Showbiz Sandbox 47: Movie Ticket Prices Get Super Sized
March 29, 2010
Another 3D film took the top spot at the box office this past weekend – “How To Train Your Dragon”. It knocked the 3D “Alice In Wonderland” out of first place after three weeks. As well, in order to play the film in 3D, theater owners were forced to take screens away from “Avatar” which caused it to fall out of the top 10 for the first time since its release last December.
Though 3D films seem to be all the rage these days a question remains over how much audiences are willing to pay to see them. This past week several theater chains raised their prices for 3D and 3D Imax tickets, some as much as 26%. Lauren Schuker of the Wall Street Journal drops by to fill us in on why movie ticket prices are rising and how it might affect this year’s record breaking box office returns.
Speaking of box office returns, thanks to the Cantor Exchange you will soon be able to place a wager on how much money you think a movie will make during its first four weeks in release. Though not if the MPAA has anything to say about it. Unfortunately, you won’t have the movie review program “At The Movies” to help your handicapping efforts. The show that launched the careers of film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert was canceled. Have no fear, Ebert has plans to launch a brand new show. Read more
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Showbiz Sandbox 46: Hollywood’s Latest Meme Is 3D
March 22, 2010
A “Wimpy Kid” couldn’t beat “Alice In Wonderland” at the box office this weekend. The higher price for 3D tickets has turned “Alice” into Tim Burton’s most successful film. And Hollywood studios have definitely noticed how well audiences are responding to 3D. The new format is so hot that, much to the annoyance of James Cameron, they have gone back to convert some upcoming releases to 3D, such as “Clash of the Titans”.
With thirty three 3D films presently slated for release in 2010 this has managed to create a bottle neck at movie theaters where there is usually only enough room to show one 3D film at a time. It’s gotten so competitive that Paramount has told theater owners that if they don’t play “How to Train Your Dragon” on their 3D enabled screen, they won’t send them a 2D print. But that means “Alice’s” engagement will be cut short. Beginning to see the problem?
While movie theaters don’t have enough 3D screens and too much content, the exact opposite is true in the home. Television manufacturers are selling 3D enabled televisions but there is nothing to watch. Have no fear though, Major League Baseball, NCAA basketball and the PGA Masters all have plans for 3D broadcasts. Read more
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Showbiz Sandbox 45: Changing Faces At Variety
March 15, 2010
Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” took the top spot at the box office again this week, which might be why 3D is causing quite a stir at ShoWest this year in Las Vegas. J. Sperling Reich fills us in on what theatre owners are talking about at the annual convention.
This week Hollywood suffered another untimely death, this time it was actor Corey Haim at age 38.
In happier news (for some), Jay Leno seems to be doing quite well back in his old time slot. The late night funnyman went back to “The Tonight Show” and ratings soared. What does this mean for Conan O’Brien and his chances for launching a competing late night talk show?
In music news, Billboard published a list of the Top 40 Moneymakers of 2009. Its well worth checking out as you might be surprised who makes the list. (Although it’s no surprise that U2 tops the list.)
Finally, we are joined by indieWIRE’s Anne Thompson during our Inside Baseball segment to talk about why Variety, the industry’s top trade paper is laying off staff members, including Todd McCarthy, their top film critic. Is this a sign of impending doom for the daily? Read more
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Showbiz Sandbox 44: And The (Six) Oscars Go To… “Hurt Locker”
March 8, 2010
The ballots have been counted, the envelopes have been opened and the nominees have undoubtedly returned their ball gowns and tuxes. Finally, after all the news coverage and public speculation about who would this year’s Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put us out of our misery on Sunday during their annual awards ceremony. The proceedings lasted more than three hours as usual and provided very few surprises.
Katheryn Bigelow made history by being the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for “The Hurt Locker”, which won six awards in total including Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Jim Cameron’s “Avatar” won three technical awards for art direction, cinematography and visual effects. One of the night’s biggest surprises was when Geoffrey Fletcher walked off with the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “Precious”, upsetting Jason Reitman’s “Up In The Air”.
As we predicted on last week’s episode, Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for “Crazy Heart”, Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for “The Blind Side”, Mo’Nique won Best Supporting Actress for “Precious” and Christolph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for “Inglorious Basterds”. Damien Bona, co-author of the book Inside Oscar
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Showbiz Sandbox 43: The Obligatory Oscar Predictions Episode
March 1, 2010
After taking last week off we have to make up for some lost time during our latest episode. This week the Oscar countdown begins as J. Sperling Reich, Michael Giltz, and Karen Woodward attempt to predict who will win some of the top prizes during this year’s ceremony next Sunday evening. Academy Awards experts Anne Thompson from indieWIRE’s Thompson on Hollywood blog and eFilmCritic.com‘s Erik Childress join in on the fun by letting us know what they think of our selections.
Will it be “Avatar” or “Hurt Locker” for Best Picture? Cameron or Bigelow for Best Director? What about Best Actress? Will Meryl Streep edge out Sandra Bullock? Many of the categories we try to predict are truly toss-ups, however Anne and Erik‘s knowledgeable insights could be just what you need to win your Oscar pool.
Meanwhile, there is other entertainment news to talk about, such as Jay Leno’s return to late night television. We whip through all the big showbiz headlines from the past two weeks in our Big Deal or Big Whoop segment, including Dustin Hoffman’s foray into television, the Hollywood Stock Exchange’s transition into a commodity’s market and Kevin Smith’s attempt to board a Southwest Airlines flight. Read more
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