.These movies are distributed by Sony.

Samara was in "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" and "Over Your Dead Body" recently.

She's also been in "The Babysitter," "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "Scream VI," and "Bill & Ted Face the Music." The new "X-Men" movie will be directed by Jake Schreier, who also directed "Thunderbolts" last year.

The original X-Men characters from 20th Century Fox will appear in "Avengers: Doomsday" with actors like Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and James Marsden.

Disney, which owns Marvel, bought Fox in 2019 and now has the rights to bring those characters into the MCU.

Deadline revealed the news about Samara joining the cast.

She is represented by CAA and 111 Media.