3-D is a waste of a perfectly good dimension. Hollywood’s current crazy stampede toward it is suicidal. It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches…
Month: April 2010
Blockbuster battles Redbox
Vidstore banks on bigger kiosks
Blockbuster is tired of seeing red: The company is gearing up to battle Redbox for a major piece of the video rental kiosk business by installing thousands of its own boxes nationwide this summer…
https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118018342.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Movie Futures Trading Ban Inches Closer in Senate
Congress has moved a step closer to banning trading of movie box office futures.
The ban has been incorporated into the final version of Wall Street reform legislation now on the Senate floor…
https://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/movie-futures-trading-ban-inches-closer-senate-16686
‘Avatar’ sets first-day Blu-ray sales record
Featuring a 2D version of the theatrical blockbuster for now, DVDs and Blu-ray discs of James Cameron’s “Avatar” were flying off store shelves Thursday, the movie’s first day in stores…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3icc341acc4f9c061e5afe8a406e552751
Popularity of 3-D is affecting how screenplays are written
Some filmmakers fear the technology will eventually dictate which films are greenlighted.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-3ddirector-20100425,0,2986021.story
Another Red-Envelope Quarter for Netflix
Netflix roundly beat Wall Street’s expectations with its latest quarterly earnings.
The video subscription service reported Wednesday that its net income rose 44 percent to $32.3 million, or 59 cents a share. Revenue climbed 25 percent to $493.7 million.
That was even better than expected…
https://www.thewrap.com/article/netflix-trumps-analyst-expectations-strong-quarter-16565
Hulu pushes forward with $9.95 subscription service
Hulu, the popular online site for watching television shows, plans to begin testing a subscription service as soon as May 24, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
Under the proposal, Hulu would continue to provide for free the five most recent episodes of shows like Fox’s “Glee,” “ABC’s “Lost” or NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” But viewers who want to see additional episodes would pay $9.95 a month to access a more comprehensive selection, called Hulu Plus, these people said…
Redbox agrees to Universal, Fox windows
Redbox has agreed not to rent movies from Universal and Fox until 28 days after the studios’ movies bow on DVD.
At the time, Redbox sued Universal after the studio told distributors not to sell DVDs to Redbox. Studios have felt threatened by cheaper rental services like Redbox, saying the companies hurt DVD sales, with consumers bypassing buying a disc if they can just rent the title for $1…
https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118018166.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
MGM woes halt work on next Bond film
It looks like it’s going to be a quantum of silence for Bond fans.
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions Ltd., producer of the long-running James Bond franchise, said Monday that development work on the next 007 film had been suspended…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3iffccd69245ce8f75cc045012fb4559f5
Lions Gate Goes Rogue on Movie Futures Trading
Lions Gate has broken ranks from the Hollywood opposition to movie futures trading, coming out in support Thursday to proposed markets based on box-office projections.
And apparently, Lions Gate isn’t alone…
https://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/congress-futures-traders-it-would-be-sheer-folly-16563