Strictly Business

On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin explains why Lionsgate’s “Michael” made a surprise return to No. 1 in a weekend that marks the calm before the start of summer blockbuster season next week with Disney’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” opening over Memorial Day weekend.

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With all the bells and whistles rumored to be a part of Disney's "super app" plans, there's one feature that can be ruled out at this time: the AI magic the company had been conjuring via its recently aborted partnership with OpenAI. Which begs a question: Will consumers ever be able to create videos that allow them to direct their favorite fictional characters? Jeremy Toeman, senior VP of AI innovation at JWX, helps sort through the possibilities.

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On today’s episode, Variety’s Michael Schneider breaks down the last lap of upfronts week as Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and YouTube grab the megaphone. And Variety music chief Jem Aswad goes deep on the music of “Heated Rivalry” in a session with showrunner Jacob Tierney, composer Peter Peter and music supervisor Scotty Taylor. It was recorded May 7 at Toronto’ s Departure Festival for music creatives.

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On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, we put the spotlight on “Survivor” as the reality stalwart hits Season 50. As detailed by Variety’s Emily Longeretta and Selome Hailu, CBS’ innovative and enduring unscripted juggernaut has set the standard for the reality-competition genre for 26 years and counting.

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On today’s episode, Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports on the triple-header kickoff of Upfronts week after attending Monday’s NBCUniversal, Fox and Amazon Prime Video presentations. He parses each platform's pitch to Madison Avenue. And we’ll hear from NBCUniversal Entertainment chief business officer Liz Jenkins on risk-taking in the time of disruption, in remarks delivered this month at SeriesFest in Denver. "We've found our cruising altitude again," she says.

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On today’s special Upfronts-themed episode, Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, offers a preview of the Mouse House’s May 12 presentation to advertisers in New York. Ferro details Disney’s plan to link the live spectacle of the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Oscars for big brands. She gives her perspective on the state of the scatter market, the mood of the upfront compared to last year, and how Disney is embracing the creator economy.

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On today's episode, Variety's Jennifer Maas takes a deep dive on the rabid fandom around Hasbro's Magic: The Gathering collectible trading card game. Maas collected insights and perspectives from die-hard fans who attended the MagicCon fan convention held May 1-3 in Las Vegas.

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On today’s episode, global star Kate del Castillo details the return of “La Reina del Sur” for a fourth season on Telemundo next year. Her widow-turned-crime boss character Teresa Mendoza will “be touching hell,” del Castillo promises. She also touches on the state of the content marketplace and how the Trump administration’s brutal crackdown on undocumented immigrants has changed life for Latinos in the U.S.

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On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Daniel D’Addario details his sit-down in Madrid with Javier Bardem, the incredibly busy Spaniard actor who brings the family drama “The Beloved” to the Cannes Film Festival this year. Bardem opens up to D’Addario about the arc of his career, his advocacy for Palestinians and the depth of his love for his wife, Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz, and the family life they share far outside Hollywood.

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On today’s episode, we hear from top movie marketers who discuss the uptick in Gen Z and Gen Alpha moviegoing that is helping to drive the spring’s strong box office. And Variety’s Michael Schneider brings us a bonkers "10 Questions With" Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds, who collaborated on the documentary “John Candy: I Like Me.”

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