The Hollywood Reporter – September 2, 2026

Summary

Dolly Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80, and The Hollywood Reporter dated September 2, 2026, Issue No. 16, leads its coverage of her at page 62 while the cover carries Alex Gibney's explosive documentary arguing that the richest man on earth may also be the most dangerous.

Steven Zeitchik writes the Musk piece at page 34, framing the Oscar-winning director's claim that the world's first trillionaire wants unchecked social and political power, and noting Hollywood is bracing for retribution. Elsewhere, Ilya Khrzhanovsky's Dau finally reaches Venice two decades, 14 films and three years of sealed Soviet filming in Ukraine later.

The Report carries the numbers. Ryan Gajewski reports summer box office up 20 percent on films costing less than $25 million, against the usual $250 million blockbusters. Skyler Gisondo turns darker in Primetime, Chris Gardner covers styling athletes, and Insider lists 30 genre filmmakers and 25 Canadian decision-makers.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.34 · Musk Unmasked
Steven Zeitchik reports on Alex Gibney's documentary on Elon Musk, arguing the world's first trillionaire has designs on something more alarming than business dominance: unchecked social and political power. Photographed by Jake Chessum. The piece is candid that releasing the film showed unusual nerve and that Hollywood now expects retribution. The stakes, not the film's craft, drive the writing. Watch it before the legal response lands.

▸ Features

p.42 · The Movie That Became a Soviet State
Ilya Khrzhanovsky built a sealed Soviet world in Ukraine, filled it with thousands of participants and filmed them for three years. Two decades, 14 films and innumerable scandals later, Dau is finally coming to Venice. The scale is what makes it hard to dismiss. Read this before the Venice screening and the ethical arguments make sense.

p.50 · Michelle Yeoh Sharpens Her Knives
Mia Galuppo reports that for The Surgeon, director Roshan Sethi, a practicing oncologist, turned an Academy Award winner into a kidnapped retiree with a scalpel and nothing to lose. The director's medical career is not a footnote; it shapes the premise. Yeoh against type is the point. Watch for how the surgical detail is staged.

p.52 · Megan Rapinoe Won't Punt Any Political Footballs
Steven Zeitchik covers the soccer legend's new documentary premiering at TIFF, covering equal-pay battles, a fraught coming-out story and the knee that divided her own locker room. The knee reference is specific enough to be uncomfortable, which is the point. TIFF placement gives it a date. Catch the Toronto premiere rather than waiting for streaming.

p.54 · Almodóvar's Deep Dive Into … Almodóvar
David Canfield reports on Bitter Christmas, where the Spanish auteur goes further into autofiction than ever and grapples with where to draw the line: I really expose myself a lot. The self-quote sets the terms honestly. Autofiction is treated as a risk rather than a style. Watch his earlier work first and the escalation registers.

p.56 · TIFF Is Officially Open for Business
Scott Roxborough and Etan Vlessing cover the festival's inaugural market launching with Werner Herzog, Tom Hanks and goodwill from an industry hungry for a win. Five new Toronto restaurants for premieres and dealmaking round it out. The market, not the premieres, is the story. Book the restaurants before the industry does.

p.58 · How a Sweet, Horny Hockey Show Rewrote the Rules of Independent TV
Scott Roxborough reports that Toronto's Accent Aigu Entertainment turned a $200,000 lowball offer and a rabid BookTok fandom into Heated Rivalry. The dollar figure and the fandom platform make the model concrete. Cheap television done properly is the real subject. Study the financing before your next pitch.

p.62 · What a Way to Make a Livin's
David Kamp writes on Dolly Parton, who died August 25 at 80, the consummate crossover star who worked her way into America's hearts and Hollywood. The shiniest star of the long-lost monoculture is described as the ultimate uniter. It is the issue's most affecting piece. Play her catalogue end to end rather than the hits.

▸ The Report

p.11 · Go Big or Go Home? There's Another Way
Ryan Gajewski reports summer box office up 20 percent, boosted by films costing less than $25 million, upending the wisdom that only $250 million blockbusters pack multiplexes. Two figures carry the entire argument. It is the most useful business story in the issue. Test the $25 million ceiling against your own next greenlight.

p.16 · The Buzziest Staff in Streaming Isn't Movies or TV
Alex Weprin argues a video game trailer on Netflix or a Marvel hype TikTok on Disney+ may be the future of trending entertainment. Naming the platforms keeps the claim checkable. It reframes what counts as content on a streamer's home page. Check what actually trends on your own Netflix row tonight.

p.23 · No More Mr. Nice Guy!
Seija Rankin profiles Skyler Gisondo, who has played hapless sidekicks for much of his career and takes a darker turn in Primetime. Photographed August 19 in Los Angeles wearing an Officine Générale sweater. Casting against established type is the hook. Watch one earlier sidekick role before Primetime and the shift is clear.

▸ About Town And Reviews

p.26 · From Ripped Measurement Tape to Size 16 Heels, Styling Star Athletes Is a Full-Contact Sport
Chris Gardner covers working with giant athletes across multiple playing fields, with the quote that getting clothing to work is literally a trigonometry class. The trade detail is the value here. It is funnier and harder than it sounds. Measure twice before your next fitting with anyone over six foot six.

p.69 · Onslaught
Angie Han reviews Adam Wingard's actioner, in which Adria Arjona shines as an Army vet whose trailer park is attacked by three supersoldiers. The verdict is colorful if ultimately underwhelming, which is fair. Arjona is singled out as the reason to watch. Catch it for her performance, not the action.

p.80 · When Nicole and Sandra Made Magic
Ryan Gajewski revisits Practical Magic 28 years on, as a sequel prepares to cast its spell, noting the original seemed cursed when it debuted. Reappraisal is the point rather than anniversary padding. The 28-year gap gives the piece perspective. Rewatch the original before the sequel's marketing starts.

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Editor's Take

The September 2 issue works because the numbers and the names are both specific: Gajewski's summer box office up 20 percent on sub-$25 million films, Accent Aigu turning $200,000 and BookTok into Heated Rivalry, and Khrzhanovsky's three sealed years in Ukraine finally reaching Venice. David Kamp's Dolly Parton piece, written after her death on August 25 at 80, is the most affecting thing here and deserves more than its page count. The weakness is nerve. Musk Unmasked spends as much space on how brave Hollywood was and what retribution it fears as on Gibney's actual argument, which turns a documentary profile into industry anxiety. Insider's 30 filmmakers and 25 Canadians are list-filler. Best for industry readers tracking the box office shift and TIFF's new market.

Strengths
• Gajewski pairs a 20 percent box office rise with a $25 million budget ceiling
• Khrzhanovsky's three sealed years in Ukraine reported without hedging
• Heated Rivalry's $200,000 and BookTok detail makes a real financing model

Weaknesses
• Musk Unmasked is more about Hollywood's fear of retribution than Gibney's evidence
• Insider's 30 filmmakers and 25 Canadians read as list-filler

Verdict: Recommended — the box office reporting, Heated Rivalry and Dolly Parton outweigh the anxious Musk framing.