Showbiz Sandbox 621: Summer Box Office Is Much Cooler Than Expected
July 4, 2023
In a year which boasted a bevy of summer blockbusters, moviegoers haven’t been turning up at theaters for some of the more highly anticipated releases. Instead, big budget titles such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Elemental,” “The Flash,” and even “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” among others have all had underwhelming opening weekends. Is depressed movie attendance a temporary trend or is it the new normal?
Meanwhile, when SAG-AFTRA extended their contract negotiations with producers into July Hollywood averted a dual strike with both actors and writers walking picket lines. The ongoing writers strike is already causing studios to shift release dates back by months if not years.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Academy sets new rules for the Best Picture Oscar, big name directors make their case for the Turner Classic Movies network and Ryan Seacrest takes over as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
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Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable
June 14, 2023
This 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held last weekend honoring the best and brightest Broadway productions from the past year. Although there was no script for host Ariana DeBose to work due to the writer’s strike. But while the telecast may have been refreshingly unscripted, the winners were fairly predictable with “Kimberly Akimbo” winning Best Musical, Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” taking home Best Play and “Parade” picking up the Best Musical Revival trophies. The only question now is which shows will turn their Tony wins into box office gold.
Speaking of labor relations in Hollywood, the DGA released some more info on its proposed deal with producers and the reviews are decidedly mixed, especially for helmers who also write. Meanwhile SAG-AFTRA members made it loud and clear that they are ready to strike as well.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the PGA’s controversial move to merge with a competitive golf league, CNN axes its CEO and network shows continue to sink in TV ratings.
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Showbiz Sandbox 619: Directors Strike Deal for New Contract With Producers
June 6, 2023
The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with studios, networks and streamers on a new three-year contract avoiding what some believed would be the first true strike in its 87 year history. Entertainment and technology attorney Jonathan Handel joins us to explain the proposed agreement the directors negotiated with producers. He wrote the book on labor in Hollywood, quite literally, as the author of “Hollywood On Strike.”
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is facing another impossible mission. First he saved Hollywood with Top Gun: Maverick. Now he wants to save his new “Mission: Impossible” movie from being exiled from IMAX screens less than two weeks after it opens in July. We’ll explain what’s going on in the battle over premium screens.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how the French Open is protecting tennis players from toxic social media, why David Byrne’s upcoming Broadway show has no musicians and which summer blockbusters are sinking at the worldwide box office.
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Showbiz Sandbox 618: The 2023 Cannes Film Festival Lives Up to the Hype
May 30, 2023
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend handing out prizes to some of the 21 official selections appearing in competition this year. Justine Triet’s film “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the Palme d’Or though that was one of many deserving titles programmed at what many festival goers felt was one of the stronger lineups in recent memory. We were in attendance and will take you with us to the south of France to fill you in on all the important news coming out of the festival.
Meanwhile, in a legal case that could have a major impact on Fair Use in the arts, the Supreme Court ruled that the late Andy Warhol was a copycat. Ok, they used some fancy legal terms, but that’s the gist of the decision over a work the artist created for Vanity Fair that used a photograph of the musician Prince.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why actors in the United Kingdom want some rules to limit taped auditions, Broadway’s post-pandemic box office rebound and broadcaster plan to stream the 2024 summer Olympics live.
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Showbiz Sandbox 602: Avatar Sequel Makes A Splash at the Box Office
December 20, 2022
Filmmaker James Cameron delivered his long-awaited sequel to “Avatar,” the highest grossing movie of all-time and it delivered the blue Christmas movie theaters were hoping for. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is getting mostly glowing reviews for its visuals, less so for its story, and opened to huge admissions figures around the world. Whether it will surpass the success of the original film is questionable, but it should reign over the box office through the end of January.
Meanwhile, it turns out Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t done making post-merger cuts. The media conglomerate increased the write-down of its existing content, pulling shows off of HBO Max and upending the DC Universe in the process.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the latest entrants to the National Film Registry, an update on Bad Bunny’s Ticketmaster fiasco and an early prediction for the 2023 global box office total.
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Showbiz Sandbox 543: Amazon Grabs a Lion’s Share of MGM
June 1, 2021
In a move that had been rumored for weeks, Amazon became the first tech company to purchase a Hollywood movie studio in an $8.45 million deal. The acquisition will arm Amazon with over 4,000 movies like the Bond Franchise, “The Pink Panther” and “Robocop,” not to mention upwards of 17,000 television episodes. The real question is why did it take so long for a tech giant to buy a movie studio?
Meanwhile, a holiday weekend helped spark the post-pandemic North American box office as movies that were originally scheduled for release last year opened in theaters. Some new titles like “Cruella are also available on VOD at the same time. Is day-and-date releases hurting the box office prospects of such films?
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Academy Awards returns to its normal schedule, HBO Max is moving into Latin America and why “Friends” was censored in China.
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Showbiz Sandbox 206: Emmys Offer The Worst of Every Other Awards Show Rolled Into One
September 23, 2013
With Neil Patrick Harris as its host and a wide array of popular shows nominated for top awards, this year’s Emmys ceremony was primed to be a memorable one. The telecast was memorable alright, but for all the wrong reasons. If the Emmys were trying to combine all the worst elements of every other awards show, they succeeded.
It’s hard to determine precisely why this year’s Emmys just didn’t work. It could have been a weak opening, unnecessary musical numbers or the string of depressing memorials. Worst of all, the telecast didn’t provide viewers with a better understanding of the shows being awarded.
Meanwhile, one of China’s wealthiest citizens wants to spend over $8 billion building a movie metropolis that is meant to rival Hollywood. Some of the film industry’s most most recognized celebrities and important leaders have signed on to help the cause. The only question is… why?
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the billion dollar launch of “Grand Theft Auto V”, Britney Spears’ new gig in Las Vegas and why WikiLeaks has taken up film criticism.
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Showbiz Sandbox 205: Awards Season Commences With Stellar Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals
September 16, 2013
Four of the last five films to win Best Picture Oscars first appeared at the Telluride Film Festival before officially premiering the following week at the Toronto International Film Festival. Anne Thompson from Indiewire attended both festivals this year and fills us in on the big movies everyone will be talking about during the upcoming awards season.
This past week also saw the death of Ray Dolby, the audio pioneer who founded Dolby Laboratories to advance the art of motion picture sound. We debate whether the film industry is now discouraging future inventors from working in the space.
Meanwhile, revenue from digital movies and television shows continues to climb, up 24% this year alone. Unlike theatrical box office though, studios have remained tight lipped when it comes to providing actual sales figures, fearing actors and filmmakers will want a bigger cut.
Of course, we cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the big winners at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a racy Miley Cyrus video that racked up YouTube records and J.K. Rowling spins-off Harry Potter.
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Showbiz Sandbox 62: The Secret Behind Hollywood’s Accounting Practices
July 12, 2010
How is it the last Harry Potter film can gross $938 million but still lose $130 million? Journalist and author Edward Jay Epstein joins us to unravel some of Hollywood’s quirky accounting practices. He’s written two books on the subject; The Hollywood Economist: The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies
“Despicable Me” topped the box office though the amount it took in from 3D screens was rather low. Could audiences be tiring of paying exorbitant 3D ticket prices? Meanwhile, Miramax finally seems to have found a buyer and Lions Gate is trying to make piece with activist investor Carl Icahn.
The Emmy nominations were announced last week and we’ll fill you in on whose up for the television’s big awards. Over in the world of music Pollstar announced that concert ticket sales are down 15% for the first half of the year.
During our Big Deal or Big Whoop segment we race through a number of top entertainment headlines, including Roman Polanski’s release, Lindsay Lohan’s jail time and Mel Gibson getting dumped by his agency. Maybe Gibson can find some work on YouTube, which plans to offer $5 million in grants to select content partners.
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