At the eleventh hour the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union representing film and television production workers, negotiated a new contract with studios and networks. What is still unclear is whether workers are grateful about averting a strike or upset they didn’t gain more. Besides gaining wage increases, the union was aiming to clamp down on workplace conditions that lead to long, exhausting hours.
Meanwhile, across the entertainment business, the black hole of data is getting bigger. We don’t really know what streaming shows are popular, we can’t add up all the ways people consume music, TV producers are struggling to prove they’re reaching a lot of eyeballs and Broadway has stopped reporting grosses. Is this just annoying for journalists or a real problem for the industry as a whole?
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why the Grammys are booting Kacey Musgraves from the country music category, Elton John sets a new record on the music charts and Disney loses a key, veteran executive.

‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Gobbles $62M+ In Wider Offshore Debut, Lashes $284M Global; ‘No Time To Die’ Nears $450M WW
https://deadline.com/2021/10/venom-let-there-be-carnage-no-time-to-die-global-international-box-office-1234857262/
‘Halloween Kills’ Scores Bloody Great $50.4 Million Debut, ‘The Last Duel’ Bombs
https://variety.com/2021/film/news/box-office-halloween-kills-debut-matt-damon-ben-affleck-last-duel-bombs-1235091240/
‘The Last Duel’ Box Office Debacle: Hollywood’s Battle for Older Moviegoers
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-last-duel-box-office-debacle-1235032811/
Dave Chappelle’s Brittle Ego – Roxanne Gay
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/opinion/dave-chappelle-netflix-trans.html
‘The Many Saints of Newark’ Was a Streaming Hit — and Helped ‘The Sopranos’ Break Records
https://variety.com/2021/film/news/the-sopranos-many-saints-of-newark-streaming-ratings-1235084744/
‘Squid Game’ Draws 111M Views In First Month, Per Netflix, Besting ‘Bridgerton’ To Become Top All-Time Series Launch
https://deadline.com/2021/10/squid-game-111-million-views-in-first-month-cruising-past-bridgerton-top-all-time-netflix-original-1234854955/
Superman Comes Out, as DC Comics Ushers In a New Man of Steel
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/arts/superman-comes-out.html
HBO Max Unveils New Territories, Pricing and 45-Day Theatrical-to-Streaming Window in Europe
https://variety.com/2021/streaming/global/hbo-max-territories-pricing-theatrical-europe-1235081132/