It's the star-powered custody battle tearing Hollywood apart — and it's all over your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
On Tuesday, reports indicated that talks between Disney and Sony Pictures broke down, with neither party able to agree on future terms of their shared ownership of the character. As a result, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige will no longer produce additional films in the Spider-Man franchise, meaning Peter Parker's days in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are almost certainly over.
The studios' collaboration on the character was a unique one to begin with. When Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, it inherited a star-studded roster of iconic heroes — but Spider-Man stayed behind at Sony, the studio that helped shepherd the current superhero era into existence in 2002 with Toby McGuire's take on the web-slinger.
Things changed two sequels and one failed reboot later, when Disney ($DIS) and Sony ($SNE) agreed to share the rights to the radioactive teenager, allowing Spider-Man to appear in Feige's Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside The Avengers, in addition to standalone movies produced by Sony.
Negotiations reportedly collapsed when Disney insisted on a 50-50 stake in future Spider-Man movies, a far cry from the current deal giving Feige and company 5 percent of the series' first ticket gross and 100 percent of merchandising revenue.
That offer reportedly prompted Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman to walk away from the bargaining table, leaving Peter Parker's fate solely in Sony's hands, signalling the end of Spider-Man's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Most audiences might not notice the change — Sony is reportedly already at work on two more sequels led by Spidey's most recent inhabitant, Tom Holland. The studio also owns the rights to other characters in the Spider-Verse, like Tom Hardy's "Venom" and Jared Leto's "Morbius," and has a trove of other highly-adaptable villains and storylines at its disposal.
But don't expect Holland to make any more appearances in Disney's Marvel films alongside tentpole characters Thor, Black Panther, or Captain Marvel as he exits the cinematic universe that was seemingly positioning him to take the reins in a post-Tony Stark future.
Even in a superhero landscape crowded with dozens of caped crusaders, Spider-Man stands out as one of the most valuable pieces of intellectual property in the pop-culture universe. This summer alone, the character helped fuel Disney's 'Avengers: Endgame' and its road to becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time, and then turned in Sony's most successful release ever, "Spider-Man: Far From Home," just a few months later.
In a year that's seen one billion-dollar win after another for Disney, Mickey Mouse finally lost a battle. That's not to say Spidey won't swing back to another studio in the future, especially given Hollywood's volatile past with the character. Sony is leaving the door open for a return; The Hollywood Reporter exclusively obtained a statement from the studio, expressing its disappointment in the split, adding that it hopes "things change in the future."
For now, though, one of showbiz's most lucrative and beloved protagonists is back at Sony — a massive coup, but one that begs that simple but ominous reminder: With great power comes great responsibility.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
With a merger this big, creators, studios, and theaters all face uncertain futures. Here’s what experts are worried about and what good could come from it.
With disengagement rising and hybrid work shifting, 'Everybody Matters' author Bob Chapman explains why treating people well could define the future of work.
We sat down with Ali Furman, U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader at consulting firm PwC to ask what trends she garnered from the initial data this year.
