March 25, 2020 | With theaters closed in the U.S. and other markets globally, and people hunkered down at home in an effort to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, the major studios moved quickly in the past two weeks to accelerate the home releases of some titles. Strategies range from the simultaneous theatrical and premium VOD release being...
By Georg Szalai March 16, 2020 | With stock markets battered by the coronavirus, and shares of entertainment giants hit hard, some on Wall Street have started wondering if cash-rich technology powerhouses could consider takeover offers for Hollywood companies. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Bernie McTernan in a Friday research report, for example, suggested that Apple, led by CEO Tim Cook, could consider acquiring the...
By Anousha Sakoui March 20, 2020 | While the world turns to Netflix for entertainment during the coronavirus crisis, the Los Gatos, Calif.-based streaming giant is lending a hand to workers who’ve lost their jobs from production cancellations. The company said it was creating a $100-million fund to provide emergency support to workers on its productions, including electricians, carpenters and drivers, said Ted...
By Kim Masters March 19, 2020 | As the global coronavirus pandemic has shut down movie theaters around the world, the film business faces a potentially transformative question: Should studios hold movies for a later, indefinitely postponed theatrical release or make them available as online attractions now? While NBCUniversal and Sony Pictures are offering films on a pay-per-view basis, media analyst Rich Greenfield...
By Thomas K. Arnold March 13, 2020 | Movie release postponements as well as production suspensions for films and original SVOD series due to the mounting coronavirus health crisis will likely lead to significant shifts in the home release calendar for the rest of the year. With movies typically becoming available for disc or digital delivery three months or so after their theatrical...
Melissa McCarthy vehicle 'Superintelligence' is headed to HBO Max. By Mia Galuppo March 11, 2020 | As Hollywood enters the streaming age, feature film producers are grappling with a new buzzword in pitch meetings: "theatricality." Walt Disney Studios president of production Sean Bailey describes it as the kind of movie "you have to see on the big screen and you have to see...
https://www.degonline.org/bob-iger-got-disney-into-the-streaming-wars-so-what-happens-once-hes-gone-the-verge/By Kim Masters [caption id="attachment_223640" align="alignright" width="300"] Disney's Bobs - Iger (l.) and Chapek.[/caption] March 10, 2020 | Days after Bob Iger’s Feb. 25 resignation as CEO of Disney, the surprise move is still stuck in Hollywood’s craw like a piece of gristle. “I still can’t get my brain around the abruptness,” says a top executive. Having talked through the several theories floating...
Quibi's programming slate features originals with (l. to r.) Liam Hemsworth, Sophie Turner, Chrissy Teigen and Chance the Rapper. By Todd Spangler March 6, 2010 | Ambitious mobile streamer Quibi is one month away from debut, coming out of the gate with 51 shows and movies — the first major test of whether people will pay for premium short-form content they can watch on smartphones. For...
By Brett Lang March 5, 2020 | Keith Feldman has been named chief operating officer of Illumination, the animation powerhouse behind such hits as “Despicable Me” and “The Secret Life of Pets.” He joins Illumination after serving as president and general manager of worldwide home entertainment at 20th Century Fox. In his new role, Feldman will serve as the key strategic partner and adviser to Illumination’s founder...
By Julia Alexander February 29, 2020 | Between 2006 and now, Disney spent around $100 billion to become the unbeatable giant it is today, snapping up Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, BAMTech, and 21st Century Fox. While the acquisitions were made as the result of teamwork across a number of divisions, they were mostly led by two people: Bob Iger, who was CEO up until...