Showbiz Sandbox 502: The Entertainment Industry’s Slow News Week
July 14, 2020
With concerts and live performances canceled, cinemas closed, movie studios delaying releases, and streaming video or music the only entertainment audiences can enjoy, the industry is slowly grinding to a halt. Perhaps show business folk were recovering from the Fourth of July holiday weekend or are preparing for Bastille Day, but there was hardly any entertainment news to report.
Even so, we tell you why North America’s largest cinema chains are suing the state of New Jersey, what is happening to the release of the latest “Halloween” horror films and why music may be disappearing from elevators.
Plus, proving just how strange a year 2020 has become, the Venice, Toronto, Telluride and New York Film Festivals – usually fierce competitors – have decided to collaborate on what entries they present, not to mention how to do so safely.
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Showbiz Sandbox 501: Are Movie Studios Starting To Panic?
July 8, 2020
With most of the world’s cinemas having been closed for the past five months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood studios and other film distributors have been unable to release new movies theatrically. However, even if movie theaters are able to open their doors, will studios be willing to release expensive blockbusters at a time when a new COVID-19 outbreak could shut them down again at any moment?
Meanwhile the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited over 800 new professionals from around the world this year, achieving their goal of diversifying the organization’s membership base.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including the WGA avoids a strike by reaching a deal on a new contract with producers, Beavis and Butt-Head grow up and the United Kingdom pledges to $2 billion for arts programs.
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Showbiz Sandbox 500: Hollywood Could Use A Social Media Coach
July 1, 2020
When it comes to social media, Hollywood seems to have a love/hate relationship. Celebrities and entertainment companies love being able to promote themselves and their latest work directly with fans and audiences, but they hate it when they get into trouble with their tweets and Facebook posts.
Our former co-host Karen Woodward works as a social media manager with some of the best and brightest in the entertainment industry. She stops by to explain how being earnest and sincere is the ideal approach to successfully tackling social media. Woodward also fills us in on the latest trends in social media and whether it’s worth getting onto Instagram and TikTok.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why the value of the music streaming service Spotify has skyrocketed, China cracks down on fan-fiction and IMDb wins a court case for the ages.
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Showbiz Sandbox 499: The Problems Facing Movie Theaters After They Reopen
June 23, 2020
Though the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, cinemas around the world are making plans to reopen having to take health and hygiene into consideration. In laying out their new safety protocols some theater chains are stumbling in how they make moviegoers feel comfortable with the idea of returning to the cinema. Yet, the real challenges facing exhibitors will come after they reopen.
Then there is the uncertainty of what new movie releases will be available once theaters do turn on their lights, Titles such as Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” keep getting delayed as large markets such as China are showing no signs of reopening cinemas.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including how BTS made millions performing a concert despite nobody showing up in person, DC Comics gets into podcasting and a popular video game sets a new standard for making the medium accessible to disabled people.
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Showbiz Sandbox 498: Comic Book Industry Fights For Survival, Meanwhile China and US Simply Fight
June 16, 2020
While the coronavirus has shut down movies, concerts and live theater, it has absolutely decimated the comic book industry. Pop culture journalist Geoff Boucher joins us to look at the future for comic book stores and comic book movies. Spoiler alert – one of these is in dire straits.
Currently, Boucher is co-authoring a book on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios. And this week he’s launching another his own podcast hosted by the legendary comic book magazine Heavy Metal.
Meanwhile, Chris Fenton, a longtime exec in Asia and the author of “Feeding The Dragon,” wrote a piece for Real Clear Politics saying Hollywood and China are headed for a divorce…but he explains why they should make certain it a conscious uncoupling.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including how media companies are jumping on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon, SAG-AFTRA reaches a new deal with producers avoiding a strike and the Oscars update their rules for the Best Picture category.
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Showbiz Sandbox 497: A Status Update on the Future of Movie Theaters
June 12, 2020
As countries all over the globe shut down their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 94% of the world’s movie theaters closed down for business due to health concerns or lack of new releases. There has been countless speculation about when cinemas would reopen or if audiences would actually return once they do. As well, Hollywood studios have pushed back the release of so many titles, what new movies will even be available to show?
As the head of the film department at the research firm Omdia, and an expert in the cinema sector, David Hancock has been tracking all the data associated with the industry’s current predicament. He joins us to explain how movie theaters are reopening, what obstacles they face even if successful and why the industry may lose $35 billion in box office over the next two years due to the pandemic.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why the Metropolitan Opera in New York has canceled its fall season, why one of the most successful e-sports athletes of all-time is retiring at 23 and filmmaker James Cameron returns to New Zealand to continue production on the “Avatar” sequels.
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Showbiz Sandbox 496: Hollywood Jumps On the TikTok Bandwagon
June 3, 2020
Even after the platform helped Lil Nas X turn “Old Town Road” into one of the most successful popular songs of all time, there are some (mostly older) demographics that are unfamiliar with the explosive popularity of the social media platform. Natalie Jarvey, the Senior Digital Media Editor at the Hollywood Reporter, joins us to discuss how TikTok is doing YouTube one better as a launching pad for new talent.
In fact, TikTokers with tens of millions of followers, many of whom are still teenagers, have begun to attract Hollywood talent agencies, record labels and major brands, ultimately leading to big paydays. However, as fast as TikTok became the social media flavor of the moment, could its star fade just as fast.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including which major entertainment conglomerates are backing #BlackLivesMatters during recent civic protests, the Writers Guild of America takes aim at international residuals and “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” sets a new record for a sitcom.
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Showbiz Sandbox 495: Coming Up With A Popular Method To Calculate Streaming Residuals
May 26, 2020
With audiences spending countless hours streaming video during the coronavirus pandemic, and with some movies once bound for cinemas bypassing theaters and going directly to video-on-demand, the issue over residual payments to those that make all the content has once again become a hot button issue. This especially true since global streaming subscription revenue doubled in four years to $37 billion in 2019 and is expected to hit $62 billion by 2024.
Rather than being based on box office, ratings or profits, when it comes to streaming, residuals turned into a low fixed annual payment, no matter how big a hit your series or movie was. Now the Writers Guild of America has proposed a tiered system based on viewership to make sure residual payments reflect the new streaming reality when it comes to the likes of Disney+, HBO Max and Netflix.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why “Batwoman” lost its star, People magazine heads to television and Joe Rogan’s podcast payday.
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Showbiz Sandbox 494: Broadway Productions Remain In The Dark About Reopening
May 19, 2020
Broadway theaters and their equivalent in the West End and local communities around the world face a much huge hurdle in reopening after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Productions now face challenges such as paying rent for theaters which aren’t holding performances, houses that don’t accommodate social distancing, an aging audience, a lack of tourists, canceled shows and more.
The list of delayed productions is too long to cover, but even shows on hold, shows that were touring or playing on Broadway are calling it quits. Last week, the Donna Summer touring musical shut down for good along with Disney’s “Frozen.” The musical was suffering from falling grosses, but even so, the move sent shivers through the Broadway community.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why the Hollywood Bowl is going dark for the first time in 98 years, bull riding competitions get the green light and which North American network topped the rating last season.
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Showbiz Sandbox 493: Rebooting Film and TV Production Won’t Be Easy
May 12, 2020
When most of the global entertainment industry shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t just movie theaters, concert halls and amusement parks that were affected. The sudden lockdown forced film and television productions of all kinds to be suspended, no matter what stage they were in. What has yet to be determined is how to start filming new shows and movies while keeping cast and crew safe.
Questions remain over everything from how to shoot love scenes moving forward, whether cast and crew should sequester themselves during production to how often everyone on set should be tested to how meal breaks should be handled. There are concerns over every aspect of a production, including craft services.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including an increase in cord-cutting among cable subscribers, why a major Hollywood talent agency is struggling to survive the industry’s lockdown and how the Fox network is making their upcoming television season coronavirus-proof.
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