US MOVIEGOERS POSITIVE ABOUT CINEMAS REOPENING
FILM INDUSTRY NEWS WEEKLY DIGEST, SUNDAY MARCH 21ST
Variety - L.A. Celebrates Return of Movie Theatres: ‘I’ve Been Waiting for This for a Year’
L.A. Celebrates Return of Movie Theatres: ‘I’ve Been Waiting for This for a Year’“I’ve been waiting for this for a year, so this is the first thing I wanted to do,” one patron, named Bronte, said.” I work in a restaurant so I get to do that all the time, but coming to the theater, that’s like something special.”
“Movies aren’t the same when you watch them in a living room or in a computer, it’s a completely different feeling in a theater,” a moviegoer named Jesus said.https://variety.com/video/los-angeles-return-movie-theaters/
Moviegoing Confidence Hits Highest Level Since Pandemic BeganFor the first time since the pandemic crippled the theatrical experience a year ago, those saying they would feel "very" or "somewhat" okay about buying a movie ticket hit a record-best of 57 percent.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/moviegoing-confidence-hits-highest-level-since-pandemic-began-exclusive
‘Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway’ Moves Back To Fourth Of July WeekendThe bunny trail to theaters just got a little longer for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Sony Pictures today pushed its family sequel’s release back to July 2, just two weeks after it had pushed the date up from June 11 to May 14.https://deadline.com/2021/03/peter-rabbit-2-the-runaway-theatrical-release-may-1234705819/
‘Avatar’ Is King Of The Weekend With $21M In China; All-Time Global Record Now $2.81B James Cameron’s Avatar is again king of the all-time worldwide box office, having snapped the title back from Avengers: Endgame thanks to a very robust China reissue this session. The full three-day frame in the Middle Kingdom is estimated at $21.1M, also giving the sci-fi epic bragging rights to being the weekend’s global and international box office leader. The overseas gross is now an estimated $2,050.3M with $2,810.8M worldwide.https://deadline.com/2021/03/avatar-china-re-release-global-record-raya-minari-shin-evangelion-international-box-office-1234714029/
‘Another Round’ date confirmed as UK-Ireland release schedule takes shapeStudiocanal’s two-time Oscar nominee Another Round has confirmed its new UK-Ireland release date as June 25, 2021…That date was delayed, and the film removed from the release calendar, in early November, when the UK and Ireland entered into second coronavirus lockdowns.https://www.screendaily.com/news/another-round-date-confirmed-as-uk-ireland-release-schedule-takes-shape/5158088.article
European Producers Club Issues ‘Code of Fair Practices’ to Change Rules of Engagement With Hollywood StreamersThe Paris-based European Producers Club (EPC), which represents top independent film and TV drama producers across continental Europe, has issued a so-called Code of Fair Practices for streamers when commissioning content from indie producers.
1. Fair and proportionate remuneration and economic participation for producers 2. Producers’ contribution and right to participate in future derivative works 3. Transparency and Accountability 4. Public Benefits and Fiscal Incentives https://www.screendaily.com/news/european-producers-launch-new-code-of-fair-practices-for-streamers/5158168.article
'Lupin' Director Louis Leterrier, Netflix Reteam for Action ComedyLouis Leterrier, the director of the French drama Lupin, is reteaming with Netflix for an untitled French action comedy to star Omar Sy, Laurent Lafitte and Izïa Higelin (Samba)…Sy also stars in Lupin, the French-language crime-comedy series that has become a monster hit for Netflix.https://variety.com/2021/film/global/lupin-netflix-omar-sy-louis-leterrier-1234931787/
Amazon Prime Video To Co-Produce First Indian Movie, Akshay Kumar-Starrer ‘Ram Setu’The film will receive a theatrical release, with Cape of Good Films and Abundantia holding those rights, which will be followed by the global streaming bow exclusively on Amazon Prime.https://www.screendaily.com/news/amazon-prime-video-enters-indian-film-production-with-ram-setu/5158159.article
Amazon seeking head of UK originals to continue film, TV growthThe role covers all genres and spans both film and TV, with the individual responsible for managing the commissioning and production teams behind shows including The Escapists, Truth Seekers, the All Or Nothing strand and The Grand Tour.https://www.screendaily.com/news/amazon-seeking-head-of-uk-originals-to-continue-film-tv-growth/5158133.article
French Britbox’ To Launch In U.S. Q2, 2021 With 2,000+ Hours Of ContentFrance Channels, a Britbox-style streaming service dedicated to French content, will launch in the U.S. in Q2, 2021…it will feature more than 2,000 hours of content focused on French culture and audio-visual creation, encompassing films, series, documentaries, animations, and live shows. It will also provide access to news service France 24 in both French and English.https://deadline.com/2021/03/french-britbox-launch-us-q2-2021-2000-hours-content-1234714462/
Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Gets HBO Max Launch DateTenetwill launch “on HBO via HBO Max” on May 1, the streamers announced today.The news reflects yet another chapter for the sci-fi thriller, which was originally scheduled for theatrical release in July of 2020, prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.https://deadline.com/2021/03/tenet-gets-hbo-max-launch-date-news-christopher-nolan-warner-bros-1234718674/
AMC Networks Sets Slate Of Digital Originals To Be Produced By In-House Brand Agency In Upfronts Pushhttps://variety.com/2021/tv/news/amc-networks-tv-upfront-walking-dead-better-call-saul-finale-1234934360/
All the 'Game of Thrones' Spinoffs in the Works at HBOA guide to the six (and counting) prequels in various stages of development. You're having a hard time keeping track. That's understandable. The number of Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works at HBO is getting rather dizzying.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/all-the-game-of-thrones-spinoffs-in-the-works-at-hbo
Adult Swim Chief Warns That ‘Roaring ‘20s’ May Lead To Dip In Content Consumption – SXSWAdult Swim is one of the longest-running purveyors of adult animation and President Michael Ouweleen talked up the medium’s ability to produce new content during Covid…“Coming out of this [pandemic], I think it’s going to be the 1920s again and people are going to go off and be out in the world in a very serious way. I think it will be gradual rather than sudden. But we will see a time where we’ve gotten really good at producing animation in all these flexible ways, but we might see a dip in content consumption in the future, once everyone’s safe and we have to be ready for that,” he said during an animation panel session at SXSW.https://deadline.com/2021/03/adult-swim-chief-warns-roaring-20s-may-lead-to-dip-content-consumption-1234716064/
Blumhouse to Produce Original TV Movies for EpixProlific producer Blumhouse has inked a deal with Epix to produce a slate of horror and thriller films for the premium cable outlet. Under the partnership, Blumhouse Television (Sharp Objects, Into the Dark) will produce eight movies for Epix. The first, A House on the Bayou from writer-director Alex McAulay, is slated to premiere in December. The remaining seven films will roll out in 2022.
Blumhouse founder Jason Blum will serve as executive producer of the slate.The deal is the first of its kind for Epix, whose original films to date have been all been documentaries. It's similar to one Blumhouse TV has with Amazon's Prime Video, though sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the Epix movies will have somewhat bigger budgets than the Amazon films, which run under the "Welcome to the Blumhouse" banner. The company also produces Hulu's Into the Dark anthology.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/blumhouse-original-movies-epix
Streaming services take off in PolandOver three quarters (77%) of Polish TV homes now have access to the internet. Furthermore, according to the findings of the latest Establishment Survey by Nielsen Media, 26% of these pay for streaming services, either on a one-off or subscription basis. Also, 95% of homes opting for pay-TV and also paying for streaming services have no intention of changing their TV offer.According to the survey, 97% of Polish homes watch TV services, and of these 65% pay for such services (cable, DTH or IPTV). Significantly, 7% watch TV live over the internet. Most homes (81%) have one TV set, with the remainder (19%) having two or more. The second most popular screen is smartphones (73% of homes), followed by PCs/laptops (67%). Although 40% of TV sets are smart TVs, only 27% are actually connected to the internet. Fifteen per cent of TV homes say they watch VOD services, or almost double the 8% that did in 2019.https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2021/03/17/streaming-services-take-off-in-poland/
How Covid-19 Supercharged the Advertising ‘Triopoly’ of Google, Facebook and AmazonThe triopoly increased their share of the U.S. digital-ad market from 80% in 2019 to a range approaching 90% in 2020https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-covid-19-supercharged-the-advertising-triopoly-of-google-facebook-and-amazon-11616163738
