Discovery Ended Q4 With 22 Million Streaming Subscribers, Up By 2M From Previous Quarter

Team,Like many of you, I am closely following the devastating, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The resulting humanitarian crisis and its ripple effects on the lives of millions of people across Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and in Russia itself, is heartbreaking to witness.Since the beginning of this crisis, our teams across the world have been working around the clock to determine the best, and most importantly – safest – ways we as a business can show our support for all those impacted.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTreasure-hunting action adventure “Uncharted” picked up $1.95 million in China on Monday, its official opening day, according to local box office tracking sources. Provisional data from Ent Group showed it launching in first place on Monday, becoming the first film to displace the long-running Chinese patriotic war movie “The Battle at Lake Changjin II,” which had reigned supreme since Feb.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSuperstar Puerto Rican songwriter-producer Tainy, who has helmed such hits as “I Like It” (by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin), “Dakiti” (by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez), and “Telepatia” (by Kali Uchis), has sold his pre-2021 music catalog to fast-rising Influence Media (Influence Media Partners).Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although sources tell Variety it was in the $25 million range.The San Juan native (real name: Marco Masis) has appeared on Variety’s Hitmakers list several times and spoke with us about his hits last year. A four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy winner, Tainy has helmed hits for Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Rosalia, Lauren Jauregui, Zion & Lennox, Anuel, Ozuna, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Rauw Alejandro, Jhay Cortez and more.

Broadway box office took a 14% stumble last week, with total receipts for the 19 productions dropping to $19,746,606 from the previous week’s sturdier $23,004,259. Total attendance was down by the same percentage, to 153,269.

Melania Trump is doubling down amid her bizarre (non?)-charity controversy!

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“The Batman” landed a bigger opening weekend than Warner Bros., the studio behind the comic book adventure, initially expected.The latest superhero epic, starring Robert Pattinson as an exceptionally moody Caped Crusader, collected $134 million in North American theaters over the weekend, above Sunday’s estimates of $128.5 million.Those ticket sales rank as the best opening weekend of 2022, as well as only the second pandemic-era movie to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend following “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”The reason behind the 4% bump in Monday’s final tally is because “The Batman” had a better-than-expected turnout on Sunday, bringing in $34.1 million. That’s more than some pandemic-era releases managed to earn in their entire theatrical runs.

Mila Kunis, 38, and her husband Ashton Kutcher, 44, helped raise over $16 million to aid Ukrainian refugees who are struggling during the war with Russia in just three days. The actress shared a message, thanking fans for the outpouring of support on Saturday March 5. She said that fundraiser (shared on GoFundMe) was going to provide “immediate support” for those affected, and that she and Ashton would match up to $3 million. 

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorMila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $30 million to go toward relief efforts that help Ukrainian families displaced by Russia’s attack on the country.The two actors, who famously costarred on Fox’s “That ’70s Show,” said they will match up to $3 million of donations for the $30 million fundraiser.“I’m a proud American. I love everything this country has done for myself and my family,” Kunis says in a video announcement, posted Thursday on each of the couple’s Instagram accounts.

That 70’s Show, shared their efforts to raise $30 million in aid for Ukrainian people in a video posted to Instagram. Kunis began by sharing her connection to , having been born there when it was still a Soviet Union state before she and her family came to the United States. “I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 1983," she says in the video.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are enjoying a day out together.

Jennifer Hudson, 40, is getting the talk show treatment. News broke on Wednesday, March 2 that The Jennifer Hudson Show will premiere in Fall 2022 on Fox Television Stations following the end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Jennifer’s daytime show will be one-hour long, according to Variety, and will come from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television and Ellen production company Telepictures. The test show was reportedly shot in November 2021 with Ellen executive producers Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly as showrunners.

The brand new season of American Idol airs tonight on ABC and we have some details about the salaries of the three star judges and the host of the show, Ryan Seacrest.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterSony’s video game adaptation “Uncharted,” starring Tom Holland as street-smart treasure hunter Nathan Drake, had another solid showing at the international box office.Over the weekend, the PG-13 video game adaptation collected $35 million from 64 overseas territories, pushing its international tally to $143 million. With $83 million in North American ticket sales, “Uncharted” has generated $226.4 million globally so far. That haul is impressive because “Uncharted” has yet to open in China (March 14), which currently stands as the world’s biggest theatrical market.“Uncharted” continues to pull in crowds in the United Kingdom, Holland’s birthplace.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIt’s (still) good to be Tom Holland.The 25-year-old actor has been all-but-singlehandedly propelling ticket sales at North American movie theaters, leading two films in the top three spots on domestic box office charts. Over the weekend, his action-adventure “Uncharted” repeated No.

LCD Soundsystem will be the musical guests on this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live.Set to air tomorrow night (February 26), the episode will be hosted by John Mulaney, marking his fifth time presenting the late night sketch show.It’s the second time James Murphy and co. have played SNL, the first time being back in 2017 when they were promoting their last album, ‘American Dream’.With each episode of the show, the hosts and musical guests get together to shoot a promo for the forthcoming episode.

The First Lady” is Showtime’s new TV series, an anthology looking into the country’s first ladies. The first season stars Viola Davis, Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pheiffer, focusing on the stories of Michelle Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford.In a virtual panel at the Television Critics Association’s press tour, showrunner and producer Cathy Schulman and Susanne Bier talked about the future of the show, and the possibility of having a season centered on Melania Trump, one of the most controversial first ladies in American history.Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis becomes Michelle Obama in upcoming TV dramaMelania Trump announces new ‘limited-edition’ NFT collectionA post shared by The First Lady on Showtime (@thefirstlady_sho)The panel was attended by the showrunner, producer and the show’s stars, where they were asked questions about the show and they teased possibilities for its future.

The executive producers of the upcoming Showtime anthology series The First Lady are already thinking about what historical women to focus on in Season 2. Its debut season, centering Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), premieres on April 17.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterShowtime’s upcoming “The First Lady” anthology series is described as “a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House.” While the first season focuses on icons Michelle Obama (played by Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), the executive producers are not opposed to a potential future season including possibly the most divisive first lady: Melania Trump.During a virtual panel promoting the show at the Television Critics Association’s press tour Wednesday, “The First Lady” showrunner Cathy Schulman and director and executive producer Susanne Bier playfully tossed a reporter’s question about featuring President Donald Trump’s wife as subject before Bier answered definitively, but with a laugh: “Look, I do think that the series could do with a fun season — so let’s talk about that.” Star Anderson, who was sitting on the panel alongside co-star Davis, added: “I think the hope is that there’s going to be future seasons and there will be the opportunity to have many, many more first ladies represented. So maybe not just four — but maybe 104.”But Bier says that no matter how many seasons they do, she’d like to keep the number of first ladies to three per installment for a very specific reason.“Three is a great number for a season because you can do in-depth contrasts, but it’s also incredibly interesting how the three ladies reflect upon each other,” Bier said.

EXCLUSIVE: Olatunde Osunsanmi, director/executive producer of Star Trek: Discovery, has signed a multi-year overall deal with the studio behind the flagship Star Trek Universe series, CBS Studios.