The New Movie Stars

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Happy Tuesday, Future Party. Xbox experienced one of the strangest tech outages in recent memory. Starting Sunday night, players across the country couldn’t stream titles from Game Pass, launch the app store, or use a host of other internet-based features. That seems expected, but the outage also prevented people from playing physical discs. That’s because Xbox consoles now verify each disc online before playing it. Since the console couldn’t do that, it couldn’t read the discs.

The outage has since been resolved, but it underscores why there needs to be a physical option that’s completely divorced from the internet… instead of, you know, getting rid of discs entirely.

In the past couple of years, it has become clear that filmmakers are now the biggest box office draw.

The Big Picture: What goes around comes around. During the New Hollywood era of the 1970s, filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola were the biggest names in movies. By the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, everything revolved around actors. Over the past 15 years, IP reigned supreme. But as a new generation has become the most active moviegoing audience, its stamp of approval has shifted back to the person behind the camera.

Behind The Scenes: Marvel and DC titles have become less dependable at the box office, and even the biggest movie stars have had mixed success attracting audiences.

But top directors have become consistent hitmakers, per Insider.

Final Credits: The list of fresh names that have catapulted to that rarified auteur status after just one or two movies is already growing, including The Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Zach Cregger (Weapons), Curry Barker (Obsession), and Kane Parsons (Backrooms). That might be because, in an age of AI, young audiences are appreciating the singular, authentic visions of filmmakers more than ever — they’re not just excited by their movies, but by their take on the movie.

How else does a drama like Oppenheimer make almost a billion dollars at the box office and sweep the Oscars?

Coming Soon: Knowing that they’re the draw, A-list directors may take more chances on filling original movies with no-name actors, allowing those fresh elements to fuel the mystery surrounding what they’re making.

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A new social-first sports entertainment company called World1 is reinventing sports for the vertical-video era.

Why It Hits: The popularity of vertical-video feeds is creating a new way to interact with sports, entertainment, and talk shows. Just as microdramas are reinventing soap operas for younger audiences, World1 wants to “make the highlight the sport.” The big question is whether people will get hooked on the drama, competition, and personalities of a sporting event that lasts no longer than a typical TikTok.

Behind The Competitions: World1 CEO Brett Morris describes the company’s “microsports” as “entirely original sports where world titles are won or lost in 30 seconds.”

Last Lap: Morris told THR that “We’re building a new sports industry for the phone. Not by adapting legacy sports, but by creating entirely new ones engineered for the feed.” The hope is that World1’s events have built-in virality thanks to their super-fast, high-drama format.

People are already buying that pitch. World1 has assembled a strong roster of investors, including Mark Cuban, private equity veteran Dan McClory, and Abu Dhabi holding company Palms Sports. It also has the backing of 10 Olympic medalists in its “founders pool,” including swimmer Janet Evans, track and field champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and weightlifter CJ Cummings.

Prediction: It’s only a matter of time before a brand turns a whole competition into its next ad spot.

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54.8% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you currently have a Paramount+ subscription?

“And I never will due to the ownership.”

“Cancelled after they cancelled Colbert and got rid of their news department. Yes, I was angry enough to cut off timely access to new Star Trek.”

“It’s the one that has the least amount of IP that I’m interested in.”

“I do have HBO Max and will consider subscribing when (if) they merge.”

“Paramount+ is one app I would not go without. It has more content that my family is interested in. Netflix is too boring, Apple TV is too weird, and Hulu and Peacock are too punishing with commercials.”

“Through my Walmart+ subscription.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

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📺 Luminate found that 47% fewer TV shows are being made than there were four years ago.

💸 Apple is once again the world’s most valuable company, with a valuation of nearly $5 trillion.

🤔 AI labs are going on a hiring spree… for philosophers.

🛰️ Amazon is seeking FCC approval to launch a mobile satellite service.

📦 Shein’s Hong Kong IPO revealed that its US revenue slipped 14% after the government closed the de minimis shipping loophole.

🚗 Waymo is trying to put the brakes on its partnership with Uber.

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