Showbiz Sandbox 211: Why Movie Studios Are Playing Musical Chairs With Release Dates
October 28, 2013
There was a time if a Hollywood studio pushed back the release date for one of its eagerly anticipated titles it signaled the movie might be in trouble. If there was ever a sign that such stigmas no longer apply when delaying a release date, one need look no further than this year. An overly crowded and competitive awards season has meant the release dates for a number of high-end hopefuls have been wisely pushed into 2014, including “Monuments Men”, “Foxcatcher” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”.
Distributors in China, Japan and South Korea may soon have to start worrying about release dates too. Box office is surging to record levels in Asia, thanks not to Hollywood blockbusters, but rather homegrown productions.
If it were up to consumer electronics manufacturers, we’d all be watching movies at home on our new 4K Ultra HD televisions. Broadcasters, burned by the original conversion to HD and a string of 3D experiments, want to know who is going to foot the bill this time around.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the new, yet familiar, writers taking on the “Star Wars” sequels, YouTube gets into the music streaming business and Netflix wants to make original movies.
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Outsider Whose Dark, Lyrical Vision Helped Shape Rock ’n’ Roll
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/arts/music/lou-reed-dies-at-71.html
Homegrown Movies Help Asian Box Office Surge To Record Levels
http://celluloidjunkie.com/2013/10/28/homegrown-movies-help-asian-box-office-surge-to-record-levels/
‘Despicable Me’s’ Chris Meledandri: Animation Market Is Cannibalizing Itself
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ves-summit-chris-meledandri-says-651101
VES Summit: Will ‘Gravity’ Prompt Push for ‘Visual Imaging’ Oscar?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ves-summit-will-gravity-prompt-651099
George Clooney’s ‘The Monuments Men’ Pushed to 2014
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-monuments-men-20131023,0,733524.story#axzz2iVFMt02C
George Clooney’s ‘Monuments Men’ Gets Early February 2014 Release
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/monuments-men-gets-early-february-650634
It’s Official: ‘Jack Ryan’ Moving to January 2014
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/official-jack-ryan-moving-january-650181
Oscars: Why Are Contenders Dropping Like Flies This Awards Season?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-why-are-contenders-dropping-650308
Netflix Eyeing Shortened Movie Windows
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/netflix/netflix-eyeing-shortened-movie-windows-31679
Theater Owners To Netflix: You’re The One Trying To Kill Cinema
http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/theater-owners-to-netflix-youre-the-one-trying-to-kill-cinema/
Netflix Earnings Jump As It Surpasses HBO in U.S. Subscribers
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-netflix-earns-20131022,0,7706796.story#axzz2itZP3fVJ
SMPTE: Fox Exec Seeing ‘No Interest’ In Delivering 4K
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/smpte-fox-exec-seeing-no-649952
Top-Rated ‘GMA’ Faces ‘Nightmare’ Contract Talks
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/good-morning-america-top-rated-650169
Tim Burton in Talks to Direct ‘Beetlejuice 2’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/tim-burton-talks-direct-beetlejuice-649858
‘Star Wars: Episode VII’: J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan To Pen Script
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/star-wars-episode-vii-j-j-abrams-lawrence-kasdan-to-pen-script
Fox Cuts ‘American Idol’ Results to Half-Hour, Slots ‘Surviving Jack’ on Thursdays
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fox-cuts-american-idol-results-650957
YouTube Music Awards: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, PSY Score Nominations
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5763182/youtube-music-awards-macklemore-ryan-lewis-psy-score-nominations
YouTube Said to Introduce Paid Service for Music
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/business/media/youtube-said-to-introduce-paid-music-service.html
Twitter to End Its Music App, Which Never Made Much Noise
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/business/media/twitter-to-end-its-music-app-which-never-made-much-noise.html
Jeremy Piven Pay at Center of ‘Entourage’ Movie Spat
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/entourage-movie-jeremy-piven-pay-650258
Craig Ferguson to Host Syndicated Game Show ‘Celebrity Name Game’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/craig-ferguson-host-syndicated-game-651204
Academy Taking Steps to Simplify e-Voting for Oscars
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-academy-taking-steps-simplify-650824
Libraries and Ebooks: Spending Big on Fifty Shades of Grey
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/libraries-and-ebooks-spending-big-on-fifty-shades-of-grey/
Spending Too Much on Ebook Copies of Fifty Shades? Libraries Respond
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/spending-too-much-on-ebook-copies-of-fifty-shades-libraries-respond/
Nikki Finke To Leave Deadline and Set Up Own Hollywood Gossip Site
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/25/nikki-finke-deadline-jay-penske-hollywood
Fleming On Deadline’s Efforts To Restore Nikki Finke’s Game-Changing Writer Voice
http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/fleming-on-deadlines-efforts-to-restore-nikki-finkes-game-changing-writer-voice/
Okay, so George Clooney’s The Monuments Men is moving to February. Better for the movie and better for fans, since the holidays are always crowded with Oscar bait. But what astonishes me is that there is only ONE family friendly film in all of December from the major studios. That’s The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. Tons of movies for adults and only one that’s family friendly? Very poor scheduling and money left on the table. If i was Warner Bros. I would have moved The Lego Movie up to Christmas — it’s got a great trailer and they have smooth sailing through all of January.