Showbiz Sandbox 325: Keeping Track of Who’s In Charge at Hollywood Studios

June 20, 2016

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It would seem keeping one’s job as a senior executive at a major Hollywood movie studio has become much harder of late. Last year both Paramount and Sony Pictures replaced their studio heads. Now the executive shuffles at Sony and Fox, as well as the turmoil at Viacom, have our heads spinning. We’ll be joined by Anne Thompson of Indiewire who explains why Hollywood is in turnaround.

We also breakdown the past week’s worldwide box office, where a little fish swam a long way. Apparently audiences hadn’t forgotten the forgetful character from “Finding Nemo” and thus turned the Pixar movie “Finding Dory” into a box office smash.

Amazon plans to expand its streaming music service, but will it be worth listening to? Meanwhile, CBS won a potentially significant lawsuit when it argued successfully that a remastered album can in fact be considered a brand new work in terms of copyright.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including the Tony Awards telecast get a ratings bump, Disney opens a theme park in Shanghai and ESPN devotes itself to soccer (or football, depending where you live).

comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of June 19, 2016
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-june-19-2016-300286859.html

“Finding Dory” Finds Box Office Records
https://celluloidjunkie.com/2016/06/19/finding-dory-finds-box-office-records/

How China Won the Keys to Disney’s Magic Kingdom
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/business/international/china-disney.html?_r=0

Walt Disney Co. Already Expanding Shanghai Disney Resort, Says Bob Iger
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walt-disney-sets-800m-expansion-902988

California Was World’s Top Film Production Center in 2015, U.K. Generated Most Spending
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/california-2015-movie-production-uk-spending-1201795800/

‘Warcraft’ Shatters Records With $156 Million China Debut
https://variety.com/2016/film/box-office/warcraft-china-box-office-2-1201793829/

Summer Box-Office Slump: Revenue Down a Steep 22 Percent
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/summer-box-office-slump-revenue-901816

Exclusive: Amazon Is Preparing to Launch Streaming Music Service
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-music-exclusive-idUSKCN0YW28U

CBS Beats Lawsuit Over Pre-1972 Songs With Bold Copyright Argument
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/cbs-beats-lawsuit-pre-1972-898633

Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney Among 180 Artists Signing Petition For Digital Copyright Reform
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7408970/taylor-swift-paul-mccartney-180-artists-signing-petition-digital

Music World Bands Together Against YouTube, Seeking Change to Law
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/business/media/music-world-bands-together-against-youtube-seeking-change-to-law.html?_r=0

MoMA Fires Assistant Film Curator Sally Berger
http://www.artnews.com/2016/06/16/museum-of-modern-art-fires-film-assistant-curator-sally-berger/

It’s Official: CMT, Hulu Revive ‘Nashville’ for Season 5
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nashville-renewed-season-5-cmt-900647

Gawker, Filing for Bankruptcy After Hulk Hogan Suit, Is for Sale
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/11/business/media/gawker-bankruptcy-sale.html

Tony Awards Hit Highest Overnight Rating in 15 Years
http://variety.com/2016/tv/ratings/tony-awards-ratings-2016-hamilton-cbs-james-corden-1201794346/

‘Hamilton’ Cast Album Races to No. 3 on Billboard 200 Chart After Tony Awards
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7408964/hamilton-cast-album-billboard-200-tony-awards

‘Roots’ Pulls 14 Million Viewers During Premiere Week
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-roots-pulls-14-900570

Court Backs Rules Treating Internet as Utility, Not Luxury
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/technology/net-neutrality-fcc-appeals-court-ruling.html

Quarter of US millennials are OTT-only
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016061543240/a-quarter-of-us-millennials-are-ott-only.html

Paramount Beats Musicians Guild in Lawsuit Over Outsourcing Film Scores
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/paramount-beats-musicians-guild-lawsuit-903503

First BookShots Titles Sell 30,000 Copies in a Week
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/70660-first-bookshots-titles-sell-30-000-copies-in-a-week.html

The Market for Audiobooks in India
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2016/the-market-for-audiobooks-in-india/

Hollywood Studios File Suit Against Service Streaming $1 Movies
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hollywood-studios-file-suit-service-901509

ESPN Plans First Ever Comprehensive Euro 2016 Coverage In US
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016061243203/espn-plans-first-ever-comprehensive-euro-2016-coverage-in-us.html

Mel Gibson Planning ‘Passion of the Christ’ Sequel (Exclusive)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibson-planning-passion-christ-901299

Fox’s Film Studio Politics at Play in Top Executive Shake-up
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foxs-film-studio-politics-at-903877

As Stacey Snider Ascends at Fox, Hollywood Is in Turnaround
http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/stacey-snider-twentieth-century-fox-hollywood-studios-jim-gianopulos-1201689709/

Sumner Redstone Fires Most of Viacom Board
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sumner-redstone-fires-viacom-board-897851

Anton Yelchin, ‘Star Trek’ Actor, Dies at 27
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/arts/anton-yelchin-star-trek-actor-dies-at-27-in-an-accident.html

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