The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

2026 Emmys Instant Reactions: Is Apple Really the New HBO? What Happened to Netflix?

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap the 2026 Emmys and give their takes on the biggest narratives coming ou)t of the show, including Apple’s big night with

Sep 15
37 min

How to Run a Specialty Studio in 2026, with Searchlight President

Live from TIFF, Matt is joined by the president of Searchlight Pictures, Matthew Greenfield along with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss how to run a specialty film divis

Sep 15
48 min

‘Resident Evil’ and the Tightrope of Relaunching Old IP

Matt is joined by Oliver Berben, CEO of Constantin Film, to discuss the upcoming ‘Resident Evil’ film, how Zach Cregger got involved, how Constantin gained control of the

Sep 10
36 min

Four Big Stories: Emmys ’26, Summer Box Office Pushback, Fed Tax Credit Odds, and ‘60 Minutes’ 2.0

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss a slew of topics from around town, including the biggest narratives around this year's Emmy Awards, a new report offer

Sep 8
36 min

The 2026 Summer Box Office Winners, Losers, and Head-Scratchers

Matt is joined by Puck’s box office expert Scott Mendelson to judge their early summer box office predictions by looking at the biggest hits, misses, and questions from t

Sep 4
50 min

Did Donald Trump Just Save Filmmaking in America?

Matt is joined by Film USA cofounders Tony Armer and Katie Pryor to discuss President Trump’s public endorsement of a federal tax credit for film production in the United

Sep 2
35 min

The Five Biggest Hollywood Storylines for the Rest of 2026

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to examine the biggest industry narratives heading into the final stretch of the year. Can Netflix break its slump? How much will

Sep 1
37 min

Disney's Biggest Swings and Misses, Plus Iger vs. Eisner—With the Acquired Guys

Matt is joined by the hosts of the Acquired podcast, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, to discuss their two-part series on the history of The Walt Disney Company; what sur

Aug 28
41 min

America vs. the U.K.: Who Makes Better TV Shows?

Live from the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Matt is joined by veteran TV execs Patrick Holland, Jane Root, and Dimitri Doganis to discuss why the U.K. is s

Aug 27
46 min

The WarnerMount PR War and the 'Dune 3' Ticket Crash

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Rob Bonta canceling the scheduled talks between Paramount and California over the Warner Bros. merger, the strategy be

Aug 25
32 min

Mailbag! Marvel’s Future, Johnny Depp’s Comeback, L.A.’s Recession, and Awkward Celeb Interactions.

(00:00) Matt opens up the summer mailbag to answer listener questions about Marvel’s future after 'Avengers: Doomsday,' the X-Men casting, Netflix’s need to lure big film

Aug 22
38 min

The Business Secrets Behind the ‘Love Island’ Juggernaut

Matt is joined by David George, the CEO of ITV America, to dive into the massive success of 'Love Island,' how it became one of the biggest brands in unscripted TV, why t

Aug 19
36 min

What Will It Take to End the Paramount–Warner Bros. Standoff?

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount’s threat to leave California if it doesn’t get a settlement, the discourse’s effect on David Ellison’s abili

Aug 17
39 min

Where Have All the Action Heroes Gone? With 'John Wick' Producer Basil Iwanyk

Matt is joined by producer Basil Iwanyk (John Wick, The Town, Sicario, The Expendables) to discuss the struggling state of the action movie market in America, why most st

Aug 13
37 min

Why Can’t We Build More IMAX Theaters? With CEO Rich Gelfond

Matt is joined by IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond to discuss the massive summer at the box office, 'The Odyssey' being the highest grossing IMAX movie of all time, IMAX being openl

Aug 12
40 min

Fox Stands Up to the NFL, a Big Change to TV Ownership, and Ellison Commits to 30 Movies

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Fox is refusing to renegotiate their media rights deal with the NFL until their current deal expires after the 202

Aug 10
37 min

The Case for Disney Exiting the Streaming Wars

Matt is joined by Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall to make the case for why Disney should exit the streaming business and focus only on producing and licensing its conte

Aug 7
30 min

Can the Paramount-WBD Merger Survive a Trial, Midterms, and a $650 Million Clock?

Matt is joined by Puck’s Eriq Gardner to discuss the March 2027 trial date that has been set for the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery antitrust case and what it means for

Aug 5
36 min

Why Spider-Man Broke Records, and Why Peacock Partnered With YouTube

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to catch up with the biggest news around town, including a record-breaking opening weekend for 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' Warne

Aug 3
37 min

The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw finish The Town’s first Future Blockbusters Draft by filling the remaining five slots on their teams (01:12). Host: Matt Belloni Guest:

Jul 28
32 min

Chart trend

Position in the Society & Culture chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#69#137JunJulAugSep

#13

all-time peak

325

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where The Town with Matthew Belloni ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 18, 2026).

#62 ▼ 14 Society & Culture US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Love the show, love the guests. Matt knows how to talk to people in a way that is frank, but not aggressive, and can often get his guests to match the candor and really get into the issues people in the industry care about. I don’t know what the problem is with the ads, but they often seem to come out of nowhere during an interview and sometimes one ad will get cut off by another. It’s odd and disorienting. I’m sure this is a fixable issue!

WorkingUPM · Jul 2026

Matt is a pretty great host. I appreciate when he calls out terms and things that the average Joe might not know. He can get pretty enthusiastic and cut off the guests at times but I think he’s done a better job at reeling that in. The variety of guests and topics keeps this podcast from feeling stale like most other podcasts.

Jangaroofu · Feb 2026

Love Matt Belloni’s analysis of the entertainment industry. I’m not in the industry but love having the knowledge as an LA resident.

JayJay in LA · Oct 2024

I work on the business side of the industry and every week I look forward to this pod’s take on the hottest issues of the day. The guest list is well curated and I’ve gotten several colleagues to start listening as well. Unlike some other reviewers I don’t mind Matt’s style; he challenges his guests and asks tough questions, what any good podcaster/journalist should do.

user852727 · Sep 2024

I have tried hard to stomach Matt Belloni’s dudebro attitude and misogynistic behavior because I do really think this is one of the better podcasts out there for gaining insight into the financial and social aspects of Hollywood, but the complete dismissal of Blake Lively’s serious and disturbing sexual harassment claims on the most recent podcast was the last straw for me. Belloni has a history of disregarding serious accusations of misconduct against women (Amber Heard, Angelina Jolie, etc.) and it’s clear he is just a straight up misogynist. I’m not giving any more downloads/listens to someone who struggles to demonstrate even the most basic decency anytime a woman accuses a powerful man of harassment. It honestly makes me wonder what types of skeletons Belloni may have in his closet.

Guitargirl142 · Dec 2024

I always thought Matt was a little condescending, but enjoyed learning about the business and economic side of the entertainment industry. However, I have officially stopped listening after guest tried to converse and Matt stopped him saying “please save your questions until the end”. This happens all the time and ends up being him talking the whole time.

Jeannette. A. · Aug 2024

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