The daily gossip: Taylor Swift dropping 'Eras Tour' movie extended cut on her birthday, Disney's 'Wish' disappoints at Thanksgiving box office, and more

1. Taylor Swift dropping 'Eras Tour' movie extended cut on her birthday

Release the Taylor cut! An extended version of Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" concert film will be available to rent at home on Dec. 13 in celebration of the pop star's 34th birthday. "Well, so, basically I have a birthday coming up," Swift wrote on Instagram, adding that she thought this would be a "fun way to celebrate the year we've had together." According to Swift, the extended cut of the "Eras Tour" movie will include performances of "Wildest Dreams," "The Archer" and "Long Live," although for some reason, it sounds like "Cardigan" will still be excluded. Swift didn't say how much the rental will cost. When it hit theaters in October, the "Eras Tour" movie was shorter than the live show, and some Swifties were irritated by the absence of certain songs — setting Swift up perfectly to add them back in and get fans to pay to watch a second (or third or fourth) time. What if we told you none of it was accidental? Instagram

2. 'Wish,' Disney's 100th anniversary celebration, disappoints at Thanksgiving box office

Disney CEO Bob Iger received a turkey this Thanksgiving weekend, but not the kind you want. "Wish," the animated musical that was meant to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary, disappointed in its domestic box office debut, grossing just $19.5 million over three days and $31.7 million over five days. For comparison, "Frozen" grossed $93 million over five days on Thanksgiving weekend a decade ago, while 2016's "Moana" took in $82 million. This was another box office disappointment for Disney after flops like "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "Haunted Mansion" and "The Marvels." Could the company have accidentally conditioned audiences to watch its films on Disney+, meaning families are now less likely to see them in theaters? Either way, "Wish" came in at number three and failed to outgross "Napoleon," an R-rated, nearly three-hour historical drama. Number one at the box office, meanwhile, was "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" in its second week, proving that Snow always lands on top. Box Office Mojo

3. Jennifer Lopez's new album is getting a movie

This is her now ... or, more accurately, this is her next February. More than a year after Jennifer Lopez announced her new album "This Is Me... Now," a release date has been confirmed: Feb. 16, 2024. This will be the "Jenny from the Block" singer's first studio album since 2014's "A.K.A.," and a single, "Can't Get Enough," will drop on Jan. 10. Lopez has also announced a film that will be released on Prime Video in conjunction with the album: "This Is Me...Now The Musical Experience." The streamer described this as an "intimate, fantastical and narrative-driven reflection of her personal journey of self-healing and self-love," and a teaser showed a glimpse at a sequence apparently inspired by "Singin' in the Rain." "This Is Me … Now" will include a track titled "Dear Ben Pt. II," and Lopez's husband, Ben Affleck, is credited as a writer on the film. Look out for a possible ode to Dunkin'. Prime Video

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Colman Domingo denies 'Euphoria' toxic workplace allegations

Colman Domingo wants to set the record straight on the "Euphoria" set. In an interview with The Independent, the actor denied allegations that the HBO show is a toxic workplace. In particular, a Daily Beast report on the "hellish" season 2 production alleged "workdays would sometimes stretch to 18 hours and there were several complaints made to SAG-AFTRA." But Domingo told the Independent this was not his experience "one bit." While he didn't want to "invalidate [anyone's] experience," the actor said "working in television is long hours" and suggested "a lot of young actors may not be up for the task, or have that same work ethic." Domingo continued that he knows "what hard work is," so when he "heard those 'reports,'" he thought, '"Where is this coming from? That's just a normal work day.' Be a professional." He also defended "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson as "joyful, and collaborative," adding that he "could not be a bigger advocate for his actors." The Independent 

5. Taika Waititi directed 'Thor: Ragnarok' because he 'was poor'

Taika Waititi got that bag. On the "SmartLess" podcast, the "Thor: Ragnarok" director suggested he signed up to make the 2017 Marvel movie mainly to get paid. "I had no interest in doing one of those films," he said. "It wasn't on my whole plan of my career as an auteur." So what changed his mind? "I was poor, and I just had a second child, and I thought, 'You know what? This would be a great opportunity to feed these children,'" Waititi explained. He went on to describe "Thor" as "probably the least popular franchise" and admitted he never read the comics as a kid. "That was the comic I picked up and went, 'Ugh,'" he said. Waititi "did some research" by reading a single 18-page "Thor" comic, but he was still "baffled" by the character. If it's not already obvious from these comments, Waititi previously said he won't be involved in a potential "Thor 5." SmartLess