Hulu #1

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Hannah Mesches

Hannah Mesches

Hulu logo (1) source: Hulu

Company

Hulu is a premium streaming service that offers subscribers hours of content- both television programming and movies- with limited commercials for $7.99 a month or no commercials for $11.99 a month. Launched in 2008, Hulu has remained a leader in redefining how TV and how it is consumed by loyal viewers. The company boasts nearly 9 million subscribers, over 500 content partners, and 2,000 advertising partners. (2) Hulu recently reached a milestone of 700 million hours of content streamed by subscribers.

CEO Mike Hopkins (3) source: Hulu

Senior Vice President, Head of Content Craig Erwich (3) source: Hulu

Senior Vice President, Head of Distribution Tim Connolly (3) source: Hulu

Financials

Hulu is not a publicly traded company, thus the company’s financial profile is not available in the same detail as that of a company with quarterly SEC filings. Despite this, on October 6th 2015, Hulu published the news that it and Viacom expanded their content partnership in a new multi-year agreement. (4) With this deal, Hulu became the exclusive subscription video on demand (SVOD) home to full seasons of popular series from Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV such as Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City and Finding Carter. These programs are highly popular with adults 18-34 and will attract cord cutters with the accessibility the company provides through online streaming. (5)

The deal also expands Hulu’s catalog of children’s programming. Full older seasons of Nickelodeon shows that have never been available for online streaming on the site are now exclusive to the service. In addition to this, all episodes of 90’s and 00’s era programs like The Wild Thornberrys, Drake and Josh, Hey Arnold and Ren & Stimpy will be available for the first time ever on Hulu. The renewal and expansion of this deal will allow the company to acquire programs that audiences who are ditching cable will be looking to watch elsewhere due to their popularity.

Newly Released Content

To compete with Netflix, Hulu released two original series, Casual and RocketJump: The Show in Q4 of 2015 (6), and brought back cancelled program The Mindy Project. On October 21st, 2015, Casual, which stars Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Barr, was renewed for a second season due to the success of Producer Jason Reitman’s dysfunctional family comedy. (7) The release date of RocketJump, a documentary series about Youtube filmmaker Freddie Wong and the creation of his action-comedy short films, was delayed until December 2nd, 2015. (8) The original series will still likely draw a substantial audience as name recognition will play a large role.

The Mindy Project (9) source: Geekynews

Hulu also revived cult favorite The Mindy Project starring Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina and Ike Barinholtz exclusively for its streaming service when it was cancelled by Fox. The company signed on for 26 episodes of the program for its fourth season. With more creative freedom given by Hulu, the show has involved more mature themes and plots, and thus has attracted a wider audience. (10) A.V. Club reviewed the Hulu season premiere entitled “While I Was Sleeping” as an A on its scale, calling the episode “an amazing season opener, her best-ever.” (11)

Earlier this year, Hulu premiered the show Difficult People on August 5th, 2015. The series was created by Julie Klausner who stars alongside Billy Eichner. Eichner’s performance immediately garnered positive attention from critics and the show was given an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 on Metacritic. (12) After landing a role on Parks and Recreation due to the success of his popular Youtube series Billy on the Street, the actor’s high energy style became in demand as he was cast on several hit programs, but found the most success with Hulu.

Future Content

On February 15th, 2016, Hulu will release its highly anticipated series 11/22/63 based on the 2011 best selling novel written by Stephen King and published by Scribner. (13) The thriller, starring James Franco tells the story of a high school english teacher who travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President. John F. Kennedy. The mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, a love interest, and the past’s unwillingness to change itself. (14)

11/22/63 (15) source: Entertainment Weekly

Offline, Hulu will be bringing a popular fan experience to Los Angeles this winter. After its success in New York City, Hulu is resurrecting the Seinfeld: The Apartment exhibit for the show’s L.A. fans. (16) The pop up installation features a replica of Jerry Seinfeld’s Upper West Side apartment, and full gallery experience, as well as new items from the series. The exhibit will be located on 8445 Melrose Ave. and will be open from December 16th- 20th. The popularity of both the installation and the series as a whole is imperative for Hulu’s success in streaming Seinfeld in its entirety on the site. A whole new audience is reached as a result, and old fans are able to relive the series in a new way. (17)

Showtime

In addition to the new commercial free subscription that Hulu offers, customers are now able to pay an additional fee to get Showtime as a premium add on for $8.99 a month. Now viewers are able to watch award winning programs such as Homeland, The Affair, Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex and Episodes through the streaming service. (18)

Showtime on Hulu (19) source: Hulu

Although this service comes at an extra cost, it will attract millennial viewers as they stray away from more expensive cable packages and move to exclusively online sites such as Hulu and its competitors Netflix and Amazon. (20) Subscribers will be able to take Showtime programs on the go as it is available on Apple devices, Android phones and tablets, Playstation, Wii, and Xbox One.

Overview

Overall, Hulu has had a productive year. From introducing a new subscription free of commercials, to receiving rave reviews for its original series, to expanding its agreement with Viacom and partnering with Showtime, the company is quickly amassing both content and loyal subscribers. Unlike Netflix, the site is able to make content available the day after it airs on live television, which attracts cord cutting fans as the service is less expensive and available on more interfaces. With a highly anticipated release coming in the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, Hulu is releasing content at a steady stream that keeps customers invested.

Sources

(1) Hulu – Watch TV, Originals, and Hit Movies.” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(2) “About Hulu.” About Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(3) “Executives.” Executives. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(4) “Hulu and Viacom Expand Content Partnership In Robust, New Multi-Year Agreement.” News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(5) “Cord Cutters News – All the News Cord Cutters Need about Cord Cutting! Covering, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Netflix, Hulu, & More!”Cord Cutters News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(6) “Hulu Originals Premiere Dates.” Premiere Dates. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(7) “Jason Reitman’s ‘Casual’ Gets Season 2 on Hulu.” Variety. N.p., 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(8) “‘RocketJump: The Show’ Premiere on Hulu Pushed Back to December.”Variety. N.p., 09 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(9) “First Look: Lee Pace in The Mindy Project.” GeekyNews. N.p., 06 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(10) “The Mindy Project Isn’t Cancelled After All, Here’s What’s Happening.”CINEMABLEND. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(11) “The Mindy Project:.” “While I Was Sleeping” · The Mindy Project · TV Review “While I Was Sleeping” · TV Club · The A.V. Club. N.p., 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(12) “‘Difficult People’ on Hulu: Will Critics’ Raves Lead to Awards for Julie Klausner, Billy Eichner?” GoldDerby. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(13) “11.22.63.” Hulu Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(14) “11.22.63.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(15) “First Look: See James Franco in Stephen King’s Time-travel JFK Assassination Thriller 11/22/63.” Entertainment Weekly. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(16) “Inside the ‘Seinfeld’ Apartment Pop-Up in New York.” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(17) “Hulu to Bring SEINFELD: THE APARTMENT Fan Experience to LA This December.” Broadway World. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(18) “Hulu with Showtime.” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(19) “What Is SHOWTIME® on Hulu?” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

AOL

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Laura Sanfilippo

Laura Sanfilippo

Source: AOL [20]

770 Broadway

New York, NY

10003

212-206-4400

KEY EXECUTIVES

CEO Tim Armstrong Source: corp.aol.com/leader/tim-armstrong

CEO Tim Armstrong
Source: Corp AOL [1]

President AOL Inc. and Executive VP Bob Lord Source: corp.aol.com/leader/bob-lord

President AOL Inc. and Executive VP Bob Lord
Source: AOL [3]

CFO and Executive VP Holly Hess Source: corp.aol.com/leader/holly-hess

CFO and Executive VP Holly Hess
Source: AOL [2]

Overview

America Online started out as an Internet service provider and has since become a multifaceted Internet giant. America Online is probably most known for its iconic “You’ve got mail” and for its email and instant messaging services, but it is so much more. Not only does AOL provide these more well known services, but it also produces original content, creates apps and continues to grow. The AOL Huffington Post Media Group (AOL HPMG) has over 350 million monthly consumers and consists of 56 sites, including The Huffington Post, Cambio, Moviefone, Mapquest, Engadget, and TechCrunch that lead in news, entertainment, digital, and community content [4]. The AOL HPMG has over 9,000 bloggers including celebrities and politicians, like Aaron Sorkin and Neil Young, who discuss topics making headlines today. The sites combine journalism, technology, engagement and video across all platforms[4]. Today the AOL HPMG is owned by Verizon with whom they continue to grow[4].

History

Source: Science Borealis [21]

America Online is an online platform that offers many different services, such as email, apps, video, and blogs that serves millions of people and has continued to grow since its origin. America Online was founded originally in 1985 with the name Quantum Computer Services by Steve Case [5]. It’s name was officially changed to America Online (AOL) in 1991[4]. Soon after, an instant messaging service and AOL’s classic “You’ve got mail” notification were launched [6]. In 1994 AOL hit one million users and began using advertisements within its service. No more than two years later it hit five million subscribers [7]. In 2011 AOL purchased the Huffington Post to form the AOL Huffington Post Media Group and it has continued to grow, buying services like Moviefone and Netscape, and Mapquest [4]. In early 2015 AOL was acquired by Verizon in an over four billion dollar acquisition [8].

AOL Originals

Citizen Mars Source: Engadget [22]

Making A Scene Source: Deadline [23]

Park Bench Source: AOL Advertising [24]

In addition to providing various online services, AOL also produces original content from some of the biggest names in Hollywood. AOL’s originals appeal to a wide variety of users because there is something for everyone. Currently in AOL’s library of originals are reality series spanning from #Candidly Nicole, a series following Nicole Richie, based off her Twitter feed, Citizen Mars, a series that follows the finalists for the one way mission to mars, and True Trans which follows trans musician Laura Jane Grace and other members of the trans community [9]. Also in their catalog are series from James Franco and Steve Buscemi. James Franco’s series “Making a Scene” is in it second season where Franco and his team take famous movies, and scenes and recreate them through Franco’s imagination [9]. Steve Buscemi’s acclaimed series “Park Bench With Steve Buscemi,” is a non fiction series hosted by, you guessed it, Steve Buscemi. He sits on a park bench and talks to a wide variety of guests including, Kenan Thompson, and Gilbert Gottfried [10]. The series was nominated for an Emmy in 2014 for Outstanding Short-Form Nonfiction Program [9]. This is only the cusp of AOL’s original content. Their library also includes comedy shows, shows about food, cars, and even ballet [9]. Everyone can find something for them on AOL originals.

Financials

AOL released its last financial update on May 8, 2015 [11]. Though not in the last few months, It contains all of AOL’s first quarter 2015 financial information. In this quarter AOL had a 12% increase in its advertising revenue, going from $433.4 million in the last quarter of 2014 to $483.5 million in the first quarter of 2015 [11]. Additionally, their price for global advertising has increased 10% [11]. These are both important because it is becoming harder and harder to reach people via advertising. If the price for advertising is going up, one can assume that AOL’s advertising strategies are effective. AOL has overall had a successful first quarter with an increased total revenue of 7% going from $583.3 million in the last quarter of 2014 to $625.1 million in the first quarter of 2015 [11].

Source: AOL Investor Relations http://ir.aol.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147895&p=quarterlyearnings

Source: AOL Investor Relations Presentation [11]

What’s New

In the past few months AOL has launched a number of new originals and services. In October, Jared Leto’s new series launched on Build called “Beyond the Horizon” which talks about the future of humanity and will have guests such as former Vice President Al Gore and author of The Martian Andy Weir [12].

Source: AOL Advertising advertising.aol.com

Beyond The Horizon Source: AOL Advertising [25]

Earlier this month AOL launched their new series on AOL.com called “Act Like A Musician” which brings together musicians and actors to talk about their passion and create music [13]. Danny Masterson, of “That 70s Show” fame, and The Strokes Albert Hammond Jr. join in the first episode to perform music and talk about their careers [14]. The series, which is currently in its third week, will be a limited run and end after six weeks [13].

In the recent months AOL has also launched various new apps and acquired thousands more. To target millennial users they launched the app “Kanvas” in late October [15]. The app is like a combination of Periscope and Snapchat [15]. It is similar to Snapchat in the sense that you can put filters and effects on your videos, but hopes to outdo the live streaming services, like Meerkat and Periscope, by not removing live streams after periods of time [15].

Kanvas Source: Entrepreneur [15]

In addition to creating a new app, AOL acquired Millennial Media granting them access to over 65 thousand apps and allowing them to reach over one billion global users [16]. It will also make available more advertising across ONE, AOL’s advertising service, by AOL [17], [27].

In September AOL launched LIVE by AOL which is a start to finish service for live events [18]. These productions will be distributed through AOL’s various channels such as Tech Crunch and The Huffington Post [18].

In October AOL went back to its email roots and relaunched ALTO, a service that puts all of your email accounts, be that Gmail or AOL, in one place [19]. ALTO has a dashboard, and many other features, to find the most important things among your email accounts [19]. The goal of ALTO is to make using email on your mobile device more user friendly.

Source: ALTO [26]

Wrap Up

In the past few months AOL has launched a number of new programs, videos, and made strategic acquisitions that gives it a leg up in the world we live in today. Its wide variety of online shows appeal to mass audiences. Its new app and newly launched shows appeal again to a wide crowd and specifically to the millennial generation. Its successful financial quarter will help AOL continue to grow.

[1] Corporate AOL. “Tim Armstrong.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/tim-armstrong

[2] Corporate AOL. “Holly Hess.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/holly-hess

[3] Corporate AOL. “Bob Lord.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/bob-lord

[4] Corporate AOL. “AOL has a strong strategy, a clear mission and a firm commitment to delivering value.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/about-aol/overview

[5] Time. “A Brief Guide to the Tumultuous 30-Year History of AOL.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://time.com/3857628/aol-1985-history/

[6] The Washington Post. “25 Years of AOL: A Timeline.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052303551.html

[7] CNBC. “Timeline: AOL Through the Years.’ Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/12/timeline-aol-through-the-years.html

[8] CNN Money. “Verizon Buys AOL for $4.4 Billion.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/12/investing/verizon-buys-aol/

[9] AOL. On. “Shows” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://on.aol.com/shows

[10] AOL. On. “Park Bench” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://on.aol.com/parkbench

[11] AOL Financial Information. “Q1 2015 Earnings Presentation.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://ir.aol.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147895&p=quarterlyearnings

[12] Beyond the Horizon. “Beyond the Horizon.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.aol.com/beyondthehorizon/

[13] AOL Press Releases. “Act Like a Musician Premieres on AOL.com.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/11/16/act-like-a-musician-premieres-on-aol-com/

[14] Act Like A Musician. “S1E1.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.aol.com/actlikeamusician/519231493/

[15] Entrepreneur. “AOL Launches Live Streaming App That’s Part Periscope, Part Snapchat.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252218

[16] TechCrunch. “AOL Confirms It’s Buying Millennial Media in $238M Deal To Expand Mobile Ads.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/03/aol-acquires-millennial-media/

[17] Business Wire. “AOL to Deepen Its Programmatic Leadership with Agreement to Acquire Millennial Media.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150903005064/en/AOL-Deepen-Programmatic-Leadership-Agreement-Acquire-Millennial

[18] AOL Press Releases. “AOL Launches LIVE by AOL.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/09/28/aol-launches-live-by-aol/

[19] AOL Press Releases. “AOL Launches ALTO.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/10/28/aol-launches-alto/

[20] AOL. “AOL. image” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/

[21] Science Borealis. “America Online image.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://blog.scienceborealis.ca/youve-got-mail-and-everything-else-whats-a-science-blogger-to-do/

[22] Engadget. “Citizen Mars.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.engadget.com/citizen-mars/

[23] Deadline. “Hot Trailer: James Franco’s AOL Comedy Series Makes a Scene.” http://deadline.com/2014/09/james-franco-aol-trailer-scott-haze-ahna-oreilly-832391/

[24] AOL Advertising. “AOL Originals Releases Season 2 of ‘Park Bench with Steve Buscemi.'” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://advertising.aol.com/blog/aol-originals-releases-season-2-park-bench-steve-buscemi

[25] AOL Advertising. “Jared Leto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ Launches on AOL Build.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://advertising.aol.com/blog/jared-letos-beyond-horizon-launches-aol-build

[26] ALTO. “ALTO.’ Retrieved November 30, 2015. https://altomail.com/

[27] AOL Platforms. “ONE by AOL.” Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.aolplatforms.com/onebyaol

The Weinstein Company

Posted on September 30, 2015 by John House

JJ House

The Weinstein Company logo — source: dundascommunications.com

The Weinstein Company

99 Hudson St Fl 4
New York, NY, 10013 United States
(212) 845-8600
http://www.weinsteinco.com

Overview

The Weinstein Company Inc. is a film production studio that was founded in 2005 by Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein. It is a subsidiary of The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC. The two brothers founded the company after they left Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had founded in 1979.

The Weinstein Company is considered a mini-major film studio. This means it is a smaller production company, yet it always competes, or at least tries to compete, in the same market as major production companies (such as Universal Pictures or Paramount) [1]. Since its formation, The Weinstein Company has produced and released 117 feature films and has amassed over 300 Academy Awards nominations — giving the company the reputation of having a Midas touch for producing critically successful films [2]. Along with critical success, many of The Weinstein Company’s films have been box office hits. To see Box Office Mojo’s list of The Weinstein Company’s top box office successes, click here.

Company Structure

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is privately owned, and therefore detailed financial information is not available to the public [3]. The top executives in the company are: Mr. David Glasser, President and COO; Mr. Harvey Weinstein, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, and Principal; Mr. Robert (Bob) Weinstein, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman, and Principal [3]. These three are known to have close personal relationships with one another on top of their business ones. Bob Weinstein has said, “Although many have tried to claim the title third brother, David [Glasser] is the only one that we would proudly bestow that moniker” [4]. But these three men don’t have complete control of the company. As well as the top executives, there are more than 30 investors in TWC, including AMC Networks, WPP, Tunisian entrepreneur Tarak Ben Ammar and hedge funds like Ziff Brothers [5]. Many of these major investors have representatives on the company’s board of directors [5].

http://www.screendaily.com/pictures/636xAny/7/2/9/1225729_David-Glasser.jpg

President/COO, David Glasser — Source: screendaily.com

Bob Weinstein — Source: Dailymail.co.uk

http://freedomoutpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Harvey-Weinstein.jpg

Harvey Weinstein — Source: freedomoutpost.com

Earlier this year The Weinstein Company was making industry headlines because in late July David Glasser announced that he was leaving the company [6]. He announced he would leave the company in November after helping it set up its 2015-16 film slate [4]. However, on September 9th it was announced that Glasser reversed his decision to leave The Weinstein Company, and has actually signed a new deal, keeping him with the company until at least 2018 [6].

2015-2016 Titles

As a production company The Weinstein Company has had an uncharacteristically poor year so far. While most titles the company has churned out in the past year: Big Eyes, Paddington, and Netflix television series Marco Polo, have all been well enough received and have had moderate financial success, none have been critical standouts nor done exceptionally well money-wise [7]. One recent film that has been all-around poor is Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper. The film has a received mostly negative reviews from critics, scoring a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was a flop in the box office [8].

One hopeful redeemer to The Weinstein Company’s poor year is the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film, The Hateful Eight, which is set to release in the US on January 8, 2016. The film is slated to compete with Disney‘s new Star Wars movie, which may pose a threat in the box office. However Tarantino is a renowned director who has perennial success with his films, and the film is being released in a special 70mm “Roadshow” format — so the film is poised to be a hit with more avid movie fans [9]. Some other hopeful future successes on TWC’s slate are: drama/romance Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and McDonald’s biopic The Founder, starring Michael Keaton.

Subsidiaries

The Weinstein Company has two subsidiary production companies: Dimension Films and Radius TWC.

Dimension Films was founded by Bob Weinstein in 1992, when the brothers were still at Miramax Films. They conceived Dimension Films while out for lunch one day, and for two reasons: one, because they had to compete with New Line Cinema, which had just released a new label called Fine Line Features [10]. The other reason was because Bob Weinstein enjoyed genre films more than “art house fare”, which is what Miramax was more focussed on, so it was the perfect label for him to take the helm on [10]. Dimension moved to the The Weinstein Company when the brothers left Miramax, but has remained the same ‘genre’ label as when it was founded.

Currently, Dimension is working a lot in the horror genre. They are producing a horror feature Amityville: The Awakening, which is set to release in 2016. They are also producing the MTV series Scream: The TV Series, which, despite changing showrunners, is set to have a second season [11]. Dimension is also developing another television series based on The Mist, which was a Stephen King novella and a 2007 film by Frank Darabont [12].

Radius TWC is a boutique label from The Weinstein Company that specializes in both theatrical and multi-platform VOD distribution [13]. It was founded in 2011 by Tom Qiunn, Co-President and Jason Janego, Co-President. The two led the company for four years, until August 2015 when they both left to start their own new company [14]. It is unclear who now mans the helm at Radius TWC following their departure, but The Weinstein Company has kept the label alive.

Radius TWC has had success in the alternative distribution space. In 2013 it simultaneously released dystopian thriller Snowpiercer, both theatrically and on VOD. This turned out to be a huge success, bringing in great numbers for the film [14]. In 2014 it distributed the low-budget horror film It Follows in the same way. The film did very well in the box office and from VOD, grossing almost $15 million (the film’s budget was just $2 million) [14]. This was due to Radius TWC’s calculated distribution [15]. Radius TWC’s most recent release that is making headlines is the Austrian suspense-horror film Goodnight Mommy, which received four stars from Roger Ebert, and is representing Austria at the 2016 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category [16].

Recent Company Shakeups

Source: Variety.com

On November 15, 2015 it was reported that The Weinstein Company was laying off 40-50 of its roughly 215 employees — mostly those in distribution, publicity, and legal [17]. COO David Glasser said the reason for the job cuts is to “reduce the film division’s overhead to make the company more efficient”. He cited the company’s appealing upcoming film slate as reason for the company to still have success going forward [17].

Following the new of the job cuts, on November 18, 2015 rumors started circulating that The Weinstein Company may be for sale. Apparently the Weinstein brothers are considering selling all or some of the company [5]. One potential acquirer is billionaire Ron Burkle [5]. Supposedly he has an interest in buying part of TWC and merging it with U.K. talent group, Independent Talent Group. These rumors have gained some weight, because certain unnamed board members at TWC have said that the company’s board has not been happy “for a long time” [5]. Speculation is that the board wants to refocus the company more towards television production, as it requires less capital. This speculation can be confirmed as at least mostly true, because on November 24, 2015 The Weinstein Company announced that it was reducing its film slate to less than ten movies a year and would be increasing its TV operations [18].

Sources

[1] Slanguage Dictionary. (2013, February 20). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[2] Fox, J. (2014, January 29). A Brief History of Harvey Weinstein’s Oscar Campaign Tactics. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[3] The Weinstein Company Inc.: Private Company Information. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[4] McNary, D. (2015, September 9). David Glasser Reverses Course, Staying at the Weinstein Co. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[5] Siegal, T. (n.d.). Layoffs, Defections: Is The Weinstein Co. for Sale? Retrieved December 2, 2015

[6] Jaafar, A., & Fleming Jr, M. (2015, July 30). David Glasser Resigning As Weinstein Company COO After Seven-Year Run. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[7] The Weinstein Company All Time Box Office Results. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[8] Burnt (2015) – Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[9] Atkinson, C. (n.d.). How Harvey Weinstein plans to battle ‘Star Wars’ at the box office. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[10] Weinstein, B. (n.d.). Bob Weinstein’s Love Letter to Brother Harvey: “Some Would Say I Deserve a Lifetime Achievement Award” Retrieved December 2, 2015

[11] Lee, B. (2015, November 9). Scream TV Series Replaces Showrunners. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[12] Hipes, P. (2015, September 16). ‘The Mist’ TV Series Emerges From Dimension & Scribe Christian Torpe. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[13] About Radius TWC. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[14] Setoodeh, R., & Lang, B. (2015, August 5). Tom Quinn and Jason Janego Exit Radius-TWC (EXCLUSIVE). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[15] League, T. (n.d.). What The Success of ‘It Follows’ Means for Indie Film Distribution. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[16] Miska, B. (2015, September 9). ‘Goodnight Mommy’ Entered to the 2016 Academy Awards. Retrieved December 2, 2015

[17] Lang, B. (2015, November 15). Weinstein Company Braces for Layoffs (EXCLUSIVE). Retrieved December 2, 2015

[18] Setoodeh, R., & Lang, B. (2015, November 24). Harvey Weinstein to Release Fewer Indie Films (EXCLUSIVE). Retrieved December 2, 2015

Sony Pictures #1

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Siyi Tian

by Siyi Tian

Sony Pictures Entertainment Logo

Sony Pictures Entertainment
10202 West Washington Blvd.
Culver City, California 90232
http://www.sonypictures.com

History

Sony Pictures Entertainment is owned by Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. Its history can be traced back to 1918 when brothers Harry and Jack Cohn formed a partnership with their associate Joe Brandt, to produce low-budget short films and features. They called the company CBC Film Sales (Cohn-Brandt-Cohn- or as it was more commonly known in the trade press, “Corned Beef and Cabbage”). By 1920, the film industry was attracting audiences of 35 million a week willing to pay five cents a pop to be drawn into the magical world of filmed entertainment. Meanwhile, down the road in Hollywood, Columbia Pictures got its start, bringing pictures like It Happened One Night and Lawrence of Arabia to life. Columbia Pictures officially moved onto the studio lot in 1990 after its acquisition by Sony Corporation [1].

Finance

In 2015, according to the consolidated financial report, Sony Pictures Entertainment got over 68,466 million dollar in total revenue, which shows 5.8% increase compare to the previous year[18]. Its new feature movie Spectre has over 17million on the total gross.[22]. Sony pictures has 15 movies released so far and it is the fifth distributer that owns 9.2% in the ranking of market share in 2015[23].

Key Executives[2]:

For now, there are seven key executives in Sony Pictures Entertainment.

: Steve-mosko, Chairman, Sony Pictures Television

: Tom Rothman,
Chairman, Sony Motion Picture Group

: David C. Hendler
Senior Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer

: Robert Lawson
Executive VP & Chief Comm Officer

: George Rose
Executive VP, People & Organization

: Leah Weil
Senior Executive VP & General Counsel

Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment

The movies of SPE and Representative Movies

Movie reserved by SPE

As a company with long history of film shooting and transaction, Sony Pictures Entertainment now has a library of more than 4,000 films (including 12 Academy Award for Best Picture winners). Per statistics, each year Sony Pictures Entertainment distributes about 22 films on average under its various studio brands in 67 countries [16]. Quite a lot of them are very popular and still being produced by series currently. The movie and the derivative products like discs selling and rental could be the company’s major source of income.

Spiderman Series

[3] Poster of Spiderman 2, 2004

Spiderman series movie is one of the hottest movies in the new century which shot by Sony Picture Entertainment. Its plot is based on the popular Marvel comic “The amazing Spider-man”, which describes a young man gains the super power after he was bitten by a mutant spider. He then uses the super power to fight against the evils to protect the city and people he loves[4]. The film series have already had 6 released movies from 2002 to 2014, which are distributed worldwide and realizes US$3.96 billion gross box office revenue [5].

James BondSeries

[6] Poster of James Bond – Spectre (2015)

James Bond Series is another long lived, well famous and representative movie owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is inherited from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) by M&A transaction in the past[7]. The James Bond Series describe a legendary secret Britain special agent who fights against various evils in many countries since Cold War, whose unique selling points contains lots of stunts, high technology factors and beautiful women who are called ‘Bondgirl’[9]. Although it is well criticized by the feminism as discriminating the women, James Bond Series is still the hottest movie in the world. There are 26 releases of James Bond Movies from 1963 to 2015, which accumulatively realizes US$4.70 billion of box office revenue so far [8].

The latest series James Bond movie: Spectre tells a story that a cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre[21].

The interview

[10] Poster of the Interview (2014)

For those non-series movies, the Interview is the most controversy film in the list of Sony Picture Entertainment in recent years. The movie tells a story about two American reporters review the notorious Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-Un and finally kill him[10]. However, the movie annoys the real Kim Jong-Un and attracts the hacker infiltration to Sony Picture Entertainment’s computers and releases lots of secret files stored within. The North Korea government also threats to launch terrorism attack on the theater to deter anyone who goes to watch the movie [11]. The actions turn the entertainment event to escalate to a foreign affair and anti-terrorism event. Sony firstly decides to pull the movie. But soon US President Obama announces that Sony ‘did the wrong thing’ when it pulled movie [12]. Finally, Sony reinitiates the movie but with limited offline box office yet mainly relying on the rental and online movie watching. As a result, the Interview realizes US$11.3 million in office box but US$40 million in the rental and online movie watching [13], but without much marketing expenditure. The movie has become a classic marketing case in history.

The incoming films produced by SPE

In the next few years, there are a lot of new movies under production and released for the market.

The Angry Birds Movie

[19] Poster of The Angry Birds Movie (incoming in May 2016)

The Angry Birds Movie is written by the famous cell phone game ‘Angry Birds’, which tells a story about the fight between birds and piggies. It is a audacious innovation to put the cellphone games to the screen. The movie is about to show at May 2016.The proposed casts include Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, etc[19] .

The Brothers Grimsby

[20] Poster of The Brothers Grimsby (incoming in Feb 2016)

This is a comedy movie which tells a story that Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), a sweet but dimwitted English football hooligan, reunites with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), a deadly MI6 agent, to prevent a massive global terror attack and prove that behind every great spy is an embarrassing sibling [20] .

Other non Movie operations

Except for the movie business, Sony pictures entertainment also has multiple businesses in television and gaming. The television division, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has formed or invested in international networks with 148 channel feeds in 178 countries reaching approximately 1.2 billion cumulative households worldwide [14]. It also develops many games in cellphone applications which are based on the movies and television dramas to maximize the profit from derivative sales of the movies and dramas[15] . Furthermore, it has the studio in Culver City, West Washington which open for tourists [17].

SOURCES

[1] History of Sony Pictures. (2015).Sony pictures museum Online. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[2] Senior Management Team. (2015). Sony pictures official site. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[3] Spider man 2 Wall paper. (2015). Fanpop.com. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[4] The Amazing Spider-Man. (2015). Holly wood reporter. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[5] Spider-Man Franchises. (2015).Box office mojo. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[6] James Bond Spectre. (2015). The James Bond 007 Dossier. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[7] MGM PARTNERS WITH SONY PICTURES. (2011).

[8] James Bond Franchises. (2015).Box office mojo. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[9] Bond girls. (2015). James Bond MM . Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[10] The Interview. (2014). IMDB. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[11] Hackers told Sony to pull ‘The Interview’. (2014). USA. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[12] Obama: Sony ‘did the wrong thing’ when it pulled movie. (2014). USA today. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[13] ‘The Interview’ Makes $40 Million Online and On-Demand. (2014). Variety. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[14] SPE divisions. (2015). Sony pictures official site. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[15] Games and apps. (2015). Sony pictures official site. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[16]. Collections. (2015). Sony picture museum. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[17]. Sony Pictures Studio Tour. (2015). Sony Pictures Studio Tour website. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[18]Sony. Consolidated Financial Results. Retrieved 2 Dec 2015.

[19] The Angry Birds Movie. (2015). Sony pictures official site. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[20] The The Brothers Grimsby. (2015). Sony pictures official site. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[21] Spectre (2015) . IMDB. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.

[22]Spectre (2015). Box office mojo. Retrieved 2 Dec 2015.

[23]Studio Market Share. Box office mojo. Retrieved 2Dec 2015.

Relativity

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Josue Munoz

Relativity Media Logo

Background

Relativity Studios is the film branch of the multimedia company, Relativity Media LLC, or Relativity. The largest division of the company, Relativity Studios has produced, distributed, or financed more than 200 films, generating more than $17 billion in worldwide box office revenue and garnering 60 Oscar nominations [1]. Considered the largest min-major film studio, Relativity Studios has continued to feed founder Ryan Kavanaugh’s vision to take advantage of and help fix inefficiencies in the market. The studio is dedicated to churn revenue and it employs a series of risk-assessing algorithms to help filter out risky projects. Relativity has operated with the mentality that they have taken the risk out of the film industry and takes pride in their innovative approach to a conservative industry [2].

History

Founded by Ryan Kavanaugh in 2004, the company started as a middleman, setting up multi-picture deals with studios and then finding banks such as Citigroup and Merrill Lynch to sponsor them. By 2007, Kavanaugh had started developing a reputation of being a bit impractical with his methods and investors slowly started dropping out. However, Elliott Management stepped in and took a minor stake in the company providing the Relativity Studios access to around a billion dollars in credit [3]. With their own source of money, Relativity became more independent. After a notably successful period through 2009, Relativity Media has since struggled.Relativity’s financial debt accumulated and they spent most of 2015 pushing back loan payments and missing new deadlines. On July 30th, Relativity Media filed for Bankruptcy and since then has been faced with an uphill battle to keep the company running.

Bankruptcy

Ryan Kavanaugh Portrait at Relativity in Beverly Hills, CA on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 (Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Ryan Kavanaugh has been getting the company out of tricky situations since it’s beginning. After a string of box office flops, Relativity has found itself in a $1.2 billion debt and as of July 30th the solution has been Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The bankrupcy excludes: Relativity Sports, Relativity EuropaCorp Distribution (RED) and Relativity Education [4]. Chapter 11 allows for Relativity to restructure itself in hopes of reaching a point to stand on its feet; however, all decisions must be approved by a judge. Before reconstruction began, Kavanaugh auctioned off Relativity in October in hopes to pay off the debt. A group of creditors called Stalking Horse Bidders first offered $250 million for the whole company; then later withdrew to only $125 million to take Relativity Television, the company’s most successful branch of operation [5][6]. shortly after, Kavanaugh lead a group of investors to make a deal that would allow him to take control of the studio and with time, pull the business out of bankruptcy [7].

External Conflict

Despite his ability to save Relativity again and again, a few have spoken out against Kavanaugh’s ability to run the company Continue reading →

Paramount Pictures

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Patrick Munnia

Source: www.paramountguilds.com (1)

5555 Melrose Ave.,Ste. 121 Hollywood, CA 90038
Phone: (323)956-5000
Website: www.paramount.com

Overview

Paramount Pictures is a feature film production and distribution company.

Executives

Brad Grey – Chief Executive Officer Grey is responsible for all aspects of feature film development. (2)

Rob Moore – Vice Chairman: Worldwide Marketing, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Digital, Interactive, Television, Licensing, and Business Affairs Divisions. (4)

Frederick Huntsberry – Chief Operating Officer: Worldwide Strategic Planning and Operations. (3)

: Marc Evans – President of Motion Pictures Production (5)

Amy Powell – President of Paramount Television : Financing and Developing Television Content for Broadcast, Premium Cable, Cable and Online Audience. (6)

The Rise to Film Prominence

More than a century ago, in 1912, Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and Cecil B. DeMill founded Paramount. (7) Paramount contributed to the Golden Age of Cinema in the 1950s with movies like A Place in the Sun in 1951 and The Ten Commandments in 1956. (8) The company birthed The Godfather series in the 1970s to further their prominence in Hollywood. (9) Paramount continued to churn out money-making films through the 1980s and 1990s including Top Gun, but also produced films which enjoyed critical-acclaim at the turn of the century, such as No Country for Old Men. (10) Paramount shattered industry records in 2011 by releasing “six consecutive movies grossing more than $100 million dollars at the domestic box office”. (11) Whether it be comedy, drama, action or suspense, Paramount has been highly regarded as a top player in the industry, but lately struggles to stay ahead of its competitors.

2015 Q3 and Beyond : Recent Financials

Paramount has finished another successful third quarter with a total gross of 585.5 Billion. As of November 22^nd, Paramount holding 6.2% of the market share. However, the company’s revenues have declined from 19.2% of the market share in 2011. (12)

Paramount has stayed busy ending the summer season moving into the fall. Terminator: Genisys opened in July and closed in September. The movie grossed $440 million worldwide on a production budget of $155 million. The DVD was released on Blu-ray November 10^th, 2015. (13)

Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation was another summer smash-hit, which grossed a huge $682 million worldwide, and is available on Blu-ray December 15^th. (14)

Yet, Paramount remains successful not only courtesy of summer blockbusters, but also thanks to cheaper film series. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension opening just in time for Halloween delivers timely scares to its established fan base. With a production budget of only $10 million and a $77 million worldwide gross, the movie proved to be mildly successful venture. (15)

On Halloween, Paramount released yet another timely, and audience specific movie. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, is a wacky but funny horror-comedy movie, aimed at a younger audience. The movie failed to make its production budget of $15 million by only grossing $14 million worldwide. (16)

All of these movies besides Mission Impossible, only made the production budget back thanks to large grosses from international markets. This displays Paramount’s need to cater to not only a domestic U.S. market but also an international one.

2015 Q4: Marching into the Holiday Season

After a slow start in the fourth quarter with Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, Paramount remains optimistic with a few key theatrical releases.

The Big Short will be released December 11^th, 2015 and boasts huge star-power. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt team up in a drama based on true events of the international banking collapse of 2008. (17)

On a lighter note, Paramount is re-releasing one of their classic romantic-comedies, Roman Holiday , staring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, this December. (18)

Finally, Paramount, once again appeals to star-power in Daddy’s Home, staring Will Farrell and Mark Walberg. This comedy pits stepdad vs. biological dad against one another. (19)

Steady March Slows: Reports Viacom

Paramount has been pulling in less and less revenue since a spike in 2011 of a huge $1,736 million. This displays that Paramount has clearly fell in prominence.

Source: Box Office Mojo (20)

Viacom, Paramount’s parent company, continues to support the film company despite, “disappointing revenue”. The studios sales in the box office fell from 20 percent since Q4 of 2014. Despite the recent dip in revenues, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, believes that the industry is cyclical and that Paramount is ready to make a big comeback in 2016. (21)

Source: The Wrap Philippe Dauman- Viacom CEO (22)

Paramount, among other tactics, has retained good relationships with talent such as Martin Scorsese and J.J. Abrams and intents to collaborate in the near future. (23)

2016: Looking Forward

In January 2016, Paramount plans to release The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. (24) The action-drama looks promising, especially since movies in the genre, like American Sniper have done incredibly well in the past. This may be a step in the right direction for Paramount to make 2016 a more successful finical year than 2015.

Paramount also plans to release Zoolander 2, the sequel to the comedy about male modeling, Zoolander, starting Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. (25)

Possible Reuniting of Scorsese and Monahan in Evel Knievel Film
- The writer director duo of The Departed, which was financial and critically successful, are being sought after by Paramount in hopes of producing a feature film about the fearless Evel Knievel. (26) The possibility of the pair reuniting has excited Paramount, and the studio has continued to negotiate. The movie has all the ingredients for becoming wildly successful.

Source: Deadline Evel Knievel (27)

Paramount Adapts to Changing Times

Paramount Embraces World of Streaming
- Paramount has long been known for producing high-quality, critically acclaimed movies as well as blockbuster hits. In a media industry facing loss of revenues from piracy and streaming, Paramount has found a way to embrace current technological advancements. Starting in October of 2015, Paramount has made available the, “Paramount Vault”. (28) The studio has made available select feature films for free. Paramount is now showcasing all of their film successes to a young, technological savvy audience, which only further builds their reputation.

Increased Distribution to TVOD
- Paramount signs licensing deal to expand offerings on TVOD, in foreign markets, with Youku Tudou Inc. (29) In an age of increasingly prominent OTT services, film distribution companies often search for an outlet exhibit. Youku has struck a deal with paramount agreeing to showcase classic titles such as Transformers, Shrek, and Star Trek. (30) Paramount has also made a deal with UltraFlix, which would allow for UltraFlix subscribers to view classics like Forrest Gump, Saving Privet Ryan, and The Godfather. (31) Paramount continues to reach large diverse audience even in increasingly difficult times.

Source: http://www.youku.com/
(33)

Source: https://www.ultraflix.com/ (source)

Source: https://www.ultraflix.com/
(35)

Changing Distribution Tactics
- Paramount has shortened the digital release of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. “Scouts” was a flop. By challenging the norms of digital release windows of feature films, Paramount aims to test shortened time of digital release. (32) The movie would be available for digital release two weeks after leaving the theaters. The deal forced the hand of exhibitors like Regal and AMC who refused to show the movie in their theaters, further contributing to its failure. (34) Paramount is pushing conventional limits, when movies flop in theaters, “arbitrarily keeping those movies out of circulation is just bogus,” said Megan Colligan, Paramount’s president of world-wide distribution.

Where does Paramount Stand?

Paramount is among the oldest, most successful, film studios in the United States, and have been raking in the money and academy awards since 1912. Though the studio has seen some successes in 2015, Paramount has fallen out of dominance they enjoyed in the mid-2000s. Paramount, recognizing the blip, has taken measures, such as key theatrical releases, the use of star-power and alternative distribution techniques, to hopefully make 2016 a more financially bountiful and critically acclaimed year.

Sources

(1) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Logo. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(2) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Executives Brad Grey. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(3) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Executives Rob Moore. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(4) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Executives Fedrick Huntsberry. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(5) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Executives Marc Evans . Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(6) Inside the Studio. Paramount Studios Executives Amy Powell. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(7) Inside the Studio. The Paramount Story: Our Founding Fathers. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(8) Inside the Studio. The Paramount Story: Mid-Century Renaissance. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(9) Inside the Studio. The Paramount Story: The New Hollywood. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(10) Inside the Studio. The Paramount Story: Critical & Commercial Success. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(11) Inside the Studio. The Paramount Story: Record-Breaking Films. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(12) Box Office Mojo. Studios: Paramount. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(13) Box Office Mojo. Movies: Terminator 2015. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(14) Box Office Mojo. Movies: MI5. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(15) Box Office Mojo. Movies: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(16) Box Office Mojo. Movies: Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(17) Paramount Pictures. Paramount Showcase: The Big Short. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(18) Paramount Pictures. Paramount Showcase: Roman Holiday. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(19) Paramount Pictures. Paramount Showcase: Daddy’s Home. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(20) Box Office Mojo. Paramount Yearly Comparisons. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(21) The Wrap. Viacom Defends Paramount’s Disappointing Revenue. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(22) The Wrap. Phillipe Duaman. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(23) Deadline. J.J. Abrams Extends Deal to July 2018. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(24) Paramount Pictures. Paramount Showcase: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(25) Paramount Pictures. Paramount Showcase: Zoolander 2. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(26) Deadline. Paramount Revs Evel Knievel Pic with “Departed” Scribe and Scorsese Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(27) Deadline. Evel Knievel. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(28) Slashfilm. Paramount Vault. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(29) Bloomberg Business. Paramount Pictures Key Developments. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(30) Bloomberg Business. Paramount Pictures: New Licensing Deal. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(31) Bloomberg Business. Paramount Pictures Expands Offerings. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(32) Wall Street Journal. Paramount’s Plan Sees Scary Results. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(33) Youku. Company Logo. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(34) Wall Street Journal. Paramount’s Plan Sees Scary Results. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(35) UltraFlix. Company Logo. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(36) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx3ShEjUId0 Terminator 2015 Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(37) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjLSKvVDWyA Mission: Impossible Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(38) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Jy2T0uQ9Y Paranormal Activity Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(39) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOfR29xu-4 Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgqG3ITMv1Q The Big Short Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(41) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQpN9LXrD-0 Roman Holiday Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(42) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arhMMJx7tCU Daddy’s Home Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(43) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBFmlNfFwUw The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(44) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CL4LNWHegk Zoolander 2 Trailer. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

(45) IMDB. Movies. Retrieved December 1st 2015.

MGM Studios

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jessica Kunkel

Created by: Jess Kunkel

MGM Logo

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM Studios Inc.
245 N Beverly Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 [2]

http://www.mgm.com/#

MGM began in the year 1924, when the two companies Goldwyn Pictures and Lewis B. Mayer Productions joined together as one.

[4].

History

MGM studios, fully known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Productions was formed in 1924 when Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions combined to become the company we know so well today [5]. The company began strong and only when multiple changes in power happened in the sixties did things begin to get rocky [5]. Including their file for bankruptcy in the year 2010, the company remained a player in the game, often sharing projects with other large media companies similar to themselves to sustain and finance their more recent work efforts [8]. Nevertheless, MGM and its never-failing Lion originally named “Slats” have undeniably created some of the greatest and best acclaimed pictures of all time.

The company was always known for the number of huge stars that it had in its early days, often referred to have “More stars than there are in the heavens”. With an astounding 175 Academy Awards the corporation is responsible for masterpieces such as The Wizard Of Oz (1939), West Side Story (1961), Rocky (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Dances with Wolves (1990), and many more.

MGM Through The Years

[16].

[16].

The Collection

MGM is known to have one of the most extravagant collections of film to date with more than 4,000 titles in their Library.

Executives

[17].

Gary Barber

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

[18].

Jonathan Glickman

Motion Picture Group, President

[19].

Roma Khanna

Television Group and Digital , President

[20].

Kenneth J. Kay

Chief Financial officer

Financial

[21].

[21].

Although MGM filed for bankruptcy in the year 2010, the picture company has managed to remain. In 2015, MGM has financially had a much more active year than in 2014. Compared to Q1-Q3 of last year, MGM has seen a 246% change in the their cash flow [21]. While in 2014 the cash flow was noted to be at 170.1 (millions) by the end of the third quarter, the cash flow for 2015 had increase to more than double what it was at the same time last year, at a whopping 417.9 [21].

Since 2013 MGM has dropped 9% in their third quarter revenue, with it marked at 96% in 2014 with proceeds of 233.5 (in millions), and then down even further to 91% in 2015 with revenue noted at 212.1 (in millions) [21]. However Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Net income was on the upswing this third quarter. Compared to the increase of 172% from Quarter 3 in 2013-2014 with net income rising from $16.6 million to $28.6 million the third quarter took an even larger leap in 2015 [21]. With their third quarter net income rising from $28.6 million to $124 million MGM saw a 434% change from the previous year, a very positive sign for the business of MGM [2 1].

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Today

Today MGM focuses most of their work on producing and distributing television and film around the world [3]. Their main focus as of late it to keep creating new content, and to keep acquiring new scripts to produce, and or often is the case Co-produce, as well as to distribute.[23]. MGM is also making new deals to further distribute their films with businesses such as Tubi TV [51].

Recent Releases

MV5BODg5NDM1MDI4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzg0MzQxNzE@._V1_SX214_AL_

[27].

Creed

On November 25th, 2015 MGM, partnered with Warner Brothers Studios released the film Creed (2015). The picture is a continuation of the extremely popular Rocky film series. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the sports drama made $29.6 Million in its opening weekend and was able to snag the 10th largest opening of all time [26]. In its first week, the film has already made $42 million, surpassing its budget which is noted to be at around $35 Million [26]. Creed (2015) will continue to be released around the world until early March 2016.

As the seventh film in the Rocky series (1976), the film endeared many a Rocky fan to watch. Throughout the opening weekend it played for a 66% male crowd, and 62% being over twenty-five, and 26% aging from 35-49 years old [27]. Creed is said to have the potential for an oscar running, delightful news for the young director Coogler, and yet another Academy Award for MGM.

[50].

MV5BMjM2Nzg4MzkwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzA0OTE3NjE@._V1_SX214_AL_

[28].

Spectre

Only slightly earlier in the year on November 6th of 2015 MGM studio’s, partnered with Sony Pictures released the highly anticipated film Spectre (2015) [28]. Categorized as an action – adventure – thriller, the film is a continuation of the James Bond 007 franchise [28]. Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Daniel Craig as James Bond. The film took in $70.4 million in it’s domestic opening weekend at the box office, putting Spectre in the spot as the second highest debut weekend revenue for a Bond film, falling behind Skyfall (2012) and yet slightly ahead of Quantum of Solace (2008) [30]. Having only been out a few weeks, the domestic revenue is totaled at $176.8 million as of November 30th [30]. With the Bond Franchise acquiring so many fans across the world most of the revenue is expected to come from the foreign releases of the film, from which it has already made 76.4% of it’s total revenue at $575.3 million [30]. With it’s budget at around $245 Million, the total worldwide revenue of $750 million thus far puts MGM in a very good place moving into the weeks to come [30].

[51].

Things to Come

Being such a company, with a history of so many monumental films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is hoping to continue the legacy of the company’s name, looking towards the future with many new films to come having 39 titles currently in development [33].

To Name a few

[48].

Me Before you : A film based off of an acclaimed novel is expected to debut in March of 2016 [33]. The story entails a small town girl and her unlikely paralyzed friend to whom she tends, with the screenplay also being written by Jojo Moyes,the very author of the novel that originated the story [32]. The film is to be directed by Thea Sharrock, and will star Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman.

[40].

Ben Hur: Currently in development at MGM is the remake of the original1959 film Ben Hur . Set to debut in August of 2016, the film, directed by Timur Bekmambetov is currently in post production. Starring Jack Huston, the film tells the tale of “A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.” [40].

[42].

Going In Style: Yet another film set to debut in 2016 for MGM studios is Going in Style (2016). The film is a comedy about three retired men who plan to rob a bank, and its cast is loaded with stars including Joey King, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine [42]. The movie is a remake of the 1979 original, and is to be directed by Zach Braff.

Other upcoming titles include: The Magnificent Seven (2016), Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), The Belko Experiment (2016), A Movie Life (2016) just to name a few and many more [33]!

Overview

While the company has not fully recovered from it’s low point in 2010, executives remain confident in the strides that the company is making. While Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is also exploring the realms of new types of media in other ways, the company is continuing it’s legacy of film and attempting to renew MGM back to it’s great esteem starting with more products being created by the company [3].

[1].

Sources

[1]. MGM Lion Logo. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Bing Image search. Retrieved: November 29th, 2015

[2]. MGM Studios Contact Us. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[3]. MGM Studios Corporate. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[4].MGM Old Logo Still. Youtube Slats the Lion. Retrieved: November 29th, 2015.

[5]. MGM Studios Corporate History. MGM Studios. Retrieved: October 3rd, 2015

[6]. The Life and Times of the MGM Lion. Mental Floss. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[7]. MGM stunning roster. Seeing Stars. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[8]. MGM Files For Bankruptcy. New York Times. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[9]. Academy Awards. Film Site. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[10]. The Wizard of Oz. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[11]. West Side Story. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[12]. Rocky (1976). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[13]. Annie Hall (1977). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[14]. Dances With Wolves (1990). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[15]. MGM 90th Anniversary. Youtube. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[16]. MGM Film Collection. Park Circus. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[17]. Gary Barber. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[18]. Johnathan Glickman. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[19]. Rhoma Khanna. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[20]. Kenneth J. Kay. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[21]. Investor Relations Financial Reports. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[22]. Cash Flow. Investopedia. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[23]. Working At MGM Studios. Glass Door. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015

[24]. Creed Official Site. Creedthemovie.Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[25]. Ryan Coogler. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[26]. Creed (2015). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[27]. Creed Box Office. Forbes. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[28]. Spectre (2015). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[29]. The Official James Bond Site. 007. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[30]. Spectre box office numbers. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[31]. Pro Spectre (2015). IMDb Pro. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[32]. Me Bofore You (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[33] MGM Pro Projects in Development. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[34]. Thea Sharrock. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[35]. Emilia Clarke. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[36]. Jenna Coleman. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[37]. Sam Claflin. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[38]. Ben Hur (1959). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[39]. Timur Bekmambetov. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[40]. Ben Hur (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[41]. Jack Huston. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[42]. Going In Style (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[43]. Joey King. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[44]. Morgan Freeman.IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[45]. Michael Caince. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[46]. Going in style Original (1979). IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[47]. Zach Braff. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[48]. Me Before You Official Site. Jojo Moyes. Retrieved: November 27th, 2015.

[49]. Rocky (1976). IMDb.Retrieved: November 27th, 2015.

[50]. Creed Official Trailer. Youtube-Warner Brothers.Retrieved: November 28th, 2015.

[51]. Spectre Official Trailer. Youtube- Zero Media. Retrieved: November 28th, 2015.

[52]. MGM & Lionsgate Tubi tv Deal. Deadline. Lieberman, David. November 19th, 2015. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015..

Focus Features

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jacob Greenfeld

Jacob Greenfeld

[1] Focus Features Logo

Focus Features, LLC
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608
Phone: (818) 777-8738
Fax: (818) 866-4579
http://www.focusfeatures.com

About

Founded in 2002, the film production and distribution company known as Focus Features serves under the NBCUniversal brand in its art house film department. Some of Focus Features’ blockbuster titles include Brokeback Mountain (2005), Coraline (2009), and Burn After Reading (2008) as well as a recent hit with Insidious Chapter 3 (2015) [2][3]. As a subsidiary of NBCUniversal’s larger and more dominant film studio, Universal Pictures, Focus Features tends to be utilized more for speciality films, and after signing Laika Studios (a small stop-motion animation studio based out of Oregon) to a three film deal in October of last year as well as reviving Gramercy Pictures on May 20 of this year, it is likely that the trend of horror and animation will continue [23][28].

Executives

[4] Peter Schlessel, Chief Executive Officer

[5] Jim Burke, President of Production

[6] Josh McLaughlin, Executive VP

Financials

Focus Features is a privately traded company and its financials are not public. 2015 has been a mildly successful year for Focus Features. It increased its total box office gross to $112.7 million (as of December 2, 2015, with Suffragette and The Danish Girl still in theaters), up 2% from last year’s $110.5 million. This increase bumped up its ranking on the top grossing film studios list to ninth place with 1.1% of the market share (ranked twelfth in 2014), however it is still eclipsed by its big brother Universal Pictures which holds the number one rank with $2.35 billion along with 23.9% of the market share [7][8].
Focus Features broke its record for the number of movies produced in one year at twelve in 2014, and this year the film studio was able to match it [7]. It also generated some revenue from DVD sales, with a little over $3 million coming in from Insidious Chapter 3, $1.1 million from Black Sea, and $400,00 from 5 Flights Up along with others whose revenues have not yet been listed [25][26][27].

Recent Releases

Insidious Chapter 3

[9] Insidious Chapter 3 Poster

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, Insidious Chapter 3 is the prequel and third installment in the supernatural horror film series. Set prior to the eerie events that surrounded the Lambert family, Insidious Chapter 3 chronicles Elise Rainier’s struggle to help a young girl who is in grave danger by using her psychic abilities to talk to the dead [15]. Released in theaters on June 5, 2015, Whannell’s horror film was an instant hit, generating a $10.5 million box office gross on its premiere alone. By the time it was taken out of theaters in August 13, 2015, Insidious Chapter 3 had made over $52 million, cementing itself as the fifth highest grossing film produced by Focus Features of all time [3][14]. Leigh Whannell was nominated for a “Directors to Watch” award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for this film, which he won [16].

Sinister 2

MV5BMjQ2NTM5NzU3MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDAwMTQyNTE@._V1_SX640_SY720_

[10] Sinister 2 Poster

Sinister 2, another addition to a supernatural horror film series, was directed by Ciaran Foy and premiered in theaters on August 21, 2015. The film follows the story of a young mother whose twin boys are haunted by ghosts [17]. While it didn’t quite match the success of Insidious Chapter 3, Sinister 2 did pretty well for itself, grossing $4.67 million in the box office on opening night, almost $28 million in total, and generating the second highest Focus Features box office gross of 2015 (behind Insidious Chapter 3) and twentieth of all time [3][17].

Suffragette

[11] Suffragette Poster

Suffragette, which stars big names such as Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep is a historical drama set in Britain that tells the story of the early feminist movement and their fight against their barbaric State [19]. Directed by Sarah Gavron, Suffragette was released on October 23, 2015 and grossed $22,618 despite premiering in only four theaters. It is now in its sixth week and has made over $4 million at the box office [20]. It has won multiple awards, including “Mind the Gap” at the Mill Valley Film Festival (Sarah Gavron), “Actress of the Year” at the Hollywood Film Awards (Carey Mulligan), and the “Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award” at the Hamptons International Film Festival (Sarah Gavron), along with nominations for “Best Actress” (Carey Mulligan), “Best Supporting Actor” (Brendan Gleeson), “Best Supporting Actress” (Anne-Marie Duff), and “Best Supporting Actress” (Helena Bonham Carter) at the British Independent Film Awards [21].

Upcoming Releases

The Forest

[12] The Forest Poster

The Forest, which is yet another supernatural horror film, is set to be released in early January of 2016. It is directed by Jason Zada and stars Natalie Dormer. The Forest is based on the Aokigahara Forest, which is an actual Japanese forest where people go to commit harakiri. Focus Features purchased the rights to distribute the film domestically in May of 2014 [22]. When the film studio revived Gramercy Pictures last May, The Forest was one of the films listed on their slate [23].

Ratchet & Clank

[13] Ratchet and Clank Poster

Co-directed by Jericca Cleland and Kevin Munroe, Ratchet & Clank is a comedy/action/ sci-fi film that is based on the Ratchet & Clank video game series and is computer animated. Sticking to its roots, Insomniac Games, the creators of the series, have had a major influence over the film from the story and character development to the animation and film production. Some of the voice-over artists from the original game series have returned to give their characters life once again. Also adding to the nostalgia is the utilization of elements specific to the video games in the film. Ratchet & Clank is set to be released in the US on April 29, 2016.

Future

With the recent revival of Gramercy Pictures, the three film deal Focus Features signed Laika Studios to last year following the success of The Boxtrolls, and this new partnership with Insomniac Games, expect to see a slew of horror (i.e. The Forest, A Monster Calls) and animated films (i.e. Ratchet & Clank, Kubo and the Two Strings) in the not-so-distant future [28]. While it may seem like Focus Features is pigeon-holing itself, that may not be the worst thing. Because Focus Features is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, and they are both subsidiaries of NBCUniversal, there is not too much pressure on Focus Features to consistently have blockbusters. Not to say that there would not be any repercussions if Focus Features didn’t have a big box office draw ever again, just as long as they have one or two films each year that keeps the competition on its toes (i.e. The Boxtrolls in 2014 and Insidious Chapter 3 in 2015) they will continue to thrive and produce the specialty films that they are known for.

[1] Focus Features Logo. Retrieved December 2, 2015. cdn.collider.com
[2] Focus Features, LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2015. focusfeatures.com
[3] All-Time Box Office by Studio: Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[4] SHOCKER! Peter Schlessel Takes Over Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. deadline.com
[5] Quotes by Jim Burke. Retrieved December 2, 2015. likesuccess.com
[6] LAFF Opening Night Screening of Focus Features’ “Talk to Me” – Arrivals (Josh McLaughlin). Retrieved December 2, 2015. zimbio.com
[7] Yearly Comparisons of Total Box Office Gross: Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[8] 2015 Box Office Gross and Studio Market Share. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[9] Insidious Chapter 3 Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. upload.wikimedia.org
[10] Sinister 2 Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. ia.media-imdb.com
[11] Suffragette Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. img2.timeinc.net
[12] The Forest Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
[13] Ratchet and Clank Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. c2.staticflickr.com
[14] Daily Domestic Gross: Insidious Chapter 3. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[15] Insidious Chapter 3. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[16] Palm Springs International Film Festival. Retrieved December 2, 2015. psfilmfest.org
[17] Sinister 2. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[18] Daily Domestic Gross: Sinister 2. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[19] Suffragette. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[20] Daily Domestic Gross: Suffragette. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[21] Suffragette Awards. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[22] The Forest. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[23] Focus Revives Gramercy Pictures Label for Genre Films. Retrieved December 2, 2015. deadline.com
[24] Ratchet & Clank. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[25] Insidious Chapter 3 Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[26] Black Sea Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[27] 5 Flights Up Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[28] Focus Features, Laika Ink Three-Film Pact. Retrieved December 2, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com

DreamWorks Studios

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Dia Matthews

DreamWorks SKG Studios

100 Universal City Plaza Dr.

Bldg. 5121 Universal City, CA 91608

(818)-733-9300

http://www.dreamworksstudios.com

Executives

Principal Partner Steven Spielberg, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

CEO Michael Wright, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Small, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

Holly Bario, President of Production Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

History

DreamWorks SKG is an American motion picture studio founded in 1994 by widely known director, Steven Spielberg, recording industry connoisseur David Geffen, and animation expert Jeffrey Katzenberg.The company started off with films like MouseHunt and The Peacemaker and even had a DreamWorks record label, but they struggled with any success beyond films and television and soon dropped the music label and arcade portions of the company. Katzenberg’s extremely successful animation became a subsidiary of its parent company and the money making DreamWorks Animations became welcome to shareholders as a new and separate company in 2004 with Katzenberg as the CEO. The DreamWorks SKG Studios still represents the first letters for the last names of the three head partners who started their company together. [1]

[2] Learn a little bit more about the unique Steven Spielberg above.

Summary

DreamWorks studios is responsible for the production, development, and distribution of its films, television programs, and video games. DreamWorks currently distributes and markets their films worldwide through their partnership with Walt Disney Studios [2]. In addition, the DreamWorks Picture Company holds a partnership with Reliance Entertainment and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group to help co-produce, market, and distribute their films on a global scale [2]. Dreamworks Studios’s big competitors are Lionsgate Entertainment Inc., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and FOX Filmed Entertainment. Since their first movie DreamWorks Studios has earned over $11 billion in worldwide box office sales [3]. Popular DreamWorks films include The Help, Transformers, and Dreamgirls.

Finances and Rocky Relationship with Disney

In August of 2016, the DreamWorks distribution deal with Disney will expire after it’s six-year run and the renewal of the pact has been said to discontinue after DreamWorks’s inability to deliver the six-live action films per year as promised to Disney distributors [4]. With the exception of hit films like The Help, released in 2011, that grossed $169 million domestically and an additional $46 million internationally, the DreamWorks studio has struggled to perform as successfully in the box office as they planned when originally partnering with Disney for financial support in 2009 [5]. However, DreamWorks Studios will be looking forward to closing a deal to partner with Participant Media, where they hope to receive a large cash infusion. For the past four consecutive years now, Dreamworks Studios has had a reported loss of at least $100 million caused by their failure to produce a continuous stream of hit films and the company’s subsequent cash flow issues [6]. After a quickly failed three-year partnership with Paramount, and Reliance Entertainment being unlikely to invest anymore than the primary bankroll they have been providing for DreamWorks, the financial standing of the studio has not been so secure. Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media is said to become a long-term and heavy investor for DreamWorks bringing in approximately $200 million or more to the company in their crucial time of need [7]. DreamWorks Studios is a private company, therefore specific financial quarterly earnings and revenue have not been reported.

Chart revealing DreamWorks Scarce Success in Film Sales while Partnering with Disney Source: Box Office Mojo [3]

The final two films released through the Disney distributor deal are Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, in theaters October 16, 2015 and Big Friendly Giant, set to release July 2, 2016 – both films directed by Steven Spielberg himself [8]. The Bridge of Spies movie doing well in the box office with $95 million worldwide ticket sales since its release, is about an American lawyer who is recruited to defend a Soviet spy during the cold war [3]. The movie has a targeted audience of respectively older female and male viewers that would enjoy a multiplex, art house realm of storytelling. See trailer below [4].

DreamWorks studios was set to work on the 2015 Spotlight film, about the unveiling of a silenced past of rape and molestation done by priests in Boston, a true story that shook the Catholic Church to its core. Participant Media was set to co-finance the riveting film alongside DreamWorks Studios with a $15 million budget at hand, but DreamWorks suddenly pulled out of the deal, causing the movie to derail and curving the production plans entirely [9]. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio released no official explanation but the large amount of skepticism on how popular a film of pedophilia would be during its set holiday release, caused the company to second guess how their targeted audiences would react to the harshness of such a film [9].

DreamWorks Pictures is teaming with Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures to create the highly anticipated Ready Player One film. The sci-fi action adventure film will be directed by Spielberg and is set to release December 15, 2017. The film is based on the best selling Ready Player One novel, written by Ernest Cline and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures [10 ]. The film that will be directed by the three-time Academy Award winning director is projected to be a huge holiday success. DreamWorks also plans to allow American Sniper screenwriter, Jason Hall to do his first drama film as a director, titled Thank You for Your Service. The film will be about U.S. soldiers returning to their family lives after the war in Iraq and the PTSD they experience with such a dramatic transitioning.

Spielberg and Katzenberg have also been experiencing complications on whether or not to extend a deal allowing the DreamWorks Studio to continue using the name. The discretionary pact will expire on January 1, 2016, leaving the Studio up in the air about solidifying their company name that has spent its years growing into a globally recognized brand [12]. Although DreamWorks Animation is now completely separate from Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios, the animation studio continues to be a huge economic and social success as their franchise continues to expand. The DreamWorks Studio name and logo is licensed from Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation and the two brotherly companies hope to work out the trouble and keep the brand name where it started.

Conclusion

The future of DreamWorks Studios lies within the company’s vision towards creating exciting, new, diverse, and well-developed content that can be both a hit in the box-office and capable of becoming a franchise for the studio. DreamWorks recently gained a new action comedy project, called Ex-Criminals, with actor and comedian T.J. Miller set to star and help write the script about a dysfunctional couple that robs banks together [13]. DreamWorks has also acquired the rights in 2014, for the fastest selling adult novel in history, Paula Hawkin’s The Girl on the Train, where the studio plans to create a film adapted version of the international best selling thriller – set to release in the U.S. on October 7 of 2016 [13]. In addition, DreamWorks SKG recently bought John Connolly’s trilogy of popular novels for middle school readers, with plans to turn the series into a possible franchise. Unlike many older film studios, DreamWorks does not have a large array of material to already choose from and must stay on their feet in terms of constantly creating new and profitable content, but the company plans on meeting the goal.

Sources

[1] “| Company Profile from Hoover’s.” DW STUDIOS L.L.C. N.p., Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[2] “Our History | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/history>.

[3] Box Office History for DreamWorks Pictures Movies.” DreamWorks Pictures Production Company Box Office History. Nash Information Services LLC, Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/production-company/DreamWorks-Pictures>.

[4] Thompson, Anne. “What Spielberg Really Wants.” IndieWire. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/what-spielberg-really-wants-20150902>.

[5]”The Help (2011) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=help2011.htm>.

[6] McClintock, Pamela. “DreamWorks Nears Rich Financing Deal With Participant Media (Exclusive).” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 4 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-nears-rich-financing-deal-791334>.

[7]Fritz, Ben. “DreamWorks Studio Needs a New Script.” Wall Street Journal. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303546204579435464122525596>

[8] Donnelly, Matt. “Disney Expected to Drop Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks.” The Wrap. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <https://www.thewrap.com/disney-to-drop-steven-spielbergs-dreamworks/>

[9] Rich, Joshua. “How DreamWorks Nearly Derailed ‘Spotlight’: “No One Wants to Watch a Priest Molesting a Kid”” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 6 Nov. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/how-dreamworks-derailed-spotlight-no-836366>.

[10] “Ready Player One,” From Director Steven Spielberg, Will Be Ready for Audiences in the 2017 Holiday Window | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. 6 August 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/ready-player-one-from-director-steven-spielberg-will-be-ready-for-audiences-in-the-2017-holiday>.

[11] Grant, Charles. “Bridge of Spies Beats Black Mass and Carol in Prestige Week at UK Box Office.” Theguardian.com. N.p., 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/01/uk-box-office-bridge-of-spies-black-mass-carol-good-dinosaur>.

[12] McClintock, Pamela. “Will Steven Spielberg Drop the DreamWorks Name?” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/will-steven-spielberg-drop-dreamworks-826201>.

[13]]Kit, Borys. “DreamWorks Picks Up T.J. Miller’s Action Comedy ‘Ex-Criminals’ | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/dreamworks-picks-up-tj-millers-action-comedy-ex-criminals>.

[13] Madatian, Jasmine. “Principal Photography Begins for New York Times Best Seller ‘The Girl on the Train’.” Business Wire. N.p., 11 Nov. 201. Web. 30 Nov. 2015 <http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151111005526/en/Principal-Photography-Begins-York-Times-Seller-%E2%80%98The >..

Photo and Video Sources

[1] “| DreamWorks Executives.” DreamWorks SKG Studios. DreamWorks Animation LLC, 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <http://dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/>.

[2] BIO.com. “Mini BIO – Steven Spielberg.” YouTube. YouTube, 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8MJJIGOfas&feature=youtu.be>

[3] Donnelly, Matt. “Disney Expected to Drop Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks.” The Wrap. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <https://www.thewrap.com/disney-to-drop-steven-spielbergs-dreamworks/>.

[4] Fandango MOVIECLIPS. “Bridge of Spies Official Trailer #2 (2015) – Tom Hanks Cold War Thriller HD.” YouTube. YouTube, 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxUk1RsajcI&feature=youtu.be>.

Disney Movies #1

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Connor Walsh

Connor Walsh

Walt Disney Studios Logo [1] Source: Walt Disney Studios Corporation

COMPANY INFORMATION

Address: [1]
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521

Key Executives: [2]
Source for all pictures of key executives: The Walt Disney Studios Executive Team

Alan Horn-Chairman

Sean Bailey- President, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Paul Roeder- Vice President, Global Communications

Ed Catmull- President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

Kathleen Kennedy- President, LucasFilm Ltd.

John Lasseter- Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

HISTORY

Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney under the name Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. The studio found early success with its “Alice Comedies,” before creating cartoon icon Mickey Mouse and developing a series of short films around the popular mouse. In 1937, the newly named Walt Disney Studio released its first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, to critical and commercial success. By the 1950s, the studio was producing both live-action and animated films. This expansion led to a splitting of the studio into Walt Disney Pictures, for live-action films, and Walt Disney Animation Studios, for animated films, all under the Walt Disney Studios parent company. [3]

As of 2015, Walt Disney Studios has grown to include several other film divisions and subsidiaries. Touchstone Pictures was created in 1984 to create more adult-oriented films to attract new markets. DisneyToon Studios and Pixar are two animation companies, with DisneyToon creating mostly direct-to-video films. Disneynature was founded in 2009 to release independent nature documentaries. The next year, Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment, focused on creating superhero films based on the long-running Marvel comics. In 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Ltd. and now own the rights to film franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. [3]

FINANCIALS

As of December 2015, Disney Studios holds 15.9% market share ranking it second behind Universal for the year. [4] Disney’s fourth quarter reports showed only a very slight increase in profits from last year, in regards to their entertainment division. The division grossed $1.783 billion in its fourth quarter, making the worldwide gross $7.366 billion for the year. This is a 1% increase from last year’s total of $7.278 billion. These numbers are mainly attributed to box office performances like Inside Out, Ant-Man, and Bridge of Spies being similar to the performances of Guardians of the Galaxy and Maleficent from 2014. [5] Despite this, Disney’s stock has increased greatly over the past few months, going from $95.36 a share in August to $115.39 currently. [6] One of the biggest reasons for this is the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is expected to break several box office records and has already sold millions of dollars in merchandise. [7]

FALL 2015 FILMS

Inside Out

Inside Out Poster [8] Source: IMDB

Pixar’s Inside Out was not released in the fall season, but it still maintained a strong theater presence during this time. Opening in June, Inside Out‘s opening broke the box office record for an original, non-sequel property with $91 million in its first three days. [9] The film experienced a resurgence in the month of September with it reopening in 2,204 theaters. As of the end of November, it is still shown in some theaters and has grossed over $850 million worldwide. [10] The film’s critical reception is largely attributed to these high numbers with a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [11] Because of scores like these, the movie’s notoriety spread through word-of-mouth.

Ant-Man

Ant-Man Poster [14] Source: IMDB

Similarly to Inside Out, Marvel’s Ant-Man was not released during the fall. While its numbers were not as good as Inside Out, Ant-Man did quite well in the box office and exceeded expectations. The film opened to number one with a weekend gross of more than $57 million. As of late November, it too is still showing in several theaters. [12] In late October, Ant-Man became the ninth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to break $500 million. There were some concerns about the movie since Ant-Man is a relatively unknown superhero but positive reviews, the star power of Paul Rudd, and its ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe made it a bigger hit than anticipated. [13]

Bridge of Spies Poster [16] Source: IMDB

Bridge of Spies

Released on October 16, Touchstone Feature’s Bridge of Spies tells the real-life story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn insurance claims lawyer who was sent by the CIA to the Soviet Union to negotiate the release of a captured American pilot. [15] On a budget of $40 million, the film has grossed over $95 million, making it a box office success for Disney. The success can be attributed to the star power of those who worked on the film, as it was directed by Steven Spielberg, written by the Coen Brothers, and stars Hollywood icon Tom Hanks.

The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur Poster [18] Source: IMDB

Released on November 25, Pixar’s second film of the year The Good Dinosaur tells the story of a boy and a dinosaur who form a bond in an alternate timeline where the dinosaurs never became extinct. The film grossed more than $56 million on its opening weekend, which is considered to be a disappointment by Pixar’s standards. While the film is expected to break even, The Good Dinosaur had the weakest launch in Pixar’s twenty year history. [17] There are several reasons why this is the case. First are the reviews, which only point to the movie being okay. The timing was also not ideal, as the movie launched at the same time as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and Creed, which have both been early box office successes. Lastly, the marketing for the movie was considered to be poor, as Disney has been focusing most of its attention on promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens. [13]

THE FUTURE

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Trailer [19]
Source: Youtube

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Disney’s biggest project of the year and is poised to do massive box office numbers. The seventh film in the Star Wars franchise takes place thirty years after the events of 1981’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and features returning stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill along with a new cast. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is expected to shatter several box office records with many speculating that it could become the highest-grossing film of all time. [20] Disney’s heavy marketing campaign has built up a huge amount of hype for the film’s December 18 release. The film has actually already made $50 million through pre-sale tickets, alone breaking pre-sale ticket records. [21] The J.J. Abrams-directed space opera is the first in a planned new trilogy and the purchase of Lucasfilm, Ltd. is quickly looking like one of Disney’s smartest decisions in the past few years.

SOURCES

[1] The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved 29 November 2015.

[2] The Walt Disney Studios Executive Team. Retrieved 29 November 2015.

[3] D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. Disney History. Retrieved 29 November 2015.

[4] Box Office Mojo. 2015 Studio Market Share. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

[5] 5 November 2015. The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings for Fiscal Year 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

[6] Yahoo Finance. The Walt Disney Company DIS. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

[7] Saiim, Palwasha. 1 December 2015. Profit Confidential. DIS Stock: 3 Reasons to be Bullish on the Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[8] IMDB. Inside Out. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[9] Eisenberg, Eric. 24 June 2015. Cinemablend. Inside Out Just Broke an Important Box Office Record. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[10] Box Office Mojo. Inside Out. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[11] Rotten Tomatoes. Inside Out (2015). Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[12] Box Office Mojo. Ant-Man. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[13] Mendelson, Scott. 1 December 2015. Forbes. Box Office: Why Pixar’s ‘Good Dinosaur’ is Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man.’ Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[14] IMDB. Ant-Man. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

[15] Crockatt, Richard. 27 November 2015. Independent. Bridge of Spies: The True Story behind Jim Donovan’s defense of a Soviet spy in an American court. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[16] IMDB. Bridge of Spies. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[17] Whitten, Sarah. 30 November 2015. CNBC LLC. Pixar to ‘keep swimming’ after ‘Good Dinosaur’ falls short at box office. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[18] IMDB. The Good Dinosaur. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[19] The Official Star Wars Youtube Page. Youtube. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer (Official). Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[20] Romano, Nick. 28 April 2015. Cinemablend. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Poised to Shatter Every Box Office Record We’ve Ever Had. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

[21] 2 December 2015. Press Chronicle. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Has Made $50 Million Before Launch. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

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