The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner at RedBird Capital, the private equity fund backing Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, to answer some questions about what WarnerMount will look like, including if they plan to sell off one or both of the Paramount and Warner Bros. lots, why cost cuts won’t lead to layoffs, details around possible Middle East investment, and why this mega deal is good for Hollywood (00:00). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Hoopers’ and ‘The Bride!’ (34:02).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Gerry Cardinale

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jon Jones, Stefano Sanchez, and Carlos Chiriboga

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Clyburn family searches for connection in Montana's Madison Valley. The Madison, New Series streaming March 14th - only on Paramount+.

ZOOTOPIA 2. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE.
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Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss how David Ellison plans to merge Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, how much the cost cutting and consolidation will affect the industry, what will happen to HBO Max, and what success even looks like for this new company in the long term (00:00). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the new name of the soon-to-be-combined HBO Max and Paramount+ services (33:47).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rich Greenfield

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jon Jones

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Clyburn family searches for connection in Montana's Madison Valley. The Madison, New Series streaming March 14th - only on Paramount+.

ZOOTOPIA 2. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emergency episode! Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to react to Netflix pulling out of the Warner Bros sweepstakes after Paramount raised its bid to $31 per share, bringing the overall offer to $111B. They break down why this happened, why Netflix abruptly backed out, if this deal will close, what this means for Hollywood, how powerful the new Ellison mega platform can be, and what comes next.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

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Matt is joined by John Wells, executive producer of ‘The Pitt,’ to discuss how ‘The Pitt’ is reviving an old model of television and why it is considered innovative in 2026. John talks about how the show is made, the benefits of filming in Los Angeles, and whether streaming TV is going back to the broadcast model (00:00). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Scream 7’ (28:30).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: John Wells

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

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Live from the American Film Institute, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and the CEO of Sony Film Tom Rothman to discuss the future of the Spider Man franchise, Marvel’s recent struggles, if movie stars should make movies for streamers, and the biggest crisis facing the movie industry right now.  Matt finishes the show with a prediction about who will be cast as the next James Bond.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw, Tom Rothman

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices