Box Office Mojo – The Business of Hollywood Thread

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Discuss box office results and the business side of the movie, television, and streaming industries here!

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  • #24087

    ‘Trolls World Tour’: Universal PVOD Experiment Racks Up Near Estimated $100M To Date

    The first one made $340m gross worldwide, so even if they keep more of the VOD money, it’ll be far less profitable.

  • #24090

    I liked Apocalypse.

    ….somethingsomethingOscar Isaacsomethingsomething…

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  • #24092

    Don’t you just hate double posts?

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by njerry.
  • #24103

    Worse than X-Men Origins Wolverine?

    Yes.

    Worse than X-Men: Apocalypse?

    Absolutely.

    Worse than X-Men: The Last Stand?

    Yes, but it’s close.

    I think Wolverine is mostly just annoying, Apocalypse is ridiculously dumb and annoying.

    And Dark Phoenix is even dumber and annoyinger.

  • #24104

    What about The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

  • #24107

    What about The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

    I actually liked that movie.

  • #24119

    ‘Trolls World Tour’: Universal PVOD Experiment Racks Up Near Estimated $100M To Date

    The first one made $340m gross worldwide, so even if they keep more of the VOD money, it’ll be far less profitable.

    Until the final figures are in there’s no way to know, but with theatrical gone from the equation it probably wont reach the level that the previous film did.

    However, for a studio ion the middle of a global pandemic, it’s still going to be more than good enough.

    The bigger issue is how studios choose to release their films after the theatres re-open?

    That’s already turning into a fight between the studios and NATO (not the military one);

    Following the National Association of Theatre Owners’ earlier statement today deflating NBCUniversal’s $95M PVOD victory with Trolls World Tour in the Wall Street Journal, the exhibition organization has issued another public statement tonight after Uni accused them of being in cahoots with AMC over the chain’s refusal to play Uni films.

    Earlier this evening, AMC fired off a note to Universal Studios Chairman Donna Langley, saying he was frustrated by NBCUni CEO Jeff Shell’s statements to “release movies” on both PVOD and theaters once cinemas reopen, and that the chain won’t be playing Uni movies going forward around the globe.

    –SNIP–

    Theater Owners Accuse Universal Of “Destructive Tendency” And Not Involving Circuits In ‘Trolls World Tour’ PVOD Decision

  • #24120

    That’s already turning into a fight between the studios and NATO (not the military one);

    It would’ve been an interesting conflict if it was the military one.

    Seeing as Ted Cruz is introducing a bill that prohibits the Pentagon from working together with movie production companies that censor their films for chinese audiences, a conflict like that might be in the pipeline.

  • #24125

    I do wonder if Dark Phoenix could’ve done better without the knowledge of the impending merger… beyond the movie not being very good, it also had this feeling of pointlessness hanging around it…

    Take that and multiply it by ten and you get New Mutants.

  • #24126

    I haven’t even watched Dark Phoenix yet, on account of how bad Apocalypse was.

    God, am I glad that Marvel is going to get in there and fix the X-Men.

  • #24129

    God, am I glad that Marvel is going to get in there and fix the X-Men.

    My sensors detect sarcasm.

  • #24135

    I haven’t even watched Dark Phoenix yet, on account of how bad Apocalypse was.

    Dark Phoenix is at least marginally less bad than Apocalypse.

    (They should have put that on the poster.)

  • #24141

    “Tired of criticising Batman Vs Superman? Longing to direct your vitriol elsewhere? Fox proudly presents to you Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movie so shit we didn’t even want to put the X-Men name on it!”

    Now that’s advertising that’ll put some bums in seats.

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  • #24142

    Dark Phoenix is at least marginally less bad than Apocalypse.

    Only if you take into account that Apocalypse is half an hour longer.

    “Tired of criticising Batman Vs Superman? Longing to direct your vitriol elsewhere? Fox proudly presents to you Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movie so shit we didn’t even want to put the X-Men name on it!”

    A tagline like that might actually draw the attention of people. I hope they don’t adopt it.

  • #24235

    Tired of criticising Batman Vs Superman? Longing to direct your vitriol elsewhere? Fox proudly presents to you Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movie so shit we didn’t even want to put the X-Men name on it!

    How dare you compare the 2 of them… at least BvS still generates conversation… no one gives a shit about those Fox-men movies anymore =P

  • #24237

    Take that and multiply it by ten and you get New Mutants.

    Yeah, I’m still convinced that New Mutants film is the biggest troll of cinema history… like, how long are they gonna keep moving it around in the schedule??? they should’ve put it in VOD/D+ a loooooong time ago… okay granted, this last one wasn’t their fault, but how much you wanna bet this ain’t gonna be the last delay?

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  • #24243

    Jon, are you comparing New Mutants to the looooooong-awaited Snyder Cut?

  • #24245

    Jon, are you comparing New Mutants to the looooooong-awaited Snyder Cut?

    No, because no one cares about the New Mutants =P

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  • #24258

    #releasethenewmutantssnydercut

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  • #24259

    #releasethemutantsnyder

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  • #24272

    My sensors detect sarcasm.

    Nope, I am completely serious about this. Say about the Marvel movies what you will, but they really get how these characters are supposed to work.

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  • #24278
      Slow and Furious: Inside Vin Diesel’s Long Battle For Street Cred at the Producers Guild

    Actor Vin Diesel has been mired in a years-long struggle for an illustrious credit from the Producers Guild of America for his contributions to the billion-dollar “Fast and Furious” movie franchise, numerous sources tell Variety.

    A cryptic Sunday night Instagram post from Diesel about “mitigating a war” with the PGA, a trade association representing film and TV producers, was only the latest round in a fight that has ensnared the likes of NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer and added to a long history of family drama in the high-flying action films.

    The struggle boils down to Diesel’s desire for the Producers Guild of America’s mark of distinction, an addendum to a film credit that signifies to the industry and audiences that a producer has been verified as a substantial contributor in the making of a movie.

    Diesel has attempted to receive the mark for nearly every film in the “Fast” series, sources said, which have grossed over $5.9 billion worldwide to date. He has consistently been denied and sought appeals, which have turned ugly. In his Sunday post, Diesel called the group “the prejudice guild of America.”

    –SNIP–

    Diesel has had many powerful friends appeal directly to the PGA and its executive director Vance Van Petten, said three insiders familiar with the calls, including Meyer. While the elder statesman of NBCUniversal is one of the honorary creators of the mark, his pleas have not altered the guild’s rigorous determination process. That process, by the way, prohibits oral testimony from the producer seeking the mark.

    The PGA mark appears after a producer’s name almost always in end credits, branded with the letters “p.g.a.” The most important function of the mark is that it makes someone eligible to receive the Oscar for best picture, a prize that goes to producers. On the studio level, producers with the mark are often entitled to early and increased bonuses based on box office performance and award nominations.

    “Vin is a complicated guy,” sighed one executive familiar with the “Fast” franchise.

    –SNIP–

    But the idea that Diesel is active in the daily slog that gets the movies made — films where Mustangs drop out of aircraft carriers and land safely on mountaintops — is dubious to people involved in these projects. Diesel “leans in” to behavior typical of star talent, despite being listed on call sheets as a producer, said two sources familiar with numerous “Fast” productions. That behavior includes arriving hours late on pricey stunt days, said one source, behavior that costs time and swells budgets — two of any producer’s biggest obstacles.

    The vetting process for the producers exists for that very purpose, the PGA states plainly on its website.

    In determining eligibility, the guild “may contact key creative participants and department heads (e.g., writer, director, casting director, unit production manager, production designer, cinematographer, post-production supervisor) to obtain confidential information” about the level of work contributed by a producer, the rules say. The process is also entirely anonymous.

    –SNIP–

    “It’s clear that Vin wants this, and is willing to get dirty,” concluded another source.

    Slow and Furious: Inside Vin Diesel’s Long Battle For Street Cred at the Producers Guild

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  • #24312

    #releasethenewmutantssnydercut

    I think we need more Snyders Cut.  Snyder Cut of Citizen Kane, Snyder Cut of Three Colours Red, Snyder Cut of Eraserhead. These companies are sitting on literal goldmines!

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  • #24357

    #releasethenewmutantssnydercut

    I think we need more Snyders Cut.  Snyder Cut of Citizen Kane, Snyder Cut of Three Colours Red, Snyder Cut of Eraserhead. These companies are sitting on literal goldmines!

    Snyder cut of My Dinner with Andre or GTFO.

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  • #24359

    The Godfather Part II The Synder Cut with commentary by Francis Ford Coppola?

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  • #24468

    Snyder cut of My Dinner with Andre or GTFO.

    Snyder cut of MY dinner last night!

    (I had asparagus so at least he has some phallic imagery to play around with.)

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by Christian.
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  • #24477

    Do you think whenever Zack nicks himself shaving he mutters to himself that he’s released the Snyder cut?

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  • #24483

    It’s what he asks for at the barber.

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  • #26795

    Disney parks could burn through $27 million a day amid COVID-19 pandemic, analysts warn

    An analysts report from Wells Fargo Securities entitled ‘Thanos Returns as Coronavirus’ estimates that the shuttering of Disney resorts around the globe amid the COVID-19 pandemic could cost the Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division up to $7.5 billion in operating income over the next three quarters.

    The COVID-19 challenges for the Disney parks division of the Burbank-based company are still being fully understood, according to the Wells Fargo Securities analyst report.

    “It’s a long road ahead,” according to the Wells Fargo report. “We think this is the end of the beginning of the coronavirus impact, not the beginning of the end.”

    All but one of Disney’s 12 theme parks around the world remain closed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Shanghai Disneyland theme park in China reopened on May 11 with a severe attendance cap in place and stringent COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

    Operating expenses at Disney’s domestic parks run at approximately $1 billion per month, according to Wells Fargo Securities analysts. Furloughing Disney theme park employees and implementing other cost-cutting measures saved the company approximately $333 million a month, according to the report.

    –SNIP–

    The Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division includes the company’s theme parks, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club time-share program, Adventures by Disney vacation planning service and Disney stores.

    –SNIP–

    Strong demand for Shanghai Disneyland tickets is a good sign for Disneyland’s eventual reopening, according to Imperial Capital analyst David Miller.

    “I would say it generally bodes well for Disneyland because Disneyland is more of a local visitation Disney park,” Miller told the Hollywood Reporter. “But there are no guarantees.”

    Shanghai Disneyland’s positive early reception is not necessarily good news for Disney World, according to Miller.

    “You can’t look at Shanghai and say, ‘This is how it’s going to go down in Florida,’ because in Florida, you have to fly there,” Miller told the Hollywood Reporter. “Orlando is a multi-headed monster. It completely dwarfs any other park operation in size and scope. But the trick for Disney is most people have to fly there.”

    Reopening dates have not yet been announced for Disney’s theme parks in California and Florida.

    Disney has ample cash and resources to weather the COVID-19 storm with approximately $14 billion in cash on hand and access to another $9 billion, according to the Wells Fargo report.

    The Wells Fargo Securities forecast projects the Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division will generate no revenue through the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Theme park attendance is projected to be cut in half during the 2021 fiscal year, according to the report.

    “Depending on the response to the pandemic and availability of vaccines, our estimates could prove overly positive or negative,” according to the Wells Fargo report.

    Disney parks could burn through $27 million a day amid COVID-19 pandemic, analysts warn

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  • #26797

    Oh yeah Disney’s FY2020 is fucked. Probably everyones is, but Disneys isssss.

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  • #26813

    Yes, poor Disney, what will they do?

    Oh wait…

    Disney has ample cash and resources to weather the COVID-19 storm with approximately $14 billion in cash on hand and access to another $9 billion, according to the Wells Fargo report.

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  • #26927

    Well, at least there’s a company that has made sure it’s got resources in times like this and doesn’t have to go to the government to save them because they blew their profits on manager bonuses and expansion. (Not that expansion in itself is bad, it’s just, make sure you’ve got some cash in case something happens, okay?)

  • #26930

    It would be great to see Disney argue in favour of a government bailout.

    “How can society function without at least six superhero movies per year?”

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  • #27279

    Not a surprise:

    Strong VOD Numbers for ‘Capone’ Can’t Cover Costs for a Busted Theatrical

    Its performance has been quite good. It started strong (as high as #2 at iTunes, in its second week still #5), and revenue will likely increase after its initial availability at $9.99 decreases to $5.99, which is where Vertical prices most of its releases. However, these results don’t suggest VOD is a viable alternative to theatrical. At this point, all the metrics suggest it’s far from being a money-making proposition.

    The reported budget on “Capone“ (a mostly Canadian production, which likely reduced the cost) came in at over $20 million, and was made with the expectation of a theatrical release. It was filmed in spring 2018, with initial publicity (including early stills of Hardy’s extreme transformation) over two years ago. According to sources, the completed film went to multiple distributors, with no deal forthcoming. (One source tells IndieWire this was likely more than a year ago). Concerns included the (correct) guess that this would not have the review or festival support often vital for independent projects. (Metacritic has it at a mixed-negative 46 score).

    Analyzing financials for any given VOD is challenging with no real box-office analog, but here’s what we can gauge: The $2.5 million taken in so far will see Vertical collect perhaps 75 percent, or $1.8 million. We don’t know the details of their deal with the producers (who include early Quentin Tarantino partner Lawrence Bender), but figure they will get the bulk of that since it’s likely Vertical didn’t pay a high price for the rights (if they did, they’d have that money returned first).

    That leaves the production company collecting perhaps $1.5 million from rentals so far. It’s still seeing interest after 10 days, but initial response is usually the strongest. “Capone” could double its take, possibly more with the likely price reduction. At the high end, this might means a $4 million-$5 million return.

    For a VOD-play release, that would be excellent. But it still would leave the film more than $15 million in the hole.

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  • #27282

    That must be frustrating for Trank.

    He probably figures Capone can be his redemption

     

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  • #27285

    That must be frustrating for Trank.

    He probably figures Capone can be his redemption

     

    Not box office related, but this article goes into that well:

    https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/5/21246679/josh-trank-capone-interview-fantastic-four-chronicle

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  • #27391

    That was a very interesting article!

    I think Capone still may turn out to be his redemption. Corona is corona, people know that. He’s demonstrated that he’s more together now, and if the movie is good, that’ll be a first step up the ladder again. Hopefully. I’d like to see a really great Trank superhero or Star Wars movie in ten years or so.

  • #27407

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/28/cineworld-plans-reopen-all-uk-cinemas-in-july

    They seem pretty ambitious to reopen. While mass gatherings are a big problem cinemas are in a place where they can control it a lot better than gigs or sporting events.

  • #27413

    I’m not sure if most people are ready and willing to go and sit in a room with multiple strangers for 2+ hours at this point, but I guess reopening would at least give them the option.

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  • #27430

    It may work out best if only some of the audience are up for it as I’m assuming they are going to have to blank out half the seats.

    I’m not 100% sure they will get the go-ahead though because the latest science being reported today is the much smaller chance of getting infected outdoors compared to indoors. If something like Tenet is going to be released I’m pretty sure they’ll want most of the global cinemas open, it won’t be worth if it’s some US states and New Zealand.

    I’d go but I’m in the fortunate position that Penang state is a ‘green zone’ and hasn’t had a Covid case for a month.

     

  • #27463

    Or maybe they’re just thinking of going “old-school” and release Tenet, then leave it for 6 months on screens… it won’t break any weekend records, but it will eventually do what it was gonna do. I mean, it’s not like there’s a lot of high profile movies coming out either way… so they could probably just leave it there for a bit.

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  • #27470

    It’s a fair point Jon. They mention in the story about changes to the way they schedule the slots, which to me suggests running the big movie over more theatres. With very little else out you could work with limited seating and not every region opening up and just let it run.

    Like I mentioned the Trolls movie on VOD running against zero competition on new material that could be in the cinemas too. If only Tenet is out then it dominates every headline and fills more screens.

    The less than normal circumstances could change the normal scenario, like Avatar did with limited 3D screens. That film didn’t come close to any opening weekend records, it just ran and ran.

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  • #27479

    The less than normal circumstances could change the normal scenario, like Avatar did with limited 3D screens. That film didn’t come close to any opening weekend records, it just ran and ran.

    While the argument that no 3D competition existed definitely holds, could it also be that the reason people kept going to see it to the point where it became the then-highest grossing movie ever was because of the experience of what it was spread word of mouth rather than through the advertising?

  • #27499

    Yes, I think it’s a combination. You don’t make that kind of money if people don’t enjoy it and tell other people.

    My point was less that there was no 3D competition though and more that at the time there were limited 3D enabled projectors. So the movie was often sold out and people had to return the next week to see it. It was soon after the huge success of Avatar (and then Alice In Wonderland a couple of months later) that studios started subsidising the installation of the projectors.

    That had a double benefit to them because those projectors were digital meaning they could save thousands per copy on film reels.

    So Avatar faced a supply restriction compared to the demand.

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  • #27500

    Ah, I see what you’re saying a bit clearer now.

    Let’s assume cinemas open up in a limited capacity. This could be done (but perhaps not very effectively) by taking peoples temperature before letting them in, have mandatory face masks (although “no eating” would be a severe blow to the cinemas economic standings) and limited, distanced, seating.

    If they go the route of distanced seating it could open up for movies being shown for quite a longer time in theatres than what we’re used to. No less because there are fewer movies being produced right now. Maybe that in turn would open up for re-releases of older films if cinemas can find a way to resume business.

    Tenet is obviously not going to VOD or anything like that as Nolan has a severe case of cinephilia, and given the popularity of his movies it seems likely that that movie will be the testing grounds for whatever changes to cinema culture is to come during this crisis.

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  • #27516

    From the Guardian article it looks like they’ll be spacing people out into groups. So a family of 5 could sit together and then maybe 2 seats between them and the next person. I know in the US they often use free seating but in many places specific seats are booked online using a computer layout of the theatre so you could automatically cross out two seats either side of each booking.

    They are also trialing plastic dividers between the seats.

    Over here the temperature thing has been a fixture since February for every indoor public space, even back in Feb before they closed the schools my kids’s temps were taken each morning. I’ve had mine taken 3 times today when going to the shops.

    I wasn’t aware how widespread that is outside Asia, a lot of the equipment and procedures were set up during the SARS period.

  • #27517

    From the Guardian article it looks like they’ll be spacing people out into groups. So a family of 5 could sit together and then maybe 2 seats between them and the next person. I know in the US they often use free seating but in many places specific seats are booked online using a computer layout of the theatre so you could automatically cross out two seats either side of each booking.

    They are also trialing plastic dividers between the seats.

    Over here the temperature thing has been a fixture since February for every indoor public space, even back in Feb before they closed the schools my kids’s temps were taken each morning. I’ve had mine taken 3 times today when going to the shops.

    I wasn’t aware how widespread that is outside Asia, a lot of the equipment and procedures were set up during the SARS period.

    I am absolutely clueless about this. I know they do it in some countries but as you all know I live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

  • #27554

    as you all know I live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

    That explains so much about you.

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  • #27613

    From the Guardian article it looks like they’ll be spacing people out into groups. So a family of 5 could sit together and then maybe 2 seats between them and the next person. I know in the US they often use free seating but in many places specific seats are booked online using a computer layout of the theatre so you could automatically cross out two seats either side of each booking.

    All of which doesn’t help all that much if you think about aerosols; there’s just too many people sitting in an enclosed space. It’s fine if you’ve got good air circulation, but many movie theatres don’t – at least the small, independent ones who need the business most of all.

  • #27625

    Spaced out seating is ridiculous, for the reason Christian notes. Either you remain paranoid and never go to a crowd event again, or you suck it up and get on with life as normal. This middle ground of spacing people out isn’t helpful, and might even be more harmful because it’s going to give people a false sense of security.

    I’ve just read an article that quotes several bands and concert promoters saying they don’t expect to restart gigs for 18-24 months, that being long enough — they hope — to find and distribute a vaccine. Logically cinemas should be looking at the same time scales.

  • #27635

    The truth is we don’t know enough right now about how this virus transmits but in all honesty this is pretty much exactly what is being proposed and carried out for schools, they’ll be indoors but fewer people and spaced out. They are opening everywhere. I appreciate schools have a more vital role than watching Fast & Furious 9 but that doesn’t seem to be the argument being made.

    We’re essentially grabbing at arbitrary numbers of whether 10 is ok in a 50m squared room and 50 in a 500m squared room isn’t. We’re told that droplets from mouth and nose won’t move further than 2 metres so shouldn’t good air circulation potentially make it worse?

    I do think gigs and sporting events are actually different, they are very hard to control. A cinema has a single entry point and stationary punters, it’s a lot closer to a restaurant and I went out tonight and had a meal at one. (Admittedly the Covid situation here is much better than most of Europe or the USA).

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by garjones.
  • #27645

    it’s a lot closer to a restaurant and I went out tonight and had a meal at one.

    BASTARD!!

    What did you order?  :rose:

  • #27646

    I didn’t, it was a chef’s selection tasting menu.

     

    Course 1 – Dungeness Crab with avocado

    Course 2 – Iceplant salad

    Course 3 – Three mushroom soup

    Course 4 – Iberico pork chop

    Course 5 – Caramel chocolate cake

    Plus a lot of Catalan red wine.

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  • #27656

    Dungeness Crab

    You’re safe with that, the radiation will have killed off the coronavirus.

  • #27672

    It adds a nice orange glow.

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  • #27674

    We’re essentially grabbing at arbitrary numbers of whether 10 is ok in a 50m squared room and 50 in a 500m squared room isn’t. We’re told that droplets from mouth and nose won’t move further than 2 metres so shouldn’t good air circulation potentially make it worse?

    The focus on droplets was the state of things for a while, but it’s turned out now that aerosol (tinier liquid particles that are in your breath etc.) play probably pretty much as important a role, and those stay in the air longer and distribute further, given enough time. So the longer you are in an enclosed space with other people, the more it will fill with everybody’s aerosols. With air circulation, I suppose the important point is that the air has to move outside; if you’re just moving it around the room, that’d potentially make it worse, yeah. Advice to schools is open windows (and a ventilator in the window, if you have one). I don’t know what to do about movie theatres where all that is concerned.

  • #27681

    In warm countries like this one they’ll all have aircon that circulates air in from outside.

    I think in the end though because the science is so unknown what we’re in fact doing is someone’s going to try it and we’ll see what the effect is on the infection rate with track and trace. That’s basically the justification now with people copying Denmark’s model on schools because it seems to have worked well. If it hadn’t we’d be calling it off.

    There are people here now gathering in indoor restaurants, in groups adding up to 50 people. There’s no handshaking or embracing, distance is being kept, temperatures checked and that may be enough, if it isn’t they’ll shut them again.

     

  • #27684

    I think in the end though because the science is so unknown what we’re in fact doing is someone’s going to try it and we’ll see what the effect is on the infection rate with track and trace.

    That’s what I was getting at earlier with people’s willingness to go being a key factor. Who wants to be the guinea pig in this situation?

    I’m sure some people will be desperate to go but I’m also sure a lot of people will be balancing their desire to see the latest Christopher Nolan film with the risk of catching a potentially fatal disease, and realising they’re happy to wait for the DVD to come out.

  • #27689

    In warm countries like this one they’ll all have aircon that circulates air in from outside.

    Yeah, that was kind of my point. When you’ve got that, you’re fine, and I think that goes for the big cinemas here, too, but the small ones will have a difficult time. Maybe open air viewing will be an option for some.

    I think in the end though because the science is so unknown what we’re in fact doing is someone’s going to try it and we’ll see what the effect is on the infection rate with track and trace.

    Well, the science on this is also progressing rapidly though. The role of aerosols has been speculated on for a longer while now, and they’re now pretty much at a point where it’s almost certain that they play a big role in this (and contact infection a surprisingly small one, so all the handwashing and desinfectant-spraying has probably pretty much been for nothing).

    But yeah, the effects of which measures have what effect on the large scale always remain to be seen – there’s too many unknowns involved to accurately predict these things.

    The newest development that I find quite interesting is that they’ve been talking about dispersion variance. Apparently, the thing is that most people actually infect less than one other person, which would be great if it’d be the case for everyone, but one in ten people is a super-spreader who infects a whole lot of other people. (Maybe more than one in ten, I forget the exact number.) And that’s what drives up R. Apparently, that’s potentially good news though because if you figure out how to focus on potential super-spreaders in risk management, that could lead to another road to getting the whole thing under control.

  • #27690

    Yeah and that’s the big variable and risk involved. Don’t get me wrong that I think all cinemas globally should open in July and Tenet will be a big hit playing to packed houses.

    It’s just that eventually they will open as part of the ‘new normal’, and that will vary globally based on how the virus is being contained and the more random ‘feeling’ of various governments. The lower the numbers are the less people will regard it as a risk. There’s a high chance we may see something a bit closer to the staggered releases of 20 odd years ago, one territory could get a movie 2 months later. If a second wave comes then it all shuts down again but we don’t know.

    China in fact already opened them on May 8th (with capacity limits etc.).

     

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  • #27722

    Wait, but would the virus even spread throught the AC? I mean, it’s supposed to spread through the droplets, right? Those don’t float as far as I’m aware… the risky thing in a cinema would be touching shit (seats and all that, which gets a bit tricky when you need to stay in your seat for 1.5-2.5 hours) and the more direct person-to-person contact…

  • #27772

    Wait, but would the virus even spread throught the AC? I mean, it’s supposed to spread through the droplets, right? Those don’t float as far as I’m aware…

    No, that’s what I’ve been saying. Droplets are one way of transmission, another is aerosol. That’s your cloud of far tinier droplets that’ll float in the air for a long time. They thought for a long time that SARS-2 wasn’t being transmitted by aerosol, but it’s turned out over the last few weeks that actually, aerosol infection probably plays as big a role as droplets.

    On the other hand, it’s turned out that contact infection doesn’t play a big role at all – Drosten guesses that about 10% of infections are by way of contact. So you don’t really have to worry about touching stuff all that much, and worry more about being indoors with a lot of people if the air isn’t moving.

  • #27786

    worry more about being indoors with a lot of people if the air isn’t moving.

    What about outdoors if the air isn’t moving? It’s dead calm here without even a hint of a breeze. Should I lock myself in?

  • #27787

    You should lock yourself in for the safety of everyone else.

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  • #27796

    Thailand re-opened cinemas today:

    For context Thailand has had 57 deaths from Covid, compared to thousands or tens of thousands in most of Europe and Americas. That may or may not be connected to the high level of mask wearing although this photo doesn’t reveal how they’ll keep them on in this scenario and eat those two massive buckets of popcorn the couple in the front are holding.

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  • #27805

    It isn’t popcorn in those buckets — it’s the daily dosage of hydroxychloroquine that they’ve been taking since the Coronavirus became a threat. That’s the REAL secret of the low death count in Thailand.

    My president says so, so it must be true!!

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  • #27809

    The Netherlands have re-opened cinemas and theatres but with a maximum of 30 people.

    Looking again at the Thai picture I think they are also similarly restricting, I can’t imagine they split out one row with two vacant seats and the next is anything goes so I think those empty unmarked rows are also restricted.

    As we get them back I think it will depend on the R rate locally and also with that kind of limitation in numbers.

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  • #27828

    As we get them back I think it will depend on the R rate locally

    Some of them might be PG-13 too.

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  • #27863

    What about outdoors if the air isn’t moving? It’s dead calm here without even a hint of a breeze. Should I lock myself in?

    I don’t think it matters all that much. The air outside isn’t really dead calm even if we can’t feel the wind, and the aerosol will still disperse and not fill the room, as it will when there’s fifteen people in a mid-sized room for one and a half hours.

    Which, hey, will you look at that? That’s my job description right now! Hooray!

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  • #28958

    HBO Go Shuttered, HBO Now Renamed in ‘Significant’ Brand Overhaul in Wake of HBO Max Launch

    In an effort to address brand confusion triggered by the arrival of HBO Max, WarnerMedia is shuttering HBO Go and rebranding HBO Now (as simply HBO).

    In a statement, WarnerMedia says, “Now that HBO Max has launched and is widely distributed, we… will be sunsetting our HBO GO service in the U.S. We intend to remove the HBO GO app from primary platforms as of July 31, 2020. Most customers who have traditionally used HBO GO to stream HBO programming are now able to do so via HBO Max, which offers access to all of HBO together with so much more. Additionally, the HBO NOW app and desktop experience will be rebranded to HBO. Existing HBO NOW subscribers will have access to HBO through the rebranded HBO app on platforms where it remains available and through play.hbo.com. HBO Max provides not only the robust offering of HBO but also a vast WarnerMedia library and acquired content and originals through a modern product.”

    HBO Now launched in 2015 as, essentially, a precursor to HBO Max: a standalone subscription service giving cable-averse users access to HBO’s library of original programs, films and other content. HBO Go, meanwhile, bowed in 2010 and allowed current HBO subscribers to stream the cabler’s content on secondary devices.

    HBO Max, which launched on May 27, costs $14.99 per month, though current HBO subscribers with select cable providers (along with HBO Now subscribers) were given immediate access to the service at no additional cost. One of many wrinkles that still need to be worked out: HBO Max remains unavailable on Roku or Fire TV.

  • #28965

    Age Be Oh No

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  • #29019

    One of many wrinkles that still need to be worked out: HBO Max remains unavailable on Roku or Fire TV.

    And internationally… Don’t blame me when the Snyder cut comes out =P

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  • #29660

     

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  • #40511

    Disney to overhaul its entertainment business with focus on streaming

    If there was any question that Disney+ is the center of Disney’s media empire, the company took away all doubt on Monday.

    Disney announced a major reorganization of its media and entertainment business on Monday to “further accelerate” its streaming strategy.

    The company’s stock was up about 5% in after hours trading following the news.

    “This is further proof that the direct to consumer model is not only well received, but more critical than ever to Disney’s future,” said Trip Miller, a Disney investor and managing partner at hedge fund Gullane Capital Partners. “These moves will not only result in higher quality content, and focused distribution, but allow the company to streamline corporate complexity and hopefully lower expenses.”

    Miller also said that this move will allow Disney to further monetize in demand content and possibly “make up for revenue and profit lost in other divisions this year.”

    Under the reorganization, Disney will create a new Media and Entertainment Distribution group that will be in charge of monetizing content via distribution and ad sales. The group will also oversee the operations of the company’s streaming services like Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

    The group will be led by Kareem Daniel, who was formerly the president of Disney’s consumer products, games and publishing division.
    “Given the incredible success of Disney+ and our plans to accelerate our direct-to-consumer business, we are strategically positioning our Company to more effectively support our growth strategy and increase shareholder value,” Bob Chapek, Disney’s CEO, said in a statement. “Managing content creation distinct from distribution will allow us to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it.”

    While the reorganization is a major announcement, it’s not necessarily a surprising one. Disney+ has quickly become the focal point and a saving grace of Disney’s business this year as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged its bottom line.

    The global health crisis has delayed Disney’s films, stalled productions and has shuttered parks and resorts for months, which led to massive layoffs.

    However, Disney+ has thrived.

    The streaming service, which isn’t even a year old yet, now has more than 60 million subscribers. The company told investors last year that it projected Disney+ would have 60 million to 90 million global subscribers by 2024.

    The news of the reorganization comes just a week after activist investor Dan Loeb said that Disney should permanently suspend its $3 billion in annual dividend payments and invest that money back into Disney+.

    “We are confident that Disney can build a [direct to consumer] business that will meaningfully exceed its current cable TV and box office revenue streams, but only if the company leans into this opportunity and invests more aggressively,” he said.

  • #40599

    Good. They need more content fast.

  • #40738

    Netflix ends free trials in the US after years of giving away first month

    Netflix has ended free trials for new customers in the US, after years of giving away the first month of its service free. The streaming service’s US sign-up page said trials are no longer available, with Netflix instead touting how it lets you cancel anytime at no cost. Newer rivals tend to offer shorter free-trial periods, though some of Netflix’s biggest, longstanding competitors still offer an introductory month free.

    “We’re looking at different marketing promotions in the United States to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience,” a Netflix spokeswoman said Tuesday. The end of free trials in the US was reported earlier Tuesday by TV Answer Man.

    Netflix, the world’s biggest subscription video service with more than 192 million paying members, was increasingly an outlier among its rivals by offering a month-long free trial. As a raft of new rival services have launched in the last year, many set their free trial periods at a single week, including HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock. And Disney Plus, as strong growth lifted its number of subscribers above its initial projections way earlier than expected, stopped offering free trials altogether in June.

    Other established apps like CBS All Access and Starzlimit their free trials to seven days too. Hulu Showtime and Amazon Prime, however, still offer a month free to new subscribers. (Note: CBS All Access and Showtime are owned by ViacomCBS, the parent company of CNET.)

    Even Netflix itself had already begun phasing out free trials elsewhere in the world, starting in Mexico two years ago. Netflix free trials are still available in some select markets.

  • #41318

    Quibi To Shut Down, Ending $2B Streaming Experiment

    Quibi, the mobile streaming service launched amid great fanfare and nearly $2 billion in start-up capital by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, is officially shutting down.

    Deadline has learned that Katzenberg and CEO Whitman are about to have a call with investors this afternoon to explain their decision to wind down the short-form video service after little more than six months. They are exploring options including selling content or the entire service in the hopes that a buyer emerges.

    The process of bringing Quibi to a close is expect to take several months we hear with subscribers receiving notifications in the near future. A staff meeting with Katzenberg and Whitman is also scheduled for later today.

    The service launched in April, funded with investments from a range of major media companies and blue-chip investors, just as COVID-19 was starting to upend the world. Its meltdown has set tongues wagging in the ultra-competitive Hollywood and tech trenches, as Quibi ranks among the priciest misfires of any entertainment-related startup.

    Its failure will put about 200 employees out of work, punctuating an already grueling time for the entertainment sector. Questions will swirl around the fate of its roster of “quick bite” programming from A-list creators like Stephen Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro and Antoine Fuqua and also which investors will take the steepest losses. While a host of household names got involved in shows like Dummy with Anna Kendrick or a remake of The Fugitive with Kiefer Sutherland, plus custom teamings with ESPN and 60 Minutes, no show truly entered the zeitgeist. A creative high point may have been last month’s Creative Arts Emmys, where #FreeRayshawn won two prizes.

    Quibi’s launch was surely complicated by the coronavirus, which all but invalidated its on-the-go concept, but it also arrived at a hectic moment for the overall streaming marketplace. Four other billion-dollar subscription services from Apple, Disney, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal have hit the market since last November, all trying to close the gap with Netflix, the longtime market leader.
    The startup spent lavishly on promotion, buying multiple TV ad slots on the Super Bowl and the Oscars last February on the heels of a splashy presentation in Las Vegas at CES. After a pullback in the spring, the company revved up the marketing engines again over the summer, buying more TV and digital spots, with more of a focus on individual shows than on introducing customers to the platform. According to ad tracking firm iSpot, the company spent $63.7 million on TV in 2020.

    The return on that investment never fully materialized, however. In its first 90 days, during a free trial period, the streaming app was downloaded 5.6 million times, the company said last month. Only a small percentage of those downloads converted to subscribers paying $5 a month or $8 for an ad-free version. (One third-party estimate put the conversion rate at just 8%, but Quibi vigorously disputed that number.)

    Executive turnover also dogged the company. Marketing chief Megan Imbres, a Netflix veteran, left two weeks after the April launch. Some skeptics of the company’s strategy questioned the decision not to provide a smart-TV app, leaving mobile as the only way to view Quibi, as opposed to YouTube, which has experienced strong growth in the home. It accelerated plans to develop a living room app in the spring, and just this week confirmed distribution deals with Apple TV and Google.

    Among other unresolved issues, Quibi is still partially embroiled in crossfire legal action with Eko, the Elliot Management-backed interactive video company, over potential patient infringement over its Turnstyle interface. Kicked off by initial filings by Quibi in late March, the case is understood not to have played a role in the company’s decision to pull the plug.

    While Quibi pushed back repeatedly on reports of turmoil and layoffs, the company never disputed the reality that its performance out of the game fell below expectations. At an online keynote appearance in June at SeriesFest, Katzenberg conceded things had not gone according to plan. Still, he characterized the soft initial numbers as “almost a beta” launch phase, allowing the startup to regroup. “I’m quite optimistic that this use case is going to work,” the founder said. “People are loving this.”

    The effects of COVID-19 will always be debated when it comes to sizing up Quibi’s short run. But viewing at home on mobile devices did not diminish during shelter-in-place, according to researcher Bruce Leichtman, as has been borne out in recent numbers from TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.

    “Quibi was based on a sound premise,” Leichtman said. But its “challenge in building an active subscriber base goes well beyond the fact that it was designed specifically for mobile phone viewing at a time when people were spending much more time at home. It is also a reminder that regardless of experienced leadership and strong financial backing, no streaming video business model is a gimme; particularly one that includes consumer paying to subscribe where there is a plethora of free alternatives.”

    Ed Kaczynski, CEO of Zype, a digital video infrastructure company that works with digital content producers and aggregators, predicts “there will be a lot of business school studies of this.” He said an experimental, curious, learning-based approach is key. “Experimenting more, early on, with technology, getting more feedback from the market.” He added, “Just because Netflix makes it looks easy doesn’t mean it is easy.”

    While apps for the living room finally came into the picture, the pivot was too late and connected-TV platforms could have offered a meaningful extension of Quibi as it found its footing. Platforms like Apple and Roku “have an appetite for premium content that is searchable and real,” Kaczynski said. They could also have approached free ad-supported streaming outlets like Xumo, Pluto, or even NBCU’s Peacock. These platforms can leverage large audiences relatively cheaply. It could have been teased early to see how things performed.”

    Another executive in the space said the simple problem was hits. “No one seemed to find a show they fell in love with. They needed at least two big hits to generate at least enough of an audience. They needed anchor tenants. And I wish for their sake they would have gotten them.”

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  • #41320

    As per their wishes, Quibi will be buried vertically.

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  • #41325

    As per their wishes, Quibi will be buried vertically.

    And the funeral will take less than five minutes.

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  • #41332

    Least surprising news of 2020.

  • #41334

    The effects of COVID-19 will always be debated when it comes to sizing up Quibi’s short run. But viewing at home on mobile devices did not diminish during shelter-in-place, according to researcher Bruce Leichtman, as has been borne out in recent numbers from TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.

    It won’t be debated by me, it’s a bullshit excuse Quibi have trotted out from day one because they had a bad product hardly anyone wants.

    As that quote says all the other services designed for viewing on phones have gone up.

  • #41374

    The effects of COVID-19 will always be debated when it comes to sizing up Quibi’s short run. But viewing at home on mobile devices did not diminish during shelter-in-place, according to researcher Bruce Leichtman, as has been borne out in recent numbers from TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.

    It won’t be debated by me, it’s a bullshit excuse Quibi have trotted out from day one because they had a bad product hardly anyone wants.

    As that quote says all the other services designed for viewing on phones have gone up.

    Exactly. The final paragraphs of the article sums up why they failed:

    While apps for the living room finally came into the picture, the pivot was too late and connected-TV platforms could have offered a meaningful extension of Quibi as it found its footing. Platforms like Apple and Roku “have an appetite for premium content that is searchable and real,” Kaczynski said. They could also have approached free ad-supported streaming outlets like Xumo, Pluto, or even NBCU’s Peacock. These platforms can leverage large audiences relatively cheaply. It could have been teased early to see how things performed.”

    Another executive in the space said the simple problem was hits. “No one seemed to find a show they fell in love with. They needed at least two big hits to generate at least enough of an audience. They needed anchor tenants. And I wish for their sake they would have gotten them.”

    As much as I enjoyed Reno 911! back in the day, it wasn’t near enough to get me to subscribe. Everything else looked like crap I could find for free on YouTube.

  • #41383

    There was a great article a couple of months ago about Quibi that was doing the rounds, that featured interviews with Katzenberg that showed he didn’t have a clue what was going on… can anyone remember where I read it? It was on one of the bigger entertainment/tech websites like Wired or Vulture or somewhere.

    EDIT: Found it. It’s a great article for fans of schadenfreude, packed with spicy behind-the-scenes stuff like this:

    Katzenberg is on his phone all the time, but he is also among the moguls of his generation who have their emails printed out (and vertically folded, for some reason) by an assistant. In enthusing about what a show could mean for Quibi, Katzenberg would repeatedly invoke the same handful of musty touchstones — America’s Funniest Home Videos, Siskel and Ebert, and Jane Fonda’s exercise tapes. When Gal Gadot came to the offices and delivered an impassioned speech about wanting to elevate the voices of girls and women, Katzenberg wondered aloud whether she might become the new Jane Fonda and do a workout series for Quibi. (“Apparently, her face fell,” says a person briefed on the meeting.)

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  • #41391

    Conceptually, Quibi wasn’t a terrible idea. Short form content for on the go viewing. For the most part, that’s YouTube. It would be a great supplement to an established streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, et al. The big providers have apps for phones and that type of material is great for that. For the most part, people aren’t going to watch a 30 minute or longer program on their phone but a 10 minute show will probably get eyeballs. For a bonus, tie it into a popular show on the service like the Short Treks CBS did for Star Trek.

    But paying $5 per month for just short form content? Again, YouTube is free. I’m still not sure they would have made it even if they had at least two hit shows.

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  • #41392

    It’s not just YouTube it was competing with, but TikTok as well. But they never acknowledged that they were in the same marketplace. What’s more, there was no ability to share Quibi content – you couldn’t even screencap their shows. They were completely clueless to the power of memes, which rely on just that.

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  • #41415

    What’s more, there was no ability to share Quibi content – you couldn’t even screencap their shows. They were completely clueless to the power of memes, which rely on just that.

    That had to be one of the dumbest things they did. Memes are essentially free advertising. People want to share what they like and to intentionally inhibit something that could bring greater awareness to their product? Dumb.

  • #41416

    On the flipside, an alternative to youtubes market monopoly IS sorely needed, so points to quibi for trying.

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  • #41439

    But youtube’s market is primarily still, well, youtube. People posting videos. That’s not what Quibi was trying to do, it wanted to be Netflix for phone content, which is something I very much have my doubts anyone needs, and they went about it in the dumbest way possible.

  • #41442

    Yeah, I’m not giving them a lot of points for their rather stupid try. What’s the least amount of points I can give them? Two? Is one and a half plural?

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  • #41448

    But youtube’s market is primarily still, well, youtube. People posting videos. That’s not what Quibi was trying to do, it wanted to be Netflix for phone content, which is something I very much have my doubts anyone needs, and they went about it in the dumbest way possible.

    I think it’s actually a combo of the two. What they were offering was definitely more on the Netflix model but the audience they were looking for, young people used to viewing content on their phones, are using Youtube.

    Youtube themselves though tried original paid for content and it didn’t work – so that gives you a basic idea how doomed it was – even with an already massive userbase they couldn’t sell the idea so what chance did Quibi have?

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  • #41469

    Yeah, I’m surprised how much Cobra Kai has blown up in the few weeks it’s been on Netflix compared to the years it was available on Youtube.

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  • #41470

    Quibi’s “Last Day Of Service” To Be December 1, App Announces

    A day after Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman announced their “clear-eyed” decision to shutter the six-month-old star-studded mobile subscription-video platform, Quibi has declared that December 1 will be its “last day of service.”

    “Quibi has made the difficult decision to wind down,” said a self-described “end of service announcement” today on the FAQ section of the platform. “We anticipate that the service will end streaming on or about December 1, 2020. We appreciate the support we have received from our customers and want to thank you for giving us an opportunity to entertain you. If you have any questions or need assistance in any way, please contact us at help@quibi.com.”

    Moving far faster than the several months of wind-down that had been bandied about Wednesday and with abupt 200 employees now heading towards unemployment, today’s end-of-service update leaves the Quibi app’s 500,000 or so sign-ups soon in the dark. It also looks to be the final curtain on series like Emmy winner #FreeRayshawn, Liam Hemsworth starrer Most Dangerous Game, Dummy with Anna Kendrick and the remake of The Fugitive with Kiefer Sutherland – at least if Katzenberg and Whitman can’t find any buyers.

    “At this time we do not know if the Quibi content will be available anywhere after our last day of service,” the end of service announcement adds with some degree of ambiguity. “We recommend following #Quibi on Twitter for any news regarding content.”

    Having raised about $1.7 billion from the major studios and Wall Street investment firms, Quibi launched in April to great fanfare with lots of big names and a 90-day free trial. Nonetheless, with the coronavirus pandemic but one factor taking the wind out of the sails of Quibi’s short-form entertainment offering for viewers on the go, the app soon tumbled down the most download list and signups remained slim.

    After weeks of speculation and with no clear path to success in sight, Katzenberg and Whitman on October 22 faced up to hard facts. “We started with the idea to create the next generation of storytelling and because of you, we were able to create and deliver the best version of what we imagined Quibi to be,” the founder and CEO said in a letter yesterday to staff, investors and others. “So it is with an incredibly heavy heart that today we are announcing that we are winding down the business and looking to sell its content and technology assets.”

    Around half a million subscribers? Yikes.

  • #41472

    Yeah, I’m surprised how much Cobra Kai has blown up in the few weeks it’s been on Netflix compared to the years it was available on Youtube.

    I wonder if that’s because people wanted to see it but not enough to pay for a YouTube premium service. Now that it’s available on Netflix, which many people already pay for, they’re excited because they can watch it now.

  • #41478

    I don’t know anyone that signed up to Youtube Red/Premium, most people I know have Netflix.

    That’s the simple answer.

  • #41487

    HBO Max, which launched on May 27, costs $14.99 per month, though current HBO subscribers with select cable providers (along with HBO Now subscribers) were given immediate access to the service at no additional cost. One of many wrinkles that still need to be worked out: HBO Max remains unavailable on Roku or Fire TV.

    Roku has no workaround (I don’t have Roku, though) but Amazon Firestick uses an android platform so it is relatively easy to download the HBOMax app manually. You just need to go online to find the correct address and use the Downloader app.

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  • #41491

    I wonder if that’s because people wanted to see it but not enough to pay for a YouTube premium service. Now that it’s available on Netflix, which many people already pay for, they’re excited because they can watch it now.

    I think a lot of people just only know shows that are on Netflix.

    The same thing’s happening with Evil, I’ve seen a lot of Americans talk about it in the last few days since it went up on Netflix, not knowing that it aired on regular TV a year ago.

    Schitt’s Creek is probably the biggest example, going from a show that basically nobody ever heard of in its first few seasons to having the biggest-ever sweep at the Emmys.

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  • #41496

    Yeah, I’m surprised how much Cobra Kai has blown up in the few weeks it’s been on Netflix compared to the years it was available on Youtube.

    I wonder if that’s because people wanted to see it but not enough to pay for a YouTube premium service. Now that it’s available on Netflix, which many people already pay for, they’re excited because they can watch it now.

    There’s that but also the fact that Youtube Red/Premium wasn’t available in most parts of the world at that time (Still isn’t?)… So yeah, it makes sense it got more attention with Netflix.

    Also, one of the main reasons to get that premium youtube thing is watching videos without ads, something anyone can already do for free with an ad blocker… :unsure:

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  • #45353

    Warner Bros. to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including ‘Dune’ and ‘Matrix 4,’ Both on HBO Max and In Theaters

    When Warner Bros. announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” would land on the streaming service HBO Max on Christmas, the same time it debuts in theaters, many expected it to be an isolated case in response to an unprecedented pandemic.

    Instead, the studio will deploy a similar release strategy for the next twelve months. In a surprising break from industry standards, Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate — a list of films that includes “The Matrix 4,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” remake, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical adaptation of “In the Heights,” Sopranos prequel “The Many Saints of Newark,” and “The Suicide Squad” — will debut both on HBO Max and in theaters on their respective release dates. The shocking move to simultaneously release movies day-and-date underscores the crisis facing movie theaters and the rising importance of streaming services in the wake of a global health crisis that’s decimated the film exhibition community.

    Warner Bros.’ 2021 release slate also includes Denzel Washington’s thriller “The Little Things,” biographical drama “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a remake of “Tom and Jerry,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” video game adaptation “Mortal Kombat,” “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,””Reminiscence,” James Wan’s “Malignant” and sports drama “King Richard.”

    In the short term, the move will inject some welcome buzz into HBO Max, a Netflix challenger that launched last spring without generating much sizzle. One of WarnerMedia’s key rivals, the Walt Disney Company, has strengthened its share price because of its investment in streaming offerings such as Disney Plus even as its core theme parks and film businesses have cratered. WarnerMedia and its corporate parent AT&T are likely making the move with an eye towards pleasing Wall Street.

    Like “Wonder Woman 1984,” the films that Warner Bros. plans to release in 2021 will be available to HBO Max subscribers for 31 days. After the one-month mark, those movies will only play in theaters until it reaches the traditional home entertainment frame. From there, people can rent through online platforms like Amazon, iTunes or Fandango. It’s unclear when any titles will return to HBO Max.

    WarnerMedia chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff referred to the model as a “unique one-year plan.” Executives at the company have stressed the initiative isn’t expected to continue into 2022 or beyond — it’s considered a temporary solution in response to the ongoing global heath crisis.

    “We’re living in unprecedented times which call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group,” Sarnoff said in a statement. “No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021.”

    “With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films,” she continued. “We see it as a win-win for film lovers and exhibitors, and we’re extremely grateful to our filmmaking partners for working with us on this innovative response to these circumstances.”

    Variety reported earlier this week that Warners. was considering sending several films to HBO Max and theaters day-and-date. But the studio opted to move forward with the rest of its upcoming slate because the film landscape is only getting rockier as the pandemic worsens and parts of the United States consider implementing new stay-at-home orders. The idea that people will return to the movies anytime soon is looking more and more like a distant dream as the pandemic nears the one-year mark. It’s also unclear what kind of distribution footprint will await studios on the other end of the pandemic. More than 60% of U.S. theaters have closed down again, and that number could continue to rise if cases continue to spike around the holidays. Those that remain open teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. As a sign of these troubles, just hours before Warner Bros. disclosed its plans, AMC announced that it was selling up to 200 million shares of stock in an effort to raise as much as $834 million and shore up its liquidity.

    To get theaters on board and allow Warners to break their theatrical contract for “Wonder Woman 1984,” the studio is giving cinemas a more generous cut of ticket sales. Theater chains are receiving as much of 60% of revenues. But sources say that won’t be the case for upcoming releases.

    Thursday’s announcement from Warner Bros. is yet another example of just how dramatically the coronavirus crisis has shifted the power dynamic between studios and theater operators. Even with promising vaccines having completed clinical trials, the latest move by Warner Bros. suggests the balance may never return in favor of exhibitors.

    Months ago, Universal Pictures took an axe to the theatrical window — industry parlance for the amount of time a new release plays exclusively in theaters. But in comparison, Universal’s terms of agreement with movie theater chains AMC and Cinemark make them look like downright martyrs. Under those pacts, the studio can put new movies on premium video-on-demand platforms in as little as 17 days. Films that generate at least $50 million in opening weekend ticket sales, however, will have to play exclusively in theaters for 31 days, or five full weekends. Traditionally, new releases remain on the big screen for 75 to 90 days before they move to digital platforms for a $19.99 rental fee. Universal has agreed to give the two circuits a cut of digital sales to get them to play ball. It’s not clear if theaters will receive any benefits from Warner Bros.

    Warner Bros., perhaps more than any of its rivals, knows how unforgiving the theatrical market can be amid a pandemic. When the studio released Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” in September in an attempt to revive a nationwide return to moviegoing, the $200 million-budgeted sci-fi epic mostly fell flat. “Tenet” generated substantial ticket sales overseas, but returns were lackluster in the United States. As a result, the movie is expected to lose many millions.

    In an interview with Variety, studio chief Toby Emmerich said the hybrid plan came about after exploring various options for “Wonder Woman 1984.” The international box office has significantly rebounded and even fielded some massive hits in China and Japan. Alternatively, the domestic market hasn’t seen any movie come close to blockbuster levels in terms of ticket sales. HBO Max is only available in the U.S.

    “We thought it could be a win-win and give the consumers the best choice,” he said. “Unfortunately, the U.S. has been one of the most hobbled markets in terms of theatrical. Outside the U.S., in places like China, South Korea, Japan, parts of Western Europe, our films will only be available in theaters. We think those markets can perform better.”

    “After considering all available options and the projected state of moviegoing throughout 2021, we came to the conclusion that this was the best way for WarnerMedia’s motion picture business to navigate the next 12 months,” said WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. “More importantly, we are planning to bring consumers 17 remarkable movies throughout the year, giving them the choice and the power to decide how they want to enjoy these films. Our content is extremely valuable, unless it’s sitting on a shelf not being seen by anyone. We believe this approach serves our fans, supports exhibitors and filmmakers, and enhances the HBO Max experience, creating value for all.”

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  • #45354

    Wow, that’s huge. It’s a shame HBO Max doesn’t have a bigger overseas presence as this would probably get me to sign up.

    If they handle it like Wonder Woman I guess it will be an initial theatrical release here with a shortened window before it hits VOD.

     

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  • #45364

    It’s a shame HBO Max doesn’t have a bigger overseas presence as this would probably get me to sign up.

    This could help push a global implementation.

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