Film Production
Lionsgate Play to bring Hollywood blockbusters to Indian cinemas before streaming
The American studio bets that Indian audiences will pay for the big screen before settling for the sofa
CALIFORNIA: Hollywood is coming to Indian multiplexes. Lionsgate Play announced it will release 10 to 12 major Hollywood films in Indian cinemas every year starting September 2026, before moving them to its streaming platform. The message is simple: see it on the big screen first, or wait.
The opening theatrical slate is starry. Russell Crowe leads Billion Dollar Spy, Gerard Butler fronts Empire City, Robert Pattinson stars in Primetime, and Mark Wahlberg leads By Any Means. A creature feature, Titan (Snake), rounds out the early titles. None are small bets.
The platform is also bringing back one of its signature series. Heated Rivalry, which built a strong following after its debut, returns in 2027. The show, noted for its character-driven storytelling, will continue exploring its central relationships in a second season drawn from Reid’s follow-up novel.
Rohit Jain, founder of Lionsgate Play Asia, said the theatrical-first approach gives films the cinematic scale they deserve while creating a cleaner transition to streaming. “We’re embracing a more integrated approach across theatrical and digital windows,” he said. “From big screen experiences to premium streaming, this is our most ambitious chapter yet.”
The ambitions stretch well beyond a dozen titles. Jain says more than 100 premieres are lined up for 2026 on the platform. The broader catalogue already carries crowd-pleasers including John Wick, Den of Thieves 2 and The Beekeeper, alongside series such as Normal People and Paris Has Fallen. Regional content also features, with titles including Dakshina, Eleven, Soothravakyam and Racharikam.
The upcoming pipeline is equally loaded. Greenland 2: Migration brings Butler back, Jason Statham leads Mutiny, Angelina Jolie stars in Couture, Zac Efron fronts Famous, and Matthew McConaughey heads The Rivals of Amziah King. The Has Fallen franchise is also expanding, with new instalments and returning series adding bulk to the slate.
For Indian audiences weaned on Bollywood spectacle, Lionsgate is making a straightforward pitch: Hollywood blockbusters deserve a darkened hall, a large screen and overpriced popcorn. With a roster this deep, it is hard to argue otherwise.
Film Production
Disney to cut 1,000 jobs under new chief executive
The entertainment giant’s freshly installed boss inherits a restructuring already in motion, with marketing and corporate roles bearing the brunt
CALIFORNIA: Walt Disney is preparing to slash up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, as the entertainment giant’s freshly installed chief executive moves swiftly to trim fat and tighten the ship.
The cuts, less than 1 per cent of Disney’s global workforce of 231,000, will fall hardest on marketing and corporate roles. The planning, notably, began before D’Amaro formally took the top job in March, suggesting the new boss inherited a restructuring already in motion rather than one of his own making.
Driving the push is Asad Ayaz, Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, who in January assumed command of a unified, company-wide marketing operation spanning film, television and streaming. His consolidation drive has been given a suitably cinematic internal name: Project Imagine.
The move is modest by Disney’s recent standards. Between 2023 and 2025, under former chief executive Bob Iger, the company eliminated roughly 8,000 positions across several brutal rounds of cuts, saving $7.5 billion, comfortably exceeding its own targets. As recently as June 2025, several hundred more jobs were axed across Disney Entertainment, hitting film and television marketing, publicity, casting, development and corporate finance.
Disney’s structural headaches are well-documented: shrinking streaming margins, a weakened box office, and fierce competition from Amazon and YouTube gnawing at its flanks. The company is merging its Disney+ and Hulu teams into a single app, has brought in consultants from Bain & Co to guide its broader cost strategy, and is betting heavily on digital growth.
The wider entertainment industry offers little comfort. Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have all taken the knife to their workforces in recent years, and further cuts loom if Paramount’s acquisition of Warner goes through.
For D’Amaro, the message is clear: there will be no honeymoon period. The magic kingdom still has some cost-cutting spells left to cast.
