Showbiz Sandbox 408: CinemaCon Shrugs Off Unwanted Disruptions

Movie theater owners from around the world descended upon Las Vegas for CinemaCon last week. Studios wooed exhibitors with clips from upcoming film releases while industry manufacturers lured attendees with the latest technology, including high-resolution LED screens as a method of showing movies to the masses. Much like the subscription service MoviePass, the screens left cinema operators wondering if they were just one more “innovation” nobody had asked for.

Meanwhile “Avengers: Infinity War” broke box office records both in North America and globally when it opened over the weekend. The latest Marvel superhero movie earned over $640 million in just three days, putting it on track to pass the billion dollar mark.

Speaking of “war,” one is brewing between the Writers Guild of America and talent agencies. The WGA wants to cancel their current agency agreements and rewrite them to prevent franchised agents from profiting off of packaging deals with television networks. Such arrangements currently allow agents to double dip and at times earn more than their clients for a project.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including Steven Spielberg signing on to direct the movie adaptation of DC Comic’s “Blackhawk,” the next “Star Trek” film lands a female director and Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.

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comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of April 29, 2018
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-april-29-2018-300638624.html

Sprint and T-Mobile Agree to Merge, in Bid to Remake Wireless Market
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/29/business/dealbook/sprint-tmobile-deal.html

Amazon Increases Price of Prime Membership
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amazon-increases-price-prime-1106284

It’s Official: Lars Von Trier to Return to Cannes 7 Years After Ban for Hitler Comments
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lars-von-trier-return-cannes-7-years-ban-hitler-comments-1101744

First Gay-ish Film Widely Released in China
http://chinafilminsider.com/first-gay-ish-film-widely-released-china/

Kenya Bans LGBT Love Story ‘Rafiki’ Ahead of Cannes Premiere
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/kenya-lgbt-rafiki-cannes-wanuri-kahiu-2-1202789998/

NATO Chief Questions Need to ‘Disrupt’ Movie Business
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/nato-chief-questions-need-to-disrupt-movie-business-1202784457/

How the New LED Cinema Screen Could Change Filmmaking and Moviegoing
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/how-new-led-cinema-screen-could-change-filmmaking-moviegoing-1104745

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: MoviePass Can Help Bring Marginalized Groups to Theaters
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-moviepass-can-help-bring-marginalized-groups-theaters-1105539

MoviePass Poll: Subscribers See Far More Films; Many Go Alone and Midweek
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/moviepass-poll-subscribers-see-far-more-films-go-alone-midweek-1104829

Is MoviePass Already Ending the Idea of 30 Tickets for the Price of One?
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/is-moviepass-ending-idea-30-tickets-price-one-1106014

MoviePass Halts Repeat Viewings as ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Hits Theaters
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/as-avengers-arrives-moviepass-halts-repeat-viewings-subscribers-1106510

‘Fast and Furious’ Animated Series From DreamWorks Animation Set at Netflix
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/fast-furious-animated-series-netflix-1202782071/

Endling #1: The Last by Katherine Applegate – BookFilter
http://bookfilter.com/2017/08/01/endling-1-the-last-2/

Adventures of a Young Naturalist by David Attenborough – BookFilter
http://bookfilter.com/2017/09/18/adventures-of-a-young-naturalist/

E-book Sales Fell 10% in 2017
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/76706-e-book-sales-fell-10-in-2017.html

Waterstones Bookshops Bought by Hedge Fund Elliott Advisor
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/26/waterstones-bookshops-bought-by-investment-firm-elliott-advisors-james-daunt

‘Game of Thrones’ Book 6 ‘The Winds of Winter’ Won’t Publish This Year
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-book-6-winds-winter-wont-publish-year-1105752

7th Member of Nobel Literature Awarding Body Stepping Down
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/7th-member-of-nobel-literature-awarding-body-stepping-down/2018/04/28/234c0412-4adc-11e8-8082-105a446d19b8_story.html

Bill Cosby Found Guilty of Sexual Assault After Years of Accusations
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/arts/television/bill-cosby-guilty-retrial.html

Bill Cosby Accuser Petitions Supreme Court to Review Defamation Case
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/bill-cosby-accuser-petitions-supreme-court-review-defamation-case-1104587

Tom Brokaw Accused of Sexual Harassment By Former NBC Anchor
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/tom-brokaw-sexual-harassment-nbc-news-correspondent-1202789627/

‘Casting Couch’ Controversy Shows India Needs to Create Safe Workspaces for Women
https://scroll.in/article/876802/the-daily-fix-casting-couch-controversy-shows-india-needs-to-create-safe-workspaces-for-women

Indian Actress Stages a Topless #MeToo Protest
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/world/asia/india-actress-topless-metoo.html

‘Star Trek 4’: S.J. Clarkson Becomes the First Female Director in Franchise’s History (EXCLUSIVE)
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/s-j-clarkson-star-trek-4-chris-pine-chris-hemsworth-1202787592/

YouTube Ran Top Brands’ Ads on White Supremacist Channels (Report)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/youtube-ran-top-brands-ads-extremist-channels-report-1104291

Steven Spielberg to Direct Film Adaptation of DC’s ‘Blackhawk’
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/steven-spielberg-blackhawk-dc-1202756319/

Theatres Face Shock £180m Bill Under EU Lighting Proposals
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/theatres-face-shock-180m-bill-eu-lighting-proposals/

A Jimmy Buffett–themed Margaritaville Resort is coming to Times Square
http://bway.ly/x40oa#https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/a-jimmy-buffettthemed-margaritaville-resort-is-coming-to-times-square-042518

Spotify Is Giving Away Even More Music for Free
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/spotify-is-giving-away-even-more-music-for-free-w519488

Producer Bill Mechanic’s Academy Board Kiss-Off: “We Have Failed” (Exclusive)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/producer-bill-mechanics-academy-board-kiss-we-have-failed-1103593

Bette Midler to Return to ‘Hello, Dolly!’ This Summer
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/theater/bette-midler-to-return-to-hello-dolly-this-summer.html

Writers Guild Seeks to Reshape Talent Agency Business in Proposed Deal
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/writers-guild-talent-agent-deal-1202778189/

Agencies, Writers Guild on Collision Course Over Fees and More
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/agencies-writers-guild-collision-course-fees-more-1105208

Verne Troyer, Mini-Me in Austin Powers Movies, Dies at 49
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/21/obituaries/verne-troyer-dead-mini-me.html

Avicii Dead at 28
http://variety.com/2018/music/news/avicii-dead-at-28-1202772767/

Larry Harvey, Burning Man Founder, Dies at 70
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/larry-harvey-dead-burning-man-founder-dies-at-70-1106714