Showbiz Sandbox 223: The 2013 Worldwide Box Office – Who Won, Who Lost and Why

February 3, 2014

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Thanks to surging theatrical grosses in countries such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia, the international box office more than doubled North American earnings in 2013, topping out at a record $25 billion. Though Hollywood studio content continues to dominate globally, receipts for local productions are beginning to play a more significant role in many markets. We provide a breakdown of the annual box office for of all the major territories and explain why some fared better than others.

Speaking of breaking records, the telecast of this year’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos had an audience of 112 million viewers. That makes it the most watched television show in U.S. history. As is often the case, the commercials proved more interesting than the game.

Last week the industry also mourned the tragic death of Oscar winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman from what appears to be a drug overdose. Unfortunately, obit writers were also kept busy with the passing of folk musician Pete Seeger, studio executive Tom Sherak and legendary animator Arthur Rankin Jr.

Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including an Oscar nomination for Best Song gets rescinded, “Back to the Future” is being turned into a Broadway musical and Disney plans to reboot Chip ‘n Dale.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor of Depth, Dies at 46
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/movies/philip-seymour-hoffman-actor-dies-at-46.html

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead in New York
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/wsj-report-philip-seymour-hoffman-found-dead-in-new-york-1201082934/

Pete Seeger dies at 94; Balladeer Was America’s Conscience
http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-pete-seeger-20140128,0,191963.story

Tom Sherak Dies at 68; Former Head of Motion Picture Academy
http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-tom-sherak-20140129,0,6382220.story

Animation Legend Arthur Rankin Jr. Dies at 89
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/animation-legend-arthur-rankin-jr-676275

New Chinese Box Office Records Come As No Surprise
http://celluloidjunkie.com/2014/02/04/new-chinese-box-office-records-come-as-no-surprise/

WGA Awards 2014: Complete List of Winners and Nominees
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-wga-awards-2014-complete-list-nominees,0,5255121.story

Gravity Earns Top Honors from Cinematographers
http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/News_Articles/News_470.php

‘Great Gatsby’ Wins Big at Australian Oscars
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/great-gatsby-wins-big-at-australian-oscars

Aussie Films Hit 8-Year Low
http://if.com.au/2014/01/20/article/Aussie-films-hit-8-year-low/GYQVSPQLCG

Box Office: Boom! Bust! Inside a Wild $25 Billion Year Overseas
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-boom-bust-inside-674757

Super Bowl XLVIII Is Most Watched in History With 112.2 Million Viewers
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-super-bowl-xlviii-676651

Time Warner Cable Loses Standard Definition Super Bowl Feed
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-time-warner-cable-dark-super-bowl-20140202,0,6141209.story

Super Bowl Commercial Breakdown
http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/super-bowl-xlviii-commercials-winners-and-losers-022711304.html

Beats Music Deals With Tech Issues
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/01/beats-music-appears-to-still-be-struggling-the-just-launched-and-much-publicized-service-hit-a-snag-wednesday-afternoon-when.html

Neil Young To Launch Pono at SxSW
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/01/neil-young-to-launch-pono-music-play-at-sxsw-2104.html

Damian Lewis Set to Star as Henry VIII in ‘Wolf Hall’
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/damian-lewis-set-to-star-as-henry-viii-in-wolf-hall-1201079602/

CNN’s Entire Lineup Falls Below CNBC ‘Shark Tank’ Repeats
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-cnns-entire-lineup-674873

Writers Guild of America Starting Negotiations on Feb. 3
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/writers-guild-of-america-starting-negotiations-on-feb-3-1201074622/

WGA Says Studios Seeking ‘$60 Million In Rollbacks’
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-wga-contract-20140130,0,7641265.story

Playwright Sues to Salvage Play Deconstructing ‘Three’s Company’
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/playwright-sues-to-salvage-play-deconstructing-threes-company/

Back to the Future Musical Prepares for West End Run
http://www.theatermania.com/london-theater/news/01-2014/gas-up-your-deloreans-back-to-the-future-musical-p_67374.html

Disney Reviving ‘Chip ‘n Dale’ for a Live-Action Feature
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/disney-reviving-chip-n-dale-676161

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fires Longtime Band Leader
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dancing-stars-fires-longtime-band-676819

Academy Disqualifies Oscar-Nominated Song ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-disqualifies-oscar-nominated-song-675480

Oscar Winner Pens Letter Accusing Academy of Christian ‘Bigotry’ in Song Flap
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-winner-pens-letter-accusing-676255

Academy Says Song Decision Was About Oscar ‘Integrity’
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/academy-explains-decision-to-revoke-alone-yet-not-alone-nomination-1201081674/

Democrats Introduce Net Neutrality Bill
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/democrats-introduce-net-neutrality-bill-1201084577/

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