The new year has arrived and so has a new cycle of showbiz news; time for a round-up!
Marvel Entertainment released a new trailer for Wonder Man (see below). The new 8-episode series, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen (see “‘Wonder Man’“), will begin streaming on Disney+ on January 27, 2026.
Marvel Entertainment also released a new teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday (see below). This teaser trailer follows up the Captain America teaser (see “Captain America Returns as a Dad“) with a teaser featuring Thor. The movie will hit theaters on December 18, 2026.
Netflix released an official teaser trailer for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (see below). The new movie picks up where the Steven Knight series leaves off (see “Bond Film Finds Writer“), and stars Cillian Murphy. It will premiere in theaters on March 6, 2026, and stream on Netflix starting March 20, 2026.
Betty Boop and Blondie both entered public domain in 2026, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both classic cartoon characters passed the 95-year maximum U.S. copyright terms, and as of January 1, 2026, creators can now repurpose them at will. They join other recent classic characters that have experienced copyright expirations, such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh (see “Public Domain“).
The series finale of Stranger Things passed $25 million in box office receipts during its limited run at theaters on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, according to Deadline. Netflix could not charge for tickets for these showings, due to terms of the cast members’ residuals, so they instead offered seats up at some theaters (like AMC) for the cost of $20 in concession vouchers. The finale ran at over 620 theaters (see “‘Stranger Things’ Finale in Theaters“), and passed Avatar: Fire and Ash’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day box office total ($23.8 million). The third Avatar film passed a new milestone this weekend, exceeding $1 billion in worldwide box office grosses.
Paramount Skydance is considering litigation over how Warner Bros. Discovery’s board handled the bidding process that led to Netflix being declared the winner, according to The New York Post. Paramount insiders allege that the directors and management ignored the company’s sixth offer for Warner, leaning towards Netflix’s bid because of the personal relationship Warners head David Zaslav has with Netflix CEO Ted Saranados. Paramount Skydance also maintains its offer is superior to Netflix’s offer because their offer is in all cash (see “Ups Ante“); WBD continues to maintain that Neflix’s cash-stock offer is a better deal for shareholders.Source: ICv2
