Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins host The Big Picture live on Netflix, discussing box office results, franchise announcements, and upcoming Cannes coverage. They analyze Hoppers' strong $81 million worldwide opening and Pixar's return to original storytelling success.

The conversation covers Christopher McQuarrie's new Conan project with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Disney's Monsters Inc. 3 announcement, and precursor results showing One Battle After Another's cinematography dominance. They also preview their live Oscar coverage plans for Sunday night.

A comprehensive mailbag segment addresses everything from Bob Ferguson's film taste in One Battle After Another to Hollywood satire classics, Venice as a filming location, and the evolution of director-driven cinema. The episode concludes with their review of Pixar's latest animated feature.

Box Office Victory: Hoppers Revives Pixar Originals

Hoppers earned $81 million worldwide with $47 million domestic, becoming the second-largest original opening this decade behind F1 and the biggest Pixar original since Coco in 2017.

The success signals audience appetite for new stories over franchise fatigue, with original films like Sinners and Weapons also performing well recently.

Disney announced Monsters Inc. 3 as Pixar continues leveraging sequel franchises, with Amanda noting "every pediatrician's office" features Monsters Inc. merchandise.

Franchise Announcements and Oscar Precursors

Christopher McQuarrie will direct a Conan the Barbarian reboot starring 78-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger for 20th Century Studios.

One Battle After Another won the American Society of Cinematographers Award, giving Michael Bauman the cinematography precursor trifecta.

WGA Awards split between Sinners (adapted) and One Battle After Another (original), providing no clarity for the tight Oscar screenplay races.

Cannes 2025: Sean and Amanda Go International

Sean and Amanda announce their first Cannes Film Festival attendance for the 12-day festival, expressing both excitement and logistical concerns.

Potential premieres include The Adventures of Cliff Booth (Tarantino/Fincher), The Way of the Wind (Terrence Malick), and Disclosure Day (Steven Spielberg).

Sean worries about managing the festival's scale: "It's not totally achievable at Cannes" to see everything, unlike the more intimate Telluride experience.

Mailbag Deep Dives: From Bob Ferguson's Taste to Venice Tourism

A listener asks about Bob Ferguson watching The Battle of Algiers in One Battle After Another, sparking discussion of his revolutionary film taste and potential Criterion Closet picks.

Sean curates Bob's theoretical selections: Army of Shadows, Paths of Glory, Usman Sembène's revolutionary trilogy, Che, and Eraserhead as "Girl Dad movie" about fatherhood terror.

Venice emerges as a top filming location, with Amanda visiting the Rebecca Ferguson "Bridge of Sighs" death scene location every trip there.

Discussion of Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto as an underrated Agatha Christie-esque Japanese detective novel that Eileen was considering.

Hoppers Review: Ambitious Animation with Plot Overload

Hoppers follows 19-year-old Mabel using consciousness-transfer technology to become animals and solve environmental conflicts, featuring the oldest Pixar protagonist to date.

Sean praises the humor and voice performances, particularly Dave Franco and Meryl Streep, calling it "perhaps the most laugh-out-loud funny Pixar movie in a long time."

Amanda's four-year-old daughter asked "Dad, what is this movie about?" one hour in, highlighting the convoluted plotting that challenges young viewers.

The film combines body-swap comedy, environmental activism, and robot chaos in what Sean describes as "a hat on a hat on a hat on an animatronic beaver."