Showbiz Sandbox 460: Spider-Man Exits The Marvel Cinematic Universe
September 2, 2019
The big-time Hollywood divorce that has the entertainment industry buzzing this summer is the acrimonious split between Sony Pictures and Walt Disney Studios over custody of the most popular character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Spider-Man. The agreement that allowed Sony to loan out the character for Disney’s Avenger films was unprecedented. But after Disney asked to share in the financing and profit of future Spidey films, Sony opted out of the relationship.
The latest Spider-Man movie was one of the biggest hits of the summer, though box office for the season was actually down. One might think that’s why AMC Cinemas is planning to experiment with dynamically pricing movie tickets, but actually it’s really because they just want to charge more for popular films.
Meanwhile, streaming giants like Netflix are premiering some of their high profile movies at the biggest fall film festivals just in time to kick off awards season. They even plan to show them in cinemas before allowing them to be streamed on their platform. Now all Netflix has to do is convince cinema chains to book them.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Eminem is suing Spotify, the Writers Guild takes its case against talent agents to federal court and why Taylor Swift wants to record all her old albums over again.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Showbiz Sandbox 229: Making South by Southwest A Family Affair
March 18, 2014
Countless bands long to play at South by Southwest, the music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas every March. The event has grown into an important showcases for undiscovered, unsigned and fast rising artists. The Family Crest, an indie rock band from San Francisco, is one of the buzzworthy acts that played at this year’s SxSW. Liam McCormick, the group’s songwriter and founding member, joins us to discuss what it’s being officially invited to play at such a prestigious festival.
In an in-depth conversation, McCormick walks us through how The Family Crest has managed to follow through on all the necessary achievements modern bands strive for in search of success; they’ve funded two albums via Kickstarter which feature hundreds of musicians, they’re signed to an indie record label and NPR is touting the group’s music, which of course can be easily found on all the popular streaming services. On top of all that, television series and advertising campaigns have begun licensing their music.
Much like The Family Crest, Disney is doing quite well for itself these days, at least when it comes to Broadway. What’s surprising is that it isn’t one of the company’s hot new productions that’s the highest grossing production on the Great White Way, but rather “The Lion King”, which opened 16 years ago. It’s all thanks to the new trend of dynamic ticket pricing. We’ll explain.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including why the NFL is suing M.I.A., Amazon prepares to enter the streaming music business, and “Big Bang Theory” gets renewed for three whole seasons.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
