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Scott Mendelson

@scottmendelson.bsky.social

5.4K followers 3.2K following 1.5K posts

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/

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · Oct 19

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.

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

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 9h

The #MORTALKOMBAT2 marketing should be mocking the “It’s all practical, there’s no CGI!” narratives.
-That green dragon fireball? Real!
-That interdimensional portal? Fuck the volume, we’re all getting Fields Medals!
-The fatalities? We... uh, did ’em all in camera?!
RIP, Lewis Tan and Karl Urban.

a video game character with chains around his neck says flawless victory

ALT: a video game character with chains around his neck says flawless victory

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Scott Mendelson

Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 1d

A $61 million global launch for #TronAres is another example of why Hollywood really needs to learn that “No means no.”

8 Reasons Why 'Tron: Ares' Is Now a Box Office Disaster

Hollywood really needs to learn that “No means no.”

scottmendelson.substack.com

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LiteralGrill - Assigned Porn At Birth By Bluesky's Shitty AI @literalgrill.com · 1d

In Elvira: Mistress of the Dark on VHS, the person who did the closed captions moved them from the default reading position to be closer to Elvira's tits.

This is because they knew deaf viewers wouldn't want to look away from her legendary bazongas to read the caption.

This is disability allyship!

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Hobby Drifter in Tokyo @hobbydrifter.bsky.social · 8d

White people who have spent decades thinking “Born in the USA” is patriotic and “Every Breath You Take” is a great wedding song are suddenly very concerned about not being able to understand lyrics to some songs at the Super Bowl halftime show.

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 1d

From one year ago, but still relevant...
"PVOD, Shorter Windows Are Not Hurting The Box Office"

As 'Wild Robot' Flies to PVOD, The Movie By Movie Evidence Suggests That Shorter Windows Are Not Hurting The Box Office

Record box office for 'Deadpool & Wolverine' did not prevent a record PVOD debut, while legs for 'Twisters' and 'Fall Guy' were strong even by pre-COVID standards.

open.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 1d

It's the first Tron I actually liked, but nobody showed up.

Reposted by Scott Mendelson

Kristen Immoor @kristenimmoor.bsky.social · 1d

Enjoyed the New Yorker interview with Tim Curry, a free-wheeling conversation in which there were several sensitive questions about his paralyzing stroke. But oh my goodness, why was there no follow-up at all to this staggering answer? www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Screenshot of text from the interview:

You’ve always been an incredibly physical performer: your strut during “Sweet Transvestite” in “Rocky Horror,” or the way you run around unfurling the mystery at the end of “Clue.” Do you still feel that in your body? Does that live somewhere in you still?

I think it does, but it’s angry. My mobility is angry to get out. But it’s not happened yet. I do a certain amount of physical therapy. I did a whole bunch of it at Cedars-Sinai, and I got very close, I think, to walking. That was tantalizing. For insurance reasons, I had to withdraw. And I have a visiting physical therapist now, but I can only really do exercises from my bed, which is pretty pathetic. It’s not going to get me walking, I don’t believe.

[I have underlined the sentence "For insurance reasons, I had to withdraw."]

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 1d

A $61 million global launch for #TronAres is another example of why Hollywood really needs to learn that “No means no.”

8 Reasons Why 'Tron: Ares' Is Now a Box Office Disaster

Hollywood really needs to learn that “No means no.”

scottmendelson.substack.com

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Reposted by Scott Mendelson

alexis simpson @amutepiggy.bsky.social · 3d

maybe i'm just a woke dumbass who thinks "everyone should have enough to eat" but i dunno, maybe republicans have a winning strategy with this "footage of guys in military uniforms lining up for food" thing

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 1d

I am bemused by the apparent number of folks misunderstanding this. No harm, but more simply...
-- TRON ARES plays like a remake of HITMAN AGENT 47.
-- ROGUE ONE plays like a remake of LEGEND OF CHUN LI.
Yes, TRON ARES > HITMAN AGENT 47
Yes, ROGUE ONE > LEGEND OF CHUN LI

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Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 2d

Plus we already got the best Tron update we'll ever have: Wreck-It Ralph.

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Lisa Laman @lisalamanfilmfan.bsky.social · 2d

The third act of Tron: Ares heavily focuses on two 50+ year old white men talking about how much they love Depeche Mode, a microcosm of why these big Disney blockbusters aren't resonating with young people anymore

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C. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 2d

No, it really just is my generation who keeps making movies for ourselves and I find it baffling. Every time a movie targets the teens, it makes bank. Every time an old IP underperforms, critics scratch their heads.

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britt hayes @britthates.bsky.social · 2d

Jared Leto *is* AI: a tacky thing corporations keep forcing on consumers by putting him in everything even though he’s unprofitable and nobody likes it

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 2d

Theaters are forced to survive on expired brand leftovers and IP-for-IP franchise attempts, while studios can blame “Nobody goes to the movies!” and/or “Go woke, go broke” for their painfully foreseeable mistakes.
(The #TronAres Friday #boxoffice report, sadly 15 morbillion years in the making)

Why Predictable Box Office Bombs Like 'Tron: Ares' Hurt Everyone

Theaters are forced to subsist with inferior IP leftovers, while studios get to blame “Nobody goes to the movies!” and/or “Go woke, go broke” for predictable flops.

open.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 3d

Jacob Tremblay, your days are numbered, you diabolical sonavabitch...

Rebecca Ferguson Gets Candid: “I Will Shove Someone Under a Bus to Make a Point”

The 'Mission: Impossible' star on working with Tom Cruise and providing more details about that mysterious on-set clash with a certain co-star.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 3d

Well, TRON ARES is the best TRON movie yet... by default! And just as the Disney-produced remake of STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN LI (aka ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY) was superior to the “original,” so too is TRON 3 indeed better than HITMAN: AGENT 47.

a person is riding a red motorcycle with africanrabbit written on the bottom right

ALT: a person is riding a red motorcycle with africanrabbit written on the bottom right

media.tenor.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 4d

When the conservative outrage machine *finally* starts complaining about ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER two weeks after it opens in theaters...

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 4d

WB just dated its video game sequel for July 23, 2027, the same slot currently occupied by Disney and 20th Century Studios' animated follow-up. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid a showdown.

No, 'Minecraft 2' and 'Simpsons 2' Should Not Open on the Same Day

WB just dated its video game sequel for July 23, 2027, the same slot currently occupied by Disney and 20th Century Studios' animated follow-up. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid a showdown.

open.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 4d

That absolutely helped (as noted in a post I just dropped)

Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 4d

Quality aside, Michael Mann’s crime classic was only a (moderate) hit because it marked the first time that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had co-starred together. Spending over/under $200 million on a decades-later follow-up sans those actors (even with DiCaprio) would be madness for a legacy studio.

Why Warner Bros. Was Right To Turn Down 'Heat 2'

Quality aside, Michael Mann’s crime classic was only a (modest) hit because it was the first time Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had co-starred together.

open.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 6d

I’m old enough to remember that the only reason most general audiences gave a damn about HEAT (to the extent they did, it was a solid grosser but not a blowout) was that it offered the first onscreen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. *That’s* what made it special.

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 8d

Taylor Swift’s second theatrical, feature-length commercial boosted what otherwise would have been a staggeringly poor weekend, but all that glitters is not 'GoldenEye'.
(Weekend Box Office Analysis for 10-05-2025)

Box Office: 6 Hot Takes From A Modest Swift-ian $80 Million Weekend

Taylor Swift's second theatrical, feature-length commercial boosted what otherwise would have been a staggeringly poor weekend, but all that glitters is not 'GoldenEye'.

scottmendelson.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 8d

Will AI be used for personal IP-specific fanfiction and/or personalized pornography? Probably. But Hollywood can barely get audiences to watch original films & shows with actual known movie stars, let alone “fake” digital protagonists.

AI-Generated Actress Controversy Was A Triumph In Garnering Free Media Attention

The Tilly Norwood announcement was primarily about drumming up a clickbait controversy to boost the media profile of the startup company that created her.

open.substack.com

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Scott Mendelson @scottmendelson.bsky.social · 9d

The must-read (under pain of torture) Friday box office punditry:
- Taylor Swift’s latest theatrical commercial will win the weekend with an over/under $35 million domestic debut.
- Dwayne Johnson’s underdog sports biopic gets KO-ed.
- Audiences mostly skip the return of Avatar 2.
- And More...!

Taylor Swift Rocks Box Office With $16 Million Friday But The Rock's Oscar Gambit Flops With $2 Million

Even by A24 standards, a likely $6.5 million weekend is pretty bad for Dwayne Johnson’s seemingly mainstream ‘The Smashing Machine’.

open.substack.com

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