Netflix’s large slate of original movies serves as a big marketing lever. The world’s leading streamer with more than 301 million subscribers globally (90 million in U.S./Canada) unveiled its slate of 39 original films for the remaining 11 months of this year. It’s a wide mix of big-budget glitz, medium-budget fare, feature-length documentaries and animation, many with big-name … [Read more...] about Netflix Keeps Original Movies Flowing
branding
Website Anchors Indiana Jones Vid Game
A major video game built around the “Indiana Jones” movies aims to cash in as licensed merchandise and keep the film franchise alive in hearts of consumers. Video game “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” is from Bethesda MachineGames, which is owned by Xbox maker Microsoft. It's built on the film legacy of the five Indy Jones adventure motion pictures distributed by … [Read more...] about Website Anchors Indiana Jones Vid Game
New Films Exploit Expiring Copyrights
Multiple “Popeye” movies are sailing to cinema, TV and video-game screens as the property’s foundation copyright expires. Expect this to be a trend as intellectual property (IP) created during the early “talking pictures” days get aged out of legal protection. Independent film companies are promoting “Popeye the Slayer Man” and “Shiver Me Timbers” (a signature Popeye … [Read more...] about New Films Exploit Expiring Copyrights
Tesla Builds Cinema Diner Charging Station
Tesla is building a showcase vehicle-charging station in Los Angeles that combines cinema and a 24-hour restaurant. “The charging station is part of the electric vehicle industry’s efforts to re-imagine gas stations by turning them into a multi-faceted experience,” wrote Ariel Zilber in the New York Post. The Post capsulized the idea as 1950s movie “‘Grease’ meets ‘The … [Read more...] about Tesla Builds Cinema Diner Charging Station
Studio Ghibli Film Festival Flexes ‘Brand’
Theatrical rereleases of famed Japanese animation Studio Ghibli play across American cinemas in a sprawling annual festival, representing one of the few “brands” in motion pictures. Ghibli’s films have a cult-like following globally topped by “Spirited Away” that grossed a blockbuster $357 million in cinemas worldwide and won the 2002 Oscar for best animated feature. What is … [Read more...] about Studio Ghibli Film Festival Flexes ‘Brand’
Netflix Embraces Cinema-Style Merchandise
Netflix is a video streamer not particularly interested in cinema release of its original films, but embraces a theatrical-style approach to licensed merchandise. For its biographical drama “Maestro,” Netflix offers a 288-page, photo-driven coffee-table book about the Making Of the streaming film about conductor Leonard Bernstein. The book “Maestro” provides a … [Read more...] about Netflix Embraces Cinema-Style Merchandise
Marvel Film Universe Gets Too Inbred
Once considered a strength, the Marvel Cinematic Universe that interconnects movies and comic books has become a drag. New theatrical film “The Marvels” generated a disappointing $47 million over the Nov. 10-12 premiere weekend, the lowest of any big-budget movie in the modern era of adapting Marvel comic books to cinema screens. And stumbles have become a trend in which three … [Read more...] about Marvel Film Universe Gets Too Inbred
Struggling Parks’ Hopes Ride With Horror
Halloween haunted-houses and rides that pop up in big theme parks take additional urgency after a soft summer season, resulting in more park adaptations of horror and suspense films for seasonal attractions. Universal Studios parks in Orlando and Los Angeles are particularly prolific with their autumn Universal Halloween Horror Nights franchise, and announced creation of a … [Read more...] about Struggling Parks’ Hopes Ride With Horror
‘Haunting in Venice’ Downplays Pedigree, Hypes Horror
“A Haunting in Venice” is based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel, but the theatrical film adaptation was marketed as a horror film, ignoring its best-selling author pedigree. What gives? It seems Walt Disney Studios decided that moviegoers are not moved by literary acclaim, but horror sells at the boxoffice. Christie, who died in 1976, did not get noticeably … [Read more...] about ‘Haunting in Venice’ Downplays Pedigree, Hypes Horror
Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
“Barbie” walked a marketing tightrope with Job No. 1 being to satisfy the core girl audience of the toy line while at the same time pushing different messages to adult demographics. To go wider, the breezy Ken character delivered dry humor, a police mug-shot photo of the Barbie character showed her being busted (Ken too), and other out-of-character self-parody was introduced … [Read more...] about Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle