MGM

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Lyndsey Lombard

by Lyndsey Lombard

Image courtesy of articles.latimes.com

10250 Constellation Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90067 310.449.3000 / www.mgm.com

A Brief History

MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Studios is an American media and entertainment company that produces and distributes films and television programs. It was founded in April 1924 and has been producing classic films since then such as “Rocky,” “West Side Story,” and “The Wizard of Oz.” While the company has not been producing as many movies independently after coming back from bankruptcy in 2010, it still is responsible for distributing many recent popular films [1]. MGM currently has a distribution deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment, which allowed it to distribute the most recent Bond movie, “Skyfall” [2]. Some of the current films MGM has co-produced are “The Hobbit,” “21 Jump Street,” and “Hansel and Gretel.”

Key Figures

Image courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

Gary Barber is Chairman and CEO of MGM, Inc. and has held this position since October 2012. Previously, he served as Co-Chariman and CEO since December 2010 alongside Roger Birnbaum. Barber and Birbaum founded Spyglass Entertainment together in 1998 [3]. With Barber’s help, MGM has been able to make a strong comeback after declaring bankruptcy in 2010.

Image courtesy of latimesblogs.latimes.com

Ken Schapiro took on the title of Chief Operating Officer in February 2011. He was previously the co-founder of the private investment management company, Qualia Capital LLC [3].

Image courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

As President of the Motion Picture Group, Jonathan Glickman, is in charge of the production and development of all MGM films. He too has a successful history prior to this position at Spyglass Entertainment [3].

Financials

The future is looking up for MGM post-bankruptcy. After MGM acquired Carl Icahn’s stake for $590 million in July 2012, the company went public [4]. According to the 2012 year-end results, revenue was up 97% over 2011. They reported total revenue of $1.38 billion, which was an increase of $681 million from the prior year.

“Skyfall” and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” landed MGM with two films in the top 15 of box office history. These two films also gave MGM the title of being the only studio to have two back-to-back films make $1 billion at the box office.

Image courtesy of imdb.com

“Skyfall” was named the biggest James Bond release of all time and also the biggest film in the UK by crossing the £100 million mark.

The total home entertainment revenue of 2012 was greater than that of 2011 even though no new titles were released. The fourth quarter was extremely strong with $96 million in revenue, which shows how successful the promotions for James Bond 50^th anniversary were. The worldwide home entertainment generated a total of $195 million, which was $1 million more than the prior year.

The worldwide television licensing revenue generated a total of $395 million, which was also a large increase by $23 million from the prior year.

The 2012 Adjusted EBITDA showed a 48% increase to $286 million. It was adjusted due to revenue growth. The revenue growth was so substantial that it offset the increase in marketing, distribution, and operating expenses [5].

Recent Releases

Image courtesy of www.comingsoon.net

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB11JlyjmkE

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was released January 25, 2013 and directed by Tommy Wirkola. MGM co-produced it with Paramount. It is a twist on the children’s fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel. In the movie, Hansel and Gretel are all grown up and now bounty hunters that kill witches. It was released in 3D and IMAX. The movie made $19 million in its opening weekend and $219 million total worldwide. It made a lot more money overseas than domestically. Its production budget was $50 million [6]. Hansel & Gretel will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on June 11, 2013.

Image courtesy of www.comingsoon.net

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLR3HrV71yM

G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released March 29, 2013 and directed by Jon M. Chu. This is the third movie out of the series and it starred new cast members such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bruce Willis. It was #1 its opening weekend making $40 million. Its total worldwide gross is $231 million so far. Its production budget was $130 million. This movie was also released in 3D and IMAX [6].

Upcoming Films

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H369sxjyhx8&feature=player_embedded

Carrie is an upcoming horror film that is the third adaptation of the Stephen King’s 1974 novel, Carrie. The film is co-produced by MGM and Screen Gems. It stars Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore. The release date is set for October 18, 2013. With this release, MGM and Screen Gems are hoping to stay as close to the original novel’s storyline. Their current promotion for the movie is extremely original. At the end of the trailer, they provide you with a toll free number to call, which plays back a scene with the characters.

Future MGM Films

There is definitely a trend of adaptations and remakes in MGM’s upcoming film releases. Two other upcoming releases are “RoboCop,” which is set to release February 7, 2014, and “Hercules: The Thracian Wars,” which is set to release August 8, 2014.

Image courtesy of www.comingsoon.net

“RoboCop” is a science fiction action film that will feature Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, and Gary Oldman. It is a remake of the original 1987 film. José Padihla, a Brazilian film director, who has not released a feature film in the U.S. yet, will direct it [7].

“Hercules: The Thracian Wars” will feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hercules in this adaptation of the Radical Studios graphic novel from 2008. Its main competition in the box office will be Disney/Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which is set to release a week prior. If this movie is successful, it could lead to another franchise for MGM [8].

More recently MGM has teamed up with GK Films to develop a new Tomb Raider franchise based on the Lara Croft video game franchise. The two original films from 2001 and 2003 that starred Angelina Jolie grossed $432 million worldwide so MGM hopes to achieve the same success [9].

Image courtesy of www.filmofilia.com

“The Hobbit” trilogy was confirmed in a MGM news release this past February. The second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” was given a December 13, 2013 release date and the third film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” was officially given the release date of December 17, 2014. The first film in the trilogy did so well that they hope the success will follow throughout. MGM is co-producing these films 50/50 with New Line Cinema [10].

With all of these plans in place, MGM’s future looks strong and successful.

Sources

1. MGM History

2. Sony Pictures Deal

3. MGM Today

4. Carl Icahn sells stake in MGM

5. MGM 2012 Year-End Results

6. Box Office Mojo

7. RoboCop Release

8. Hercules Release

9. Tomb Raider Franchise Announcement

10. The Hobbit Trilogy Announcement

20th Century Fox

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Bria Holness

by Bria Holness

Photo courtesy of fanpop.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

www.foxmovies.com

A Brief History

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

Quick Financials

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

Key Executives

Keith Rupert Murdoch

Photo courtesy of biography.com

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

Eduardo Echeverria

Photo courtesy of variety.com

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

Michael Peikoff

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

Robert Marick

Photo courtesy of licensing.biz

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

Ricardo Crespo

Photo courtesy of centralpa.aiga.org

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

In The News

Broken City

Photo courtesy of radionowindy.com

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

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

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

Photo courtesy of cultureblues.com

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

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

A Good Day to Die Hard

Photo courtesy of movies.wikia.com

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

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

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

The Croods

Photo courtesy of filmofilia.com

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

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

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

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

What’s Next for 20th Century Fox?

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

Starring the voices of Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Steven Tyler, Johnny Knoxville, Beyonce Knowles, and Pitbull, the film is scheduled to be released on May 24^th. [17]

Sources

[1] http://www.thestudiotour.com/fox/chronology.shtml

[2]http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=35867

[3] http://www.screendaily.com/echeverria-promoted-to-evp-latin-america-at-fox/4030307.article‘

[4] http://centralpa.aiga.org/previous-events/ricardo-crespo-creative-ronin

[5] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235522/

[6] http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20657927,00.html

[7] http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Broken-City-TV-Spot-Turns-Podium-Over-Twitter-Fans-34876.html

[8]http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/01/mark-wahlberg-broken-city-hingham.html

[9] http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/13/3852964/its-a-good-day-for-john-mcclane.html

[10] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/17/weekend-box-office-a-good-day-to-die-hard_n_2707284.html

[11] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=diehard.htm

[12] http://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-good-day-to-die-hard

[13] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_good_day_to_die_hard/

[14] http://www.movieinsider.com/m2646/the-croods/

[15] http://variety.com/2013/digital/games/the-croods-go-mobile-with-angry-birds-creator-1200001701/

[16] http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/283733/cbb/20th-century-fox-presents-family-and-kiddie-films-in-2013

[17] http://www.movieinsider.com/m3739/epic/credits/

[18] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=croods.htm

[19] http://boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view=company&view2=ytd&compare=Q1&studio=fox.htm

Columbia/TriStar Pictures

Posted on December 7, 2012 by David Jocson

by [David Jocson]

— Courtesy of Flavorwire.com

— Courtesy of Google Images

Columbia/TriStar Pictures

10202 W Washington Blvd [1]

Culver City, CA 90232

Telephone: 310-224-4000

Website: www.sonypictures.com

Executives

Michael Lynton: Co-Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment [2]

Amy Pascal: Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment | Chairman, Sony Pictures

Entertainment Motion Picture Group

Doug Belgrad: President, Columbia Pictures [3]

Holdings

Sony Pictures Entertainment [4]:

Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group:

Columbia Pictures

TriStar Pictures

Locations

Headquarters: Culver City, CA [1]

Columbia Pictures Production Asia [5]: Hong Kong

Columbia Pictures Producciones Espanolas: Madrid, Spain

Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico: Mexico City

Additional operations in: Japan, Brazil and the UK

Competition

Warner Bros. Pictures [1]

The Walt Disney Studios

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Company Description

Columbia and TriStar Pictures operate as divisions under the Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) [5]. Columbia Pictures produces Sony Pictures’ commercial feature films [1]. TriStar Pictures distributes and markets SPE’s films, delivering entertainment to over 150 countries [6] [7].

Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group has released many notable franchises such as the James Bond and The Amazing Spider-Man franchises [8]. Its movies make up the bulk of the Sony Pictures’ library that includes over 3,500 films, 12 of which are Best Picture Academy Award winners [5].

The “Columbia Lady” precedes every feature film by Columbia Pictures [9]. It is the studio’s iconic trademark, having appeared in its motion pictures since the very beginning of the company.

History

Columbia Pictures began in 1918 when Jack Cohn, Joe Brandt and Harry Cohn began making short films [10]. CBC Films, as it was named after its founders back then, produced its first feature film, More to Be Pitied Than Scorned, in 1922 with great success. Two years later, the founders changed the name of CBC Films to Columbia Pictures Corporation.

The company rose to fame after signing legendary director Frank Capra to direct its feature films in 1927 [10]. Capra won Columbia Pictures its first Best Picture Academy Award for his film, It Happened One Night, in 1934. He also directed the studio’s first complete “talkie” motion picture.

In 1982, The Coca-Cola Company purchased Columbia Pictures [10]. (reuters)

In 1983, Columbia together with CBS and HBO, formed TriStar Pictures [10]. It was the newest production studio in decades. It quickly emerged as a major contender in the industry by releasing major blockbusters such as Rambo: First Blood Part II.

Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures from Coca-Cola in 1989 [10]. The new owner placed Columbia under its new division, Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony also moved the Columbia Pictures studio from Burbank to Culver City, CA. The studio operated on the former MGM lot where classics such as Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind were produced.

In 2000, Sony created Sony Pictures Digital [10]. Sony Pictures Digital comprised of Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation. Imageworks developed CGI and VFX for Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group and the animation division. The animation division produced Sony Pictures’ animated feature films.

Today, the Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group releases Sony Pictures’ biggest films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, 21 Jump Street and Men In Black 3 [8].

Fall-Winter 2012

Looper [11]

Action | Sci-fi | Crime

Budget [12]: $30 million

Worldwide Gross: $165 million

U.S. Release Date [11]: Sep. 28

— Courtesy of IMDb.com

Directed by Rian Johnson

Featuring:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe

Bruce Willis as Old Joe

Emily Blunt as Sara

Looper tells the story of Joe, an assassin for the mob, who is sent back in time to kill himself in order to “tie a loose end [11].”

Hotel Transylvania [13]

Family | Animation | Comedy

Budget [14]: $85 million

Worldwide Gross: $296 million

U.S. Release Date [13]: Sep. 28

— Courtesy of IMDb.com

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky

Featuring:

Adam Sandler as Dracula

Andy Samberg as Jonathan

Selena Gomez as Mavin

Kevin James as Frankenstein

Hotel Transylvania is about Count Dracula overprotecting his teenage daughter from falling in love with a human boy who stumbles upon Dracula’s “monster resort [13].”

The film is Genndy Tartakovsky’s first feature motion picture. Tartakovsy is a three-time Emmy Award winner known for creating famous cartoons such as Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory [15].

Hotel Transylvania became the best opening movie of all-time for September. It also became Sony Pictures’ most successful animated feature at the box office [16].

Skyfall [17]

Action | Crime | Adventure

Budget [18]: $200 million

Worldwide Gross: $872 million

U.S. Release Date [17]: Nov. 9

— Courtesy of IMDb.com

Directed by Sam Mendes

Featuring:

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Javier Bardem as Silva

Judi Dench as M

Skyfall is the 23rd installment of the Bond franchise. It is about a former agent of M who comes back to seek vengeance upon her while terrorizing MI6 and battling agent 007 [17].

In early December, Skyfall became the highest grossing film ever in the UK [19].

The movie also marked Judi Dench’s final role as M [20].

Zero Dark Thirty [21]

Action | Drama | History

Budget [22]: n/a

Worldwide Gross: n/a

U.S. Release Date [21]: Dec. 19

— Courtesy of IMDb.com

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Featuring:

Chris Pratt as Justin, a member of Navy SEAL Team 6

Jason Clarke as Dan

Jessica Chastain as Maya

Zero Dark Thirty recounts the hunt for Osama bin Laden that began after 9/11 and culminated in his death by SEAL Team 6 in May 2011, after a decade of searching for the “world’s most wanted man [21].”

Zero Dark Thirty was the last feature film Sony Pictures Entertainment was going to release before the end of 2012 [23].

Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the minds behind The Hurt Locker, collaborated again to produce the widely-anticipated movie [23].

News

Sony Pictures Entertainment became the highest grossing movie studio of the year, having earned $1.7 billion in the U.S. alone [24]. Internationally, it earned over $4 billion, beating its previous record of $3.5 billion in 2009 [23]. The new record was achieved in large part to Skyfall, the highest grossing Bond film ever. The film received a cumulative $669.2 million during its opening weekend alone. However, other blockbusters helped too. The Amazing Spider-Man earned $754 million, Men In Black 3 earned $624 million, Hotel Transylvania earned $283 million and 21 Jump Street earned $201 million. Sony Pictures Entertainment released a total of 9 No. 1 movies at the domestic box office in 2012.

Kazuo Hirai, CEO of Sony Corporation, told The Hollywood Reporter that Sony was not going to sell Sony Pictures Entertainment amidst rumors that Sony was going to sell the film division due to financial losses [25]. The Hollywood Reporter quoted him saying, “There is no reason to sell these industry-dealing businesses and no consideration is being given to the idea.” Hirai made it clear that Sony Pictures Entertainment was not going to be sold anytime soon.

Sony Pictures Entertainment joined video game company Electronic Arts to raise $1 million in donations for American troops [26]. EA planned to release its new game, Medal of Honor Warfighter, on Dec. 17th after its rival, Activision, released its game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The release date was also planned to coincide with Columbia Picture’s Zero Dark Thirty that premieres on Dec. 19th. EA prepared exclusive maps that featured locations from the feature film available for purchase. The company said it would take a portion of the proceeds to donate a minimum of $1 million to nonprofit veterans organizations.

On October 5th, Columbia Pictures joined MGM Pictures, Passion Pictures and Red Box Films in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise by releasing Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 [27]. The documentary chronicles the lives of the franchise’s author Ian Fleming and producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli.

October 5th also became Global James Bond Day [28]. The worldwide event included an online and live auction charity event in London, a franchise exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and an evening of Bond music hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles.

Works Cited

[1]: http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Columbia_TriStar_Motion_Picture_Group.9a3fb312ea9f08a6.html

[2]: http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html

[3]: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=8033824

[4]: http://www.cjr.org/resources/?c=sony

[5]: http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html

[6]: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=7913345

[7]: http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/aboutsonypictures.html

[8]: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0071509/

[9]: http://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/studio/history/columbia

[10]: http://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/studio/history