Showbiz Sandbox 649: Hollywood’s Superhero Movie Problem

February 27, 2024

The superhero movie is facing its biggest enemy yet – audience indifference. “Madame Web” is just the latest superhero flick to open to poor reviews and/or bad box office. Entertainment journalist Geoff Boucher, who has covered the comic book world for over two decades and is a bigwig at ComicCon, discusses the declining popularity of superhero films and his belief that there are better times ahead for the genre.

Meanwhile, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are facing their own existential threats, especially when it comes to their declining ad revenue, soft earnings and overwhelming debt.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including Beyoncé making history on the country music charts, revenues soar for concert promoter Live Nation thanks to some big tours and artificial intelligence upends the expansion of Tyler Perry’s studio.

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Showbiz Sandbox 450: Once Upon A Time… in Cannes

May 28, 2019

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will be remembered for presenting a selection of titles from around the world that were, for the most part, really good movies. The premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, “Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood,” was one of the highlights, but it was “Parasite” from Korean director Bong Joon-ho that stole the show, as well as the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. We take you to the Croisette in the French Riviera to cover the entire festival and all the films to look out for over the coming months.

Harvey Weinstein used to be one of the movie moguls that showed up in Cannes each May, but these days he’s busy negotiating a reported $44 million settlement with those accusing him of sexual harassment and assault.

Meanwhile, when some of those films from Cannes make it to cinemas, audiences will likely check Rotten Tomatoes to see what critics and moviegoers have to say about them. We give a 95% Fresh Rating to how Rotten Tomatoes plans on protecting their website from being manipulated in the future.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a new name for Warner Bros. Records, why film and television productions are boycotting the state of Georgia and Lil Nas X cuts a deal for a new pair of Wranglers.

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Showbiz Sandbox 442: Apple Finally Unveils Their Content Plans

March 26, 2019

After years of anticipation and endless speculation, the technology giant Apple finally announced its plans for its video streaming service. Not only will Apple TV now be available on all smart televisions and integrate with existing cable providers, it will offer a la carte over the top services. What’s more, Apple revealed a slate of six homegrown series marking its first foray into original content.

Apple is not starting small either, launching their service with shows from some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, to name just a few. The only thing they didn’t make public about Apple TV+ is its subscription price.

And while new digital streaming platforms are all the rage, there is still plenty of money to be earned at the theatrical box office. Official numbers for 2018 have now been finalized, with North American box office rising 7%, helping boost worldwide receipts 2% to over $41 billion.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the contentious talks between the WGA and talent agencies over packaging fees, Disney officially acquires Fox and the Library of Congress adds 25 new sound recordings to the National Recording Registry.

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Showbiz Sandbox 283: Why Apple Is Cannibalizing Its Own Music Sales

June 16, 2015

Apple finally announced its long rumored music streaming service last week, which is meant to compete with market leaders Pandora and Spotify. The offering seems in direct conflict with the ongoing business of the largest music retailer in the world, but as Ryan Faughnder of the Los Angeles Times points out, Apple may have had no choice since iTunes digital music sales have significantly decreased.

Now, the music industry is hoping that Apple can ride to their rescue once again, as they did with digital music previously, by attracting the large subscriber base required to make music streaming profitable. Faughnder gives us his thoughts on what the new service means to the business, and tells us how competitors have responded to Apple’s entrance into the market.

There seemed to be no competition for “Jurassic World” during its theatrical debut. The film was released globally and gobbled up opening weekend box office records both in North America and internationally, earning more $500 million in just three days. That gross is more than the combined weekend receipts for every other film currently in theaters worldwide.

Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including Rupert Murdoch steps down as CEO of 21st Century Fox, video games get their own hall of fame and what happened when Dave Grohl of the rock band Foo Fighters broke his leg in the middle of a concert.

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