Tag Archives: Skyfall

Warner Bros. Pictures

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by Michele Riley
Warner Bros. Logo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

Warner Bros. logo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. is a global company leading in the creation, production, distribution, licensing, and marketing of all forms of film, television, and music entertainment.

Warner Bros. is a subsidiary of Time Warner. Its headquarters are located in Burbank, California and New York.

Subsidiaries of Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc. include: Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, TheWB.com, DC Entertainment, and half of the CW Television Network.

Key People: 

Barry Meyer: Chairman and CEO

Jeff Robinov: President and COO

Edward A. Romano: Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Brief History/Overview

Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack, founded the Warner Bros. company on April 4, 1923. The company made an impression in the entertainment world by releasing the first ever synchronized-sound feature film “The Jazz Singer” in 1927. From then on, Warner Bros. became known as a leader in film and one of the top studios in Hollywood. In addition to being a leader in the creation of contemporary relevant films, the company introduced the first “four-legged star”, modernized the movie musical, and established the gangster-picture era. [1]

In 1937, “The Life of Emile Zola” won Warner Bros. their first Oscar for Best Picture, a huge accomplishment for the company. Throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s Warner Bros. Pictures continued to create notable films. [2]

Warner Bros. has merged and changed owners many times throughout its years. In 1967, it was sold to Elliot and Ken Hyman and was renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. Steve Ross and his Kinney Corporation purchased the company in 1969, renaming it Warner Communications, Inc. Not until the 1990s was the company merged with Time Inc. to become Time Warner Inc. The new company thrived in the 1990s. Its pictures broke records, was critically raved around the world, and was nominated for and won many Academy Awards. Barry Meyer and Alan Horn took over Warner Bros in 1999 beginning a new era of profitability for the Studio.[1]

For Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.’s full history click here

For a list of Warner Bros. Films click here

Recent News

The Warner Bros. lawsuit against the heirs of the co-creator of Superman has been settled as of October 2012. Warner Bros. has been in a court battle against the heirs of Joseph Shuster, co-creator of Superman, since 2003. In 1938 Shuster had assigned DC Comics “the exclusive right to the use of the [Superman] characters and story.” The heirs of Shuster presented Warner Bros. with a termination notice in 2003. In May 2010, Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare the heirs’ termination notice invalid. They claimed that “the heirs had given up any termination rights as the result of a 1992 contract they signed with DC Comics.” [3]

According to The Wall Street Journal, the decision to the May 2012 lawsuit has finally been settled. The court ordered that the family of Joseph Shuster doesn’t have the right to terminate a copyright grant covering Superman.

This comes as a huge relief and victory to Warner Bros. Entertainment who is currently in the process of producing “Man of Steel” set to release in 2013. [3]

Another Warner Bros. film that has been getting a lot of attention recently is the James Bond film, “Skyfall,” released November 6, 2012. As of November 11th the film had earned $518.6 million worldwide, including $428.6 million internationally. The 23rd installment is certain to surpass the $586.1 million earned by “Quantum of Solace” and the $594.2 million earned by “Casino Royale.” “Skyfall” did exceptionally well in IMAX theaters. It took in $13.1 million during it’s debut, which is the highest debut in a non-summer opening. [4]

Warner Bros’ film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” has been in the headlines a lot over the past month. On November 28, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that 27 animals died on the set. It has been reported that three horses, six goats, six sheep and a dozen chickens died at a ranch they were housed at during the New Zealand shoot. Director Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. studios deny mistreatment. PETA has called for CGI creations to replace live animals in films. [5]

Despite the backlash, thousands of New Zealanders attended the red carpet event of the world premiere in New Zealand. Important officials and dozens of stars showed up for the premiere. Among them was New Zealand Prime Minister John Key who said, “New Zealand took a risk investing in ‘The Hobbit.'” and “it’s paid off.” There are screenings in the films higher frame rate taking place throughout New Zealand and prompting strong ticket demand and sell outs. The film is set to release in the U.S. December 14, 2012. [6]

Warner Bros’ “Argo“, released October 12, 2012, has surpassed $100 million at the box office as of December 2, according to The Wall

“Argo” official poster, courtesy of “The Hollywood Reporter”

Street Journal’s “Market Watch.” Argo is one of the best reviewed films of the year. Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, has said, “‘Argo’ is one of those rare cinematic achievements that has been equally and enthusiastically embraced by both critics and audiences.” [7]

In addition to releasing new movies, Warner Bros. has been making important business deals this fall. On November 15, Entertainment Weekly reported Warner Bros. signed a 20-picture deal with IMAX. Warner Bros. will release 20 films in IMAX over the next three years. [8]

On November 26, 2012, Warner Bros. extended its relationship with Village Roadshow Pictures Group through 2017, securing $1.125 billion to fund multiple projects, including “Mad Max: Fury Road,” with Charlize Theron, and “All You Need Is Kill” with Tom Cruise. [9]

Financials 

Warner Bros. Entertainment is publicly traded as Time Warner, or TWX on the New York Stock Exchange. In January, 2012 their revenue was $36.33 billion. At the end of the year, December, 2012 their revenue is $46.57 billion. The percent change this year is 29%. [10] These numbers are for Time Warner as a whole. To get a better picture of what the Warner Bros. Entertainment revenue looks like, we can look at the financials from last year. The net U.S. revenue for “movies, TV production, and video games” in 2011 was $6,483 million. Though this still includes TV production and video games, the number is closer to what the movie revenue alone would look like. [11]

Future Projects
“The Great Gatsby” is perhaps the most talked about upcoming 2013 film. There has been a huge outpour of excitement from anticipating audiences. Based off of Scott F. Fitzgerald’s classic and beloved novel, The Great Gatsby, production is a long time coming. The film is set to release in May is directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan. The trailer has heightened excitement throughout the country, revealing the film’s modern yet classic feel, a juxtaposition that is intriguing the masses. [12]


“The Great Gatsby” official trailer, courtesy of “TheHollywoodBird” on YouTube

Warner Bros. is set to release, in co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, “Gangster Squad,” January 2013. The film is a period crime drama film that has been highly promoted by Warner Bros. this year. The film stars Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn.

“The Hangover Part III” hasn’t been promoted as much as some of Warner Bros’ other upcoming 2013 releases. However, being part of the popular “Hangover” series, the film is sure to bring in a large audience. It will be the final film of the series, scheduled to release in May.

“Man of Steel,” a Superman film, is set to release in June 2013. The film will be a reboot of the film series. It will portray the origin story of Superman. Henry Cavill, playing Superman, said that the movie is intended to bring Superman into “the modern world” so that “everyone can associate” with him. [13]

 

References

[1] Warner Bros. (2011). Company History. Retrieved from http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/about/company-history.html

[2] Wikipedia. (2012, Dec 5). List of Warner Bros. Films. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Warner_Bros._films

[3] Orden, E. (2012 October). Judge Rules for Warner Bros. in Superman Case. Retriever fromThe Wall Street Journal.

[4] McClintock, P. (2012, Nov 11). Box Office Report: “Skyfall” Nabs Top Bond Opening in North America With &87.8 Million. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

[5] Daunt, T. (2012, Nov 28). What The Hobbit’s 27 Animal Deaths Mean for Movies. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

[6] Bulbeck, P. (2012, Nov 28). “The Hobbit” World Premiere in New Zealand Draws Stars, Thousands of Fans, Rave Reviews. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

[7] Market Watch. (2012, Dec 2). Warner Bros. Pictures’ Acclaimed Hit “Argo” Strikes Box Office Gold, Surpassing $100 Million. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: Market Watch.

[8] Labrecque, J. (2012, Nov 15). Warner Bros. Signs 20-Picture Deal with IMAX. Retrieved from Entertainment Weekly.

[9] Bond, P. (2012, Nov 26). Warner Bros. Extends $1 Billion-Plus Village Roadshow Deal Through 2017. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

[10] Google Finance. (2012, Dec 7). Time Warner Inc. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3ATWX&ei=axnCUIDGPILl0QHyUA

[11] Advertising Age. (2012, Oct 1). Time Warner. Retrieved from http://adage.com/datacenter/mediatrees2012/#138

[12] Zakarin, J. (2012, May 22). ‘The Great Gatsby’ Trailer Presents Leonardo DiCaprio and Empty Grandeur in 3D. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

[13] Kit, B. (2012, July 14). Comic-Con 2012″ ‘Man of Steel’ Footage So Good It Makes Fans Cry. Retrieved from The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

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by [Jeffrey Rich ]

MGM Logo Courtesy of Google Images


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is a media company, most often involved in the distribution of films, television productions, and home video.

Contact Information

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Address: 245 N. Beverly Drive,
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310-449-3000
E-mail Address: comments@mgm.com

Brief History

Its trademark roaring lion has become the beacon of MGM. Marcus Lowe, who organized the merger of Metro Pictures Corp. with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, established Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM) in April 1924.

It was under the prolific leadership of Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, a visionary of production, that MGM became a leading company of film making. It is said that the studio attracted “more stars than are in the heavens.”

From 1924-1954, known as the golden three decades in Hollywood, MGM managed to produce a Best Picture Nominee for twenty years in a row. One particularly spectacular year, in 1939, Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, both MGM films, were nominated for Best Picture. Together the two films took home ten Oscars that year.

MGM Building, Beverly Hills, CA. Picture Courtesy of mgm.com

 

Today MGM possesses more than 175 Academy Awards, including 15 for Best Picture, in their vast vault. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is a leading entertainment company and is focused whole-heartedly on the distribution of films and television programing across the globe. With one of the largest libraries of films and television content, MGM invests in television channels and film distribution both domestically and internationally. [1]

Key Figures

Gary Barber- Appointed Chairman and CEO in October 2012. Prior to this her served as a Co-Chairman and and CEO since December 2010.

Ken Shapiro- Chief Operating Officer, as of February 2011. Before joining MGM Shapiro co-founded a private investment management company.

John Glickman- President of Motion Picture Group. Previously Glickman was president of Spyglass Entertainment.

Roma Khanna- President of MGM’s Television Group and Digital. She joined MGM having recently worked for NBCUniveral, as President of Universal Networks International and Digital Initiatives.

Top Competitors

Fox Filmed Entertainment

The Walt Disney Studios

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Finances

In November of 2010 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer declared bankruptcy. A federal court had decided to reject the takeover bid by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and therefore MGM instead declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. About 80% of MGM’s creditors supported a pre-packaged bankruptcy plan to eliminate $4 billion in debt. [2]

This third quarter has shown a loss for MGM operating income. A loss of $4.3 million from $32.8 million the same quarter the year before. However, Gary Barber, CEO, is not at all worried. MGM had recorded a net profit of $23.4 million compared to last year’ $15.2 million in the same quarter. This is mainly because MGM sold many of its satellite TV channels.

The worldwide success of the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, and the excitement surrounding the anticipated release of the first, of the three, Hobbit, movies has Barber predicting a very successful fourth quarter. [3]

Movies Today

Skyfall Movie Poster, Courtesy of Google Images

 

Currently MGM has the film Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond movie, out in wide release. The movie was released on the weekend of November 9th-11th, and it grossed $88 million in that first weekend. Currently it has domestically grossed almost $250 million in only four weeks. Internationally it has taken in over $870 million. [4]

In the United Kingdom, Bond’s homeland, Skyfall, has become the largest grossing movie of all time, surpassing James Cameron’s, Avatar. The movie has taken in £94.27 million (or $151.8 million) in 40 days, surpassing Avatar’s £94 million (or $151.3 million) which is astonishing, considering that it took Avatar 11 months to reach that total. [5]

Not only has Skyfall become the largest grossing movie in the UK, but also it has claimed the title of greatest Bond ever, in terms of money, taking in the largest gross from any other Bond thus far. However, even though Skyfall is the largest grossing movie in the UK, it is still not the most attending. That title still belongs to another, far older, MGM classic from 1939, Gone With the Wind. [6]

Hobbit Movie Poster, Courtesy of Google Images

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first installment to the three-part prequel of the critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson returns as director in this new trilogy, which plans to be released in the United States on December 14, 2012. However, unlike the high remarks her won for his adaptation of the Ring’s trilogy, he is garnering some criticism for his new rendition of this J.R.R. Tolkien’s book.

One Variety critics calls the film an “artificial quality in which the phoniness of the sets and costumes becomes obvious, while well-lit areas bleed into their surroundings, like watching a high-end home movie.” [7]

The reason for these unlikely reviews is that Jackson decided to shoot the entire Hobbit movie using 48 FPS (Frames Per Second) filming. Usually films are shot in 24 FPS, the switch, as some like James Cameron agree, is that 48 FPS eliminate the “strobing” seen in standard films. Some people, however, argue that the effects look almost soap     opera-ish. However, audiences will have to weigh in on their opinions about the new FPS shooting when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, hits theaters later this month.  [8]

One more film in the works for MGM coming up soon is Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters. This new dark twist on the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel makes the sibling duo a team of witch hunters who find and kill witches all around the world. [9]

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters Movie Poster, Courtesy of Google Images

The film has had its problems in production. It was originally set to be released in March of 2012, but was pushed back to January of 2013. The fact that it’s now an R-rated film might have something to do with that problem in the production schedule. There is much skepticism now about the success of the film. After similar fairy tale spin offs have flopped, such as Snow White and the Huntsman and Red Ridding Hood, critics are not very optimistic about this latest revived concept. However, the film has some nice stars, including Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, and Famke Janssen. [10]

Fall Press Releases from MGM.com

September 4th, 2012: A NEW AGREEMENT SEALS THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SKY ITALIA and MGM

September 7th 2012: SKYFALL ROYAL WORLD PREMIERE – LONDON, 23RD OCTOBER 2012

September 13th, 2012: MGM PICTURES’ AND COLUMBIA PICTURES’ “ROBOCOP” DIRECTED BY JOSÉ PADILHA, SET TO BEGIN PRODUCTION IN TORONTO

September 17th, 2012: WARNER BROS. PICTURES, NEW LINE CINEMA AND METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES TO CELEBRATE TOLKIEN WEEK WITH WORLDWIDE TRAILER DEBUT FOR “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY”

September 26th, 2012: C MORE RENEWS EXCLUSIVE MULTIPLE YEAR FILM AGREEMENT WITH MGM

September 26th, 2012: SKYFALL™ TO BE RELEASED IN IMAX® THEATRES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA ONE DAY EARLY, ON NOVEMBER 8

September 28th, 2012: Bond Visits BOND IN MOTION to launch Bond 50 Blu-ray Collection

October 1st, 2012: ADELE’S “SKYFALL,” OFFICIAL THEME SONG TO LATEST JAMES BOND 007 FEATURE SKYFALL™, PREMIERES AT 0:07 BST VIA ADELE.TV ON OCTOBER 5

October 3rd, 2012: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER’S ROGER BIRNBAUM TRANSITIONS TO AN EXCLUSIVE PRODUCER ROLE AT THE STUDIO

October 15th, 2012: JONATHAN GLICKMAN EXTENDS AS PRESIDENT, MOTION PICTURE GROUP, FOR METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS, INC.

November 2nd, 2012: SKYFALL SETS NEW BOX OFFICE RECORD

November 5th, 2012: SKYFALL CONTINUES TO SMASH UK BOX OFFICE RECORDS

November 7th, 2012: PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS TO PARTNER FOR HERCULES

November 8th, 2012: SKYFALL REACHES NEW BOX OFFICE HEIGHTS AND BECOMES THE BIGGEST FILM OF 2012

December 5th, 2012: SKYFALL SMASHES UK BOX OFFICE RECORD TO BECOME BIGGEST FILM OF ALL TIME

Sources:

[1] MGM Studios http://mgm.com/corporate/index.html#/about/mgm-history

[2] Linda Sandler, Dawn McCarty & Tiffany Kary http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-03/metro-goldwyn-mayer-files-bankruptcy-after-rejecting-lions-gate-takeover.html

[3] Alex Ben Block http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-bond-hobbit-raise-hopes-391209

[4]  Box Office Mojo http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bond23.htm

[5] Anne Thompson   http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/skyfall-continues-torrid-overseas-box-office

[6] Patrick Kevin Day  http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-skyfall-highest-grossing-movie-united-kingdom-20121205,0,1235543.story

[7] Critics Give Hobbit Middle Marks  http://dawn.com/2012/12/07/critics-give-epic-hobbit-middle-marks/

[8] PJ Hammans http://the-hobbit-movie.com/2012/12/03/director-cameron-wades-into-48-fps-debate/

[9]  Hansel and Gretel http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1428538/

[10] Hansel and Gretel Delay http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/10/hansel-and-gretel-witch-hunters-gory-red-band-trailer-is-no-fairy-tale.html

Columbia/TriStar Pictures

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by Kevin Kwon

Copyright 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact Information: 10202 West Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 United States.

Phone: (310) 244-4000    Fax: (310) 280-1509

Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/

QUICK PROFILE AND HISTORY

Copyright 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Columbia/Tristar Pictures, also known as the Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group or more recently, Sony Tristar Group, serves as a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is the film and television division of Sony Corporation. Columbia/Tristar Pictures is responsible for the marketing, licensing, and promotion of its products. The company boasts an impressive library of over 3,500 movies and twelve films that received Best Picture Academy Awards. A total of three studios makes up Columbia/Tristar Pictures which are: Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, and Sony Pictures Classics. Each of these three studios serves a special purpose; Columbia Pictures specializes in large budget films, Sony Pictures Classics focuses on both foreign and domestic independent films, while Screen Gems is more like a mix of the two.1

 

Copyright 2012 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Although founded in 1924, Columbia Pictures was only purchased by Sony for 3.4 billion USD in 1989. The purchase was an unprecedented event and it became the largest acquisition by a Japanese company at that time. Soon after, Sony had moved Columbia to its permanent home in Culver City, California.2 In 1998, Sony merged its own TriStar Pictures into its Columbia Pictures division which resulted in a single production company.  The reason for this merger, as stated by John Calley, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment at the time, was because Sony wanted to “focus on producing a larger number of pictures with greater efficiency and less rivalry.”3 

For a more detailed look at the company’s history, you can visit here.

KEY EXECUTIVES

Michael Lynton, image courtesy of
www.sonypictures.com

Michael Lynton – Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. CEO of Sony Corporation of America. CEO of Sony Entertainment, Inc.4
Amy Pascal –  Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.4 

Douglass Belgrad, image courtesy of www.awn.com

Jeff Blake – Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.4

Steven N. Bersch – President of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions.4
Douglass Belgrad – President of Columbia Pictures.4 Hannah Minghella –  President of Production for Columbia Pictures.4
Clinton Culpepper – President of Screen Gems.4 Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom – Co-Presidents and Co-Founders of Sony Picture Classics.5

COLUMBIA TRISTAR PICTURES IN LATE 2012

August

August 29, 2012 – Sony Pictures Entertainment along with EON Productions, MGM Studios, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced their plan to make October 5, 2012, the official and globally celebrated James Bond Day.

Image courtesy of www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com

On this special day, fans of the Bond franchise all over the world will be able to experience numerous events such as a live auction charity with Bond related items, a concert with timeless Bond themes, and Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, a new documentary from a joint effort between Columbia Pictures, MGM Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Red Box Films. This mega James Bond event not only celebrates the franchise’s 50th anniversary, but also creates hype and awareness toward the upcoming Bond film from Columbia Pictures, Skyfall. Director Sam Mendes’ Skyfall is one of Columbia Pictures’ most anticipated films in 2012.6

 September

September 27, 2012 – Although it was already widely known that the upcoming Bond film, Skyfall, was going to be released in IMAX, more news regarding the movie’s relationship with IMAX was revealed. On September 27, 2012, Columbia Pictures announced through the official 007’s Twitter feed that the movie will be released a day early in IMAX theaters. It was also mentioned that the day early release was exclusive to IMAX theaters in the States.7 The studio is building great hype for its upcoming Bond film and expects loyal fans of the franchise to experience the movie in IMAX a day early.

Hotel Transylvania poster, image courtesy of www.imdb.com

September 28, 2012 – Columbia Pictures released the animation feature, Hotel Translyvania. The budget for the film amounted to $85 million. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Translyvania benefited from a strong voice acting cast made up of talents such as Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez. The movie enjoyed the greatest debut ever for a Columbia Pictures animation feature at $42.5 million in opening weekend, a record that was previously held by The Smurfs at $35.6 million.8 In total, the film earned a worldwide gross of $296.6 million and a domestic gross of $143 million.9

October

Here Comes the Boom poster, image courtesy of www.imdb.com

October 12, 2012 – Columbia Pictures released, Here Comes the Boom, a movie directed by Frank Coraci. Actor Kevin James stars as a biology teacher who enters the world of mixed martial arts in order to raise money for his struggling school. The movie falls under the Comedy genre, but fails to garner enough laughs from both the fans and the studio. In its debut, Here Comes the Boom, only earned about $3.63 million which marked the worst opening in Kevin James’ career. Altogether, the movie made about $42 million domestically and $53.6 million worldwide.10

October 26, 2012 – The highly anticipated, Skyfall, is released in many foreign markets which includes but is not limited to the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Russia, Brazil, and Belgium. The United States will have to wait another two weeks before Skyfall is shown in theaters. On top of high reviews from critics, the film dominated the markets it was introduced in. In the UK, Skyfall, broke the record for a Saturday theater attendance as well as becoming the 2nd highest grossing film in its opening weekend with a total of #32.3 million made. The film from Columbia Pictures claimed first place in every market it was introduced in during that opening weekend.11

November

Skyfall poster, image courtesy of www.forbes.com

November 11, 2012 – Columbia Pictures finally released, Skyfall, the 23rd Bond film in its domestic debut on November 9, 2012. The movie enjoyed tremendous success internationally, and it did not disappoint domestically during its opening weekend. Director Sam Mendes’ Skyfall with its impressive cast featuring Daniel Craig as Bond, set the highest opening weekend record ever domestically in Bond film history with a total gross of $88.4 million. This is a tremendous increase from the two previous Bond films, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, that both featured Daniel Craig as the beloved spy. Also, Skyfall, was shown in IMAX theaters on Thursday due to its early release and made $2.2 million outside the $88.4 million total weekend gross.12 In total (up to December 7, 2012), Skyfall, earned a domestic gross of $249 million and a worldwide gross of $872.4 million. In only twelve days since release, Skyfall, took its place as the highest-grossing Bond film of all time.13 The highly successful Skyfall owes part of its success to the great marketing team in Columbia Pictures. The team was responsible for creating awareness and hype up to the film’s release worldwide. During the 2012 London Olympics, an event that was watched by millions, Bond made a spectacular appearance in the opening ceremonies. People who witnessed the opening ceremonies could not forget the image of Bond and the Queen jumping out of a plane to join the festivities. Bond’s appearance during the opening ceremonies made people realize again how awesome the iconic spy really is. On top of that event, Adele’s song for the movie was supposedly “leaked,” which added to the hype for the film. The song was well received and reached high rankings in billboard charts all over the world.14

December

December 3, 2012 – In the upcoming sequel to, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Dane DeHaan who is famous for his role in the movie, Chronicle, is cast as Harry Osborn.

Dane DeHaan, image courtesy of www.mtv.com

Harry Osborn is a huge character in the Spider-Man universe and serves as a friend to Peter Parker as well as an enemy. Director Marc Webb who directed, The Amazing Spider-Man, is also working on the sequel. He revealed Dane DeHaan’s role as Harry Osborn via Twitter. The Spider-Man franchise is significantly and financially important to Columbia Pictures and Sony reserves all rights to the franchise on film despite the character belonging to the company, Marvel, which is now owned by Disney.15

2012 WRAP UP

Columbia/Tristar Pictures enjoyed massive success in 2012 with titles such as: Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, Hotel Transylvania, Resident Evil: Retribution, Underworld: Awakening, and 21 Jump Street. The Amazing Spider-Man enjoyed the 2nd largest success after Skyfall with a total gross of $754 million worldwide. The third movie in its franchise, Men in Black 3, followed behind with a total gross of $624 million worldwide. Columbia/Tristar Pictures has the number one market share in North America. There is still one more major film to be released in 2012 which is, Zero Dark Thirty, a film by Kathryn Bigelow. The movie will be released on December 19, 2012.16

References

1. Hoovers Inc. (2012). Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from Hoovers.com:
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Columbia_TriStar_Motion_Picture_Group.9a3fb312ea9f08a6.html

2. Sony Pictures Entertainment. (2006). Sony Pictures History. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum: http://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/studio/history/1

3. Matzer, M. (1998). Sony Is Combining Its TriStar, Columbia Units – Los Angeles Times. Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from:
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/31/business/fi-34433

4. Senior Management Team. (2012). Sony Pictures. Retrieved October 5, 2012, from:
http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html

5. About Us. (2012). Sony Classics. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from: http://www.sonyclassics.com/about-us/bio-tom-bernard.php

6. James Bond Day Set For October 5. (2012). MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved November 2, 2012, from:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/08/29/james-bond-day/

7. Billington, A. (2012). Bond’s ‘Skyfall’ Now Set to Open in US IMAX Theaters One Day Early | FirstShowing.net.FirstShowing.net. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from: http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/bonds-skyfall-now-set-to-open-in-us-imax-theaters-one-day-early/

8. Subers, R. (2012). Weekend Report: ‘Hotel Transylvania’ Scares Up New September Record – Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3536&p=.htm

9. Hotel Transylvania (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (2012). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hoteltransylvania.htm

10. Here Comes the Boom (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=herecomestheboom.htm

11. Segars, F. (2012). Foreign Box Office: ‘Skyfall’ Blasts Off Overseas With Massive $78.6 Million. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from: www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-skyfall-blasts-383848

12. Subers, R. (2012). Weekend Report: ‘Skyfall’ Scores Best Bond Debut Ever – Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3565&p=.htm

13. Skyfall (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (2012).Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from:
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14. Marks, J. (2012). Sony’s marketing team sets up ‘Skyfall’ as one of the best Bond movies ever – West Palm Beach Marketing | Examiner.com. Welcome to Examiner.com | Examiner.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from:
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15. ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Casts Dane DeHaan As Harry Osborn – Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV.com. (2012).New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from:
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16. SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT SCORES BIGGEST YEAR EVER AT GLOBAL BOX OFFICE, PASSING $4 BILLION FOR FIRST TIME IN STUDIO HISTORY AS SKYFALL™ BECOMES THE BIGGEST BOND OF ALL TIME. (2012).Sony Pictures. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from:
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