Disney Plus Ends 2021 With Nearly 130 Million Subscribers, Smashing Growth Forecasts

Zack Sharf Former Netflix-Marvel comic book series “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher” and “The Defenders” will officially call Disney Plus their new streaming home. Disney confirms all six series will begin streaming on the platform in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand starting March 16. The shows left their original home at Netflix on Feb.

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.

Lily James is looking so hot in her latest outfit!

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery, Inc. hit 22 million paid streaming subscribers worldwide by the end of 2021, with the vast majority being Discovery Plus customers, the company revealed Thursday.The company reported last November that it grew to 20 million paid direct-to-consumer subscribers by the end of Q3.

Brittany Aldean doubled-down on her criticism of the Biden administration in a Presidents’ Day social media post. "Happy President’s Day to such great U.S. presidents," reads a meme posted by the 33-year-old mother of two to her Instagram Story in which a portrait of Biden donning a face covering is smack dab in the middle of a grid of nine former presidents with the text "not you" affixed over his head.

Rachel Brosnahan is revealing how all of that fast talking dialogue in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” isn’t as easy as she makes it seem. 

Usually busy guiding the country’s moral compass, the leader of the Church of England has spent time this week deflecting criticism after he dared to weigh in on something nearly as pressing – the spiritual value, or lack thereof, of The Great British Bake Off.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Uncharted,” a long-gestating film adaptation of a popular series of video games, racked up $3.7 million in Thursday previews. The big-budget adventure is a key test of Tom Holland’s bankability, coming on the heels of his blockbuster success with “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The Marvel adventure recently topped “Avatar” to become the third highest-grossing domestic release in history. This time, Holland trades in Spidey’s spandex for treasure hunter Nathan Drake’s cream-colored v-neck and holster.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterThese days, Tom Holland is never too far from the top of box office charts.The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” actor is returning to theaters this weekend as a different kind of vigilante in Sony’s “Uncharted,” an action adventure based on the popular video game. The film is expected to make $27 million between Friday and Sunday and $30 million through President’s Day on Monday. Some box office prognosticators believe “Uncharted” could reach $35 million in its first four days in theaters.

Wherever they lead, these former costars will follow! Though it’s been nearly 15 years since Gilmore Girls finished its initial run, the WB stars have remained just as tight as their characters.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“NCIS” is heading down under.The long-running CBS franchise is being adapted for Paramount Plus Australia and broadcaster Network 10 in a deal that marks the first international edition for the CBS Studios-produced juggernaut.“NCIS: Sydney” will launch in 2023 and feature local stories with Aussie actors and producers. “NCIS: Los Angeles” creator Shane Brennan, who is Australian and first joined the franchise back in 2007, is attached.The commission is a clever way for Paramount Plus to bulk up its local offering in Australia, where the service launched in August 2021 and already takes advantage of content from the ViacomCBS-backed local linear offering, Channel 10.Paramount Plus is slowly expanding internationally and will finally launch in Europe this year.

nearly 47 million paid global subscribers combined. That was up from the 42 million worldwide subscribers that the company reported it had reached across Paramount+ and Showtime at the end of Q2.A year ago, ViacomCBS said it expects to reach 65-75 million global subscribers between Paramount+ and Showtime by 2024.Q4 saw Paramount+ release Taylor Sheridan’s new drama series “Mayor of Kingstown” starring Jeremy Renner and the fourth season of “Star Trek: Discovery” in November.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterParamount Plus and Showtime topped a combined 56 million subscribers by the end of last year, ViacomCBS revealed Tuesday ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings presentation and investor event. That’s up 9.4 million from where it was in the previous quarter.At the end of Q3 of 2021, Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) and Showtime OTT added 4.3 million global subscribers, raising their combined total to nearly 47 million.For comparison, HBO and HBO Max ended 2021 with 73.8 million global subscribers, Disney Plus closed the year with nearly 130 million worldwide, and Netflix reached 221.8 million total in Q4.ViacomCBS said last February it expects to reach 65-75 million global subscribers between Paramount Plus and Showtime by 2024.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMere months after Tom Holland ignited box office charts with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the 25-year-old British actor is swinging back to movie theater marquees with “Uncharted.”Ahead of its domestic debut on Feb. 18, Sony’s big-screen adaptation of its popular video game series opened at the international box office to a solid $21.5 million from 15 overseas markets.“Uncharted” had the biggest start in the United Kingdom, landing in first place with $6.4 million.

APPOINTMENTSSony Music Publishing has appointed Roberto Razzini as Managing Director, Italy. He will take up the role on 1 Mar. “I am honoured by the opportunity”, he says.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Roku Channel has picked up sci-fi adventure series “The Pact” from Qatar-based Katara Studios and Taipei- and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group.The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku hardware and software platform.The six-part show will be exclusively available on The Roku Channel in the U.S., U.K. and Canada from March 26, 2022, and release to the rest of the world in July.

Mrs. Maisel is ready to speak her mind and drop some f-bombs in the season 4 trailer of Prime Video Canada’s award-winning series.

Things got a little TMI for Seth Rogen on Twitter this week.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping helps open the Winter Games in Beijing on Friday, dozens of world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also are expected to attend.

Gerard Butler is set to return as Big Nick in the Den of Thieves sequel.