Showbiz Sandbox 218: Reports of Hollywood’s Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated
December 23, 2013
Beating up on the film business seems to be all the rage lately, as witnessed by the New York Times recently suggesting the industry was in “survival mode”. Yet the worldwide box office is about to break another all-time record and home video revenue actually went up in 2012. With grosses rising in several sectors, including television, why is there still a debate over the health of the business?
Speaking of debates, just about everyone this past week seemed to have an opinion about the controversial comments made by Phil Robertson, the 67-year-old patriarch of the family that runs the Louisiana hunting supply company depicted in the A&E reality series “Duck Dynasty”. Was the network too quick in their response by suspending Robertson?
Amazon and Target also acted quickly this past week when they announced they would not be selling physical copies of Beyoncé’s latest album after, in a surprise move just days before, she released it exclusively on iTunes.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the end of Katie Couric’s daytime talk show, Shia LaBeouf’s plagiarism and how talent agencies are relying on sports to grow their business.
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‘Dhoom 3’ Early Global Hit, Eyeing $25 Million-Plus Opening
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-dhoom-3-early-667438
DreamWorks Animation: ‘Turbo’ Will Turn a Profit and Digital Sales Are Up
http://www.thewrap.com/dreamworks-animation-turbo-profit-digital-sales
‘Fast & Furious 7’ Gets New Release Date
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fast-furious-7-gets-new-667232
Strong Profit Margin at Paramount Pictures Underlines a Hollywood Shift
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/23/business/media/strong-profit-margin-at-paramount-pictures-underlines-a-hollywood-shift.html?src=dayp
‘Duck Dynasty’ Family: ‘We Cannot Imagine the Show’ Without Phil Robertson
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/duck-dynasty-family-we-cannot-667070
Fans Criticize Move To Suspend “Duck Dynasty” Star
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/business/media/fans-criticize-move-to-suspend-duck-dynasty-star.html?hpw&rref=television
Duck Dynasty and Walmart Sales Skyrocket
http://guardianlv.com/2013/12/duck-dynasty-walmart-sales-skyrocket/
‘Duck Dynasty’ Backlash Spotlights An Uneasy Reality In TV Industry
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-duck-dynasty-phil-backlash-20131220,0,406654.story
Barry Diller’s IAC Responds to ‘Outrageous’ AIDS Tweet From PR Exec’s Account
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/barry-dillers-iac-responds-outrageous-667318
Target Not Selling Beyonce’s New Album
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/5839839/target-not-selling-beyonces-new-album
Amazon Will Not Sell Physical Copies of Beyoncé’s New Album, Either
http://pitchfork.com/news/53418-amazon-will-not-sell-beyonces-new-album-either/
J.K. Rowling To Co-produce Magical New Stage Play Based On Harry Potter
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2526685/Harry-flies-West-End-J-K-Rowling-produce-new-stage-play-based-best-selling-books.html
Melville House, Dan Clowes Plan Response to Labeouf Plagiarism
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/60477-melville-house-dan-clowes-plan-response-to-labeouf-plagiarism.html
Shia LaBeouf Apologizes After Plagiarizing Artist Daniel Clowes For His New Short Film
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jordanzakarin/shia-labeouf-rip-off-daniel-clowes-howard-cantour
Xbox’s First Original Show: Docuseries From Oscar Winner
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/xboxs-first-original-show-docuseries-666837
Unreleased 1963 Beatles Tracks Hit iTunes Ahead of Copyright Deadline
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/17/showbiz/beatles-bootlegs/
Katie Couric Talk Show Officially Canceled
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/katie-couric-talk-show-canceled-667040
TV Ratings: ‘X Factor’ Finale Falls 45 Percent From 2012
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-x-factor-finale-667177
Sony Hires Superstar Writers to Expand ‘Spider-Man’ Universe
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/amazing-spider-man-spinoffs-sony-665538
‘Despicable Me 2’ Enjoys Largest First-Week Digital Sales Ever
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/despicable-me-2-enjoys-largest-666346
Publishers to Bring Out Sequel to Stieg Larsson’s ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Books
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/publishers-to-bring-out-sequel-to-stieg-larssons-dragon-tattoo-books/
Brash Agent at William Morris Extends Reach in IMG Merger
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/william-morris-said-to-have-won-auction-for-sports-and-talent-agency/
It’s truly bizarre that people in the news industry who cover Hollywood can report on record North American and worldwide box office and yet year after year suggest it’s a house of cards about to tumble down. It’s never been a better time to be a major studio making big budget movies.