Snapshot · Pivot
Total domestic U.S. box office in 2026 is estimated at $4.46 billion, the highest figure since 2019, driven by diverse titles beyond superhero blockbusters.
Where this was said
At 25:19 · chapter starts 24:00
Kara opens the Hollywood segment with a pointed 'You predicted this, didn't you?' — and she did. Toy Story 5 opened to $312 million globally, and the 2026 U.S. domestic box office is on track for $4.46 billion [1] — Kara Swisher "Domestic box office $4.46 billion — highest since 2019: Total domestic U.S. box office in 2026 is estimated at $4.46 billion, the highest f…" 25:19 , with the recovery powered not by Avengers-style tentpoles but by a diverse slate including mid-budget horror films like Backrooms and Obsession alongside prestige pictures. Scott frames the structural shift in terms of the cinema market bifurcating like airlines: IMAX is Emirates and Cinemark is Southwest — luxury experience versus budget efficiency [2] — Scott Galloway "Cinemark & IMAX up 40–45% in 12 months: Theater stocks Cinemark and IMAX rose 40% and 45% respectively in the last 12 months, outperforming…" 26:48 . The middle-tier multiplex, like United or Delta, is getting crushed. He credits the IRL trend: post-COVID consumers have developed a visceral need to be around other humans, and the gag-reflex over social media isolation is driving them back to shared spaces. A brief tangent explores how Anthropic, SpaceX, and OpenAI IPO wealth is inflating VIP concert and travel prices as newly minted millionaires abandon the idea of saving for a home.
Hollywood's 2026 domestic box office of $4.46 billion is the highest since 2019 and it's being driven by a barbell: premium IMAX experiences (up 45% in stock price) and cheap streaming at $0.30 an hour. The mid-tier multiplex is getting crushed.
Theater stocks Cinemark and IMAX rose 40% and 45% respectively in the last 12 months, outperforming broader media stocks amid a bifurcated cinema market.
A novel called 'Call Me, I'll Hide the Body' triggered a 14-publisher bidding war and sold for $2.4 million before critics alleged it was predominantly written by AI.
John Mulaney cold-texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere to offer to produce her Netflix special, which became Wake Up.
Robby Hoffman posed as a courier to hand-deliver her spec script directly to the president of HBO Canada early in her career.
Robby and Mulaney filmed two shows in one night for the Netflix special; after the first they knew they had it, so the second was a victory lap.
Jimmy Carr performs up to 300 shows a year, often doing two shows per night, which he says reduces nerves rather than increasing them.
Jimmy Carr says that speaking at roughly 92 beats per minute is the optimal cadence for comedy and public speaking, including political speeches like Obama's.
The oldest recorded joke appears in a Roman book called 'The Lover of Laughter' and is still funny — a barber asking how a man wants his haircut, who replies 'in silence'.
Jimmy Carr argues that comedians like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Dave Chappelle have permanently expanded the conversational Overton window on sex, politics, and taboo topics.
The Lion King musical has grossed over $11 billion in its 30-year run, making it the single highest-grossing piece of entertainment in history across any medium.
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