Tag Archives: The Martian

20th Century Fox (film)

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20th Century Fox logo

20th Century Fox Logo [1]

10201 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-FOX-INFO
http://www.foxmovies.com/

History

20th Century Fox is one of the six biggest film studios in America and is owned by 21st Century Fox Corporation. The company has released a number of successful films including The Sound of Music, Star Wars, Die Hard, Ice Age, and X-Men. They also distributed the two highest-grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic. [1]

Avatar movie poster

Avatar movie poster [1]

20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 when Fox Films, owned by William Fox, merged with Twentieth Century Pictures. Joe Schenck took on the role of chief executive while Darryl F. Zanuck became the head of production. The company enjoyed success after the release of The Sound of Music in 1965 and Star Wars in 1977. In 1981, Marc Rich and Marvin Davis took over the company, who then sold it to News Corp., Rupert Murdoch’s company, in 1985. In 2013, News Corporation split into two companies. News Corporation became the publishing arm of the company while 21st Century Fox became its own television/film company. 20th Century Fox came under this company. [2]

Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Emma Watts, Production President

Emma Watts, Production President [4]

Finances

This past February, 21st Century Fox released their second quarter earnings report for October to December of 2015 and reported revenues of $7.38 billion. Although this was a decrease of 1% ($49 million) from the prior year, this was partially offset by the success of The Martian, which had grossed over $600 million in worldwide box office by December 31, 2016. The Martian continued to grow and ended with $630 million in worldwide box office revenue with its close date on March 17, 2016. Films released during this quarter that carried over at the box office into 2016 were The Revenant, Joy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, and The Peanuts Movie. [5] [6]

Going into 2016, 20th Century Fox saw strong box office revenues. The Revenant debuted with $38 million at the domestic box office that weekend. This was an unexpectedly strong open. The film was only predicted to open to less than $25 million. The revenue that opening weekend brought them close to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, grossing at $41.6 million its fourth weekend in theaters. [7] The Peanuts Movie also finished strong with worldwide revenues reaching $246 billion. [8] Another hit for 20th Century Fox at the box office was Kung Fu Panda 3, which has grossed $504 million worldwide since its release in January. [9]

On April 25, 2016, 21st Century Fox share prices were listed at $31.00. This is up from $22.50 on February 9th when share prices fell by as much as 4%. This was likely due to the earnings report released on this day, which predicted that profits would fall due to the strong dollar [5]. Since then, share prices have seen a steady increase and are predicted to continue to rise. The third quarter fiscal report for 21st Century Fox will be released on May 4, 2016. [10]

Awards Season

Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio win three Golden Globe Awards for The Revenant

Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio win three Golden Globe Awards for The Revenant [11]

20th Century Fox studio releases did well during the 2016 awards season. At the Golden Globes, Jennifer Lawrence won best actress in a Comedy or Musical for Joy. The Martian won Best Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical and Matt Damon also won best actor for his role in the film. The Revenant took home the Best Motion Picture award for a Drama. Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Iñárritu won best actor and best director, respectively. [12]

At The Academy Awards, The Revenant counted twelve nominations, the most of any film nominated. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for Best Actor. The Revenant also won Best Cinematography and Directing. [13] The nominations and wins resulted in a boost of box office revenue for those films that were still in theaters, particularly The Revenant, that’s ticket sales increased more than 80 percent after The Academy Award nominees were announced. Between the announced nominations and Oscar Night, The Revenant brought in $113 million. The film closed with a total of $523 million worldwide. [14]

The New Superhero

20th Century Fox’s current film in theaters is Deadpool. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and was directed by Tim Miller. Deadpool is Marvel’s new R-Rated superhero movie that features a former Special Forces operative with accelerated healing powers and an attitude problem. [15]

Deadpool has broken records since its release on February 12, 2016. It became 20th Century Fox’s largest opening ever with $132.4 million. It also had the largest opening weekend ever for an R-rated film and the biggest opening day in February with $47.5 million. [16] So far, the film has grossed a total of $760 million thus far and is approaching its eleventh week in theaters. [17] Deadpool has been a game changer for the superhero genre. As one of the first high-budget R-rated superhero films in recent years (alongside Watchmen and Kick-Ass), there was high-risk for 20th Century Fox in the box office. But the film was widely received and praised for its snarky humor, romance, and characters rather than big-budget action scenes. [18] Following this success, 20th Century Fox will likely make Wolverine 3 R-rated. The film’s current release date is March 3rd, 2017. [19]

20th Century Fox has already confirmed Deadpool 2 for production. Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds will return for the sequel as well as the creative team. The film is said to mimic the original in tone, keeping the same snarky humor and attitude. The film is currently rumored for release in 2017. [20]

Coming Soon

Independence Day: Resurgence Poster

Independence Day: Resurgence movie poster [23]

This summer, 20th Century Fox is releasing four films. X-Men: Apocalypse will open on May 27, 2016 as the ninth installment in the X-Men series with Bryan Singer as director and a host of famous cast members. To market the film, 20th Century Fox released an X-Men Movies app as well as an “Apocalypse timeline” on their website. [21]

Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the highly acclaimed Independence Day, will open on June 24, 2016 starring Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum. Ice Age: Collision Course and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates are also set to release in July. [22]

Sources

[1] Foxmovies.com. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[2] 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[3] Yamato, Jen. (May 16, 2014). Fox’s Jim Gianopulos Delivers USC Film Commencement Speech; Marvel’s Kevin Feige Celebrates Rejection: Transcript. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[4] Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 14, 2014). Fox’s Emma Watts Re-Ups For Three Years After Robust Summer. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[5] Earnings Release for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2015. (February 8, 2016). 21st Century Fox. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[6] The Martian. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[7] Fritz, Ben. (January 11, 2016). ‘The Revenant’ has surprisingly strong box-office debut. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[8] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[9] Kung Fu Panda 3. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[10] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. CI A. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[11] Robehmed, Natalie. (January 11, 2016).‘The Revenant’ Wins Best Picture At The 2016 Golden Globe Awards. Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[12] Sharf, Zack. (February 24, 2016). The Indiewire 2015-16 Awards Season Winners Guide. The Indiewire. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[13] Donnelly, Jim. (February 29, 2016). Oscar Winners 2016: See The Complete List. The Oscars. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[14] Brueggemann, Tom. (March 11, 2016). Oscar Box Office Winners and Losers 2016. Indiewire. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[15] Deadpool. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[16] Garreffa, Anthony. (February 17, 2016). Deadpool becomes largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox. TweakTown. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[17] Deadpool. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[18] VanDerWerff, Todd. (February 15, 2016). Deadpool’s box office unexpectedly broke records. Here’s what Hollywood should learn from it. Vox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[19] Siegal, Jacob. (February 16, 2016). Deadpool’s success could lead to an ‘R’ rating for Wolverine 3. BGR. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[20] Mccarthy, Tyler and Rebecka Schumann. (April 4, 2016). ‘Deadpool 2’ Confirmed By 20th Century Fox; Director And Creative Team Returning. International Business Times. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[21] X-MEN: Apocalypse (2016). 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[22] Coming Soon. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[23] Perry, Spencer. (March 8, 2016). The Aliens are Back in New Independence Day: Resurgence International Poster. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 26, 2016.

AOL

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Laura Sanfilippo

Source: corp.aol.com

Source: AOL [20]

770 Broadway

New York, NY

10003

212-206-4400

KEY EXECUTIVES

CEO Tim Armstrong Source: corp.aol.com/leader/tim-armstrong

CEO Tim Armstrong
Source: Corp AOL [1]

President AOL Inc. and Executive VP Bob Lord Source: corp.aol.com/leader/bob-lord

President AOL Inc. and Executive VP Bob Lord
Source: AOL [3]

CFO and Executive VP Holly Hess Source: corp.aol.com/leader/holly-hess

CFO and Executive VP Holly Hess
Source: AOL [2]

Overview

America Online started out as an Internet service provider and has since become a multifaceted Internet giant. America Online is probably most known for its iconic “You’ve got mail” and for its email and instant messaging services, but it is so much more. Not only does AOL provide these more well known services, but it also produces original content, creates apps and continues to grow. The AOL Huffington Post Media Group (AOL HPMG) has over 350 million monthly consumers and consists of 56 sites, including The Huffington Post, Cambio, Moviefone, Mapquest, Engadget, and TechCrunch that lead in news, entertainment, digital, and community content [4]. The AOL HPMG has over 9,000 bloggers including celebrities and politicians, like Aaron Sorkin and Neil Young, who discuss topics making headlines today. The sites combine journalism, technology, engagement and video across all platforms[4]. Today the AOL HPMG is owned by Verizon with whom they continue to grow[4].

History

America Online is an online platform that offers many different services, such as email, apps, video, and blogs that serves millions of people and has continued to grow since its origin. America Online was founded originally in 1985 with the name Quantum Computer Services by Steve Case [5]. It’s name was officially changed to America Online (AOL) in 1991[4]. Soon after, an instant messaging service and AOL’s classic “You’ve got mail” notification were launched [6]. In 1994 AOL hit one million users and began using advertisements within its service. No more than two years later it hit five million subscribers [7]. In 2011 AOL purchased the Huffington Post to form the AOL Huffington Post Media Group and it has continued to grow, buying services like Moviefone and Netscape, and Mapquest [4]. In early 2015 AOL was acquired by Verizon in an over four billion dollar acquisition [8].

AOL Originals

Citizen Mars Source: engadget.com

Citizen Mars Source: Engadget [22]

Source: Deadline.com

Making A Scene Source: Deadline [23]

Source: aoladvertising.com

Park Bench Source: AOL Advertising [24]

In addition to providing various online services, AOL also produces original content from some of the biggest names in Hollywood. AOL’s originals appeal to a wide variety of users because there is something for everyone. Currently in AOL’s library of originals are reality series spanning from #Candidly Nicole, a series following Nicole Richie, based off her Twitter feed, Citizen Mars, a series that follows the finalists for the one way mission to mars, and True Trans which follows trans musician Laura Jane Grace and other members of the trans community [9]. Also in their catalog are series from James Franco and Steve Buscemi. James Franco’s series “Making a Scene” is in it second season where Franco and his team take famous movies, and scenes and recreate them through Franco’s imagination [9]. Steve Buscemi’s acclaimed series “Park Bench With Steve Buscemi,” is a non fiction series hosted by, you guessed it, Steve Buscemi. He sits on a park bench and talks to a wide variety of guests including, Kenan Thompson, and Gilbert Gottfried [10]. The series was nominated for an Emmy in 2014 for Outstanding Short-Form Nonfiction Program [9]. This is only the cusp of AOL’s original content. Their library also includes comedy shows, shows about food, cars, and even ballet [9]. Everyone can find something for them on AOL originals.

Financials

AOL released its last financial update on May 8, 2015 [11]. Though not in the last few months, It contains all of AOL’s first quarter 2015 financial information. In this quarter AOL had a 12% increase in its advertising revenue, going from $433.4 million in the last quarter of 2014 to $483.5 million in the first quarter of 2015 [11]. Additionally, their price for global advertising has increased 10% [11]. These are both important because it is becoming harder and harder to reach people via advertising. If the price for advertising is going up, one can assume that AOL’s advertising strategies are effective. AOL has overall had a successful first quarter with an increased total revenue of 7% going from $583.3 million in the last quarter of 2014 to $625.1 million in the first quarter of 2015 [11].

What’s New

In the past few months AOL has launched a number of new originals and services. In October, Jared Leto’s new series launched on Build called “Beyond the Horizon” which talks about the future of humanity and will have guests such as former Vice President Al Gore and author of The Martian Andy Weir [12].

Source: AOL Advertising advertising.aol.com

Beyond The Horizon Source: AOL Advertising [25]

Earlier this month AOL launched their new series on AOL.com called “Act Like A Musician” which brings together musicians and actors to talk about their passion and create music [13]. Danny Masterson, of “That 70s Show” fame, and The Strokes Albert Hammond Jr. join in the first episode to perform music and talk about their careers [14]. The series, which is currently in its third week, will be a limited run and end after six weeks [13].

In the recent months AOL has also launched various new apps and acquired thousands more. To target millennial users they launched the app “Kanvas” in late October [15]. The app is like a combination of Periscope and Snapchat [15]. It is similar to Snapchat in the sense that you can put filters and effects on your videos, but hopes to outdo the live streaming services, like Meerkat and Periscope, by not removing live streams after periods of time [15].

Source: Entrepreneur entrepreneur.com

Kanvas Source: Entrepreneur [15]

In addition to creating a new app, AOL acquired Millennial Media granting them access to over 65 thousand apps and allowing them to reach over one billion global users [16]. It will also make available more advertising across ONE, AOL’s advertising service, by AOL [17], [27].

In September AOL launched LIVE by AOL which is a start to finish service for live events [18]. These productions will be distributed through AOL’s various channels such as Tech Crunch and The Huffington Post [18].

In October AOL went back to its email roots and relaunched ALTO, a service that puts all of your email accounts, be that Gmail or AOL, in one place [19]. ALTO has a dashboard, and many other features, to find the most important things among your email accounts [19]. The goal of ALTO is to make using email on your mobile device more user friendly.

ALTO

Source: ALTO [26]

Wrap Up

In the past few months AOL has launched a number of new programs, videos, and made strategic acquisitions that gives it a leg up in the world we live in today. Its wide variety of online shows appeal to mass audiences. Its new app and newly launched shows appeal again to a wide crowd and specifically to the millennial generation. Its successful financial quarter will help AOL continue to grow. 

[1] Corporate AOL. “Tim Armstrong.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/tim-armstrong

[2] Corporate AOL. “Holly Hess.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/holly-hess

[3] Corporate AOL. “Bob Lord.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/leader/bob-lord

[4] Corporate AOL. “AOL has a strong strategy, a clear mission and a firm commitment to delivering value.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/about-aol/overview

[5] Time. “A Brief Guide to the Tumultuous 30-Year History of AOL.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://time.com/3857628/aol-1985-history/

[6] The Washington Post. “25 Years of AOL: A Timeline.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052303551.html

[7] CNBC. “Timeline: AOL Through the Years.’ Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/12/timeline-aol-through-the-years.html

[8] CNN Money. “Verizon Buys AOL for $4.4 Billion.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/12/investing/verizon-buys-aol/

[9] AOL. On. “Shows” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://on.aol.com/shows

[10] AOL. On. “Park Bench” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://on.aol.com/parkbench

[11] AOL Financial Information. “Q1 2015 Earnings Presentation.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://ir.aol.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147895&p=quarterlyearnings

[12] Beyond the Horizon. “Beyond the Horizon.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.aol.com/beyondthehorizon/

[13] AOL Press Releases. “Act Like a Musician Premieres on AOL.com.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/11/16/act-like-a-musician-premieres-on-aol-com/

[14] Act Like A Musician. “S1E1.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.aol.com/actlikeamusician/519231493/

[15] Entrepreneur. “AOL Launches Live Streaming App That’s Part Periscope, Part Snapchat.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252218

[16] TechCrunch. “AOL Confirms It’s Buying Millennial Media in $238M Deal To Expand Mobile Ads.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/03/aol-acquires-millennial-media/

[17] Business Wire. “AOL to Deepen Its Programmatic Leadership with Agreement to Acquire Millennial Media.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150903005064/en/AOL-Deepen-Programmatic-Leadership-Agreement-Acquire-Millennial

[18] AOL Press Releases. “AOL Launches LIVE by AOL.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/09/28/aol-launches-live-by-aol/

[19] AOL Press Releases. “AOL Launches ALTO.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/2015/10/28/aol-launches-alto/

[20] AOL. “AOL. image” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://corp.aol.com/

[21] Science Borealis. “America Online image.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://blog.scienceborealis.ca/youve-got-mail-and-everything-else-whats-a-science-blogger-to-do/

[22] Engadget. “Citizen Mars.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.engadget.com/citizen-mars/

[23] Deadline. “Hot Trailer: James Franco’s AOL Comedy Series Makes a Scene.” http://deadline.com/2014/09/james-franco-aol-trailer-scott-haze-ahna-oreilly-832391/

[24] AOL Advertising. “AOL Originals Releases Season 2 of ‘Park Bench with Steve Buscemi.'” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://advertising.aol.com/blog/aol-originals-releases-season-2-park-bench-steve-buscemi

[25] AOL Advertising. “Jared Leto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ Launches on AOL Build.” Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://advertising.aol.com/blog/jared-letos-beyond-horizon-launches-aol-build

[26] ALTO. “ALTO.’ Retrieved November 30, 2015. https://altomail.com/

[27] AOL Platforms. “ONE by AOL.” Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.aolplatforms.com/onebyaol

20th Century Fox (Film)

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By Derrick Owens
20th Century Fox Logo [1]

20th Century Fox Logo [1] Source: foxmovie.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

10201 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90064

http://www.foxmovies.com/

Overview

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly referred to as 20th Century Fox or Fox, is an international film production and distribution company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. 20th Century Fox is a subsidy of the 21st Century Fox Corporation, which also owns assets in television stations, television broadcast networks, and cable network programming. Fox is a part of the “Big Six” film studios, which includes Columbia, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal, and Paramount. The “Big Six” serve as Fox’s main competition.  20th Century Fox owns the rights to a number of valuable franchises including, X-Men, Ice Age, Die Hard, and Planet of the Apes. Fox is also known for distributing the two highest grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic, both of which were directed by James Cameron [2].    

Key Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman [4]

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman [4]

 History

The origins of 20th Century Fox began in 1915 when film distributor William Fox established his own film production company after moving out to Los Angeles called Fox Films. In 1935, Twentieth Pictures’ Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck left United Artists and merged with Fox Films to create the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation [6].

From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! [5]

From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! [5] Source: Wikepdia.com 

In 1981, the company was sold to investors Marc Rich and Marvin Davis. They subsequently sold the company to Rupert Murdoch, who merged the company into his own media conglomerate, News Corp, in 1985. News Corp was split into two companies in 2013. There is now the new News Corporation, which contained most of Murdoch’s print media assets, and 21st Century Fox, which specializes in filmed entertainment and is the current parent company of 20th Century Fox [7].

Finances

In the last fiscal year (June 30, 2014 – June 30, 2015), 20th Century Fox put out 25 films into general release domestically and they plan on releasing another 25 in fiscal 2016. Of those 25 planned films, Fox has already released six titles including Fantastic Four, The Martian, and The Peanuts Movie. Fox’s most anticipated movies yet to be released in 2016 include Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Independence Day Resurgence [8].  

20th Century Fox produces and distributes its films through a number of internal units:

Twentieth Century Fox and Fox2000 handles films for mainstream audiences.

Logo for Fox Searchlight [8]

Logo for Fox Searchlight [9] Source: foxsearchlight.com 

Fox Searchlight Pictures produces and releases smaller, independent films for specialized audiences.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation produces and distributes feature length-animated films 

Fox International Productions, Inc. co-produces and acquires local-language films for distribution worldwide.

Fox generates money from its films by distributing the films theatrically (domestically and internationally), through home media formats (such as digital distribution), on premium pay and SVOD, and on television and cable networks. Last year, the domestic home entertainment division for Fox released or re-released approximately 1,268 produced and acquired titles [10].

For fiscal 2015, revenues at the Filmed Entertainment segment decreased $154 million, or 2%, as compared to fiscal 2014. Increased production and marketing costs as well as a decrease in home entertainment sales led to the change. 20th Century Fox’s parent company, 21st Century Fox Corporation, has seen their stock dip in the last year. After reaching a high of $37.49 in December of 2014, the stock has fallen to its lower point since January 2012. In September it stood at only $25.41. Even with the drop of its stock prices, 21st Century Fox Corporation saw profit increase by 54% in 2015 compared to the previous year. Profits were at $8.306 billion in 2015 versus $4.514 billion in 2014 [11].   

In Theatres

The Martian 

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, and Jeff Daniels, The Martian is a science-fiction adventure film produced and distributed by Fox. It was released on October 2, 2015 and posted the second highest October opening weekend of all time with a $54.3 million haul. It has gone on to be Fox’s most successful film of the year thus far bringing in over $217 million domestically and nearly $500 million worldwide. It’s production budget of $108 million means the film will be significantly profitable for the corporation. The film’s box office revenue has the possibility of growing even further as many Oscar analyst predict it will be in the running for best picture, best director, and best actor. The Martian is unique because it is a standalone, original film which has achieved worldwide success [12].

The Maze Runner: Scorched Trials

This sci-fi action-adventure film is a sequel to the 2014 hit Maze Runner. The film opened on nearly the same weekend as its predecessor and opened slightly under expectations. Scorched Trials brought in $30.3 million in its first weekend after opening on September 18, which was down from the 32.5 million opening of Maze Runner.        

The film, based off of the popular novel series, is directed by Wes Ball and stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Thomas Brodie-Sangste. Even though it has only grossed $80.9 million domestically with a $61 million production budget, Scorched Trials has been saved by its international performance. It has grossed over $230 million overseas, which motivated Fox to greenlight the film’s sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, due out in 2017 [13]. 

The Peanuts Movie 

This family animation film was released by Fox as part of their distribution deal with Blue Sky Studios. It was the first feature film in the Peanuts franchise in 35 years. It took over eight years to make, because the family of Charles Schultz, the creator of the comic, wanted the film to done with respect to his original work [14]. The film opened to $44.2 million on the weekend of November 6, playing as counter-programming to Spectre, Although there are still a few major international markets left to open, Peanuts has 92.6% of its revenue coming from domestic totals as of 11/29. The film has been a domestic hit with $116.7 million grossed so far, but international performance may need to increase before the $99 million production can be called profitable [15].

News and Developments

20th Century Fox has three films to be released before the end of 2015. The first film is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, which is due out December 18. Fox hopes to continue the success of the franchise, which has banked over $1.1 billion at the box office [16]. The other two films, The Revenant and Joy, are being distributed in limited release on December 25 before going wide in January. These two films are both expected to be major Oscar players and they star Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence respectively [17].

Oculus Cinema by Oculus VR [22]

Oculus Video by Oculus VR [22] Source: roadtovr.com

Fox signed an agreement with Oculus VR, making it the first major movie studio to invest in virtual reality as a way of showing their films. Over 100 films from Fox’s library will be released in the virtual reality cinema Oculus Video [18].

Fox International Productions entered into an exclusive first look deal with Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-language films. The duo is known for their successes as they have overseen five of the ten highest grossing local language films in the modern Russian film era [19].

Planned 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Dubai [21]

Planned 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Dubai [21] Source: variety.com

Fox announced plans to open its first Fox-branded resort in Dubai featuring rides based off of its most popular films including Titanic, Aliens, Predator, and Ice Age. It will open in 2018 and is planned to cost approximately $850 million [20].

Sources

[1] 20th Century Fox Logo. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[2] About. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[3] James N. Gianopulos. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[4]. Stacey Snider. Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[5] From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! Wikipedia. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[[6] About. Fox UK. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[7] Welch, Chris. May 9, 2013. The Verge. 21st Century Fox logo unveiled ahead of News Corp split. Retrieved November 30, 2015  

[8] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015 

[9] Fox Searchlight Logo. Fox Searchlight. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[10] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015 

[11] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. Yahoo Finances. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[12] Tartaglione, Nancy. November 24, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. ‘The Martian’ Closing In On $500M Global: How Fox Marketers Brought Ridley Scott’s Cool Science To The Masses. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[13] Maze Runner: Scorched Trials. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[14] Smith, Chris. November 1, 2014. The Press Democrat. How the Schulz family made ‘The Peanuts Movie’ a reality. Retrieved November 30, 2015  

[15] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[16] Alvin and the Chipmunks. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[17] Cunningham, Todd. September 8, 2015. The Wrap. Fox Fuels Yule Logjam With 3 Christmas Releases. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[18] Geier, Thom. September 24, 2015. The Wrap. ‘Alien,’ ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Among 100 Fox Movies Coming to Oculus Virtual-Reality Headsets. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[19] Business Wire. November 18, 2015. Fox International Productions Strikes Strategic Alliance With Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-Language Films. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[20] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[21] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[22] Oculus Cinema. Oculus VR. Retrieved November 30, 2015.