Horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” achieved amazing premiere boxoffice despite its simultaneous run on the Peacock video streaming service. Just a $20 million movie production, “Freddy’’s” posted a humongous $80 million domestically (U.S. and Canada) for Universal Pictures for the Oct. 27-29 weekend while streaming concurrently on Peacock. Both Universal and Peacock are … [Read more...] about ‘Freddy’s’ Boxoffice Pops Despite Peacock Streams
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Hollywood Suddenly Loves Cinema More Than Streaming
Across Hollywood, studio executives are suddenly singing the praises of full exclusive cinema runs for movies, and dialing back their infatuation with video streaming. A Variety story by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin calls it a case of “Netflix envy" fading. "Lately, Wall Street has soured on the economics of streaming, believing that the media conglomerates that run these … [Read more...] about Hollywood Suddenly Loves Cinema More Than Streaming
Streamers Apple, Amazon Swing to Cinema
Apple TV+ is reportedly joining Amazon Studios in separately investing billions of dollars in movies tailored for cinema premieres. “It may have been implausible a few years, heck, even a few months ago, that tech giants like Apple and Amazon would spend billions on theatrical movies,” writes Rebecca Rubin in Variety. Bloomberg News Service reported Apple will spend $1 … [Read more...] about Streamers Apple, Amazon Swing to Cinema
Streaming Film Gets Cinema Run
Sensing a gap in theatrical releases, Paramount Pictures has added a limited cinema run for made-for-streaming urban film “On the Come Up.” Time is short because the PG-13-rated youth drama is scheduled to premiere on the Paramount+ streaming service Friday, Sept 23. “On the Come Up” was well received at a Toronto International Film Festival screening days ago, giving … [Read more...] about Streaming Film Gets Cinema Run
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’
Digital Disciple Endorses Cinema
The digital native atop Hollywood’s largest major studio gave a full endorsement to cinema release, as the broader rebound of the theatrical film business takes shape post-pandemic. Jason Kilar, head of mammoth Hollywood enterprise WarnerMedia, told a recent MoffettNathanson investors' conference: “You should expect us to lean into theatrical distribution for decades and … [Read more...] about Digital Disciple Endorses Cinema
No. 3 Cinema Chain Opens VOD Windows
The nation’s third-largest theater circuit, Cinemark Holdings, reached a deal with all five Hollywood major studios allowing rapid video-on-demand adjacent to cinema release, indicating the industry is moving to shorter windows and cooperation. In a separate initiative, the Plano, Texas-based theater chain booked Netflix original movie “Army of the Dead” apparently on a … [Read more...] about No. 3 Cinema Chain Opens VOD Windows
Netflix Originals Challenge Cinema Habit
Netflix promises a new premiere movie each week, which could disrupt the traditional “let’s all go out to a movie tonight” habit. The video streaming service marshals billions of dollars in marketing and content spending for that original-movies ambition, though there are some chinks in Netflix’s armor. Netflix just reported very good calendar 2020 earnings with 203.7 … [Read more...] about Netflix Originals Challenge Cinema Habit
Cinemas Craft Durable VOD Model
The movie-release window for video-on-demand after cinema is getting more crowded, in what should be viewed as good news because a durable formula is being hashed out that works for both Hollywood and cinema. Earlier this week, the nation’s #3 theater chain Cinemark cinched a deal for the Universal Pictures slate and separately Warner Bros. unveiled a combination … [Read more...] about Cinemas Craft Durable VOD Model
Majors Retool Execs for Streaming Age
Hollywood’s major movie studios are remaking their executive structures to adapt to the steaming age, which means reducing theatrical marketing infrastructure. This week, Sony Pictures combined theatrical, home video (includes DVD) and TV executive structures, and reduced headcount. “Moving forward, we will be combining our theatrical, home entertainment and television … [Read more...] about Majors Retool Execs for Streaming Age