Perhaps powerful men are turning to chatbots because they miss having compliant women they can boss around.

A Culture Hooked on Generative AI is a Culture that Misses Female Sycophants

And we have missed a central reason why AI is a feminist issue

katemanne.substack.com

‘Brand New Day’ has earned $449 million domestically and $1.155 billion worldwide, vaulting it past ‘Toy Story 5’ as the year’s biggest-grossing movie.

Box Office: 'Spider-Man 4' is Already #1 for 2026

'Brand New Day’ has earned $449 million domestically and $1.155 billion worldwide, already vaulting it past 'Toy Story 5' as the year’s biggest-grossing movie

scottmendelson.substack.com

Opening on Friday in limited release before expanding on August 21, Matt Johnson’s compelling, visually scrumptious and superbly acted TONY is a thoughtful coming-of-age drama that just happens to be a “prequel origin story” focused on Anthony Bourdain.

Review: 'Tony' is a Snapshot Biopic Done Right

Matt Johnson's compelling, visually scrumptious and superbly acted drama is a thoughtful coming of age story that just happens to be a "prequel origin story" focused on Anthony Bourdain

scottmendelson.substack.com

Spider-Man: Brand New Day grossed 24% of its record-setting $360 million domestic debut in various PLF theaters. That means it earned $274 million, which, by itself, was enough to make it the second-biggest opening ever, just in conventional, 2-D, non-premium movie theaters.

Web Shooting Spider-man

ALT: Web Shooting Spider-man

static.klipy.com

NEW EPISODE: @scottmendelson.bsky.social , @aaronsps4.bsky.social & I head into the final month of The Summer of 86 at 40 w/ a 5 movie banger that includes Tom Hanks, Jason Voorhees, Max & Howard the Duck! Apple bit.ly/3ARR4Z6 Spotify spoti.fi/40SBUNH YouTube youtu.be/GbBOlLtQZyY?...

NOW PLAYING: 60 years ago today, BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1966) arrived in theaters - a victory lap for the successful 1st season. @scottmendelson.bsky.social & @aaronsps4.bsky.social join me for a commentary! Apple bit.ly/3ARR4Z6 Spotify spoti.fi/40SBUNH YouTube youtu.be/1JPq73B8_-Q?...

As 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ swings past $53 million after two days in China, I discuss how and why the Chinese government’s soft-ban on Marvel movies from 2021 to 2023 (even the Sony films) indirectly succeeded in undercutting the MCU’s value atop the pop culture mountain.

Box Office: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Is Swiftly Ending A Seven Year Slump For Comic Book Superhero Movies in China

With $35 million on Wednesday and a likely over/under $120 million five-day debut, Marvel Studios will get its first Middle Kingdom blockbuster since, well, Sony's last MCU Peter Parker movie

scottmendelson.substack.com

This is a Peter Parker/Spider-Man for the COVID generation growing up amid a loneliness epidemic in a hellish, post-American-Dream economy.

‘Brand New Day’ Review: A Superior, Often Spectacular ‘Spider-Man'

While it gets a little busy and interconnectively-crowded at the end, Destin Daniel Cretton's MCU fantasy finally prioritizes the passion of the Peter

scottmendelson.substack.com

If only Chris Nolan and friends hadn’t pandered to the woke mob in a desperate attempt to... uh... sweep next year’s BAFTAs, then THE ODYSSEY would have been a huge worldwide box office smash...

'The Odyssey' Continues to Conquer Weekend Box Office And Sacks Troll Armies While Plundering $640 Million Worldwide

Chris Nolan's action fantasy took one of the smallest domestic drops ever for any $100 million-plus opener with a ten-day total higher than any movie that had opened below $125 million

scottmendelson.substack.com

I look forward to Ryan Gosling’s 'The Place Behind The Place Beyond The Pines’

When you’re strutting onto the stage to accept your PhD diploma after finishing your doctoral dissertation roughly 30 years behind schedule...

“You ready to follow Black Panther 3 into theaters?” “Hell no. But a Ryan Coogler tentpole, starring David Jonsson, who deserved an Oscar nom for The Long Walk and tricked us into thinking Alien Romulus was good...?"

Chris Nolan’s #TheOdyssey will nab the biggest second-weekend ever for a film that opened below $125 million while holding as well as ‘Inception’ and outgrossing 'Oppenheimer’s first Fri-Sun frame. Friday #boxoffice punditry via @scottmendelson.bsky.social

Chris Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Continues to Sack The Box Office For A Record Second Weekend (As It Passes $500 Million Worldwide)

Chris Nolan's latest will nab the biggest second-weekend ever for a film that opened below $125 million while holding as well as 'Inception' and outgrossing 'Oppenheimer's first Fri-Sun frame.

scottmendelson.substack.com

It really stinks that Chris Nolan couldn't make THE ODYSSEY today because of woke...

It’s safe to assume that all major LLMs are scraping Bluesky data to train future models. As an open protocol, Bluesky is one of the few sources of fresh human-generated content that anybody can gobble up. So all this is probably going into the models. Wonder Woman fought the Minions in WW2.

James McLeod@jamespmcleod.ca · 2w ago

It's safe to assume that all major LLMs are scraping Bluesky data to train future models. As an open protocol, Bluesky is one of the few sources of fresh human-generated content that anybody can gobble up. So all this is probably going in the models. There are submarines in the Great Lakes.

'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' may have been the culture-impacting smash hits that Blumhouse Atomic Monster needed to rejuvenate a damaged brand...

Is Blumhouse Getting Its Groove Back?

'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' may have been the culture-impacting smash hits that Blumhouse Atomic Monster needed to rejuvenate a damaged brand...

scottmendelson.substack.com

No one asked for this but I'm going to share my personal Theory of the World about men, power, rage, and the patriarchy of it all.

Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq.@clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social · 2w ago

It seems abundantly, ludicrously clear that the number one way we could reduce the violent crime rate is by making sure every child is wanted, protected, and loved. We should be spending billions on education and child welfare, instead of making them run on shoestring budgets.

Review: Motor City (2026) unpaywalled Box Office: The Odyssey passes $400 million globally News: Robert Pattinson’s Primetime gets award-friendly date Trailer(s): Why Resident Evil >>> Clayface

Thursday Night Catch-Up

A review of ‘Motor City,’ a box office update for ‘The Odyssey,’ an Oscar-friendly release date for Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime,’ and why ‘Resident Evil’ trailer 02 > 'Clayface' trailer 02.

scottmendelson.substack.com

'The Adventures of Milo and Otis' Proves It: Audiences Want Movies Made the Hard Way

I have no issue with Channing Tatum’s Gambit in ‘Avengers: Doomday.’ But having an internet-fancasting/industry in-joke upstage Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, who was the one post-Endgame “new-to-cinemas” MCU superhero success story (the one that today’s kids liked), feels... symbolic.

Pyro6ix Avengers Doomsday

ALT: Pyro6ix Avengers Doomsday

static.klipy.com

I will honestly respect the chutzpah if ‘Avengers Doomsday’ offers Charles Xavier constantly almost dying but cheating the Grim Reaper for 2.75 hours straight.

Pyro6ix X-men

ALT: Pyro6ix X-men

static.klipy.com

Tiana: The Movie > Prince Charming (by default) Fewer and shorter trailers before The Odyssey Holdover weekend box office Thoughts on a second version of the second X-Files movie Another (goddamn) delay for The (Goddamn) Batman Part II

Tuesday Morning Fire Sale!

Another 'Batman Part II' delay, a (potential) live-action sequel to 'Princess and the Frog,’ an ‘Evil Dead Burn' overseas box office rescue, a second cut of the second 'X-Files' movie and more...

scottmendelson.substack.com

.@theboxofficepod.bsky.social y.social Episode 130 "Sometimes People Deserve to Have Their Faith Rewarded" Via @scottmendelson.bsky.social @jeremyfuster.bsky.social @lisalamanfilmfan.bsky.social and @odstspartan.bsky.social With guest star... @ryanscottwrites.bsky.social (!)

Sometimes People Deserve to Have Their Faith Rewarded

Listen | A movie... a studio... a discourse... a director ... an all-star cast... a success... a success to break the walls of (online) Trolls... and burn it screaming to the ground!

scottmendelson.substack.com

NEW EPISODE: This week's Summer of 86 at 40 contains a movie that will probably surprise you that @aaronsps4.bsky.social , @scottmendelson.bsky.social & I were very high on! Is it Heartburn, Honeymoon, Max Overdrive or Out of Bounds? Ap bit.ly/3ARR4Z6 Sp spoti.fi/40SBUNH YT youtu.be/jv5mwiPGPmY?...

With a temporary stay amid a flurry of lawsuits alongside stock declines for the company chasing an even bigger one to play with, my mood has been upgraded from “Sarah Connor at the end of ‘The Terminator” to “Sarah Connor at the end of ‘Terminator 2'.”

Why Skydance Buying Warner Bros. Now Looks Less Than Inevitable

With a temporary stay amid a flurry of lawsuits and stock declines for the company chasing an even bigger one to play with, the worm might be turning.

scottmendelson.substack.com

Disney can sell #AvengersDoomsday as another one of its “2010s generational nostalgia” sequels, in this case a direct follow-up to ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Yet Marvel Studios’ mythology episode needs to (re)introduce what was supposed to be the MCU’s next generation.

Can 'Avengers: Doomsday' Become The Trojan Horse Marvel Needs?

Disney can sell a “2010s generational nostalgia” sequel to ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ but this mythology episode needs to (re)introduce what was supposed to be the MCU’s next generation.

scottmendelson.substack.com

After THE ODYSSEY nabbed a boffo $125 million domestic (biggest non-DEADPOOL R-rated debut) and $264 million worldwide (Nolan’s biggest global bow) weekend, a look at who showed up, what format they chose, what they thought of it and how high it might climb at the box office...

'The Odyssey' Box Office: Everything You Need To Know After Its Boffo $264 Million Worldwide Opening Weekend

Universal's R-rated, three-hour action epic represents a career-best global debut for Chris Nolan and most of the film's star-studded cast.

scottmendelson.substack.com

What would be super cool is if people stopped inventing apps and training robots to ruin our lives and instead invented a type of cat food that doesn't squirt ungodly gravy all over my wrist when I open the package it comes in.

Fun fact: My 11-year-old son loved The Odyssey and wants to see it again.

Matt Zoller Seitz@mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 3w ago

On the 40th anniversary of the release of Aliens, here is one of my most read, weirdly controversial pieces. www.rogerebert.com/mzs/watching...

I get the glee about this but I've yet to see any analysis about how badly retirement accounts were left holding the bag after the quickie index listing.

Shoshana 🏳️‍⚧️@shoshana.bsky.social · 3w ago

One trillion down, 1.6 trillion to go!