CBS Films

Posted on February 18, 2016 by smwarren

By Brooke Katz

[1] CBS Films Logo

Corporate Headquarters

11800 Wilshire Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90025

History

CBS Films was founded in March of 2007, which was convenient timing due to all the changes that were occurring for film businesses. The reconstruction of studios such as MiraMax Films along with the failure of others including Warner Independent Pictures promoted a speedy launch for CBS Films due to their lack of competition. However, their first few releases did not produce very promising results. In 2012, new executives took over and CBS was able to finally be considered mini-major studio. With their 2013 academy award nominated release Inside Llewyn Davis producing a total gross of $13,235,319, the company was headed for an upward trend [2]. They aim to release four to six movies a year and are in charge of handling development, financing, production, and marketing processes [3].

Key Executives

Terry Press- President

Steven Friedlander- Executive Vice President of Theatrical Distribution

Reid Sullivan- Chief Financial Officer

Rik Toulon- Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Scott Shooman- Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions

Click here for more information about key executives

Financials

CBS Films is a significant source of revenue for their parent company CBS Corporation. Based on the 2015 quarterly earnings, CBS’s entertainment revenues grew 9% in a year from $2.26 billion to $2.46 billion [4]. Their entertainment segment in comparison to the other divisions which include cable networks, publishing, local broadcasting, and eliminations is easily the number one source of income. However, being that there are multiple aspects under the entertainment segment the specific contributions of CBS’s Films are unclear.

In 2014, the company released 3 films that all brought undesirable results for the box office. Although the company got off to a rough start in 2007, these films brought CBS Films to an all time low. Afflicted, a 2014 horror film, brought in a total gross of just $121,179, which is the company’s worst outcome out of their 17 total releases [5]. Nonetheless, these results were definitely not what was expected based on the company’s history. Their 2013 comedy hit Last Vegas generated a total gross of $63,914,167, which is still a groundbreaking record for the company.

CBS Films Rankings

Although 2014 was an ineffective year for CBS Films, they demonstrated a steady comeback in 2015. The company carefully dealt with the prior issues by only releasing 2 films last year instead of the usual 4 to 6 [6]. It can be inferred that their new strategy is quality over quantity. In particular, they are not going to finance a movie that they deem will be unsuccessful.

News

In 2014, it was announced that CBS Films and Lionsgate would be forming a partnership together in which Lionsgate would take over the company’s distribution functions. This became active with CBS’s 2015 release The Duff and will continue for many years to come. The executives shared their enthusiasm for working with one and other and emphasized their strong relationship. Not only is Lionsgate in charge of CBS Films distribution functions, but they now also control exclusive international sales for the company’s releases. Terry Press, president of CBS Films, is confident in Lionsgate’s ability to successfully distribute their films across the many different forms in media [7].

Recent Releases

Get a Job

Just last month, on March 25th 2016, CBS Films released their new movie Get A Job. This comedy tells the story about two recent college graduates who struggle to find jobs and make it in the real world. They go through many adventures together in order to realize that things happen when you least expect them. Unfortunately, this movie turned out to be a huge failure. With a 5% rating on Rotten Romatoes, 5.2/10 on IMDb, and 2/5 on The Guardian it is obvious that very little revenue was generated. Although the information about this movie’s financial outcome is not yet available, the ratings tell enough. It is clear that the majority of audiences felt the same way after seeing this film. Many people found the overall concept of this movie to be tacky and unrealistic. According to critics, acting performances were not problem here. Instead, the main criticism was actually about the weak dialogue in each scene [8].

Get A Job

Flight 7500

On April 12th 2016, CBS released another movie called Flight 7500. This is a horror and mystery film about a supernatural force that flight members must deal with on their way to Tokyo. While Flight 7500 has only been out for a total of just two weekends, it is difficult to evaluate the success of this film. Thus far, the total gross is $2,871,035, which is not a very promising result [9]. Although it will be in theaters for a few more weeks, critics are saying that this film was almost comical. While comedic value would normally be a positive aspect, this is not the reaction that the filmmakers were going for. They hoped that this would scare audiences, not make them laugh. Overall, many audiences are saying that this movie was unmemorable and confusing [10].

Flight 7500

Coming Soon

Middle School

CBS Films is currently working on a film called Middle School. The release date is October 7th, 2016. Steve Carr is in charge of directing this film which is based on Jame Patterson’s bestselling Middle School book series. Middle School tells the compelling story of a teenage boy who deals with various obstacles that most are faced with at this age. It displays the value of friendship and presents real-life such as bullying. With this series selling seven million copies worldwide, many audiences are looking forward to seeing Middle School come to life. This will also be a challenge for Steve Carr because of the high expectations that audiences will have when going into the theater [11].

Future for CBS Films

The future of CBS Films is headed in the right direction. CBS Films have received lots of positive press after announcing their upcoming film Patriots Day. This film is supposed to be extremely touching and powerful as it tells the story about the Boston Marathon bombings. In order to make this happen, Mark Wahlberg and CBS Films have purchased the rights to the film Boston Strong, another film about the bombings which was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Essentially, CBS Films did this so that they could combine the storyline of these two movies [12]. Additionally, CBS Films is planning to do a project with its sibling division 60 Minutes who will handle production and advertising processes for the film. Patriots Day will benefit from this partnership as producers will learn about the research done for the memorable 60 Minutes segment that aired after the bombings [13].

Sources

[1] CBS Films Logo. CBS Films, Retrieved. April 21st 2016

[2] Inside Llewyn Davis. Box Office Mojo, Retrieved. April 23rd 2016

[3] CBS Films- About. CBS Films, Retrieved. April 21st 2016

CBS Films Explained. Everything Explained, Retrieved. April 23rd 2016

[4] Q4 2015 CBS Corporation Earnings Release. CBS Corporation. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

[5] CBS Films. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

[6] Film Library. CBS Films. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

[7] Deadline Team (November 13, 2014) Lionsgate Takes Over CBS Films’ Distribution & Global Sales. Deadline Hollywood Entertainment Breaking News. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

Get A Job. IMDb. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

Get A Job. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

Get A Job Review. The Guardian. Retrieved: April 23rd 2016

[8] Frosch, Jon (March 21st 2016) ‘Get a Job’: Film Review. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

Get A Job Cover. CBS Films. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

Flight 7500. IMDb. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

[9] Flight 7500. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

[10] Mintzer, Jordan (October 27th 2014) ‘7500’: Film Review. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

Middle School. CBS Films. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

[11] Ford, Rebecca (August 4th 2015) CBS Films Enrolls in ‘Middle School’ Based on James Patterson Book Series. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

Middle School Trailer. Youtube. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

[12] Juul, Matt (November 16th 2015) Mark Wahlberg’s Patriot’s Day Combining with Boston Strong. Boston Magazine. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

[13] Hipes, Patrick (February 25th 2016) J.K. Simmons Joins Boston Marathon Bombing Pic ‘Patriots Day’. Deadline Hollywood Entertainment Breaking News. Retrieved: April 24th 2016

CBS Films

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Jessica Breslow

By Jessica Breslow

Courtesy of CBS Films [a]

CBS Films
11800 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 575-7000
www.cbsfilms.com

Brief History

CBS Films, operating as a subsidiary of CBS Corporations, was founded only 7 years ago in 2007. Despite being new on the block in a tough industry, CBS Films has successfully made noise in several markets with releases like, “Las Vegas,” “The Woman in Black,” and “The Back Up Plan.” They plan to continue making noise by releasing approximately 4-6 films a year by self-distributing in the US while their partners oversee global distribution. CBS Film’s commitment to managing the development, financing, production, and marketing of low budget, experimental, and quality motion pictures of various genres is what makes them unique as a middle ground in the industry. [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives

Wolfgang Hammer (Co-President) [b]

Terry Press (Co-President) [c]

Steven Friedlander
(Executive Vice President, Theatrical Distribution) [d]

Reid Sullivan
(Chief Financial Officer) [e]

Rik Toulon
(Executive Vice President & General Counsel) [f]

Maria Faillace
(Executive Vice President, Production) [g]

For more information about the Key Executives, click here [1].

Financials

CBS Films is not a publicly traded company; therefore, there is no financial information available. However, according to Box Office Mojo, one can understand that CBS Films has the potential to be competitive among the major film companies in the future if it continues its current pattern.

CBS Films – Rankings
Courtesy of Box Office Mojo [h]

The studio got off to a rough start with its first project, “Extraordinary Measures.” The film had a production budget of $31 million dollars, and unfortunately led the company to a major loss since the film’s worldwide total gross was only $15,134,293. Fortunately, the studio’s second film “The Back Up Plan,” was a huge success, and produced a worldwide total gross of $77,477,007. With a $35 million dollar production budget, “The Back Up Plan,” was not only able to recoup the film’s production budget, but also was able to recoup “Extraordinary Measures” major loss all while still making the company roughly $26 million in profit.

“Las Vegas” Total Lifetime Grosses
Courtesy of Box Office Mojo [i]

To date, every film that CBS Films has distributed has made some profit besides “Extraordinary Measures.” In fact, the company’s most successful film to date “Las Vegas” proves that CBS Films is moving forward. “Las Vegas” had a production budget of $28 million dollars, and earned a worldwide total gross of $134,402,450 (see photo right). These observations allow one to assume that the company is comfortable financially. [4] [5] [6]

News

Clif Prowse (R), Derek Lee (L)
Courtesy of www.images.moviepilot-cdn.com [j]

CBS Film’s “Afflicted,” which was released on April 4, 2014, is currently playing in limited theaters and is available on demand at iTunes, Amazon, VUDU, Google Play, Time Warner, and XBOX in addition to other Video On Demand services. As of April 11, 2014, “Afflicted” is being shown in 34 theaters, which is down ten theaters from its original release date. According to Box Office Mojo, as of April 13, 2014, the film has earned a domestic total of $121,179. The Canadian Film Lottery and the hundred thousand dollars Co-Directors Derek Lee and Cliff Prowse devoted their time to raising funded “Afflicted.” To save on production costs further, the Co-Directors starred as themselves in the movie out of necessity, and they complied their friends, families, and relatives to be the actors as a pay-free route to ensure their budget was kept low.

Derek Lee (L), Clif Prowse (R)
Courtesy of www.laimyours.com [k]

Remarkably, Derek and Cliff have been friends since they were 15 and pimpled-faced. They started this found-footage horror film project in 2011 after working on 4 shorts together. The idea for the film was the result of what they thought would best display their skillsets. Originally, they envisioned creating an action film; however, they lacked the funding to do so with quality. As a plan B, the duo created what evolved into the vampire point of view documentary in theaters today. With only four filmmakers and a small crew of ten, scenes were shot guerilla style in Paris, Italy, and Spain using a Cannon 5D Mark II and a Go Pro. The Director of Photography was equipped with only a single lighting pack due to budget; therefore, natural lighting was forcibly essential. Budget, however, did allow for Visual Effects Company Imagine Engine to be brought on as a producer to ensure the scenes requiring special effects were brought to life. These scenes demanded an abundance of patience and luck to achieve a realistic effect since the scenes lacked certain resources that typically would have been needed.

Derek Lee as Derek Lee
Courtesy of www.images.moviepilot-cdn.com [l]

After years of hard work and obstacles, “Afflicted” was screened to distributors. A low seven figures and additional money for improving production later, CBS Films attained a deal with the duo to polish and complete the film. With CBS Film’s support, the film became commercial and competitive after a month of reshooting. “Afflicted” started to gain real momentum after being well received at the Toronto International Film Festival and Austin’s Fantastic Fest. In Toronto, “Afflicted” was awarded “Best Canadian First Feature Film,” and in Austin, the movie was awarded “Best Picture (Horror),” “Best Screenplay (Horror)”, and “Best Director (Horror).” In addition, according to IndieWire, “Afflicted” is on the Top 10 indies to watch On Demand for April. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Derek Lee as Derek Lee
Courtesy of CBS Films [m]

Brief Synopsis: Derek and Cliff, two best friends, set out to travel the world for a year, but to their surprise the trip goes terribly wrong after Derek spends a night with a beautiful woman. After Derek’s encounter with this woman, his body goes though inhuman and uncontrollable changes. Cliff was originally documenting the entire trip for his travel blog, but the footage ends up capturing how the trip takes a dark turn instead. [12]

Watch Afflicted Trailer [n] (YouTube)

CBS Films is keeping an eye on the films that receive major buzz from festivals; there is talk that CBS Films might have plans to continue pursuing deals like this in the future if it “Afflicted” proves to be a beneficial investment. The power of this buzz serves as free advertising and generates a strong word of mouth presence that is typically not the easiest achieve. [8]

Coming Soon

“The F Word” recently retitled “What If” will hit US theaters in August 2014. In September, “What If” made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Two and a half million dollars later, CBS Films attained the US rights for this project. “What If” will be released on August 1^st in NY and LA theaters, and will be accompanied by Disney’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and James Brown’s “Get Up On It.” CBS Films plans to expand markets for “What If” following the first weekend. [13]

Zoe Kazan (L), Daniel Radcliffe (R)
Courtesy of CBS Films [o]

Director:
Michael Dowse

Writer:
Elan Mastai

Stars:
Daniel Radcliffe
Zoe Kazan
Adam Driver
Mackenzie Davis
Megan Park
Oona Chaplin

Producers:
David Gross
Jesse Shapira
Jeff Arkuss
Macdara Kelleher
Andre Rouleau

[14]

Sources:

[1] CBS Films – About, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[2] Company Overview – Bloomberg Businessweek, investing.businessweek.com, RT: 4/13/14

[3] LA Times – Prime time for CBS movie bet?, articles.latimes.com, Claudia Eller & Amy Kaufman,1/11/10, RT: 4/13/14

[4] Box Office Mojo – “Extraordinary Measures”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[5] Box Office Mojo – “The Back Up Plan”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[6] Box Office Mojo – “Las Vegas”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[7] The Horror: Afflicted LA Premiere At Hollywood Horrorfest, laimyours.com, Jonatha Bilski, 3/31/14, RT: 4/13/14

[8] Fantastic Fest: CBS Films May Have a Sleeper Hit in Low-Budget Horror Movie ‘Afflicted’, thewrap.com, Jeff Sneider, 9/20/13, RT: 4/13/14

[9] The Hollywood Reporter – Afflicted: Film Review, hollywoodreporter.com, Frank Scheck, 4/3/2014, RT: 4/13/14

[10] The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This April: ‘Joe,’ ‘Blue Ruin,’ ‘Filth’ and More, indiewire.com, 4/2/14, RT: 4/13/14

[11] IMDb Page for Film “Afflicted”, IMDb.com, RT: 4/13/14

[12] CBS Films – Afflicted, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[13] Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘The F Word’ Re-titled ‘What If,’ Set for Aug. 1 Release, variety.com, Dave McNary, 3/14/14, RT: 4/13/14

[14] CBS Films – What If, cbsfims.com, RT: 4/13/14

Multimedia Sources:

[a] CBS Film’s Logo, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[b] Photo of Wolfgang Hammer, 5dinstitute.org, RT: 4/13/14

[c] Photo of Terry Press, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 4/13/14

[d] Photo of Steven Friedlander, pokerpages.com, RT: 4/13/14

[e] Photo of Reid Sullivan, cbsexpress.com, RT: 4/13/14

[f] Photo of Rik Toulon, cbsexpress.com, RT: 4/13/14

[g] Photo of Maria Faillace, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 4/13/14

[h] CBS Films – Rankings, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[i] “Las Vegas” Total Lifetime Grosses, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[j] Photo 1 of Co-Directors, images.moviepilot-cdn.com, RT: 4/13/14

[k] Photo 2 of Co-Directors, laimyours.com, RT: 4/13/14

[l] Photo 1 of Derek Lee, images.moviepilot-cdn.com, RT: 4/13/14

[m] Photo 2 of Derek Lee, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[n] Afflicted Trailer, youtube.com, RT: 4/13/14

[o] Photo of Zoe and Daniel, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

CBS Films

Posted on November 20, 2013 by eamoomey

By Michael Sunderlin

CBS FILMS

– The CBS Films Company Logo
Image coutesy of ramascreen.com

Contact:

100 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310)575-7000

http://www.cbsfilms.com

A Brief Overview

A division of CBS corporation, CBS films is a studio based in Los Angeles, California, that handles all stages of the creation of a film including production, development, marketing, and distribution. Established in 2007, CBS films has become famous for the release of nine total nine motion pictures spanning across all genres. Popular titles credited to the studio include “Extraordinary Measures”, “The Back-up Plan”, and “The Women in Black”. [1]

Key Executives

Wolfgang Hammer Co – President

-Wolfgang Hammer
Image courtesy of cbspressexpress.com

Wolfgang Hammer’s prior experience involves serving as the executive Vice President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. Hammer’s career at CBS Films began as the COO during which period he oversaw the attainment of “Salmon Fishing in Yemen”, as well as handling several financial deals for films such as “Seven Psychopaths”. Currently, he handles much of the company’s logistical affairs, such as business, finance, law, and acquiring new films. [1]

Terry Press – Co-President

– Terry Press
Image courtesy of cbspressexpress.com

Terry Press, before involved with CBS films, was responsible for the campaigns of “Shrek”, “Gladiator”, and “Saving Private Ryan” as the Head of Marketing for DreamWorks Studios. Accordingly, her responsibilities now, as the Co-President of CBS films, include supervising the distribution and marketing of the company’s current films, as well as overseeing the company’s creative affairs and physical production. [1]

Financials

CBS Films is currently ranked 15th overall in total market share, holding approximately .7%. Through three quarters of 2013, CBS films has grossed a total of 66.5 million dollars. This value is already 34.2% higher than the total gross of 2010, and 15.8% higher than that of 2011. However, this value is 25.5% less than the total gross of 2012. Still, the total gross of the fourth quarter, including the money collected through the release of “Last Vegas”, has yet to be counted. In addition, the studio is predicted to gross more through the anticipated release of “Inside Llewyn Davis”, set to release of December 6th of this year. The profits from these films could raise the total yearly gross higher than its ever been since the company’s origination. [2] [3]

Recent and Upcoming Film Releases (September – December 2013)

“Last Vegas”

– (Left to Right) The stars of “Last Vegas”: Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, and Michael Douglas as Sam, Archie, Paddy, and Billy respectively
Image courtesy of static.rogerebert.com

On November 1st, CBS Films released the comedy “Last Vegas”, a film they themselves produced and distributed. Directed by Jon Turtletaub, the film boasts an all-star cast of Michael Douglas, Morgan Freedman, Robert De Niro, and Kevin Kline – all of whom are Oscar Winners. The story follows of four elderly men who have been friends since their childhoods. Billy, played by Michael Douglas, announces to his friends that he, in his 60’s, is marrying his girlfriend who is only 32 years old. Consequentially, the group travels to Las Vegas to attend Billy’s Bachelor party, excited to relive the olden days the group once spent in the city. [4] [5] [6]

During its time in the box office, the film has gained much media attention for its appeal to older audiences, a demographic largely neglected by Hollywood. As such, many sources mark this movie’s release as an admittance to the fact that the boomer generation still watches movies. As reported by the Huffington Post, the older generations currently make up a quarter of all movie-goers. Concurrently, the film is said to appeal to younger generations as well, doing so through its universal theme of friendship. [4] [5] [7]

The film has shown mostly positive signs in the box office, grossing over 16 million in its first weekend and over 46 million by its third weekend. If the box office success continues, “Last Vegas” may overtake “The Women in Black”, which grossed 54.3 million, as the number one grosser for CBS Films – either way, CBS films will have had its two largest grossers in the past two years. [8] [9]

“Inside Llewyn Davis”

– Oscar Isaac (Left) and Justin Timberlake (Right) as Llewyn Davis and Jim in “Inside Llywyn Davis”
Image courtesy of collider.com

Upcoming December 6th of this year, CBS films is scheduled to release “Inside Llewyn Davis”, a film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (Academy Award Winners) and produced by T. Bone Burnett (Grammy and Academy Award Winner) – the same team responsible films such as “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. Set in the 1960’s, the film captures the story of Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), a wayward folk musician struggling to overcome financial and personal hardships. As with “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, the music was produced specifically for the purpose of the film. With each song tailored to fit the point of the story in which it appears, the film’s soundtrack takes on an imitative style of folk music featuring popular artists such as Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan, who both star in the film as well, in addition to artists such as Marcus Mumford and The Punch Brothers. Receiving the Grand Prix at its premiere during the Cannes Film Festival, this film looks to award CBS with its first Oscar relative to the studio’s services. [10] [11] [12] [13]

– Marcus Mumford (Left) and Oscar Isaac (Right) play together at the “Another Time, Another Place” concert in NYC
Image courtesy of The Daily News

The promotion of the film was invested most notably within the concert entitled “Another Place, Another Time”, held in New York City. This charity concert featured the music of the film, sung by performers from the film such as Macus Mumford, as well as outside acts such as The Avett Brothers and Elvis Costello. Tickets for the concert sold out in 12 minutes. Such success prompted CBS Films to repeat the concert in Los Angeles, where an equally excited crowd was attracted and celebrities such as Steve Martin, Ed Helms, and Barbra Streisand all came to celebrate along with the rest of those in attendance. [12] [14]

Future Films (2014 and Beyond)

– Director Derek Lee as Derek in “Afflicted”
Image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan as Wallace and Chantry in “The F Word”
– Image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

Films such as “Afflicted” and “The F Word”, both of which acquired by CBS films, have shown positive signs in their reception at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Afflicted” takes on the format of found-footage format, telling the story of two friends who travel through Europe, one of whom becomes sick after being bitten by a vampire. Directed by Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, the film looks to attract crowds of similar films such as “Paranormal Activity” and “Chronicle”. [15] [16]

CBS Films acquired he distribution rights for “The F Word” for approximately 3 million dollars. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan who play two tentative young lovers – Kazan’s character has a boyfriend. The film tracks how the two characters deal with their relationship merely as a friendship. The film is directed by Michael Dowse. [17]

Sources

[1] About CBS Films

[2] Box Office Mojo – Total Market Share

[3] Box Office Mojo – Box Office by the Studio – CBS Films

[4] The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Last Vegas’ Premiere: Director, CBS Execs Say Elderly Comedy Is For Everyone

[5] AARP – The Stars of ‘Last Vegas’ Have Fun – Lots of Fun

[6] IMDb – Last Vegas

[7] Huffington Post – 7 of the Best Movies for Grownups

[8] Box Office Mojo – Last Vegas

[9] IndieWire – Weekend Top Ten: ‘Thor Bashes Box Office, ‘Ender’s game’ Collapses

[10] NPR – First Listen: Soundtrack, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’

[11] Inside Llewyn Davis Website – Story