Numlock Sunday: Frank Pallotta on the new reality of blockbuster movies

By Walt Hickey

Welcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.

This week, I spoke to Frank Pallotta in part two of a two-parter about the state of the entertainment industry just after the big summer box office. Recently Frank appeared in Numlock with a piece about how it’s kind of a ghost town out there. Be sure to read the first half of our interview.

This week, we’re talking about why stars don’t seem to have their heart in it while making a movie for a streamer and what on earth is going on in China.

Frank can be found on Twitter and at CNN Business.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Top Gun: Maverick is a massive hit, and a big reason is that they held it in their back pocket for a very long time. In no small part that’s because a lot of people took their profit only after the release. It seemed for a while, particularly with the streaming services, that never happens, because you just make your money and then you're never done.

This is the Jason Blum model, basically. I don't wan…