Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Britain's government and competition watchdog have cleared Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, pending final approval from U.S. states.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Britain clears Paramount's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros.

Britain's government and its competition watchdog cleared Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on ​Thursday after David Ellison provided reassurances, leaving U.S. states led by California as the final major hurdle to ​the deal. Ellison, Paramount Skydance's chief executive, offered legally binding guarantees of at least five years ‌on ​programming commissioned in Britain and the independence of Britain's Channel 5 news, the government said in letters to the companies.

Spotify's higher spending on marketing, AI features to hit profit

Spotify said higher marketing and development costs would hurt its profit in the current quarter as the Swedish music-streaming giant bets heavily on features powered by AI to attract users. The company also projected third-quarter monthly active users below ‌Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, blaming the weakness on product changes in emerging markets such as India and Indonesia that may help Spotify in raising prices.

Wagner Moura and Greta Lee fight for survival in new thriller 'The Last House'

Greta Lee and Wagner Moura channel their inner survivalists to play a married couple trapped inside their home in "The Last House", Netflix's new psychological thriller. Speaking to Reuters, "Past Lives" actress Lee said portraying her character's emotional breakdown, and how it affects the bonds between spouses, parents and children, was among the biggest challenges she encountered during ‌filming.

Ex-pop star Gary Glitter appears in court over historic sex offences

Former British pop star Paul Gadd, better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, appeared in a London court on Wednesday accused of historic sex offences against a young girl. The 82-year-old, who ‌rose to fame in the 1970s as a "glam-rock" star, is accused of abusing the girl between 1978 and 1981 when she was aged eight to eleven.

Disney's 'Toy Story 5' fuels streaming business and merchandise sales for June quarter

Disney said the success of "Toy Story 5" extended beyond the box office in the June quarter, as the hit film fueled sales of merchandise, boosted engagement on the Disney+ streaming service and attracted more theme park visitors. Shares of the company rose nearly 2% in midday trading on Wednesday after the results.

Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum shot to death during livestream

Mexican social media influencer Cesar Gastelum was shot and killed on Tuesday while livestreaming with friends ⁠outside a fast food ​restaurant in the northwestern city of Culiacan, local authorities said. Gastelum, who ⁠had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and was known for comedy videos, was streaming live outside a fast food restaurant when two people on a motorcycle, both wearing helmets, approached him and his friends. In a recording of the livestream, seen by Reuters, the driver of the motorcycle appeared to fire a gun directly ⁠at Gastelum.

Disney and TikTok strike short-form video-sharing deal

Walt Disney and TikTok on Wednesday announced a deal to let TikTok creators use characters and scenes from Disney movies and TV shows in short-form videos, the first pact of its kind between the popular social media app and a traditional ​media company. Under the agreement, a curated selection of videos will stream on TikTok and also on the Disney+ streaming service, the companies said in a statement. Videos will appear on Disney+ under a Verts tab designed to capture younger audiences ⁠who devour vertical video on mobile phones. It is the first time TikTok videos will be shown on another platform.

'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' debut sets all-time record at domestic box office

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" set an all-time record at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices over the weekend, snagging $360 million to top the milestone set by ⁠2019 ​superhero blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame," according to ticket sales data released by Sony Pictures on Monday. Around the globe, the movie brought in a total of $932 million in ticket sales, the second highest-grossing total in cinema history.

Analysis-The US box office is booming, but fewer people are going to the movies

The U.S. box office saw its biggest opening weekend in history thanks to the one-two punch of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey." But the industry's rebound is increasingly being powered by higher ticket prices, premium-format screenings and a handful of blockbuster releases rather ⁠than a broad return of moviegoers. While the domestic box office revenue is on pace for its best year since the pandemic, film audiences have shrunk.

Warner Bros' revenue disappoints on soft ad sales, weak box-office performance

Warner Bros Discovery missed second-quarter revenue expectations ⁠on Thursday, hurt by lackluster box-office performance and soft advertising sales due ⁠to the absence of NBA games. Studio revenue slumped 39%, with releases including "Mortal Kombat II" and "Supergirl" failing to replicate the blockbuster success of last year's "A Minecraft Movie" and "Sinners".

Fox posts upbeat revenue, profit on ad boost from FIFA World Cup

Fox Corp beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, as the FIFA World Cup boosted advertising sales during a busy news cycle, sending ‌its shares more than 5% higher. The company held ‌the exclusive U.S. English-language broadcast rights for the World Cup and benefited from strong viewership as well as new so-called hydration breaks that ​created more ad opportunities by splitting matches into four commercial windows.