Verizon

Posted on October 5, 2014 by lashaw01

by Lauren Shaw

Verizon Communications

Company Logo, click to go to website.

140 West Street

New York, NY 10007

www.verizon.com

Executives [1]

Courtesy of verizon.com

Lowell C. McAdam, Chairman & CEO

Courtesy of verizon.com

Roy H. Chestnutt, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer

Courtesy of verizon.com

James J. Gerace, Chief Communications Officer

Courtesy of verizon.com

Roger Gurnani, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer

About [2]

Courtesy of wikimedia.org

Verizon Communications is a major media conglomerate that provides broadband and other communication services to consumer, business, government, and wholesale customers. The company is known for its wireless services, providing a reliable wireless network for its 98 million customers nationwide.

: Courtesy of fool.com

Verizon FIOS is one of the company’s major departments that provides a telephone service, digital TV, and high speed Internet over a single fiber optic cable. Fios customers gain access to over 575 digital TV channels, with over 160 channels being High Definition. FiOS also offers over 18,000 movies on demand.

History [3]

Launching in 2005, Verizon FiOS was originally just available to 9,000 customers in Keller, Texas. With the addition of DVR in 2006 and High Definition in 2008, Verizon grew to eventually becoming a leading television distribution company, with around five million customers and availability in 18 million homes in 16 states, as of May 2013. Their top markets are New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Boston, with New York having 1,305,440 subscribers and Boston having 343,535 subscribers. (As of 2013)

Courtesy of creoleindc.typepad.com

Financials

On October 21, the company released their third quarter earnings report. Although more customers were added, Verizon Communications saw a decline in profit. Third quarter net income was $3,794 million, which is a drop from the $5,578 million in 2013’s third quarter. [4] More specifically, the companies Wireline segment had a total revenue of $9.576 million, which is a 0.8% decrease from last year. [6] However, FiOS video subscriber base went up 7% from last year to 5.533 million (adding a net 114,000 subscribers). In addition, broadband connections increased 1.7% from last year to 9.146 million.[5] Although the company is falling short of profit expectations, it seems as though they can detest their revenue drive to FiOS, as FiOS represented 74% of the company’s total revenue during the first quarter of 2014, and is continuing to do so. [7]

FiOS TV Interactive Media Guide

Courtesy of verizon.com

There are many changes being brought to FiOS that may explain its success for the company. Verizon has revamped its FiOS TV Interactive Media Guide for TV and mobile, improving the personalization, management abilities, and user interface for customers.[8] Customers will now receive search results and recommendations for shows and movies based on their viewing behavior. Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews and FiOS TV star ratings will also appear when customers are viewing specific content via their guide, with cast and crew biographies as well. [8] The new changes also come with a “My FiOS TV” feature that connects users to social media. [9]

Courtesy of verizon.com

Customers can see what’s being discussed about their favorite shows via Twitter.[9] These new changes are one of many incentives from the company to try and meet the demands of consumers and their reliance on media. These changes offer a comparison to one of Verizon’s competitors Comcast, and its recently upgraded mobile user interface with similar user-friendly personalization updates.[9]

TV Everywhere

Courtesy of bidnessetc.com

The company is not only updating its guide to keep up with consumer’s growing reliance on media and need for entertainment on multiple platforms. In October, the company renewed its carriage agreement with Viacom. [10] These new agreements seem to meet the demands of people’s need for ‘TV Everywhere.” Soon, Verizon customers will be able to stream Viacom programming in and out of their homes. [10] Viacom content such as music and entertainment programming will be available 24/7 on multiple platforms and will include 25 Viacom networks such as MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. [11] This agreement not only allows customers to gain access to live and on-demand content through the FiOS mobile App, but gain access to Video On-Demand content through various Viacom TV Everywhere websites and Apps as well. [11]As the industry is moving toward more content on mobile, the company is trying to keep up and avoid loosing subscribers by providing opportunities such as these to provide more TV Everywhere options.

Courtesy of digitalhollywood.com

“People want to watch TV anywhere, not just in their living rooms. Disruption in the TV marketplace is happening and Verizon wants to reach agreements with content providers like Viacom that reflect that reality and give people what they want. We are thrilled to extend our long-term distribution partnership with Viacom Media Networks, delivering some of the most recognizable and popular kids, music and entertainment programming available to our customers anytime, anywhere on a variety of platforms from TV to wireless. “-Ben Grad, Verizon’s executive director of content strategy & acquisition [12]

FiOS Quantum Gateway

In addition to consumer’s need for entertainment in a variety of platforms, consumers also want their content as fast as possible. After complaints of slow download speeds over the summer, specifically when streaming Netflix, it seems as though the company is approaching these problems with the launch of FiOS Quantum Gateway.[13] (released in November 2014)

For customers with multiple devices in their homes who frequently stream videos, the Quantum Gateway, which was released at the beginning of the month, should improve speeds and cut down download time for its subscribers. [13] This goes along with Verizon’s “speed match” campaign, which promises to match all customers upload speeds to its download speeds by the end of the year for free. [14] These new features will hopefully improve user experiences for all FiOS customers and create an advantage over its competitors, as other distribution companies are attempting to improve speeds as well.[14]

Stopping the Cord-Cutters from Cutting this Holiday Season

Courtesy of bidnessetc.com

With more and more ways to view content online, Verizon needs to promote competitive advantages to prevent the cord-cutters from actually cutting, and thus loosing customers for Verizon. Just in time for the holiday season, from now until January 17th, customers can purchase FiOS Triple Play package (high-speed internet, phone, and TV) for only $59.99 a month, and get a full year of Netflix free. [15] Not only does this provide a popular package for a much cheaper price, but includes Showtime, HBO, and free Netflix, all of which are usually the reason for cord-cutters to begin with.[16] This bold move of including competitive companies in a much cheaper package should attract millennials who would have previously been turned off to paying for an expensive cable package.[16] 2015’s first quarter earnings report will provide an answer as to whether this unique package paid off for Verizon as a whole.

Looking Towards The Future

As 2014 comes to an end, consumers should prepare for more TV Everywhere opportunities from Verizon, as well as more user-interface and personalization changes to FiOS. [17] Verizon customers should look out for the possibility of a wireless internet pay TV service and FiOS Custom Channels, both which would be released sometime in 2015. [17]

Sources

[1] “Executive Bios” .verizon.com RT: 11/28/14

[2] “Verizon At a Glance” .verizon.com RT:11/28/14

[3] “History & Timeline” .verizon.com RT: 11/28/14

[4] “Verizon Misses on Q3 Earnings, Revenues” .zacks.com October 21, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[5] “Verizon adds 1.5 Million Customers, But Misses on Profit Expectations” .dailytech.com October 22, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[6] “Verizon Reports Strong Customer Additions” .prnewswire.com RT: 11/29/14

[7] “FiOS Drives Revenue Up, But Earnings Fall Short of Expectations” .forbes.com April 24, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[8] “Verizon Revamps FiOS TV Guide” .bidnessetc.com October 1, 2014 RT: 11/28/14

[9] “Verizon Freshens Up FiOS TV Guide” .multichannelnews.com September 30, 2014 RT: 11/28/14

[10] “Verizon FiOS and Viacom Renew Carriage Agreement” .marketwatch.com October 1, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[11] “Verizon FiOS, Viacom Strike New Carriage Deal” .broadcastingcable.com October 1, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[12] “Verizon, Viacom Strike New Carriage Deal” .multichannelnews.com October 1, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[13] “Verizon FiOS Launches Souped-Up Broadband Gateway” .multichannelnews.com October 3, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[14] “Verizon’s Pitch: Upload Speeds to Match Download” .wallstreetjournal.com August 25, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[15] “Verizon Trial: 1 Year Free Netflix to FiOS Triple Play Users” dslreports.com October 27, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[16] “Verizon FiOS Bows Cord-Cutter Plan with Netflix, HBO, Showtime” .homemediamagazine.com November 19, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

[17] “Verizon CEO Says He’s Weighing A Wireless Internet Pay TV Service” .deadline.com March 4, 2014 RT: 11/29/14

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on October 5, 2014 by htfergus

by Carly Kaplin

Warner Bros. Studios [a]

Contact Information:

Address: 3400 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91522

Phone: (818) 972-8687

http://www.warnerbros.com/

Company Executives:

Kevin Tsujihara: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. [b]

Richard J. Fox: Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Entertainment [c]

Thomas Gewecke: Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Warner Bros. Entertainment [d]

Dee Dee Myers: Executive Vice Present, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Warner Bros. Entertainment [e]

Company Overview:

Warner Brother’s is an entertainment company involved in the creation, production, distribution and marketing of many different forms of entertainment. The company specializes in feature films and television. Since they were founded, Warner Brother’s has produced nearly 6,500 feature films and 3,000 television shows. Warner Brother’s Studios is a subsidiary of Time Warner and within itself has several subsidiaries. [1]

Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner [f]

Company History:

Warner Brother’s was founded on April 4th, 1923 by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner. The studio released the world’s first “talkie” movie on October 6th, 1927. Before this time, the world had never seen a movie with sound. This was a groundbreaking moment in the film industry. The studio won their first Oscar for best picture in 1937 for a film biography on the life of Émile Zola. In 1955, Warner Brothers started working in television creating the drama series, Cheyenne. [2]

Financials:

Warner Brother’s Studios is one of the global leaders in film production. However, the studio was negatively impacted by a low summer box office. Luckily, video-on-demand revenue contributed and raised revenue 3% to $2.8 billion. The studio made its highest box office numbers ever with the Harry Potter movies and The Dark Knight trilogy. The Dark Knight earned the studio over $530,000,000 domestic, and over $1 billion including international sales in 2008. In 2013, Warner Brothers television programs grossed almost $1.5 billion internationally. In the same year, the international box office for films generated revenue of over $5 billion for the fifth year in a row Warner Brothers made over $4 billion in the worldwide box office. Warner Brothers currently stands at third place in the 2014 studio market share of the box office with 14.3%, behind 20th Century Fox with 17.2% and Buenavista with 16.1%. Warner Brothers has released the most movies this year out of the three top studios, making it’s position at number 3 not ideal. [3] [4]

By the end of this year, Warner Brothers will have released a total of 21 feature films. The highest grossing movie of the year for the studio was The Lego Movie, generating a total domestic revenue of $257 million and $210 million internationally, making it a total of $468 million. [5] [6]

Warner Brother’s movies by release date in 2014 [g]

MV5BNjE5MzYwMzYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk4MTk0OQ@@._V1_SY1006_CR25,0,630,1006_AL_

Gravity [h]

Recent History

In early 2014, Warner Brother’s films won 10 Academy Awards, the most of any other studio. 7 of these awards were taken by Gravity, two for The Great Gatsby and one for Her. Gravity took home the oscar for best director for Alfonso Cuarón, visual effects, cinematography, film editing, original score, sound editing and sound mixing. [7]

What’s Happening Now?

Warner Brother’s Studios has recently announced that they will be cutting 1,000 jobs from a total of around 8,000 companywide in an attempt to decrease costs since the low box office and television results this year. After 10 years at number one in the domestic box office, it is currently at number 3. Some divisions of the company are expected to be impacted more by these layoffs than others. The finance and information technology will be cut down more than film and television production groups. [8]

The Judge [i]

Warner Brother’s recently released The Judge on October 10th, 2014. The Judge made only $45.5 million in the domestic box office, which is not the success the studio would have hoped for the movie with a $50 million production budget. It did bring in $29 million international, bringing the total gross up to $74.5 million. The movie opened at number 5 its opening weekend, competing with the new releases of Dracula Untold and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which opened at 2, and 3 respectively. [9]

Annabelle [j]

Annabelle, the prequel to last year’s The Conjuring, was the studio’s highest grossing movie this season. With a domestic total of $84 million but was widely popular overseas with an international total of over $186 million, it took the number one place in the international box office its opening weekend. The production budget was only $6.5 million so Annabelle was a huge success for Warner Brothers. Annabelle was released on October 3rd, opening at the number two spot in the box office, just barely beaten out by $400,000 by the highly anticipated Gone Girl. [10]

Horrible Bosses 2 [k]

Horrible Bosses 2 is the studio’s next movie to hit theaters, opening on November 26th, 2014. The first Horrible Bosses movie, released in July of 2011 made $60 million during its opening weekend. The budget was $35 million, meaning the movie made back almost twice its budget in the first weekend. This sequel is definitely one that didn’t do as well as the first movie. This past weekend was opening weekend for Horrible Bosses 2 and opening at the number 5 spot, they made a mere $15 million domestically. Having opened on a Wednesday, they did generate some more money before the “weekend” bringing the domestic total to $23 million. But this opening weekend was a tough one in terms of competition. Horrible Bosses was competing with the second weekend of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 which brought in the majority of audiences for this Thanksgiving weekend. Warner Brothers expected Horrible Bosses 2 to make around $35 million opening weekend, but the production budget was relatively low, at $42 million. Warner Brothers executives are hopeful that Horrible Bosses 2 will perform better next weekend as the excitement of The Hunger Games slows down as it enters its third week. [11] [12] [13]

Excitement continues to grow for fans of The Hobbit series as the trilogy comes to an end this year with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. It will be released on December 17th, 2014 by Warner Brothers. The most talked about aspect of the movie so far is the 45 minute battle scene which ends the movie, the biggest fight scene director Peter Jackson has ever done. [5] [14]

Warner Brothers will be releasing two more movies before the end of the year. Inherent Vice on December 12th, featuring Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon, and American Sniper on December 25th, with Bradley Cooper, directed by Clint Eastwood. Inherent Vice has already won the Robert Altman award, which is given to “one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast.” [5] [15]

Sources:

1. Warner Bros. Company Overview – warnerbros.com RT: 11/15/2014

2. Warner Bros. Company History – warnerbros.com RT: 11/16/2014

3. Time Warner Q3 Earnings Results – money.cnn.com RT: 11/17/2014

4. Time Warner Annual Reports – TimeWarner.com RT: 11/15/2014

5. Warner Bros. Future Releases – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/21/2014

6. The Lego Movie – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/18/2014

7. Warner Bros. Oscar Results – hollywoodreporter.com RT: 11/17/2014

8. Warner Bros. Layoffs – nytimes.com RT: 11/19/2014

9. The Judge Box Office Mojo – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/16/2014

10. Annabelle Box Office Mojo – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/17/2014

11. Horrible Bosses Opening Weekend – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/20/2014

12. Horrible Bosses 2 Opening Weekend – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/30/2014

13. Variety Horrible Bosses 2 Article – variety.com RT: 11/30/2014

14. FansShare The Hobbit Article – fansshare.com RT: 11/21/2014

15. NoneSuch Inherent Vice Article – nonesuch.com RT: 12/1/2014

Multimedia Sources

a. http://corporate.kabam.com/company/ RT: 11/14/2014

b. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Kevin Tsujihara RT: 11/15/2014

c. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Richard J. Fox RT: 11/15/2014

d. Warner Bros. Company Executives -Thomas Gewecke RT: 11/15/2014

e. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Dee Dee Myers RT: 11/15/2014

f. PBS Gallery RT: 11/16/2014

g. Box Office Mojo RT: 12/1/2014

h. IMDB Gravity RT: 11/20/2014

i. IMDB The Judge RT: 11/21/2014

j. IMDB Annabelle RT: 12/1/2014

k. Collider.com RT: 11/17/2014

l. Youtube.com RT: 12/1/2014

Viacom

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Samantha Mackoff

By Sam Mackoff

[1] Viacom Logo

ABOUT VIACOM

Viacom, short for Video and Audio Communications, is a mass media company that produces content globally across television, movies, online and mobile platforms. Viacom’s media networks reach about 700 million global subscribers, making it one of the world’s largest media conglomerate [2]. Viacom operates about 170 leading entertainment brands including MTV Networks, VH1, BET Networks, Comedy Central, CMT, SPIKE, Nickelodeon Networks, Paramount Pictures and more [3].

Television Networks

[4] Viacom’s Media Brands

Viacom has a large variety of networks that represent a diverse collection of programming. From Nickelodeon, the leading brand in children’s entertainment, to Comedy Central, the number one brand in comedic television, Viacom continues to produce original content that is relevant to all different audience members [4]. Some of Viacom’s leading shows are Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV’s Teen Wolf and Awkward, Comedy Central’s South Park and many more [5].

Film

[6] Paramount Pictures Logo

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a production and distribution studio for film. It is a subsidiary of Viacom. Paramount distributes content from DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Marvel Studios, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies [4]. Paramount is ranked as the fourth highest grossing film distributor [7]. Some of Paramount’s notable films are, “Transformers”, “Indiana Jones”, “Star Trek”, “Titanic”, and “Forrest Gump” [8].

FINANCIALS

Viacom is a publicly held. This year, Viacom did well financially with its media networks revenue, but did not do well financially in film entertainment. The media networks revenue had a $462 million increase to $9.7 billion by the end of 2013 [9]. The film entertainment revenues had a $538 million decrease from the previous year to $4.3 billion by the end of 2013 [9]. Viacom’s net earnings still increased 2% from 2012 to 2013, from $2.3 billion in 2012 to $2.4 billion in 2013 [9].

KEY EXECUTIVES

[10] Philippe Dauman,
President and Chief Executive Officer

[11] Thomas E. Dooley,
Chief Operating Officer

RECENT NEWS
Viacom and Google Call a Truce

[12] Google Vs. Viacom

After seven years of battling in court, Viacom and Google have settled the copyright infringement lawsuit, in which neither company exchanged money to the other. Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit in 2007 against YouTube, which is owned by Google, stating that there were billions of dollars in damages for copyright infringement by uploading unauthorized clips from Viacom programming. After years of arguing, Viacom and YouTube released a settlement statement saying, “This settlement reflects the growing collaborative dialogue between our two companies on important opportunities, and we look forward to working more closely together” [13].

Viacom Teams Up with Tumblr

[14] Tumblr and Viacom Partnership

Viacom announced an exclusive partnership with the popular blogging website, Tumblr. The two companies together will offer co-branded campaigns and content for shows and events for Viacom’s networks through the 2014 Upfront Season. This partnership marks Viacom as the first television programmer to develop a marketing partnership with Tumblr. Viacom’s partnership with Tumblr creates a unique opportunity for Viacom to use this creative platform with its advertisers in order to reach a large audience because of its major social activity. On the consumer end, it allows users to view content in a fun and interactive way [15].

RELEASES

[16] “The Wolf of Wall Street”, directed by Martin Scorsese

The Wolf of Wall Street

The dark comedy, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort’s life. The film takes you through the New York stockbroker’s journey from rags to riches, starting in penny stocks to running an extremely successful firm. This film has had major success worldwide. The high admiration has earned the film a Golden Globe and five Academy Award nominations [17]. Surpassing all Christmas sales in theaters on its holiday release date [18], the film made $10 million on its opening day and over $18 million on its opening weekend [19]. This film has accumulated grosses of $116.9 million domestically and $272.7 million in the foreign market [19].

[20] “Noah”, directed by Darren Aronofsky

Noah

The recent release of the biblical inspired film, “Noah”, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Russell Crowe, is inspired by the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Noah is chosen by God to take on a mission to rescue the innocent before an apocalyptic flood hits the world. This film ranked #1 at the box office on its opening weekend on March 28^th [21]. “Noah” brought in a diverse audience including men and women of all ages that were Christian, Catholic Latino and African American [22]. “Noah” has faced a sizable decline with a 68% drop since its release [23]. Predictions say that this number will increase during the weekend of Easter because of the faith based audience [24]. “Noah” has made $93.3 million domestically and $197.4 million in the foreign market [21].

UPCOMING RELEASES

Nickelodeon Introduces a New Awards Show

8-Kids-Choice-Sports-Awards-2014-350x348

[25] Michael Strahan, Future Host of Kids Choice Sports

Nickelodeon announced a new award show called Kids Choice Sports, hosted by former football player, Michael Strahan, set to debut this summer. Kids Choice Sports give viewers the opportunity to have a voice in the show by voting for their favorite teams, players and sports moments as well as selecting the stars to get slimed. In additions to the awards, the event will also have a musical performance, competitions against athletes and slimed filled sports stunts [26]. Kids Choice Sports has the potential to bring in a whole new audience of parents and children who are interested in sports, as well as other viewers who want to be a part of the additional events of the awards show.

Candid Camera Returns After 66 Years

: [27] Allen Funt, the Original Host of Candid Camera

TV Land announced that it is bringing back a new version of the 1940’s show, Candid Camera. Candid Camera is a show that captures the reactions of people in unusual situations using hidden cameras. Peter Funt, the son of the host and creator of the original show, will be co-producing Candid Camera. There are 10 new episodes that are set to air this summer [28].

Transformers To Release Fourth Film

The fourth Transformers film called, “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, is hitting the theater this summer. This film was directed by Michael Bay and has notable actors staring in it such as Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, and Jack Reynor [29]. This popular franchise has earned $2.6 billion in the global box office. The bar for this film was set very high after the last film, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, earning $1.1 billion globally. This film is set to release June 27^th [30].

Trailer [31]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Recreated in a Live Action Film

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is returning to the screen in a live action film this summer. Producer Michael Bay and director Jonathan Liesmasman, are working together to recreate the story that was originally based off of a comic series [32]. Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount said, “Michael Bay is committed to making sure young audiences have a reason to flock back to your theaters” [33]. This action comedy film is about four trained ninja turtles that work together to fight off evil. This summer blockbuster, starring Megan Fox, Noel Fisher, Will Arnet, Jeremy Howard and Alan Ritchso, is set to release August 8^th [32].

Trailer [34]

Sources

[1] Viacom’s Logo, Adweek.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[2] About Viacom, Viacom.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[3] “Viacom: Veteran Leading the Way”, Investing Daily, 12/31/2013, RT: 4/17/2014

[4] Viacom Brands, Viacom.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[5] Most Popular TV Shows, TV.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[6] Paramount Pictures Logo, Nickelodeon.Wikia.com, RT: 4/18/14

[7] Leading Distributors- 1995-2014, The-Numbers.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[8] Paramount All Time Box Office Results, BoxOfficeMojo.com, RT: 4/18/2014

[9] Viacom Inc.- Annual Report, Viacom.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[10] Philippe Dauman, Trialx.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[11] Thomas E. Dooley, CNN.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[13] “Google and Viacom Settle Copyright-Infringement Lawsuit over YouTube”, Variety, 3/18/2014, RT: 4/19/2014

[14] Viacom and Tumblr, YourNewSticker.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[15] “Yahoo’s Tumblr First TV Ad Deal Is with Viacom”, Variety, 3/20/2014, RT: 4/19/2014

[16] Wolf of Wall Street Poster, UBCFilmSociety.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[17] Wolf of Wall Street Awards, IMDB.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[18] “‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Poised for No. 1 at Christmas Box Office with $10 Million”, Variety, 12/25/13, RT: 4/19/14

[19] Box Office Results, BoxOfficeMojo.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[20] Noah Poster, MovieFanatic.com, RT: 4/19/2014

[21] Box Office Results, BoxOfficeMojo.com, RT: 4/19/14

[22] “‘Noah’ sails to estimated $44-Million Opening at Box Office”, Los Angeles Times, 3/30/2014, RT: 4/19/14

[23] “North America: ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Sets New April Record with $96.2M”, BoxOffice.com, 4/6/14, RT: 4/19/14

[24] “‘Heaven is for Real’ Posts Strong Opening Day Returns”, BoxOffice.com, 4/17/14, RT: 4/19/2014

[25] Kids Choice Sports Picture, TVByTheNumbers.zap2it.com, RT: 4/20/14

[26] “Nick Launching Sports Award Show”, BigStory.ap.org, 3/13/214, RT: 4/20/14

[27] Allen Funt, rtvfmediastudies.tcu.edu, RT: 4/20/14

[28] “Candid Camera: TV Land Reviving Classic Series for Summer”, TVSeriesFinale.com, 4/9/14, RT: 4/20/14

[29] Transformers Cast and Crew, IMDB.com, RT: 4/20/14

[30] “‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ to Kick Start New Trilogy”, Variety, 4/11/14, RT: 4/20/14

[31] Transformers: Age of Extinction Trailer, Youtube, 3/5/2014, RT: 4/20/2014

[32] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cast and Crew, IMDB.com, RT: 4/20/14

[33] “Paramount Kicks Off CinemaCon With ‘Ninja Turtles,’ ‘Transformers’ Footage”, Variety, 3/24/14, RT: 4/20/14

[34] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Trailer, Youtube, 3/27/2014, RT: 4/20/2014

Focus Features

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Daniel Fabi

By Dan Fabi

Focus Features Logo courtesy of FocusFeatures.com

Locations

LOS ANGELES OFFICE

100 Universal City Plaza

Universal City, CA 91608

NEW YORK OFFICE

65 Bleecker Street – 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10012

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE

26 Aybrook Street

London W1U 4AN

United Kingdom

History

Focus Features is a subdivision of NBCUniversal, which primarily specializes in art films aimed at niche markets rather than mass market audiences [1]. Focus Features allows the directors of the films they produce to have a final say in the editing room to produce the film that they had initially envisioned, creating a successful brand of art house films [2]. Last year, the company celebrated its ten-year anniversary after being established in May 2002 through the merger of USA Films and Good Machine. Focus’s first widely released film was The Pianist, which received three Academy Awards for best actor, best director, and best adapted screenplay [3].

Adrien Brody wins the Oscar for best Actor in "The Pianist" (2002)

Photo Courtesy of the Associatedv Press

Key Executives

James Schamus
Photo Courtesy of news.uchicago.edu

James Schamus, Founder and Outgoing CEO

Prior to forming Focus Features, James Schamus was the co-president of production company Good Machine, which he founded in 1991. Eleven years later, Schamus merged with USA Films to create Focus Features. Schamus is also an Academy Award nominee, receiving screenwriting and original score nominations for his work on Good Machine’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [4].

Peter Schlessel
Photo Courtesy of Deadline.com

Peter Schlessel, Incoming CEO

Formerly, Schlessel had founded FilmDistrict and was President for GK Films. GK has produced films such as Argo, Hugo, and World War Z. In January 2014, Schlessel’s term as Focus Features’ CEO will commence [5].

Andrew Karpen
Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Andrew Karpen, Outgoing Co-CEO

Karpen joined the Focus Features executive team over a year after it formed as the company’s COO. In May 2013, he was promoted to co-CEO. As Co-CEO, Karpen controlled Focus’s domestic and international activities. Before joining Focus Features, Karpen was Senior Vice President, finance of Oxygen Media, another subsidiary of NBCUniversal [6].

Adrian Alperovich
Photo Courtesy of homemediamagazine.com

Adrian Alperovich, Incoming COO

In May 2012, Alperovich was appointed Chief Operating Officer of FilmDistrict. Alperovich has been appointed to retain the title as his production company is absorbed by Focus. In January 2014, Alperovich’s term as Focus Features’ COO will commence [7].

Robert T. Gibson
Photo Courtesy of stage.nbcuni.com

Robert T. Gibson, CFO and Senior VP, Finance

In Mid-2004, Gibson joined Focus Features as Director, Finance and Strategic Planning. In 2009, he was appointed the company’s CFO. Gibson will follow the relocating of Focus Features headquarters to Los Angeles after previously being based in the company’s east coast offices [8].

Financials

In 2005, Focus Features released its highest grossing film, Brokeback Mountain. The film grossed over $83 million and received Oscars for best director, best adapted screenplay, and best original score [9]. In 2013 thus far, Focus has released six films, gaining a gross profit of $86.4 million. In 2012, the company received a gross profit of $131.2 million from eight films. By November of 2012, the company’s total gross from the six films they released was $109.1 million, most of which came from animated blockbuster film, Paranorman, with a total gross of over $56 million. From November 2012 to November 2013, Focus Features has seen a 21% drop in total gross [10].

Restructure

On October 1^st, 2013, Universal Pictures announced a restructuring of Focus Features caused by the production company’s owner, Comcast. Focus absorbed FilmDistrict and appointed many of the members of FilmDistrict’s production team. Peter Schlessel will replace James Schamus as the new CEO. Other transferring executives include Adrian Alperovich, former COO of FilmDistrict and incoming COO for Focus. After given the opportunity to relocate to Focus Features’ new headquarters in Los Angeles, former co-CEO of Focus, Andrew Karpen, chose to remain in New York City with his family [11].

Photo Courtesy of FilmDistrict

The reconstruction of Focus Features was meant to strengthen the company’s commercial competition with their rivals, some of which include DreamWorks Studios, Lions Gate Entertainment, and The Independent Film Channel LLC. By restructuring the company, Focus Features will begin producing films with more commercial potential [12].

Alison Thompson, head of Focus Features International

Alison Thompson
Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Along with the reconstruction of the executive team, the New York offices of Focus Features will be closed at an unspecified date and business will continue on the west coast [13]. On December 31^st, 2013, Focus Features International is set to close its headquarters. Alison Thompson, co-president of Focus International, will continue to run the department of Focus Features from outside of its London headquarters. The announcement has jolted the American Film Market, a major buyer of Focus International [14] [15].

Recent Film Releases

Dallas Buyers Club

Photo courtesy of critic.de

On November 1^st, Focus Features released the film Dallas Buyers Club to several select cities. The film tells the true story of a severely homophobic man, Ron Woodroof whom in 1985 is diagnosed with HIV, a disease he believed only homosexuals could catch. He then teams up with a group to form a “buyers club;” a group dedicated to purchasing medicines that they could not obtain in the United States. The film is rated R for profanity, violence, and nudity [17].

Photo Courtesy of UPI/Christine Chew

Due to it’s limited release, the film opened in nine theaters and gained $350,000 in its first week. As of November 17^th, the film has made about $3 million domestically. The film is directed by Jean-Marc Vallee and is starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner [18]. The film has gained much attention for its informational portrayal of the HIV virus as well as its groundbreaking performances by the lead actors. Lead actors McConaughey and Leto have been predicted for Oscar nominations by some of the industry’s top critics.[19].

The World’s End

Photo Courtesy of reggiestake.com

On August 23^rd, 2013, Focus released one of its highest grossing films of the 2013 fiscal year thus far called The World’s End. In it, a team of friends retries their “pub crawl” attempt, which they had failed 20 years earlier. The crawl involves twelve pubs in which each member must complete a pint of beer before they can move onto the next. The final pub, “The World’s End,” is the ultimate destination and one that the group failed to reach 20 years ago. Gary King, played by Simon Pegg, leads his team to the ultimate goal until they find that humankind is at stake [20].

Blu-Ray package Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy box set

Photo Courtesy of edgarwrighthere.com

The film was largely anticipated largely due to the reunion of the famed team of Director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The three have worked together on two previous films, Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007) [21]. The World’s End is the final installment of what’s known as the “Cornetto trilogy” due to the films’ ever-present color schemes that relate to some of the company’s ice cream flavors.

Upcoming Film Releases

Fifty Shades of Grey

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

In May 2011, the novel Fifty Shades of Grey was released and immediately became a widespread smash. Focus Features subsequently picked up the movie rights to the series for $5 million. The film has an estimated budget of around $40 million [22].

The film (and book) is about literature student Anastasia Steele who through a business interview meets billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey. The man, who is tormented by his inner demons, explores an intimate relationship with Steele. The two launch into graphic and descriptive bouts of sexual fantasy [23].

Entertainment Weekly cover for the stars of "Fifty Shades of Grey," Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson

Photo Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

Fifty Shades of Grey has been a large topic of conversation in the media and one whose details have been kept hidden. There have been numerous rumors of casting and some announcements of cast dropouts. Pacific Rim actor Charlie Hunnam announced that he was dropping out from being the title character, Christian Grey. Since then, Jamie Dornan has been hired, an actor who has appeared in Marie Antoinette and the ABC show Once Upon a Time [24].

Sources

[1] Focus Features Description

[2] Ten Years of Focus Features Anniversary Video

[3] The Pianist Film Awards

[4] James Schamus Bio

[5] Focus Features to Absorb FilmDistrict

[6] Andrew Karpen Bio

[7] FilmDistrict Names Three New Marketing Executives

[8] Robert T. Gibson Bio

[9] Brokeback Mountain Film Awards

[10] Box Office Mojo – Focus Features All Time

[11] Focus Features Brings in Majority of FilmDistrict Team Post Shake-Up

[12] Focus Features Hoovers Profile

[13] Focus Features New York Office to Close

[14] Focus Features International Will Close Doors Dec. 31

[15] AFM Adjusts to Life After Focus Features Int’l

[16] Box Office Mojo – Focus Features Future Releases

[17] IMDb – Dallas Buyers Club

[18] Box Office Mojo – Dallas Buyers Club

[19] Rotten Tomatoes – Dallas Buyers Club

[20] IMDb – The World’s End Plot Summary

[21] IMDb – Edgar Wright

[22] Fifty Shades of Grey Film Facts

[23] Fifty Shades of Grey Plot Summary

[24] Fifty Shades of Grey Casting

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Cori Rosen

By Cori Rosen

Photo Courtesy of collider.com [1]

1500 – A Seasport Blvd

Redwood City, CA

(650) 562-9000

www.dreamworksanimation.com

A BRIEF HISTORY

DreamWorks Studios was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994. Katzenberg started DreamWorks SKG after he dashed from Disney following power struggles with Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. DreamWorks SKG built a new business division, DreamWorks Animation in 2000. Then in the autumn of 2004, Dreamworks Studios spun-off its animation division into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., a publicly traded company. [2] [3]

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Dreamworks Animation is a boast-worthy creative company that churns out high-quality entertainment. Dreamworks Animation has theatrically released a whopping twenty-seven animated feature films, including blockbuster favorites Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and this summer’s Turbo. Although the entertainment factory is widely known for its feature CGI animated films, the company also creates television specials and series as well as live entertainment properties. [4]

[5]

KEY EXECUTIVES

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation [6]

After co-finding DreamWorks SKG, Katzenberg was at the helm of DreamWorks Animation when it became an IPO. Under his leadership, DreamWorks Animation has blossomed into the world’s largest animation studio in the world and received nine Academy Award nominations and two Best Animated Feature wins. [6]

Lew Coleman, President and Chief Financial Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [7]

Previously President and Director of the Company, Coleman took on his current position in 2007. Coleman recently oversaw the formation of a joint venture that established a prominent China-focused entertainment company between DreamWorks Animation with China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd., and Shanghai Media Group. [7]

Heather O’Connor, Chief Accounting Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [8]

O’Connor previously served as Director of SEC Reporting for DreamWorks Animation and also worked within the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis departments at DreamWorks LLC. [8]

Andrew Chang, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [9]

Prior to his current position, Chang held positions as head technology lawyer and head of litigation starting in October 2004 when the Company became publicly-traded. [9]

Ann Daly, Chief Operating Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [10]

Daly has worked as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s IPO in 2004. Previously, she served as head of the animated division of DreamWorks SKG since 1997. [10]

QUICK FINANCIALS

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s total revenue for its third quarter, which came to a close on Sept. 30th, was $154.5 million with a net income of $10.1 million, and earning per share a total of $.012 on a fully diluted basis. A contribution of $120.7 million and gross profit of $55.4 million derives from the feature film segment of the company’s revenue. The films Turbo, The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted were released in the third quarter. Television series and segment specials contributed a revenue of $18.2 million and turned a gross profit of $4.2 million. AwesomenessTV, an online channel operator that Dreamworks recently acquired, contributed revenue of $3.6 million. The consumer products segment contributed $18.2 million in revenue and $4.2 million in gross profit. [11] [12]

Photo Courtesy of SeekingAlpha.com [13]

IN THE NEWS

Photo Courtesy of Zolmax.com [15]

• Netflix
Netflix announced a multi-year deal with Dreamworks for 300 hours of original television programming inspired by characters from the animation company’s franchises, such as Shrek, The Croods, and its upcoming feature flicks. Characters from Classic Media, which Dreamworks purchased a year ago, are also a part of this deal. Therefore, shows may develop that star familiar faces like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and She-Ra. [14]

Photo Courtesy of Techcrunch.com [17]

•The Second Screen
M-Go, an online movie storefront, is a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor. Similar to Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes, M-Go focuses on transactional movie sales and rentals. It already has deals with five major Hollywood studios, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to sell and rent movies to users. In effort to get M-Go on more devices, M-Go announced on September 4th that the M-Go app will be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs. [16]

Photo Courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk [19]

• The More Characters The Merrier
DreamWorks Animation recently acquired the library of Chapman Entertainment, a U.K.-based children’s television company. DreamWorks snagged its television portfolio, which includes popular titles like “Fifi and the Flowertots,” “Roary the Racing Car,” “Raa Raa the Noise Lion,” and “Little Charley Bear”. This acquisition directly follows DreamWorks Animation’s purchase of Classic Media in July 2012. [18]

Photo Courtesy of zap2it.com [21]

•Dragons Dominates its Demographic
The second season of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk premiered on Cartoon Network on Sept. 19th. The first season of the cartoon, based on the Academy Award-nominated film How to Train Your Dragon, ranked number one in its timeslot among boys ages 2-14 versus all other TV networks. [20]

Photo Courtesy of cdn.funcheap.com [24]

• Turbo Races for Profit
Turbo just released on home video November 12th. Turbo underperformed at the box office, failing to rise to the success of last summer’s Madagascar 3. Rise of the Guardians also tanked in theaters, causing DreamWorks to take an $87 million write down. However, Rise of the Guardians later brought in $42.4 million through pay TV deals. Hopefully Turbo will see similiar results and reel in $46 million in consumer products necessary to make Turbo a lucrative endeavor. Wall Street analysts have commended DreamWorks ability to turn a mediocre box office performer into a hit on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD. [22] [23]

Photo Courtesy of Variety.com [26]

• Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting
Oriental DreamWorks–a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation (45% equity stake), China Media Capital, Shanhai Alliance Investment, and Shanghai Media Group (combined 55% equity stake between the three)–is in the process of developing four feature films. Kung Fu Panda 3 in addition to one other co-produced U.S.-Chinese animated flick and two-live action projects in Chinese are currently slated for development. [25]

COMING SOON

• Mr. Peabody & Sherman

[28]

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which features the voices of Ty Burrell and Max Charles, is set for release on March 7th, 2014. The Rob Minkoff directed film–coined as a big screen adaption of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon–follows Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they hurtle back in time to repair history and ultimately save the future. [27]

Photo Courtesy of http://media2.firstshowing.net [30]

• And They’re Back! DreamWorks Animation plans to give audiences a shot of nostalgia with a new short film Rocky & Bullwinkle, arriving in 2014. Directed by Gary Trousdale, the updated version of the original short will feature the voices of June Foray as Rocket “Rocky J. Squirrell and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bullwinkle J. Moose. [29]

Photo Courtesy of entertainmentwallpaper.com [32]

• How to Train Your Dragon 2
Riding on the success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon–a half-billion dollar player at the global box office and Oscar nominee–, DreamWorks Animation will release its sequel on June 13th, 2014. How to Train Your Dragon 2 reunites the voices of the first film, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, Gerald Butler, and Jonah Hill. [31]

SOURCES

[1] Collider.com – Dreamworks Animation Logo

[2] DreamWorksStudios.com – DreamWorks Animation History

[3] Forbes.com – DreamWorks Animation’s Complicated Legacy

[4] DreamWorksAnimation.com – About the Company

[5] Youtube.com – Behind the Scenes of DreamWorks Animation

[6] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Bio

[7] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Lew Coleman’s Bio

[8] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Heather O’Connor’s Bio

[9] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Andrew Chang’s Bio

[10] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Ann Daly’s Bio

[11] MarketWatch.com – Third Quarter Financial Report

[12] Tbvision.com – TV Sales aid DreamWorks Animation Revenue

[13] SeekingAlpha.com – DreamWorks Animation Skg Inc StockCharts

[14] Zolmax.com – Netflix Deal with DreamWorks Animation

[15] Zolmax.com – Netflix Photo

[16] TechCrunch.com – M-Go now on LG TVs

[17] TechCrunch.com – M-Go Photo

[18] Variety.com – Chapman Entertainment

[19] Dailymail.co.uk – Chapman Entertainment Photo

[20] BroadwayWorld.com – Cartoon Network

[21] Zap2it.com – DreamWorks Dragons Photo

[22] BizJournals.com – Turbo on Home Video

[23] Reuters.com – Turbo failed to Match Predecessor

[24] Cdn.funcheap.com – Turbo Photo

[25] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks

[26] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks Photo

[27] Screenrant.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman

[28] Youtube.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer

[29] Rocky & Bullwinkle Short – FirstShowing.net

[30] Firstshowing.net – Rocky & Bullwinkle Photo

[31] Deadline.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2

[32] Entertainmentwallpaper.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 Photo

Weinstein Company

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Matthew Sarshik

By Matt Sarshik

The Weinstein Company Logo [1]

History

Created in 2005, The Weinstein Company is a multimedia production and distribution company founded by brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The brothers created the company following their departure from Miramax Films, a company they founded in 1979. The Weinstein Company encompasses genre-film studio Dimension Films. The Weinstein Company left the 2012 Academy Awards with 8 awards, the most in the studio’s history, including Best Picture for The Artist. [1]

Key Executives

Harvey Weinstein
Courtesy of Biography.com [2]

Harvey Weinstein is co-chairman of The Weinstein Company and founded Miramax Films in 1979 with his brother, Bob, where they released many critically acclaimed films, receiving 16 Best Picture nominations over 16 years. [3]

Bob Weinstein
Courtesy of the NY Daily News [4]

Bob Weinstein is co-chairman of the The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films, a company he established in 1993, which primarily produces science fiction, family, and horror films including the Scream and Scary Movie franchises. [5]

Financials

Through November of 2013, The Weinstein Company ranks eighth among studios with a 5.1% market share. The studio has released 13 films in 2013 and brought in a total gross of approximate $468 million. In 2012, The Weinstein company also placed eighth among the studios, however they only held a 2.4% market share. [6]

Recent News

At the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, The Weinstein Company picked up several features. The list was highlighted by “Can A Song Save Your Life?” starring Keira Knightley for $7 million and they secured the U.S. rights to “The Railway Man” for a reported $2 million starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. The studio also used the festival to carry seven of their upcoming releases including “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and “August: Osage County”. [7] [8] [9]

In August, The Weinstein Company agreed to an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix. The deal, set to begin in 2016, will make Netflix the sole U.S. home for all films from The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films during the premium pay-TV window. This deal builds on the already existing deal between the companies that allowed Netflix to stream select films, mostly including foreign films and documentaries. This new deal will end The Weinstein Company’s 2008 seven-year pay TV deal with Showtime. [10]

Recent Film Releases

Courtesy of Indiewire [11]

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler“, released on August 16, is an independent historical drama staring Forest Whitaker as a White House butler who serves over eight presidencies. The film also features Oprah Winfrey as the butler’s wife. [12]

On its opening weekend, the film topped the box office with a weekend gross of over $24 million. It remained atop the weekend box office results for the next two weekends. Through 14 weeks, the film has a domestic gross of over $115 million on just a $30 million budget. The film is currently the studio’s top grossing film of 2013 and fifth all-time. [13]

Originally titled The Butler, the film included director, Lee Daniels‘ name in the title after a failed legal battle with Warner Bros, which claimed the title had been used for a 1916 short. While many thought the name battle may damage the film’s prospects, Harvey Weinstein claims, “We asked people opening weekend what made them see the movie, 40 percent of the audience said the controversy”. [14] [9]

The film is already considered an awards contender, specifically for the performances from Whitaker and Winfrey.

Courtesy of IMP Awards [15]

“Fruitvale Station”, released on July 12, is the believed true story of the moments leading up to and following the tragic death Oscar Grant III at a subway stop on New Year’s Day. The film stars best actor contender Michael B. Jordan. The film was a 2013 Sundance Film Festival winner. [16]

The film was released in seven theaters, the same weekend the Trayvon Martin verdict was read, grossing a $53,898 average per theater. The film was only placed in over 1,000 theaters during its third and fourth weeks. As of October 31st, the film has a domestic total of just over $16 million. [17]

The Weinstein Company combined marketing for this film with a message to end social injustice in the name of Oscar Grant III. On film advertisements on both the studio’s website and actual business cards, audiences were encouraged to use social media to tell their stories of social injustice. [18]

Courtesy of IMP Awards [19]

On September 6, The Weinstein Company released “Salinger”, the story of reclusive author J.D. Salinger, staring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton. [20]

The film played in four theaters over its first two weeks, then reached its high of 138 theaters in its third week. The film was not highly received at the Telluride Film Festival, resulting in Harvey Weinstein’s decision to recut the film. As a result, 13 minutes of footage was removed, with eight new minutes added. Weinstein’s updated version was used in the film’s wide release. The film has a worldwide gross of over $650,675. [21] [22]

Upcoming Releases

Courtesy of Dipson Theaters [23]

On November 22, The Weinstein Company is slated to release “Philomena” a film based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, stars Judi Dench as a mother in search of her son. The Motion Picture Association of America originally gave the film an R rating, however they changed their ruling to a PG-13 rating after resistance from the studio. [24]

Courtesy of IMP Awards [25]

On November 29, the studio is set to release “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”, starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela in his story from childhood to his inauguration as president of South Africa. [26]

The Weinstein Company announced that a special screening of the film will take place at The Kennedy Center on November 20 with former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Colin Powell in attendance. This screening is part of an eight-city tour presented by The Weinstein Company and Coca-Cola. [27]

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter [28]

On Christmas Day, The Weinstein Company is scheduled to release the highly anticipated “August: Osage County”. The John Wells’ film surrounds a family of women who return to their Oklahoma home following a family crisis. The film has generated a lot of buzz due to its star studded cast, highlighted by Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. [28]

The film received a variety of reviews when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s movie poster has received a lot of attention for being strategic as it shows many of the film’s stars. With so many stars, the studio aims to attract the fan bases of these high profile actors. The film expects to compete in the musical or comedy categories at the Golden Globes. [28]

Sources

Sources Accessed November 20, 2013

[1] About The Weinstein Company

[2] Biography.com – Harvey Weinstein

[3] About Harvey Weinstein

[4] NY Daily News – Bob Weinstein Photo

[5] About Bob Weinstein

[6] Box Office Mojo – Studio Market Share

[7] Weinstein Co Acquires Rights at TIFF

[8] Weinstein Co Deal for “The Railway Man”

[9] The Daily Beast – Harvey Weinstein Interview

[10] The Hollywood Reporter – Weinstein Co. Deal with Netflix

[11] Indiewire – Lee Daniels’ The Butler Movie Poster

[12] Hollywood Reporter – Box Office Milestone

[13] Box Office Mojo Lee Daniels’ The Butler

[14] USA Today – The Butler Box Office Appeal

[15] Fruitvale Station Movie Poster

[16] Box Office Mojo Fruitvale Station

[17] Deadline – Fruitvale Station Box Office

[18] The Mother Jones – Marketing for Fruitvale Station [

[19] Salinger Movie Poster

[20] IMDb – Salinger

[21] Box Office Mojo Salinger

[22] The Atlantic Wire – Salinger Recut

[23] Philomena Movie Poster

[24] Entertainment Weekly – Philomena Rating Appeal

[25] Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Movie Poster

[26] IMDb – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

[27] Deadline – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Special Screening.

[28] The Hollywood Reporter – August: Osage County

Paramount Pictures

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Shaugnessy Elsroth

By Shaugnessy Elsroth

Paramount Pictures Logo [19]

Paramount Pictures Corporation

5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
323.956.5000
www.paramount.com

A Brief Overview

Adolph Zukor – Founder [20]

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a subsidiary of the top ranked media firm Viacom. It globally produces and distributes filmed entertainment. The corporation was founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor and was originally known as the Famous Players Film Company. In 1994, Viacom acquired Famous Players and renamed it to Paramount Pictures. The company annually releases twelve different movies and distributes them through its Paramount Home Entertainment. 2012 marked Paramount’s 100th year anniversary and despite being one of the oldest motion picture companies in America, they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. [1] [2]

Key Executives

Brad Grey – CEO [21]

Brad Grey

Grey is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Paramount Pictures Corporation and has held the position since 2005. He is in charge of all development and production generated by Paramount Motion Picture Group. Aside from Paramount Pictures, the Group includes Paramount Vantage and Insurge Pictures. [3]

Mark Badagliacca – CFO [22]

Mark Badagliacca

Since 2000, Badagliacca has served as Paramount Pictures Corporation‘s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is in control of the finances, treasury, accounting and financial planning for the corporate company. [4]

Fredrick Huntsberry – COO [23]

Fredrick Huntsberry

Huntsberry started his position as the Chief Operating Officer for Paramount Pictures Corporation in 2006. As the C.O.O, he manages the planning and operations for the studio, including their financial department, IT department, and human resources. [5]

In Memory Of

A. C. Lyles

A. C. Lyles [24]

On September 27, 2013, Paramount‘s well-known producer and employee of over eighty-five years, Andrew Craddock Lyles, passed away at the age of 95. Lyles’ affiliation with the company began when he was only 10 years old, as he handed out fliers for a local theatre owned by Paramount in his hometown in Florida. His career in Hollywood began when he started working in the mail room at Paramount. He later moved up to become a studio publicist and further onto a producer. His wife, Martha Vickers, survives him and has asked for donations in honor of her husband to be sent to the Motion Picture Fund. [6]

In the News

End of Summer Double Feature Special

Double Feature Special Promo [25]

From August 30^th to September 5^th, Paramount Pictures Corporation offered moviegoers a special double feature experience to see two of its big summer blockbuster hits, Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z for the price of one ticket. Select theaters offered this limited opportunity in both 2D and RealD 3D; AMC Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Marcus Theatres, and Regal Cinemas. [7] [8] [9]

For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [26]

Star Trek Into Darkness originally came out May 16 and during its opening weekend it generated $70,165,559 in the domestic box office. From opening weekend to August 25 it brought in $227,377,844. The weekend before this special double feature only added $106,356 to the total revenue, but with the introduction of the two for one deal, the weekend from August 30 to September 2 added $1,056,014 to their overall gross, increasing the total profits to reach $228,756,232. [10]

For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [27]

World War Z was released on June 21 and brought $66,411,834 in sales during its first weekend at the domestic box office. Up until August 30, $198,854,941 was generated for its revenue. The weekend before the special feature produced a small profit of only $314,920. With the introduction of the two for one deal however, the weekend of September 3 increased the gross income with an additional $1,650,374. Ultimately, after October 6, World War Z’s overall revenue totaled to $202, 349,504. [11]

Bad Grandpa

Bad Grandpa Advertisement [28]

Paramount Pictures Corporation‘s most recent comedy, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa was released on October 25. The movie is the fourth installment in the Jackass movie series, which is based off of the hit MTV reality series produced by DickhouseTV, where the cast is known for their self-injuring stunts and pranks. Johnny Knoxville stars as the lead character, Irving Zisman, who takes a road trip with his grandson and ridiculousness ensues.

For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [29]

The film collected $32,055,177 in its opening weekend, toppling Warner Bros.‘s drama Gravity, which only raked in $20,135,387 that weekend. [12] [13] Analysts were waiting for something to take out Gravity, since it had stayed at the top of the movie charts for its first three weeks, and Bad Grandpa did the job. After four weeks in theaters, Bad Grandpa has thus far accumulated $90,202,000, which is just shy of its $100 million goal. [12] [14]

Trimming Positions

Paramount Pictures California Headquarters [30]

In the beginning of October, Paramount Pictures stated that 110 job cuts will be made spanning its worldwide offices. In a recent statement, Chief Operating Officer Fredrick Hunstberry announced that reductions are being made to five percent of the company’s 2,200-person workforce. [15] The departments impacted are finance, human resources, and information technology, international home-media distribution, legal and marketing. [16] The company’s intent is to reorganize the corporation in order to better adapt themselves to the film industry’s increasing competition. [15]

What’s Coming Up?

Release Date Change

The Wolf of Wall Street Promo [31]

The Wolf of Wall Street is Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest movie where he plays the wealthy stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. Over Belfort’s years as a swindler, he developed a serious drug addiction, getting wrapped up in the rich party lifestyle and refused to cooperate in a large fraud case pertaining to corruption on Wall Street. Martin Scorsese is the director of this black comedy, which is based on Belfort’s self-titled memoir. Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey are among other cast members. [17]

For an external link to view this trailer, click here. [32]

The film was originally set to be released November 15, and has since been changed to come out in theaters on Christmas day, December 25. [18] The purpose of the set back is due to issues surrounding the movies long length of three hours, as well as a debate pertaining to its potential NC-17 rating. As a result of the setback, other studios are left scrambling to refigure their movie schedules. Sony has pushed back its release date for The Monuments Men from December 18 to February 7^th of next year. The RoboCop remake has thus been postponed and will now be coming out in theaters on February 12^th. For Paramount, their initial holiday movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, is now set to come out January 7, 2014. Ultimately, the process of changing one release date shows how problematic and chaotic the procedure for movie scheduling is during “Oscar season”. [18]

Sources

1) http://www.paramount.com/100-years-paramount/paramount-story
Retrieved September 8, 2013

2) http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Paramount_Pictures_Corporation.454f21dcb6c08c2b.html
Retrieved September 8, 2013

3) http://www.paramount.com/inside-studio/studio/executives/meet-executives/brad-grey
Retrieved September 8, 2013

4) http://www.paramount.com/inside-studio/studio/executives/division-executives/mark-badagilacca
Retrieved September 8, 2013

5) http://www.paramount.com/inside-studio/studio/executives/meet-executives/fedrick-huntsberry
Retrieved September 8, 2013

6) http://variety.com/2013/film/news/paramounts-longest-employee-a-c-lyles-dies-at-95-1200682146/
Retrieved October 10, 2013

7) http://www.marketwatch.com/story/paramount-pictures-and-leading-exhibitors-announce-star-trek-into-darkness-and-world-war-z-double-feature-2013-08-27
Retrieved September 8, 2013

8) http://www.paramount.com/news-and-social-media/news-and-press-releases/paramount-pictures-and-leading-exhibitors-announce
Retrieved September 8, 2013

9) http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/08/27/star-trek-world-war-z-bring-back-double-feature/
Retrieved September 8, 2013

10) http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=startrek12.htm
Retrieved November 15, 2013

11) http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=worldwarz.htm
Retrieved November 15, 2013

12) http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=badgrandpa.htm
Retrieved November 18, 2013

13) http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=gravity.htm
Retrieved November 15, 2013

14) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-27/-jackass-presents-bad-grandpa-unseats-gravity-at-box-office.html
Retrieved November 9, 2013

15) http://ca.news.yahoo.com/viacoms-paramount-pictures-trim-110-positions-5-per-231256454–finance.html
Retrieved October 10, 2013

16) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/viacom-s-paramount-film-unit-cites-competition-for-110-job-cuts.html
Retrieved October 10, 2013

17) http://www.thewolfofwallstreet.com
Retrieved November 15, 2013

18) http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/10/28/leonardo-dicaprios-the-wolf-of-wall-street-causes-release-date-musical-chairs/
Retrieved November 9, 2013

19) http://www.jennielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

20) http://paramount.com-beta.com/admin/uploads/General_Info/Adolph_Zukor_2.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

21) http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Brad+Grey+Paramount+Vantage+Premiere+Mighty+jJ5m5KVsU9xl.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

22) http://www.paramount.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/mark-badagliacca.jpg?itok=jWtDpIeh
Retrieved November 17, 2013

23) http://www.planningreport.com/files/styles/article_thumbnail/public/field/image/Huntsberry,%20Frederick.jpg?itok=tnyFF0Or
Retrieved November 17, 2013

24) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_349_width/2012/04/lyles_a.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

25) http://wpc.556e.edgecastcdn.net/80556E/img.news/NEhkyiViSKxhlh_1_3.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

26) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5gdbUC9mWU
Retrieved November 17, 2013

27) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md6Dvxdr0AQ
Retrieved November 17, 2013

28) http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/52376e8de4b072186ca877ea/1379364496981/hr_Jackass_Presents-_Bad_Grandpa_6.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

29) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tctgUr147zA
Retrieved November 17, 2013

30) http://cdn.videogum.com/files/2011/09/paramount_pictures.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

31) http://www.cinemablend.com/images/news/38097/_1371450399.jpg
Retrieved November 17, 2013

32) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A
Retrieved November 17, 2013

MGM

Link

By Arden Phillips

[1]

Metro Goldwyn Mayer

245 N Beverly Dr.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 449-3000

http://www.mgm.com

[2]

History

MGM, also known by its full name Metro Goldwyn Mayer, was founded in April of 1924 when Metro Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn Pictures, Louis B. Mayer Productions merged together, thus developing the title “MGM.” MGM is an independent, privately-held, film, television, and home video company that specializes in theatrical and production distribution. The company was incredibly successful right away and for the first 3 decades after it was founded, MGM produced a “Best Picture” nominee at every Academy Awards ceremony. Some of MGM’s most notable titles include “Gone with the Wind,” “Annie Hall,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Doctor Zhivago.” [3]

Key Executives

[4]

Gary Barber- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Gary Barber has been with MGM since 2010. Before this, he was the president of Vestron International Group. He also founded Spyglass Entertainment. Under his leadership, the company has been seeing a ton of success with the release of films such as James Bond: Skyfall, 21 Jump Street, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Another aspect of MGM that has thrived under the control of Mr. Barber is MGM’s television division.

[5]

Ken Schapiro- Chief Operating Officer

Ken Schapiro has been the Chief Operating Officer of MGM since 2011. Before this, he held a few different positions at numerous companies. The position that was perhaps his most important besides MGM was COO and co-founder of Qualia Capital LLC, an investment company that focuses on the media and entertainment.

[6]

Jonathan Glickman- President, Motion Picture Group

Jonathan Glickman is in charge of the Motion Picture division of MGM. He was previously the president of Spyglass Entertainment. Since he’s been the President of this division, MGM has celebrated the release of Skyfall, which became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time, as well as the release of the first film in The Hobbit series. [7]

Financials

The fiscal year for MGM ends on December 31^st. In 2011, the total revenue for the year was $680.6 million. [8] In 2012, the total revenue was $1.38 billion, which is a 97% raise in revenue. [9] This huge raise in revenue is mostly due to the fact that MGM released both Skyfall, the latest installation in the James Bond series, as well as the first film in The Hobbit series. Both of these films were released in the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year which was a huge reason for the monetary success in 2012. Although the 2013 fiscal year is not over, the second quarter results from this year put the revenue at $821 million. [10] At this rate, the second quarter for this year is already higher than the total revenue in all of 2011. It’s hard to say at this point if 2013 will beat 2012 but with the recent release of the remake of Carrie and the release of the second film in The Hobbit series in December, it’s definitely possible that 2013 will beat or at least match 2012 in regard to revenue. [11]

Competition

Two of MGM’s current biggest competitors include Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation, and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [12] It’s hard to compete with what’s coming up for MGM (The Hobbit films and James Bond). Lionsgate can be seen as MGM’s biggest rival right now because throughout the next 2 years, Lionsgate will be releasing the next three films in The Hunger Games series. [13] Twentieth Century doesn’t have any majorly anticipated film releases coming up which is why it currently isn’t as big of a competitor for MGM as Lionsgate is. However, Twentieth Century does have two film adaptations of popular novels coming out in the next year. This includes “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green and “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. [14]

What’s Happening Now

Deal with Amazon.com

On October 22^nd, MGM announced that it had come to an agreement with Amazon.com that will allow Amazon to provide the MGM Television produced show, Vikings to users via Amazon Prime Instant Video. This popular series has aired on the History channel but by making it accessible on Prime Instant Video, it will allow fans another medium to access it through and will provide another form of revenue for MGM’s television distribution branch. The deal not only made Vikings available for streaming, but also popular MGM films such as Annie Hall, Fargo, and Hotel Rwanda. [15]

[16]

Filming Begins on If I Stay

On October 30^th, MGM Studios released a statement announcing the start of filming on the motion picture, If I Stay, a film based on a young adult novel with the same title. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz (the star of the new MGM film Carrie) as its main character. The book, which was released in 2009, was highly rated and this film will hopefully garner much success since the genre of young-adult fiction has made a very successful transition to the screen world in recent years, an example of this is Pretty Little Liars. [17]

[18]

MGM Wins James Bond Rights

On November 15th, it was announced that MGM Studios in partnership with Danjaq LLC (The production company in charge of the James Bond films) has finally acquired all of the rights to the James Bond series. This legal battle has been going on for 50 years. It all began because of a man named Kevin McClory, the co-writer of the James Bond script, Thunderball. After this script was completed, James Bond creator, Ian Fleming turned the script into a novel with the same name. McClory sued Fleming on the basis that this was a violation of ownership rights. Eventually, this specific incident ended with a compromise but the battle about who owned what in regards to James Bond content went on for the next 50 years until MGM just won the rights to all James Bond related content. [19]

[20]

What’s Coming Up

[21]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The next film in The Hobbit series is set to be released on December 13^th of this year. The film will star some of the characters from The Lord of the Rings series as well as add some new stars including British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. [22]

[23]

22 Jump Street

This film is set to release on June 13^th, 2014. It’s the sequel to 21 Jump Street which came out last year. The film stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill who play a duo of undercover cops. [24]

[25]

The Hobbit: There and Back Again

This is the final film in The Hobbit trilogy and is set for release on December 17^th, 2014. MGM is hoping for as much success for The Hobbit trilogy as the The Lord of the Rings trilogy received, given it involves many of the same characters and many overlapping plots. [26]

[27]

Bond 24

This film, an installment of the James Bond series is scheduled to be released on October 23, 2015 and will be directed by Sam Mendes, the director of the latest Bond film, Skyfall. The film will star Daniel Craig, who has starred as Bond in the last three James Bond films. [28]

Sources

[1] MGM Logo Image

[2] MGM Address and Contact Information

[3] MGM History Information

[4] Gary Barber Image

[5] Ken Schapiro Image

[6] Jonathan Glickman Image

[7] All MGM Corporate Executive Information

[8] MGM 2011 Revenue Information

[9] MGM 2012 Revenue Information

[10] 2013 Quarter 2 Financial information

[11] MGM Upcoming Releases

[12] MGM Current Competition Information

[13] Lionsgate Upcoming Releases

[14] Twentieth Century Fox Upcoming Releases

[15] MGM’s Deal with Amazon.com

[16] Amazon Prime Logo Image

[17] Principal Photography Begins for “If I Stay”

[18] “If I Stay” Image

[19] MGM Aquires James Bond Rights

[20] James Bond “Thunderball” Image

[21] “The Hobitt: The Desolation of Smaug” Logo Image

[22] “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Information

[23] “22 Jump Street” Image

[24] “22 Jump Street” Information

[25] “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” Image

[26] “The Hobbit: There and back Again” Information

[27] “Bond 24” Image

[28] “Bond 24” Information

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Gregory Fenton

By Greg Fenton

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

History

Founded in 1923 under the name “The Disney Brothers Studio”,The Walt Disney Studios began as a humble cartoon studio, producing classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King. Today, The Walt Disney Studios, also known as Disney/Buena Vista, has become one of the largest film companies in the world, churning out internationally successful live-action and animated films aimed at entertaining the whole family. The Walt Disney Studios umbrella encompasses several studios owned and operated by The Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, and Marvel Studios. Disney also acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. in late 2012 for $4 billion. [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives

Robert A. Iger– Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Photo courtesy www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Horn– Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Andy Bird– Chairman of Walt Disney International

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Bergman– President of The Walt Disney Studios

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Financials

In 2013, The Walt Disney Company brought in $45.0 billion of revenue ($9.4 billion gross profit), up from $42.3 billion in 2012 ($8.9 billion gross profit) , and $38.0 billion in 2010 ($6.7 billion gross profit). As of this writing (11/18/2013), Disney stock sits at an even $70.00 per share, a significant increase from $47.45 a year ago (11/19/2013).[4] Through November 14th, 2013 Disney/Buena Vista commands 13.1% of the studio market share, trailing Warner Bros. (17.8%) and Universal (14.6%).[5] Disney/Buena Vista thrives on the blockbuster, with four films grossing over $100 million domestically in 2013 and 2012. Of these eight films, three of them are part of Marvel Studio’s “Avengers” franchise, which shows the enormous financial returns on Disney’s $4 billion investment to purchase Marvel Entertainment in 2009.[6] [7] In early November 2013, Disney/Buena Vista broke its all-time global box office record of $3.79 billion, set in 2010, with over six weeks and three major releases left to go in 2013, setting Disney/Buena Vista up for a year of eye-popping numbers. [17]

Recent Film Releases

Photo courtesy games.disney.com

Planes– DisneyToon Studios’ Planes follows a crop-dusting plane named Dusty Crophopper with big dreams of being a racer and a fear of heights. After training under veteran fighter, Skipper, Dusty qualifies for the prestigious Wings Across the World race. There, as an underdog, he meets friend and foe, but, more importantly, learns to break down his physical and mental barriers.[8]

As a DisneyToon production, Planes was initially meant for a straight-to-DVD release and cost Disney a relatively cheap $50 million to make, yet opened with a robust $22 million weekend opposite Sony’s Elysium in early August, eventually pulling in $89 million domestically in over 3,700 theaters. [9] [10] [6]

The film received a Metascore of just 32 from review-aggregator site Metacritic.com with some reviewers appreciating the modesty of the film, while others docked the film for lacking the quality of other animated Disney films and an overly simplistic plot. [11]

Photo courtesy www.imdb.com

Thor: The Dark World– Thor: The Dark World is a sequel to 2011’s Thor.That movie, distributed by Paramount as part of The Avengers franchise, raked in over $181 million at the domestic box office. Disney bought the distribution rights for Marvel’s the Avengers (2012) and Iron Man 3 (2013) in 2010 and finalized a deal for the distribution rights for Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in summer 2013. [12] [13] [14]

Thor: The Dark World takes place two years after the events of Thor, focusing on Thor’s quest for peace in the nine realms of Asgard. Thor misses Earth and his love-interest Dr. Jane Foster, but is prevented from traveling back to her by Odin, Thor’s father. However, when Foster travels through a wormhole, uncovering an ancient weapon called Aether that threatens the fate of Asgard and Earth. Thor then decides to team up with Foster and his half-brother, and villain of the Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers films, Loki, to destroy the Aether and save Asgard from the wrath of the dark elf Malekith. [12]

At the time of this writing Thor:The Dark World has earned over $145 million at the domestic box office just two weekends after its November 8th release in over 3,800 theaters, and should recoup its $170 million budget in the very near future. The Dark World has also thrived overseas, pulling in just under $333 million worldwide. The real test will be to see how the film performs after Lionsgate releases The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 22nd which some believe will open with a $150 million weekend. Nevertheless, The Dark World is already a financial success for Disney and should continue to put up strong numbers at the box office for several weeks as the holiday movie-going season kicks off. Click here to watch the trailer for Thor:The Dark World [12] [15]

Upcoming Film Releases

Photo courtesy of wikia.disney.com

Frozen– Frozen is the latest effort from the wildly successful Walt Disney Animation Studios, opening the day before Thanksgiving on November 27th, 2013. Based on the fairy tale written by Danish Author Hans Christian Andersen, “The Snow Queen,” Frozen revolves around the story of two sisters, Anna and Elsa, the latter of which has the supernatural ability to control ice and snow. When Elsa accidentally uses these powers in public, she flees, plunging the kingdom into eternal winter. Determined to end the cold snap, Anna enlists the help of the mountain man Kristoff and the animated snow man Olaf. [16]

Opening up the day before Thanksgiving should give Frozen ample time to marinate in the holiday climate before more major titles are released before for Christmas. As with Thor:The Dark World, Frozen will have to compete with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for attention, but the film keeps a significant advantage in its subject matter as a children’s musical adventure in the midst of several films that touch more serious topics. Frozen will also benefit from being released in 3D, which will provide a major boost to its numbers at the box office. On the other side of the spectrum of success, Frozen could garner some looks as the Academy Awards approach in a relatively weak year for animated movies that included a sequel (Despicable Me 2) and a prequel (Monsters University) as the highest earners at the box office in the animated category. [16]

Other Upcoming Releases

Delivery Man– November 22nd, 2013

Saving Mr. Banks– December 13th, 2013

The Wind Rises– February 14th, 2014 [17]

Sources:

[1] The History of Disney

[2] Studios Under the Walt Disney Studios Umbrella

[3] Disney Buys Lucasfilm LTD

[4] Disney Financial Profile

[5] Disney Market Share

[6] Buena Vista Box Office-2012

[7] Disney Buys Marvel

[8] Planes Plot Summary

[9] Planes IMdB Profile

[10] Planes Opening Weekend

[11] Planes Reviews

[12] Thor:The Dark World- IMdB

[13] Thor-IMdB

[14] Disney Acquires Marvel Distribution Rights

[15] Thor:The Dark World- Box Office Mojo

[16] Frozen- Cinema Blend

[17] Upcoming Disney Films

Netflix

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Jamie Zaslav

By Jamie Zaslav

-Netflix Corporate Logo- [18]

Netflix Corporate Headquarters

100 Winchester Circle

Los Gatos, CA 95032

Tel: (418) 540-3700

Fax: (418) 540-3737

Email: info@netflix.com

www.netflix.com

Brief History:

Netflix Headquarters. Photo Courtesy of Business Cloud News [23]

Netflix, co-founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings, began as a pay-per-rental service of TV programs and movies on DVDs delivered by mail. Netflix, based in San Francisco, California, was a mail-order competitor to Blockbuster and other local video rental stores that were operating in the US. In 2000, Netflix changed its payments model from each rental to a monthly flat-fee for unlimited rentals of programs delivered by mail. Since the companies inception 13 years ago, Netflix has transformed into one of the most successful media streaming services, by not only having newer content available, but also by creating their own content. Today Netflix reaches of 37 million monthly subscribers around the world via broadband and it still has subscribers that receive programming on DVDs through the mail service. [1]

Key Executives:

Reed Hastings, Co-Founder & CEO

Co-founder & CEO Reed Hastings, Courtesy of Netflix

David Wells, CFO

CFO David Wells, Courtesy of Netflix

Neil Hunt, CPO

CPO Neil Hunt, Courtesy of Netflix

Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer

Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Courtesy of Netflix

Kelly Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Bennett, Courtesy of Netflix

About:

Photo courtesy of Netflix [19]

Netflix is a video on-demand monthly subscription service delivered through broadband on the internet or delivered through DVDs in the mail to subscribers. By subscribing to Netflix for a monthly fee of $7.99, subscribers gain unlimited access to Netflix’s video library of TV shows and movies. Netflix is primarily in North America, but they’ve also expanded into South America, the UK, and several other countries. Unique to Netflix, they developed a recommendation algorithm that suggests TV shows and movies to subscribers based on what they rented to help their subscribers find programs they might like [2]. This is innovative because Netflix was using each individual’s viewing data to recommend programs they might like. Netflix creates a direct connection to the consumer business model and therefore it knows all of its subscribers, has a relationship with them, and can access all the data on how users use Netflix.

Netflix App, Available on almost all video platforms. Photo courtesy of Netflix [20]

This is very different from other premium series like HBO or Showtime, which have a relationship with the cable distributor who sells t the consumer. As broadband developed in the US, Netflix started to offer access to all of its TV and movie programs over broadband in addition to the mail service for the same monthly fee. Netflix worked hard to make content available on most video platforms including: Playstation, Xbox, Wii, Mac, PC, iPad, Tablet, Mobile and more [3].

They have recently started producing their own content, they have three web series and each earned Emmy nominations. Netflix has launched numerous original series in the last two years (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Russell Peters Vs. The World, Arrested Development Season 4, Lilyhammer and Bad Samaritans). House of Cards was their first series to earn a primetime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding series. All of Netflix’ content is delivered without commercials [4].

Netflix Original Series, House of Cards. Photo courtesy of Netflix [21]

In addition, Netflix makes full seasons of all of its TV programs available to Netflix users. In watching how users consume content, Netflix noticed that users began to watch full seasons of TV programs all at once. Netflix calls this “binge viewing” of TV content [5]. Netflix has been innovative by having all episodes of its original programming available on Netflix at once. When Netflix launched its first original series, House of Cards, it launched all 13 episodes on February 1, 2013 at once. Critics and viewers watched all the episodes over a short period of time giving the consumer full choice of how to watch the series rather than making it available once a week which has been the traditional TV model. House of Cards was a big success with Netflix subscribers and Netflix has launched and announced a number of additional original programs all of which will be made available in full seasons at the same time [6].

Finances:

Netflix generated approximately $3.2 billion in revenue for the first nine months of this year, up 20% versus the same period in 2012. However, this translated into only $146 million of operating income due to high marketing costs spent to attract new customers. Marketing costs this year are up 18% versus the first 9 months of 2012 and while that is a big increase, the level of increase is slowing. In 2012 marketing expense for the year was up nearly 30% with revenue growth only 13%. The marketing spend speaks to their focus on increasing new customers, which is working. They have increased their total domestic subscribers to nearly 30 million (more than HBO), up from 24 million a year ago and international subscribers to 8 million from only 4 million a year ago. The result has been rapid share price appreciation [17].

Growth:

Netflix has stated that it would like to grow to 50 or 60 million subscribers [7]. One of the biggest questions is whether Netflix has become more of a competitor with cable and satellite providers. Another big question is whether Netflix will reach its limit on customers like HBO and Showtime. Central to those questions is whether Netflix users feel they get enough content from the site and don’t need a cable subscription with all the cable channels [8]. Netflix primary business is in the US where it has over 30 million broadband subscribers and Netflix has expanded into South America, Canada and Europe bringing their total subscribers to 37 million worldwide.

Netflix Just for Kids Homepage. Photo courtesy of Netflix [22]

Content:

Netflix has a strong children’s programming library which includes such popular shows as Curious George, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and Super Why. Kids have become some of the biggest users and fans of Netflix. As a result, Netflix has done a number of deals to add original children’s series to the Netflix platform. Netflix announced it will do 4 original children series with Disney [9], as well as several original series produced by DreamWorks Animation [10]. Netflix also has deals for content with Cartoon Network [11] and HUB Network [12]. The HUB shows are available on Netflix exclusively. These deals for original children’s shows will be available on Netflix, not any of its competitors.

Netflix has also struck a deal with CBS to show the Showtime series Dexter on Netflix [13].

Competitors:

Netflix has many competitors. Amazon and Hulu compete with Netflix for monthly broadband subscribers. Amazon’s subscription service is called Prime and is available at a yearly rate of $79 [14]. Hulu has a monthly fee of $7.99 a month with limited advertising [15], which is similar to how Netflix is offered. Also, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime offer monthly subscription services but they are offered through the cable operator or satellite providers as an add on to the users’ HBO or Showtime monthly fee [16]. HBO has been in business for 30 years and reached about 30 million homes and Showtime reaches about 20 million homes. Netflix is offered directly to consumers and has the advantage of having a direct relationship with its subscribers. Netflix can communicate directly with its subscribers and gets all the data on how its subscribers are using Netflix.

Sources:

[1] How Netflix Started (11/10/13)

[2] Netflix Recommendation Algorithm (11/10/13)

[3] Netflix Sign-Up (11/11/13)

[4] Netflix Vs. Hulu Video Streaming (11/9/13)

[5] “Binge Watching” (11/13/13)

[6] 5 New Original Series in the works for 2014 (11/19/13)

[7] Netflix Closes on HBO Boasting an Estimated 30 Million Paying Subscribers (11/3/13)

[8] Netflix Rivals Cable (11/12/13)

[9] Disney and Netflix are Powerful friends (11/12/13)

[10] DreamWorks Animation and Netflix make deal for new shows (11/15/13)

[11] Cartoon Network and Adult Swim shows now on Netflix (11/17/13)