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.

Lionsgate Entertainment

By Ali Koskoris

Lionsgate Entertainment

Photo Courtesy of destructoid.com[i]

Contact Information:[ii]

2700 Colorado Avenue, Suite 200, Santa Monica,CA 90404

1-310-449-9200

www.lionsgate.com

 

About Lionsgate Entertainment: 

Founded in 1997 in Canada [iii], Lionsgate Films is an independent international entertainment company and segment of the Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation.  It produces and distributes motion pictures, television programming and syndication, animation, and digital media. [iv]  In 2003 the company merged with Artisan Entertainment and in 2012 it purchased Summit Entertainment for approximately $413 million. [v]

Lionsgate has gained momentum by creating blockbuster film franchises based on books, including Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. [vi] With a focus on cost discipline, Lionsgate releases approximately fifteen feature films and six to eight specialty films a year through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. The company television section also has close to thirty television series distributed through multiple mediums, including Mad Men and Orange is the New Black, and holds contracts with Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. [vii]

 

Key Executives:

Joe Feltheimer   Michael BurnsSteve BeeksBrian Goldsmith

Photos and info Courtesy of: http://www.lionsgate.com [viii]

 

Financials:
In 2013 Lionsgate Entertainment earned $2.7 billion dollars – a 70.58% growth from 2012- and had a gross income of $1.3 billion dollars- a 95.22% gross income increase from 2012. [ix]  Thus far in 2014 (through April 13), Lionsgate has grossed approximately $232 million domestically, led by recent release, Divergent and followed by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is no longer in theatres. [x] The company stays small, with just 636 employees worldwide. [xi]

 

What’s Happening Now?
In 2014, Lionsgate Entertainment released eight films, and five are still in theatres.  Divergent, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and I, Frankenstein lead 2014 in gross so far respectively (with the latter two out of theatres). [xii]  

 

Divergent
The third of Lionsgate’s novel-to-film franchises, Divergent tells the story of a young woman who finds out she does not fit into the confined factions of her world and is “Divergent.” She must find out the truth about what it means to be Divergent when she uncovers a plot to destroy her faction. The film, directed by Neil Burger, is based on the Veronica Roth novel and features rising star Shailene Woodley[xiii]

Photo Courtesy of http://themoviemash.com/ [xvi]

Photo Courtesy of themoviemash.com [xiv]

In its opening weekend (21-23 March 2014), Divergent topped the box office charts, grossing approximately $54.6 million domestically to its $85 million budget. Currently in its fourth week in theatres, the film has grossed $178.4 million worldwide. [xv] Like Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga, Lionsgate announced on 15 April 2014 that Allegiant, the third and final book of the series, will be split into two films. Part one will be released on 18 March 2016 and Part 2 will be released on 24 March, 2017. [xvi]

 


                                                                                                                 

Draft Day
Draft Day tells the story of an NFL general manager who works to rebuild his team by trading for the number one pick. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman and it stars American sportscaster Chris Berman and actress Jennifer Garner. [xvii]

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

During its opening weekend (11-13 April 2014), the film ranked number four in domestic weekend gross, making about $9.7 million.  As of 18 April 2014, it has grossed $15.8 million domestically. [xviii]

Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club
Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club is about a group of five single moms who overcome problems through their support group. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, the film stars Nia Long and Wendi McLendon-Covey. [xix]

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

For its opening weekend, the film ranked number five in domestic gross with $8 million. In week five (as of 17 April 2014), the film has grossed $15.8 million domestically. [xx]

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxv]

Joe                                                                                              In addition to these three films, Lionsgate is boasting Joe, a film distributed by Roadside Attractions.  The film, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by David Gordon Green, tells the story of an ex-con who befriends a teenaged boy. [xxi]  The film is different from Lionsgate’s other recent films because it was released On Demand on the same day it was released in theatres (11 April 2014). [xxii] The film was released in just 48 theatres domestically and, as of 20 April 2014, has grossed about $330 thousand at the domestic box office. [xxiii]  The film has received positive reviews, with an 84% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 79% rating from audiences. [xxiv]

 

In Other News:
Photo Courtesy of rocketjump.com

Photo Courtesy of rocketjump.com [xxvii]

On 14 April 2014, Lionsgate announced that it has created a multi-year partnership with video creator RocketJump Studios, which gained fame through its web series Video Game High School. RocketJump has 6.8 million subscribers and shows its content through multiple platforms.  The partnership gives Lionsgate access to RocketJump’s digital content and gives RocketJump access to Lionsgate’s international marketing resources. [xxvi]

 

Photo Courtesy of Yahoo!

Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! [xxix]

On 20 March 2014 Lionsgate extended its contract with producer Grindstone Entertainment Group through a multi-year agreement. The team has been successful in the past with films like Empire State and Frozen Ground. Lionsgate Co-COO Steve Beeks said that Lionsgate is excited about the extension. [xxviii]

 
 
 

What’s to Come:
Lionsgate will release its newest film, The Quiet Ones, on 25 April 2014.  The film, based on a true story, directed by John Pogue, and starring Jared Harris and Sam Claflin, tells the story of a professor and a group of students who uncover terrible secrets when they experiment on a young girl.[xxx]
Photo Courtesy of IMDb

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxi]

Reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes seem to be mixed, so it should be interesting to see how the film does in theatres. [xxxii]

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxiv]

 

On 25 July 2014, Lionsgate will release Step Up: All In, the fifth installment of the Step Up series.  The film tells of a dancer and his dance crew who work to win an LA dance competition.  The film is directed by Trish Sie and stars Ryan Guzman and Briana Evigan. Multiple stars from the previous films are featured as well.  There are not yet any reviews for the film. [xxxiii]

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxvi]

 
 

Lionsgate will also be releasing The Expendables 3 on 15 August 2014.  Directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, the third film in the series tells of the conflict between The Expendables and the founder’s new, younger group of Expendables.  The film also has not received any reviews. [xxxv] 
 
 
 
 
 

Photo Courtesy of itk.ua

Photo Courtesy of itk.ua [xxxix]

In addition to releasing three new films, Lionsgate will be recognized as the Company of Distinction for 2014 at the Banff World Media Festival (8-11 June 2014). [xxxvii] Lionsgate will be receiving this award because of its success, its diverse programming, and its “visionary approach to the global television business.” [xxxviii]

 
 
 
 
 

[i] Lionsgate Logo  From 26 July 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[ii] Lionsgate Contact  Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[iii] Founded From 24 Jan 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[iv] What Liongate does Updated 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[v] Merging with Artisan and Summit From 24 Jan 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[vi] Blockbuster Film Franchises Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[vii] Distribution Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[viiii] Key Executives Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[ix] 2013 Gross Income Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[x] 2014 Income Until April 13. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xi] Employees Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xii] 2014 Films Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xiii] Divergent Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xiv] Divergent Poster Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xv] Divergent Financials As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xvi] Divergent’s Future From 15 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xvii] Draft Day Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xviii] Draft Day Opening Week As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xix] Tyler Perry’s the Single Moms Club Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xx] Tyler Perry Financials As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xxi] Joe Synopsis Retrieved 20 April 2014.
[xxii] Joe On Demand Retrieved 20 April 2014.
[xxiii] Joe Financials As of 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
[xxiv] Joe Ratings As of 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
[xxv] Joe Poster Retrieved 20 April 2014.
[xxvi] RocketJump Studios From 14 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xxvii] RocketJump Logo Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xxviii] Grindstone Extension 20 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xxix] Grindstone Logo Retrieved 18 April 2014.
[xxx] The Quiet Ones Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxi] The Quiet Ones Poster  Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxii] The Quiet Ones Reviews As of 19 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxiii] Step Up: All In Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxiv] Step Up: All In Poster  Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxv] The Expendables 3 Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxvi] The Expendables Poster Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxvii] “Company of Distinction for 2014” From 27 March 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxviii] Why Receiving Award  Retrieved 19 April 2014.
[xxxix] Banff Logo Retrieved 19 April 2014.