Smirk all you want about the last Blockbuster and its “be kind, rewind” smiley-face stickers. The arena once known as home video (digital sell-thru, rentals and even, yes, physical discs) remains a key variable in the Hollywood film equation -- particularly now, as studios retool their streaming strategies and lean into the box office revival. “It used to be fairly predictable – the cadence was familiar despite the differences between the films," said Jason Spivak, EVP of Worldwide Digital Distribution at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, in an interview. “Now, it is very divergent.” After years of lockstep, adds a top-level home entertainment exec at a different studio, “studios are all doing something different because of their different asset mixes and objectives. It’s been very fluid.” Billions of dollars are at stake. In 2022, sales and rentals across transactional VOD and disc and digital sales, brought in almost $6.3 billion, according to the Digital Entertainment Group. While that's not even one-quarter of what subscription streaming brought in, there is restlessness in some quarters that studios could be recapturing more of what used to be their turf. >>>"The Premise of the Business for a Century" |
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Knockout - Domestically, MGM’s Creed III opened to a franchise record and the best debut ever for a sports title. Globally, the Michael B Jordan-directed movie punched up $100.4M in its opening weekend, also a franchise best. >>>109% Ahead Of Original 'Creed'
How MGM & Amazon Pumped 'Creed' Up - Major motion picture studios often talk about the cross promotional power they have for their tentpoles among the subsidiaries in their entertainment conglomerate -- i.e. broadcast, cable networks and theme parks. However, nearly all of those pale in comparison to the 2 billion reach of Amazon.com, which was a lightning rod in the promo push for Creed III. >>> 360-Degree Marketing Campaign
Cannes Contenders Part 2 - Deadline has done more digging and come up with a few more updates on movies potentially heading to the Cannes Film Festival in May. Notably, one confirmed not to be strolling the Croisette is Hayao Miyazaki’s animation How Do You Live? >>> Rivera Dreams
In The Shadow Of 'Brokeback Mountain' - In the last 10 years, only twice has the most-nominated Oscar film — it happened with Birdman (tied for nominations with The Grand Budapest Hotel) and The Shape of Water — gone on to win Best Picture. So Everything Everywhere All at Once’s 11 nominations, the most for any film this year, could be read as a counter-indicator. With too many nominations, there are too many ways to “take care” of a film, while leaving the Best Picture vote for something else. But scarier than all that is the memory of Brokeback Mountain. >>>Michael Cieply's Column |
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In the penultimate episode of HBO’s record-smashing horror-drama The Last of Us, we meet an all-new character named James, a member of David’s clan, played by prolific voice and motion capture performer Troy Baker, who originated the role of Joel Miller himself in the game on which the show is based. Here, Baker breaks down the nuance of his character’s psyche, working with Bella Ramsey and the cultural relevance of The Last of Us. >>>The Interview |
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Exclusive Nickelodeon‘s new series Erin & Aaron has cast Ava Ro ( Big Top Academy) and Jensen Gering ( Wickensburg) as the titular duo, respectively. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has set an all-star voice cast including John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Seth Rogen and more, Rogen revealed at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday. |
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More News
💰 Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav will be getting an increase in his bonus as a result of the company's increased cash flow and lower debt, the company said.
📺 Todayco-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie returned to the NBC morning show's set this morning. Kotb had been out due to her daughter's health issue and Guthrie received multiple positive Covid tests.
🤦♂️ John Oliver opened Last Week Tonight on Sunday by recapping the verdict in the trial of Alex Murdaugh who was found guilty of killing his wife and son and O.J. Simpson's befuddled social media post about it. "A whole lot of people are asking me what I think of this, Alex Murdaugh trial. I don’t know why they think I’m an expert on it," Simpson said in the video. Oliver had the answer.
👑 The Sunday Times of London reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to the May 6 coronation of King Charles III. Now the question is whether they will accept and show up. The couple’s spokesperson has confirmed they received an email to the centuries-old ceremony.
💰 Prominent casting directors responded to an outcry from actors about alleged pressure to pay in order to "self-tape" audition videos. "We shouldn’t be taking money from actors,” said veteran casting director Bonnie Zane plainly.
🧠 Jill Biden said the concept floated by GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley that any politician over age 75 submit to a mental competency test is a nonstarter. Speaking Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, the First Lady said her 80-year-old husband Joe would “never even discuss” such a thing, branding it “ridiculous.”
✊ Patric Verrone, who was president of the WGA West between 2005-2009 during the last strike, said, “I hope the lesson taken from all this was that the companies realize that we’re serious about our demands and we have an active and engaged membership that agrees with the leadership and is prepared to do whatever is necessary." |
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BY THE NUMBERS
20 - The number of times Willem DaFoe asked co-star Emma Stone to slap him while practicing for a scene in their upcoming film And |
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Obituaries
🕯 Tom Sizemore, who starred in Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and in hundreds of other film and TV roles over three-plus decades, died Friday at a hospital in Burbank. He was 61 and had been in a coma since suffering a stroke February 18 that resulted in brain aneurysm. 🕯 Guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington , the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who survived their 1977 plane crash and played with the band until this year, died Sunday. He was 71. 🕯 David Lindley, whose talents on string instruments made him a sought-after collaborator for Jackson Browne, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan and more, has died at 78. No cause was given, but Lindley was reportedly suffering from a long-term illness. 🕯 Judy Heumann , who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people and whose life story was being adapted to film, has died at age 75. No cause was given. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths in 2023 Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Mon - Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference begins
Tue - More details from Dominion lawsuit to be released
Wed - Toontown reopens at Disneyland
Thu - Bob Iger at Morgan Stanley conference
Fri - SXSW begins; Tom Cruise honored at the ICG Publicists Awards
Sat - The Night Before Party
Sun - The Oscars |
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'House' Money - A ripped Jake Gyllenhaal shot scenes over the weekend for the forthcoming reimagining of the 1989 film Road House, in which he plays an ex-UFC fighter. As part of the shoot, the actor staged a weigh-in with former UFC fighter Jay Hieron, who plays his opponent in the film, at UFC 285 in Las Vegas on Friday. |
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