The new-to-the-show guest for the first episode of 2026 is Tre’vell Anderson, prolific author, podcaster and journalist (who was recently named co-director of the Trans Journalist Association alongside TJA co-founder Kae Petrin). Oh, and Jeremy Fuster recorded from Japan, making this another truly international episode.

All respect to We Bury the Dead and KidzBop Live: The Concert Movie, the vast majority of the show is spent discussing holdover news alongside hopes and fears for the new year. Among the areas of focus are the sky-high — especially in Asia — success for Zootopia 2 (Jeremy Fuster recorded from Japan, making this another truly international episode), the robust legs for The Housemaid and the continued “absurd by any other standard” earnings for Avatar: Fire and Ash.

This includes an important discussion about both the extent to which (and why it matters that) Zootopia 2 is “copaganda” and whether Gazelle is hotter than Judy Hopps. #TeamHopps, but after that, the final third pivots to a bit of “rebellions are built on hope” discourse. No, not about the real-world hellscape necessarily, but merely about what may or may not happen to Warner Bros. and the entire exhibition ecosystem if the streamer buys and (comparatively) kneecaps its theatrical ambitions.

Recommended Reading…

* Scott Mendelson offered the best movies of 2025 and predictions for the top global grossers for each month of 2026.

* Jeremy Fuster’s 2026 box office preview is essentially (my words, not his) “things are looking up, but Netflix can still make it all irrelevant.”

* Lisa Laman picked the ten best motion-capture characters, and (among others) I’m thrilled that I’m not the only one who remembers A Monster Calls.

* Ryan Scott offered five (pretty reasonable) suggestions for whoever (presumably Dave Filoni) will replace Kathleen Kennedy as head of Lucasfilm.

* Tre’vell Anderson’s Time Magazine cover story in May of 2021, interviewing Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir author Akwaeke Emezi.

If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at [email protected] (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch).

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

* Tre’vell Anderson - podcasts, books and articles

Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe