Cordkillers 549: Thunderbolt and Blunder
Summary:
MoviePass is back with a new twist—fantasy sports for film buffs! Meanwhile, Google dips its toe into entertainment production, Roku buys a family-friendly streamer, and Fubo gears up to tackle Disney.
This week on The FULL Experience: Moonlighting (513 - "Lunar Eclipse")
Next week: Andor (101 - "Kassa")
YouTube: https://youtu.be/WS5tK1u69gI
Supply Run
MoviePass gets gamified
MoviePass launched “Mogul,” a daily fantasy-style platform for movies where users pick actors and predict things like box office results and award wins. Winners earn digital collectibles (NFTs), and beta testers will get a digital wallet.
Search Party
Squid Game Season 3 Teaser Drops
Netflix dropped the teaser for the third season of Squid Game, which premieres June 27.
Netflix goes full Hitchcock
Netflix is adding classics like The Birds, Rear Window, and Vertigo, while also backing a massive Hitchcock film retrospective at the Paris Theatre in NYC.
Fubo’s football season bundle
Fubo will launch a sports-focused TV bundle by football season. A Hulu + Live TV merger may be coming, but not until next year.
Netflix’s Emmy roadshow
Netflix will host screenings, panels, and events across L.A. to promote its Emmy contenders, from May 17 to June 2.
Amazon Prime goes all-in on Emmy buzz
Amazon is building immersive spaces—including a Lord of the Rings fallout zone and The Boys newsroom—to woo Emmy voters, plus events and panels from May 4–22.
Thunderbolts blasts the box office
Marvel’s Thunderbolts opened to $162 million globally, with $86 million from international markets.
Beekeeper 2 gets buzzed
Amazon MGM snagged the global rights to The Beekeeper 2, with Jason Statham returning. Production starts this fall.
Apple renews The Studio
Apple TV+ has renewed The Studio for a second season.
The Four Seasons leads Netflix ratings
The Four Seasons tops Netflix viewership, followed by You Season 5.
Buried Treasure
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Brian: Thunderbolts
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Tom: Hockey on Max
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Amos: Sinners
Got a hidden gem? Email us at cordkillers@gmail.com
Scanning the Horizon
Google gets into Hollywood
Google is launching a production unit, “100 Zeroes,” to create film and TV projects that cast tech in a favorable light.
Google TV setup gets simpler
A new QR-code-based setup process for Google TV is rolling out—no app download required. Limited to 2025 Hisense U7/U8 devices for now.
Roku buys Frndly TV
Roku acquired Frndly TV, a $6.99/month streaming service offering 50+ “family-friendly” channels.
Roku HDR bug strikes
Roku OS 14.5 is causing HDR playback to appear washed out on certain devices. Roku is investigating.
U.S. plans tax on overseas production?
The U.S. President says he’ll impose tariffs on film and TV productions made outside the country. Experts are unsure how this would be implemented.
Samsung’s new FAST channel
Samsung launched its own FAST channel featuring the Jonas Brothers tour, Letterman, Conan, and more.
Chatter
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Pete recommends SeriesGraph to visualize IMDb ratings by episode.
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Ryan suggests waiting longer before declaring “Andor” a FULL pick—and recommends Clone Wars instead.
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Jeff Rose pitches a “very special episode” of Moonlighting featuring Jeff Jarvis in Season 3’s “Sam & Dave.”