CBS Films

Posted on November 20, 2013 by eamoomey

By Michael Sunderlin

CBS FILMS

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

Contact:

100 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310)575-7000

http://www.cbsfilms.com

A Brief Overview

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

Key Executives

Wolfgang Hammer Co – President

-Wolfgang Hammer
Image courtesy of cbspressexpress.com

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

Terry Press – Co-President

– Terry Press
Image courtesy of cbspressexpress.com

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

Financials

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

Recent and Upcoming Film Releases (September – December 2013)

“Last Vegas”

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

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

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

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

“Inside Llewyn Davis”

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

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

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

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

Future Films (2014 and Beyond)

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

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

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

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

Sources

[1] About CBS Films

[2] Box Office Mojo – Total Market Share

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

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

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

[6] IMDb – Last Vegas

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

[8] Box Office Mojo – Last Vegas

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

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

[11] Inside Llewyn Davis Website – Story

[12] The Hollywood Reporter – New York Film Fest: Weekend Highlighted by ‘Inside Llewyn Davis Primiere’, Star-Studded Charity Concert

[13] L.A. Times – An early look at Oscar best picture contenders

[14] The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Caberet in Santa Monica Draws A-Listers and Oscar Voters

[15]Firstshowing.net – Favorite Films of the 2013 Toronto Film Festival + One Final Recap

[16] The Hollywood Reporter – Toronto: Audience Member Becomes ‘Afflicted’ at Midnight Madness Screening

[17] The Hollywood Reporter – Toronto: CBS Films’ Deal to Acquire ‘The F Word’ Nearing $3 Million

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Jacob Tobias

By Jacob Tobias

Warner Brothers Pictures Logo [1]

History

Warner Brothers Pictures was founded on April 4, 1923. Since then Warner Brothers has been at the forefront of the movie industry. Founded by the 4 Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack, Warner Brothers quickly became a leader in motion pictures. Warner Brothers Pictures is responsible for Oscar winners such as, Casablanca, My Fair Lady, Driving Miss Daisy, and Million Dollar Baby. Warner Brothers Pictures is consistently a leader in the film industry. [2]

Key Executives

Kevin Tsujihara
Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter [3]

Barry M. Meyer
Courtesy of thezog [4]

Greg Silverman
Courtesy of Deadline [5]

Kevin Tsujihara is the CEO of Warner Brothers. Barry M. Meyer is the chairman of Warner Brothers, and under his leadership consistently ranks as one of the strongest and most profitable studios in the film industry. Greg Silverman is the President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production for Warner Brothers Pictures. Silverman oversees the creative development and the budget for Warner Brothers Pictures.[6] [7] [8]

Financials

In 2012 Warner Brothers Pictures grossed $1.66 billion domestically, and another $2.67 billion internationally. It was the twelfth consecutive year in which the domestic box office, as well as the international box office has exceeded the billion dollar mark. In 2013 Warner Brothers is expected to cross the billion dollar mark again thanks to blockbusters such as Gravity, which has exceeded $500 million worldwide, Man of Steel, which has totaled about $663 million worldwide, We’re The Millers, which has totaled $266 million worldwide, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is projected to earn approximately $230 million domestically. This continued success should have Warner Brothers Pictures above the $4 billion dollar mark worldwide by the end of the year. [9] [10]

Recent Releases

Gravity

Gravity Poster
Courtesy of comingsoon.net [14]

Gravity is a space thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film follows the struggle of a medical engineer and an astronaut after they are stranded in space after an accident. [11]

Gravity opened in 3,575 theaters on October 4, 2013 to a number one ranking at the box office. It raked in $55, 785,112 during the opening weekend. It has gone on to make $240, 379, 710 domestically and another $275,200,000 in the foreign box office. That totals a gross of $515, 579,710 worldwide approximately five times its projected budget. [12]

Gravity has received universal acclaim and received a score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic. Along with the incredible success in the box office there is also a lot of Oscars buzz surrounding the film. Critics believe that Gravity will receive a nomination for best picture, and may receive several other nominations as well, including a nomination for Best Actress for Sandra Bullock. [11] [13]

We’re The Millers

We’re The Millers
Courtesy of impawards.com [15]

We’re The Millers is the story of a drug dealer who creates a pseudo family in order to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the film stars Jason Sudeikis, and Jennifer Aniston. [16]

We’re The Millers opened on August 7, 2013 and grossed $26, 419,396 the opening weekend. The film is still in select theaters around the country and currently the film has grossed $150, 024,262 domestically and another $116,300,000 in the foreign box office. [17]

Overall the film was not warmly received by critics. We’re The Millers received a Metacritic score of 44 out of 100. Although critic reviews were mostly mixed the imdb rating for the film is 7.1 stars out of 10. Clearly the target demographic of the film received the film much better than critics. Considering the mixed reviews the film still did extremely well for the studio, grossing over $250 million worldwide.

Upcoming Projects

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster Courtesy of collier.com

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster
Courtesy of collider.com [18]

On December 13, 2013, Warner Brothers will release the second installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. The film is projected to make about $230 million domestically, not quite as high as the first film, but still a good number for the studio. In 2014, Warner Brothers will release the third film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Although the reception for the first film was not overwhelming the studio is hoping that the return of familiar faces from The Lord of the Rings will aide in The Hobbits release. [10]

Although the first film made over $300 million, Warner Brothers has been working hard to market Gandalf, and Legolas, as well as the dragon Smaug, in an attempt to avoiding losing out on Lord of the Rings fans who did not enjoy the first film. The studio is hoping that the return of such characters will provide a breath of fresh air for the trilogy and will bring in more than the projected sum of $230 million. [10]

Superman vs Batman

Warner Brothers owns DC Comics so there has been a ton of success with both the Batman

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck
Courtesy of Vulture [19]

and Superman franchises. The Dark Knight trilogy was wildly successful for the studio, and in 2013 Man of Steel was released. In the second installment of the Superman franchise Warner Brothers has brought together the man of steel and the caped crusader.

Ben Affleck has been cast as the newest Batman to star alongside Henry Cavill. The casting has come with major scrutiny. Director Zack Synder has given his full support to Affleck and is excited for the opportunity to work with him. The film is set to debut in the summer of 2015, and aims to piggyback off the success of the several DC Comics franchises. [20]

Grudge Match

Grudge Match Poster
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly [21]

Grudge Match, is the story of two aging boxing rivals who fight 30 years after their last bout. It is the first time that Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone share the big screen. Grudge Match has an excellent cast and there is talk that it may be this years Silver Linings Playbook.

Grudge Match exemplifies Warner Brothers ability to produce movies with star power and the studio is hoping that Grudge Match could be the feelgood movie of the holiday season. It is to be released on Christmas Day. [22] [23]

Sources

[1] Warner Brothers Pictures Logo

[2] Warner Brothers Company History

[3] Kevin Tsujihara Picture – Hollywood Reporter

[4] Barry M. Meyer Picture- Who Controls Hollywood

[5] Greg Silverman Picture- Deadline

[6] Kevin Tsujihara Bio- Warner Brothers

[7] Barry M. Meyer Bio- Warner Brothers

[8] Greg Silverman Bio- Warner Brothers

[9] About Warner Brothers Pictures

[10] Box Office Mojo- Holiday Predictions

[11] Gravity- Imdb

[12] Box Office Mojo- Gravity

[13] Entertainment Weekly- Sandra Bullock Oscar Buzz

[14] Gravity Poster- comingsoon.net

[15] We’re The Millers Poster- impawards.com

[16] We’re The Millers- Imdb

[17] Box Office Mojo- We’re The Millers

[18] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Poster- collider.com

[19] Vulture- Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck

[20] Batman vs Superman- Imdb

[21] Grudge Match Poster- Entertainment Weekly

[22] Fox News- De Niro and Stallone Face Off

[23] Grudge Match- Imdb

The Weinstein Company

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Margaret Applegate

by Maggie Applegate

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Address: 345 Hudson Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10014

Telephone: (646) 862-3400 [1]

A Brief Overview

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

In October of 2005, The Weinstein Company, was launched by Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein. The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a privately owned multimedia production and distribution company. These famous brothers are known for founding Miramax Films in 1979. Although Miramax was previously owned by Disney, TWC retained partial ownership as part of a joint venture with an investor group called Filmyard Holding. The company also encompasses Dimension Films, which was founded by Bob Weinstein in 1993. Despite the company’s young age, it has released films that have gained both commercial and critical success. TWC won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2011 with The King’s Speech and then again in 2012 for The Artist. [2] [3] [4]

Social Media Outlets

Facebook Twitter Tumblr YouTube

Key Executives [1]

Rob Weisbach – President and Chief Executive Officer
Harvey Weinstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman
Bob Weinstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman
David Glasser – Chief Operating Officer
Dylan Sellers – President of Production and Acquisitions
Meryl Poster – President of Television

The 85th Annual Academy Awards

This photo is courtesy of USAtoday.net

On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the 85th Academy Award Nominees. The Weinstein Company was pleased that two of their releases from 2012, Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook were both nominated for Best Picture. Although The Master was not nominated for Best Picture, Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams were all nominated for their acting. TWC was lucky enough to receive nominations in all the major categories. Other nominees included:

Bradley Cooper – Leading Actor for Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence – Leading Actress for Silver Linings Playbook
Robert De Niro – Supporting Actor for Silver Linings Playbook
Christoph Waltz – Supporting Actor for Django Unchained
Jacki Weaver – Supporting Actress for Silver Linings Playbook

David O. Russell was nominated for Best Director for Silver Linings Playbook as well as for Best Adapted Screenplay whereas Quentin Tarantino did not receive a directing nod, but was nominated for the original screenplay of Django Unchained. [5] [6]

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, was released in theaters on December 25, 2012. The film centers around a man named Pat (Cooper) who suffers from a mental health disorder. After spending time in a psychiatric ward, Pat returns home to live with his parents, played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver. As Pat strives to cope with his illness as well as the aftermath of his divorce, he is introduced to the vivacious Tiffany (played by Lawrence). The two come to discover that they are just what the other needs in order to pick up and move forward with their lives. [7]

Although Django Unchained was a nominee for Best Picture, Silver Linings Playbook was looked at as more of a contender for taking home the most sought after award in Hollywood. Harvey Weinstein began to push “the only horse” he had left in the race as The Oscars approached. [8]

The Oscars ceremony was on Sunday, February 24, 2013, and as it turns out neither Silver Linings Playbook nor Django Unchained took home the big award of Best Picture as they were beat out by Ben Affleck’s Argo. However, both films ended up taking home big awards. Jennifer Lawrence received the Best Actress award. Despite what Weinstein may have expected, Django took home more awards than Silver Linings as Christoph Waltz nabbed his second Academy Award, as did Quentin Tarantino. The Master proved to be the biggest disappointment for TWC, as it did not bring home a single award. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Financials

The results of The Academy Awards surely helped The Weinstein Company at the box office. Silver Linings Playbook did significantly well for The Weinstein Company as it has grossed a total of $226,209,283 worldwide. However Django Unchained once again outdid the company’s rom-com, as the twisted Tarantino film generated $416,545,000 worldwide. Despite The Master‘s critical acclaim, it has only generated $28,258,060 of worldwide revenue. According to IndieWire, The Weinstein Company has grossed a domestic total of $282.4 million so far this year. That is nearly thirty million more than the company generated in the entire year of 2012. [15] [16] [17] [18]

This photo is courtesy of boxofficemojo.com as of April 8, 2013.

Now Playing

Quartet, Dark Skies, Escape From Planet Earth, and The Sapphires have all been released in the past three months and already they are performing fairly well for the company. Quartet is directed by Dustin Hoffman and is a small film that was released in accordance with BBC Films. Dark Skies is a low budget horror film and The Sapphires is an Australian comedy. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Of these four new releases, Escape From Planet Earth had the largest budget and is the only animated film. As of April 7, 2013, the film had made over $54 million in domestic sales alone, surpassing its production budget. [24]

Coming Soon

This photo is courtesy of Deadline.com.

Although The Oscars was an important day for the company’s 2012 releases, it was also an important day for future releases. According to Deadline, Harvey Weinstein closed two large business deals on Oscar Sunday, obtaining the distribution rights of Grace of Monaco and Salinger. Grace of Monaco is set to be released on December 27, 2013. It is a biopic following the life of Grace Kelly and will star Academy Award winner, Nicole Kidman. TWC has acquired the domestic rights to the film. Salinger is a documentary about the life of famous author, J.D. Salinger. The film will spotlight Phillip Seymour Hoffman (previously feature in a TWC production) and will be released September 6, 2013. [25] [26] [27]

After the nominations that The Weinstein Company had this Oscar season, it should be of no surprise that Deadline recently released information that the company is closing a deal to distribute a film starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, both of whom received

This photo is courtesy of imdb.com.

2013 Academy Award Nominations. The film is entitled Big Eyes and will be directed by Tim Burton. Because the film is set to begin production this summer, it may not be until 2014 that viewers can expect to see the film in theaters. The Weinstein Company appears to have no intention of slowing down, an impressive feat for a company that hasn’t even been around for a decade. [28]

References

1. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=21943957

2. http://weinsteinco.com

3. http://weinsteinco.com/about-us/

4. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/30/business/la-fi-ct-miramax-20100730

5. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/oscars-nominations-2013_n_2435207.html

6. http://www.themasterfilm.com/

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5_FhLaaQQ

8. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/21/harvey-weinstein-oscars-2013

9. http://oscar.go.com/

10. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/24/entertainment/la-et-mn-oscars-2013-academy-awards-20130224

11. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscar-winners-2013-full-list/story?id=18570339#.UWJdvxnNf8h

12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDU7zLAd2-U

13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2YFFzwtno

14. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/awards

15. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=silverliningsplaybook.htm

16. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=djangounchained.htm

17. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=themaster.htm

18. http://www.indiewire.com/article/box-office-quarterly-the-winners-and-losers-of-an-underwhelming-2013-so-far

19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSEnh8Hi62E

20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQs3SwCQ15U

21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1NhAUsyslk

22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ljho1cyEfg

23. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkskies.htm

24. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=escapefromplanetearth.htm

25. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/toldja-the-weinstein-company-finds-oscar-candidate-in-grace-of-monaco-december-27-limited-release-set/

26. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2095649/

27. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596753/

28. http://www.deadline.com/tag/the-weinstein-company/

CBS Films

Posted on September 18, 2012 by cblangsd

by Christopher Langsdorf

courtesy of aroundthenetworks.com

A Brief History

Created in 2007 CBS FIlms has released nine films to date. The studio handles the development, financing, production and marketing of films. The company has global partnerships in addition to the fact they distribute their own films in the United States. The studio has released nine films and is expected to release anywhere from four to six films per year. [1]

Key FIgures

Wolfgang Hammer

courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

Hammer is currently one half of the Co-Presidents of CBS FIlms. Hammer is the former Executive Vice President for Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. He oversees business, finance, acquisitions and legal affairs for CBS Films. [1]

Terry Press

courtesy of www.cbsfilms.com

Press is the second half of CBS Films Co-Presidents. She oversees creative, marketing, distribution and physical production for the company. Press is the former head of marketing for Dreamworks SKG and was recently honored by THR’s Power 100 rankings for Women in Entertainment. Press came in as number 71 on the list. [1]

Maria Faillace

Image courtesy of www.cbsfilms.com

Faillace responsibilities fall on overseeing the production of the companies original home grown titles. Previously Faillace served as CBS FIlms Senior Vice President of Production as well as spending eight years as a member of Fox 2000, where she eventually became the Vice President of Production. [1]

Scott Shooman

courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

Shooman is the Executive VIce President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for CBS Films. He recently negotiated the deal in which CBS Films acquired the sequel to the movie The Exorcism. Shooman spent ten years as a member of Sony Pictures. [2]

The Quarterly Report

CBS Corporation recently released their third quarter financial reports as well as their financial earnings for the year to date. Their entertainment division (which CBS FIlms is part of) saw an increase in revenue as it increased to $1.68 billion compared to $1.63 for the same quarter last year. The OIBDA for the entertainment division saw a slight drop off as it was only $384 million vs. $405 million for the quarter last year. However, the Entertainment OIBDA saw an increase for the nine month period to $1.21 billion when compared to $1.11 billion for the first nine months of last year. [3]

In The News

Seven Psychopaths

courtesy of www.royleonard.com

CBS Films most recent release is the film Seven Psychopaths starring Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken. The movie opened on October 12th and tells the story of a struggling writer who gets roped into the criminal world of dog kidnapping by a few of his friends. During its opening week the film made $5.8 million and around $4 million the week after.The overall budget for the film was $15 million and the film has made about $14 million to date. Despite its somewhat quiet opening week earnings the film has been very well received and garnered a large number of positive reviews. [4] [5]

In addition to the movie’s cult like popularity it was also recognized by Film Independent, a non profit art organizations which produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards every year since its inception in 1986. Film Independent announced the nominees for each category this past November and Seven Psychopaths received two nominations in two different categories. The first nomination went to Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor and the second nomination was awarded to Martin McDonagh for the “Best Screenplay” category. [4] [6] [7]

The marketing strategy for the film was quite original. Shortly before the movie came out posters started appearing in Hollywood, California for Woody Harrelson’s missing dog.

courtesy of mockingjay.net

This was of course a take off on the dog that is stolen from his character in the movie. In addition to the posters a Twitter account for his movie character Charlie Costello, was created. [8]

Seven Psychopaths received the Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award. This was the first time a movie released by CBS Films won any type of award. Seven Psychopaths is the second and final release by the company this year. [9}

The Words

the films stars Bradley Cooper as a struggling writier. courtesy of veryaware.com

The Words was the first film released on September 7th, 2012 and was the first movie released by CBS Films this year. The Words had the third worst opening weekend of the year for any film as it made just $4.75 million (only Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and People Like Us had worse opening weekends at $3.8 million and $4.3 million respectively). [10] [11]

CBS Films purchased the distribution rights to The Words for $2 million, after the film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. [16]

CBS Films did their best to market the film in an attractive way. However, there was backlash as some felt the commercials and trailers for the film were too vague and did not provide enough of an idea as to what the film was about. [10]

CBS Films created a rather original marketing tactic when they encouraged fans of their Facebook page to help write a short story that had the possibility of appearing in the film. They selected the story ideas of 20 finalist who helped complete a short story entitled “No Promises” and each received a free kindle as a prize for their part of the story being selected for the final manuscript. The object of the contest was to create an interactive marketing campaign for the film. Box Office Mojo cited several possible reasons for the films disappointing opening weekend including the fact that for many it was the back to school time of the year which could have had a harsh impact on the film because of it’s PG-13 rating, meaning it was aimed more towards young adults as well as those in their early to mid twenties. [10][12]

The words was produced independently for about $6 million and the film has made $11.4 million domestically and $350,000 oversees to date. [11]

Deus Ex: The Movie

November 15th, 2012 marked a busy day for CBS Films as the company made big news in the film industry on two different fronts. The first story to surface was the announcement that CBS Films will be releasing a movie adaptation of the highly acclaimed video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game launched in 2011 and received critical appraise from the majority of reviewers. [13]

CBS Films has announced they have signed Scott Derrickson to both direct and wirte the screenplay for the film. Derrickson recently directed the financially successful horror film Sinister, which opened last October and has made over $50 million on a budget of just $3 million. [14] [15]

the protagonist of the video game: Adam Jensen courtesy of thegamefanatics.com

The production of the film will be overseen by Maria Faillace and CBS Films Creative Executive Alex Ginno. The news of CBS’s film adaptation of the video game was met with generally positive reaction. The game collected over 100 awards including a nomination for overall game of the year for 2011 and is expected to translate well to film due to its strong narrative. [15] [17] [18]

The Last Exorcism Part 2

The second bit of news to break on November 15th was CBS Films announcing they acquired the distribution rights to the sequel of the extremely popular horror movie The Last Exorcism Part 2 from Studiocanal. The film is scheduled to be released March 2013 and will be directed by Ed Glass-Donnelly. Ashley Bell will return to reprise her role as the film’s protagonist. [19] [20]

courtesy of screenrant.com

Scott Shooman negotiated the deal with Studiocanal, which gives CBS Films the rights to distribution but allows Studiocanal to retain distribution rights in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The previous film surpassed expectations and earned $20 million, while the sequel has been entirely financed by Studiocanal. [19] [21]

Last Vegas

courtesy of examiner.com

November 5th, 2012 marked one of the company’s biggest announcements to date. The announcement concerned the filming and 2013 release of the movie Last Vegas which will star Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kilne and Michael Douglass. The film will be directed by John Turteltaub, while Adam Brooks and Dan Fogelman write the screenplay. [4]

The movie will follow the story of four men in their late sixties who decide to throw a bachelor party for the only one of them who is still single.This film will mark the first time in history that these four men will appear on the same screen together. Between the four men they have collected six Oscar wins and a total of fourteen nominations. [22]

CBS Films Future

In October it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Sony Pictures has struggled in both 2011 and 2012 suffering revenue losses from the films they’ve released. Rumors have been circulating that the division of Sony may soon hit the open market and be available for purchase,. something Sony President Kaz Hirai has denied stating that “There is no reason to sell these industry-leading businesses, and no consideration is being given to the idea.. In a recent interview, head of CBS Corporation Leslie Moonves was asked about his interest in Sony Pictures should it become available for purchase. Moonves said he would highly consider making the purchase should the opportunity arise. “We love our current portfolio, but as a content company, we would want to look at them,” [23] [24]

Sources

[1] CBS Films http://www.cbsfilms.com/about_us/

[2] Scott Shooman http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/acquisitions-exec-scott-shooman-moves-216581

[3] CBS Entertainment 3rd Quarter http://investors.cbscorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99462&p=irol-newsArticle&id=1755755

[4] Actor, Director and Writer biographies http://www.imdb.com/

[5] Seven Psychopaths Financial Information http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sevenpsychopaths.htm

[6] Film Independent Spirit Awards http://www.spiritawards.com/

[7] Seven Psychopaths Award Nominations http://www.cbsfilms.com/news/seven_psychopaths_nominated_for_two_independent_spirit_awards

[8] Seven Psychopaths Marketing Campaign http://mockingjay.net/2012/09/11/woody-harrelson-featured-seven-psychopaths-viral-marketing/

[9] Seven Psychopaths People’s Choice Award http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/silver-linings-playbook-beats-argo-for-toronto-film-festival-peoples-choice-award

[10] The Words Opening Weekend http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3522&p=.htm

[11] The Words Financial Information http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=words2012.htm