DreamWorks Animation

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Alexander Benis

by Alex Benis

DreamWorks Animation SKG

Location

1000 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201

(818) 695-5000 ; www.dreamworksanimation.com

Key Executives

Jeffrey Katzenberg (Chief Executive Officer/Director/Co-Founder) [pictured below]

Lew Coleman (President/Chief Financial Officer)
Ann Daly (Chief Operating Officer)
Anne Globe (Chief Marketing Officer)
Heather O’Connor (Chief Accounting Officer)
Michael R. Francis (Chief Global Brand Officer)
Andrew Chang (General Counsel/Corporate Secretary)
Rich Sullivan (Deputy Chief Financial Officer)

About

DreamWorks Animation SKG is an animation studio located in Glendale, California that produces animated films, television series and live entertainment for audiences worldwide. With a staff totaling more than 2,100 employees facilitating production, DreamWorks creates and distributes on average roughly three feature-length films for theatrical release in addition to many other smaller-scale projects. Boasting the rank of being the fourteenth best place to work according to Fortune Magazine, the animation studio is the one of the most versatile in the world and is the birthplace of stories that wrestle with the imagination.

Historical Background

DreamWorks SKG was jointly founded on October 12, 1994 by the triumvirate made up of: director & producer Steven Spielberg, music executive David Geffen and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. With its formation, artists from Spielberg’s previous unsuccessful animation studio, Amblimation, were attracted for employment. In 1995, the young animation studio signed a co-production deal with Pacific Data Images, forming the subsidiary PDI, LLC which split the ownership 60/40 favoring PDI. The new business partition would go on produce its first-ever feature film: Antz. In 1997, DreamWorks partnered with British stop-animation studio Aardman Animation to co-produce Chicken Run. At the turn of the century, DreamWorks SKG created the business division DreamWorks Animation and halted the use of hand-drawn animation following the production of Shrek (which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film). In 2004, the studio became the first to produce two computer-generated animated feature films in a single year with the theatrical release of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale. The same year, DreamWorks Animation was further divided into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. managed by Katzenberg under the terms that 12 new films be distributed by the end of 2010’s fiscal fourth quarter.

Financials

For 2012, the animation studio raked in an impressive $749.8 million – topping its previous year’s revenue by $42 million dollars which can be credited to the release of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Additionally, DreamWorks ended 2012 with $82.7 million in revenue with their total assets reaching $1.945 billion and a total equity of $1.346 million. Their fiscal fourth quarter results are as follows:

From June to September, DreamWorks increased their annual revenue from $162.8 million to $186.3 million. Following the month of October, profitability increased much more rapidly – with the most likely cause being related to the marketing of their newest movie at the time: Rise of the Guardians. By December 31st, the studio’s revenue stream for the quarter was capped off at $264.66 million, slightly over a third of their annual earnings. Overall, DreamWorks incurred a $36.4 million loss over the course of the entire year in comparison to their overall revenue of the previous year.

In The News

Dreamworks’ fourth quarter holiday release, Rise of the Guardians, proved successful at the box office: being largely responsible for just over one-third of the animation studio’s overall revenue for that year. Centering around an evil spirit named Pitch, the character archetypes of imagination (The Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, etc.) are given no choice but to join forces in order to defeat a looming enemy that threatens childrens’ beliefs. Starring heavyweights Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law, the film was described by one critic as being “one for the kids, [but] fun enough to put a smile on parents’ faces.” Domestically, Rise of the Guardians grossed $103 million, which was surprisingly only 34% of its $303.5 million worldwide gross. In the weeks that followed its release, the film was rewarded with a 74% fresh tomato overall.

Released just last week on March 22, DreamWorks Animations’ The Croods grossed a total $72.8 million its opening weekend. When a prehistoric family’s home is destroyed, they are forced to embark on a journey across an unfamiliar land in search of a new home. Written-and-directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King) and Kirk de Micco, the feature film boasts a talented cast starring Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone and actor Clark Duke, who is best-known from roles in the ABC series GREEK and the acclaimed superhero movie Kick-Ass. The film is currently the highest-grossing film at the box office – concluding the weekend at $43.6 million. The Croods also holds a 67% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 7.5/10 on imdb.com. After just two weeks at the box office, Dreamworks first animated feature film of 2013 has grossed $227 million in total and is currently the number one ranked movie worldwide. So far, The Croods is in position to exceed studio’s 2012 revenue profitability – with two other feature-length theatrical releases later this year.

Upcoming Animations

July 19, 2013: Turbo

Following the story of a snail who gains superior speed after a freak-accident, Turbo aspires to escape his slow-paced world to compete in the Indy500. Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamotti and Ken Jeong are all attached to the project set to be the studio’s primary summer release.

November 1, 2013: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is DreamWorks’ adaptation of the well-known Rocky and Bullwinkle side-cartoon about an exceptionally smart dog who owns a human as a pet. When they travel back in time, they are tested when they realize they could potentially unravel the fabric of their universe. The feature film is set to be directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and will star Ty Burrel (Modern Family) and Max Charles (The Amazing Spiderman) voicing Mr. Peabody and Sherman, respectively.

March 14, 2014: Me and My Shadow

Lesser-known than DreamWorks’ two previously-mentioned feature films, Me and My Shadow follows the story of a seemingly boring man’s shadow that craves for a more exciting lifestyle.

Other Projects Currently In Production

June 20, 2014: How To Train Your Dragon 2

November 26, 2014: Happy Smekday!

March 27, 2015: The Penguins of Madagascar

June 5, 2015: Trolls (working title)

November 6, 2015: B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

[Seth Rogan supposedly attached]

December 19, 2015: Mumbai Musical (working title)

[Kevin Lima (Tarzan, Enchanted) will be directing with music composed by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)]

March 18, 2016: Kung Fu Panda 3

June 18, 2016: How To Train Your Dragon 3

Sources

[1] http://dreamworksanimation.com

[2] http://ycharts.com/companies/DWA/revenues

[3] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=dwa

[4] http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=743403

[5] http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/snapshots/14.html

[6] http://screenrant.com/dreamworks-animation-lineup-2013-2016/all/1/

[7] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-croods/

[8] http://www.imdb.com

[9] http://boxofficemojo.com

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Jacob Fleischman

by Jacob Everest Fleischman

Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy of thefilmstage.com

Warner Bros Pictures has produced and distributed thousands of titles since 1923 when it was founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner. WB is responsible for many iconic moments and accomplishments in the entertainment industry. To start, they are responsible for the first film with sound, The Jazz Singer. Following this Warner Bros had decades of success, even producing up to 40 movies a year during the 1940s. Jumping forward to the 1990s, Time Inc. and Warner Bros intertwined and became Time Warner, one of the powerhouses of todays entertainment industry. Warner Bros Pictures, as a subsidiary of Time Warner, produces between 18 and 22 movies a year and currently grosses over $4 billion a year. That brings us to our current place in time, post “The Dark Knight” and “Harry Potter” era, when Warner Bros Pictures was in charge of two of the most successful movie series of all time. [1] [2]

Conglomerate: Time Warner Inc.

Courtesy of financial-report.info

Parent Company: Warner Bros. Entertainment

CEO: Kevin Tsujihara

Chairman of the Board: Barry Meyer

Warner Bros Pictures Officers

President: Jeff Robinov

Courtesy of http://www.aceshowbiz.com/

Mr. Robinov is in charge of it all. He oversees actual filming and production, distribution and the post-production. All of the other presidents report to him and he has the final say before it is passed to the Warner Bros Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara and Chairman of the Board Barry Meyer. [3]

President, Domestic Distribution- Dan Fellman

Courtesy of http://ia.media-imdb.com/

Mr. Fellman has been in his position at Warner Bros Pictures since 1999 and worked there for 21 years before that. Fellman is widely known for his success with movies such as The Dark Knight, Superman Returns, The Hangover and The Blind Side. Among these, he has produced 57 movies that have grossed over $100 million. [4]

President, Worldwide Marketing- Sue Kroll

Courtesy of Variety.com

Ms. Kroll has been in her position since 2008. She oversees all marketing worldwide, both creative and business aspects of the job. She is in-charge of advertising, research, finding target audiences and bringing attention to the film. She most famously ran the marketing division for The Dark Knight which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. [5]

Most Recent Time Warner Inc. Quarterly Report

In Time Warner’s final quarterly report of 2012, it explains Warner Bros Pictures grossed $4.3 billion worldwide; this was predominantly led by The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Warner Bros Pictures also received two Golden Globes this year, which included Best Motion Picture- Drama for Argo. Along with the Golden Globe achievements, Warner Bros. Picture’s movies were nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year. [6]

Courtesy of imdb.com

“Right Here, Right Now” Semester News From the Studio

New Commander-in-Chief

Courtesy of www.trbimg.com/

The biggest thing to happen during this Spring to affect Warner Bros. Pictures actually was not a change made in the company. Warner Bros Entertainment, WB Pictures parent company, appointed a new CEO. Kevin Tsujihara announced he would be taking control of the mega-entertainment company as of March on January 28^th, 2013. [7]

The Hobbit is not really that short!

Courtesy of www.dezineguide.com

It is announced that the first Hobbit movie hit its $1 billion mark and the rest of the trilogy has already been planned out. The final Hobbit Movie will be released in December of 2014, after the second installment of the series is released in December of 2013. Tacking on to the end of the Lord of the Rings series this spin-off proved to be just what the world wanted to see grossing $301.4 domestically and over $700 million internationally to date. [8]

The man with the Billion Dollar Brain is Preparing for his Next Epic

Courtesy of http://www.comicbookmovie.com/

On March 8^th, Warner Bros Pictures and Paramount announced that together they would co-produce and distribute, Academy Award nominee and billion-dollar movie maker Christopher Nolan’s next film. The Film, titled “Interstellar”, is sci-fi and will entail Nolan’s customary heroic story line. The fact that these two powerhouse studios are teaming up to produce and distribute this film together is extremely rare because the two do not normally work together on major releases. [9]

“RUN ITS GODZILLA”

Courtesy of www.badassoftheweek.com

While not much has been released yet, it is now public knowledge that a new Godzilla is in the works and will be released and distributed in 3D by Warner Bros. on May 16^th, 2014. The film has Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen and Juliette Binoche starring in the film. [10]

Recent Marketing

Courtesy of themovieblog.com/

Warner Bros Pictures is currently ramping up for a very busy spring and early summer with summer blockbusters that many people are looking forward to and could possibly define a top box office summer. Starting in early April we see the true life story of Jackie Robinson in 42 and following this we see our first summer blockbuster the re-make of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless classic The Great Gatsby. Then directly following this, just two weeks later we see the next installment of our favorite party-crazed drunks in The Hangover 3. Finally, most likely the most anticipated superhero movie of the summer, Man of Steel, the next Superman movie is released in June.

See the Man of Steel trailer here

Most Recently Warner Bros Pictures shined as a main attraction at WonderCon

With the upcoming release of Pacific Rim, Warner Bros decided to use this time with a huge collection of its target audience (at WonderCon) to debut a clip from the scene and hear from director, Guillermo del Toro. The scene creates enough suspense and confusion to make every nerd and non-nerd alike in the room anxious to run to the theaters on its opening weekend (July 12, 2013) to see the film. [11]

This has been a very busy late-winter and spring for Warner Bros Pictures with a number of huge films debuting at the beginning of this summer and a lot of films released during this time period. With all this in mind, it makes sense that there are so many presidents under Jeff Robinov to break up all of the executive work that keeps this studio at the top of its game.

Sources:

[1] Warner Bros. History http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/about/company-history.html

[2] Warner Bros. Overview http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/about/company-overview.html

[3] Jeff Robinov Bio http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/executives/operation-officers/jeff-robinov.html

[4] Dan Fellman Bio http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/executives/divisional-executives/dan-fellman.html

[5] Sue Kroll Bio http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/executives/divisional-executives/sue-kroll.html

[6] Time Warner Quarterly Report http://ir.timewarner.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70972&p=quarterlyearnings

[7] Kevin Tsujihara Bio http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/executives/kevin-tsujihara.html

[8] The Hobbit Press Release http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/corpcomm/portal/press_release.jsp?id=WBPTheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney1BillionDollarRev_03.03.13

[9] Christopher Nolan New Movie http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/corpcomm/portal/press_release.jsp?id=WBPInterstellarNov7ReleaseDate_03.08.13

[10] Godzilla Press Release http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/corpcomm/portal/press_release.jsp?id=WBPLegendaryPicturesGodzillaStartofProduction_03.18.13

[11] Pacific Rim Publicity http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wondercon-pacific-rim-mortal-instruments-431926

Viacom Inc.

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Yarmine Fernandez

By Yarmine Fernandez

Current Viacom Inc. Logo. Image courtesy of
http://techandscience.com/techblog/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=3354

Contact Information

Viacom Inc.
1515 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
(212) 258-6000

CONNECT WITH VIACOM

Top Senior Management Executives

Image courtesy of http://trialx.com/
celebritie//2012/10/17/
philippe-dauman-pictures/

Philippe Dauman
President and Chief Executive Officer

Image courtesy of http://money.cnn.com/
galleries/2010/fortune/
1009/gallery.
women_men_highest_
pay.fortune/21.html

Thomas E. Dooley
Chief Operating Officer

Image courtesy of http://mtvema. mtvnimages.com/2011/ images/press/exec-bios/ Bob-Bakish.jpg?width=400&quality=0.91

Robert Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer Viacom International Media Networks

Top Board of Directors

Image of courtesy http://money.cnn.com
/2007/08/23/ news/newsmakers
/100172390.fortune/

Sumner M. Redstone
Executive Chairman of the Board and Founder

Image courtesy of http://www.holly
wood reporter.com/lists/
shari-redstone-396263

Shari Redstone
Non-Executive Vice Chair of the Board

To learn more about Top Senior Management & Board of Directors click here [1].

Its Beginnings: The Seventies

1976 Viacom Inc. Logo
Image courtesy of
http://www.retrojunk.com
/article/show/451/
production-logos
-from-hell

The Central Broadcasting System established Viacom Inc. in the 1970s as compliance to the Federal Communications Commission. It wasn’t until June 4, 1971 that Viacom Inc. finalized the split from CBS, in which its stocks were distributed among stockholders. Even though Viacom Inc. split from CBS, it had about 90,000 cable subscribers making it one of the largest cable operators in the United States. By 1973, the number had increased to 7.5 million subscribers but this opened the gates for FCC regulations. In addition to FCC regulations, Viacom Inc. faced competition from companies such as HBO (Home Box Office), a subsidiary of Timer Warner Inc .

The Raging Eighties

The 1980s for Viacom Inc. were characterized by growth through joint ventures with Warner Communications Inc. and Warner Amex Cable Communications Inc. and the acquirement of MTV Networks. MTV Networks included Nickelodeon and VH-1 at the time. By the end of the 80s, Viacom Inc. owned five television stations, fourteen cable franchises, and nine radio stations. One of the radio stations they purchased was WLAK-FM, a Chicago based station.

The Tumultuous Nineties

The end of the eighties and the early nineties were marked with a law suit between Viacom Inc. specifically Showtime and HBO. Viacom Inc. got the better half of the suit as Time Warner Inc. was forced to pay them $75 million. By far, one of the greatest achievements for Viacom Inc. during the nineties was when they purchased Paramount Pictures Communications Inc. completing a $9.9 billion merger with the company.

For full history click here [2] or for history timeline click here [3].

Image courtesy of http://www.deadline.com/
2012/08/viacom-overpaid-
sumnerredstone
-ceo-coo-millions-shareholde
r-lawsuit-claims/

Company Overview

Image courtesy of http://daytontribune.com
/nickelodeon-boasts-the
-top-three-entertainment
-telecasts-for-the-quarter-
and-breaks-rating-record/75215/

Viacom Inc. is one of the largest global leading media companies with diverse audiences everywhere. Viacom Inc. primarily operates in Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment. The Media Networks provide entertainment content and branded products for its audiences while the Filmed Entertainment produces motion pictures. On a international scale, Viacom Inc. reaches about 700 million households. Viacom Inc. successfully targets a large demographics through the various channel platforms they own. For example, by owning Nickelodeon, Viacom Inc. has a large children population.

Some of the Media Networks Include:

Some of the Filmed Entertainment Segments:

Paramount Pictures
MTV Films
Nickelodeon Movies
Home Entertainment

For general information about these networks/segments click here [4].

Paramount Pictures

Image courtesy of http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-paramount-anniversary-logo-273798

The establishment of Paramount Pictures Inc. can be contributed to Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and Cecil B. DeMille. The year 2012 marks the 100th year anniversary for Paramount Pictures Inc. making it one of the oldest motion pictures company in the United States. Paramount Pictures Inc. has been successful in launching revolutionary motion pictures such as The Godfather, and Chinatown. For the year 2013, a Paramount Pictures Inc. movie, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters made the top ten in the box office resulting in a profit of $50.2 million.

Image courtesy of http://www.imdb.
com/title/tt1428538/

For more information click here [5].

“Right Here, Right Now”

Financials
Viacom Inc. seems to be stable financially. Currently, their revenues are about 3314.0 USD while their earnings per share are 0.92909 USD. However, for the year 2013 their operating income decreased from 22% to $797 million and $461 million due to
low revenues in the Filmed Entertainment and a decline in Media Networks advertising revenues. The decline in the Filmed Entertainment revenues was due to its theatrical releases, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). In addition, their debts increased from $8.15 billion to $8.39 billion in the months of September, November, and December. In response to these financial updates, Sumner M. Redstone stated “Viacom continues to build on its impressive global portfolio of movies, television programming and digital content. Philippe leads a talented executive and creative team at Viacom, and I am fully confident that by investing in new hits we will continue to build our outstanding brands” [6].

Viacom Inc. still continues to battle their debts issues. On March 11, 2013, they agreed to sell $300,000 million of the principal amount due >> To continue reading click here [7].

Media Networks:

Image courtesy of http://www.webtvwire.
com/watch-wendell-vinnie-full-episodes
-online-season-1-video-streaming
-torrent-search/

Not too long ago, Viacom Inc. launched a new show through Nickelodeon. The show is a comedy series called “Wendell & Vinnie,” which premiered on Sunday, February 17th 2013.

For the full article click here [8].

Also the cable network, VH1 plans to launch three shows premiering this upcoming April.

“The Gossip Game,” premiering Monday, April 1st is a show based in New York City, where seven women are trying to make it in the media entertainment industry.
Following “The Gossip Game,” the third new season of “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle” will premiere on Monday, April 8th. The show is based on rap megastar T.I. “Tip” Harris and his family.
Last but not least, VH1 plans to launch on Sunday, April 21st, “I’m Married To A…”A documentary series whose focus will be on unusual situations that brings couples together.

For the full story click here [9].

Filmed Entertainment:

For the Film Entertainment segment, Paramount Pictures Inc. is currently working on sixteen new upcoming releases, seven of which will be premiering during this year and the rest in 2014.

Movie Title (click to view)	Date
Pain and Gain	4/26/13
Star Trek Into Darkness	5/17/13
World War Z	6/21/13

For the complete list click here [10].

What’s Cooking Within the Corporation

An important update for Viacom Inc. this year is the election of two new members that will serve on the Board of Directors. Cristiana Falcone Sorrell, one of the new members is the Senior Advisor at the World Economic Forum and Deborah Norville is a two-time Emmy winner, who is best recognized as a TV journalist. As a result of these two new members, Viacom Inc. will now have thirteen members as part of their Board of Directors.

For the full article click here [11].

Cablevision vs. Viacom Inc.

Another story that has had the spotlight are the tensions that have been brewing up between Cablevision and Viacom Inc. Cablevision is suing Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central, claiming that Viacom Inc. is forcing cable operators to carry low-rated networks. Cablevision has been trying to control the rising subscriber fees by denying some of the networks that are not getting the best ratings.

For the full gossip click here [12].

What About Them Video Music Awards?

History will be made this year as MTV will be bringing the Video Music Awards to Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, August 25th 2013. The VMAs will be taking place in the Barclay Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets >> To continue reading click here [13].

References

[1] Viacom Inc. Senior Management. http://www.viacom.com/aboutviacom/Pages/seniormanagement.aspx

[2] Viacom Inc. History. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/viacom-inc-history/

[3] Viacom Inc. History. http://www.viacom.com/aboutviacom/Pages/history.aspx

[4] Viacom Media Networks. http://www.viacom.com/ourbrands/medianetworks/Pages/default.aspx

[5] Paramount Pictures. http://www.paramount.com

[6] Viacom News. http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/newstext.aspx?RID=737032

[7] Viacom News. http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/newstext.aspx?RID=747213

[8] Viacom News. http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/newstext.aspx?RID=734118

[9] Viacom News. http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/newstext.aspx?RID=742024

[10] Box Office Mojo Paramount Pictures Upcoming Releases. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=distributor&id=paramount.htm

[11] Viacom News. http://www.viacom.com/news/Pages/newstext.aspx?RID=750158

[12] Ad Age Media News. http://adage.com/article/media/viacom-crosshairs-bundling-debate/240131/

[13] MTV VMAS Coming to Brooklyn’s. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704268/vmas-2013-brooklyn-barclays-center.jhtml

20th Century Fox

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Bria Holness

by Bria Holness

Photo courtesy of fanpop.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

www.foxmovies.com

A Brief History

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, also known as 20th Century Fox, was established on May 31, 1935 when the founders of Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures decided to merge into one. It is now one of the major American film studios that produces, acquires, and distributes motion pictures. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates as a subsidiary of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and is responsible for some of the top grossing movies, including Avatar and Titanic. [1] [2]

Quick Financials

During the first quarter, which encompasses the months of January, February, and March, 20th Century Fox brought in a gross income of $256.9 million, a 13.7% decrease in comparison to the first quarter of 2012; however, this is also an 123.7% increase in comparison to 2011. [19]

Key Executives

Keith Rupert Murdoch

Photo courtesy of biography.com

Murdoch is the founder of News Corporation, in which 20th Century Fox is a subsidiary of, and has been its Chairman since 1991. Since 1992, Murdoch has been the Chairman of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and its Chief Executive Officer since 1995. He operates as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [2]

Eduardo Echeverria

Photo courtesy of variety.com

Echeverria is Senior Vice President of Latin America at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and has served as so since 2001. [2] Echeverria manages the sales and marketing operations and theatrical distribution for all Fox Filmed Entertainment product in Latin America. [2]

Michael Peikoff

Since July 1, 2007, Peikoff has been Senior Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. His duties include managing internal and external communication for the licensing division and managing retail marketing and licensed promotion initiatives in the U.S. [2]

Robert Marick

Photo courtesy of licensing.biz

As Executive Vice President since July of 2010, Marick manages the global licensing of Fox’s television and film assets across different platforms including television promotions, interactive gaming, literary publishing, themed entertainment, and consumer products. [2]

Ricardo Crespo

Photo courtesy of centralpa.aiga.org

Crespo has served as Senior Vice President of Global Creative at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation since July 2010. [2] Prior to joining the 20th Century Fox team, Crespo held several leadership positions at Saatchi & Saatchi, Mattel Inc., Bozell Worldwide, and McCANN ERICKSON. [4]

In The News

Broken City

Photo courtesy of radionowindy.com

20th Century Fox Films released its first film of the year, Broken City, starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, and Catherine Zeta Jones, on January 18th. The film told the story of a New York City cop, who one night gets involved in a scandalous shooting. He’s stripped of his badge but kept out of jail by the works of New York’s Mayor, who offers him a lump sum of money to investigate his wife. While doing so he finds himself in the middle of a much larger scandal as he realizes that the Mayor isn’t who he seems to be.

During its opening weekend, the film made about $9 million and $4 million the weekend after. With an estimated budget of $55 million, it has made an overall gross of $19,667,601 up to date. It has received mixed reviews ranging from being called a complete mess to being considered an entertaining thriller. Nonetheless, there seems to be a majority consensus—the cast and the numerous twists are great but can only keep the “weak” storyline going but so far, causing it to receive a B- from Entertainment Weekly. [5] [6]

20th Century Fox employed an interesting marketing strategy for the movie. Instead of featuring promotional quotes from legitimate movie critics, they chose to use tweets from the hashtag, #BrokenCity, in which basically anyone could be a critic.

Photo courtesy of cultureblues.com

The studio believed it was a way to be more personable and interactive and to get fans more excited for the upcoming film. However, the tactic raised many questions about the weight of movie critics’ opinions and whether or not they carry the same weight as the opinions of the fans. [7]

Wahlberg also held a special, early screening of the film as a fundraiser for the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation . He offered a chance to win tickets at Celebrities for Charity. [8]

A Good Day to Die Hard

Photo courtesy of movies.wikia.com

20th Century Fox released the fifth movie of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney, on February 14^th. This is the first of the franchise to not be released during the blockbuster summer months and instead in the cold month of February. [9] The film tells the story of a cop, John McClane, who travels to Moscow to help his unruly son Jack, unaware that Jack is really a CIA agent attempting to stop a nuclear weapons robbery. Despite their differences, they are forced to work together to keep each other and the world safe. [5]

The film was produced for about $92 million. During its opening weekend, it made $24,834,845 domestically and $45,301,894 oversees, giving it the number one spot of films newly released that weekend. [10] However, this is over $70 million less than what the last movie of the Die Hard franchise made in the summer of 2007. With this comparison, it could be considered disappointing. [11]

Very unlike the previous films of the series, the film has been largely slated by various critics. Based on 40 “generally unfavorable” reviews, Metacritic has given the movie a 28 out of 100 and based on 184 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes has given it a score of 4 out of 10. On both sites, several reasons for such low scores have been cited but the majority seems to agree on a muddling plotline with too many holes and twists as the movie’s downfall. [12] [13]

The Croods

Photo courtesy of filmofilia.com

20th Century Fox teamed up with DreamWorks Animation for the first time in the production and release of The Croods, a prehistoric comedy for the family, starring Nicholas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Catherine Keener. It officially premiered worldwide on March 22nd and brought in $43,639,736 during its opening weekend. [18]

The film follows the story of a caveman, Crug, who must lead his family across an unstable and dangerous landscape after an earthquake destroys their home. While doing so they come across a nomad who charms everyone but Crug with his revolutionary modern ways. [14] As of April 1st, with a budget of about $135 million, the film has made $93,893,394 domestically and $148,802,379 from foreign theaters, amounting to $242,695,773 worldwide. [18]

To build up anticipation of the release of the movie, DreamWorks made a deal with Rovio to create a mobile game based on The Croods, an impressive marketing strategy. In the game, the Croods, a family of cave men, find their way out of the Stone Age through the use of a new tool, the idea. They hunt and gather their way through new landscapes as they tame creatures they’ve never seen before.

Rovio released the game for Apple and Android devices on March 14, just about a week before the official release of the film. [15]

What’s Next for 20th Century Fox?

20th Century Fox plans to release another 3-D animated family film, Epic, which is based on the children’s book, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. From the creators of Ice Age and Rio, Epic follows the story of a teenage girl, who finds herself magically transported into a secret universe. While there, she must team up with a group of capricious characters in order to save their world and her own from Queen Tara, the evil spider. [16]