Tag Archives: 20th Century Fox

21st Century Fox

Posted on by 
Georgia Velkes, Jenna Levine, and Gabrielle Marzolf

Overview

21st-cnetury-fox-logo

In 1985, News Corporation, a newspaper company from Australia owned by Rupert Murdoch, acquired Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Murdoch subsequently
built the company into one of the biggest media companies in the world. [1]

Rupert Murdoch Executive Chairman

Rupert Murdoch
Executive Chairman

In 2012, News Corporation split into two companies. News Corporation kept all the newspaper assets and media assets were put into a new company named 21st Century Fox. 21st Century Fox has holdings in multiple media businesses internationally and in the United States, including broadcast and cable television networks like FOX, FX, Fox News Channel, and National Geographic, which reach over 1.8 billion subscribers. [2] The film company, 20th Century Fox, is one of the Big Six Hollywood Studios that produce and distribute films worldwide.

 

 

Financials

The company had a strong fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2016 with total revenue increasing 7% to $6.51 billion and a net income increase of 22% to $821 million. [3] A significant portion of that boost came from the Cable Network Programming division.

Gretchen Carlson, former anchor at Fox News

Gretchen Carlson, former anchor at Fox News

The Fox News Channel experienced significant growth, despite the Roger Ailes scandal in the beginning of the quarter, in which former anchor Gretchen Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment. Fox settled the lawsuit, which incited controversy throughout the company, and Ailes resigned. During the lawsuit, Fox faced great controversy and criticism, which increased when Ailes left the company with a $40 million exit agreement.

Roger Ailes, former CEO/Chairman of Fox News

Roger Ailes, former CEO/Chairman of Fox News

In spite of the controversy, cable revenues increased 10% to $3.81 billion, driven by higher ratings and advertising revenue. The US presidential election, broadcasted on Fox News, increased domestic advertising revenue by 6% and gained the network more viewers. The film business revenue increased more than 6.8% to $1.91 billion which is credited to the theatrical release of “Independence Day: Resurgence” and the home entertainment release of “Deadpool” during the quarter. [4] The positive earnings release showed a 14.6% rise in the stock price over the past 3 months, gaining $3.62. [5]

 

New Licensing Agreements

As the television industry and television consumption transforms, 21st Century Fox’s goal is to become a central player in the new digital age. Fox Networks Group recently made a deal with AT&T Inc. and its DirecTV subsidiary. DirectTV launched a streaming service called DirecTV Now that allows viewers to stream their programming instead of watching it via satellite transmission. Fox News, Fox Business, FX and many more Fox networks will be available on AT&T’s live streaming service in addition to the content offered to DirecTV subscribers. [6] Fox has also made a licensing deal with Hulu to carry Fox channels on the new over-the-top (OTT) live TV subscription service Hulu will soon release. [7] The deal includes the FOX broadcast network along with the Fox Sports channels, National Geographic and more.

While 21st Century Fox licenses content to companies that partner programming with new technology like OTT providers, issues have arisen with subscriptions services like Netflix. In September, 21st Century Fox filed a lawsuit against Netflix for illegally “poaching” two under-contract executives: Tara Flynn, the former VP of Creative Affairs at Fox21, and Marcos Waltenberg, the former VP of Promotions at 20th Century Fox. [8] In retaliation, Netflix sued 21st Century Fox for the alleged use of illegal contract clauses. The outcome of these lawsuits could potentially impact how businesses manage employment contracts in the future. [9]

 

TV Ratings

This past quarter Fox Networks Group saw a huge increase of ratings with not only the presidential election and Fox News, but also the FOX network as a result of their rights to the World Series.

Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com)

Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com)

Huge interest in this year’s presidential election saw primetime coverage reach a total of 71 million viewers, and Fox News channel’s 12.2 million viewers beat out CNN’s 11.2 million views for the most viewers of any cable channel for the 7pm-3am time slot, leaning toward a generally conservative audience. [10]  When the election results announced Donald Trump as president elect, Fox News Channel maintained over 10 million viewers.

This fall, Fox’s overall ratings for the season rose from fourth to first place, with nearly 40 million viewers and a 12.1 rating with the 18-49 demographic. Previously, NBC was the number one network, however the World Series ratings boosted Fox to the top with an 8% advantage over its competitors. [11] Furthermore, unlike other networks, Fox has not experienced a ratings drop related to professional football broadcasting. Analysts suggest that Fox retained viewers because the network does not show any primetime games and delivers the best overall Sunday coverage including their post-show program, The OT. [12] Over Thanksgiving, Fox Sports aired the Washington Redskins versus Dallas Cowboys game, which, with 35.1 million viewers, was the highest rated program of the holiday and the highest rated NFL game to date. [13]

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox

Unlike the other business divisions of 21st Century Fox, the film studio exhibited a weak performance over the past year, which resulted in leadership changes. Over the summer official Fox sources announced that the Chairman/CEO of the studio, Jim Gianopulos, would leave and Stacy Snider would replace him. [14] Since Snider has taken over, she has made a number of changes senior management, resulting in the departure of the marketing president Marc Weinstock, who left for Annapurna Pictures. [15]

Deadpool (2016) official movie poster

Deadpool (2016) official movie poster

With all the personnel changes at the studio, senior management is focusing on the upcoming slate of movies for the next two to three years. After the commercial success of “Deadpool”, the studio faces pressure to release similarly profitable films. “Avatar 2” has been rumored to be released around Christmas 2018, so the studio will face pressure to follow up the highest grossing film of all time at the global box office. Fox’s film adaption of “Assassin’s Creed” generated anticipation of how the company would transition the content from a video game format to the big screen. [16]

The film is not yet released, but the hype surrounding the film shows that Fox is not afraid to take risks, and presents the company as more forward thinking.

Fox has the production and distribution rights to Marvel characters related to the X-Men property, including X-Men, Deadpool and Wolverine. Between films utilizing these characters and sequels to popular franchises—“Alien: Covenant”, “Kingsman: Golden Circle” and a total of four Avatar sequels—the studio has a significant amount of content to exploit over the next two to five years. [17]

Conclusion

Overall, 21st Century Fox is well poised for continued growth in revenue and income going forward.  Strong licensing revenue to emerging and existing OTT providers as well as traditional networks and broadcasters is expected to continue and a strong pipeline of franchise tentpole films over the next three to five years should ensure continued financial success of the film studio.  The introduction of new leadership at the studio and Fox News will ensure continued growth and success at these important divisions of the company.

References:

[1] 21st Century Fox. Rupert Murdoch. Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/managment/rupert-murdoch

[2] 21st Century Fox. Investor Relations. Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/investor-relations

[3][4] Lang, Brent. November 2, 2016. Variety. 21st Century Fox Earnings Get Lift From Fox News, ‘Deadpool’ Home Entertainment Debut. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://variety.com/2016/film/news/21st-century-fox-earnings-get-lift-from-fox-news-deadpool-home-entertainment-debut-1201907353/.

[5] Nasdaq. FOXA Earnings Data. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.nasdaq.com/earnings/report/foxa

[6] Moritz, Scott. November 21, 2016. Bloomberg. AT&T Expands Fox Programming Pact to Include Online TV Service. Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-21/at-t-expands-fox-programming-pact-to-include-online-tv-service

[7] Spangler, Todd. November 1, 2016. Variety. Hulu Inks Disney, 21st Century Fox Deals for Internet TV Service. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/hulu-disney-21st-century-fox-live-tv-1201906066/

[8] Flint, Joe. September 16, 2016. Wall Street Journal. 21st Century Fox Sues Netflix for Poaching Employees. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.wsj.com/articles/21st-century-fox-sues-netflix-for-poaching-employees-1474053655

[9] Patten, Dominic. October 19, 2016. Deadline. Netflix Hits Back At Fox In Exec-Poaching Lawsuit, Claims Studio “Bullies” Employees Into Contracts. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://deadline.com/2016/10/netflix-fox-lawsuit-cross-complaint-executive-poaching-1201839020/

[10] O’Connell, Michael. November 9, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. TV Ratings: 71 Million Watched 2016 Election Returns Pour In; CNN and Fox News Set Records. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-nbc-leads-early-election-night-numbers-945493

[11] [12] O’Connell, Michael. November 4, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. World Series Catapults Fox to No. 1 Slot for the Fall Season. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/world-series-catapults-fox-no-1-slot-fall-season-944192

[13] O’Connell, Michael. November 25, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. TV Ratings: NBC Parade Climbs – But Fox Football Dominates Thanksgiving. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-nbc-parade-climbs-but-fox-football-dominates-thanksgiving-950471

[14] Fleming, Mike, Jr. June 16, 2016. Deadline. Fox Makes It Official: Stacey Snider Is Chairman/CEO In June 2017; Jim Gianopulos Takes Role At 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://deadline.com/2016/06/jim-gianopulos-stacey-snider-fox-executive-changes-1201773922/

[15] McClintock, Pamela. November 7, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. Fox Shake-Up: Marketing President Marc Weinstock Departing Studio. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-shake-up-marketing-president-marc-weinstock-departing-studio-944878

[16] Pech, Dana. November 9, 2016. Movie Pilot. Why ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Will Break The Video Game Movie Curse. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://moviepilot.com/p/why-assassins-creed-will-break-the-video-game-movie-curse/4142547

[17] Chitwood, Adam. November 27, 2016. Collider. Fox Sets Release Dates for Two Secret Marvel Movies; Pushes ‘Kingsman 2’ to October 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://collider.com/fox-marvel-movies-release-dates-deadpool-3/

Images

(In order of appearance) 

[1] Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/194013/what-rupert-murdochs-news-corp-and-21st-century-fox-really-own

[2] Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Rupert_Murdoch_-_Flickr_-_Eva_Rinaldi_Celebrity_and_Live_Music_Photographer.jpg/220px-Rupert_Murdoch_-_Flickr_-_Eva_Rinaldi_Celebrity_and_Live_Music_Photographer.jpg

[3] Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2015/06/26/how-a-fox-news-host-handled-sex-assault/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1435310106558.cached.jpg

[4] Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-inline/media-visionary-roger-ailes-hed-2015.jpg

[5] Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://global.fncstatic.com/static/v/all/img/og/og-fn-foxnews

[6] Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.manutd.com/sitecore/shell/~/media/D971B02AD7A246678E4092D1D2AE12C6.ashx?w=1280&h=720&rgn=0,281,2160,1501

[7] Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQyODg5Njc4N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzExMjE3NzE@._V1_UY268_CR1,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

 

21st Century Fox

Posted on by 
Gina Reitenauer, Erika Lipinski, Dwayne Ellmore

21st-century-fox-logo-1024x768[1]

Adress/ Contact Info:

1211 6TH AVE.

NEW YORK, NY 10036

(212) 852-7000

Key Executives:

James Murdoch Co-Chief Operating Officer

James Murdoch- CEO

 

Murdoch has been with the Fox corporation for over 20 years, over these years, he has held a variety of different leadership positions in the company.  He was appointed as the CEO in 2015.

lachlan-murdoch1

Lachlan Murdoch- Executive Chairman

 

 

 

L. Murdoch has been in the communications industry for over twenty years.  Some of his past leadership positions for the company include: Board of Directors member, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and Co-Chairman of the corporation.

Rupert-Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch- Executive Chairman

 

R. Murdoch has served as both the CEO and Chairman of the company, a role that he had since 1979 when the corporation was known as “News Corporation” . R. Murdoch was appointed to his current position as Executive Chairman of the company on July 1st, 2015.

reed-nolte

Reed Nolte- Executive Vice President of Investor Relations

 

Before becoming an executive at 21st Century Fox, Mr. Note held a variety of different financial positions at communications companies.  Most notably, he was the Assistant Treasurer at Paramount Communications.  Additionally, Mr. Nolte was previously the Vice President of Investor Relations at Viacom.

 

julie-henderson

Julie Henderson- Chief Communications Officer

 

Ms. Henderson is the Chief Spokesperson for the company.  Her previous experience in Public Relations and the communications field extensive; she has worked as the Senior Vice President of MPRM Public Relations and also Fox Interactive Media.  Ms. Henderson has been apart of the 21st century fox team since 2012 when she took her current position.

john-nallen-final

John Nallen- Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

 

 

John Nallen assumed his current role at 21st century fox in July of 2013.  Mr. Nallen originally joined the “News Corporation” back in 1995 after working at Arthur Andersen as a partner.

[2]

Brief Overview:

Twenty-First Century Fox is one of the largest mass media conglomerates in the world. The four major segments of this company include cable network programming, television, filmed entertainment, and direct broadcast satellite television. Twenty-First Century Fox is parent organization to many subsidiaries. For instance, Fox Entertainment Group is a subsidiary of which are many of Fox’s well-known divisions, such as FOX News Channel, Twentieth Century Fox Film, and Fox Network Group. Going even further, Fox Network Group is the parent of many other subsidiaries as well, one of them being Fox Broadcasting Company. [3]

fox-news-channel_logo-final 20th_century_fox_0 fng-logo [4]

FOX Broadcasting Company, like other traditional television outlets, is experiencing declining viewership. This is partly due to the fact that media consumers are embracing newer digital platforms, which leads broadcasting networks like FOX to be dependent on the news and coverage of national and international events, such as the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 2016 Election, and general sports coverage. For instance, FOX is hopeful that its coverage of the Super Bowl in 2017 will boost ratings as it did in the past. [5]

Finances:

Stock Price:

The stock of the 21st century corporation, has not changed much since the beginning of the year through the current fourth quarter of stock trading. The peak point of the stock price in 2016 was on April 25th, 2016 at $31.06. The lowest point of the stock price was on September 9th, 2016 when the stock price was $23.57.  Since this low point, the stock has only rebounded to the point where it is as of Mid-November (Nov 15th, 2016) at $27.45. [6]

screen-shot-2016-11-29-at-12-24-14-am

Revenue:

For the fiscal year 2015, the revenue for 21st Century Fox was $28.99 billion dollars and the the revenue for the 2016 fiscal year was $27.33 billion. In Quarter 4 of 2016, the company beat expert’s estimates coming in at $6.65 billion.  This marked at 7% increase over the prior year’s Quarter 4 results. [7] As of 2016, 21st Century Fox is the 4th highest grossing media company in the world, only behind Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, and Comcast. [8]

Current Projects/ Recent Releases:

Some Fox films in theaters now include: Trolls, Keeping Up with the Jones, and the recent release Rules Don’t Apply.

Rules Don’t Apply

Rules Don’t Apply was released by Twenty-First Century Fox on November 23rd, 2016, two days prior to Thanksgiving. There are many Thanksgiving releases this week from competing studios such as: Moana from Walt Disney Studios and Bad Santa 2 from Broad Green Pictures. We’ll see how Rules Don’t Apply performs in comparison to the films from other studios. Their last release, Trolls, was expected to gross 35 to 40 million, yet ended up grossing $45.6 million in its first week. [9]

Assassins Creed

[10]

Assassins Creed is based on the video game franchise and will hit theaters on December 21st, 2016. Several sources in the trade say that Assassins Creed won’t make money. The movie budget has not been released yet, but it is estimated to be between $100-200 million.[11] With a movie budget that high it could be hard to break even.

Listed in the image below are future releases to look out for:

screen-shot-box-office [12]

What’s happening/ News: 

On July 26th, 2016 former Fox CEO and Chairman, Robert Ailes, resigned from his position. Ailes was replaced by successor Rupert Murdoch. [13] The scandal broke out when Gretchen Carlson, an ex Fox News Anchor, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes. Carlson won the case and received a settlement of $20 million from Fox. Afterward, dozens of other female workers at Fox came forward also accusing him of sexual harassment. Megyn Kelley, a Fox News Journalist, writes about her experience of sexual harassment from Robert Ailes in her new book Settle For More,  released on November 15th, 2016. When corporate leaders are misogynistic and abuse their power, it shows a lot about the culture of the studio. The scandal has caused public-relation issues for Fox. Hopefully Murdoch assuming this position of power will end favorably. [14]

On another note, on Election Day 2016, FOX News debuted a new studio in honor of the company’s 20th anniversary. The studio cost $30 million. [15]

_g4a7409afox-studios-3 [16]

However, despite the new glitzy studio, FOX was still outnumbered by its opponents in the news sector of election coverage ratings; FOX News averaged 3.25 million viewers, putting it in fourth place behind NBC, ABC and CBS consecutively. [17]

However, Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy, the co-presidents of FOX News Channel, are both certain the new studio will lead to success. After gathering colleagues in the new studio, Abernethy assured them: “Our records show that about a little over 190 people have been here from the very beginning, continuously,” Jack said. “Most of you, like me, have been here for only a portion of that time. As I get reacquainted with folks, I find tremendous amount of pride in what we do here – I can assure you that Bill and I are going to do our very best to innovate.” [18]

Future Outlook: 

An article written for Forbes suggests that three factors will spur growth for 21st Century Fox. These factors are:

  1. Increasing advertising revenue due to premium content
    • Because more than half of 21st Century Fox’s revenue comes from subscriptions and advertising, and based on recent success in ratings, it is likely that both consumers and advertisers alike will be drawn to the content. An example of a movie that indicates the recent success of the company’s content is Deadpool,
  2. The ability to stream media
    • With a 30% stake in Hulu, the company can compete with other media-streaming powerhouses like Netflix. With the addition of live streaming television on Hulu next year, FOX can expect a boost in revenue. Fox is also hoping to make streaming arrangements with Sony and Sling TV.
  3. Entertainment production (both film and television)
    • With an expected increase from  $2.3 billion within the next year in terms of licensing revenues, and 20% of Fox’s value grounded in the production of film and television series, Fox is expecting growth and loyalty from distributors as new distribution platforms continue to emerge. [19]

Sources:

[1] “21st Century Fox Logo | Logok.” Logok. May 08, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://logok.org/21st-century-fox-logo/.

[2] “Executive Team.” Executive Team | 21st Century Fox. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. https://www.21cf.com/management/executive-team.

[3] “Businesses.” Businesses | 21st Century Fox. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/businesses.

[4] “Businesses.” Businesses | 21st Century Fox. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/businesses.

[5] Great Speculations. “Fox’s Broadcasting Revenue Growth Is Largely Dependent On Its Sports Programming.” Forbes. February 9, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/02/09/foxs-broadcasting-revenue-growth-is-largely-dependent-on-its-sports-programming/#65c1dd6269b3.

[6] “21st Century Fox Inc. Cl A.” FOXA Stock Quote – 21st Century Fox Inc. Cl A Stock Price Today (FOXA:NASDAQ) – MarketWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/foxa.

[7] Statista. “Revenue Generated by 21st Century Fox in the Fiscal Years 2011-2016. Accessed November 27th, 2016. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262513/21st-century-foxs-annual-revenue/

[8] O’Reilly, Lara. “The 30 Biggest Media Companies in the World.” Business Insider. Business Insider, 31 May 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-biggest-media-owners-in-the-world-2016-5/#4-21st-century-fox–1867-billion-in-media-revenue-27.

[9] “‘Rules Don’t Apply’ Roundtable with Warren Beatty and Key Crew.” IndieWire. N.p., 27 Nov. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/rules-dont-apply-warren-beatty-crew-roundtable-interview-1201749928/.

[10] Nicolas Wright & James A. Woods and Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich and James Vanderbilt. “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Independence Day: Resurgence | 20th Century Fox. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/independence-day-resurgence.

[11] “Ubisoft Doesn’t Think Assassin’s Creed Movie Will Be Very Profitable.” Screen Rant. N.p., 08 July 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://screenrant.com/assassins-creed-movie-ubisoft-box-office-predictions/.

[12] “20th Century Fox Upcoming Releases.” 20th Century Fox Upcoming Releases. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=upcoming&view=company&studio=fox.htm.

[13] 21 CF Staff. “Roger Ailes Resigns as Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and Chairman Fox Television Stations”. 21st Century Fox Press Releases. July 21, 2016. Accessed November 22, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/news/21st-century-fox/2016/roger-ailes-resigns-chairman-and-ceo-fox-news-channel

[14] Grynbaum, Michael. “Fox Settles With Gretchen Carlson Over Roger Ailes Sex Harassment Claims“. The New York Times. September 6, 2016. Accessed November 23, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/business/media/fox-news-roger-ailes-gretchen-carlson-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-settlement.html

[15] 21 CF Staff. “FOX News Channel Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary by Introducing a New State-of-the-art Studio to Debut on Election Day.” FOX News Channel Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary by Introducing a New State-of-the-art Studio to Debut on Election Day | 21CF BLOG. October 7, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://blog.21cf.com/blog/2016/10/07/fox-news-channel-celebrates-20th-anniversary-new-studio.

[16] “Fox News Unveils Nearly $30 Million Election-Night Studio.” AdWeek. November 6, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-news-unveils-nearly-30-million-election-night-studio-174405

[17] “Election Night Broadcast Numbers down a Bit from 2012: Tuesday Final Ratings.” TV By The Numbers by Zap2it.com. November 10, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/tuesday-final-ratings-nov-8-2016/.

[18]”Fox News Unveils Nearly $30 Million Election-Night Studio.” AdWeek. November 6, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-news-unveils-nearly-30-million-election-night-studio-174405

[19] Forbes. “These Three Factors Could Drive Growth For 21st Century Fox In Future”. September 27, 2016. Accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/09/27/these-three-factors-could-drive-growth-for-21st-century-fox-in-future/#56b0884d30ae.

 

20th Century Fox (film)

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20th Century Fox logo

20th Century Fox Logo [1]

10201 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-FOX-INFO
http://www.foxmovies.com/

History

20th Century Fox is one of the six biggest film studios in America and is owned by 21st Century Fox Corporation. The company has released a number of successful films including The Sound of Music, Star Wars, Die Hard, Ice Age, and X-Men. They also distributed the two highest-grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic. [1]

Avatar movie poster

Avatar movie poster [1]

20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 when Fox Films, owned by William Fox, merged with Twentieth Century Pictures. Joe Schenck took on the role of chief executive while Darryl F. Zanuck became the head of production. The company enjoyed success after the release of The Sound of Music in 1965 and Star Wars in 1977. In 1981, Marc Rich and Marvin Davis took over the company, who then sold it to News Corp., Rupert Murdoch’s company, in 1985. In 2013, News Corporation split into two companies. News Corporation became the publishing arm of the company while 21st Century Fox became its own television/film company. 20th Century Fox came under this company. [2]

Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Emma Watts, Production President

Emma Watts, Production President [4]

Finances

This past February, 21st Century Fox released their second quarter earnings report for October to December of 2015 and reported revenues of $7.38 billion. Although this was a decrease of 1% ($49 million) from the prior year, this was partially offset by the success of The Martian, which had grossed over $600 million in worldwide box office by December 31, 2016. The Martian continued to grow and ended with $630 million in worldwide box office revenue with its close date on March 17, 2016. Films released during this quarter that carried over at the box office into 2016 were The Revenant, Joy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, and The Peanuts Movie. [5] [6]

Going into 2016, 20th Century Fox saw strong box office revenues. The Revenant debuted with $38 million at the domestic box office that weekend. This was an unexpectedly strong open. The film was only predicted to open to less than $25 million. The revenue that opening weekend brought them close to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, grossing at $41.6 million its fourth weekend in theaters. [7] The Peanuts Movie also finished strong with worldwide revenues reaching $246 billion. [8] Another hit for 20th Century Fox at the box office was Kung Fu Panda 3, which has grossed $504 million worldwide since its release in January. [9]

On April 25, 2016, 21st Century Fox share prices were listed at $31.00. This is up from $22.50 on February 9th when share prices fell by as much as 4%. This was likely due to the earnings report released on this day, which predicted that profits would fall due to the strong dollar [5]. Since then, share prices have seen a steady increase and are predicted to continue to rise. The third quarter fiscal report for 21st Century Fox will be released on May 4, 2016. [10]

Awards Season

Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio win three Golden Globe Awards for The Revenant

Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio win three Golden Globe Awards for The Revenant [11]

20th Century Fox studio releases did well during the 2016 awards season. At the Golden Globes, Jennifer Lawrence won best actress in a Comedy or Musical for Joy. The Martian won Best Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical and Matt Damon also won best actor for his role in the film. The Revenant took home the Best Motion Picture award for a Drama. Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Iñárritu won best actor and best director, respectively. [12]

At The Academy Awards, The Revenant counted twelve nominations, the most of any film nominated. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for Best Actor. The Revenant also won Best Cinematography and Directing. [13] The nominations and wins resulted in a boost of box office revenue for those films that were still in theaters, particularly The Revenant, that’s ticket sales increased more than 80 percent after The Academy Award nominees were announced. Between the announced nominations and Oscar Night, The Revenant brought in $113 million. The film closed with a total of $523 million worldwide. [14]

The New Superhero

20th Century Fox’s current film in theaters is Deadpool. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and was directed by Tim Miller. Deadpool is Marvel’s new R-Rated superhero movie that features a former Special Forces operative with accelerated healing powers and an attitude problem. [15]

Deadpool has broken records since its release on February 12, 2016. It became 20th Century Fox’s largest opening ever with $132.4 million. It also had the largest opening weekend ever for an R-rated film and the biggest opening day in February with $47.5 million. [16] So far, the film has grossed a total of $760 million thus far and is approaching its eleventh week in theaters. [17] Deadpool has been a game changer for the superhero genre. As one of the first high-budget R-rated superhero films in recent years (alongside Watchmen and Kick-Ass), there was high-risk for 20th Century Fox in the box office. But the film was widely received and praised for its snarky humor, romance, and characters rather than big-budget action scenes. [18] Following this success, 20th Century Fox will likely make Wolverine 3 R-rated. The film’s current release date is March 3rd, 2017. [19]

20th Century Fox has already confirmed Deadpool 2 for production. Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds will return for the sequel as well as the creative team. The film is said to mimic the original in tone, keeping the same snarky humor and attitude. The film is currently rumored for release in 2017. [20]

Coming Soon

Independence Day: Resurgence Poster

Independence Day: Resurgence movie poster [23]

This summer, 20th Century Fox is releasing four films. X-Men: Apocalypse will open on May 27, 2016 as the ninth installment in the X-Men series with Bryan Singer as director and a host of famous cast members. To market the film, 20th Century Fox released an X-Men Movies app as well as an “Apocalypse timeline” on their website. [21]

Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the highly acclaimed Independence Day, will open on June 24, 2016 starring Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum. Ice Age: Collision Course and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates are also set to release in July. [22]

Sources

[1] Foxmovies.com. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[2] 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[3] Yamato, Jen. (May 16, 2014). Fox’s Jim Gianopulos Delivers USC Film Commencement Speech; Marvel’s Kevin Feige Celebrates Rejection: Transcript. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[4] Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 14, 2014). Fox’s Emma Watts Re-Ups For Three Years After Robust Summer. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[5] Earnings Release for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2015. (February 8, 2016). 21st Century Fox. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[6] The Martian. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[7] Fritz, Ben. (January 11, 2016). ‘The Revenant’ has surprisingly strong box-office debut. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[8] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[9] Kung Fu Panda 3. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[10] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. CI A. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[11] Robehmed, Natalie. (January 11, 2016).‘The Revenant’ Wins Best Picture At The 2016 Golden Globe Awards. Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[12] Sharf, Zack. (February 24, 2016). The Indiewire 2015-16 Awards Season Winners Guide. The Indiewire. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[13] Donnelly, Jim. (February 29, 2016). Oscar Winners 2016: See The Complete List. The Oscars. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[14] Brueggemann, Tom. (March 11, 2016). Oscar Box Office Winners and Losers 2016. Indiewire. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[15] Deadpool. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[16] Garreffa, Anthony. (February 17, 2016). Deadpool becomes largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox. TweakTown. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[17] Deadpool. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[18] VanDerWerff, Todd. (February 15, 2016). Deadpool’s box office unexpectedly broke records. Here’s what Hollywood should learn from it. Vox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[19] Siegal, Jacob. (February 16, 2016). Deadpool’s success could lead to an ‘R’ rating for Wolverine 3. BGR. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[20] Mccarthy, Tyler and Rebecka Schumann. (April 4, 2016). ‘Deadpool 2’ Confirmed By 20th Century Fox; Director And Creative Team Returning. International Business Times. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[21] X-MEN: Apocalypse (2016). 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[22] Coming Soon. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[23] Perry, Spencer. (March 8, 2016). The Aliens are Back in New Independence Day: Resurgence International Poster. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 26, 2016.

20th Century Fox (Film)

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By Derrick Owens
20th Century Fox Logo [1]

20th Century Fox Logo [1] Source: foxmovie.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

10201 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90064

http://www.foxmovies.com/

Overview

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly referred to as 20th Century Fox or Fox, is an international film production and distribution company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. 20th Century Fox is a subsidy of the 21st Century Fox Corporation, which also owns assets in television stations, television broadcast networks, and cable network programming. Fox is a part of the “Big Six” film studios, which includes Columbia, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal, and Paramount. The “Big Six” serve as Fox’s main competition.  20th Century Fox owns the rights to a number of valuable franchises including, X-Men, Ice Age, Die Hard, and Planet of the Apes. Fox is also known for distributing the two highest grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic, both of which were directed by James Cameron [2].    

Key Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman [4]

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman [4]

 History

The origins of 20th Century Fox began in 1915 when film distributor William Fox established his own film production company after moving out to Los Angeles called Fox Films. In 1935, Twentieth Pictures’ Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck left United Artists and merged with Fox Films to create the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation [6].

From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! [5]

From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! [5] Source: Wikepdia.com 

In 1981, the company was sold to investors Marc Rich and Marvin Davis. They subsequently sold the company to Rupert Murdoch, who merged the company into his own media conglomerate, News Corp, in 1985. News Corp was split into two companies in 2013. There is now the new News Corporation, which contained most of Murdoch’s print media assets, and 21st Century Fox, which specializes in filmed entertainment and is the current parent company of 20th Century Fox [7].

Finances

In the last fiscal year (June 30, 2014 – June 30, 2015), 20th Century Fox put out 25 films into general release domestically and they plan on releasing another 25 in fiscal 2016. Of those 25 planned films, Fox has already released six titles including Fantastic Four, The Martian, and The Peanuts Movie. Fox’s most anticipated movies yet to be released in 2016 include Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Independence Day Resurgence [8].  

20th Century Fox produces and distributes its films through a number of internal units:

Twentieth Century Fox and Fox2000 handles films for mainstream audiences.

Logo for Fox Searchlight [8]

Logo for Fox Searchlight [9] Source: foxsearchlight.com 

Fox Searchlight Pictures produces and releases smaller, independent films for specialized audiences.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation produces and distributes feature length-animated films 

Fox International Productions, Inc. co-produces and acquires local-language films for distribution worldwide.

Fox generates money from its films by distributing the films theatrically (domestically and internationally), through home media formats (such as digital distribution), on premium pay and SVOD, and on television and cable networks. Last year, the domestic home entertainment division for Fox released or re-released approximately 1,268 produced and acquired titles [10].

For fiscal 2015, revenues at the Filmed Entertainment segment decreased $154 million, or 2%, as compared to fiscal 2014. Increased production and marketing costs as well as a decrease in home entertainment sales led to the change. 20th Century Fox’s parent company, 21st Century Fox Corporation, has seen their stock dip in the last year. After reaching a high of $37.49 in December of 2014, the stock has fallen to its lower point since January 2012. In September it stood at only $25.41. Even with the drop of its stock prices, 21st Century Fox Corporation saw profit increase by 54% in 2015 compared to the previous year. Profits were at $8.306 billion in 2015 versus $4.514 billion in 2014 [11].   

In Theatres

The Martian 

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, and Jeff Daniels, The Martian is a science-fiction adventure film produced and distributed by Fox. It was released on October 2, 2015 and posted the second highest October opening weekend of all time with a $54.3 million haul. It has gone on to be Fox’s most successful film of the year thus far bringing in over $217 million domestically and nearly $500 million worldwide. It’s production budget of $108 million means the film will be significantly profitable for the corporation. The film’s box office revenue has the possibility of growing even further as many Oscar analyst predict it will be in the running for best picture, best director, and best actor. The Martian is unique because it is a standalone, original film which has achieved worldwide success [12].

The Maze Runner: Scorched Trials

This sci-fi action-adventure film is a sequel to the 2014 hit Maze Runner. The film opened on nearly the same weekend as its predecessor and opened slightly under expectations. Scorched Trials brought in $30.3 million in its first weekend after opening on September 18, which was down from the 32.5 million opening of Maze Runner.        

The film, based off of the popular novel series, is directed by Wes Ball and stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Thomas Brodie-Sangste. Even though it has only grossed $80.9 million domestically with a $61 million production budget, Scorched Trials has been saved by its international performance. It has grossed over $230 million overseas, which motivated Fox to greenlight the film’s sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, due out in 2017 [13]. 

The Peanuts Movie 

This family animation film was released by Fox as part of their distribution deal with Blue Sky Studios. It was the first feature film in the Peanuts franchise in 35 years. It took over eight years to make, because the family of Charles Schultz, the creator of the comic, wanted the film to done with respect to his original work [14]. The film opened to $44.2 million on the weekend of November 6, playing as counter-programming to Spectre, Although there are still a few major international markets left to open, Peanuts has 92.6% of its revenue coming from domestic totals as of 11/29. The film has been a domestic hit with $116.7 million grossed so far, but international performance may need to increase before the $99 million production can be called profitable [15].

News and Developments

20th Century Fox has three films to be released before the end of 2015. The first film is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, which is due out December 18. Fox hopes to continue the success of the franchise, which has banked over $1.1 billion at the box office [16]. The other two films, The Revenant and Joy, are being distributed in limited release on December 25 before going wide in January. These two films are both expected to be major Oscar players and they star Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence respectively [17].

Oculus Cinema by Oculus VR [22]

Oculus Video by Oculus VR [22] Source: roadtovr.com

Fox signed an agreement with Oculus VR, making it the first major movie studio to invest in virtual reality as a way of showing their films. Over 100 films from Fox’s library will be released in the virtual reality cinema Oculus Video [18].

Fox International Productions entered into an exclusive first look deal with Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-language films. The duo is known for their successes as they have overseen five of the ten highest grossing local language films in the modern Russian film era [19].

Planned 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Dubai [21]

Planned 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Dubai [21] Source: variety.com

Fox announced plans to open its first Fox-branded resort in Dubai featuring rides based off of its most popular films including Titanic, Aliens, Predator, and Ice Age. It will open in 2018 and is planned to cost approximately $850 million [20].

Sources

[1] 20th Century Fox Logo. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[2] About. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[3] James N. Gianopulos. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[4]. Stacey Snider. Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[5] From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! Wikipedia. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[[6] About. Fox UK. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[7] Welch, Chris. May 9, 2013. The Verge. 21st Century Fox logo unveiled ahead of News Corp split. Retrieved November 30, 2015  

[8] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015 

[9] Fox Searchlight Logo. Fox Searchlight. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[10] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015 

[11] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. Yahoo Finances. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[12] Tartaglione, Nancy. November 24, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. ‘The Martian’ Closing In On $500M Global: How Fox Marketers Brought Ridley Scott’s Cool Science To The Masses. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[13] Maze Runner: Scorched Trials. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[14] Smith, Chris. November 1, 2014. The Press Democrat. How the Schulz family made ‘The Peanuts Movie’ a reality. Retrieved November 30, 2015  

[15] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[16] Alvin and the Chipmunks. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[17] Cunningham, Todd. September 8, 2015. The Wrap. Fox Fuels Yule Logjam With 3 Christmas Releases. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[18] Geier, Thom. September 24, 2015. The Wrap. ‘Alien,’ ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Among 100 Fox Movies Coming to Oculus Virtual-Reality Headsets. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[19] Business Wire. November 18, 2015. Fox International Productions Strikes Strategic Alliance With Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-Language Films. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[20] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[21] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[22] Oculus Cinema. Oculus VR. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

 

20th Century Fox (film only)

Posted on by 
by ABBY ELYSSA
[20] 20th Century Fox Logo

[20] 20th Century Fox Logo

HISTORY

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, or 20th Century Fox, is one of America’s top six film studios and a film distributor overseen by 21st Century Fox. The corporation was formed in 1935, after the Twentieth Century Pictures and the Fox Film Corporation merger. William Fox, a film distributor, founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1914. When the Great Depression hit, the Fox Film Corporation had trouble financing its high-tech equipment, prompting the merger. Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck founded Twentieth Century Pictures in 1933. In 1981, Marvin Davis, who eventually sold it to publisher Rupert Murdoch in 1985, bought the corporation. Murdoch consolidated both his film and television companies into Fox Inc., which was under News Corporation. In 2013, it split into two publishing and television/film companies, News Corporation and 21st Century Fox respectively. Its two highest grossing films were both of James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997) [1].

TOP EXECUTIVES

James N. Gianopulos, Chairman & CEO

James N. Gianopulos, [2]        Chairman & CEO

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman

Stacey Snider,                                         [3] Co-Chairman

FINANCIALS

In 2014, 20th Century Fox released 24 films domestically. The films are produced and/or distributed by the following companies: Twentieth Century Fox and Fox2000 (mainstream audiences), Fox Searchlight Pictures (specialized audiences), and Twentieth Century Fox Animation (animated films). Fox International Productions, Inc. co-produces, co-finances and acquires local-language motion pictures for international distribution. This year, the corporation plans to release 26 motion pictures total.

The corporation generates revenue through film distribution for theatrical exhibition in America, Canada and international markets, the distribution of films and other programming in various media formats, the distribution of films and other programming for exhibition on premium pay and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), and through the distribution of films on free television networks and other broadcast program services.

In 2014, the corporation released approximately 1,249 produced and acquired titles, up from 1,230 the previous year. The Corporation also had 1,004 international releases, up from 934 the previous year. 20th Century Fox also continued its arrangement to distribute DreamWorks Animation’s new release animated films and other catalog motion pictures and programming. It plans to distribute three DreamWorks films in 2015. Last year, 20th Century Fox also continued its worldwide home video distribution agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lions Gate Films Inc. (Lions Gate) (U.S. only) and Anchor Bay Entertainment, LLC (Anchor Bay) (U.S. and Canada) [4].

IN THEATERS

“Kingsman: The Secret Service”

The action/adventure drama stars Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton and Michael Caine. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn and is based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film follows a spy organization with a new and young recruit and outside technological threats [5].

The film was released on February 13, 2015. Its opening weekend (President’s Day Weekend) grossed $36.2 million and received a #2 rank in 3,204 theaters, averaging 11,300 per theater, 29% its total gross. It grossed $124.7 million domestically and $266.8 overseas ($391.6 worldwide) [6]. The film is especially popular in South Korea, with a record-breaking $40 million at the box office, out-grossing James Bond and Jason Bourne. It’s Korea’s biggest hit since Avatar [7].

“Home”

Home is a 3-D animated comedy, distributed by 20th Century Fox that stars Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin. The film was directed by Tim Johnson and is based on the children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. The film follows a runaway alien who ends up on planet Earth and finds a friend in search of adventure as well [8].

The film was released on March 27, 2015 and grossed $52.1 million its opening weekend. DreamWorks Animation, which produced the film, estimated an opening gross between $30-35 million. The film opened at #1 in 3,708 theaters, averaging $14,053 per theater, 39.8% its total gross [9]. Home also pulled in an international gross of $25.4 million, higher than its projected $24 million. The film’s domestic total is $130.8 million and $112.6 overseas ($243.5 million worldwide) [10].

“The Longest Ride”

The romantic drama based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name, stars Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Jack Huston and Oona Chaplin. The film was directed by George Tillman, Jr. and follows the lives of two couples from different time periods facing the same relationship troubles [11].

The film was released on April 10, 2015 and grossed $13 million its opening weekend ranking #3. It opened in 3,366 theaters and averaging $3,868 per theater, 86.6% its total gross. Its domestic total is $15 million and $2.8 million overseas ($17.8 million worldwide) [12]. This is a good opening weekend for a Nicholas Sparks’ adaptation. The Longest Ride is above last year’s The Best of Me ($10 million), and is grossing similar figures as The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe. The film is projected to earn $30 million against a $34 million budget [13].

UPCOMING

Poltergeist (May 22, 2015)

The supernatural thriller is a remake of the 1982 film of the same name and stars Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris and Rosemarie Dewitt. The film was directed by Gil Kenan and follows a suburban family living in a haunted home with their daughter held captive [14].

Spy (June 5, 2015)

The action comedy stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Stratham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney and Jude Law. The film was directed by Paul Feig and is about an unlikely CIA analyst who goes on the agency’s most dangerous missions and tries to halt a global disaster [15].

THE FUTURE

On April 11, 2015, 20th Century Fox passed the $1 billion box office mark. This is the fastest time the company reached this since 2010 after Avatar was released. Kingsman: The Secret Service and Home have been major assets, and are still in 31 and 69 markets respectively [16].

20th Century Fox is currently teaming up with Hasbro to create a Play-Doh movie, based on the manufacturer’s modeling clay. The corporation is in contact with director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) and screenwriter Jason Micallef for the project [17].

The corporation also seeks to expand its international YouTube presence. 20th Century Fox plans to do this through a deal with U.K. based tech group, Rightster [18]. Rightster currently manages the corporation’s branded content in Europe and Latin America. The  two-year deal will let Rightster manage 20th Century Fox’s YouTube marketing strategy for 35 of its channels. This will focus on channel management and audience  development, with execution of content and influencer-driven viral marketing campaigns [19].

SOURCES

[1] “20th Century Fox Film Corporation: American Motion-Picture Studio.” Britannica. 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

[Image, James] Lang, Brent. “Fox’s Jim Gianopulos Leads Studio Through Uncertain Times.” Variety. 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[2] “Management.” 21st Century Fox. Web. 9 Aug. 2014.

[3] “Stacey Snider Joins 20th Century Fox Today As Co-Chairman.” Deadline Hollywood. 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[4] “Annual Reports.” 21st Century Fox. Web. 13 Aug. 2014.

[5] “Kingman: The Secret Service.” IMDb. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

[6] “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

[7] Cunningham, Todd. “How ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ Blew Away Bond, Bourne in South Korea.” The Wrap. 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.

[8] “Home.” IMDb. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

[9] “Home.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

[10, 13] Subers, Ray. “Weekend Report: ‘Furious 7’ Repeats, Sets Opening Day Record in China.” Box Office Mojo. 12 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[11] “The Longest Ride.” IMDb. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[12] “The Longest Ride.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[14] “Poltergeist.” Movie Insider. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[15] “Spy.” IMDb. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

[16] Busch, Anita. “Fox Hits $1B International Box Office Mark.” Deadline Hollywood. 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

[17] Siouty, Michelle. “20th Century Fox and Hasbro in Talks to Create Play-Doh…the Movie.” Movie Pilot. 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

[18] Harrington, John. “Rightster Group Deepens Relationship with 20th Century Fox.” Proactive Investors. 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

[19] Jarvey, Natalie. “20th Century Fox Pacts With Rightster to Bolster YouTube Presence Abroad.” Hollywood Reporter. 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

[20] “20th Century Fox Logo.” Fox Movies. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

NewsCorp/21st Century – Fox

Aside

 

by Lina Ortega

21st Century Fox

Image courtesy of: http://new.pentagram.com/2013/05/new-work-21st-century-fox/

 

[Image courtesy of: new.pentagram.com]

www.21cf.com

 Contact information

                                                         21st Century Fox                                                                                                         1211 Avenue of the Americas                                                                                                              44th floor                                                                 New York, NY 10036-8701

Key Executives

Rupert Murdoch

                              Rupert Murdoch: Chairman & Chief Executive Officer                               [Image courtesy of: thenation.com]

President and Chief Operating Officer

                              Chase Carrey: President and Chief Operating Officer                              [Image Courtesy of: stockspinoffs.com]

James Murdoch: Co-Chief Operating Officer

                                    James Murdoch: Co-Chief Operating Officer                                     [Image Courtesy of: mikeangryman.com]

About 21st Century Fox

What was once News Corporation since 1953 [I], is now comprised by “News Corp” and “21st Century Fox.” News Corp consists of a publishing group that includes several newspapers like Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Times of London. 21st Century Fox is a broadcasting and film company that includes the “Fox News channel”, “20th Century movie and television studios”, “Fox sports”, “FX”, “National Geographic” and “FOX broadcast network”. [II] This separation was intended to ensure that both companies were conducted under more a centered management, which makes both companies more valuable.

21st Century Fox is a global media company and was founded in June 28, 2013 [III]. It acquires market from four principal operating segments: 1- Cable network programming, which it’s mostly production and licensing content through cable, telecommunications providers, and broadcast satellite. 2- Television, which operates the company’s 28 full-power broadcast stations. 3- Film Entertainment, the operator of the company’s numerous film and television production studios. 4- Direct Broadcast Satellite Television, which provides programming to international markets. The company also holds a 39% of BSkyB, the British entertainment and communications provider. 21st Century Fox makes its revenue principally on affiliate subscriptions, broadcast  and advertising fees, content licensing and retransmission revenues to maintain the top line [IV]. Fox Broadcasting Company ended the year 2012 at number one in the key adult demographic for the eight consecutive year in America [V].

Financials

The Cable Network Programming segment surpassed $12 billion in revenue for the first time in its history, up 13% over their prior year.                                                             2014 21st Century Fox Annual Report:2014 21st Century Fox Annual Report

What’s Happening Now?

In cable programming, FX Networks has currently 25 successful shows on air [VI].

Photo courtesy of: The Christian Post

Image courtesy of: The Christian Post

American Horror Story is now on the 7th episode of its 4th season “Freak Show” and it is one of the most watched TV series of the FX Networks. The show presents an anthology of different narratives for each new season [VII]. With an 8.4 out of 10 by IMDB, the show went from 2.82 million viewers on its first season to 4.00 million viewers now [VIII].

 

In television, FOX has a great variety of very recognized shows that can range mostly in animation, comedy, and thriller.

Photo courtesy of: forbes.com

Image courtesy of: forbes.com

One of the FOX newest TV shows premiered recently on September 22, 2014 with 8.21 million viewers [IX]. Gotham explores the beginning tales of Commissioner Gordon.  While in the show he is still a detective, he has yet to meet Batman and the villains who made Gotham City so popular [X]. Gotham received two nominations in the TV divisions for the “American Society of Cinematographers 29th annual Outstanding Achievement Awards” . Additionally, the pilot was recognized in the category for a TV movie, miniseries or pilot [XI].

20th Century Fox is one of the most recognized film industries in the world. This year 2014, Fox released 13 feature films with a result of $1,539,266,539 in total gross [XII]. This includes: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, How to Train your Dragon 2, Gone Girl and Rio 2, as in order of total ranking.

Photo courtesy of: msmagazine.com

Image courtesy of: msmagazine.com

Gone Girl was released in October 3, 2014 and it has a domestic total of $160,757,000 as of today November 30th, plus a $173,400,000 of foreign totals while the production budget was only 61 million. Currently in its 5th week, it is ranked number 8 [XIII]. Gone Girl has received many awards including  the “Hollywood Film Award” at the 2014 Hollywood Film Festival [XIV].

Penguins of Madagascar is an animated comedy distributed by 20th Century Fox and is its newest film on the market, released on November 26, 2014. This film takes the peculiar penguin characters of the previous Madagascar movies, whom must stop a villain doctor from destroying the world [XV]. As of its first weekend it is currently number two with a total gross of $36 million [XVI].

This has been one of the best years for Fox and they are not planning on backing down. On December 5, 2014 The Pyramid will be released. The Pyramid is about an archaeological team ventures to unlock the mysteries of a lost pyramid and instead find themselves hunted by an insidious creature [XVII].

As Europe’s leading entertainment company, Sky has 20 million consumers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK, and Ireland [XVIII].

Photo courtesy of: denofgeek.com

Image courtesy of: denofgeek.com

Penny Dreadful is a psychological thriller that brings together literature’s most terrifying classical characters, like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray [XIX]. It aired on May 11, 2014, and it won “Most Exciting New Series” at the Critics Choice Television Awards [XX]. Penny Dreadful is coming back with its new season for a 2015 debut on the channel [XXI].

In Other News

Photo courtesy of: The Independent

Image courtesy of: The Independent

Exodus: Gods and Kings has received criticism due to its lack of ethnic diversity, to which Rupert Murdoch decided to respond by tweeting the following: “Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are.” [XXII]. Murdoch has not received too many good responses about this issue.

Photo courtesy of: realscreen.com

Image courtesy of: realscreen.com

On October 10, 2014, 21st Century Fox and Apollo made an agreement to create a leading company multi-platform content provider each of them owning 50 percent. Now Endemol, Shine Group, and Core Media will be a sole group in over 30 markets including digital, gaming and distribution operations [XXIII].

Up until 2018, Fox has 48 movies, including many sequels as well as prequels that are yet to come [XXIV].

[I] News Corporation Limited History     From 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2014             [II] NewsCorp Divides Into Two Companies     From June 28, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2014                                                                                                                              [III] 21st Century Fox Company Details     Retrieved November 27, 2014                         [IV] 21st Century Fox Analysis     From November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.                                                                                                                                   [V] Fox Broadcasting Company     Retrieved November 29, 2014.                                        [VI] 21st Century Fox     Retrieved November 27, 2014.                                                       [VII] American Horror Story     Retrieved November 29, 2014                                               [VIII] American Horror Story Numbers     From October 13, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014                                                                                                                                   [IX] Monday Final Ratings     From September 23, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014     [X] Gotham TV Show     From September 22, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014           [XI] ASC Nominations for TV Cinematography     From November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                                                                           [XII] 20th Century Fox Box Office Mojo     From November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                                                                                             [XIII] Box Office Mojo     Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                       [XIV] Gone Girl Tops Hollywood Film Awards     From November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                                                                           [XV] The Penguins of Madagascar     Retrieved December 1, 2014                                 [XVI] Penguins of Madagascar Box Office Mojo     Retrieved December 1, 2014.               [XVII] The Pyramid     Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                           [XVIII] Sky     Retrieved November 29, 2014.                                                                         [XIX] Penny Dreadful TV Series     Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                       [XX] Penny Dreadful Awards       Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                    [XXI] Penny Dreadful First Look     From November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                                                                                                   [XXII] Rupert Murdoch’s Response     From November 30, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.                                                                                                                                   [XXIII] 21st Century Fox and Apollo     From October 10, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.                                                                                                                                   [XXIV] New Movie Releases     Retrieved November 30, 2014.

20th Century Fox

Posted on by

By: Yonah Nimmer

– Photo Courtesy of filmbaza.net [I]

 

Contact Information: [II]
Phone: (310) 369-4636
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
10201 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90035
Website: http://www.foxmovies.com/

 

                                                        Key Executives:

         Rupert-Murdoch   771304-chase-carey
                    Rupert Murdoch                                          Chase Carey
          (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer)      (President and Chief Operating Officer)

         – Photo Courtesy of Luxedb.com [III]       – Photo Courtesy of theaustralian.com [IV]

 

        jrm new cropped 3  john-nallen-final  david_hill_color-correction

James Murdoch                    John Nallen                        David Hill
            (Co-Chief Operating Officer)              (Senior Executive Vice Presidents)

– Photos are Courtesy of 21cf.com [V]

 

                                  jim595
                                                       James N. Gianopulos
                                                   (Chairman and CEO of Film)

– Photo Courtesy of Hollywoodgreekreporter.com [VI]

———————————————————————————————————

Company Overview
          Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly referred to as 20th Century Fox, is one of the six major American film studios. The company was founded nearly eighty years ago on May 31st, 1935, as a result of the merge between Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Film Corporation [VII]. Fifty years later, in 1985, this studio continued to blossom, becoming a subsidiary of News Corporation [VIII]. In 2013 however, News Corporation separated into News Corp and 21st Century Fox, with the latter preserving Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Based in Los Angeles California, this studio is currently the second largest film studio, following Warner Brothers [IX]. While involved in all aspects of the film industry, this company mainly focuses on film production and distribution. 20th Century Fox is infamous for creating everything from their thriving Star Wars series to the highest grossing film worldwide, Avatar [X].

 

Financials
          In 2013, 20th Century Fox had a total domestic gross of $1.06 billion dollars, a 4% growth from profits in 2012. Having 18 films released that year, each film made an average of $87.5 million in profit [XI]. So far in 2014, (through December 1st), 20th Century Fox has seen their best results of the past decade, grossing a total of $1.5 billion domestically [XII].
          In the 3rd quarter of 2014, including the months of July, August, and September, the studio grossed $427 million through 9 films that played in theaters around the globe. Only 3 of these, Dawn of the Planet Apes, Let’s Be Cops, and The Maze Runner, were actually released during this time period though. With budgets of $34 and $17 million, both Let’s Be Cops and The Maze Runner were successful in breaking even during opening weekend. Nonetheless, neither of them can compare their profits to Dawn of the Planet Apes. While the budget for this sequel was $170 million, the film gathered a total gross of $708 million. From just this one movie, 20th Century Fox profited over $530 million [XIII].
         In the 4th quarter on the other hand, a mere 2 films were produced and distributed, Gone Girl and The Book of Life. Both of these movies were a huge success, grossing $416 million for the studio [XIV].

 

GONE GIRL

[a]
         Gillian Flynn adapted her best selling novel, Gone Girl, into an American mystery thriller film directed by the infamous David Fincher. This movie tells the story about NickDunne, a husband who discovers his wife is missing. Unfazed by the matter, neighbors question his strange behavior, eventually discovering his web of lies. Family, friends, and acquaintances are all forced to contemplate the same question: Did he kill his wife? [XV]

         With lead actors such as Neil Pattrick Harris, Rosamund Pike, and Ben Affleck, crowds flocked to watch this film on opening night, October 3rd, 2014 Gone-Girl-2014-film-poster[XVI]. Available in 3,014 theaters, this film grossed $37.5 million opening weekend. It topped the box office charts, making more than the new release, Annabelle. While that sounds like a large sum of money, it is merely 62% of the $61 million budget. Expanding to 3,249 theaters, the film eventually came up on top benefiting $159 million domestically and $171 million in the foreign market. Currently its in 8th week in theaters, the film has grossed $330 million worldwide [XVII].

The Book of Life

[b]
         The Book of Life, an animated film directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, tells the legend of Manolo, a troubled dreamer, who embarks on an epic journey THE-BOOK-OF-LIFE-TEASER-QUADthrough mythical, magical, and mysterious worlds in order to protect his village and rescue his true love [XVIII].

20th Century Fox continues to castA-list actors in the film such as Christina Applegate, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube. This PG rated movie had a budget of $50 million. Released in 3,071 theaters, The Book of Life racked in $17 million on opening weekend, October 17th-19th. It was third on the box office charts, $500,000 behind Gone Girl, (which was on it’s 3rd week at the time). Domestically, this film grossed $48 million, which makes up 55.6% of their earnings. The foreign market on the other hand made $38 million, totaling $86 million internationally [XIX].

What’s in Store for the Future?
         20th Century Fox has already scheduled the distribution dates for their next 46 films, all the way up to the release of Puss in Boots 2 on December 21st, 2018 [XX]. Throughout 2014, the studio has produced 13 films thus far, with the plan of 3 more to come [XXI].

 

This December 5th, Fox is releasing The Pyramid, a horror movie about a group of
archaeologists that file_122327_0_thepyramidheaderbecome trapped in an ancient Egyptian pyramid [XXII]. Gregory Levasseur, the director, is a successful screenwriter in the industry with no previous directing experience [XXIII].
On December 12th, Fox will release Exodus: Gods and Kings, a modern depiction on
the defiant leader, Moses, as he revolts against the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses. With a great use of visual effects and 3D immersion, the budget of this film is much greater than The Pyramid [XXIV]. The director, Ridley Scott, who also directed Gladiator, exclaims that “this is his biggest epic yet” [XXV]. This movie includes well known actors such as Joel Edgerton and Christian Bale. With all that said, this film has received negative reviews, a 63% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, 98% of audience members on the website still want to see it [XXVI].

Night-At-The-Museum-Robin-Williams

        Lastly, Fox is releasing their last film of the year, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, on December 19th [XXVII]. Seeing that the original Night at the Museum profited $575 million, the company has high hopes for this sequel [XXVIII]. It is once again directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams. The biggest difference this time is that the iconic Robin Williams passed away recently. Without a doubt, many viewers will go see the film for the sole sake of seeing one of the last roles played by Williams [XXVII].

Overall, 20th Century Fox has had an extremely successful year. With hit films such as

Dawn of the Planet Apes, Gone Girl, and The Book of Life, they have accumulated 1.5 billion domestically this year. Nonetheless, the studio hopes to end off 2014 with a big bang through there next three upcoming movies. While this year was a success, that simply means they must do even better in 2015.

 

Sources:
[I] 20th Century Fox Logo Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[II] Fox Contact From October 6, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[III] Rupert Murdoch Photo From July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[IV] Chase Carey Photo From May 10, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[V] Murdoch, Nallen, & Hill Photos Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[VI] Jim Gianopulos Photo From April 20, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[VII] Founded Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[VIII] Subsidiary Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[IX] Studio Size Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[X] Previous Projects Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XI] 2013 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XII] 2014 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XIII] 3rd Quarter Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XIV] 4th Quarter Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XV] Gone Girl Synopsis Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XVI] Gone Girl Cast Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XVII] Gone Girl Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XVIII] Book of Life Synopsis Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XIX] Book of Life Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XX] Upcoming Films Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XXI] 2014 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XXII] The Pyramid Synopsis Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XXIII] Levasseur’s Past Work Retrieved November 29, 2014.
[XXIV] Exodus Synopsis Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXV] Ridley Scott Quote From August 17, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVI] Exodus Ratings Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVII] Night at the Museum 3 Release Date Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVIII] Original Night at the Museum Statistics Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXIX] Night at the Museum Cast Retrieved November 29, 2014.

 

Trailers

[a] Gone Girl Trailer From July 7, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[b] Book of Life Trailer From May 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

20th Century Fox

Posted on by 
by Jessica Kim
20th Century Logo

20th Century Fox Logo [1]

Contact Information: [2]
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
10201 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: (310) 227-2211
Website: http://www.foxmovies.com

Key Executives: [3]

Rupert Murdoch – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

James N. Gianopulos – Chairman & CEO 

 

Continue reading →

20th Century Fox

Posted on by 
By Jackie He
Photo courtesy of interpretllc.com

Photo courtesy of interpretllc.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

Website: http://www.foxmovies.com/

 

History

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly known as 20th Century Fox is one of the six major American film studios. The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, and Twentieth Century Pictures. The studio used to be a subsidiary of News Corporation, but now it is currently a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. The studio is widely involved in film business but mainly focusing on film production and distribution. It has released numerous successful blockbusters including Star War series and Titanic. [1][2][9]

Recent Finance

In the first quarter of 2014 which covers months of January, February and March, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation released 8 films including Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Son of God, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and etc, bringing in a gross income of $210.6 million. This is an 18% decrease comparing to the gross income the company earned in the first quarter of 2013. [3]

Rupert Murdoch

Photo courtesy of battellemedia.com

Photo courtesy of battellemedia.com

Mr. Keith Rupert Murdoch is the founder of News Corporation. Since June 28, 2013,  Murdoch has been Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., the former News Corporation and the parent company of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [4]

Recent News

“86th Oscar Best picture: 12 Years A Slave.”

12 Years A Slave Official Trailer

12 Years A Slave Winning Best Picture

Photo courtesy of euroasianews.com

Photo courtesy of euroasianews.com

12 Years A Slave, a film released by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in october 2013, not only won Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay in 86th Academy Awards, but also become the first film made by a black director or producer to receive the Academy’s highest honor —Best Picture. The film tells a story about a New York State-born free African American man who was abducted in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was sold into slavery and worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for twelve years before released. [5][19]

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

 

 This award winning film was also prominent in box office. With the production budget of $18 million, it earned $56,390,478 in domestic box office and remarkable $121,745,968 in foreign box office since its international release dates were largely delayed to early 2014 in order to take advantage of the attention created by awards seasons. [6]

Son of God
Son of God Official Trailer
On February 28, 2014, Twentieth Century Fox films released its new film Son of God, starring Diogo Morgado, Roma Downey and Darwin Shaw. Instead of focusing on Jesus’ arrest, torture and death, “Son of God” takes us through Jesus’ life from its humble beginnings in the barn, to the gathering of his followers, his march to Jerusalem, and all of the miracles he performed along the way. [7]
Photo courtesy of yeshacallahan.com

Photo courtesy of yeshacallahan.com

On a budget of $22 million, the film brought in $26.5 million in box office revenue in domestic theaters at the end of the first week and has earned $58,058,843 total gross till today, more than twice of its budget. Although the film is successful in the box office, it receipted many negative critiques about its quality. On Rotten Tomatoes for instance, it currently holds a 22% rating based on 59 reviews with the consensus: “The faithful may find their spirits raised, but on purely cinematic terms, Son of God is too dull and heavy-handed to spark much fervor.” [8][10]
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Mr. Peabody & Sherman Official Trailer
Approximately one year after the release of “The Croods”, 20th Century Fox Film teamed up with DreamWorks Animation for the second time in the production and distribution of the animation movie, Mr. Peabody & Sherman. The film premiered on February 7, 2014 in the United Kingdom,and was released on March 7, 2014 in the United States. [11]
Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

With the budget of $145 million, the film earned $8 million on its opening day in North America theaters. And by of April 15, 2014, Mr. Peabody & Sherman has grossed $105,465,969. in North America, and 143,100,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $248,565,969. [12]
The film was obviously welcomed by the public. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a score of 79% based on reviews from 100 critics, with an average rating of 6.7/10, giving it “Certified Fresh” status. Most viewers reached a consensus stating that “Mr. Peabody & Sherman offers a surprisingly entertaining burst of colorful all-ages fun, despite of its dated source material and rather convoluted plot.” [13]
Rio 2
Rio 2 Official Trailer
Rio 2, the sequel of the 2011 computer-animated film Rio produced by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation’s animation subsidiary Blue Sky Studio, was released internationally on March 20, 2014, and domestically on April 11, 2014. The story leads us to the rain forest of Amazon where our bird protagonists Blu, Jewel and their three kids started a new adventure. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful Nigel, and meets the most fearsome adversary – his father-in-law. [14][15]
Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

All the favorable stars presenting their voice in Rio including Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx came back to the sequel, and are joined by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy winner Bruno Mars, Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth and Oscar/Emmy/Tony winner Rita Moreno which makes the movie a great hit. On its opening day, the film earned $12 million in North American theaters, and in its first weekend, it opened to number two behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with the gross revenue of $39,327,869. Till April 18, the film has already earned $186,363,000 worldwide. [15][16]
Photo courtsey of dualshockers.com

Photo courtsey of dualshockers.com

To promote the film, three of four Angry Birds Rio episodes — all visually tied to Rio 2 have been released by Rovio Entertainment before the premiere of the film, widely attracting smart phone users and game players to buy the movie ticket. [14]
What’s up next 
20th Century Fox plans to release the next sequel of X-Man – “X-Man: Days of Future Past” In the film, the ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods. All our favorite characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves and started an epic battle that must change the past to save our future. [17]

Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

As usual, the new sequel of X-man has a strong cast including Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, etc. To attract the lucrative Chinese Market, the film also includes Fan Bingbing in the cast, one of the most popular Chinese actresses.  The film will be released on May 23, 2014. [18]
Photo Courtesy of www.jaynestars.com

Photo Courtesy of www.jaynestars.com

X-Men: Days of Future Past Official Trailer

Sources:

[1] http://www.thestudiotour.com/fox/chronology.shtml  [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Fox [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[3] http://boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view=company&view2=ytd&compare=Q1&studio=fox.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[4] http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=35867 [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_(film)#Release [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[6] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twelveyearsaslave.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[7] http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/son-of-god-2014 [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[8] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sonofgod.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[9]http://www.21cf.com/Business_Segments/Filmed_Entertainment_Businesses/Twentieth_Century_Fox/ [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[10] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/son_of_god_2014/ [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Peabody_%26_Sherman [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[12] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mrpeabodyandsherman.htm [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[13] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_peabody_and_sherman/ [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_2 [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[15] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rio_2/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[16] http://boxofficemojo.com/search/?q=rio%202 [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[17] http://www.x-menmovies.com/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[18] http://comicsalliance.com/x-men-days-of-future-past-movie-empire-25-covers/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[19] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/?ref_=nv_sr_1[Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]


 

 

 

Hulu

Link

by Sarah Thaler

Hulu LLC
12312 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310)-571-4700
Fax: (310)-571-4701
www.hulu.com

Company Overview
Both a website and over-the-top subscription service, Hulu provides online video streaming of a wide variety of video that range anywhere from current hit television series, movies, and webisodes to behind the scenes footage and movie trailers from an array of networks. In it’s current standing, Hulu is only offered to residents of the United States and Japan; regions outside of these countries are blocked by an IP address location. The Hulu platform allows users to access content through internet-receiving devices such as popular gaming consoles like the “Wii” and “Xbox”. Internet-viable televisions, set-top boxes, tablets, and of course, the PC are also used to transmit content instantly. Hulu’s display presents content in a flash video format to ensure speedy streaming and high-quality resolution; selected media can be streamed in HD depending on the network providing the syndicated content. Web syndication services are also provided by Hulu to companies like Facebook, AOL and Comcast to keep users within reach of supported affiliates. Hulu was created in 2008 initially by Beth Comstock as a joint venture of NBCUniversal Television Group (Comcast), Fox Broadcasting Company (21st Century Fox) and Disney–ABC Television Group (The Walt Disney Company), and was partially funded by Providence Equity Partners. However, in October of 2012, Providence Equity Partners sold it’s ten-percent share of Hulu LLC and is no longer a part of its holdings. [1] [2]

Key Executives: [2]

Mike Hopkins [a]

CEO

Chief Executive Officer

Chadwick Ho [b]

Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Elaine Paul [c]

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Jean-Paul Colaco [d]

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Advertising

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Advertising

  Financials

Hulu’s ad-supported business model is portion of it’s revenue along with customer purchases of subscriptions to Hulu plus. Because Hulu is a private holding, quarterly financials are not reported or disclosed to the general public. However, former CEO Jason Kilar revealed the 2012 figures, along with the numbers Hulu has achieved in the past five years in a blog post that wrapped up the fiscal year to perhaps illustrate the stark progression in the company’s net value. In 2012, Hulu broke records generating a 65% increase from their 2011 numbers and grossing $695 million in revenue, an all-time high for the company. [3] [4]
[e]

The Hollywood Insider briefed Hulu’s 2012 financials as well and reported that:

“The Hulu Plus subscription product, which launched in November 2010, boasts 3 million paying subscribers today, more than twice what they were at the end of 2011.The service increased title offerings by 40 percent in 2012 to 60,000 TV episodes, 2,300 TV series and 50,000 hours of video on Hulu and Hulu Plus. Kilar also said Hulu spent more than $500 million to acquire content this year.”

Viewership and Programming
[e]

Viewership numbers of Hulu users are measured through the same rating companies that track other media-viewing platforms such as Neilson, Quantcast, and ComScore. According to their findings, viewership numbers are steadily decreasing despite their impressive revenue for the 2012 fiscal year dropping from 19 million viewers in December 2011 to 12 million in August 2012.

[f]

Hulu’s current content partners (NBC, ABC, Fox, Current TV, ION Television, USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, NFL Network, Speed, Big Ten Network, Syfy, Sundance, E!, G4, Versus, A&E, Oxygen and online comedy sources such as Onion News Network) allow the company to distribute their content on the Hulu website while Hulu reaps (on average) thirty to fifty percent of the advertising revenue generated by the shows it distributes.

Watch Battlefield trailer here 

Hulu does have a few of their own original content segments that air exclusively on their webisode-style platform. In 2011, the launch of their first series “The Morning After“, a satirical, comedic news show, on Hulu plus. This marked a moment in the company’s transition from a strictly content-distributing-only business model to one of both content distributing and producing. In January 2012, Hulu announced the release of their first scripted program “Battleground”, a political drama series shot in through a documentary style lens to air on the free Hulu platform to appeal to wider audience numbers. Also included in Hulu’s repertoire of original content are “The Fashion Fund”, a female-audience geared reality series where the winner of the show will receive $300,000 to start their career in the fashion industry, “Up To Speed” a historical travel series, and “A Day In the Life” a documentary series that follows a musician and producer. 


In April of 2012, Hulu added four more shows to their list that they have promised to air in the next few years if funds and viewing numbers permit; We Got Next, The Awesomes, Don’t Quit Your Daydream, and Flow. Today, Hulu has joined forces with BBC to create a series that satisfies consumer craving for British humor and comedic thrill; “The Wrong Man” [5] [6]


Watch The Wrong Man trailer here

What’s Next? 

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Hulu continues to grapple with possible methods of surpassing it’s big-name competitors such as Netflix, Youtube, iTunes, and Amazon. To separate themselves from the rest, Hulu aims to keep their content on the cutting-edge and easily streamable for its users.

pay-TV bundles: The Wall Street Journal on November 12th 2013 posted an article discussing Hulu’s interest in offering subscribers pay-TV bundles. Hulu has recognized that binge watching has become a shameless trend in viewership. According to the journal article companies willing to participate and partner with Hulu in the projected route to pay-TV are Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Cox Communications Inc., AT&T Inc.,and Verizon Communications Inc. Hulu has also discussed arrangements with AT&T to bundle its Hulu Plus subscription service with their wireless broadband offerings. [7]
HuluPlus integration with iOs and Chromecast: On October 21st, 2013 Hulu announced on it’s official blog that HuluPlus will be adding iOS support for Google’s popular Chromecast device, which plugs into any HDTV to let users watch online videos from tablets, smartphones or computers. HuluPlus first came to Chromecast on iPad and Android. The HuluPlus app also allows users to browse content, pause shows and add episodes to a queue, while simultaneously “casting” it to a TV. The Hulu Plus integration with Chromecast will convert the app into a custom remote letting users control video on their Chromecast connected TVs, while allowing them to browse the Hulu Plus app directly from their iPhones as well. [8] [9]
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Sources (written content)

[1] http://www.hulu.com/about

[2] http://www.crunchbase.com/company/hulu

[3] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-ceo-jason-kilar-exit-408664

[4] http://blog.hulu.com/2013/01/04/some-news-to-share/

[5] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/hulu-targets-binge-viewers-with-full-release-of-original-series.html

[6] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/hulu-expands-original-content_n_1532718.html

[7] http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304644104579193833342811814

[8] http://blog.hulu.com/2013/10/21/hulu-plus-for-chromecast-live-on-iphone/

[9] gizmodo.com/hulu-is-coming-to-chromecast-987997861 

Image Sourcing 

[a] http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQe3GtayDsc6qVZlMRUZy4cFGzZKOGrU4teP0iXXbmnJp5bvt05YA 

[b] http://www.crunchbase.com/person/chadwick-ho&h=250&w=166&sz=49&tbnid=lxWCbqjcOdKFdM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=94&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dchadwick%2Bho%2Bimage%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=chadwick+ho+image&usg=__UcaWScc1ANZNgcTUZ8ZL3GOKLNQ=&docid=5D_TNAiT1nLo6M&sa=X&ei=EBWNUo-SH8W14AO31oHQDg&ved=0CC0Q9QEwAA

[c] http://www.thewrap.com/hulu-disney-elaine-paul-cfo

[d] http://adage.com/article/digital/hulu-ad-chief-jp-colaco-latest-depart-video-service/244501/

[e] http://blog.hulu.com/2013/01/04/some-news-to-share/

[f] http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/05/hulu-rumor-what-is-this-1985

[g] http://www.huluvsnetflix.net/tag/netflix-vs-amazon-vs-hulu-plus/

[h] http://gizmodo.com/hulu-is-coming-to-chromecast-987997861