Scott Mendelson
@scottmendelson.bsky.social
A box office columnist for Puck News, but also head over to The Outside Scoop at Substack for everything else worth reading (box office, reviews, analysis, think pieces, etc.)
https://scottmendelson.substack.com/
https://scottmendelson.substack.com/
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The Outside Scoop | Scott Mendelson | Substack
A legacy sequel to The Ticket Booth at Forbes.com and (especially) Mendelson's Memos. Pure, unfiltered and less formal pontification about the movie business and the entertainment industry for those w...
scottmendelson.substack.com
For those who followed my ongoing film reviews, industry punditry and (especially?) box office analysis from my days at Forbes (2013-2022) and/or (if you're old) Mendelson's Memos (2008-2013), stop by The Outside Scoop on Substack. It's precisely that—nothing more, nothing less.
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
“Biden Asylum Cases” is NYT’s framing for a story pegged to a man who got asylum 3 months into the Trump administration
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/u...
November 27, 2025 at 10:48 PM
“Biden Asylum Cases” is NYT’s framing for a story pegged to a man who got asylum 3 months into the Trump administration
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/u...
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
The Monkeys (opening act - Weird Al)
U2
Michael Jackson
George Michael
Weird Al x2
The Monkeys (opening act - Weird Al)
U2
Michael Jackson
George Michael
Weird Al x2
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
Weird Al (x10)
Vampire Weekend
Fleet Foxes
Spinal Tap
John Williams (with special guest Steven Spielberg)
Weird Al (x10)
Vampire Weekend
Fleet Foxes
Spinal Tap
John Williams (with special guest Steven Spielberg)
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve seen
Weird Al Yankovic
G3 (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Kenny Wayne Shepherd)
Ben Folds (Five) (x5)
Nine Inch Nails
Regina Spektor
Weird Al Yankovic
G3 (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Kenny Wayne Shepherd)
Ben Folds (Five) (x5)
Nine Inch Nails
Regina Spektor
November 27, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen:
The Monkeys (opening act - Weird Al)
U2
Michael Jackson
George Michael
Weird Al x2
The Monkeys (opening act - Weird Al)
U2
Michael Jackson
George Michael
Weird Al x2
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
A bit too on the nose for thanksgiving
ICE DETAINED MARILYN. Fuck these people. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:26 PM
A bit too on the nose for thanksgiving
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
This is a deeply unprofessional and illegal partisan statement from the Trump hack who's currently director of the CIA.
It's also deeply dishonest, because the decision to grant the shooter asylum here was made by the Trump administration.
It's also deeply dishonest, because the decision to grant the shooter asylum here was made by the Trump administration.
CIA statement about the Afghan man identified as the gunman who shot two National Guardsmen in Washington
November 27, 2025 at 8:34 PM
This is a deeply unprofessional and illegal partisan statement from the Trump hack who's currently director of the CIA.
It's also deeply dishonest, because the decision to grant the shooter asylum here was made by the Trump administration.
It's also deeply dishonest, because the decision to grant the shooter asylum here was made by the Trump administration.
I have no idea what is or isn't happening, but maybe we get a "final" Spider-Man, the two-part Avengers finale in 2026 and 2027, and then Coogler returning for Black Panther 3 in 2028... and then that can be a wrap on the whole thing? What else is there, as even X-Men isn't a sure $$$ thing?
ICYMI: Marvel Studios December Film Release Schedule:
🎯 #AvengersDoomsday — December 18, 2026
🎯 #Avengers: Secret Wars — December 17, 2027
🎯 Untitled Film — December 15, 2028
🎯 #AvengersDoomsday — December 18, 2026
🎯 #Avengers: Secret Wars — December 17, 2027
🎯 Untitled Film — December 15, 2028
November 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I have no idea what is or isn't happening, but maybe we get a "final" Spider-Man, the two-part Avengers finale in 2026 and 2027, and then Coogler returning for Black Panther 3 in 2028... and then that can be a wrap on the whole thing? What else is there, as even X-Men isn't a sure $$$ thing?
Assuming it actually gets made, #RushHour4 is another example of how the current economy seems predicated on forcing folks to buy goods and services they don’t actually want for the purpose of creating conditions for consolidation they also don’t want.
'Rush Hour 4' Is Good For Absolutely Nothing
Is it a carrot to appease Trump or just another example of Hollywood reviving decades-old IP that kids don’t care about and/or barely clicked the last time?
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Assuming it actually gets made, #RushHour4 is another example of how the current economy seems predicated on forcing folks to buy goods and services they don’t actually want for the purpose of creating conditions for consolidation they also don’t want.
Have fun losing a shit-ton of money on #RushHour4. I hope Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, both knowing the circumstances of this “green-light,” each ask for $50 million and 10% first-dollar gross.
November 25, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Have fun losing a shit-ton of money on #RushHour4. I hope Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, both knowing the circumstances of this “green-light,” each ask for $50 million and 10% first-dollar gross.
While not as disciplined or confrontational as its modern-classic predecessor, Disney’s #Zootopia2 is still an endlessly clever, gleefully funny buddy-cop thriller that is precisely the kind of top-notch entertainment that helped push them to the top of the pop culture mountain in the 2010s.
'Zootopia 2' Review: Disney's Best Movie Since 'Encanto'
While not as disciplined or confrontational as its predecessor, Disney’s animated sequel is still an endlessly clever, gleefully funny buddy-cop thriller.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:23 PM
While not as disciplined or confrontational as its modern-classic predecessor, Disney’s #Zootopia2 is still an endlessly clever, gleefully funny buddy-cop thriller that is precisely the kind of top-notch entertainment that helped push them to the top of the pop culture mountain in the 2010s.
Don’t suck up to MAGA. Don’t prioritize an existing fanbase. Do, when it makes sense, split your long book or play into two films. Also, girls still rule the box office.
'Wicked: For Good' Box Office: 4 Key Lessons From a $147M Debut
Don’t suck up to MAGA. Don’t prioritize an existing fanbase. Do, when it makes some sense, split your long book or play into two films. Also, girls still rule the box office.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Don’t suck up to MAGA. Don’t prioritize an existing fanbase. Do, when it makes sense, split your long book or play into two films. Also, girls still rule the box office.
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
Digging into the data of what's taking place with Black women unemployment and this graph is pretty damning.
You can see the EXACT month Black women's unemployment begins to splinter and that what hit us FIRST is now coming for all other women. This is #TheDoubleTax.
#blacksky #news #econsky
You can see the EXACT month Black women's unemployment begins to splinter and that what hit us FIRST is now coming for all other women. This is #TheDoubleTax.
#blacksky #news #econsky
November 23, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Digging into the data of what's taking place with Black women unemployment and this graph is pretty damning.
You can see the EXACT month Black women's unemployment begins to splinter and that what hit us FIRST is now coming for all other women. This is #TheDoubleTax.
#blacksky #news #econsky
You can see the EXACT month Black women's unemployment begins to splinter and that what hit us FIRST is now coming for all other women. This is #TheDoubleTax.
#blacksky #news #econsky
Shocker!! - If you make big movies like #Wicked for, about and/or by women and girls that aren’t *just* “it’s an action movie with romance and/or a female protagonist, you make big(ger) bucks at the domestic ($150 million) and worldwide ($226 million) #boxoffice.
Box Office: Women Power 'Wicked: For Good' To $226M Worldwide
Universal's Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-led musical fantasy opened with $150 million in North America, 34% above 'Wicked Part One,' while skewing just 29% male.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Shocker!! - If you make big movies like #Wicked for, about and/or by women and girls that aren’t *just* “it’s an action movie with romance and/or a female protagonist, you make big(ger) bucks at the domestic ($150 million) and worldwide ($226 million) #boxoffice.
While not quite as prickly and disciplined as the first, #Zootopia2 is another visually spectacular, consistently clever and very funny buddy-cop mystery-thriller with few “for kids” concessions. Yes, it’s “relevant” (nitpicks aside), and it’s Disney’s best toon since ‘Encanto’.
judy hopps and nick wilde from zootopia are standing next to each other
ALT: judy hopps and nick wilde from zootopia are standing next to each other
media.tenor.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:11 AM
While not quite as prickly and disciplined as the first, #Zootopia2 is another visually spectacular, consistently clever and very funny buddy-cop mystery-thriller with few “for kids” concessions. Yes, it’s “relevant” (nitpicks aside), and it’s Disney’s best toon since ‘Encanto’.
Jon M. Chu's musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is set to nab Universal's second-biggest Fri-Sun debut ever, behind only 'Jurassic World'
(Friday #BoxOffice for #WickedForGood)
(Friday #BoxOffice for #WickedForGood)
Box Office: 'Wicked: For Good' Flies to $69M Friday For A Likely $155M Weekend
Jon M. Chu's musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is set to nab Universal's second-biggest Fri-Sun debut ever, behind only 'Jurassic World'
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Jon M. Chu's musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is set to nab Universal's second-biggest Fri-Sun debut ever, behind only 'Jurassic World'
(Friday #BoxOffice for #WickedForGood)
(Friday #BoxOffice for #WickedForGood)
Thirty years ago, #GoldenEye affirmed the commercial and cultural relevance of a then-dormant James Bond film franchise in a more “politically correct” era and alongside newfangled action titans like 'Terminator 2,' ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Die Hard’.
30 Years Ago, ‘GoldenEye’ Saved the 007 Series by Doing It Better
Martin Campbell and Pierce Brosnan’s actioner answered the “Is James Bond still relevant?” question with a franchise-rejuvenating “Hell, yes.”
scottmendelson.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Thirty years ago, #GoldenEye affirmed the commercial and cultural relevance of a then-dormant James Bond film franchise in a more “politically correct” era and alongside newfangled action titans like 'Terminator 2,' ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Die Hard’.
Share a TV series you've watched from beginning to end more than once.
November 19, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Share a TV series you've watched from beginning to end more than once.
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
That doesn't mean Olivia's actions weren't wildly unethical as a journalist, and it doesn't make her a good person
but I just hate what this world does to young women and I hope we don't lose sight of that aspect in all of this
but I just hate what this world does to young women and I hope we don't lose sight of that aspect in all of this
November 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
That doesn't mean Olivia's actions weren't wildly unethical as a journalist, and it doesn't make her a good person
but I just hate what this world does to young women and I hope we don't lose sight of that aspect in all of this
but I just hate what this world does to young women and I hope we don't lose sight of that aspect in all of this
In terms of these “part 2 of 2” movies, it’s a lot closer in quality to ‘Dune Part Two’ than ‘It Chapter Two’. Concurrently, that #WickedForGood might, in any way, come off as “the movie we need right now” is very much an indictment of our stupid, stupid world (right now).
Review: 'Wicked: For Good' Is Wicked Good
Jon M. Chu and friends deliver the show’s challenging blend of kid-friendly fantasy and cynical dystopian political melodrama in a finale that sticks the landing.
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:50 PM
In terms of these “part 2 of 2” movies, it’s a lot closer in quality to ‘Dune Part Two’ than ‘It Chapter Two’. Concurrently, that #WickedForGood might, in any way, come off as “the movie we need right now” is very much an indictment of our stupid, stupid world (right now).
The “can’t get this anywhere else” threequel opened well above the latest incarnation of a sub-genre audiences can find in many other films and shows.
Weekend #boxoffice punditry related to...
#NowYouSeeMeNowYouDont
#TheRunningMan
#PredatorBadlands
#OneBattleAfterAnother
#DemonSlayerInfinityCastle
Weekend #boxoffice punditry related to...
#NowYouSeeMeNowYouDont
#TheRunningMan
#PredatorBadlands
#OneBattleAfterAnother
#DemonSlayerInfinityCastle
Box Office: ‘Now You See Me 3’ Laps ‘Running Man’ But ‘Predator’ Plummets as ‘One Battle’ and ‘Demon Slayer’ Top $200M and $700M
The “can’t get this anywhere else” franchise threequel opened well above the latest incarnation of a sub-genre audiences can find in many other films and shows.
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:02 AM
The “can’t get this anywhere else” threequel opened well above the latest incarnation of a sub-genre audiences can find in many other films and shows.
Weekend #boxoffice punditry related to...
#NowYouSeeMeNowYouDont
#TheRunningMan
#PredatorBadlands
#OneBattleAfterAnother
#DemonSlayerInfinityCastle
Weekend #boxoffice punditry related to...
#NowYouSeeMeNowYouDont
#TheRunningMan
#PredatorBadlands
#OneBattleAfterAnother
#DemonSlayerInfinityCastle
HAMNET (2025)
November 17, 2025 at 2:54 AM
HAMNET (2025)
“Well, there goes that dream,” says all of those invested in the ‘Glen Powell is the next Tom Cruise!’ narrative.
Friday Box Office: 'Running Man' Flops With $6.5M Friday as ''Predator' Plummets 73%
“Well, there goes that dream,” says all of those invested in the entire industry and media-generated ‘Glen Powell is the next Tom Cruise’ narrative.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:54 PM
“Well, there goes that dream,” says all of those invested in the ‘Glen Powell is the next Tom Cruise!’ narrative.
Reposted by Scott Mendelson
Lionsgate’s (unique unto itself) “Fight the Power and Rob the Rich... with Card Tricks!” franchise is bucking the odds, while Japan’s ‘Infinity Castle’ is posting strong (but not superlative) initial grosses in China.
Friday Box Office 01: 'Now You See Me 3' Tops As 'Demon Slayer' Debuts in China
Lionsgate's "Fight the power and rob the rich... with card tricks!" franchise is bucking the odds, while Japan's 'Infinity Castle' is posting strong (but not superlative) initial grosses in China.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Lionsgate’s (unique unto itself) “Fight the Power and Rob the Rich... with Card Tricks!” franchise is bucking the odds, while Japan’s ‘Infinity Castle’ is posting strong (but not superlative) initial grosses in China.
Spoilers for #WutheringHeights --
Heathcliff just won’t be undone and keeps playing pranks on everyone. However, as he mixes with the ladies fair while being charming debonoir, he eventually learns that no one should terrorize their neighborhood.
Heathcliff just won’t be undone and keeps playing pranks on everyone. However, as he mixes with the ladies fair while being charming debonoir, he eventually learns that no one should terrorize their neighborhood.
November 13, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Spoilers for #WutheringHeights --
Heathcliff just won’t be undone and keeps playing pranks on everyone. However, as he mixes with the ladies fair while being charming debonoir, he eventually learns that no one should terrorize their neighborhood.
Heathcliff just won’t be undone and keeps playing pranks on everyone. However, as he mixes with the ladies fair while being charming debonoir, he eventually learns that no one should terrorize their neighborhood.
What we lose when we treat small-scale indies like big-deal tentpoles, why I’m happy about a new 'Alice in Wonderland’ musical, an SVOD ratings update for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and more...
Sydney Sweeney's Stardom Trap, Sabrina Carpenter's Mitzvah, 'Frankenstein's Ratings and 'Toy Story 5's Teaser
What we lose when we treat small-scale indies like big-deal tentpoles, a viewership update for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and more.
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:16 AM
What we lose when we treat small-scale indies like big-deal tentpoles, why I’m happy about a new 'Alice in Wonderland’ musical, an SVOD ratings update for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and more...
The faithful-to-a-fault adaptation of Stephen King’s novel trades ‘American Gladiators’ for ‘Most Dangerous Game,’ but now feels quaint in an America that was stupid enough to elect *its* favorite psychopathic game show host as President… twice. (Review of #TheRunningMan)
Review: 'The Running Man' Can't Outrun Our Hellish Reality
The faithful-to-a-fault adaptation trades 'American Gladiators’ for ‘Most Dangerous Game’, but the too-little-too-late political actioner still ends up falling short of the likes of ‘Hard Target’.
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The faithful-to-a-fault adaptation of Stephen King’s novel trades ‘American Gladiators’ for ‘Most Dangerous Game,’ but now feels quaint in an America that was stupid enough to elect *its* favorite psychopathic game show host as President… twice. (Review of #TheRunningMan)