Showbiz Sandbox 306: Deconstructing the 2015 Movie Box Office
January 4, 2016
Few, if any, can rival Paul Dergarabedian when it comes to analyzing the film industry’s global box office. Rentrak’s senior media analyst has been running movie numbers for upwards of 20 years now and is a regularly quoted box office pundit. Dergarabedian joins us to discuss how 2015 turned into a record breaking year at the box office all over the world.
We cover everything from how the winners at last year’s box office left little for the losers to the increasing role social media plays in the fortunes of any given movie, from the importance of international grosses to the record shattering “Star Wars” sequel. One big question is how 2016 could ever top last year’s figures or if that even matters.
We wind up in the music business where lawsuits are always a good indication on the issues affecting the industry. Two big new lawsuits target Spotify and Ticketmaster. We’ll explain what they are all about… and predict if they will actually make it to trial.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why The Beatles agreed to put their music on streaming services, how Taylor Swift’s concert tour topped the charts last year and the sexual assault charge against Bill Cosby.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Rentrak Weekly Worldwide Box Office
http://www.rentrak.com/section/movies_and_tv_everywhere/….
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Crosses $100M Milestone in Imax Theaters
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-crosses-851298
Steven Spielberg Puts His Own Big Bucks Into the New Amblin Partners
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/steven-spielberg-amblin-investment-1201669720/
Rentrak Reports 2015 Worldwide Box Office Sets New Record with $38 Billion-Plus
http://investor.rentrak.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=948427
China Box Office Grows Astonishing 48.7 Percent in 2015, Hits $6.78 Billion
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-grows-astonishing-851629
Box Office 2015: How Revenue (Narrowly) Hit a Record $11B in the U.S.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-2015-how-revenue-851167
‘Star Wars,’ ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Push Disney Past $5 Billion Mark for First Time
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-box-office-disney-5-billion-1201666226/
Half Of Top-Grossing Films Worldwide Were Released In 2015
http://deadline.com/2015/12/top-grossing-films-worldwide-half-released-in-2015-1201670465/
Hollywood Rules French Box Office in 2015
http://variety.com/2015/film/box-office/hollywood-france-box-office-2015-1201670302/
Italy Box Office 2015: ‘Inside Out’ Arrives on Top, Overall Revenue Jumps
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/italy-box-office-2015-inside-851473
Brazil on Track For Best B.O. Year in History
http://variety.com/2015/film/global/brazil-track-best-bo-year-history-1201665962/
South Korea Sets Movie Attendance Record for Fifth Consecutive Year
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/south-korea-sets-movie-attendance-851456
Russia Box Office 2015: Mixed Fortunes as Hollywood Gains Share, But Ruble Falls
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russia-box-office-2015-mixed-851470
Hollywood’s Banner Year at the Box Office Masks a Procession of Flops
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywoods-banner-year-at-the-box-office-masks-a-procession-of-flops-1451818332
How The Beatles’ Streaming Marks a Turning Point for Digital Music
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6820964/how-the-beatles-streaming-marks-a-turning-point-for
Christmas Brings Big Sales for Adele, Millions of Streams for the Beatles
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/christmas-adele-charts-beatles-streaming/?_r=0
Crowdfunded ‘Star Trek’ Movie Draws Lawsuit from Paramount, CBS
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/crowdfunded-star-trek-movie-draws-851474
Postal Service Releasing ‘Star Trek’ Stamps
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/star-trek-stamps-usps-1201670318/
In World of Books, A Good Year For Paper
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/12/16/from-coloring-books….
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin misses last TV deadline for new book
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/02/george-rr-martin-deadline-game-of-thrones-book-winds-of-winter
Boost for US IPTV As Broadband Proliferates Across Country
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2015123141175/boost-for-us-iptv-as-broadband-proliferates-across-country.html
Cosby Charged With Sex Assault
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20151231…
Bill Cosby: Criminal Assault Charge Complicates Civil Lawsuit Battle
https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/bill-cosby-criminal-charge-civil-lawsuits-sexual-assault-1201669965/
Cable News Ratings: CNN on the Rise in 2015; Fox News Channel Remains Dominant
https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/cable-news-ratings-cnn-top-gainer-fox-news-channel-dominant-1201666151/
In ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,’ a Black Actress Will Play Hermione
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-announces-cast-for-london-production/
Columbia House Seeks Revival as Vinyl Finds New Groove
http://www.wsj.com/articles/columbia-house-seeks-revival-as-vinyl-finds-new-groove-1450825183
Musicians Sue Spotify for $150 Million Over Unpaid Royalties
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/musicians-sue-spotify-for-150-million-over-unpaid-royalties-20151229
Songkick Sues Live Nation, Ticketmaster For Abusing Power To Stop Direct To Fan Ticket Sales
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/12/songkick-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-for-abusing-power-to-stop-direct-to-fan-ticket-sales.html
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ is 2015’s Highest Grossing Concert Tour By Far
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-taylor-swift-1989-tour-highest-grossing-concerts-pollstar-20151230-story.html
Haskell Wexler, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer and Documentary Filmmaker, Dies at 93
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/haskell-wexler-dead-93-cinematographer-1201668018/
Vilmos Zsigmond, Cinematographer, Dies at 85
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/arts/vilmos-zsigmond.html
Lemmy Kilmister dies at 70; Motörhead singer helped pioneer hard rock
http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-et-ms-1229-lemmy-kilmister-obit-20151230-story.html
Natalie Cole, ‘Unforgettable’ Voice, Dies at 65
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/arts/music/natalie-cole-grammy-award-winning-singer-dies-at-65.html
Wayne Rogers, Trapper John on ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Dies at 82
https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/wayne-rogers-trapper-john-mash-dies-dead-1201670510/
Who wouldn’t love to chat about box office for a living? So beyond my envy of Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak, it was fun to have him in the Sandbox so we could clarify 2015 box office. Yes, worldwide grosses are the only numbers that matter. No, it’s not a disaster that Disney and Universal dominated the box office — one or two studios USUALLY dominate the box office each year. Yes, China will be the #1 market for movies in the blink of an eye. To hear more, as well as our coverage of the rest of the entertainment news, check out our free podcast!