The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

Five Narratives That Could Swing the 2026 Awards Season Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Kyle Buchanan, former New York Times journalist and host of The Kyle Buchanan Show, to discuss the biggest narratives heading into awards season this year. They discuss if 'The Odyssey' is already a lock to win Best Picture, if Inde Navarrette can win Best Actress, if 'Dune: Part Three' can break into the Best Picture race, and if 'Digger' and Tom Cruise can gain awards momentum. They also examine the growing groundswell for 'Artificial,' the most interesting campaigns, A24’s impressive slate, and if the new Nathan Fielder documentary can make history as the first documentary to be nominated for Best Picture (02:32). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the marketing strategy around Greta Gerwig’s new film 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' (30:16).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Kyle Buchanan

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Danny Boyle on Depicting Murdoch, AI, Bond, and ‘28 Years Later’ Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Live from the BFI London Film Festival, Matt is joined by director Danny Boyle to talk about his new film, ‘Ink’, depicting Rupert Murdoch, his influence on news and journalism, why he used AI in his film, almost directing a James Bond movie, and the future of the 28 Years Later franchise (00:46).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Danny Boyle

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning, now playing in theaters.

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Welcome to Skydance! Movies, TV ... and Massive Debt Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss the complicated financials behind Hollywood's new media behemoth, Skydance, how the company will be heavily influenced by being nearly $80 billion in debt, how the NFL, movie studios, cable channels, and more will be affected, and if there is a chance this megadeal comes crashing down (02:57). Matt finishes the show with opening weekend box office predictions for ‘The Social Reckoning’ and ‘Other Mommy’ (33:56).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rich Greenfield

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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The Hollywood Stock Market: Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Spielberg, MrBeast, and More! Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Live from Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Hollywood, Matt and Lucas Shaw make the case to buy or sell various entities across the entertainment industry, including Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Alex Cooper, MrBeast, the World Cup, and more (01:28).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Every Agency Wants a Piece of the Creator Economy Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Saul Goldberg, producer, investor, and former agent, to discuss how the creator economy has taken on a new importance in Hollywood, and how traditional entertainment players are making the transition over to director to consumer, if creators even needed agents and professional production companies, where the money is being made, and more (02:58). Matt finishes the show with opening weekend box office predictions for ‘Digger’ and ‘Verity’ (31:18).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Saul Goldberg

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ari Emanuel Experience Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Ari Emanuel—executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chair of WME Group, and founder and principal investor of Mari—to discuss his new memoir, 'Roll the Calls'; why he didn’t mention CAA’s Bryan Lourd in the book; his relationship with Patrick Whitesell, David Ellison, and Donald Trump; Elon Musk; and the current state of Hollywood. Plus, a lightning round about failures, paydays, and worms (02:19).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Ari Emanuel

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Stefano Sanchez, and Steve Ahlman

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Six Toughest Decisions David Ellison Faces With WarnerMount Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look ahead at what WarnerMount will look like now that the merger is likely to go through. They discuss the biggest questions surrounding the new megacompany, including who will run their multiple movie studios, how involved David Ellison will be creatively, what's going to happen to CNN and CBS, what role will Elon Musk play, how quickly will they announce layoffs and other synergies, and how they will integrate Paramount+ and HBO MAX (01:46). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the new name of the combined Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. company (28:51).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Stefano Sanchez, and Steve Ahlman

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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Dissecting the Bill That Could Transform Hollywood, With Its Co-Author Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by California Congresswoman Laura Friedman to discuss the new bipartisan federal tax incentive bill she helped author that was just introduced today in both houses of Congress. Congresswoman Friedman outlines exactly what is in the bill, what isn't, if a vote could happen this year, Jon Voight’s role, and how this bill could transform filmmaking in the United States (01:55). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction for the season premiere of 'SNL' (29:58).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Laura Friedman

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Jeffrey Katzenberg on Why Hollywood Must Embrace AI Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Jeffrey’s latest essay insisting that Hollywood embrace AI, similarities to CGI animation in the '90s and 2000s, the importance of consent and compensation, and why this could create more jobs and opportunities for storytellers (02:23). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Heart of the Beast,’ 'Forgotten Island,’ and ‘Primetime’ (33:10).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw, Jeffrey Katzenberg

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

SAP GROW. AI cloud ERP for any size business.

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Emergency Pod: Paramount Settles—and Bonta Caves Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount settling its lawsuit with a group of states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, paving the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They dig into the details of the deal, including the concessions (or lack thereof) made by Paramount, who really had leverage in this negotiation, David Ellison’s next move, how the industry is reacting, other winners and losers of the settlement, and more (00:00).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices