IGN vs The Hollywood Reporter

Diablo 5 Announced; BlizzCon 2026 Unveils StarCraft Open-World Shooter, World of Warcraft Forever, and More

IGN's trending news now features Diablo 5 announced with a 2029 release date, a new StarCraft game as an open-world shooter due in 2030, and World of Warcraft Forever announced at BlizzCon 2026. Other stories include Marvel's Wolverine actor comments, GTA 6 celebrity voice actor, and PlayStation boycott impact.

Disney Sues FCC, Alleging Trump Administration Free Speech Retaliation

Lawsuit claims "the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC."

Universal Presells Nolan's Odyssey Year-Early

Josh Stein argues that Universal’s decision to sell IMAX 70mm tickets for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey at midnight on July 17, 2025 — for screenings starting July 17, 2026 — represented a first for a major studio: collecting paying demand 12 months before a film existed. Roughly 25 IMAX 70mm locations were offered, 95% of seats sold within an hour, and about $1.5 million was collected from that small pool. Stein ties the event to a broader shift: counted, presold demand (from creators and auteur brands) can become a financeable asset, changing greenlight underwriting and capital-stack pricing. He cites parallel creator-market examples (A24’s Backrooms, Focus’s Obsession, Markiplier’s Iron Lung) and notes industry reactions including box-office results and major corporate deals and disclosure choices that reflect the value of measured demand.

• On July 17, 2025 (midnight Eastern), Universal put IMAX 70mm tickets on sale for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, for show dates beginning July 17, 2026.
• 95% of the available IMAX 70mm seats sold within an hour, producing roughly $1.5 million in gross from the deliberately small pool of about 25 locations.
• The Odyssey had a reported $250 million net production budget; its opening weekend later ran to $264.1 million worldwide, per Variety and Reuters.

Netflix Dominates U.S. Streaming Viewership

Cord Cutters News reports that Hollywood Reporter charts show Netflix leading U.S. streaming viewership during the tracked period: seven of the ten most-watched movies and four of the ten most-streamed original series were Netflix titles. The Hollywood Reporter data measures minutes viewed on television sets across major streaming services and highlights Netflix outperforming competitors including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Hulu, and Paramount+. The article frames this performance as the result of Netflix's heavy investment in originals, broad accessibility, and marketing that drives repeat viewing and retention.

• Seven of the ten most-watched movies in the tracked period were Netflix titles, per Hollywood Reporter charts.
• Four of the ten most-streamed original series nationwide were Netflix originals, and no other service matched that count.
• Hollywood Reporter data cited measures minutes viewed on television sets across major U.S. streaming services.