Showbiz Sandbox 473: There Is A Disturbance In The Chinese Force
December 23, 2019
The “Star Wars” franchise was never a huge phenomenon in China the way it was elsewhere in the world, so it wasn’t much of a shock when the latest installment, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” flopped in its opening weekend in the country. It even came in second behind a local martial arts epic from Donnie Yen. In fact, eight out of the top ten earning movies in China during 2019 were homegrown hits as the country’s annual box office reached new heights.
The box office won’t break any records in North America this year, despite the strong opening of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” A film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” sure isn’t helping either. It opened to scathing reviews and grosses to match. Good news though, a new version of the film should be in theaters for its second week.
Meanwhile, Netflix released subscriber info region by region and investors liked what they heard. Obviously, Netflix has hit peak subscribership in the United States, but when you look at how the company is doing in the rest of the world, you can see its customer base is growing substantially.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a new owner for Miramax, NBC/Universal reveals the pricing for the upcoming streaming service and “South Park” rules cable television for the seventh year in a row.
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‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’ Delivers $175.5M Debut While ‘Cats’ Coughs Up a Furball
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed3446670340
China Box Office: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Flops Spectacularly
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-rise-skywalker-flops-spectacularly-china-1264737
Cats Is Still Being Finished
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/universal-notifies-theaters-cats-is-being-updated-improved-visual-effects-1264689
Cohen Media Group Acquires Curzon and Artificial Eye in UK
https://deadline.com/2019/12/curzon-cinemas-acquired-cohen-media-group-1202816303/
Top 10 Films Of The Year in Chinese Box Office
http://chinafilminsider.com/2019-year-in-review-top-10-blockbusters-in-chinese-cinema/
Chinese Box Office Sets All Time Record
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-hits-all-time-high-2019-1263609
South Park Tops Cable in Key Demo For 7th Year In A Row
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/south-park-viewers-watched-30-billion-minutes-show-2019-1263298
Cox Fined $1B For Failing To Stop Copyright Infringement
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/legal-and-management/8546842/cox-1-billion-piracy-lawsuit-labels-publishers
TV Academy Charges Fees For Digital Screeners
https://variety.com/2019/tv/awards/emmys-television-academy-screeners-cost-dvds-rules-1203444574/
‘Pulp Fiction’ studio Miramax stake sold to ViacomCBS
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-12-20/miramax-sells-49-stake-to-viacomcbs
Layoffs Hit ICM Partners as WGA Fight Drags On
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-12-16/icm-partners-layoffs-wga
ICM Partners Takes on Private Equity Investment to Fund Overseas Growth
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-12-16/icm-partners-takes-on-private-equity-partner
Netflix Breaks Out Subs and Rev by Region
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-discloses-regional-data-showing-growth-apac-emea-regions-1263049
Session Legend Emil Richards Dies at 87
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/emil-richards-dead-legendary-percussionist-la-session-player-was-87-1263412
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