Alex Ossola

One is just 20 years old, who first became viral hitmakers on YouTube and TikTok.

And the thing about these movies is they got Gen Z to buy tickets to the movie theater.

WSJ Entertainment reporter Ben Fritz is here to tell us more about how these films represent a new pipeline for stories and audiences.

Ben, what's really striking about this box office performance is that it beat out, you know, openings from the latest Pixar movie, the Devil Wears Prada 2.

But it's really what's striking is who went to see it.

So three quarters or more of ticket buyers were under 35.

Is this unusual?

And why are these films having so much success with a younger crowd?

What does this show us about what it takes to make a hit movie in 2026?

That was WSJ reporter Ben Fritz.

Thanks so much, Ben.

Sure.

My pleasure, Alex.

Coming up, news from the Trump administration and the $50,000 aviation safety fix that's dividing lawmakers.

That's after the break.

The Trump administration today signaled a retreat on its $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund after strong pushback from lawmakers against it.

The Justice Department said it would abide by a judge's order from Friday directing the government to temporarily halt work on the fund, while a DOJ spokeswoman said the Justice Department, quote, disagrees strongly with the court's decision.

A White House official said the Justice Department's statement was the first step towards dropping the fund, but the official cautioned that President Trump could change his mind.

President Trump says Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to stop their fighting in Lebanon.

In a social media post, Trump said that, quote, there will be no troops going to Beirut and that Hezbollah had agreed that all shooting will stop.