Showbiz Sandbox 549: Second Guessing Disney’s “Black Widow” Distribution Strategy
July 20, 2021
In its second weekend the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow” dropped over 67% at the box office; the largest decline for any film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Could it be that the movie’s availability via premium video on demand cannibalized its theatrical returns? The ongoing pandemic makes it difficult to draw any conclusions, though one thing is clear; “Black Widow” is one of the most pirated movies of the year.
Meanwhile, the Cannes Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend with Spike Lee and his jury awarding Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” with the Palme d’Or. It is only the second time in the festival’s history that a woman has taken home the prize. Whether it will go on to Oscar glory like “Parasite” did two years ago remains to be seen, but the feeling was this year’s festival may not generate a lot of awards-worthy movies.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including how artificial intelligence helped bring Anthony Bourdain back to life, the United Kingdom wants to revise music copyright and filmmaker Frank Darabont settles his lawsuit over “The Walking Dead.”
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‘Black Widow’ Posts Steepest 2nd Weekend B.O. Drop For Disney MCU Title; Studio Silent On PVOD Update As Piracy Impacts Pic
https://deadline.com/2021/07/black-widow-mcu-record-second-weekend-box-office-drop-disney-piracy-1234795325/
‘Black Widow’ At $264M Global, Still No Word On China Release; ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Bows To $55M WW; ‘F9’ Nears $600M
https://deadline.com/2021/07/black-widow-space-jam-a-new-legacy-f9-international-box-office-1234795274/
Inside CNN Plus: A First Look at the New Streaming Service
https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/inside-cnn-plus-a-first-look-at-the-new-streaming-service-exclusive-1235022517/
Here’s How the Cannes Film Festival Awards Could Impact the Oscar Race
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/cannes-award-winners-oscar-race-1234651939/
Cannes 2021 Market & Fest Takeaways: Post-Pandemic Theatrical Still Anemic, Streamer $$ A Boon To Content Creators & A Curse For International Distributors
https://deadline.com/2021/07/cannes-2021-sales-market-recovery-lessons-theatrical-pandemic-streamers-booming-offshore-content-creators-1234795389/
‘The Crown’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ Lead the 2021 Emmy Nominations
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/13/arts/emmy-nominations-announcement
Drake Bell Sentenced To Probation; Josh Peck Says ‘It’s Upsetting’
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/drake-bell-two-years-probation-child-endangerment-1235017725/
Streaming, Cable Grow Audience Share in June as Broadcast Shrinks
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/streaming-cable-grow-june-tv-usage-rankings-1234982811/
‘Luca’ Leads Nielsen Movie Streaming Rankings With Huge Launch
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/luca-tops-nielsen-streaming-rankings-1234982934/
Toyota Cancels Tokyo Olympics TV Ads in Japan, CEO Won’t Attend Opening Ceremony
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/toyota-cancels-tokyo-olympics-ads-wont-attend-opening-ceremony-1234984353/
ITV Studios Becomes Latest Distributor to Withdraw From Mipcom TV Market in Cannes
https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/itv-studios-mipcom-october-1235022554/
Andrew Lloyd Webber Closes London ‘Cinderella’ Musical Due To Covid-19
https://deadline.com/2021/07/andrew-lloyd-webber-cinderella-covid-west-end-london-closure-1234795677/
U.K. Parliament Committee Decries ‘Pitiful Returns’ for Artists From Music Streaming
https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/music-streaming-uk-parliament-report-1197352/
“Black Widow” Shows Theatrical Exclusivity is the Way Forward
https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/black-widow-shows-theatrical-exclusivity-is-the-way-forward/
Charlie Robinson Dies: ‘Night Court’ & ‘Buffalo Bill’ Actor Was 75
https://deadline.com/2021/07/charles-robinson-dead-night-court-buffalo-bill-1234791266/
Biz Markie, the ‘Clown Prince of Hip-Hop,’ Dead at 57
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/biz-markie-dead-1191772/
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