Bad Education - Festivals and Awards Watch

[jo]

Lol - All is forgiven

[njr]

I skipped over most of this stuff because some of it should be in the Spoilers thread! Was already spoiled by a tweet of a plot point! ☹️

[jo]

It looks like many reviews are already coming in from major sites.

Will repost the earlier ones ( Variety & The Hollywood Reporter) on an Official Reviews thread.


Jo

[hughmanity]

If I don't soon hear word of this film being picked up I am going to scream.  To not have the public see Hugh in a performance that has garnered some of the best reviews of his career would be a crying shame! 

[jo]

From Collider --

‘Bad Education’ Review: Hugh Jackman Shines in True Story of School Embezzlement Scandal | TIFF 2019

by Adam Chitwood September 9, 2019


While Hugh Jackman’s legacy will forever be tied to playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, every now and then he finds a meaty role that serves as a reminder that he’s also a tremendously skilled dramatic actor with plenty of colors that have gone underutilized for far too long. That’s the case with Bad Education, the second feature from Thoroughbreds writer/director Cory Finley in which Jackman plays a public school superintendent who becomes involved in a massive embezzlement scandal. Based on a true story, Bad Education serves as a pretty searing indictment of greed and privilege, and although the themes don’t entirely coalesce by the end, Finley crafts a consistently compelling and often humorous tale anchored by Jackman’s impressively nuanced performance.

Jackman plays Frank Tassone, a meticulous, sharply dressed Long Island school superintendent who is as attentive to his personal care as he is to his students’ progress. And make no mistake, the film dials in on how Tassone genuinely cares for his students and the stature of the school (ranked #4 when the movie begins, which serves as an impetus to get it to #1). But he’s also overworked and underpaid, and as evidenced by a fairly unbearable meeting with an entitled parent early on in the film, underappreciated. So is Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney, tremendous as always), the school’s assistant superintendent for business and the person responsible for keeping the books on the school’s expenses. Also the person responsible for handling the school credit card…

The internal exposure of certain misdeeds is only the beginning of the story for Bad Education, as Jackman argues successfully to the school board that by going to the authorities, they would put the entire school and community at risk—including housing values. But what he didn’t count on was that by encouraging a young student working for the school newspaper (Geraldine Viswanathan) to push further for her puff piece about a new skybridge to be built at the school, a serious piece of investigating reporting has begun. And boy are there a lot of skeletons in the closets of Roslyn School District.

There are strong Election vibes throughout Bad Education, and it’s a film that is often very funny. Finley hones in on the unglamorous life of a public school administrator by favoring unforgiving fluorescent lighting and spending a good deal of the first act simply showcasing the grinding day-to-day lives of Frank and Pam. It’s in dialing in on how the characters slipped into outright embezzlement where the film falls a bit short, as much of the runtime is more of a cat-and-mouse game with the guilty parties trying not to get caught. Obviously parallels to Wall Street’s financial crimes (and lack of consequences) are present, and clear lines are drawn to a certain other administration that skirted the law by wrapping themselves in lies, threats, and collusion. But as the movie winds down, it doesn’t quite stick the thematic landing, opting instead to cast a bit of a wider net.


Image via TIFF

But when Bad Education works, it works well. Jackman turns in one of his most compelling performances in recent memory, and the skill with which he masks Frank’s simmering indignity and frustration is downright masterful. This is a truly layered performance, but one in which the layers don’t peel off and devolve into screaming matches or tear-filled breakdowns. Instead, shades of Frank’s true nature are glimpsed only in brief flashes played with expert subtlety by Jackman. Janney similarly is terrific here (but honestly when is she not?), as Pam puts on the face of the woman who holds the school together while enjoying her private life of wealth a bit too publicly. You can pretty much bet that when you cast Allison Janney in your movie she’ll become something of an MVP, and that’s definitely true of her work here.

There’s a lot to like in Bad Education, especially in the performances and how it gives Jackman a chance to show a different side of himself. It doesn’t entirely come together as a satisfying whole—it’s a tad long and the thematic ideals don’t completely coalesce—but Finley is able to craft a handsomely-made, compelling, character-driven feature out of this pretty crazy true story.

Rating: B-

Bad Education does not currently have a release date.

[jo]

From the UK's THE GUARDIAN --

First look review
Toronto film festival 2019

Bad Education review – Hugh Jackman steals embezzlement drama

3 / 5 stars
3 out of 5 stars.

A fascinating central turn proves the most interesting ingredient in a shaggy retelling of a high school corruption scandal

Benjamin Lee in Toronto
@benfraserlee
Mon 9 Sep 2019 21.22 BST
Last modified on Mon 9 Sep 2019 21.28 BST


Hugh Jackman in Bad Education. Photograph: Toronto film festival

With his stylish, misanthropic debut Thoroughbreds, the writer-director Cory Finley arrived on the scene with undeniable, if slightly unrefined, talent. It was the kind of first movie that made you excited to see where he might go next, successful enough to suggest that better things were waiting around the corner. With his follow-up, the darkly comic drama Bad Education, he’s stepped up in terms of scale and ambition, telling a fact-based story of a brazen high school embezzlement with a starrier cast at his disposal. But like his first film, it’s the work of someone still finding their footing, a few degrees away from something worth truly shouting about.



Like three other films also showing at this year’s Toronto film festival, it’s based on a long-read feature, a growing trend that often pushes unusual, under-reported stories even further into the spotlight. The case at the centre of Bad Education is a classic example, a scandal that might have gained traction locally but remains unknown to many. It’s 2002 and Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman), a much-loved school superintendent, is determined to push Long Island’s Roslyn high to the top of the area rankings and has helped push for the construction of an elaborate “sky walk” to help boost the school’s image. Rachel (Geraldine Viswanathan), an eager student reporter, is assembling what she calls a “puff piece” for the school paper about the plans but after interviewing both Frank and his assistant superintendent for business, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), she discovers that there’s something afoot.



For a long stretch of Bad Education, we’re not really sure where the film is going or even what the film is, whether we’re in darkly comic Election territory or something more straightforward and dramatic. At times, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Finley and the screenwriter, Mike Makowsky, were sure either, with a shagginess that borders on aimlessness, but their decision to skate so close to banality slowly pays off. We’re invested in the district’s dull bureaucracy as the thread starts to unravel, and it unravels in often un-cinematic ways, as does life. What’s most refreshing is how the pair avoid turning their characters into grotesque caricatures, something that a less humane film would have easily done. The wrongdoers, whose slow, increasingly unhinged, theft of school funds gets revealed, are closer to pathetic than evil.

While it’s never exactly dull watching Janney repeat her quippy, alcohol-soaked, Oscar- and Emmy-winning shtick, it’s a relief to see her dialled down here. She’s wonderfully restrained and utterly credible playing a woman whose only real motivation was wanting more from life, and Makowsky avoids the need to justify or excuse her behaviour. There’s also a strong turn from Viswanathan as the student whose reporting uncovered the depths of corruption, and her character is presented in an equally plain manner: she’s plucky without being Nancy Drew and with this and the Sundance hit Hala, her star is definitely on the rise.


But the film’s real ace is a never-better Jackman, following up an underrated turn in last year’s The Front Runner with another difficult and inscrutable protagonist. It’s fascinating character work for reasons it would be unfair for me to reveal (even though it’s easily Google-able) but there are hidden, tragic depths and it’s one of the best performances we’ve ever seen from him as he appears to be thriving in a challenging and thrilling new phase of his career.


Makowsky shows us how people attempt to justify their own bad behaviour when they don’t think of themselves as bad people. There’s an unspoken arrogance often attached with working in a system that’s ultimately helping others to succeed, and in the film it acts as a weak defence of amorality, as if they’re somehow owed something. It’s a slight movie at times, unfocused at others, even plodding in parts, and I didn’t leave the cinema entirely convinced that it was the most satisfying way to tell this particular story but I did leave feeling confident in both Jackman’s prowess and Finley’s promise, yet to be fully realised.

Bad Education is showing at the Toronto film festival and is still awaiting a distributor

[jo]

Anne Thompson endorses the review by David Erlich

[jo]

From Screen International ( UK)

Reviews
‘Bad Education’: Toronto Review
By Tim Grierson, Senior US Critic9 September 2019
Save article


Hugh Jackman stars in this real-life tale of embezzlement by American school administrators

Source: Toronto International Film Festival
‘Bad Education’
Dir: Cory Finley. US. 2019. 108mins


Cory Finley’s directorial debut Thoroughbreds was an upsetting examination of two sociopaths, and he follows it up with another portrait of disturbingly immoral behaviour — although not quite as successfully. Bad Education is based on a scandal at an American school district in which $11 million was embezzled by administrators, but the actual story proves more engaging than the telling, leading to an intriguing but superficial and familiar exploration of pride, greed and wilful blindness. Hugh Jackman commits fully to his role as a vain superintendent trying to stay two steps ahead of his lies and self-delusion. Ultimately, though, the character and themes feel a little too simplistic — a movie’s paltry attempt to explain the inscrutability of human nature, which is so interesting precisely because it’s so mysterious.
Struggles to find much new to say about the perversion of the American dream


After premiering in Toronto, this dark comedy will court buyers on the strength of its cast — which also includes Oscar-winner Allison Janney — and its outrageous true story. Reviews will highlight Jackman’s change-of-pace villainy, although Bad Education’s commercial potential seems only moderate, with crossover beyond speciality markets no sure thing.

The film takes place in Long Island over the 2002-’03 school year as Frank Tassone (Jackman), the district superintendent at Roslyn, oversees a thriving public high school with a stellar track record of sending students to prestigious Ivy League colleges. But when Rachel (Geraldine Viswanathan), a junior working for the student newspaper, starts looking into the school’s financial records, she uncovers questionable expenses approved by assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin (Janney), which may hint at widespread malfeasance.

Thoroughbreds presented a chillingly off-centre universe ruled by the movie’s beautiful but wicked teen protagonists, and Frank is equally image-conscious. (When he’s not getting plastic surgery or obsessively watching his cholesterol, he’s steadfastly projecting a bulletproof confidence to students and faculty members alike.) Jackman nails the character’s shiny exterior — his vision of himself as the embodiment of Roslyn’s excellence — but the screenplay by Mike Makowsky, who grew up in the school district where the embezzlement was exposed, doesn’t offer him a particularly original figure to play.


From American Psycho to Shattered Glass, American cinema has no shortage of photogenic men hiding ugly secrets, and audiences can’t help but be riveted by that internal tension between the handsome face these characters show the world and the seething darkness within them. Jackman’s portrayal is nicely controlled and brittle — we’ll soon learn that Frank’s strenuous efforts at self-improvement mask a self-loathing — but the character’s psychological makeup isn’t especially nuanced or insightful. If anything, he’s but one of a long line of charming sociopaths we’ve seen at the movies; maybe not a serial killer, but certainly a sick soul.


Likewise, Bad Education offers a familiar slice of regional American life with its heightened accents and local-colour peculiarity, although it struggles to find much new to say about the perversion of the American dream or people’s willingness to rationalise away their worst tendencies. (The movie constantly walks in the footsteps of Election, a sharper metaphorical critique of class and ethics seen through the prism of a school.) Once it becomes clear that it wasn’t only Pam involved in this embezzlement scheme, Finley has fun mapping out the surprises in store. But rarely are the revelations truly shocking, and the characters aren’t three-dimensional enough for us to invest in their fate.
That said, Viswanathan helps elevate the de facto “journalist on the case” role, unearthing the administrators’ crimes and, along the way, learning how much adults hide their misdeeds from young people in a fog of self-righteousness. Janney is cutting as a smug Long Islander whose taste for the good life seals her fate — Pam is a master justifier, and in any other movie she’d probably be the story’s monster.


But that dubious honour belongs to Frank, and Jackman locates a tender vulnerability within this very bad man who, to the end, defends his corruption by saying that he’s trying to help his students achieve their dreams. Bad Education suggests that criminal enterprises can happen anywhere — even at your neighbourhood school. But that universality becomes the film’s liability. Where Thoroughbreds made sociopathic behaviour unnervingly unknowable, Bad Education makes it seem commonplace; so much so, in fact, that this comedy’s observations are rather academic.


Production companies: Automatik, Sight Unseen, Slater Hall
US sales: Endeavor Content, [e-mail]; and Creative Artists Agency, [e-mail]
International sales: Endeavor Content, [e-mail]
Producers: Fred Berger, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oren Moverman, Mike Makowsky
Screenplay: Mike Makowsky, based on the New York Magazine article “Bad Superintendent” by Robert Kolker
Production design: Meredith Lippincott
Editing: Louise Ford
Cinematography: Lyle Vincent
Music: Michael Abels
Main cast: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Geraldine Viswanathan, Alex Wolff, Rafael Casal, Stephen Spinella, Annaleigh Ashford, Ray Romano

[jo]

Ray Romano is interviewed on RT Canada on the movie and Hugh --

etcanada.com/video/3a1dfb9c-d31a-11e9-b2c5-8e56bc03f949/ray-romano-talks-bad-education-premiere/

[jo]

A blog weighing in on Hugh Jackman's possible Oscar contention chances --

toddmthatcher.com/tag/cory-finley/

Oscar Watch: Bad Education
Posted on September 9, 2019

Few actors had a better movie year as Hugh Jackman’s 2017 with two smash hits – Logan and The Greatest Showman. Yet despite the acclaim, Oscar didn’t honor him. In fact, his sole nod came five years prior in Les Miserables. Last year’s The Front Runner looked like awards bait, but it fizzled quickly.

Now we have Bad Education for possible consideration as it screened in Toronto. The comedic drama tells the true tale of a beloved New York school superintendent cheating the system. And Variety has called it Jackman’s best performance to date. Other reviews also praise his work in this effort from director Cory Finley. This is his sophomore film following 2017’s well regarded Thoroughbreds. Costars include Allison Janney (who did win in 2017 for I, Tonya), Geraldine Viswanathan, Ray Romano, and Alex Woolf.

I say possible consideration because Education has yet to land a distributor. However, that shouldn’t be a problem. The real question is whether this gets released in 2019. If so, I would expect a campaign to be mounted for its lead actor. And as I’ve said repeatedly in the past few festival days, that race is looking incredibly competitive. Unlike The Front Runner, I would anticipate some critics vying for his inclusion. It could be a long shot, but he’s in the large mix. A Golden Globe nod in Musical/Comedy might be more reachable. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…

Maybe Endeavor&CAA want the release timing as part of the negotiations on which distributor will pick up this movie? It makes more sense to release it in the USA in the current year... or the initial very favorable reaction to the movie and Hugh Jackman's portrayal at TIFF may have been forgotten by next year, beyond Oscar-time consideration?

Besides, he has another film project which is also very promising in terms of acting honors chances. This is REMINISCENCE written and to be directed by Lisa Joy of Westworld.

Jo

[jo]

Variety weighs in on possible Oscar names after TIFF screenings --


variety.com/2019/film/in-contention/jennifer-lopez-eddie-murphy-michael-b-jordan-oscars-toronto-1203328788/

“Bad Education”
Beloved Oscar host Hugh Jackman didn’t appear at TIFF, but he sure got a lot of attention for his starring role in crime drama “Bad Education.” However, the film is still looking for U.S. distribution.

A response to the article recognizes that Hugh Jackman is in solid contention --

Boom says:
September 10, 2019 at 11:07 am
Michael B. Jordan won’t get a nomination especially since the Lead Actor category is stacked & his performance doesn’t rank higher then the likes of DiCaprio, Driver, Phoenix, Banderas, Jackman, Pryce, Bale (who may go Supporting) & so forth.

Re the issue of film distribution --

Hope the producers and whoever else has a say in the rights to the film are not going for the short-sighted goal of maximizing short term financial gains ( best offer, even if USA distribution moves to 2020) instead of lowering their financial goals vs more immediate gains in terms of possible Oscar contention for this year ( assuming distribution, even if only for the required 7-day L.A. screening requirement to meet AMPAS rules)?

c. for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County,

d. for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily,

e. advertised and exploited during their Los Angeles County theatrical qualifying run in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices, and

Can't believe that such a strong negotiating team ( the two largest talent agencies in Hollywood - Endeavor and CAA) cannot swing this! Hugh's long-term agent Patrick Whitesell is co-Chairman of Endeavor.


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

The average rating at IMDB from the TIFF festival goers continues to rise fast --

It's now at 7.7 coming from 54 voters. It started at around 5.5 when the premiere showing has just completed but changed to the present high rating in a matter of days.


www.imdb.com/title/tt8206668/ratings?ref_=tt_ov_rt

Interesting trends --

*The first set of ratings were at approx. 5.5 and has now risen to 7.7 ( not shown on this chart but earlier observed).

*80% of the voters rated it 7 and above (scale of 1-10), with 8 being the most dominant rating ( accounting for 26% of voters).

*It's most favored by the 30-44 group - presumably the fans of more serious movies ( and likely the best film buff segment), followed by the young adults ( 18-29 age group, which probably favors the tentpoles more), which is ahead of the mature/senior population ( 45+). Also interesting is that the voter demos is mainly coming from the male moviegoers.

The subject must have been the draw appeal, and the execution (especially the acting) was very much appreciated.

Hopefully, this bit of demographics has been known/read by whoever is negotiating with Endeavor/CAA for the film distribution rights in the USA.

*Also, the publicist should recognize how the film was received, if this small demos sample ( but from film buffs) is a good indication of preferences.

[hughmanity]

Just a rumor...hope it comes true

variety.com/2019/film/markets-festivals/lyrebird-toronto-film-festival-dan-friedkin-1203332468/

"The pact is for North American rights and marks one of the only sales at an acquisitions market that could be charitably described as moribund. That could change if, as rumored, a deep-pocketed buyer ponies up for the Hugh Jackman-led school embezzlement drama “Bad Education."
If that deal happens, it will be a welcome reprieve. The handful of films looking for distribution that have found a studio home include “Military Wives,” which Bleecker Street bought, and “Dads,” a Bryce Dallas Howard documentary that sold to Apple. It’s unclear if the films on offer have been lackluster or if companies are growing concerned about the financial viability of the indie space in the wake of box office flops such as “Late Night” and “Blinded by the Light.” '

[jo]

Crossing everything for such a development to actually happen!!!

It must be a studio … or a major subsidiary of a studio ( Fox Searchlight or Focus Features)...or could it be a streaming service … or a studio with streaming services. For the sake of qualifying for the Oscars, it has been to shown first at a real moviehouse in LA!

But I have sort of expected this new development after all those excellent reviews from top critics ( not the by-the-wayside critics)! And if they have seen the small sample from the IMDB rating and its segmented demos - they know it is going to appeal to people who want real story-telling with real-life people for excellent cinema-going...not just explosions from CGI-ed movies ( aka tentpoles). This is also the kind of movie that needs to be released before Dec 31, 2019 to benefit from any awards-season brouhaha!

Jo

[jo]

If a deal is completed -- hope it happens soon, so Hugh can handle some of the promotional aspects ( such as media interviews) during his break from the tour ( restarts in October in the USA). After the tour ( which ends in the third week of October) - he is supposed to start filming REMINISCENCE. If the movie is released before the deadline for AMPAS inclusion ( last week of December) - hope he is given a few days off to handle the final media tours and publicity events.

Jo

[jo]

Sept 11, 2019 18:42:10 GMT -5 hughmanity said:

Just a rumor...hope it comes true

variety.com/2019/film/markets-festivals/lyrebird-toronto-film-festival-dan-friedkin-1203332468/

"The pact is for North American rights and marks one of the only sales at an acquisitions market that could be charitably described as moribund. That could change if, as rumored, a deep-pocketed buyer ponies up for the Hugh Jackman-led school embezzlement drama “Bad Education."
If that deal happens, it will be a welcome reprieve.
>
>
>

If the rumored interested party is " a deep-pocketed buyer" - that means it has the influence or the might to slot the movie within the last quarter of 2019! Or at least work out a qualifying run required by the AMPAS rules!

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

I sent a twitter question to Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com Editor) re the film distribution rights of BAD EDUCATION.

His prompt reply --

Sigh... this is not what I would like to see - I think it deserves a big screen treatment (cinema release!


Jo

[hughmanity]

Jo, do you feel like there's any possibility that if Amazon picks it up, it could have a limited theatrical release prior to streaming? (Netflix is doing this with Meryl Streep's "The Laundromat" for example.)

Sept 15, 2019 20:40:39 GMT -5 jo said:

I sent a twitter question to Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com Editor) re the film distribution rights of BAD EDUCATION.

His prompt reply --

Sigh... this is not what I would like to see - I think it deserves a big screen treatment (cinema release!


Jo

[jo]

It could do that...

But the AMPAS people who hate/do not like streaming services will not likely vote for it for Oscar honors, in general! That happened to Guillermo del Toro's movie last year (ROMA) which was heavily praised over all others - he did win Best Director ( as he is an icon) but the AMPAS ignored it for Best Picture! Also, no acting honors.

The theatrical distributors will campaign against a movie shown on streaming services as that threatens their business!

This is one reason why I wanted Hugh to be at TIFF ( of course, we did not know that it would coincide with his Order of Australia honors ceremony) - his presence could help sell the movie to the bigger distributors who favor theatrical rather than streaming services. Hope AMAZON is not the rumored deep-pocket potential buyer hinted by Variety.

Err-- this is more on the gossipy side :

Will Endeavor ( co-headed by Patrick Whitesell) which is spearheading the selling effort with CAA want to sell it to Amazon ( owned by Jeff Bezos, who is now the partner of Whitesell's wife Lauren Sanchez - remember the scandal?)


Unless Bezos pays through the nose for it … and commits to a $ 100 million dollar campaign for Hugh Jackman

Jo

[jo]

Winners of People's Choice Awards at TIFF 2019 --


deadline.com/2019/09/jojo-rabbit-wins-torontos-grolsch-peoples-choice-award-best-picture-oscar-predictor-1202735101/#comments

1.Jojo Rabbit
2.Marriage Story
3.Parasite

If I remember correctly, Scarlett Johansson is in both Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story. Does this ensure she will be a nominee for Best Actress?


Jo

[jo]

Translated from Spanish by

Is an Oscar nomination coming for #HughJackman ? Direct from Toronto, here the first criticisms of his new movie #BadEducation


bit.ly/2kJLlgG

Here you can read them

[hughmanity]

Insightful...including the "Hollywood Soap Opera" that is the Whitesell/Bezos connection!
Too bad Hugh couldn't have been cloned for TIFF! LOL

Sept 15, 2019 22:16:24 GMT -5 jo said:

It could do that...

But the AMPAS people who hate/do not like streaming services will not likely vote for it for Oscar honors, in general! That happened to Guillermo del Toro's movie last year (ROMA) which was heavily praised over all others - he did win Best Director ( as he is an icon) but the AMPAS ignored it for Best Picture! Also, no acting honors.

The theatrical distributors will campaign against a movie shown on streaming services as that threatens their business!

This is one reason why I wanted Hugh to be at TIFF ( of course, we did not know that it would coincide with his Order of Australia honors ceremony) - his presence could help sell the movie to the bigger distributors who favor theatrical rather than streaming services. Hope AMAZON is not the rumored deep-pocket potential buyer hinted by Variety.

Err-- this is more on the gossipy side :

Will Endeavor ( co-headed by Patrick Whitesell) which is spearheading the selling effort with CAA want to sell it to Amazon ( owned by Jeff Bezos, who is now the partner of Whitesell's wife Lauren Sanchez - remember the scandal?)


Unless Bezos pays through the nose for it … and commits to a $ 100 million dollar campaign for Hugh Jackman

Jo

[hughmanity]

I am not sure Screen Daily is the most reliable, but here is the publication's take on what's going on with the film.  Could be on point, and refers to the streaming service as "deep-pocketed", so that scenario looking more and more likely.

www.screendaily.com/news/what-did-us-buyers-make-of-this-years-tiff/5142915.article

Heading into TIFF, Cory Finley’s school embezzlement satire Bad Education starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney and Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s drama The Friend with Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel and Casey Affleck were two of the must-sees for international buyers. They remained unsold at time of writing, although it is understood a deal on the former is close. The consensus among buyers was that both played well, but not well enough to spark all-night bidding wars. The uncertainty fuelled by a difficult US distribution sector that finds itself more challenged than ever by a horde of deep-pocketed streaming platforms has led to extreme caution.