NYU, The American Film Institute and USC top the Hollywood Reporter rankings of 25 best film schools in the United States, in a four-article package that is mostly predictable but has a few surprises. One of Hollywood’s longstanding trade newspapers, THR cites as tops New York University (close to the Gotham scene with Spike Lee among resources), AFI (a Los Angeles-area … [Read more...] about NYU, AFI, USC Top Film School Ranks
Watchdog Revamps Kids Guidelines
A watchdog organization monitoring marketing aimed at children is overhauling its guidelines, which will impact movie marketers considering that some landed on its hot seat in years past. The guidelines from a week ago come from the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which is an industry self-regulation nonprofit organization. The guideline revamp, which goes into … [Read more...] about Watchdog Revamps Kids Guidelines
Streamers Exalt Original Movies
If movies are supposedly “dead,” then why are video streamers producing them by the truck load? In just the past week, it was learned that NBCUniversal will spend $400 million to make a new “Exorcist” movie trilogy for to-be-determined play on its Peacock video streamer as well as cinema for October 2023. Elsewhere, the parent of streamer HBO Max announced plans to make 10 … [Read more...] about Streamers Exalt Original Movies
‘Jungle Cruise’ Serves Applebee’s Promo
Casual-dining chain Applebee’s Grill + Bar offers a free movie ticket to “Jungle Cruise” for every $25 in meals purchased, as the restaurant chain mounts its first direct movie tie-in. It's also a milestone for cinema gradually returning to a post-pandemic normal with a movie hooked up with consumer marketer for a joint promotion. Up to four movie tickets are offered per … [Read more...] about ‘Jungle Cruise’ Serves Applebee’s Promo
College Debate: Artsy vs. Practical
Advanced arts degrees even from the top Ivy League don’t pay off after graduation because of meager job-earnings later, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The result is many arts/film school graduates are saddled with a lifetime of burdensome student loans that they can’t cover from their career earnings, and this reignites the debate over arty versus practical in … [Read more...] about College Debate: Artsy vs. Practical
‘Apes’ Love AMC Stock … So Far
Small investors bid up the share price of largest U.S. movie theater circuit AMC Entertainment to heights that baffled Wall Street professionals. These investors embraced the nickname of “apes” because they are unsophisticated in investing but group movement made them strong like gorillas. What comes next is that high-flying AMC will have to deliver profits that justify its … [Read more...] about ‘Apes’ Love AMC Stock … So Far
Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
The groundwork for a multimedia “Avatar” universe is coming into focus from Walt Disney Studios. Merchandise licensee Ubisoft Entertainment just unveiled “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," a first-person video game that fleshes-out the sci-fi epic’s far-away world. The source sci-fi movie “Avatar” is the all-time box-office champ grossing $760.5 domestically (and $2.85 billion … [Read more...] about Video Game Builds ‘Avatar 2’ Ecosystem
Roblox Virtualizes ‘In the Heights’
Roblox, which is the online game platform with multiple storefronts, hosts a multimedia “block party” for musical romance “In the Heights" creating a movie promotion set in a virtual world. Warner Bros. Pictures will premiere PG-13-rated “In the Heights” in theaters June 11. A press release says the Launch Party brings music, dance, and Latin American culture together in a … [Read more...] about Roblox Virtualizes ‘In the Heights’
Cinema Marketing Ignites ‘Quiet II’
Horror film “A Quiet Place II” scared up a blockbuster $57 million in domestic box office for the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend with a conventional cinema marketing campaign. The messaging included “Only In Theatres” as a key copy line; "Quiet" won't hit video streaming until 45 days after cinema premiere. The Paramount Pictures release bettered second-ranked weekend … [Read more...] about Cinema Marketing Ignites ‘Quiet II’
Rolex Melds With Oscars, Hollywood
Luxury Swiss watchmaker Rolex integrates itself with Hollywood talent and Oscar’s glitter with its long-running multimedia sponsorship, which has many facets. The Rolex logo — the four-pronged crown -- is intertwined with the Oscar statuette in a cavalcade of interconnected marketing initiatives with the Academy Awards organizer, including: * Film-critic darling Martin … [Read more...] about Rolex Melds With Oscars, Hollywood