The 2026 Box Office Draft

The 2026 Box Office Draft

Author: The Ringer January 19, 2026 Duration: 38:03
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to conduct the fourth annual box office draft. Matt and Lucas each draft seven blockbuster movies set to be released in 2026 with the goal of making the most money possible against the production budget. Plus, an added twist that allows each person to saddle the other's team with a movie they believe will flop. Follow along with Matt and Lucas here! For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder what Hollywood executives are really arguing about in their private meetings, or how the fate of a billion-dollar franchise gets decided over a tense lunch? That’s the kind of access you get with The Town with Matthew Belloni. Hosted by Puck founding partner Matt Belloni, this isn't just industry gossip-it's a direct line to the mechanics of entertainment, powered by exclusive reporting and decades of insight. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the stories, whether it's the strategy of the latest streaming war or the creative battles inside a Marvel movie. Several times a week, Belloni sits down with the major players themselves: the dealmakers, studio heads, and journalists who are shaping what we watch. Their conversations cut straight to the core of what’s getting made and why, pinpointing who’s winning and who’s losing in real time. Listening to this podcast feels like having a front-row seat to the most important conversations in show business, the ones that happen after the cameras stop rolling. For anyone fascinated by the intersection of power, money, and creativity in culture, The Town delivers the unfiltered context that turns headlines into understanding.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Town with Matthew Belloni
Podcast Episodes
YouTube vs. Disney: Who Needs Whom More? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the ongoing dispute between YouTube and Disney, which has resulted in the removal of ESPN and other Disney properties from YouTube TV for the past week. They break down…
The 2025 Movie Franchise Draft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:13
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to draft which movie franchises they would most want to start a movie studio with in 2025. They each select five franchises, as well as one TV franchise, and make the case for why…
Will Big Tech and AI Save or Kill Hollywood? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:27
Matt is joined by Andrew Ross Sorkin ('Squawk Box,' The New York Times) to discuss how the tech boom has affected Hollywood and what new power players like David Ellison really want with the media industry. They also dis…
Savvy or Desperate? NBCU Poaches Taylor Sheridan From Paramount. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:21
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Matt’s report that Taylor Sheridan will be leaving Paramount to join NBCU starting in 2029. They break down the details of the deal, whether this should be considered s…
Warner Bros. Is Officially for Sale. It's Paramount vs. ... Whom? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:48
Matt is joined by Peter Supino, a managing director and senior analyst at Wolfe Research, to unpack the deal market for Warner Bros. Discovery, running through each potential bidder, who makes the most sense, and what a…
Netflix Adds Podcasts and Makes a Deal With AMC Theatres. Why? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:27
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Netflix diving into the podcast business by striking a deal to stream a group of original podcasts from Spotify and The Ringer. They break down what this signals for th…
Is the “Netflix of AI” App a Friend or Foe to Hollywood? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:28
Matt is joined by Edward Saatchi, the CEO of a startup called Fable, to discuss his new product, Showrunner, which is backed by Amazon and bills itself as the “Netflix of AI.” The app allows users to create their own lic…