News from Studio Briefing

20 articles

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

The box-office began to settle into its usual end-of-summer blahs last weekend, with Tropic Thunder, the final blockbuster release of the season, leading the pack with just $25.8 million. Warner Bros.' previously unstoppable The Dark Knight couldn't even crack $20 million, winding up with $16.4 million in its fifth week (and also winding up on the No. 2 spot on the all-time list, behind Titanic). An animated Star Wars variation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted with $14.6 million. Another newcomer, the horror flick Mirrors, which was not screened for critics, wound up with $11.2 million. Dropping from second to fifth place was Pineapple Express, which settled for $9.8 million. Overall, the top 12 films grossed $111.7 million, down 2 percent from last year's $114 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):1. Tropic Thunder, Paramount, $25,812,796, 1 Wk. ($36,845,588) -- From Wednesday); 2. The Dark Knight, Warner Bros., $16,379,293, 5 Wks. ($471,082,150); 3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Warner Bros., $14,611,273, (New); 4. Mirrors, Fox, $11,161,074, (New); 5. Pineapple Express, Sony $9,808,295, 2 Wks. ($62,740,789); 6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Universal, $8,205,720, 3 Wks. ($86,245,775); 7. Mamma Mia!, Universal, $6,096,250, 5 Wks. ($116,013,715); 8. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Warner Bros., $5,785,250, 2 Wks. ($32,002,712); 9. Step Brothers, Sony, $4,807,904, 4 Wks. ($90,695,938); 10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, MGM, $3,755,575, (New).

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

The horror film Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland of 24 fame, which opened without being screened for critics, was reviewed by them over the weekend. It received the expected pans. Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times called it "ridiculous" and added, "Mirrors reflects back nothing." Jeanette Catsoulis in the New York Times commented that Sutherland "is believably beleaguered, though not even as Jack Bauer did he ever pull a gun on a nun. It's good to see him stretch." But, addressing Sutherland, Roger Moore wrote in the Orlando Sentinel, "There's got to be more of an excuse for this than 'this is all I could line up for my hiatus from 24.'" And Bruce DeMara in the Toronto Star concluded "In a film that features scads of broken mirrors, the recipients of the proverbial bad luck seem to be those who unwisely bought a ticket."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

The record TV ratings of the Beijing Olympics during their first week despite intensive online coverage may dispel the general notion that the Internet poses a threat to broadcasters, advertising representatives attending the Games have told the International Herald Tribune. "People have always been talking about how digital media will take away audiences from TV," Chris Reitermann, president of the Chinese unit of OgilvyOne, a direct marketing agency, told the newspaper. "That's just not happening. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for a lot of people." Some advertisers acknowledged that before the ratings results came in they were worried that the money they had spent on TV ads -- reportedly around $700,000 each -- would be drawn down by the Internet coverage. But Kevin Alavy, who heads a research arm of media buyers Interpublic Group, said, "We're living in an era of audience fragmentation, but here's an event that isn't fragmenting but is going through the roof." In an interview with today's New York Times, NBC chief Jeff Zucker said, "It's a great story for network television. ... This proves the pipes still work." (They continued to work on Monday as the Games attracted an average of 25.39 million viewers, dominating all other programming for an 11th straight night.)

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

Claiming that it bought the rights to DC Comics' The Watchmen in the 1980s, 20th Century Fox on Monday said that it will attempt to obtain an injunction to block Warner Bros., which owns DC Comics, from releasing an already-completed film based on the flawed superheroes. The film, directed by Zak Snyder (300) and starring Patrick Wilson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is scheduled for release on March 6. Fox had sued Warner Bros. last February, and on Monday a federal judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit. L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke commented on her Dateline Hollywood Daily website, "This is indeed a stunning development which could imperil Warner Bros' entire 2009 movie slate." But legal experts interviewed by Wired magazine predicted a settlement under which Warner Bros. would go ahead with the release of the movie with Fox getting a piece of the revenue.

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

The MPAA on Monday announced the results of what it called Operation Takedown, a crackdown on piracy conducted in 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region between May and July. "The operation resulted in the arrest of 461 suspected pirates 56 camcorders caught in the act, as well as seizures of more than 75 million pirated optical discs and 1,000 optical disc burners, capable of producing hundreds of thousands of pirated movies a year and potentially millions in illicit revenue," the MPAA said in a statement. More than half the burners were seized in Taiwan, it said, 329 in one location, representing "the biggest burner lab bust since 2004."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

MGM is looking to raise as much as $600 million to finance an upcoming film slate, including Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, additional Pink Panther comedies starring Steve Martin, and a remake of the 1980 musical Fame, Bloomberg News reported today (Tuesday). "In the past, movie studios haven't offered Wall Street the opportunity to participate in their biggest and best films," MGM spokesman Jeff Pryor told the wire service. "There is a lot of interest because of the quality of product we have." Only last month Paramount scrapped similar plans to raise $450 million from a unit of Germany's Deutsche Bank, blaming the current lending climate. The Deutsche Bank unit, set up specifically to invest in entertainment projects, was subsequently shut down.

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

In a move apparently aimed at protecting CBS's most lucrative franchise, William Petersen, who's leaving CSI: Crime Scene Investigation this season is being replaced by film star Laurence Fishburne, the network announced Monday. It said that Fishburne will be introduced on a forthcoming show as a college professor/criminologist who studies the reasons people turn to crime and who is asked to consult on a case with the CSI team. He is subsequently asked to join up with them.

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

After exchanging new snipes with each other, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists have agreed to conduct joint talks with advertisers on commercials contracts. Nevertheless, the two unions continued to bicker over which side had proposed the joint negotiations, and AFTRA executives disclosed that they had asked AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to bring in a federal mediator to help resolve the continued enmity between their union and SAG. SAG leaders responded that they "are certainly willing to engage with AFTRA in discussions with the AFL-CIO about the ongoing relationship of our organizations."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

Several major media companies, including CBS and Lions Gate, have stopped policing YouTube and demanding that it take down unauthorized clips -- and have instead started selling ads alongside them, according to the New York Times. The new tactic appears especially surprising in the case of CBS, whose corporate sibling Viacom has sued YouTube and its parent Google for $1 billion, alleging copyright infringement, the Times observed. But the thinking behind the new strategy was articulated by Curt Marvis, head of digital media for Lions Gate. "[We] don't like the idea of keeping fans of our products from being able to engage with our content," he told the newspaper. "For the most part, people who are uploading videos are fans of our movies. They're not trying to be evil pirates and they're not trying to get revenue from it."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 August 2008 10:38 AM, PDT

The International Olympics Committee has gone to great lengths to make certain that the brands of companies who are not official sponsors of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games are not seen in TV or other media coverage, the website TechDirt reported Monday. It noted that not only are people who wear clothing with the logos of non-sponsors being barred from the stands, but that even the brand names of other companies are being covered throughout the Olympics venues so that it doesn't appear that they are being given a free ride. The trademark of American Standard on the faucets around the stadium, for example, have been taped over as well as the logo on the headsets made by Taiden Industrial used in a conference room. Even the sign atop an InterContinental hotel next to the press center has been covered with a cloth because InterContinental Hotels is not a sponsor.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Netflix is still not saying what caused an error in its system that resulted in millions of customers not receiving DVDs on time last week, but they did say on Friday that the problem had been resolved. It indicated that the glitch affected all 55 Netflix distribution centers. The company said that it would issue a 15-percent refund to subscribers whose DVDs were delayed. It blamed the problem on "severe technical difficulties," but was otherwise closed-lipped about the problem.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Cracks in the unity of the Screen Actors Guild widened over the weekend as New York members demanded that a federal mediator be called in to break the stalemate in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Despite claims by SAG Executive Director Doug Allen and President Alan Rosenberg that the union has been holding informal talks with members of the AMPTP, the New York members maintained, "Nothing is happening, and we're no closer to a deal today than we were six weeks ago." Presumably speaking not only for the union but also whomever the union is negotiating with, Allen said that mediation "has not, up to this point, been viewed as something the parties feel would facilitate an agreement." For its part, the AMPTP issued a statement saying that "no meetings, formal or informal" are taking place.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Robert Downey Jr. may only be spoofing, as he reportedly does to hilarious effect playing a white Australian actor playing an African-American soldier in Tropic Thunder, but he has boldly given The Dark Knight its worst review yet. When asked during an interview with MovieHole.net about the Batman sequel, Downey said that he "didn't get it. ... [I] still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character." He said that while watching the movie, it dawned on him, "I get it. This is so high-brow and so f***ing smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie." He then added, "You know what? F*** DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from." Last month, Downey starred as Iron Man, created by DC comics' principal rival, Marvel.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Overseas, The Dark Knight made a comeback of sorts, returning to the No. 1 spot with an estimated $42.4 million to bring its foreign total to $328.6 million, according to trade reports. It had been taken down two weeks ago by The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which fell to second place with $32.6 million. Its overseas total now stands at $196.6 million. But clearly the sensation of the foreign market remains the musical Mamma Mia!, which broke through the $200-million marker with $16.8 million to bring its total to $204.6 million. It has taken in $116.4 million domestically.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

The Dark Knight's reign as the box-office leader ended propitiously over the weekend as it raked in an additional $16.8 million to become the second-highest grossing film of all time domestically. It has now taken in $471.5 million. Over the past 30 years, the previous No. 2, the original Star Wars, had taken in $461 million. The all-time champ is 1997's Titanic with $601 million. Although it opened with a much smaller gross than Knight, Titanic continued to average around $35 million weekly through its first three months of release. Opening on December 21, 1997, it did not dip below $20 million until the first weekend of April. By that time it had already taken in $515 million. Knight was taken down by the comedy Tropic Thunder which made a modest debut with $26 million. (On a per-theater basis, it was also beaten by the Woody Allen movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which averaged $5,361 at 692 theaters, while Knight averaged $4,677 at 3,590 theaters.) The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted with $15.5 million, while the horror film Mirrors opened with $11.1 million. In its second weekend Pineapple Express dropped a whopping 57 percent to place fifth with $10 million. Overall, the box-office total was nearly identical to the comparable weekend a year ago, suggesting that the Olympic Games telecasts had little impact on ticket sales. (Then again, all of the top films advertised heavily on the telecasts).

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Tropic Thunder, $26 million; 2. The Dark Knight, $16.8 million; 3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, $15.5 million; 4. Mirrors, $11.1 million; 5. Pineapple Express, $10 million; 6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $8.6 million; 7. Mamma Mia!, $6.5 million; 8. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, $5.9 million; 9. Step Brothers, $5 million; 10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, $3.7 million.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

Veteran TV news producer Leroy Sievers, who spent ten years with CBS News before becoming executive producer of ABC's Nightline, died Saturday in Maryland at age 53 after chronicling his seven-year battle with cancer on NPR and developing a blog for cancer sufferers called "My Cancer." In a statement, former Nightline anchor Ted Koppel said, "Cancer was not in Leroy's plans. But he turned his battle with cancer into the most dramatic, the most moving and the most important story of his life."

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

The overwhelming majority of people who watch cable and broadcast newscasts and topical variety shows are unable to identify the party that now controls Congress, name the current secretary of state, and name Britain's new prime minister, according to the new Pew Survey on News Consumption. The national average for answering those three questions is only 18 percent, the study found; only 10 percent among viewers of the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric, by far the lowest ranked among the nightly news programs. The survey said that 21 percent of the viewers of NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams could answer the questions; 19 percent of the viewers of ABC World News with Charles Gibson could. Ranking higher than any of the nightly newscasts, however, were Comedy Central's The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with 34 percent and 30 percent respectively.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

General Motors, which has already drastically cut back its current spending on television advertising, is now pulling its spots from next year's Oscars telecast as well, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Monday). According to the newspaper, the automaker spent $13 million on ads for this year's Oscars telecast. "It is a great property but it simply didn't fit into our plays for 2009," a GM spokeswoman told the newspaper.

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

The Olympics have already paid off handsomely for General Electric, NBC's corporate parent, GE Chairman Jeff Immelt said today (Monday). In an interview with the Associated Press, Immelt said that in addition to the reported $1 billion in ad sales generated by the Olympics for NBC, sales by GE subsidiaries of power and other equipment for the sports venues have brought in another $700 million. He reiterated that Ge has no plans to sell NBC. "We've never contemplated it We don't think about it. We like the business," he said. Asked what he thinks about the ribbing meted out to GE executives on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, Immelt replied, "I think it's funny. If a show is good and gets good ratings, I don't mind if they poke fun at their parent every now and then."

Permalink | Report a problem

18 August 2008 10:26 AM, PDT

After deserting their television sets in droves earlier in the summer, Americans have returned to them en masse for the Beijing Olympics, with NBC averaging more than 30 million viewers per night during the contests' first week. In an interview with CNBC on Friday, NBC chief Jeff Zucker remarked that the success of the Olympics telecasts shows "that if you put on great programming that people want to watch, they they'll show up." Even, apparently on Saturday night -- a night that all of the networks have all but abandoned in recent years. With more than 31 million viewers tuning in, the Olympics telecasts produced NBC's best ratings for a Saturday night in 18 years, the Associated Press reported. Although ratings are expected to fall considerably during the second week, many analysts nevertheless are predicting that Beijing will beat Athens, which, with 24.6 million viewers, holds the record for a non-domestic Olympics. Surprisingly, the telecasts are receiving the biggest ratings in the two sections of the country where virtually all of the events are being tape-delayed. The Mountain time zone is averaging a 22.7 rating and a 41 share. The Pacific time zone is averaging a 20.3/39. The Central time zone is third with a 19.4/33, while the Eastern places fourth with an 18.6/33.

Permalink | Report a problem

20 articles