We’ve been told for years now that the theatrical box office in China will ultimately surpass that of North America, probably by 2017… or 2018, or definitely by 2020. But higher grosses have pushed the salaries for the country’s most sought after movie stars to astronomical proportions, something frowned upon in China. In fact, the Chinese government has now stepped in with a new set of regulations capping the salaries paid to talent on movies and television shows and have begun to scrutinize contracts more closely.

On the other hand, The Grammys have decided bigger is better. The Grammys are following the lead of most major awards and expanding its top categories. Instead of announcing the Best Five Album Of The Year nominees, they’ll be announcing eight. The same goes for Best Record and Best Song and Best New Artist. All other categories remain the same.

Meanwhile the group that votes on each year’s most coveted movie awards just got a little bigger. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invited a record 928 people to their club with half the invites going to women and 38% to people of color.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including how Spotify hopes to earn revenue by selling movie tickets, credible rumors about new “Star Trek” series and MoviePass officially adopts surge pricing.

AT&T Promised Lower Prices After Time Warner Merger—It’s Raising Them Instead

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/07/att-promised-lower-prices-after-time-warner-merger-its-raising-them-instead/

World Cup: International Ratings Strong, Not Historic, for Group Stage

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/world-cup-international-ratings-strong-not-historic-group-stage-1124109

California Extends Film Tax Credits to 2025

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/california-extends-film-tax-credits-2025-1123674

comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of July 8, 2018

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-july-8-2018-300677445.html

Box Office: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Buzzes to $76M in U.S., $161M Globally

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/box-office-ant-man-wasp-crushes-first-purge-76m-1125547

How Drug Smuggler Dramedy ‘Dying to Survive’ Became a China Box-Office Phenomenon

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-drug-smuggler-dramedy-dying-survive-became-a-china-box-office-phenomenon-1125299

In China’s ‘Money Worshiping’ Movie Industry, Stars’ High Pay Becomes a Target of the Central Government

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-china-actors-pay-20180705-story.html

Legendary Lands $1 Billion Revolving Credit Facility