Thursday: Fantasy Sports Meets The Movie Biz; Alexander Payne's Next; Is Mubi Worth $1 Billion?; Remembering Joe Don Baker; Hollywood Is Finally Paying Attention To YouTube
MoviePass is back in the game with a $100M boost for Mogul, a fantasy platform where players bet on box office hits—just as Hollywood starts taking YouTube seriously and reimagines Bitcoin on screen. Plus, Cannes heats up, indie stocks stir, and Villeneuve’s Enemy is your must-watch tonight.
It's Thursday, May 15th. Here's what you need to know.
📽️ News & Views
MoviePass has secured a $100 million investment to fuel Mogul, a new fantasy gaming platform where users play studio execs predicting real-world film success. With the popularity of fantasy sports at an all-time high, this just makes sense. (Variety)
Joe Don Baker, the rugged actor best known for portraying justice-wielding Sheriff Buford Pusser in Walking Tall, died on May 7 at age 89. (Hollywood Reporter)
Cannes Best Actress Winner (2021) Renate Reinsve has signed up to star in Alexander Payne's new film Somewhere Out There. (Screen Daily)
After the Imax-powered success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey will become the first movie shot entirely with Imax cameras. (Deadline)
Is Mubi really worth $1 billion dollars? Founder Efe Cakarel might say yes. (Variety)
Hollywood’s portrayal of Bitcoin has evolved from shady digital backroom currency to a complex symbol of power, risk, and innovation—mirroring society’s shifting attitudes and growing entanglement with crypto, one plot twist at a time. (Film Threat)
Hollywood is finally paying attention to YouTube, the biggest video service in the world, according to Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw. (BBC)
📈 The Movie News Pro Stock Index
Market Close: Thursday, May 15th, 2025
TOTAL VALUE $101,348.07
TODAY'S CHANGE $438.47 (0.43%)
TOTAL GAIN/LOSS $1,348.04 (1.35%)
A flat day for the movie index, and yet we finished up .43% on the day. Scrappy indie stock Cineverse rose 5% today, based on the company's recent acquisition of U.S. distribution rights for Return to Silent Hill. Amazon, Alphabet and Apple all dipped on broader tech concerns.
Disclaimer: MovieNewsPro's Movie Stock Index is a virtual index - there are no actual funds invested. Sector index total value dollar amounts are based on an initial hypothetical investment of $100,000 on May 12th, 2025. We are not licensed investment advisors and our information should not be used as investment advice. Invest wisely.
Film Festivals
Cannes Film Festival, France - May 13-24
Marche 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
Docaviv, Israel - May 22-31
Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, Canada - May 23-31
Krakow Film Festival, Poland - May 25-June 1
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, US - May 27-June 1
Nippon Connection Film Festival, Germany - May 27-June 1
Mendocino Film Festival, US - May 29-June 1
📺 Watch This Tonight
Enemy (2013)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Before tackling the Blade Runner and Dune franchises, Villeneuve directed this tight sci-fi freakout starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
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.
