NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell Says Peacock Hit 26M Signups; Defends Theatrical Window Busting For “Stuck In The Mud” Film Business

Refresh for more analysis and top 10 chart: With even more theaters closing down during this past weekend, including the Boston market and parts of Portland, OR, there wasn’t much money to make at the box office even with a shiny, new major studio movie, Sony/Screen Gems’ Monster Hunter which is respecting the window. Per industry sources, only 2,300 movie theaters are open in U.S./Canada.

EXCLUSIVE: NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell didn’t mince words about the “bad dream” that was 2020, but touted the success of Peacock and laid out a string of streaming stats in a holiday-season memo to employees.

Jeff Bezos, said in a blog post that she has given away $4.2 billion of her fortune in the past four months. Scott said she accelerated her charitable donations because of the «wrecking ball» effect of the coronavirus, which she noted has also «substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.» Scott is among those billionaires whose fortunes have soared since the pandemic first crippled the U.S.

MacKenzie Scott, the ex wife of Jeff Bezos, says she donated $4.2 billion to 384 organizations over the last four months.

Jeff Bridges is giving fans a brief health update.  Amid a battle with lymphoma, the 71-year-old star said that he's "feeling good" also "got a puppy" named Monty and "had a birthday - 71, man," all in addition to shaving his head. Along with the bulleted list, the actor shared a photo of himself online featuring a bald head rather than his usual grey locks.

Warner Bros. is doing a minor massage to its release schedule for 2021. New Line’s Mortal Kombat, which I hear isn’t finished, is going on April 16, 2021 instead of Jan. 15. The Simon McQuiod directed feature adaptation of the videogame will have access to Imax screens.

Georgians “understand” what is at stake in the Peach State’s upcoming Senate runoff elections, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: Podcasting is becoming big business and as such the Hollywood agencies are building up their talent books. The latest move is CAA signing Lauren Bright Pacheco, host of the true crime podcast Happy Face, which is in development at CBS All Access.

NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock has reached more than 26 million sign-ups, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told an investors conference on Tuesday. "As of yesterday, we're just up over 26 million sign-ups, so the momentum just continues in a very strong linear way," Shell told the UBSGlobal TMT Virtual Investors Conference during a session that was webcast.

With WarnerMedia effectively blowing up the theatrical exclusivity window with its entire 2021 Warner Bros. film slate, many are wondering which studio will make a similar move.

Also Read: AT&T CEO Defends Same-Day Release of 2021 Warner Bros Films on HBO Max: a 'Win-Win-Win'The NBCU boss knows that the recent decision made by AT&T’s WarnerMedia to roll out all of its 2021 theatrical titles in both theaters and on its streaming service HBO Max on the same day is “a different strategy,” but thinks “anything that, in my opinion, collapses windows… I think is going to add value to the whole business and I think theaters are going to be more than fine in the long

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhen the coronavirus pandemic lifts, NBCUniversal expects to aim its movies at two very different groups of audience.Jeff Shell, the CEO of the large Comcast unit, expects a chunk of consumers to rNBeturn to movie theaters, emboldened, perhaps, by the chance to attend communal events outside their homes once again.

AMC Boss Adam Aron has weighed on WarnerMedia’s news about debuting its entire 2021 theatrical release slate simultaneously on HBO Max, and he isn’t a happy camper. Wonder Woman 1984 as a one-off was fine, but the chain expects to fight hard when it comes to terms. Here’s what Aron had to say today:

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar jumped on the phone today to talk more about the groundbreaking theatrical-HBO Max window for the studio’s 2021 slate. That big decision comes strictly down to the pandemic, and the studio aiming to maximize their movies as revenue events on its new streaming service HBO Max, and those theaters which are opting to weather the current storm.

Elliot Page in 2019 (Photo: Joe Seer)