Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, also known as 20th Century Fox, is currently one of the major film studios in America. Starting in 1935 as a merger between two major film corporations, 20th Century Fox was sold to News Corp. in 1985, and in early 2013 News Corp. split into News Corp. and 21st Century Fox, with the latter company retaining Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.[2][3] Movies that 20th Century Fox is most known for include Avatar, the Star Warsfranchise (now with Disney), and Independence Day.[4]
Key Executives
Rupert Murdoch [5]
21st Century Fox Chairman and CEO- Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch was in charge of News Corp. since 1979 and when the company split in June 2013, Murdoch became Executive Chairman of News Corp. and the Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox, of which 20th Century Fox is a subsidiary of. Murdoch has been extremely influential in media through purchasing media companies and creating his own.[6]
Jim N. Gianopulos [7]
20th Century Fox Chairman and CEO- James N. Gianopulos
James N. Gianopulos has been at 20th Century Fox as President of 20th Century Fox International and then CEO since 1994, overseeing Titanic and Avatar, the highest grossing films of all time.[8]
Financials
June 30th is the end of 21st Century Fox’s fiscal year and according to their reports, for 20th Century Fox this past year was up $300 million from $8.36 billion to $8.64 billion. This past quarter, which encompassed all of April, May, and June of 2013, was also up $21 million from the past quarter from $2.014 billion to $2.035 billion.[9]
In Recent News
The Book Thief poster [10]
20th Century Fox’s movie The Book Thief is out in limited release until Thanksgiving weekend in hopes it will gain momentum and find its audience. [11] The book-turned-movie is about a little girl in WWII finding solace in stealing and sharing books when Nazi’s in Germany are burning them up. Leading up to the movie’s release though, Fox was not letting a marketing chance pass by and ended with some truly creative advertising. On October 23rd, Fox bought two whole pages of ad space in The New York Times, which is worth $105,840, and left them completely blank except for a small url on the second page which goes to a site about the film.[12]
Little Free Library [13]
Further creative marketing has popped up. On November 20th Century Fox also partnered with Little Free Libraries, a company that creates little free “’take a book, leave a book’ gathering places”, to advertise 20th Century Fox’s upcoming movie The Book Thief by creating custom Little Libraries.[13]
Ivanhoe Pictures [14]
Also in early November, 20th Century Fox’s subsidiary Fox International Productions made a deal with Ivanhoe Pictures, a TV and film company. Ivanhoe Pictures is a recent company and focuses on projects with global appeal. Ivanhoe Pictures has signed a four year, $130 million co-finance deal with FIP and the money will go towards co-financing 10 local-language projects FIP has now in India, South Korea, China, and Taiwan. Those areas are the top four local Asian markets and the companies don’t intend to miss out on any action, especially within China, which is predicted to soon be the largest film market in the world.[15][16]
What’s Next?
Proposed Miami Wilds[17]
20th Century Fox and Dinosaurier-Park International, a Germany company that runs the biggest outdoor dinosaur park in Europe, are battling over park space in Miami-Dade County. With 120 vacant acres, the space surrounds Zoo Miami and after over a decade of work, the county is finally vetting the two companies’ proposals. If the county decides to go with 20th Century Fox’s proposal for “Miami Wilds”, the park will become a theme park inspired by their two blockbuster animated films Ice Age and Rio, will cost $930 million to make, create 2,750 jobs, have 30,000 square feet of retail space, outdoor event space, and a massive water park, and would open around 2018.[17]
Epic Magazine Logo [18]
In late August when Epic Magazine launched with its new business model for journalism, 20th Century Fox was the first to bite. Launched by two seasoned magazine-to-movie writers, one whom had even written the WiredMagazine story that was the base for Argo[19], Epic was created to have long and in-depth articles published online for free and would be funded by selling the film rights to film companies.
Though 20th Century Fox and Epic only have a first-look deal, it’s nothing to disregard. The deal will allow 20th Century Fox do just what the deal sounds like: get a first look, and be the first in line to purchase the film rights if Fox wants the story. It’s a great deal for Fox so that they will get to have first pick of fresh stories, but also good for the magazine who will not only make money off of it, but will not have to go through the chaos of fighting film companies when an article gets noticed.[20][21]
Online Silk Road Marketplace Logo[22]
In mid-October, 20th Century Fox snagged its first article to use despite it not even being written yet.[23]The article being written by Joshua Davis is a real and ongoing story, and is about the owner of the online black market site “Silk Road” who was arrested for drug trafficking as well as hiring a hitman to kill one of his employees.[24] 20th Century Fox has already hired Dennis Lehane, writer of Shutter Island and Mystic River as well as episodes of Boardwalk Empire and The Wire, to turn the article into a script. Fox has also hired Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping to produce alongside the two founders of Epic Magazine, Joshua Davis and Joshuah Bearman.[25]
DreamWorks Studios was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994. Katzenberg started DreamWorks SKG after he dashed from Disney following power struggles with Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. DreamWorks SKG built a new business division, DreamWorks Animation in 2000. Then in the autumn of 2004, Dreamworks Studios spun-off its animation division into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., a publicly traded company. [2][3]
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Dreamworks Animation is a boast-worthy creative company that churns out high-quality entertainment. Dreamworks Animation has theatrically released a whopping twenty-seven animated feature films, including blockbuster favorites Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and this summer’s Turbo.Although the entertainment factory is widely known for its feature CGI animated films, the company also creates television specials and series as well as live entertainment properties. [4]
After co-finding DreamWorks SKG, Katzenberg was at the helm of DreamWorks Animation when it became an IPO. Under his leadership, DreamWorks Animation has blossomed into the world’s largest animation studio in the world and received nine Academy Award nominations and two Best Animated Feature wins.[6]
Lew Coleman, President and Chief Financial Officer
Previously President and Director of the Company, Coleman took on his current position in 2007. Coleman recently oversaw the formation of a joint venture that established a prominent China-focused entertainment company between DreamWorks Animation with China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd., and Shanghai Media Group. [7]
O’Connor previously served as Director of SEC Reporting for DreamWorks Animation and also worked within the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis departments at DreamWorks LLC. [8]
Andrew Chang, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Prior to his current position, Chang held positions as head technology lawyer and head of litigation starting in October 2004 when the Company became publicly-traded. [9]
Daly has worked as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s IPO in 2004. Previously, she served as head of the animated division of DreamWorks SKG since 1997. [10]
QUICK FINANCIALS
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s total revenue for its third quarter, which came to a close on Sept. 30th, was $154.5 million with a net income of $10.1 million, and earning per share a total of $.012 on a fully diluted basis. A contribution of $120.7 million and gross profit of $55.4 million derives from the feature film segment of the company’s revenue. The films Turbo, The Croods,Rise of the Guardians, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted were released in the third quarter. Television series and segment specials contributed a revenue of $18.2 million and turned a gross profit of $4.2 million. AwesomenessTV, an online channel operator that Dreamworks recently acquired, contributed revenue of $3.6 million. The consumer products segment contributed $18.2 million in revenue and $4.2 million in gross profit. [11][12]
• Netflix Netflix announced a multi-year deal with Dreamworks for 300 hours of original television programming inspired by characters from the animation company’s franchises, such as Shrek, The Croods, and its upcoming feature flicks. Characters from Classic Media, which Dreamworks purchased a year ago, are also a part of this deal. Therefore, shows may develop that star familiar faces like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and She-Ra. [14]
•The Second Screen M-Go, an online movie storefront, is a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor. Similar to Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes, M-Go focuses on transactional movie sales and rentals. It already has deals with five major Hollywood studios, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to sell and rent movies to users. In effort to get M-Go on more devices, M-Go announced on September 4th that the M-Go app will be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs. [16]
• The More Characters The Merrier DreamWorks Animation recently acquired the library of Chapman Entertainment, a U.K.-based children’s television company. DreamWorks snagged its television portfolio, which includes popular titles like “Fifi and the Flowertots,” “Roary the Racing Car,” “Raa Raa the Noise Lion,” and “Little Charley Bear”. This acquisition directly follows DreamWorks Animation’s purchase of Classic Media in July 2012. [18]
•Dragons Dominates its Demographic The second season of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berkpremiered on Cartoon Network on Sept. 19th. The first season of the cartoon, based on the Academy Award-nominated film How to Train Your Dragon, ranked number one in its timeslot among boys ages 2-14 versus all other TV networks. [20]
• Turbo Races for Profit
Turbo just released on home video November 12th. Turbo underperformed at the box office, failing to rise to the success of last summer’s Madagascar 3.Rise of the Guardians also tanked in theaters, causing DreamWorks to take an $87 million write down. However, Rise of the Guardians later brought in $42.4 million through pay TV deals. Hopefully Turbo will see similiar results and reel in $46 million in consumer products necessary to make Turbo a lucrative endeavor. Wall Street analysts have commended DreamWorks ability to turn a mediocre box office performer into a hit on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD. [22][23]
• Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting Oriental DreamWorks–a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation (45% equity stake), China Media Capital, Shanhai Alliance Investment, and Shanghai Media Group (combined 55% equity stake between the three)–is in the process of developing four feature films. Kung Fu Panda 3in addition to one other co-produced U.S.-Chinese animated flick and two-live action projects in Chinese are currently slated for development. [25]
Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which features the voices of Ty Burrell and Max Charles, is set for release on March 7th, 2014. The Rob Minkoff directed film–coined as a big screen adaption of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon–follows Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they hurtle back in time to repair history and ultimately save the future. [27]
Photo Courtesy of http://media2.firstshowing.net [30]
• And They’re Back! DreamWorks Animation plans to give audiences a shot of nostalgia with a new short film Rocky & Bullwinkle, arriving in 2014. Directed by Gary Trousdale, the updated version of the original short will feature the voices of June Foray as Rocket “Rocky J. Squirrell and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bullwinkle J. Moose. [29]
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 Riding on the success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon–a half-billion dollar player at the global box office and Oscar nominee–, DreamWorks Animation will release its sequel on June 13th, 2014. How to Train Your Dragon 2reunites the voices of the first film, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, Gerald Butler, and Jonah Hill. [31]
Lionsgate Films is a film production and distribution company and is a division of the Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation. Originally known as Cinépix Film Properties, the name was changed to Lionsgate Films in 1998. The founder, Frank Guistra, stepped down two years later in 2000 and was replaced by Jon Feltheimer, formerly of Sony Pictures, who remains the Chief Executive Officer today. Lionsgate’s first film to be successful at the box office was American Psycho, in 2000. For a long time their biggest success was Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which was recently surpassed by the company’s lucrative franchise, The Hunger Games. [1][2]
KEY EXECUTIVES
-Courtesy of Lionsgate
Jon Feltheimer — CEO
-Courtesy of Lionsgate
Michael Burns — Vice Chairman
-Courtesy of Lionsgate
Steve Beeks — Co-Chief Operating Officer – President, Motion Picture Group [4]
FINANCIALS
Lionsgate reported their 2013 (although actually fiscal 2014) second quarter revenue to be $498.7 million, with an adjusted net income of $25.4 million, a pure profit of $500,000 and $84.9 million in free cash flow. This is a drop from the previous year, as the same quarter in 2012 saw Lionsgate’s revenue hit $707 million. However, last year’s second quarter saw the release of The Hunger Games on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, as well as three wide feature film releases. This year saw only two wide film releases, as the next installment in the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is coming this November, and the rest of the films will follow that pattern for the next few years. Thus, many would say that Lionsgate’s 2013 second quarter earnings were actually better than expected. They were able to make a profit without their major releases and thus are in a position to be very successful during the third quarter and the holiday film season. [5][6][7]
RECENT FILMS
Instructions Not Included
-Courtesy of IMDB
Lionsgate released Instructions Not Includedon August 30th, 2013. The film is a Spanish language film, directed and starred in by Mexican television and occasional film actor, Eugenio Derbez. It is a comedy/drama about a single dad whose life becomes complicated by the resurfacing of his daughter’s birth mother. It became the highest grossing Spanish language film ever released in the U.S. Made only for $5 million, the film grossed a total of over $85 million worldwide. The film made $44 million in the U.S. and $41 million internationally. It’s limited opening weekend, August 30th, grossed over $7 million, while it’s wide release on September 6th earned over $8 million. The film was able to stay on the box office charts for several weeks. Although critical reviews have been mixed, the film has clearly found success in Spanish language audiences, both in the U.S. and internationally, making it a big box office win for Lionsgate. [8][9][10][11]
Ender’s Game
Courtesy of Collider
Ender’s Game, which was released by Lionsgate in the U.S. on November 1st, 2013. The film, based on the novel of the same name, is a science fiction and action film about a child who enrolls in a military school because he is widely believed to be the last chance for mankind to defend themselves from the inevitable alien invasion. The film stars well known child actor Asa Butterfield in the title role and the even more well known Harrison Ford as the lead support. The film was able to rake in $27 million domestically on opening weekend, however it quickly lost steam. Reviews have been mixed, with still many very positive, and while Ender’s Game has been able to gross a total over $63 million overall, it’s budget of $110 million means that it really lost quite a bit of money. Fortunately for Lionsgate, not all is lost, as the coming months will see the release of the company’s most lucrative franchise right in time for the holiday season… [12][13][14]
THE MAJOR UPCOMING RELEASE!
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
-Courtesy of Latino Review
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is the sequal to the previous The Hunger Games, released last year, and is also based on the acclaimed novel series. Due to be released on November 22nd, 2013, in the U.S., the film stars last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Actress (albeit not for The Hunger Games), Jennifer Lawrence, alongside the well known Chris Hemsworth, who previously had a small role in the Lionsgate film, The Expendables 2. The film is expecting to be very successful, with some estimating it to gross nearly $400 million worldwide. This would surpass the $325 million earned by the original and would put Lionsgate in position to be one of, if not the biggest winners, of the winter holiday film season. The film benefits from the existing audience from the original novel series, as well as the significant star power of the cast. This isn’t limited to Lawrence and Hemsworth, as Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and Stanley Tucci, among others, help round out the cast.
-Courtesy of The Washington Post
Furthermore, Lionsgate’s effective marketing campaign for the film consists of the multifaceted website, The Hunger Games Explorer. The site combines many elements of marketing, including social media posts about the film, a reward based competition, traditional fan forums, and official releases such as new trailers or clips. The site can even be used to buy tickets to the film, as it links to ticketing websites such as Fandango. The all encompassing site is an effective design to engage fans of the film and novel series, and even to spark interests from those who are only casually interested. While Lionsgate has also gone for traditional ways of promoting the film, the website shows a forward-thinking marketing strategy, as it allows the company to group together all of its content and social media buzz in one place, while still allowing for traditional fan interactions in fan forums and discussion boards that science-fiction and action fans have typically been drawn to online. The site is the first result if you search “The Hunger Games” on multiple search engines, including Google. [15][16][17][18]
OTHER FUTURE RELEASES
Obviously, The Hunger Games franchise isn’t over yet, as Lionsgate plans for each film to keep its annual November release date, up until The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. Furthermore, Lionsgate has purchased the U.S. distribution rights for Hercules: The Legend Begins, which they plan to release in 2014 before and in competition with Paramount’s Hercules, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. A risky move, but it shows that the company has a plan beyond its annual Hunger Games releases and they are clearly continuing to make a profit, becoming arguably the most successful “mini-major” studio to date. [19][20]
Created in 2005, The Weinstein Company is a multimedia production and distribution company founded by brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The brothers created the company following their departure from Miramax Films, a company they founded in 1979. The Weinstein Company encompasses genre-film studio Dimension Films. The Weinstein Company left the 2012 Academy Awards with 8 awards, the most in the studio’s history, including Best Picture for The Artist. [1]
Harvey Weinstein is co-chairman of The Weinstein Company and founded Miramax Films in 1979 with his brother, Bob, where they released many critically acclaimed films, receiving 16 Best Picture nominations over 16 years. [3]
Bob Weinstein is co-chairman of the The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films, a company he established in 1993, which primarily produces science fiction, family, and horror films including the Scream and Scary Movie franchises. [5]
Financials
Through November of 2013, The Weinstein Company ranks eighth among studios with a 5.1% market share. The studio has released 13 films in 2013 and brought in a total gross of approximate $468 million. In 2012, The Weinstein company also placed eighth among the studios, however they only held a 2.4% market share. [6]
In August, The Weinstein Company agreed to an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix. The deal, set to begin in 2016, will make Netflix the sole U.S. home for all films from The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films during the premium pay-TV window. This deal builds on the already existing deal between the companies that allowed Netflix to stream select films, mostly including foreign films and documentaries. This new deal will end The Weinstein Company’s 2008 seven-year pay TV deal with Showtime. [10]
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler“, released on August 16, is an independent historical drama staring Forest Whitaker as a White House butler who serves over eight presidencies. The film also features Oprah Winfrey as the butler’s wife. [12]
On its opening weekend, the film topped the box office with a weekend gross of over $24 million. It remained atop the weekend box office results for the next two weekends. Through 14 weeks, the film has a domestic gross of over $115 million on just a $30 million budget. The film is currently the studio’s top grossing film of 2013 and fifth all-time. [13]
Originally titled The Butler, the film included director, Lee Daniels‘ name in the title after a failed legal battle with Warner Bros, which claimed the title had been used for a 1916 short. While many thought the name battle may damage the film’s prospects, Harvey Weinstein claims, “We asked people opening weekend what made them see the movie, 40 percent of the audience said the controversy”. [14][9]
The film is already considered an awards contender, specifically for the performances from Whitaker and Winfrey.
“Fruitvale Station”, released on July 12, is the believed true story of the moments leading up to and following the tragic death Oscar Grant III at a subway stop on New Year’s Day. The film stars best actor contender Michael B. Jordan. The film was a 2013 Sundance Film Festival winner. [16]
The film was released in seven theaters, the same weekend the Trayvon Martin verdict was read, grossing a $53,898 average per theater. The film was only placed in over 1,000 theaters during its third and fourth weeks. As of October 31st, the film has a domestic total of just over $16 million. [17]
The Weinstein Company combined marketing for this film with a message to end social injustice in the name of Oscar Grant III. On film advertisements on both the studio’s website and actual business cards, audiences were encouraged to use social media to tell their stories of social injustice. [18]
The film played in four theaters over its first two weeks, then reached its high of 138 theaters in its third week. The film was not highly received at the Telluride Film Festival, resulting in Harvey Weinstein’s decision to recut the film. As a result, 13 minutes of footage was removed, with eight new minutes added. Weinstein’s updated version was used in the film’s wide release. The film has a worldwide gross of over $650,675. [21] [22]
On November 22, The Weinstein Company is slated to release “Philomena” a film based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, stars Judi Dench as a mother in search of her son. The Motion Picture Association of America originally gave the film an R rating, however they changed their ruling to a PG-13 rating after resistance from the studio. [24]
On November 29, the studio is set to release “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”, starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela in his story from childhood to his inauguration as president of South Africa. [26]
The Weinstein Company announced that a special screening of the film will take place at The Kennedy Center on November 20 with former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Colin Powell in attendance. This screening is part of an eight-city tour presented by The Weinstein Company and Coca-Cola. [27]
On Christmas Day, The Weinstein Company is scheduled to release the highly anticipated “August: Osage County”. The John Wells’ film surrounds a family of women who return to their Oklahoma home following a family crisis. The film has generated a lot of buzz due to its star studded cast, highlighted by Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. [28]
The film received a variety of reviews when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s movie poster has received a lot of attention for being strategic as it shows many of the film’s stars. With so many stars, the studio aims to attract the fan bases of these high profile actors. The film expects to compete in the musical or comedy categories at the Golden Globes. [28]
Ryan Kavanaugh and Lynwood Spinks, former venture capitalists and business consultants, founded Relativity Media in 2004. The film studio originally began as a middleman agent, making deals with other studios and then arranging financial support with banks. However, in 2009, Relativity acquired Rogue Pictures from Universal, and since has been involved in developing, creating, and distributing films its own films. Over the last decade, the studio has produced, distributed or structured financing for roughly 200 films, earning over $20 billion worldwide and garnering a total of 73 Oscar® nominations for motion pictures such as The Social Network and The Fighter. [1]
FINANCIALS
Relativity Media is not a publically traded company, and as such, specific quarterly information is not available. However, box office and studio market share information is readily accessible.
Relativity ranks 9th among film distributors for the year with a 2.3% market share as of November 20th, 2013. The studio also finished 9th in 2012, but with a 1.9% market share. However, with other studios gearing up for Oscar season and Relativity having just one upcoming release, both the market share and ranking might go down. [2] [3]
Longtime actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt made his writing and directorial debut with Don Jon, the story of a charming New Jersey man who struggles with finding true intimacy because of his porn addiction. Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza also starred in the critically acclaimed controversial film. [5]
Don Jon, which was originally produced by Voltage Pictures for $6 million, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where Relativity acquired the rights for $4 million. [8]
The film began its theatrical run on September 27th in 2,400 theaters with a $9 million opening weekend. Don Jon went onto gross over $24 million. [5]
Upon first glance, the numbers look astounding for Relativity – a $24 million gross on a $6 million production budget. However, when Relativity acquired the rights to Don Jon at Sundance, the studio pledged to a $27 million marketing budget. [8]
Relativity distribution chief Kyle Davies still maintained that they were pleased with the film’s performance, citing the film’s strong reviews as a success and that the studio wants “to be in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt business.” [8]
Relativity also acquired the rights to Romeo and Juliet, little known Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlei’s 2013 adaptation of the Shakespeare classic. Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Julian Fellowes, creator of BBC darling Downtown Abbey, wrote the screenplay. Hailee Steinfeld, who rose to fame in 2010 when she received an Oscar nomination at 14 years old for her performance in True Grit, and Douglas Booth portrayed the titular star crossed lovers. Damian Lewis of Homeland fame played Lord Capulet, Stellan Skarsgård acted as Prince of Verona, and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti portrayed Friar Laurence. [6] [9][10]
Oddly, given the star power attached to the project, Relativity gave Romeo and Juliet a limited release. It opened in just 461 theaters on October 11th, 2013 and earned $520,116 during its opening weekend and a mere $1,143,238 to date. [6]
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who called the modern adaption – which kept the traditional Verona setting but not the Shakespearean language – muddled, dull, and dumbed-down. [11]
The film focuses on Bale who plays a blue-collar man that seeks justice when his younger brother – a war veteran that got involved in a dangerous crime ring – disappears and the police fail to search for him. [12]
Given the film’s early December release date, falling between the big Thanksgiving and Christmas opening weekends, Out of the Furnace will not directly go up against any other major films and faces little competition at the box office.
Relativity didn’t appear to believe in Romeo and Juliet enough to advertise heavily or give it a wide release, but the studio did use the film to market their latest venture: the Relativity School.
Relativity will become the first major motion picture studio to invest in forming a school for filmmaking and performing arts. Pending the State of California’s approval, Relativity will begin accepting applications in March of 2014 and class will begin four months later. [14]
On October 4th, 2013, Relativity previewed Romeo and Juliet at the New York’s All-American High School Film Festival to promote its college. The studio also offered the festival’s young filmmakers – and prospective students – a meet and greet with Relativity President Tucker Tooley. [15]
The school, located in Downtown Los Angeles, will offer degrees in Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Associate of Fine Arts in fields such as Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship in Media, and Film Production. Relativity has called the school a place where “higher education meets Hollywood” due to industry insiders creating the curriculum and it being located on a working studio lot. [14]
Relativity has branched out not only into education but also television. On October 6th, 2013 it was announced that the National Geographic Channel will produce a scripted TV series based on the Relativity film Act of Valor. Act of Valor, a war film about an elite team of US Navy SEALs, garnered the studio over $80 million after its February 2012 release. [16] [17]
CEO Ryan Kavanaugh cited the 2010 Relativity-distributed Nev Shulman documentary Catfish – which later spawned a popular MTV reality series by the same name – as inspiration for the business venture. Production for the Act of Valor series will start in early 2014. It will be the first scripted show for both National Geographic and Relativity. [16]
Act of Valor isn’t the only Relativity movie that’s being given the TV treatment. It was announced on October 6th that the Bradley Cooper flick Limitless will have a spin-off series as well. The star-studded thriller brought in over $160 million after it premiered in March 2011. Cooper will serve as an executive producer on the series. [18] [19]
FilmDistrict is an independent private media company that focuses in film production, distribution, and acquisition. Originally founded by current CEO Peter Schlessel in September of 2010, FilmDistrict has released 16 films since its inception. The company releases an average of 6-8 films per year across a wide breadth of genres. Although they cover a variety of genres, all of FilmDistrict’s films feature well-known filmmakers with a renowned cast.
Company Executives [4]
CEO – Peter Schlessel [26]
COO – Adrian Alperovich [27]
President of Marketing – Christine Birch [28]
History
[25]
After being founded in 2010, FilmDistrict quickly struck a deal with Netflix to host their films on the streaming service. [5] Under this arrangement films released by FilmDistrict would be available to stream on Netflix just a few months after DVD release. This deal was followed by the release of FilmDistrict’s first film, Insidiousin April of 2011. Insidious was hailed as a truly scary movie with warnings from The Wall Street Journal, “Just don’t go in alone.”[6] In addition to critical success, Insidious was the most profitable film of 2011, raking in over $100 million worldwide on a budget of just over $1 million. [7]
FilmDistrict found success again with Drive, the modern crime drama starring Ryan Gosling. Adding to incredible critical success, Drive was ranked in the top 10 movies of 2011 by Roger Ebert [8], Drive grossed $77,560,689 worldwide on a budget of $13 million. [9] Other notable films released by FilmDistrict have been indie comedy Safety Not Guaranteed, sci-fi thriller Looper, and the remake of horror classic Evil Dead.
In April of 2013, FilmDistrict launched subsidiary company High Top Releasing. High Top Releasing provides distribution assistance for indie producers. Through High Top Releasing producers can access help with “sales, in-theater marketing and print-control support, film-rental negotiation and collection capabilities.” [10] Currently two films have been released through High Top Releasing, I’m in Love with a Church Girl and The Ultimate Life.
Financials
FilmDistrict is not a publicly traded company nor does it release financial information on their website, but below are the film budgets compared to worldwide gross of all of FilmDistrict’s 2012 and 2013 releases. [11] Films marked with an asterisk (*) did not receive a worldwide release.
2012 Films
Lockout– $20 Million Budget / $32,204,030 Worldwide Gross / +$12,204,030
While FilmDistrict still has one more film slated for 2013 release, there has been some corporate restructuring taking place. Recent layoffs at Focus Features and the removal of CEO James Schamus has sparked an absorption of FilmDistrict. [12] Current CEO of FilmDistrict Peter Schlessel will be succeeding Schamus as the new CEO of Focus Features. Joining Schlessel in moving to Focus Features are his fellow executives, Adrian Alperovich as COO, Christine Birch as Marketing Prexy, Jim Orr as Head of Distribution, and Lia Buman as Head of Acquisitions. [13]
FilmDistrict will continue to release upcoming films Oldboy and That Awkward Moment under the FilmDistrict name, but films slated for release after January of 2014 (Pompeii and Walk of Shame) are expected to be released by the newly structured Focus Features as FilmDistrict will be shutting down. [14]
The Spike Lee remake of the classic Korean cult film is scheduled to be released on November 27th of 2013. Oldboy is an action thriller with a darker tone than most. The film stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, and Samuel L. Jackson. Joe Ducett (Brolin) is held captive for 20 years in a hotel room and then mysteriously released. After his release he goes on a hunt to discover why he was imprisoned and by whom.
While some fans worry about their favorite movie being altered, Samuel L. Jackson assured fans that while it is a remake, it is not the same film as its predecessor, “There are so many things that are different and so many things that are similar, in theme, yes, in execution, not so much.” [17] See Oldboy in theaters November 17th, 2013.
That Awkward Moment is a romantic comedy starring Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan. Directed by Tom Gormican, the film revolves around three single guys who pledge to remain out of relationships in an act of solitude for their recently broken up friend. As they each each find girlfriends they struggle to keep their relationships a secret from one another to avoid breaking their vow.
While superstar Zac Efron is no stranger to the big screen (High School Musical 3: Senior Year, 17 Again) this is director Tom Gormican’s first feature film. He co-produced the raunchy hit Movie 43 and will be bringing some of that originality to his first feature. See That Awkward Moment in theaters January 31st, 2014 .
After record breaking openings, the Insidious series has established itself as a franchise and now the third chapter has a confirmed release date. [20] Insidious: Chapter 3 is scheduled to be released on April 3rd of 2015. Insidious was the most profitable film of 2011 [21] and Insidious: Chapter 2 had the second biggest September debut of all time in 2013. [22] Expect big things from the third film in this trilogy.
[23]
While fans still have to wait until November 17th to see Oldboy, FilmDistrict has published part 1 of a graphic novel called The Devil’s Eyesthat functions as a prequel to Oldboy. [24] The graphic novel will come in 3 parts that detail the backstory to Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the film. The Devil’s Eyes part 1 is currently available for free on Oldboy’s Tumblr site with the next two installments coming soon. This is fitting as the original Korean Oldboy was based on a 1996 Japanese manga.
Focus Features is the sister company of NBCUniversal. The art-house unit of Universal Pictures, Focus produces and distributes specialty films in the U.S. and distributes films globally through Focus Features International. Focus aspires to challenge its viewers with controversial issues and deep concepts.Focus formed in 2002 with the merge of USA Films, Universal Focus, and Good Machine In February 2011, Focus Features partnered with Screen Media and launched Focus World, a VOD (video on demand) label aimed to bringing global and indie films to audiences across multiple platforms. Focus World films released to date include Resurrect Dead, C.O.G., and Underground: The Julian Assange Story. [1] Currently, Focus is undergoing changes in key executives and domestic headquarters with the merge of FilmDistrict. [2]
Brokeback Mountain, The Kids are All Right, Anna Karenina, Atonement, and Milk, are a handful of Focus’ Oscar wins and nominations. [3] Focus Features releases approximately 5 feature films annually. There is an expected bump up in yearly releases with the evaporation of FilmDistrict into Focus Features.
KEY EXECUTIVES
James Schamus and Peter Schlessel
Among being the co-founder and CEO to Focus, James Schamus is a screenwriter, producer, and a fervid pursuer of the art-house genre. Schamus’ notable filmography includes Hulk andBrokeback Mountain. With the merge of Focus’ and FilmDistrict, Peter Schlessel, a professional of the studio and specialty films, will take over as Focus Features’ CEO starting January 2014. [4]
Andrew Karpen and Adrian Alperovi
Adrian Alperovich will run as chief operating officer with the changes in January 2014, taking the place of Andrew Karpenwho declined the offer to move to LA with the new Focus Features headquarters. [5] As co-chief executive officer, Karpen managed Focus’ international and domestic activities.
FINANCIALS
Focus Features’ annual and quarter financials are private. Since its launch in 2002, Focus Features has undergone a plummet in the box offices. In an effort to change the company’s unprofitability, Universal Pictures pushed for the merge between Focus and FilmDistrict, a change in headquarters and executives, more commercialized productions, and an increase of 10 films produced and distributed annually by the improved Focus Features. [6]
2013 marks Focus’ first year with 10 releases. An overall gross profit of $86.4 million is perceived as low in comparison to the $131.2 million in 2012 with only 7 releases. There was a -34.1% decrease in annual gross between 2012 and 2013 and a -29.9% decrease when comparing 2011 and 2013 box offices. [7]
FILMDISTRICT MERGE
October 2013, Universal Pictures, the parent company to Focus Features, announced the absorption of FilmDistrict into Focus Features with new CEO, Peter Schessel. Schessel officially begins as head of Focus Features January 2014 in the new Los Angeles headquarters. The revamped Focus Features company plans to bring in most of the FilmDistrict team alongside Peter Schessel and Adrian Alperovich. [8]
“The breadth and depth of Peter’s experience in the film business including production, acquisitions, distribution and most recently running FilmDistrict, will be a tremendous asset to Focus Features as the company broadens its portfolio beyond the production and distribution of specialty product,” said Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley. “Peter is one of the most talented executives in the industry and I’m confident that under his leadership, Focus will become even more of a force as the specialty film business continues to evolve.” [9] Under Schessel’s administration starting January 2014, the remaining FilmDictrict productions will be released as a part of Focus Features films.
The merge serves to build Focus’ global footprint by increasing commercial films, broadening film styles, and raising annually released films to 10. These goals will further structure and change the art-house film unit and expand the company’s range of audiences. The absorption of FilmDistrict and part of its professional team will escalate Focus Features to a status above its specialty competitors.
THE WORLD’S END
Released: August 23, 2013
Following the success of Hot Fuzz (2007) and Shaun of the Dead (2004), director Edgar Wright takes on a new, explosive production with The World’s End. Director Edgar Wright’s The World’s End, tells a story about the reunion of five lifelong friends who rekindle over a drinking game but face obstacles of the apocalyptic degree. The reunited team, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, fight for the future humankind in The World’s End. [10]
Opening weekend The World’s End ranked fourth with $8,811,790 in 1,551 theaters. Currently in its 13th week, The World’s End grossed about two times as much as its budget with $46,074,336 worldwide. [11] The third in Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End expected to soar inside and outside target audiences. With continual decrease in weekend gross, the theater count dropped dramatically every weekend, adding to the overall decrease in The World’s End profitability for Focus Features.
FUTURE
The future for Focus Features revolves around the changes in the company, innovation in a multi-platform world, oscar buzz, and additional films set for release from both FilmDistrict and Focus’ slate.
Among Focus’ four theatrical releases of 2013, Dallas Buyers Clubholds the most praise and interest. Based on true events, Dallas Buyers Club tells the story of a life-enthusiast, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), diagnosed with H.I.V.. Woodroof refuses to believe his scheduled demise in 30 days and challenges the scientific and medical community by smuggling unapproved treatments and medicines to the U.S. from Mexico. On his journey, he befriends a fellow AIDS struggler and transsexual, Rayon (Jared Leto). Together they form a buyers club to sell and distribute new HIV medicines. A story on the education, acceptance, and struggle of the AIDS epidemic, Dallas Buyers Club takes on a topic still toxic and hidden in todays world. [12]
With its initial release, Dallas Buyers Club is receiving Oscar buzz for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto’s work. The film gained initial recognition and buzz in the Toronto International Film Festival alongside Jason Bateman‘s Bad Words. Focus Features bought the rights to distribute the two films at TIFF and expect high successes. [13]
Focus Features is currently producing Bad Words to be released March 2014, Boxtrollsto be released September 2014, and 50 Shades of Grey to be released February 2015. With the new merge, the company plans on releasing the slate that FilmDistrict carries, alongside their own slate. Universal Pictures took an educated leap with this merge; only the future will tell if Focus will prosper as a production company or flop as an amateur partnership.
Paramount Pictures Corporation is a subsidiary of the top ranked media firm Viacom. It globally produces and distributes filmed entertainment. The corporation was founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor and was originally known as the Famous Players Film Company. In 1994, Viacom acquired Famous Players and renamed it to Paramount Pictures. The company annually releases twelve different movies and distributes them through its Paramount Home Entertainment. 2012 marked Paramount’s 100th year anniversary and despite being one of the oldest motion picture companies in America, they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. [1][2]
Since 2000, Badagliacca has served as Paramount Pictures Corporation‘s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is in control of the finances, treasury, accounting and financial planning for the corporate company. [4]
Huntsberry started his position as the Chief Operating Officer for Paramount Pictures Corporation in 2006. As the C.O.O, he manages the planning and operations for the studio, including their financial department, IT department, and human resources. [5]
On September 27, 2013, Paramount‘s well-known producer and employee of over eighty-five years, Andrew Craddock Lyles, passed away at the age of 95. Lyles’ affiliation with the company began when he was only 10 years old, as he handed out fliers for a local theatre owned by Paramount in his hometown in Florida. His career in Hollywood began when he started working in the mail room at Paramount. He later moved up to become a studio publicist and further onto a producer. His wife, Martha Vickers, survives him and has asked for donations in honor of her husband to be sent to the Motion Picture Fund. [6]
Star Trek Into Darknessoriginally came out May 16 and during its opening weekend it generated $70,165,559 in the domestic box office. From opening weekend to August 25 it brought in $227,377,844. The weekend before this special double feature only added $106,356 to the total revenue, but with the introduction of the two for one deal, the weekend from August 30 to September 2 added $1,056,014 to their overall gross, increasing the total profits to reach $228,756,232. [10]
For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [27]
World War Z was released on June 21 and brought $66,411,834 in sales during its first weekend at the domestic box office. Up until August 30, $198,854,941 was generated for its revenue. The weekend before the special feature produced a small profit of only $314,920. With the introduction of the two for one deal however, the weekend of September 3 increased the gross income with an additional $1,650,374. Ultimately, after October 6, World War Z’s overall revenue totaled to $202, 349,504. [11]
Paramount Pictures Corporation‘s most recent comedy, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa was released on October 25. The movie is the fourth installment in the Jackass movie series, which is based off of the hit MTV reality series produced by DickhouseTV, where the cast is known for their self-injuring stunts and pranks. Johnny Knoxville stars as the lead character, Irving Zisman, who takes a road trip with his grandson and ridiculousness ensues.
For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [29]
The film collected $32,055,177 in its opening weekend, toppling Warner Bros.‘s drama Gravity, which only raked in $20,135,387 that weekend.[12][13] Analysts were waiting for something to take out Gravity, since it had stayed at the top of the movie charts for its first three weeks, and Bad Grandpa did the job. After four weeks in theaters, Bad Grandpa has thus far accumulated $90,202,000, which is just shy of its $100 million goal. [12][14]
In the beginning of October, Paramount Pictures stated that 110 job cuts will be made spanning its worldwide offices. In a recent statement, Chief Operating Officer Fredrick Hunstberry announced that reductions are being made to five percent of the company’s 2,200-person workforce. [15] The departments impacted are finance, human resources, and information technology, international home-media distribution, legal and marketing. [16] The company’s intent is to reorganize the corporation in order to better adapt themselves to the film industry’s increasing competition. [15]
The Wolf of Wall Street is Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest movie where he plays the wealthy stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. Over Belfort’s years as a swindler, he developed a serious drug addiction, getting wrapped up in the rich party lifestyle and refused to cooperate in a large fraud case pertaining to corruption on Wall Street. Martin Scorsese is the director of this black comedy, which is based on Belfort’s self-titled memoir. Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey are among other cast members. [17]
For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [32]
The film was originally set to be released November 15, and has since been changed to come out in theaters on Christmas day, December 25. [18] The purpose of the set back is due to issues surrounding the movies long length of three hours, as well as a debate pertaining to its potential NC-17 rating. As a result of the setback, other studios are left scrambling to refigure their movie schedules. Sony has pushed back its release date for The Monuments Men from December 18 to February 7th of next year. The RoboCopremake has thus been postponed and will now be coming out in theaters on February 12th. For Paramount, their initial holiday movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, is now set to come out January 7, 2014. Ultimately, the process of changing one release date shows how problematic and chaotic the procedure for movie scheduling is during “Oscar season”. [18]
MGM, also known by its full name Metro Goldwyn Mayer, was founded in April of 1924 when Metro Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn Pictures, Louis B. Mayer Productions merged together, thus developing the title “MGM.” MGM is an independent, privately-held, film, television, and home video company that specializes in theatrical and production distribution. The company was incredibly successful right away and for the first 3 decades after it was founded, MGM produced a “Best Picture” nominee at every Academy Awards ceremony. Some of MGM’s most notable titles include “Gone with the Wind,” “Annie Hall,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Doctor Zhivago.”[3]
Gary Barber has been with MGM since 2010. Before this, he was the president of Vestron International Group. He also founded Spyglass Entertainment. Under his leadership, the company has been seeing a ton of success with the release of films such as James Bond: Skyfall, 21 Jump Street, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Another aspect of MGM that has thrived under the control of Mr. Barber is MGM’s television division.
Ken Schapiro has been the Chief Operating Officer of MGM since 2011. Before this, he held a few different positions at numerous companies. The position that was perhaps his most important besides MGM was COO and co-founder of Qualia Capital LLC, an investment company that focuses on the media and entertainment.
Jonathan Glickman- President, Motion Picture Group
Jonathan Glickman is in charge of the Motion Picture division of MGM. He was previously the president of Spyglass Entertainment. Since he’s been the President of this division, MGM has celebrated the release of Skyfall, which became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time, as well as the release of the first film in The Hobbit series. [7]
Financials
The fiscal year for MGM ends on December 31st. In 2011, the total revenue for the year was $680.6 million. [8] In 2012, the total revenue was $1.38 billion, which is a 97% raise in revenue. [9] This huge raise in revenue is mostly due to the fact that MGM released both Skyfall, the latest installation in the James Bond series, as well as the first film in The Hobbit series. Both of these films were released in the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year which was a huge reason for the monetary success in 2012. Although the 2013 fiscal year is not over, the second quarter results from this year put the revenue at $821 million. [10] At this rate, the second quarter for this year is already higher than the total revenue in all of 2011. It’s hard to say at this point if 2013 will beat 2012 but with the recent release of the remake of Carrie and the release of the second film in The Hobbit series in December, it’s definitely possible that 2013 will beat or at least match 2012 in regard to revenue. [11]
Competition
Two of MGM’s current biggest competitors include Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation, and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [12] It’s hard to compete with what’s coming up for MGM (The Hobbit films and James Bond). Lionsgate can be seen as MGM’s biggest rival right now because throughout the next 2 years, Lionsgate will be releasing the next three films in The Hunger Games series. [13] Twentieth Century doesn’t have any majorly anticipated film releases coming up which is why it currently isn’t as big of a competitor for MGM as Lionsgate is. However, Twentieth Century does have two film adaptations of popular novels coming out in the next year. This includes “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green and “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. [14]
What’s Happening Now
Deal with Amazon.com
On October 22nd, MGM announced that it had come to an agreement with Amazon.com that will allow Amazon to provide the MGM Television produced show, Vikings to users via Amazon Prime Instant Video. This popular series has aired on the History channel but by making it accessible on Prime Instant Video, it will allow fans another medium to access it through and will provide another form of revenue for MGM’s television distribution branch. The deal not only made Vikings available for streaming, but also popular MGM films such as Annie Hall, Fargo, and Hotel Rwanda. [15]
On October 30th, MGM Studios released a statement announcing the start of filming on the motion picture, If I Stay, a film based on a young adult novel with the same title. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz (the star of the new MGM film Carrie) as its main character. The book, which was released in 2009, was highly rated and this film will hopefully garner much success since the genre of young-adult fiction has made a very successful transition to the screen world in recent years, an example of this is Pretty Little Liars. [17]
On November 15th, it was announced that MGM Studios in partnership with Danjaq LLC (The production company in charge of the James Bond films) has finally acquired all of the rights to the James Bond series. This legal battle has been going on for 50 years. It all began because of a man named Kevin McClory, the co-writer of the James Bond script, Thunderball. After this script was completed, James Bond creator, Ian Fleming turned the script into a novel with the same name. McClory sued Fleming on the basis that this was a violation of ownership rights. Eventually, this specific incident ended with a compromise but the battle about who owned what in regards to James Bond content went on for the next 50 years until MGM just won the rights to all James Bond related content. [19]
The next film in The Hobbit series is set to be released on December 13th of this year. The film will star some of the characters from The Lord of the Rings series as well as add some new stars including British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. [22]
This film is set to release on June 13th, 2014. It’s the sequel to 21 Jump Street which came out last year. The film stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill who play a duo of undercover cops. [24]
This is the final film in The Hobbit trilogy and is set for release on December 17th, 2014. MGM is hoping for as much success for The Hobbit trilogy as the The Lord of the Rings trilogy received, given it involves many of the same characters and many overlapping plots. [26]
This film, an installment of the James Bond series is scheduled to be released on October 23, 2015 and will be directed by Sam Mendes, the director of the latest Bond film, Skyfall. The film will star Daniel Craig, who has starred as Bond in the last three James Bond films. [28]
Robert Osher, Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Pictures (3)
Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures (2)
About the Company
Columbia Pictures is a production and distribution company founded in 1924 by Jack Cohn, Harry Cohn, and Joe Brandt. It is currently owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, operating as part of Sony’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, through which Sony produces most of its big budget movies. Considered one of the leading film studios in the world, Columbia Pictures is one of Hollywood’s “Big Six”, distributing over 22 films yearly in the United States alone. Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group operations are located in six other countries: Columbia Pictures Producciones Espanolas in Madrid; Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico in Mexico City; Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia in Hong Kong; and others in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Japan (16).
(4) Frank Capra, a well known director for Columbia Pictures
During the Golden Age of of Hollywood, Columbia Pictures was considered one of the ‘Little Three’. Much of their earlier success can be accredited to director Frank Capra, who created Columbia’s first all “talkie” feature, titled “The Donovan Affair”. His film ‘It Happened One Night’ earned Columbia their first Best Picture Academy Award and brought the studio to fame. In the mid ’40’s, Columbia released their highest-grossing movie ever, “The Jolson Story”. This earned them another Best Picture award as well as marked the beginning of their most profitable decade (5).
.
Columbia Pictures joined with HBO and CBS to form TriStar Pictures in 1985 (7)
.
In 1982, Columbia was bought by Coca Cola. This was a lucrative time for the company as they expanded into other forms of entertainment, such as home video. Three years later, Columbia joined with HBO and CBS to make the first new motion picture studio in decades, TriStar Pictures. This major studio was the had the fastest growth in the history of the film industry.
Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures in 1989 for $3.2 billion (5). This purchase was unprecedented, and was, at that time, the largest acquisition by a Japanese company. Columbia Pictures has been gaining success ever since.
Finances
Columbia Pictures does not make its finances known to the public. It is not a publicly traded company, its parent company Sony, is traded under the name SNE at $18.51 a share. Columbia and Sony Pictures together have grossed $1,065.8 million this year alone, and control 11.4% of the market share (21). They are currently ranked as the number 4 studio by Box Office Mojo, just under Buena Vista.
Recent Releases
Movie Poster for “Captain Phillips” (8)
Captain Phillips MPAA Rating: PG-13 Release Date: October 11, 2013 Production Budget: $55 Million
“Captain Phillips” is a true story about an American cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates andwas a hugely successful film, its widest release in 3,143 theaters. Despite the competitively successful “Gravity” released at a similar time, the film is doing very well. So far, it has grossed over $97,820,373 domestically, which is much more than its budget. Its opening weekend, it was ranked number 2 at the box office (9).
Elysium MPAA Rating: R Release Date: August 9, 2013 Production Budget: $115 Million
“Elysium” is a film about the future, where the wealthy live on a space ship and the poor must live on the destroyed earth. The main character’s mission is to create equality. The film’s domestic total gross so far is $92,947,675, but its foreign gross is $192,007,963. Its widest release was to 3,284 theaters and ranked number 1 its opening weekend (10).
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” is an animated movie for children. It features the voices of some celebrities, like Anna Faris, Andy Samburg, and Neil Patrick Harris. This was a highly successful film for Columbia, grossing $34,017, 930 domestically its opening weekend in 4,001 theaters. It was immediately ranked number 1 at the box office. So far, the film has made almost double its budget, grossing $113,125,418 domestically as of November 18th (19).
American Hustle MPAA Rating: Not yet rated Release Date: December 13, 2013
“American Hustle” is about a con man and his partner, a British woman, who are forced to work for the FBI. This film is expected to do well at the box office. It has a lot of star power, as the cast is made up of Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Louis CK, and Christian Bale (12). This film is generating a lot of buzz as it is soon to show at its first film festival, the Dubai International Film Festival, or DIFF.
.
You can find the trailer for this film HERE.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is starring Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, and Jamie Foxx. It is being produced by Matthew Tolmach, who is a previous co-president of Columbia Pictures (14). Columbia Pictures has had a huge amount of success with the Spider-man franchise. Working with Marvel, Columbia also plans to release an IMAX 3D version (15).
.
.
Recent News
In 2012, Sony released that it had made over $4 billion worldwide, mostly in part to Columbia’s successful films, including “Skyfall“, “The Amazing Spider-Man“, “21 Jump Street“, “Men in Black 3“, and “Hotel Transylvania“. The Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group now has a motion picture library with over 3,500 titles with 12 Best Picture Academy Awards. Currently, Columbia plans to continue creating big budget box office hits and gaining large profits for Sony Pictures Entertainment. In the upcoming 2014-2015 year, the studio plans to create some sequels to their previously successful films, such as “Bad Teacher 2“, “Hotel Transylvania 2” and “22 Jump Street” (16). Columbia is also looking to produce some Oscar contenders, like “Annie“, a modern telling of the classic musical. It is set to be released in 2014, and stars Quvenzhane Wallis who was nominated for an Oscar for her acting in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (17).
Recently, Columbia’s parent company Sony has not been doing so well. This year, they were ranked fourth in domestic box-office sales, and gained a revenue of $1.13 billion, which is down 32% from last year. They are undergoing many changes, especially after some box office flops like “White House Down” and “After Earth” (18). They are reportedly reviewing their process for how movies are selected and are looking to cut costs.
![[1]](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130521014604/filmguide/images/f/fa/Mgm-logo.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2010/12/mgm_split_2010_a_l.jpg){kind=link}
![[5]](http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/thumbnails/1063962011-02-14-12-36-38.jpg){kind=link}
![[6]](http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/jonathanglickman__121015171313-200x277.jpg){kind=link}
![[16]](http://images.pcworld.com/images/article/2012/07/amazon-instant-video-11387687.jpg){kind=link}
![[18]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81UjVsGy5yL._SL1500_.jpg){kind=link}
![[20]](http://derricklferguson.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/film_posters_thunderball_unused_concept_art_frank_mccarthy.jpg){kind=link}
![[21]](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2013/06/hobbit_desolation_of_smaug_poster.jpg){kind=link}
![[23]](http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/img7/22jumpstreet-clapboard-full.jpg){kind=link}
![[25]](http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_small/13/131703/2788974-4245.jpeg){kind=link}
![[27]](http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130712125540/jamesbond/images/8/86/Bond_24.jpg){kind=link}
![[1] MGM Logo Image](http://http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130521014604/filmguide/images/f/fa/Mgm-logo.jpg){kind=link}