Summary
Overview
Richard Osman and Marina Hyde dive into 2025's entertainment landscape, analyzing Hollywood's crucial year ahead with upcoming blockbusters, discussing the best TV shows coming in 2025, and breaking down Ashley Tisdale's dramatic exit from a celebrity mom WhatsApp group. They cap it off with an in-depth discussion of The Traitors UK's midpoint, focusing on Harriet Tyce's standout performance and a missed publishing opportunity.
Hollywood's Make-or-Break Year: 2025 Film Preview
Hollywood needs to hit $9 billion in box office revenue to stay healthy, after falling just short last year. The industry is banking on a packed slate of blockbusters, sequels, and adaptations spread strategically across the year. From Super Mario Galaxy and Michael Jackson biopics to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three, studios are pulling out all the stops. The real question is whether audiences will return to theaters in sufficient numbers, and which unexpected mid-budget films will break out like last year's genre hits from Warner Bros.
- Hollywood needs $9 billion annually in box office to stay healthy; barely missed that target last year
- Last year had a very bad first quarter, good second quarter, very bad third quarter, and just-good-enough fourth quarter
- Super Mario Galaxy movie expected to be massive - the last one was the biggest movie of its year
- Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' could be globally massive despite controversy around his legacy
- Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will likely be a culture war phenomenon
- Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' with Matt Damon benefits from being a set text in American schools for decades
- Tom Cruise returns to proper screen acting in Alexander Iñárritu film 'Digger' - first non-action role in over a decade
- December's 'Dune: Part Three' and 'Avengers: Doomsday' will be the year's biggest releases
- Making movies based on bestselling books like 'The Housemaid' with Sidney Sweeney is proving successful
" As you know, I believe him to have been a predatory paedophile. But he...people... "
" What about making movies based on the world's biggest selling books, starring Sidney Sweeney with Amanda Seyfried? I can't believe it's making money. "
2025 Television Highlights: The Best Writers Return
British television is set for an exceptional year with top-tier writers bringing new shows to screens. From Stefan Godaszewski's 'Babies' to Lisa McGee's 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast' and Michaela Coel's 'First Day on Earth', the quality at the high end is exceptional. Richard and Marina discuss how the industry is healthy at the premium level but struggling in the middle tier with fewer commissions for daytime, quiz shows, and entertainment formats. The key question is whether the industry can capitalize on this creative talent and move at the speed necessary to take advantage of cultural moments.
- Stefan Godaszewski (writer of 'Mum') returns with 'Babies' starring Isobel Esmeralda
- Tony Schumacher's follow-up to 'The Responder' is 'The Cage' with Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha working in a Liverpool casino
- Michaela Coel returns with 'First Day on Earth'
- Lisa McGee (Derry Girls) has 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast' on Netflix in February
- Daisy Haggard wrote and directed 'Maya' about witness protection with Bella Ramsey
- Line of Duty returns for a seventh series
- The Gibbons brothers (Partridge writers) have a sitcom with Lenny Rush called 'The Reluctant Vampire'
- High-end TV is very healthy but there's a huge problem in the middle tier with fewer commissions
" Every year someone does something where you just go, oh my God. I mean, this didn't exist before, and now it exists forever. "
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