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 toys from journalists and film fans (the polished Stormtroopers screengrab above from YouTube about Toy Fair is by a New Zealand couple who are “Star Wars” aficionados). The … [Read more...] about Film Merchandise Wows Toy Fair
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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 ago presenting himself as art teacher Matt Taylor delivering earnest learning tips. The publicity ploy garnered growing attention from celebrity news outlets over time. The Parade … [Read more...] about Art Forgery: Kevin James Goes Undercover
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 blonde actress released the still image of getting makeup applied while topless, though artfully concealing her bare breasts. That behind-the-scenes staged photo was given to fans Dec. … [Read more...] about Celebrity Skin Sells Films
Amazon Film Panned But Viewership Huge
Amazon Prime’s adaptation of sci-fi classic “The War of the Worlds” is drubbed by critics as the worst film of the year, but it’s topping the video streaming viewing charts. The new “War of the Worlds” has a rock-bottom 3% approval in the Tomatometer metric for aggregate professional critics’ reviews. The lowest favorable rating on the Rotten Tomatoes digital website devoted … [Read more...] about Amazon Film Panned But Viewership Huge
H’wood Saturates Super Bowl Sans Film Ads
Just three film commercials ran in yesterday’s Super Bowl, which is U.S. TV's most expensive advertisement, though Hollywood celebrities and brands were omnipresent. Those pricey in-game spots were for “Thunderbolts,” “How to Train Your Dragon” (screen grab above) and “M3gan: 2.0," out of about 60 total spots. The usual range is four to 10 in-game movie commercials, which … [Read more...] about H’wood Saturates Super Bowl Sans Film Ads
Premiere Press Coverage Propels ‘It Ends’
Romantic comedy “It Ends With Us” is headed for a relatively big cinema premiere Friday, helped by buzz from its star-laden premiere. “It Ends,” whose star Blake Lively was catalyst for extensive media coverage of its premiere, is a PG-13 rom-com from Sony Pictures Releasing. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover. The gala Aug. 6 premiere at the … [Read more...] about Premiere Press Coverage Propels ‘It Ends’
Lightning Strikes Indie Hit ‘Freedom’
Child trafficking drama “Sound of Freedom” emerged as a surprise independent-caliber blockbuster, and is unwittingly a lightning rod for culture wars/political buzz. The $15 million production has grossed $66 In domestic boxoffice as of July 14 (10 days in release) and is rated PG-13. Most indie films would be happy with half that for final U.S./Canada boxoffice, and “Sound … [Read more...] about Lightning Strikes Indie Hit ‘Freedom’
Viewing ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Via Politics
The Netflix movie "Hillbilly Elegy" is a lightning rod for attention as film critics and pundits find a stealth political undertone that irritates them. The searing family drama starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams is based on a 2016 memoir nonfiction book about growing up poor in economically backward America. The political buzz for the book and now Netflix movie directed by … [Read more...] about Viewing ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Via Politics
Five Movie Ads Pop in Super Bowl Broadcast
Domestic theatrical movie releases accounted for five of the 62 expensive TV commercials in the Fox Broadcasting telecast of the Super Bowl football game yesterday. That's in line with the four-to-eight slots in the past. Movies were joined by some relatively-new media cousins: TV services such as the Disney+ streaming service, which accounted or another four paid … [Read more...] about Five Movie Ads Pop in Super Bowl Broadcast
Disney Battles ‘Captain Marvel’ Trolls
"Captain Marvel" opens this weekend to blockbuster box office, but Walt Disney Studios didn't take any chances: the studio blunted anticipated bashing by online trolls. The online provocateurs were expected to knock star Brie Larson for her politics and also framing of a super-hero movie with a female hue. A Bloomberg News article by Anousha Sakoui says that "Larson faced … [Read more...] about Disney Battles ‘Captain Marvel’ Trolls