Understanding the film business / Awards

[jo]

Variety focuses on how the employee force at FOX reacted to the downsizing --

variety.com/2019/film/news/fox-layoffs-staffers-stunned-saddened-disney-1203169739/#article-comments

Multiply that with the average number of family members who will be affected by the layoffs.

Ironic that no one pointed out that those remaning under the umbrella of the MouseHouse ( whom some may consider " lucky" because they were retained by the merged company) may suffer from the inevitable clash of cultures. ( Risktaking to be more creative/artistic VS riskless to make more money!. As Tom Rothman pointed out ( the first to lose will be originality!). This story does not end here!


Jo

[jo]

More of the same, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/as-layoffs-arrive-disney-fox-staff-voice-frustrations-1196346

[jo]

Showing bittersweet unity and irony for Disney and its newly acquired FOX label at the CinemaCon --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/x-men-appear-disney-fox-sizzle-reel-at-cinemacon-1199206

[jo]

Interesting podcast with Anne Thompson and colleague (Indiewire) re CinemaCon 2019. Mostly observations at the sidelines of the new Disney/Fox merger ( especially on the fact that Disney was used to managing one-label operations versus the variety, depth, and kind of risktaking of filmmaking at the old Fox )...and the raging war between the streaming services and the theatre distributors!

soundcloud.com/eric-kohn/suspense-at-cinemacon-2019-episode-237#t=0:00

It's only over 20 minutes long.

Jo

[jo]

Now that his company is "bleeding" due to the Fox purchase, Bob Iger has announced plans to counteract that ( he is going to have a tough time in the next few years) by --

*reorganizing the joined companies ( partly by firing people on both sides)

*limit the output of the once-storied FOX filmmaking studio to 6 releases a year ( it used to be 18-20 in the past).

*other corporate moves to launch the streaming service.

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walt-disney-studios-laying-undisclosed-number-employees-1210952

[jo]

Serious concerns on the flattening business of the movie business --

variety.com/2019/film/news/summer-box-office-movie-business-downturn-1203256608/


The article discusses the trends...

but it is the COMMENTS section which provides some of he answers from a consumer viewpoint!

I found the readers reactions more insightful reading than the actual article itself!

Some issues covered --

*Dumbing down of movies
*Franchise fatigue
*Too much political correctness in the movies
*Cost of going to the cinema vs streaming services


Jo

[jo]

Sad epilog for FOX Studios at the moment


www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-sets-course-pared-down-20th-century-fox-170m-loss-1229848

[jo]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-disneys-1299-streaming-bundle-may-be-a-double-edged-sword-1230928

Where will actors like Hugh Jackman fit into this?

The distribution channels may change ( cinema, streaming services, home video. free TV) but content will still have to be created. Maybe what is key is the kind of movies that will continue to be distributed in multiplexes and what will be streamed or find themselves on Free TV? Will it matter whether the project was financed by the studios, the streaming services home or even commissioned by Free TV studios?

I would have hated it if I had not been able to see The Greatest Showman or Les Misérables on the big screen with all the sophisticated sound systems! Or other spectacle type of movies like superhero films? Seeing something on a TV screen versus being in a cinema ( esp if it is IMAX) makes a lot of difference for a member of a movie audience. LOGAN looked spectacular on IMAX! So did THE GREATEST SHOWMAN! Also, often, there is nothing like watching a great movie with an audience - it is a communal experience worth experiencing!

Hugh's advantage is his versatility. Plus live theatre work does not seem to be part of the business that is being encroached under the new landscape?

We'll see...

Jo

[jo]

And it has gotten so much worse for FOX Studio and its creative and managerial talent!


variety.com/2019/film/features/fox-disney-earnings-dark-phoenix-stuber-racing-in-the-rain-1203300260/


Whew - am I glad that LOGAN and THE GREATEST SHOWMAN were released before the start of merger talks!


Jo

[jo]

At the last FOX party ( Golden Globes 2018) as FOX --

www.thewrap.com/golden-globes-raising-one-last-glass-to-20th-century-fox-as-we-know-it/

[jo]

A very long further discussion on the emerging major shifts in film distribution --

filmmakermagazine.com/108325-unpredictable-tides-distributors-talk-streamers-foreign-language-films-in-the-u-s-and-the-changing-festival-acquisitions-environment/#.XYY7eW5uJmo

Filmmaker



Unpredictable Tides: Distributors Talk Streamers, Foreign-Language Films in the U.S., and the Changing Festival Acquisitions Environment

Bad Education
by Tiffany Pritchard
in Distribution, Festivals & Events, Filmmaking
on Sep 20, 2019


With Toronto wrapped, New York upcoming and Sundance on the horizon, the film festival season is here, and distributors — particularly the traditional arthouse distributors — are facing tougher competition than ever. While critics and audiences struggle to keep up with the sheer volume of buzz-worthy films, industry executives must contend with tectonic shifts in the marketplace, ensuring in the process that their release slates are kept full of strong pictures.

In this new environment, when a pay TV outlet likes HBO scoops the competition by paying near $20 million for Toronto’s hot title, Bad Education, traditional distributors are often left in the lurch. They can be outbid at festivals by the streamers while titles they might have acquired at the completed-film stage have been pre-bought by competitors willing to take an earlier risk. For example, Sony was completing negotiations in Toronto for Michael Winterbottom’s Greed (backed by corporate sibling Sony Pictures International Production and Film4) that began before Toronto, Fox Searchlight bought North American rights to The Personal History of David Copperfield several weeks before the festival, and hit Knives Out was a Lionsgate production partnership with Media Rights Capital, who bought the world together. At Toronto, Sony also announced the acquisition of Lyrebird, the directorial debut of businessman and 30West co-founder Dan Friedkin. Pre-buys announced at Toronto included Neon’s boarding of Raw director Julia Ducournau’s as yet uncast new film, Titane.

As for those streamers, they too are finding their way, making sudden about-faces, such as Amazon’s announcement in August that it would shorten theatrical windows for its titles in order to help drive Prime viewership. At Toronto Amazon picked up Darius Marder’s drama about becoming newly deaf, Sound of Metal, and announced its acquisition of Filmmaker 25 New Face Andrew Patterson’s eerie sci-fi drama, The Vast of Night. Meanwhile, the new Apple TV Plus, who acquired in Toronto Dads, the light-hearted Bryce Dallas Howard documentary on paternity around the world, is said to be potentially giving it a theatrical release, according to Variety. Netflix, too, is surprisingly expanding its theatrical support, with an announcement made before the start of Toronto that they would partner with sales company FilmNation in securing international theatrical distributors for a host of their upcoming awards contenders. At Toronto, they bought the Spanish sci-fi picture Platform, taking the world minus some Asian territories.

So as the sea continues to present unpredictable tides, what are the major issues US distributors face when opening their wallets this season?


Competition with Streamers – It’s a Pre-Buy World
“Distributors have to get on board earlier,” says Arianna Bocco, IFC’s executive vice president of acquisitions and productions. That approach, she adds, “has always existed, but it’s becoming more common.” She cites streaming companies snatching up rights for independents “above market value” as Netflix did at Cannes with Grand Prix winner Atlantics, Mati Diop’s buzz-worthy romance drama set in Dakar, and Amazon coming on board Ladj Ly’s Les Miserables, inspired by the 2005 French riots and bought for nearly $1.5 million. Also boasting a streaming partner, Neon together with Hulu bought Celine Sciamma’s French love story Portrait of a Lady on Fire for a competitive figure after a bidding war with Netflix and others.


Traditional industry logic dictates that no one wants to pre-buy, but these days sales agents are touting that strategy as a logical economic outcome, especially with new streaming companies in the race such as Apple TV Plus and Disney+, set to launch in November. “The only reason to pre-buy is that distributors are afraid that by waiting they will have to pay more or that they will lose the movie,” says Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, co-founder of Playtime, currently selling Roman Polanski’s Venice prize winner An Officer and a Spy and Atom Egoyan’s Guest of Honor. “Pre-buying is a consequence of how dynamic the market is,” he adds. Sony Pictures Classics, apparently in agreement, announced this month it has picked up upcoming Michelle Pfeiffer drama French Exit, Patrick deWitt’s adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name.
In terms of what’s available, some distributors complain that the offerings are much slimmer than in previous years, with companies such as Neon having already bought films like Palme d’Or winner Parasite at script stage. More are doing just that, says Bocco, “or they have a relationship with a filmmaker.” She notes Kore-eda’s Venice-opener The Truth, which IFC pre-bought. Veteran sales agent John Kochman from Cohen Media Group says they are following suit, having pre-bought Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, following on from their success with his first film, Timbuktu.

“When you pre-buy, the price tends to be lower because you never know how the film will be received,” Kochman says. “From the U.S. perspective, foreign language is fragile and niche, so if a distributor is willing to come up with reasonable offer it can be worthwhile to the producer and sales agent. Plus pre-buys give you more control.” Cohen Media Group is co-producing The Perfumed Hill, currently shooting.

Smart pre-buys also require tracking and research. After the markets, distributors must take the time to sift through the promo reels knowing that some of the crop will screen as finished films at subsequent festivals and markets while others won’t be ready. Bocco mentions that IFC has been tracking films scheduled for completion this autumn, with one substantial acquisition secured with the company’s recent purchase of historical drama The True History of the Kelly Gang starring Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam.

Not all companies are willing to pre-buy, of course. Kino Lorber takes its time in “engaging in reasonable financial discussions” after the markets end, when attention is less focused on the high-profile hits. In July, the company secured North American rights for Cannes Jury Prize winner Bacurau, starring Brazilian-American actress Sônia Braga in the story of a small Brazilian town that becomes a target for armed Americans after its matriarch dies. The company also acquired Nadiv Lapid’s Synonyms months after it won Berlin’s main prize, the Golden Bear, and most recently Un Certain Regard winner Beanpole ahead of its Toronto premiere. “We do not pre-buy,” explains Richard Lorber, co-founder of the arthouse distribution outfit, which boasts an extensive online film store. “The execution risk from script to screen is too high in the films we seek so for us it’s better to await their unveiling at festivals, even if it may cost us more.”


Partnerships
More niche distributors such as Cohen Media Group, which releases a myriad of restored classics and arthouse features, admit they have been priced out on titles at Cannes, surmising this may have been because they lack a streaming partner. Executive vice president Kochman notes the company made aggressive offers on films they would normally have had a shot at yet the films were quickly taken off the table. “We did not go to Cannes with a set partnership with anyone, and we came back empty-handed. That is representative of how things have changed.” He adds that streaming partners will likely be critical in future deal-making for the company, as well as for other smaller distributors.

While admitting they too were priced out on films that premiered in Cannes, Lorber said it’s essential to find new partners to minimise the increased risk for arthouse fare or docs, especially in the absence of back-up sales to SVOD platforms or streaming channel services. He refers to SVOD players who are increasingly focused on producing their own content as well as buying all rights global deals. Kino Lorber has recently co-acquired Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or contender Sorry We Missed You, with Zeitgeist Films handling its theatrical release and Kino Lorber its digital rollout.

As mentioned earlier, on the global side, Netflix is partnering with FilmNation in Toronto to help secure international theatrical distribution partners for awards contenders such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, which will premiere at the New York Film Festival, and potentially Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat and David Michôd’s The King, all of which screened at Venice, as well as Fernando Meirelles’ The Two Popes, which premiered at Telluride. The streamer has already committed to theatrical release dates for the films in the US and the UK, indicating a focus on a strong awards season — and hopefully an interest in seeing more of its titles play on the big screen to audiences worldwide.


Talent Availability

On hand at Karlovy Vary this summer for a special screening of After the Wedding, Dylan Leiner — Sony Pictures Classics’ executive vice president, acquisitions and production — says his company’s biggest challenge is on the talent side. Some filmmakers they would expect a feature from every couple of years now may make films every three to four years. “The filmmakers may do a film, then they might direct some television, maybe create a series that may or may not get made, but they’re unavailable for a period of time.”

Thus, the company looks at films earlier because it can’t rely on finished films at festivals. “There used to be a time when we would buy five films at Sundance or Cannes,” Leiner says. “Now we’re lucky if we find one or two.” In Cannes the studio acquired worldwide rights, excluding France and German-speaking Europe, to Michael Angelo Covino’s buddy comedy The Climb along with Marco Bellocchio’s mob drama The Traitor. Prior to the festival, SPC bought Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory at script stage as well as Ira Sachs’ Frankie, which screened in competition. They are next premiering Tim Roth/Clive Owen starrer The Song of Names, about a man searching for his best friend, and Matt Tyrnauer’s Where’s My Roy Cohn, a doc about the infamous attorney who was a mentor to President Trump, in Toronto. They also bought Michael Winterbottom’s Toronto-premiering fashion satire Greed starring Steve Coogan.



Film Mode Entertainment, adds that the marketplace is getting more selective. He agrees that competition for small to mid-size films has never been greater. “The big platforms and channels are monopolizing the talent. They can pay more money and if talent are landing a series they are getting work over a longer period of time.” In order to get cast and directors to take a pay cut, he says, they want to see a strong script. But that can’t be rushed. “The competition for getting the talent is putting more pressure on development — in the independent space, development is a difficult model to justify,” says Epstein, who was in Cannes securing pre-sales for romantic adventure Bailey and Darla, starring Vivica A. Fox, Jordana Brewster, Sam Richardson and Brittany Snow.



Bottom line – Covering Costs
“The market is more challenging, so you really have to believe in the overall profit of each film,” explains Bocco. “We have been buying less. Someone like Netflix can spend a lot of money to promote a film like Roma — it’s a hard model to compete with.”

Leiner also notes the costs of releasing films in theaters, adding that if you can’t find a substantial audience you’re not going to recoup your expenses because the ancillary value for films that haven’t developed a significant theatrical profile isn’t going to be big enough to make a profit. “It is an interesting conundrum, and I think the good news is that a lot of the platforms will take those quality films and they will be available for audiences. The question is just which ones are going to play theatrical and which ones aren’t.”

Taking a more middle-of-the-road approach is Seth Needle, SVP worldwide acquisitions at the expanding Screen Media, which now plans to release 16 to 18 films per year, some of which the company will back. He posits that the U.S. market offers scores of ways a movie can be viably released. “You’re able to take a little more risk on some projects,” Needle says. “If they don’t become the most polished versions of themselves and end up being this review-driven theatrical release, you can release them as a premium ancillary-type and still be able to cover your bottom line and make hay with all of it.”
Screen Media’s diverse slate includes Bel Canto, starring Julianne Moore, and Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, along with recent Cannes pick-ups such as a global rights deal for sci-fi/horror anthology Portals, featuring segments directed by Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project), and Charlie Lightening and Gavin Fitzgerald’s feature doc Liam Gallagher: As It Was, which follows the former Oasis frontman.

Needle says theatrical release is the “gold standard,” along with platform theatrical, or limited theatrical release, which tends to be more commonplace for independent titles, followed by day-and-date release, where the distributor accelerates VOD, driving press and consumer attention to ancillary. Trends in that space include more acquisitions going direct to platform, with more downstream channels evolving, as well as the maturing of the AVOD window, where viewers can watch ad-supported content for free.

UTA’s finance and sales agent Yale Chasin says streaming deals depend on a few variables for filmmakers and financiers. “The resurgence of Amazon out of Sundance acting as a hybrid where they have the means to release a film theatrically and where they have the means to acquire and create content specifically for streaming is reassuring and shows there is space for both options.” He adds, however, that most often filmmakers vie for theatrical options unless the platforms offer greater reach or “the right price.”


Rising Prices
Distributors by and large say it depends on the film, with some prices staying the same, while titles with festival premieres win higher rates. Attributing rising costs to streaming platforms, several buyers say they didn’t anticipate companies like Netflix, Amazon and now Apple TV Plus getting into the foreign language and doc business as much as they have. What’s more, while it’s good for those films, it makes it more challenging for traditional distributors.
“Prices are definitely higher this year,” says Needle. “You’ve seen it from Sundance on. Buyers are there, willing to spend. So if you’re an agent and you’ve seen those trends, why wouldn’t you continue to push for the best that you can get? And the market continues to dictate that too.”

Aggressive bidding and deal making can surround films that are not in the public profile, including foreign language films, he says, or films with a festival or market premiere, or films with completed packages “that are going for millions of dollars.“ Heavy hitters in the Cannes market this year were the Chris Hemsworth and Tiffany Haddish film Down Under Cover and Roland Emmerich’s epic sci-fi film Moonfall, where a moon crashes to Earth.

“It’s tough for distributors to be putting in so much risk in terms of advances and to put your slate together,” explains Needle. “It’s a time when you have to be a bit creative to figure out how to survive and flourish.”


US Release Models
Disgruntled distributors often complain about the sheer volume of films released and the difficulty in getting enough press, particularly the ever-important New York Times review. Companies such as Screen Media say that makes it all the more challenging, and disappointing, for distributors who want to put their full support behind a film.
Kochman also says the New York Times review is essential for foreign-language films, as is securing a prestigious theatre for the premiere and subsequent screenings — particularly when there are fewer and fewer venues in New York where that can happen. This can influence how a film opens for exhibitors and journalists, he says. “To me, that is the biggest obstacle we have right now – how do we create visibility for films in a meaningful way.” Kochman adds there are fewer venues in New York and around the country as well. And while Cohen Media Group owns the cinema chain Landmark Theaters as well as the Quad Cinema, they offer their films to these venues like all other independents so it doesn’t necessarily give them an advantage in terms of getting screens.


The Foreign Language Factor
Leiner notes there were more theatrical distributors releasing foreign-language films 15 to 20 years ago than there are now – largely because of the economics involved in finding a substantial audience theatrically.

From the sales perspective, Brigaud-Robert says streamers have created a radically new model in the U.S. for foreign language films. “Previously, there had been official statements in the press that foreign language doesn’t make money in the U.S. but suddenly I have U.S. distributors crying because they can’t get their hands on foreign-language anymore. What has changed? Streaming platforms came up with a different business model where foreign language that has no stars or is not ‘nouvelle vague’ can reach wider audiences at a much lower cost.”

He also cites dubbing and subtitles – something U.S. distributors have previously deemed a no-go – as another reason foreign-language has travelled to wider audiences. “Distributors would tell me the highbrow crowds don’t want subtitles and that they don’t dub. So what have the newcomers done? They broadcast with subtitles and if necessary they dub in mixed languages. And they still have an audience.”


Local productions
With more companies producing their own content to allow for more control over both creative and financial matters – such as A24 segueing from buyer to seller in Sundance with titles Native Son and Share, which went to HBO, as well as their own production of Trey Edward Shults’ Toronto-premiering Waves — it spurs on a push for localized content, where producers and distributors know what their audiences will like.


Audiences in the U.S. too are shifting, wanting to see more localized content in foreign languages. Brigaud-Robert is hopeful American audiences will be eager to see even more “mainstream” foreign fare, such as French romantic comedies.
On the international side, Gabrielle Stewart, managing director of Hanway Films, says they are seeing local production dominate in a growing number of territories, partly because international buyers prefer to wait and see how a U.S. film rolls out. “If international buyers are contemplating an American independent film that is likely to sell to a VOD platform in the U.S., or have a VOD day-and-date release, then they are unlikely to pre-buy,” explains Stewart, who is currently selling Matteo Garrone’s Pinnochio, which premiered to strong reviews in Cannes. In Toronto, she has titles The Song of Names from director Francois Girard, with Sony Pictures Classics releasing in the U.S., and Giuseppe Capotondi’s Italian neo-noir thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy.


Stewart adds that it feels antiquated now that international be held back because of a U.S. release, yet U.S. buyers insist on it in their deals. “When a film might land on a VOD platform, alongside theatrical in territories outside of the US, they [U.S. distributors] are killing exhibitor support for the film internationally.” This, she says, incentivises international distributors to invest more in local production for releases they can fully control, with local stars available to promote them.



Documentaries
Just as in the foreign-language market, a “feast or famine” landscape shapes the doc world, which is both exciting and frustrating for buyers. Whether it’s the big blockbuster docs or the smaller projects with an engaging storyline, Submarine co-founder Josh Braun says the market has lent itself to bigger distribution deals. “That has not happened on such a level so consistently,” he adds, referencing recent U.S. box office successes Three Identical Strangers ($12.3m), Apollo 11 ($8.7m), RBG ($14m), Free Solo ($17.5m) and Won’t You Be My Neighbor ($22.8m). “Part of the side effect of that is distributors want to find that next one. It’s actually creating a bit of a slowdown for anything people think is a little bit in the middle. We’re all looking for that next big thing we think could be the documentary that could make a huge box-office success.”


Owner Ryan Kampe of New York-based sales agent, financier and distributor Visit Films says the company is putting more time and investment into documentaries, with three to four this year including adventure film The Sanctity of Space and Merce Cunningham doc If the Dancer Dances, both of which sold well in Cannes. Kampe says he is looking for nimble films that are experimental or films that will work theatrically, such as Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which the company sold in 2010. “Big impact documentaries have a built-in audience and they travel more widely.”

As the awards race heats up – with Alex Gibney’s Citizen K, which looks at post-Soviet Russia from the perspective of an oligarch turned political dissident and Tim Robbins’ much talked about prison doc 45 Seconds of Laughter screening in Venice, and Andrew Renzi’s Ready for War, which follows three immigrants who volunteer for service in the U.S. military, only to be deported once their tours of duties are over, screening in Toronto – all eyes are on the lookout for the next documentary smash hit.


At Sheffield Doc/Fest this summer, one distributor said he releases docs anywhere from YouTube to Netflix, something that filmmakers and industry heads are now thankful for as an ancillary option to theatrical distribution. Oli Harbottle, head of distribution and acquisitions at UK distributor Dogwoof, says the day and date theatrical and digital distribution approach with a transactional partner such as iTunes is the go-to for many of their boutique titles. He adds that larger-scale releases such as Apollo 11, released across both standard cinemas and IMAX screens, are not the norm, and that out of their estimated 18 films released annually, only three or four make serious commercial box office.

Global buy-out deals from streaming outlets have also influenced the market, with Amazon taking worldwide rights for One Child Nation and Netflix acquiring Knock Down the House following Sundance this year. But both Kampe and Harbottle say world deals are few and far between. “It’s a discussion with filmmakers – is it worth holding off hoping to get into an A-list festival and then have a dream scenario of a bidding war where big players compete? Or do you instead pre-sell the film in key territories with the more traditional financing route? I think a lot of filmmakers want to hold out for that dream situation. But look at what kinds of films are holding out for those kind of dream deals — they are typically the more obvious commercial slam dunks.”

Ania Trzebiatowska of Autlook Sales, who is selling Syrian family doc For Sama, winner of the audience and documentary feature awards at SXSW as well as Sheffield’s audience prize, says while she would like all their films to get theatrical releases, that is not often realistic. And while VOD release are important for docs, they can mean less lucrative deals and the possibility of getting “lost in the sea of content.” She also notes frustration with Netflix being a documentary go-to for many viewers while she struggles to get quality foreign language docs on “that kind of a bigger platform.”
Harbottle adds that while big commercial titles tend to increasingly be biopics – often centered on music or sport – watercooler films or word-of-mouth titles like Free Solo or Three Identical Strangers are also faring well. “If the story is so wild and out there, people are prepared to watch them in the cinema. There is a slight stagnation with fiction films that are coming out and I think docs have stories crazy as any fiction film. If you get the right campaign out there – that is often less reliant on traditional marketing and P&A and perhaps more focused on social media, grassroots and live events – then I think you can see these films deliver as well.”

[jo]

Developments on the issue of theatrical releases for movies bought for streaming services intention.

Sept 27, 2019 9:48:17 GMT -5 jo said:

There are 2 major streaming services to be launched late this year -- one is Disney+ and the other is AppleTV+. But Apple is adopting a strategy that will combine the 90-day theatrical release before putting it on streaming status!

This could change the nature of the competitive landscape!

Will this open a rethinking on the part of HBO/HBO-MAX and also favor a threatical release ( even if it is only for purposes of qualifying for the Oscars)? Fingers crossed it happens to Bad Education!


deadline.com/2019/09/apple-theatrical-releases-plan-streaming-sofia-coppola-on-the-rocks-1202746428/

Home
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Apple Looking To Release Pics Like Sofia Coppola’s ‘On The Rocks’ Theatrically Before Hitting Streaming Service

By Anthony D'Alessandro

September 27, 2019 7:03am


Apple has met with cinema chains and is working with former Imax head of entertainment Greg Foster as a consultant in an effort to bring their movies to the big screen before they hit their upcoming streaming service Apple TV+.

One of the tech giant’s first major features in contention for this plan is Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks which is part of Apple’s multi-year partnership with theatrical New York-based distributor A24. The film is being eyed for a mid 2020 release.

Also being talked about for a theatrical release is Apple’s documentary The Elephant Queen, which is planning an awards campaign this season. The doc, which was acquired at TIFF 2018 by the tech giant will stream on Nov. 1 when Apple TV+ debuts in over 100 countries.


Apple is planning to work with the 90-day theatrical release window. The cultural impact of a theatrical release is what is important to Apple according to reports this morning. By working with exhibition now, Apple ensures that it won’t be an adversary. Big exhibition and Netflix couldn’t see eye-to-eye when it came to squeezing the theatrical window, and Netflix is now relegated to releasing their movies with indie circuits like Landmark and Alamo Drafthouse as well as mom-and-pop venues. Most streamers like Netflix, and most recently Amazon, have opted for truncated theatrical releases which then segue onto their services. Amazon’s The Report will have two weeks of play in theaters on Nov. 15 before going to Amazon Prime on Nov. 29. In similar fashion, Amazon is taking their $80M Felicity Jones-Eddie Redmayne period air balloon pic out on Dec. 6 before its Dec. 20 streaming date. Over the next three months, Netflix will roll out ten movies, including Martin Scrosese’s $200M feature, on the big screen for a short window before they hit streaming. Netflix’s Marriage Story, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple on the rocks, will get a longer theatrical prerelease before streaming at 30 days (November 6 theatrical, Decemeber 6 streaming) than The Irishman‘s 27 days. The Two Popes will play 23 days of theatrical prior to Netflix (November 27/December 20).


The Wall Street Journal had the news this morning.

[jo]

There's a new female triumvirate in Hollywood and London.

Murdoch money ( daughter Elizabeth)

Running major studios ( Stacey Snider)

TV production expertise (Jane Featherstone)


That sounds like a formidable team that is aiming towards production of content!


www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elisabeth-murdoch-stacey-snider-launch-content-venture-1114250


Excerpts --

Murdoch — who has backed a string of enterprises over the years in forging her own career path versus working for her father, Rupert Murdoch — is putting up virtually of all the financing for Sister. The venture will absorb and build upon the foundation of Featherstone’s Sister Productions, launched in 2014 with a minority investment from Murdoch and home of the Emmy Award-winning Chernobyl.

Sister will harness Snider’s decades-long film experience and Featherstone’s TV background in developing and producing material for a multitude of platforms, including feature films and television.

And some excellent insight on the post-mortem of the Disney/Fox acquisition --

The Disney-Fox deal took more than a year to close, making life difficult for Snider's team. The film studio's last big box office hit was Bohemian Rhapsody before suffering a string of misses this year, including the X-Men installment Dark Phoenix, prompting Walt Disney chief Bob Iger to tell Wall Street investors that the performance of the Fox slate wasn't what he expected.

"I thought a lot about that," said Snider, who hadn't spoken publicly post-merger until now. "I believe passionately the most important asset to any company are the people. In this transaction, at least on the film side, it was an acquisition of assets, not people. After the merger was announced, the best people left and walked out the door at a time when there was an incredible land grab for great executives."

I had also thought about the same thing --

*Why did they let go of Film Distribution Head Chris Aronson immediately when new releases of FOX movies were forthcoming -- he would have been key to the marketing stratedy?

*Why did they let go of FOX 2000 - another source of smaller-budget productions which were fairly successful with audiences?

*Why did they isolate Emma Watts ( who stayed on) to something like 8 FOX movies a year when she had an excellent track record? Why immediately give the XMen franchise to Kevin Feige when he must be already overburdened with the franchises he runs... when Emma has also had her number of excellent box office successes?

Just examples of how they could have utilized excellent people instead of wasting away their talent?

I have never been a disciple of the Bob Iger filmmaking acumen - he only wants to be a cash generator for Disney


Jo

[jo]

Representative discussion on the merits of cinematic screening vs streaming services - using the screening of THE IRISHMAN at a Broadway theatre as the point of discussion.

www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20903107/netflix-the-irishman-martin-scorsese-belasco-theater-screening-award-eligibility


The issue of convenience ( streaming) vs cinema screening ( film distribution via theaters) is the heart of the discussion. Preaumably it is the convenience that brings on those who favor streaming... while a fuller artistic appreciation of the film is he advocacy of those who favor seeing it in cinemas!

Which do you vote for?



Jo

[jo]

The New AMPAS President bares his thoughts on the direction of the academy

www.indiewire.com/2019/10/new-academy-president-david-rubin-oscars-streaming-1202179517/

The Academy Will Allow Oscar Voters to Stream Almost All Awards Screeners

This shift has been long in the works, and it's only one of the changes that will take place under new Academy president David Rubin.

Anne Thompson
Oct 7, 2019 9:25 pm
@akstanwyck

David Rubin
Arnold Turner/Invision/AP/Shutterstock


David Rubin isn’t going down the recent path of Academy presidents like John Bailey, who led the Board of Governors into hasty, ABC-friendly Oscar changes that alienated the burgeoning and diversifying membership of more than 9000 members. This seasoned casting director and Academy veteran, who successfully created a new Academy branch for casting directors, knows his way around Hollywood politics.

I caught up with him at his first Telluride Film Festival just before the Terrence Malick fan ran off to see “A Hidden Life.” Rubin could serve three one-year terms as AMPAS president if he does well. After six years on the board and three as an officer, he’s learned how to play the Academy game. Here’s what he will and will not do.



1. He wants everyone to see as many of the films as possible, even if it’s online.

This year, finally, the Academy will make online screeners available to the Academy at large for a charge of $10,000 a movie, paid by distributors who are preparing to upload new content for voters to sample. (DVD screeners will still be supplied for members who are not tech-readyThis is a work in progress: The Academy is expected to announce the new platform shortly, in time for the 2020 award season as they reach out to members to update their screening preferences.

Documentaries, animated films, and shorts have already been made available on the Academy’s viewing site. The Academy is now adding narrative features via their own app which will be on Apple TV (details to come, as confusion is bound to ensue). The exception is foreign-language films: Most of these films have no North American distributor. With a record 93 submissions this year, the international feature screenings will take place, as before, in Los Angeles, with participating voters signing in for a minimum of 15 Academy screenings (they can also see films at festivals). Last year, overseas voters could screen the shortlist online, and all Academy voters could watch the final five nominated films online.
“We want to make the move to online viewing,” said Rubin. “There’s an endeavor to support the Academy’s efforts at being an international organization: Part of that is to connect with international filmmakers and international audiences. All of the efforts to enable people to see international feature films is with that goal in mind. This has never been the American Academy. While original commercial and popular filmmaking may be essentially American in origin, the motion-picture world is international.”



2. He wants to maintain Oscar standards while chasing new audiences.

The Academy is a well-funded nonprofit that gets its operating budget from one cash cow: the hugely visible and globally famous annual live Oscar telecast. For years, pressure has mounted to cut the length and pull in younger viewers. “ABC is a partner that we need to work with into the future,” Rubin said. “As partners, we are in search of the same result. Honestly, our organization benefits from the success of the show, and ratings are a part of that. We want to make the best possible broadcast number one, and number two have as many people watch it as possiblFinally, he knows that growing an audience of younger filmgoers is essential to the future of the Oscars. “The movies that come out each year determine the level of engagement of audiences,” he said. “It’s a high priority to engage younger audiences.”

Rubin is grateful that last year’s steadfast Oscar producer Donna Gigliotti is now on the Academy board and available for counsel as the Academy selects next year’s producer, who will help make the decision about continuing with or without a host. “We will hold to our standards and our ABC partnership in full acknowledgment that what we’re putting on is a successful show,” said Rubin. “We can’t exist in a silo without considering ABC’s interests.”



3. He’s not interested in Spielberg vs. Netflix.

As the Academy keeps adding committees to help redefine what motion pictures are in an increasingly streaming world, Rubin is on a mission to bring all the players to some kind of understanding. “We must be responsive to the ways film is distributed and viewed,” he said. “The conversation is just beginning. It would be a rushed decision if we made changes based on what we know right now.”

That’s why he’s booking meetings. “I want to sit down with all parties involved in making and releasing movies to see what the landscape is. How do we bring all the parties together? We are all keen to participate — we should lead the conversation. We are interested in gathering all the major players involved in the decisions. If we can find an even playing field, we can all recognize and include everybody. There’s an answer there. We need to be methodical and thorough in pursuing it. The distribution models are changing and we want to be responsive to that without compromising our mission, which is to represent excellence in films.”

He’s making those meetings happen before the end of the year, he said. “Let’s see where it all goes in this ongoing dialogue,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. We won’t take a side until we understand both sides. I’m looking forward to the conversation, approaching things with an open mind.”



4. He’s a governance wonk.

Rubin actually studies nonprofit best practices, talks the talk, and may possess the skill to manage the Academy’s unwieldy organization and 54-member board. “Consensus is key in all governance, and communication is essential for consensus,” he said. “So if you have an idea, an initiative, or a mission, one needs to communicate it clearly. I’ve noticed that various endeavors of the board, though well-intentioned and potentially beneficial, if not messaged clearly enough to members are not embraced in the way they were intended. In general, it’s helpful to have membership support as well as board support.”


5. He wants to represent the members and communicate with them.

Academy members have long complained that the Board of Governors is an elite group that often acts without checking in with them. “I represent a large constituency, and I’m just getting to sense the heartbeat of it,” he said. “I’m eager to connect with the larger membership. I’m not sure there’s a strong connection between governance and the membership, and I’m eager to bridge that. Information is key. I’m hoping members will feel further enfranchised.”
In fact, he got started the day after his election with an August 8 letter to the members, exhorting them to “Connect. Collaborate. Engage,” he wrote. “I’m committed to promoting more frequent engagement and communication between the Academy’s governing bodies and its membership. It’s vital that members are given background and context for the decisions made by the Academy’s Board and that the Governors receive input regularly from their branch members, to inform those decisions. In short, you’ll be hearing from us.”



The Academy Museum
Courtesy AMPAS

6. And he’s rooting for the Academy Museum to open.

The oft-delayed motion picture museum, which has found a new director Bill Kramer to see it over the finish line, is “in post-production,” said Rubin. “The buildings are amazing; now we can move into our new home. We’re deciding where to put everything. Now is the time conversations happen more than ever as we’re making those final determinations.”
As for all the delays, Rubin sees the museum “as a big endeavor, which we do want to get right,” he said. “If this were a major motion picture, we don’t have the restriction of having to get it out for Christmas release. We do want to make money one day. But we’d rather get it right and open it on the right weekend. I don’t see cloudy weather, I see an opportunity to optimize a fantastic, world-class museum.”

Hope this augurs well for the future of movies like BAD EDUCATION, which at the moment may not meet Oscar qualifying standards/requirements due to its future as part of a streaming service!

[jo]

Now its the major studios which are now selling its produced content to streaming services like Netflix rather than face the headwind of a box office risk --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/studio-dilemma-risk-a-box-office-flop-sell-netflix-1246354

The Hollywood Reporter


Studio Dilemma: Risk a Box Office Flop, or Sell to Netflix?
10:31 AM PDT 10/9/2019 by Kim Masters


Sony has been developing its 'Masters of the Universe' franchise since 2007.


After developing its He-Man franchise for years, Sony may take its 'Masters of the Universe' film direct to the streamer.
Call it Tom's Choice. Like all the major studios, Sony Pictures is questing for new franchises — and after years of development, it might have one with the He-Man movie Masters of the Universe.

But while the picture is on the calendar for release in March 2021, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that studio chairman Tom Rothman is exploring the prospect of getting risk-free cash for the pricey project by making it for Netflix instead. A studio source says talks are preliminary, but such a deal would make Sony the next studio after Paramount to start making movies belonging exclusively or almost exclusively to the streamer.

So there's the dilemma: seek a studio or financier to partner on the project, holding on to various rights and territories, or make the safe deal with Netflix (which would not seem quite so safe if the film were a huge hit and it already was sold). Studios selling to streamers is an accelerating trend: Paramount is looking into dedicating a division to that purpose, while a source with knowledge of the situation says Sony's TriStar label is devoting resources to stream­ing deals. And indie studio A24 inked a multi-year agreement in 2018 to produce a slate of films for Apple.

Even Warners may sell to outsiders despite its parent, WarnerMedia, allocating massive resources to its own streaming service, HBO Max. Disney and Universal are likely to sit this out for now, making movies for their own services, Disney+ (launching Nov. 12) and Peacock (debuting in April 2020).


As for the others, says a rep involved in a number of deals, "They have this backlog of films that isn’t going to get made and released theatrically." After long seeing Netflix as the enemy, this person says, studios "are turning around and saying, 'Let’s join ‘em. We can’t beat ‘em.'" Meanwhile, Netflix is said to be looking to make a quality tentpole a quarter with international appeal, creating a healthy demand.

Sony has been developing Masters of the Universe since 2007, perhaps making it that much less appealing to sell given that the studio finally has a version that it wants to make. But Netflix has the series She-Ra and The Princesses of Power plus an upcoming Kevin Smith He-Man anime series. The Netflix negotiation is being handled for now by newly upped Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group co-president Sanford Panitch.

According to sources, Sony wants to bolster its bottom line, in part following a significant loss on reboot Men in Black: International. At an internal meeting in early October, sources say Josh Greenstein, co-president of the group, raised concerns that the studio has spent too much on marketing, especially on titles that appeared to face headwinds leading up to release.

The Sony talks come just a month after it sold off Harbinger, an adaptation of a Valiant Entertainment comic starring superpowered teens. While the terms of the deal aren’t known, Harbinger was meant to go into production this summer or fall.


This year, Sony has had a major theatrical hit with Spider-Man: Far from Home (co-produced with Disney’s Marvel studios), which grossed $1.3 billion worldwide. And, after a public parting over a deal gone south, Disney and Sony are back in business for a third Spider-Man film, slated for 2021. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the year's top-grossing original film at $360 million.

Borys Kit and Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.

This story appears in the Oct. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

So, even studio-produced movies are not safe as cinema treats!

I guess what is constant is the demand for talent - acting and creative talent, which together with the financing, will produce the desirable content!


Jo

[jo]

Implications of the streaming services wars ( aka competition) among themselves --

www.indiewire.com/2019/10/apple-wins-cuaron-but-hindsight-is-the-streaming-wars-most-valuable-weapon-1202180812/

[jo]

So this is what to expect initially from Disney+ as the mother studio enters the streaming services wars


deadline.com/2019/10/disney-plus-vault-social-media-streaming-promotion-1202759518/#comments

[jo]

Another loss due to the streaming service rise -- the loss of special features of a DVD release. Some streamers think the additional feature is not justified by the subscription price

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/di1ebp/i_feel_sad_dvd_commentary_seems_to_be_a_victim_of/


Had we not seen the Special Features on The Songs for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN -- we would not know how that superb score came into being! Same for the 2 YTube releases during the TGS workshop ( From Now On & This Is Me)!

Jo

[jo]

Streaming -- the Disney+ way!

www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/bob-iger-bets-company-hollywood-s-future-streaming-1247663

[jo]

HBO-MAX strategy for its opening of streaming service...but is this a good sign for movies originally slated for wide screen release?

deadline.com/2019/10/melissa-mccarthy-ben-falcone-superintelligence-hbo-max-premiere-warner-bros-christmas-release-canceled-1202762417/#comments

Excerpts --

In a move that could become more common as major studios lean in heavily toward their streaming launches, the Ben Falcone-directed Melissa McCarthy-starrer Superintelligence has exited its December 20 theatrical release date to instead become the first Warner Bros Pictures Group film to premiere on HBO Max.

This comes before an HBO Max presentation on October 29 where it is expected that other projects might become part of a streamer launch slate that now will have Superintelligence; the Steven Soderbergh-directed Meryl Streep-starrer Let Them All Talk; the Greg Berlanti-produced YA novel adaptation Unpregnant; and sooner or later Bad Education, the Hugh Jackman/Allison Janney-starrer bought at Toronto for north of $17 million to bow on HBO. The original programming will be part of a service that launches with WarnerMedia’s own library titles including Friends and The Big Bang Theory and third-party acquisitions including Sesame Street.

Amid the high-stakes battle for subscription streaming service launches by WarnerMedia, Disney, Comcast and Apple to go along with Netflix and Amazon, it isn’t hard to see how the prospect of being among the first marquee titles on HBO Max is enticing. Especially when mid-budget comedies and dramas are plagued by the optics of eight-figure P&A spends and heavy scrutiny on opening-weekend box office grosses. That doesn’t exist if you are launching on an OTT to a wide audience.

What does the " sooner or later" tag for Bad Education mean?

Does this send the signal that the movie prospects for box office success is not very positive and therefore this route is chosen?

But why pay something like north of $ 17 million for a movie? Or is there something they plan to do with it as the lynchpin of a major push?


Jo

[jo]

European producers debate on how to compete in the rapidly-changing environment -- competing with prestige TV ( as represented by the streamers) --

variety.com/2019/tv/global/mia-european-producers-club-sky-orange-studio-turner-1203376390/

It seems there is a recognition that content - creativity plus talent - is going to be the key!

Which is why it is surprising why Disney/Iger seemed to have dispensed with a lot of talent and creativity coming from the former FOX team! Huh!


Jo

[jo]

What did Rupert Murdoch do??!!

He consigned the legacy of Fox films to the greedy hands of Disney!!


www.cinemablend.com/news/2483095/wait-is-disney-putting-fox-movies-into-the-vault


PS: That's why BluRays/DVDs will continue to thrive!

[jo]

Many of Hugh Jackman's last movies were packaged thru Endeavor, save for LOGAN and Greatest Showman.

Endeavor Content is expanding. What is interesting is that Endeavor is now specializing in packaging film projects including handling sale to film distributors or streamers. It seems they are also beefing up their creative content capability

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/endeavor-content-taps-cbs-films-scott-shooman-lead-new-npr-partnership-1249709

Excerpts --

Endeavor Content has hired CBS Films executive Scott Shooman as vp content and partnerships, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

In addition to working with the company's film, scripted and non-scripted television teams to develop and produce new content in general, Shooman will oversee Endeavor Content's new first-look partnership with NPR. Todd Hoffman's Storied Media Group repped NPR in the deal.

"NPR is world-renowned for delivering poignant, insightful and groundbreaking stories from every part of the globe," Endeavor Content co-presidents Chris Rice and Graham Taylor said Thursday in a joint statement. "Their in-depth stories create discussion and challenge our believes, and we look forward to Scott joining the team and being able to help tell those stories across new platforms."

In the long-run this may be the wave of the future for major actors, instead of tying themselves up with auteurs, whose work now straddle cinema and streaming distribution. There could a wider reach in terms of material.


Jo

[jo]

JoBlo.com is even more blunt on the intentions and the consequences on what seems to be a selfish move on the part of the House Mouse!


www.joblo.com/movie-news/disney-sentences-classic-20th-century-fox-films-to-the-vault

Movie News
Disney sentences classic 20th Century Fox films to the vault
3 hours ago by: Corrye Van Caeseele-Cook



Although John Locke popularized the economic concept of "supply and demand" in 1691, the concept itself goes back almost 2000 years. Now whether or not the good folks at Disney are students of classic economics is probably up for debate,

however they certainly know how to create artificial scarcity. The House of Mouse has been notorious for putting classics like CINDERELLA and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS into their vault, releasing them again every few years, returning them to the vault, and then repeating the cycle. It's a strategy that's continually generated revenue for decades.Well it seems as if Disney is about to apply that strategy to their newly acquired catalog of 20th Century Fox films.

Ever since the completion of Disney's merger with Fox earlier this year, speculation has run wild as to what precisely Disney was going to do with 20th Century Fox movies. According to an exclusive story courtesy of Vulture, since the merger, Disney has repeatedly canceled previously agreed upon screenings of Fox films at multiple theaters. Furthermore, the company has also denied requests for new bookings to these same theaters. Their reasoning? Crickets.


Disney's latest move could be devastating for small theaters that survive on showing classic films like ALIEN and FIGHT CLUB in order to stay in business. I know of at least two theaters near me whose main source of income comes from screening old movies. Of even further concern is if Disney's ploy applies to physical media like Blu-rays and DVDs. Could titles like THE PRINCESS BRIDE and DIE HARD suddenly become unavailable for extended periods of time? As the Magic 8-Ball once said, "All signs point to yes."

It stands to reason that the company Mickey built is making this move in order to drive the public toward the new Disney+, where many of these 20th Century Fox titles may be exclusive to the streaming platform. Another possibility is that Disney just wants to exude total control over their catalog of films, much like an 80s kid hoarding his He-Man action figures unless someone gives him a chocolate bar.

I have to say this is an absolutely horrible look for Disney. People have been decrying this acquisition since the merger occurred and moves like this only serve to reinforce their fears. Couple this latest news with Disney's routine "block booking" practices and the company begins to look less like the kind hearted Goofy and more like Peg-Leg Pete.
Disney+ launches November 12.

Source:
Vulture, Collider

Is he saying that physical media ( DVDs/BluRays) will no longer be available to buy? For existing movies?

Or that no new DVDs/BluRays will be available for new movies? Horrible thought!

The House Mouse has become The House of Greed!


Jo