Media

A federal judge has mandated that Paramount Skydance and attorneys general from 12 states meet August 24 to pursue settlement in the antitrust lawsuit over the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery merger, with trial set for March 2, 2027. California AG Rob Bonta has conditioned productive talks on 'robust structural remedies,' while Paramount's public position centers on behavioral commitments including a pledge to release at least 30 films annually. A $1.88 billion bond request filed by Paramount against the state plaintiffs and a daily ticking fee on the unclosed merger deal add financial pressure to both sides, though no mediator had been named and no settlement terms had been disclosed as of August 23.

Disney will increase the monthly price of its legacy Disney+, Hulu with ads, and ESPN Select bundle from $24.99 to $27.99 for billing periods on or after September 17, 2026. The bundle is closed to new subscribers and available only to customers who enrolled before August 20, 2026 and have not canceled or switched plans. Verizon confirms the same increase for its customers holding the legacy bundle, while its separate $15 Disney Bundle perk remains unchanged.

Weekend estimates from Aug. 22 place Spider-Man: Brand New Day first with a projected $36.5 million from 4,006 sites, while newcomer Insidious: Out of the Further is tracking second at $23.7 million from 3,303 theaters on an $18 million production budget. The Spider-Man film had already crossed $2.022 billion globally after three weekends and $803.9 million domestically, though conflicting source figures leave unresolved whether it has officially surpassed Spider-Man: No Way Home's domestic total. Final Comscore-confirmed grosses for the Aug. 21–23 frame are pending the Sunday or Monday ledger.