The movie biz's Q3 Event movie problemWKUP: Chris Evans + Blunt for NETFLIX pharma pic / Chernin launches $500+ Mil production outfit / ABC sets BEAUTY & THE BEAST 30 yr anniv event
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY July 6, 2022. Where you’ll have to excuse me if I keep this short today - I’m late for Chapek’s jet to the ALLEN & CO. Mogul summer camp retreat… and you know he’s definitely not waiting for me. Or wait was it Bakish that said he’d give me a lift? This Bob thing is becoming problematic. In my defense, they really have to stop just saying “Hey it’s Bob” when they call.
PLUS: Well apparently ya’ll took a 4 day weekend as it was a relatively calm day out there yesterday. So - taking the moment to look ahead 👀. While the the Box Office couldn’t be hotter right now going into “Thor” this 📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
The Great 3rd Quarter Event Movie droughtThe Box Office is back: The Olds are back… Gen Y is back (they’ve been back for a while)… Families are back (they never really left). Everyone that the experts & media critics said were lost to the movie theater business forever… has returned. And then some. Make big (good) movies people really want to see, make them theatrical-only, and lo and behold… Who knew? And MARVEL’s “Thor” looks to keep the party going this weekend - clearly take the tracking as you will… but it’s at $140 Million to $160 Million in the US. BUT: The Box Office is about to be challenged in 2 phases in Q3:
(and yes I know technically Q3 already started, but looking here at Q3 results as a whole, when all is said and done) PHASE 1: The next 4 Weeks - THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL MOVIEWith the exception of “Elvis”, the Summer’s success has been entirely built upon existing franchises. And after Friday - we’re fresh out. But now those that decry “Studios don’t make original movies anymore” definitely have something to shut up and show up for in the next month:
And then… well, “Bullet Train” better deliver on it’s “Deadpool”-esque promise, as it certainly looks like it has August to itself since… 👇 There are no clear blockbuster releases - say $35-$40 Mil+? on the calendar for over 2 months after Aug 5 til October 7 (and maybe Oct 14). PHASE 2: 8 WEEKS OF…. 🤞???You can almost hear the Labor Day weekend "US box office in trouble/Ends with a whimper” stories now. While there’s certainly a wild-card, maybe 2 here… there’s also certainly no obvious must-see / lighting up the Box Office on opening weekend pic (“Venom”, “IT”, etc) after “Bullet Train” until likely mid-October. (all release info from BOX OFFICE MOJO and The-Numbers.com as well as my own release tracking, so apologies if I’m missing something large here, and I’m only counting what’s listed as Wide releases, and eliminating things like “Avatar” re-releases).
“Halloween Kills” then arrives on Oct 14, and “Black Adam” & “Ticket to Paradise” will kick off the end of year run starting on Oct 21. ALSO TO CONSIDER:Streaming will be stealing the zeitgeist back just as this drought kicks in - dropping from Aug 21 to Sept 2:
PLUS: FACING TOUGH COMPSObviously August thru early Oct has traditionally been a relative dead zone, but not so much in recent years (excluding 2020):
And given the amazing Summer highs hit this year from May thru July - this is gonna be a steep drop not just in Box Office $$… but also putting a stick in the gears of the “moviegoing habit” with audiences, after the movie business put solid work in all year long to get it going again. So basically - it’s all on you DJ. See you at “Black Adam”. NETFLIX sets Chris Evans to co-star with Emily Blunt in pharma-pic “Pain Killers”Emily plays a single-mom, high school dropout in FLORIDA who gets a job at a pharma startup in a strip mall, where her drive for sales catapults her career… into a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences. David Yates (“Harry Potter” pics) directing, begins shooting end of Summer. /Deadline If you’d like to Share this newsletter 🤝 or Post on Socials - here’s a handy button:📺 THE TV SET
ABC doing Live-action + animated special of “Beauty and the Beast”Will air Dec 15 celebrating the film’s 30th Anniversary and consist of special performances of various songs. Jon M. Chu (“In The Heights”) is exec producing, and awards show vet Hamish Hamilton is directing. /THR ALSO IN TV
IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
Peter Chernin launches encompassing production label THE NORTH ROAD COMPANYHe’s going to combine his CHERNIN ENTERTAINMENT with the US assets of RED ARROW STUDIOS which he just paid $180 Million for, which is a collection of unscripted production co’s including:
Chernin also bought the 50% of former ESPN exec Connor Schell’s WORDS + PICTURES that he didn’t own, and Schell will run NORTH ROAD’s unscripted efforts. Jenno Topping will continue to run scripted TV & Film for CHERNIN ENT. Chernin has hooked up his private equity connections (APPOLO, PROVIDENCE EQUITY) to give NORTH ROAD access to $500 Million - $800 Million for expansion, sounds like with a focus on international content (likely for streamers) and unscripted. /Deadline So… sounds like kind of a CANDLE MEDIA (Mayer-Staggs BLACKSTONE outfit) but with a focus on unscripted. And far less overhead. FWIW 1: RED ARROW is the production arm of German media giant ProSiebenSat.1 (again this deal is just for their US assets) FWIW 2: North Road is the street Chernin lives on in Martha’s Vineyard. Ya know, on the good side. Get The Wakeup as part of your subscription to The Ankler:Hits your inbox weekdays by 8:30am (ish) East Coast time🏦 STOCK NOTESROKU +9% ($92.06) SNAP +9% ($14.38) SPOTIFY +7% ($104.83) META +5% ($168.19) AMC THEATERS -5% ($12.78) CINEWORLD (REGAL Cinemas) -6% ($0.21) 👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:HULU “Maggie” - Former intended-for-ABC sitcom drops all episodes today - STREAM HERE NETFLIX “Girl in the Picture” true crime docu - STREAM HERE 🎥 TRAILER HOUSEHBOMAX “Rap Sh!t” series trailer - Premieres Thu July 21  AMAZON PRIME “Paper Girls” series trailer - 4 teen girls (with paper routes - see title) inadvertently time travel to 2019 and meet their future selves, while seemingly having to save humanity. This would make for a really good special “Yellowjackets” episode no? Pretty great end coda on this for any fellow 90’s folks. PREMIERES FRI JULY 29  🎧 PLAYING ME OFFGonna go out with some BRUCE today, which goes out to reader Ken who told me yesterday that Springsteen actually wrote that JOAN JETT “Light of Day” song that I threw back to yesterday. So Ken’s taking the reins today for this old school long distance dedication.  If you need some new tunes: Email me anytime at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect here on LINKED IN. -SEAN MCNULTY @theseanmac on TWITTER @TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM
© 2022 Richard Rushfield
|
