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‘Scream 7’ Divides Critics, Audiences
Professional film critics trashed “Scream 7” but audiences paid no attention. The horror film opened to a blockbuster cinema premiere (above, the sinister Ghostface character unleashes movie mayhem!). The disconnect between pros and fanboys is striking. The Paramount Pictures release averaged a 77% favorable on Rotten Tomatoes (called the Popcornmeter), with above 60% is considered good, or “fresh.” In contrast, only 34% of reviews from experts were positive on the same movie-evaluation website. Moviegoers further endorsed the R-rated “Scream 7”…
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Film Merchandise Wows Toy Fair
The toy industry expects an extraordinary lift from film-related licensed merchandise this year. Trade show Toy Fair, which ended in New York this week, generated lots of buzz for movie-related…
Six Films Showcased During Super Bowl
Six movie-focused TV commercials aired during the Super Bowl, shining in what is the most expensive advertising platform. The NFL football championship game averaged 125 million people — TV’s biggest…
Devotees Lift ‘Melania’ Past Critics’ Barbs
Most film critics panned the first lady documentary “Melania,” even going outside their professional-reviewer roles to promise that the movie would bomb in cinemas. But mean-spirited film critics proved inept…
Luxury Wristwatches Star in Hollywood
The luxury wristwatch industry is going ga-ga over product placements on celebrities at awards shows. Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney are among the stars conspicuously flashing pricey time-piece metal for…
Microsoft Wants to Reward You!
Movie theaters have their loyalty/rewards programs and so little surprise that tech giant Microsoft offers a rewards program whose prizes include permanent digital copies of movies. The Microsoft Rewards initiative…
Art Forgery: Kevin James Goes Undercover
Comedian Kevin James promotes his romantic comedy film “Solo Mio” as an unrelated character in online videos without identifying himself or the movie. James dropped videos on social media weeks…
Celebrity Skin Sells Films
Lionsgate’s creepy drama “The Housemaid” is tracking toward a decent $35 million premiere weekend, helped in part by star Sydney Sweeney ginning up publicity with a topless photo. The pretty…
Kids Demographic Saving Cinema
Despite the naysayers, cinema’s outlook continues to gradually improve as it recovers from the pandemic, video streaming competition and interrupted movie flow from Hollywood labor strikes. The key favorable trends…
Serious Thrust Trips Up ‘Running Man’
“The Running Man” is a rare example of a film suffering declining audience interest the more that its marketing campaign rolls out. Starring up-and-comer leading man Glen Powell, the dystopian…