Scouting Hollywood (Dec. 1, 2022)

A weekly roundup of news, gossip and history of the entertainment business brought to you from Hollywood, Calif.

Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues at the top of the Box Office with $45 million in its third frame. The wily cat’s total haul in 17 days is now over $367 million. Far behind at number 2 was Disney’s animated Strange World, with a weak gross of $11.9 million, far off the usual Disney animated film opening.

Hollywood’s largest studios are backing off their blanket vaccine mandates that, with support from Hollywood unions, were imposed in 2020 to enable a return of production. The protocols required individuals working in “Zone A” (in direct contact with the actors and key crew on set) to be fully vaccinated and submit to regular testing as well as adding new crew to handle the additional workload. For films produced over the last couple of years, the new credit of Covid Coordinator has been an addition to lengthy credit lists.

The Lounge: Scouting Hollywood (Nov. 24, 2022)