Bad Education - Festivals and Awards Watch

[jo]

Somewhat related --

HBO was the topmost winner in the last EMMYs.

One of its major successes was GAME OF THRONES. Did you know that its writer and showrunner is David Benioff ( in collaboration with David Weiss). David wrote the original screenplay of the much-maligned ( but not by me ) XMEN ORIGINS : Wolverine!

Per Wikipedia --

Benioff was hired in 2004 to write the screenplay for the X-Men spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). He based his script on Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X" story, Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's 1982 limited series on the character,[20][21] as well as the 2001 limited series Origin.[22] Hugh Jackman collaborated on the script, which he wanted to be more of a character piece compared with the previous X-Men films.[23] Skip Woods was later hired by Fox to revise and rewrite Benioff's script.[24] Benioff had aimed for a "darker and a bit more brutal" story, writing it with an R rating in mind, although he acknowledged the film's final tone would rest with the producers and director.[20]

Jo

[luzie]

Sept 22, 2019 18:06:42 GMT -5 hughmanity said:

I did wonder how much the abysmal failure of THE FRONT RUNNER at the box office ( a SONY-distributed movie) have an impact on the appeal of BAD EDUCATION?

I think it could have been that along with the failures of recent indie purchases from Sundance

Yes. Once again he has bad luck with his timing. And sadly, none of his "smaller" and more adult-oriented movies were exactly a success - neither commercially nor awards-wise. All these movies were underrated in some way and only later have been rediscovered and more appreciated by a few film buffs. Every year a few smaller and indie-like movies get a theatrical release and become an unexpected success, unfortunately it never happens with one of Hugh's movies. This must be disappointing for him, too. How many subsribers has HBO, how many will use this HBO Max at the end (among all the other streaming services) and how many of them will watch a movie like Bad Education? I suppose it will end up as just another underrated movie by him that hardly anyone has seen - sadly.

I stick to it and won't sugarcoat anything, overall it sucks!

[carouselkathy]

The Emmy Awards last night were also a sign of the times. Many of the nominees were from streaming and cable channels. The regular channels were not as well represented as they were in past years.

[hughmanity]

That is very true.   I  also thought the show itself was sub-par and apparently a ratings loser ( although this is the ratings trend with all awards shows). Still, that being said, I hope that next year's Emmys is a more worthy showcase for talents such as Hugh!

Sept 23, 2019 11:47:45 GMT -5 carouselkathy said:

The Emmy Awards last night were also a sign of the times. Many of the nominees were from streaming and cable channels. The regular channels were not as well represented as they were in past years.

[jo]

Early press screenings for BAD EDUCATION (and other movies) in the UK where the movie will be shown as part of the LONDON FILM FESTIVAL --

[jo]

A new competitive carrot is being explored by Netflix -- bonuses for awards and increase in subscription numbers for the creatives/filmmakers, including actors!


www.indiewire.com/2019/09/netflix-bonuses-box-office-viewers-awards-1202175318/

Facing Increased Competition, Netflix Explores Paying Filmmakers’ Bonuses for Awards, Big Viewership

Netflix executives are looking at ways to recreate box-office bonuses for movies that might not ever be shown in a theater

Chris Lindahl
Sep 20, 2019 4:30 pm


Filmmakers, actors, and producers have come to expect largely set-rate paychecks for projects at Netflix. But now the streamer is exploring paying bonuses for films that win awards or pull in a large number of viewers as a way to lure good projects away from competitors.

The plan, reported by Bloomberg this week, is a new take on traditional deals that have studios giving filmmakers and actors a cut of a film’s box-office grosses once the movie crosses a certain profit threshold.

But returns on investment at Netflix don’t come in the form of movie tickets. For the streamer, the best investments in original movies are ones that win awards or entertain a large number of its subscribers — reminding them why they’re paying a monthly bill.

The idea of Netflix finding a new model for compensating talent that’s used in lieu of box-office bonuses came up during the company’s Q2 earnings call in July.



“We have to figure out a model that, in success, how would they be compensated?” Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said. “The fact that it’s guaranteed, there’s some discount applied for that. And in fact, if it’s paid out over a quicker period, there will be discounts applied for that. But ultimately, we want the economics to be pretty neutral or at least are similar to what they would be if they had a big hit film in the theaters. And that’s what we negotiate film-by-film, talent with — actor-by-actor.”

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the strategy, reported the bonuses would depend on the project and that Scott Stuber, head of Netflix original film, hasn’t yet settled on the details.



Netflix, heretofore the undisputed leader in original streaming content, is set to face increased competition in the coming months. Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, and WarnerMedia are all readying to release their own streaming services, which will launch with generous — and very expensive — slates of in-demand library content plus high-end exclusive movies and series.

“While we’ve been competing with many people in the last decade, it’s a whole new world starting in November… between Apple launching and Disney launching, and of course Amazon’s ramping up,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in an interview with Variety Friday. “It’ll be tough competition. Direct-to-consumer [customers] will have a lot of choice.”

And Netflix is already bracing for production costs getting more expensive in the face of that competition. Hastings said one day “The Crown” — the $130 million Netflix series said to be the most expensive show ever — “will look like a bargain.”


Apple TV+ will launch later this year with the Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carell-starring series “The Morning Show,” which reportedly cost $300 million for two seasons (about $20 million per season less than “The Crown).



Meantime, HBO earned the title of possibly spending the most on a festival movie ever when it bought the Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney-starring “Bad Education,” for $20 million.

Like many Netflix films, that well-reviewed Cory Finley movie won’t be shown in theaters, despite it’s hefty price tag.

I wonder if something similar was part of the negotiations on the rights for BAD EDUCATION ?


Jo

[jo]

The ultimate question is --

Will HBO release BAD EDUCATION on home video ( BluRay or DVD)?

It seems that this may not always be the case for movies available on streaming services, although some distinction is being made as to whether the film rights is owned by the streaming service company...or simply the distribution rights.

Jo

[njr]

Sept 24, 2019 9:36:11 GMT -5 jo said:

The ultimate question is --

Will HBO release BAD EDUCATION on home video ( BluRay or DVD)?

It seems that this may not always be the case for movies available on streaming services, although some distinction is being made as to whether the film rights is owned by the streaming service company...or simply the distribution rights.

Jo

I would be VERY surprised if they didn’t! HBO puts all kinds of other shows and movies out on DVD, why not Bad Education? There is a show on CBS: All Access (which you have to pay extra for) but they released season 1 and will soon release season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery.” Fingers crossed for BE!

Nancy

[jo]

Felice Makowsky ( presumably a relation of Mike Makowsky, screenwriter of BAD EDUCATION) shares some clips from the Q&A at TIFF for BAD EDUCATION, featuring director Cory Finley and screenwriter Mike Makowsky --

She has posted a number of related tweets relating to the reception of the movie. You may want to trace them from her Twitter name.


Among them, this tweet from Peter Debruge who reviewed the movie for Variety --

He also posted this --

[jo]

She also posted the Q&A during the World Premiere at TIFF --

Couldn't help but post this response to her, hoping it will reach Mike Makowsky --

[jo]

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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Breaking News
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]

I haven't fully given up, with this development


So now the major streamers are using different strategies --

*Netflix releases movie to qualify for Oscars but can only get small theaters.

*Amazon has a 2-week theatrical release policy

*Apple is now coming in with a full 90-day theatrical release goal.

*No word yet on theatrical release policy for Disney+ . However, Disney+ may continue to develop material that will have tentpole-like appeal?

But it seems this is going to turn eventually into the streamers hewing their theatrical release policy into one that works best for their purchased- or produced-content!

I think on a pragmatic basis, HBO will have to rethink what they should do with Bad Education. It is an indie, not a tentpole movie ( which will NOT need as much marketing, because you can expect people to be already be talking about it). For indies, you need publicity to get it fully noticed. One major way is to let it compete for awards glory - and since the movie has been a critic- and a crowd-pleaser in Toronto and London -- they can be sure the movie is not going to flop critically-speaking. Being in the awards-conversation will strengthen the appeal of the movie very much and can only entice people to stream it, if that is the only practical way to view it. Having Hugh Jackman doing the media tour and the awards tour can be a big plus!

Fingers crossed there is still some leeway left for the Bad Education release plans.

Jo

[jo]

Not related to Bad Education or Film Festivals --

but it shares a grave concern on the fate of movies after they are made!



hollywood-elsewhere.com/2019/09/essential-theatrical/#disqus_thread


Please read both the feature by Jeff Wells on Hollywood Elsewhere and the Comments Section ( usually with many film buffs making realistic comments from movie audiences!).

Essential Theatrical

Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman is basically saying that given the drop-dead awesomeness of The Irishman, Netflix is underserving its culture-gripping potential by giving it a lousy three weeks in theatres before streaming begins.
He’s probably right. Would it have been better if Netflix had worked out a 42-day theatrical arrangement? Yeah, but that’s water under the bridge.

All I can say now is that you cannot fart around when it comes to seeing Martin Scorserse‘s masterpiece at a private screening in October or in a commercial cinema between 11.1 and 11.27. Because you need to see it the right way. No couches, no texting, no kitchen breaks, no feeding the pets, no taking out the garbage. You need to watch it like a monk.

Gleiberman: “Netflix has, in fact, made such a good movie that a vast audience of people — a world of people — are going to want to see it in movie theaters. And if the film’s relatively limited theatrical release starts to feel like a compromise with that desire, it could give a great many people pause: members of the Academy, and filmmakers who are promised the moon if they make their next movie with Netflix. Sure, they’ll get to make the film they want, and that isn’t nothing. But the release of The Irishman is destined to shine a light on the underlying metaphysical question: Is home viewing really the moon?

“The 20th century is officially behind us, but it may not be going out of style nearly as quickly as the executives at Netflix would like it to.”

[jo]

This is the original Variety article by Owen Gleiberman referred to in the above article --

Article plus Feedback to present both the Critic's side and the Audiences view --

variety.com/2019/film/columns/netflix-you-have-a-problem-the-irishman-is-too-good-martin-scorsese-1203353105/#article-comments

[jo]

Given the attention that a potential Oscar candidate like THE IRISHMAN could do to increase Netflix subscriptions --

couldn't a similar strategy ( a limited or quasi-limited theatrical release, followed by streaming option) work to the advantage of HBO MAX for BAD EDUCATION?


I honestly do not know how HBO MAX will manage to attract people to an indie like BAD EDUCATION ( of course it has Hugh Jackman, but will people be fully aware that many critics consider it as arguably Jackman's career-best performance to-date?) which they purchased for a record-breaking near-$20 million... unless the critical response is coupled with possible awards consideration chances ( that may only happen if the movie meets the qualifying run required by the AMPAS) ?


Jo

[jo]

Will HBO follow suit -- arrange to have a theatrical screening of BAD EDUCATION at a famous theatre house?


Netflix has not been getting the cooperation of major chains of theatrical distributors ( like AMC) -- so they decided to show the much-talked about Oscar Best Picture bet, Scorcese's THE IRISHMAN at the Belasco theatre on Broadway for a month's run, to qualify for Oscar contention!

www.indiewire.com/2019/10/netflix-the-irishman-martin-scorsese-broadway-one-month-run-1202179207/


Btw, BAD EDUCATION has a scheduled screening today at the London Film Festival.


Jo

[jo]

Bad Education was an EMPIRE choice presentation at the London Film Festival.

Check out the thread as Cory Finley interacts with the press --

[jo]

Not about BAD EDUCATION per se, but here are developments from the AMPAS that seems like a good omen for the future --


Excerpts only ( full article under OFF-TOPIC - Understanding the Movie Business) --

Oct 10, 2019 8:33:49 GMT -5 jo said:

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-ready.) This 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.”
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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.”


More...

Will they modify the rules for a movie to qualify for Oscar honors?

[jo]

From a Variety article reporting on AT&T and WarnerMedia --


Excerpts --

In the video business, “we ultimately get down to where we have two products,” Stephenson said: traditional satellite TV and a streaming service premised on the HBO Max platform that at some point will expand beyond subscription VOD to eventually incorporate live programming.

Stephenson officially announced that AT&T is forecasting 50 million HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. by 2025. The company revealed that projection last week in a Reuters story, in which AT&T COO John Stankey also said HBO Max with be made free to the telco’s customers who have HBO.

WarnerMedia has set an HBO Max media day for Tuesday, Oct. 29, to announce new details of the forthcoming subscription streaming service set to debut next spring, which AT&T is banking to drive future financial growth.

So, we might hear very soon on the release date of BAD EDUCATION thru HBO-MAX?

[jo]

From another VARIETY report on the rival streaming services --

Disney’s rivals aren’t as firm in their plans, but they’re beginning to move aggressively. HBO Max is expected to lean heavily on Warner Bros. to supply it with exclusive content. The subscription service hopes the studio will provide it with eight to 10 movies, a number that could ramp up over time. Certain films could be produced or overseen by the likes of Abrams and Greg Berlanti, two prominent creative forces with overall deals on the lot. Some of these productions could be tentpole-sized, with healthy budgets that could rival those of major feature films. Eventually productions will likely hail from the DC Universe, WarnerMedia’s in-house comic book division, as it looks for compelling content. The studio was successful in convincing Melissa McCarthy to release her upcoming comedy “Superintelligence” on the service, and other feature projects could follow suit.

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As these film studios pivot to streaming, many are holding back on licensing their content to rivals; they want to keep the films they make on their own services.


That’s limiting the supply of film libraries and increasing the price they can fetch. “There’s a real pau­city of content to license, particularly content that people actually want to see,” says Matthew Harrigan, an analyst with Benchmark.
Take Sony. That studio, as well as Paramount, is not one of the media companies preparing to launch a major subscription service — at least not yet. That means it has a library of some 5,000 films that streaming companies are eager to license, all with deals that come up for renewal over the next three years. These include a wide variety of windows, ranging from the studio’s deals with premium cable networks to the licensing pacts it scores for broadcasters.

“We’re seeing a huge amount of heat already,” says Keith Le Goy, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We have a vast and iconic library of titles that work for streaming companies. Movies are an incredibly powerful way for streaming services to retain customers. They may attract customers with original programming, but they keep them coming back time and again by offering the best films.”

It has also been reported that WarnerMedia is planning a more moderate spending budget - no more than $ 2 billion for original content for the incoming year. Presumably, that is where the budget for BAD EDUCATION came from unexpectedly.


Jo

[njr]

Oct 29, 2019 10:24:10 GMT -5 jo said:

From a Variety article reporting on AT&T and WarnerMedia --


Excerpts --

In the video business, “we ultimately get down to where we have two products,” Stephenson said: traditional satellite TV and a streaming service premised on the HBO Max platform that at some point will expand beyond subscription VOD to eventually incorporate live programming.

Stephenson officially announced that AT&T is forecasting 50 million HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. by 2025. The company revealed that projection last week in a Reuters story, in which AT&T COO John Stankey also said HBO Max with be made free to the telco’s customers who have HBO.

WarnerMedia has set an HBO Max media day for Tuesday, Oct. 29, to announce new details of the forthcoming subscription streaming service set to debut next spring, which AT&T is banking to drive future financial growth.

Yeay! I have AT&T Uverse and subscribe to HBO, so will get HBO Max free!

Nancy

[jo]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/warnermedia-unveils-hbo-max-price-launch-date-1251013

During a Tuesday afternoon presentation at Stage 21 on Warner Bros. Studios’ historic Burbank lot, the company that owns the storied Hollywood studio as well as television networks HBO, TBS/TNT and CNN revealed that forthcoming streaming service HBO Max will bow in May 2020 and cost $15 per month, the same price as HBO but with significantly more TV shows and movies.

HBO Max will be filled with 10,000 hours of programming from across the media conglomerate’s divisions including TV hits like Friends, Big Bang Theory and South Park, Warner Bros. films like The Joker, the full HBO catalog and originals like previously announced Ansel Elgort drama Tokyo Vice, a Grease spinoff and a Gossip Girl sequel.

HBO Max will be buoyed by the strength of its programming. The service will have 1,800 film titles including all DC movies and, eventually, the full 2020 feature film slate. On the TV front, premium cable network HBO will serve as the foundation for the service, offering up its library of current (Game of Thrones, Succession) and classic (Sex and the City, The Sopranos) shows as well as new releases like a forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel. Building on that slate will be Max Originals — like animated kids series Little Ellen from Ellen DeGeneres and novel adaptation Circe — which will number 31 in the service's first year and will help HBO Max reach audiences outside of HBO's predominantly male demographic.

HBO Max's lineup, while sizable, will be smaller than other streamers, a move that Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia's entertainment and direct-to-consumer division, acknowledged as part of a strategy to focus on a more curated, personalized offering. "We actually think our value proposition improves when we narrow the options, removing much of the filler no one watches anyway," he said. That will be reflected in a product that offers, for example, collection of popular Friends episodes and viewing recommendations from the platform's stars.

AT&T will juice signups by offering HBO Max for free to its existing 10 million HBO customers.

Here's a brief report from VARIETY --

variety.com/2019/tv/news/warnermedia-hbo-max-1203387535/



*Service opens in May 2020. No mention in the article of BAD EDUCATION. Can we assume that it will be part of the launch offerings?

*Hugh's WarnerBros film releases include The Fountain, The Prestige, Prisoners, Pan, and eventually Reminiscence.

Jo

[jo]

A more detailed reporting on curated content --

www.darkhorizons.com/hbo-max-unveils-its-new-content-line-up/

But where is BAD EDUCATION??

Hmm...

[jo]

It is not on this supposed complete list of offerings either --

www.slashfilm.com/list-of-hbo-max-shows-and-movies/

But the movie with Melissa McCarthy which was pulled out from a theatrical release to a streaming release is included on the list ( SuperIntelligence).

[jo]

Hey, Disney+ is crowing about their HighSchoolMusical series... but HBO-MAX is talking about a GREASE series for their lineup!

Guess which has a slightly more adult appeal

Hmm... wouldn't it be fun if Hugh Jackman made a guest appearance as a fake Olivia/Sandy singing "Summer Nights"

Jo