As we wend our way to present day Hollywood, our own March Madness bracket today is all about Big IP Hollywood — and the matchups only get more devilish. (I do hope you’re enjoying the Easter eggs in some of the first-round matchups. Tis the season, after all.)
We had some nail-biters yesterday in our Easy Riders/Raging Bulls round, with Sherry Lansing eking out a win over Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (a lot of single-use black Levi 501s customers out there), and Sue Mengers and Warren Beatty ended in a tie! (We tossed a coin, and Beatty advances.) With the exception of another 6-11 upset with David Geffen besting Steve Ross, the results followed expectations, and set up some exciting round two matchups next week.
Tomorrow, in the end of round one, we’ll present the Streaming Era! Some players who certainly helped usher in the Big IP era — Bob Iger, for one — will be in the fourth division tomorrow as they transcend categories. To prep, read Richard’s latest piece on the endgame scenarios currently facing four of the traditional studios if you haven’t.
Franchises! Sequels! And some of the most ambitious adaptations ever undertaken. The blockbuster era evolved into pure spectacle, shaping the landscape and leading to several strategic studio acquisitions. One note: You may notice that there are a number of people who didn’t make the bracket who might have if we were judging solely on business acumen. But hey, just as the NCAA can disqualify a team for violating the rules, so can we.
