The Town with Matthew Belloni

The Town College Film School is back with a visit to USC, where Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by writers-producers-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('Project Hail Mary', 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse', '21 Jump Street') to discuss making ‘Project Hail Mary’, how they work together as a director duo, why the 'Spider-Verse' movies take so long to make, the difference between go...

Matt is joined by Jason Brenek, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, to discuss why the creators of the new big-budget animated film 'Wildwood’ are bypassing a traditional studio to distribute and market the film with Fathom Entertainment instead. They get into the growing popularity of going to the theater for things other than first-run movies, like rereleases, digital creator–led projects, and sports v...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the big executive shakeup at Netflix, which included the firings of chief content officer Bela Bajaria and head of film Dan Lin. They break down why this happened now, what to expect from new chief content officer Peter Rice, how will this affect Netflix content going forward, and more (02:53). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the n...

Matt is joined by head of business affairs at UTA Rich Shuter and producer Cathy Schulman to discuss why the government needs to reinstate the Fin-Syn rules (Financial Interest and Syndication Rules), the pressures the current era of vertical integration and consolidation has put on Hollywood, and what a new law giving ownership back to producers could do to return Hollywood to the '70s, '80s, and...

Matt is joined by Kyle Buchanan, former New York Times journalist and host of The Kyle Buchanan Show, to discuss the biggest narratives heading into awards season this year. They discuss if 'The Odyssey' is already a lock to win Best Picture, if Inde Navarrette can win Best Actress, if 'Dune: Part Three' can break into the Best Picture race, and if 'Digger' and Tom Cruise can gain awards momentum....

Live from the BFI London Film Festival, Matt is joined by director Danny Boyle to talk about his new film, ‘Ink’, depicting Rupert Murdoch, his influence on news and journalism, why he used AI in his film, almost directing a James Bond movie, and the future of the 28 Years Later franchise (00:46). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Danny Boyle Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez Th...

Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss the complicated financials behind Hollywood's new media behemoth, Skydance, how the company will be heavily influenced by being nearly $80 billion in debt, how the NFL, movie studios, cable channels, and more will be affected, and if there is a chance this megadeal comes crashing down (02:57). Matt finishes the show with opening...

Live from Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Hollywood, Matt and Lucas Shaw make the case to buy or sell various entities across the entertainment industry, including Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Alex Cooper, MrBeast, the World Cup, and more (01:28). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez Theme Song: Devo...

Matt is joined by Saul Goldberg, producer, investor, and former agent, to discuss how the creator economy has taken on a new importance in Hollywood, and how traditional entertainment players are making the transition over to director to consumer, if creators even needed agents and professional production companies, where the money is being made, and more (02:58). Matt finishes the show with openi...

Matt is joined by Ari Emanuel—executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chair of WME Group, and founder and principal investor of Mari—to discuss his new memoir, 'Roll the Calls'; why he didn’t mention CAA’s Bryan Lourd in the book; his relationship with Patrick Whitesell, David Ellison, and Donald Trump; Elon Musk; and the current state of Hollywood. Plus, a lightning round about failures, payday...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look ahead at what WarnerMount will look like now that the merger is likely to go through. They discuss the biggest questions surrounding the new megacompany, including who will run their multiple movie studios, how involved David Ellison will be creatively, what's going to happen to CNN and CBS, what role will Elon Musk play, how quickly will they annou...

Matt is joined by California Congresswoman Laura Friedman to discuss the new bipartisan federal tax incentive bill she helped author that was just introduced today in both houses of Congress. Congresswoman Friedman outlines exactly what is in the bill, what isn't, if a vote could happen this year, Jon Voight’s role, and how this bill could transform filmmaking in the United States (01:55). Matt fi...

Matt is joined by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Jeffrey’s latest essay insisting that Hollywood embrace AI, similarities to CGI animation in the '90s and 2000s, the importance of consent and compensation, and why this could create more jobs and opportunities for storytellers (02:23). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Heart of the B...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount settling its lawsuit with a group of states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, paving the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They dig into the details of the deal, including the concessions (or lack thereof) made by Paramount, who really had leverage in this negotiation, David Ellison’s next move, h...

Matt is joined by Zach Baron, GQ's senior special projects editor and host of new show ‘One More Question,’ to discuss the modern celebrity press tour, the art of celebrity profiles, interviewing Tom Cruise, what celebs want out of the media in 2026, and the state of access journalism (02:22). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for Zach Cregger’s new film ‘Residen...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap the 2026 Emmys and give their takes on the biggest narratives coming ou)t of the show, including Apple’s big night with 'Widow’s Bay,' its ascent in the prestige TV genre over the past few years, its competition with HBO, Netflix’s recent struggles to make a splash, Disney’s quiet year, and the new power ranking of TV streamers (01:51). Matt finish...

Live from TIFF, Matt is joined by the president of Searchlight Pictures, Matthew Greenfield along with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss how to run a specialty film division in 2026, what it's like being a part of the Disney machine, how to know if a movie is theatrical, how they compare themselves to their competitors, and how they choose sequels to greenlight (00:00). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: M...

Matt is joined by Oliver Berben, CEO of Constantin Film, to discuss the upcoming ‘Resident Evil’ film, how Zach Cregger got involved, how Constantin gained control of the IP, the international film business, franchise management, Constantin’s involvement in Marvel, and how European companies stay relevant in America (01:47). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss a slew of topics from around town, including the biggest narratives around this year's Emmy Awards, a new report offering skepticism about this summer's huge box office, the chances of a federal tax credit passing, and whether the changes to ‘60 Minutes’ are a good idea (00:00). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jess...

Matt is joined by Puck’s box office expert Scott Mendelson to judge their early summer box office predictions by looking at the biggest hits, misses, and questions from the 2026 summer slate. 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' (02:53) 'Mortal Kombat II' (05:41) 'Mandalorian & Grogu' (06:51) 'Masters of the Universe' (09:09) 'Scary Movie 6' (11:55) 'Disclosure Day' (13:46) 'Toy Story 5' (15:55) 'Supergirl'...

Matt is joined by Film USA cofounders Tony Armer and Katie Pryor to discuss President Trump’s public endorsement of a federal tax credit for film production in the United States, how this could reshape filmmaking in America, how it could transform the filmmaking industry, how the tax credit would work, the odds of this passing, what needs to happen next, and more (02:08). Matt finishes the show wi...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to examine the biggest industry narratives heading into the final stretch of the year. Can Netflix break its slump? How much will Netflix vs. YouTube continue to escalate? How disruptive will 'Grand Theft Auto VI' be? Who will get World Cup rights in 2030? Will Congress pass a federal tax incentive (01:30)? Matt finishes the show with a prediction about a n...

Matt is joined by the hosts of the Acquired podcast, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, to discuss their two-part series on the history of The Walt Disney Company; what surprised them the most during their deep research; Disney's most precarious investments, biggest missteps, and best acquisitions; where Disney is today; and how it's positioned for the future (02:08). Matt finishes the show with an...

Live from the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Matt is joined by veteran TV execs Patrick Holland, Jane Root, and Dimitri Doganis to discuss why the U.K. is so good at making hit TV shows, how producers can own more of their shows, YouTube’s influence, and, of course, Harry and Meghan (02:01). Host: Matt Belloni Guests: Patrick Holland, Jane Root, and Dimitri Doganis Producers: Craig H...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Rob Bonta canceling the scheduled talks between Paramount and California over the Warner Bros. merger, the strategy behind this cancellation, and whether California is overplaying its hand. They also discuss the 'Dune 3' ticketing debacle that outraged fans after ticketing apps for IMAX 70 mm showings of 'Dune: Part Three' crashed (02:11). Matt f...