How Hollywood Studios Became Tech Companies: Inside the Streaming Wars Revolution

Good morning — you're reading the Jumpstart edition of Hollywood Signal, where we decode the power plays shaping the week ahead across the Business.

Some of the topics explored below: Fantastic Four: First Steps tops a soft $39.1M weekend as summer box office struggles to find its legs, while Paramount closes its Skydance merger with some pointed conditions about "programming free of bias." But the real story isn't in theaters—it's in the C-suites where Hollywood is being rebuilt as Silicon Valley South.

Monday's AMC earnings will test whether exhibitors can survive on scraps while streaming commands 46% of all TV viewing time. Paramount's new CEO David Ellison promises to blend "Hollywood's creative heart with Silicon Valley's innovative spirit"—code for AI everything, global day-one releases, and turning content into data-generating ecosystems. Meanwhile, South Park just locked down $1.25B to stay at Paramount+, proving that in the platform wars, IP is still king.

In this edition:

• The Pulse: Fantastic Four leads a weak weekend, streaming holds nearly half of TV time, and cheaper gas keeps late-summer audiences mobile
• Signals to Watch: Paramount–Skydance merger conditions hint at culture shifts, Disney stops reporting subscriber numbers, and Netflix returns to Venice with prestige firepower
• Week Ahead: AMC's Q2 reality check, Alien: Earth tests FX/Hulu's late-summer pull, Peacock's price hike countdown begins, and Spike Lee + Denzel Washington lead Friday's crowded slate
• Feature Analysis: How Hollywood studios became tech companies—and why David Ellison's vision for Paramount might be the industry's only survival playbook

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