Wednesday: Disney Crushes Earnings; A24's $3.5B Valuation; Margaret Qualley Wins Coveted Role; Studio Heads To Meet About Tariffs; Netflix Re-Design
Disney topped earnings today, lifting the stock higher and boosting the sector as a whole. A24's valuation is soaring, and studio heads are meeting about Trump's tariffs. Plus, Netflix has a redesign coming.
It's Wednesday, May 7th. There is a TON happening in the biz today. Here's what you need to know.
🎥 Today's Headlines
Disney shares surged over 10% Wednesday after strong earnings, streaming growth, and news of a new Abu Dhabi theme park. By midday, the stock was topping $100 and boosting other major Hollywood stocks. (Source: Variety)
Backed by Thrive and Guggenheim, A24’s recent $3.5B valuation is behind their push to larger, blockbuster-type films. Fueled by private equity investment and a goal of maximizing value for a potential future exit, A24 is evolving beyond indie cinema with high-budget films and a growing TV slate to justify its multibillion-dollar valuation. (Source: Observer)
Margaret Qualley has landed the starring role in Amazon MGM’s Love of Your Life. Directed by Rachel Morrison (following her acclaimed work in The Substance and Honey Don’t) the film is being produced by Ryan Gosling. (Source: Deadline)
The 2026 DGA Awards will take place on Saturday, February 7 at the Beverly Hilton, with nomination details to come later this year and Beth McCarthy-Miller returning as chair to honor the best in directorial achievement. (Source: Deadline)
Top Hollywood studio heads will meet with MPA chief Charles Rivkin on Friday to discuss President Trump’s proposed tariffs on films shot abroad, following industry backlash and White House efforts to downplay the announcement. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
Next week, Netflix will unveil a major redesign of its TV home page. The new layout will feature fewer titles, more video and animation, and real-time personalized recommendations, aiming to create a sleeker, more engaging experience for its 300 million subscribers. (Source: New York Times)
💰 Box Office Rankings
Monday - May 5th
1) Thunderbolts* - $5,008,275
2) Sinners - $3,101,363
3) The Accountant 2 - $770,481
4) A Minecraft Movie - $637,302
5) Until Dawn - $369,212
Source: Box Office Mojo
🎬 MNP Studio Index
Wednesday, May 7th (Market Close)
📈 UP 1.9%
Summary: Huge day for the index, ending up 1.9%
Notable: Disney's earnings news lifted their stock and most of the big Hollywood names came along for the ride.
Biggest loser: Cineverse closed down (-1.42%).
Biggest gainer: Disney roared today, closing up 10.68%.
📱MNP Streaming Index
Wednesday, May 7th (Market Close)
📈 UP 1.04%
Summary: Fantastic day for the Streaming Index.
Notable: Disney's strong earnings and streaming revenue helped to buoy the sector.
Biggest loser: Google was hit hard (-7.26%) on rumors that Apple may replace it with AI-powered search like ChatGPT in Safari.
Biggest gainer: Disney crushed earnings and soared, up 10.76%.
🍿MNP Theater Index
Wednesday, May 7th (Market Close)
📈 UP 1.30%
Summary: Stellar day for theater stocks. The group was up 1.49%.
Notable: Marcus Theatres bounced back on analyst upgrades and a dividend announcement.
Biggest loser: Dolby, down 1.10%.
Biggest gainer: Marcus Corp, up 3.83%
🎟️ Film Festivals & Conferences
Today:
- Milwaukee Film Festival, US – April 24–May 8
- IndieLisboa Film Festival, Portugal – May 1–11
- UK Asian Film Festival, UK – May 1–11
- Doc’n Roll Brooklyn, US – May 5–10
- Screen Forever, Australia – May 6–8
- Cine International Film Festival, UK – May 7–10
Upcoming:
- DocsBarcelona, Spain – May 8–18
- HipHop CineFest, Italy – May 9–10
- Cannes Film Festival, France – May 13–24
- Marché du Film, France – May 13–21
- Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, US – May 14–18
- Harlem International Film Festival, US – May 15–18
- Ridgefield Independent Film Festival, US – May 15–18
- Seattle International Film Festival, US – May 15–25
📺 Watch This Tonight
The Game (1997), Directed by David Fincher
An underrated thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn.
📢 Disclaimer/Transparency
MovieNewsPro is a film industry news monitoring service. All stories have been previously reported elsewhere and are not exclusive stories to MNP. All information is believed to be accurate at the time of reporting. MovieNewsPro uses a full array of technology to gather information, including machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence throughout its business monitoring, editing and reporting process. MovieNewsPro sector indexes (Streaming, Studio and Theater) are virtual indexes - there are no actual funds invested. Sector index total value dollar amounts are based on an initial hypothetical investment of $100,000 on March 17th, 2025. We are not licensed investment advisors and our information should not be used as investment advice.
