Cinema owners, studios and indie distributors gathering in Las Vegas this week for exhibition’s biggest confab seek visibility into a theatrical landscape gut-punched by Hollywood strikes last year just as a post-Covid recovery was revving up. Production halted for months led to fewer releases on the schedule. But there’s reason for optimism, from Dune 2
Amazon
MGM+‘s Michael Katzer is relocating to London to become the streamer’s Head of International. According to an internal note from MGM+ Global General Manager Josh McIvor, Katzer be the GM for all business outside the U.S. at the Amazon-owned platform, overseeing day-to-day operations and supporting long-term, strategy and planning. He will move to London and
Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock back with you. So much news to get through this week — here’s a pick of the biggest and best stories. Sign up for the newsletter here. BAFTA Film Award Noms Kicking ass and taking noms: After a competitive longlist stage, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer pulled out in front at BAFTA, clocking a leading 13
EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this morning, Amazon revealed that it was letting go several hundred employees across Prime Video and Amazon Studios as part of a review of its business. Details have emerged about the cuts, which were described by one source close to the company as a “bloodbath”. Execs let go include Nancy Cotton, Arturo Interian,
The indie box office busted out this year, hitting is stride post-Covid with an eclectic string of releases that made a splash artistically and financially. Independents and mini-majors saw $1.47 billion in box office receipts as of Dec. 27, up from $811.7 million in 2022, according to Comscore. Focus Features had the biggest limited opening
Amazon announced in September that ads were on the way for Prime Video‘s entertainment content. Now we have a date. On January 29, commercials will be introduced to series and movies airing on the service in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. That will be followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the
Amazon is teasing Prime Video’s offerings for 2024 and released the first looks of projects starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Camila Mendes and more. The sizzle real for the films and television series that will be available on Amazon’s streaming service showcased a first look at Road House. Gyllenhaal is featured at the beginning of
Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble said Apple and Amazon, two behemoths of the tech world but newcomers to the wide-release movie business, are so far “very pleased” with their results. During a conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss third-quarter results, the major exhibitor boss said Cinemark’s conversations with the two tech firms indicate they
UPDATED, 4:49 PM: In the wake of notching a shiny 82% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score with critics coming out of its Telluride Film Festival premiere, Saltburn from Oscar winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell is going a week earlier on Nov. 17, limited. MGM will then expand the film on Nov. 22 to take advantage of holiday
The identity of Dan Grabiner’s new production house wasn’t secret for long. The outgoing Amazon UK exec is teaming with British factual veteran Nicola Hill to launch Orchard Studios. Grabiner will be CEO of Orchard, with Hill, the former co-CEO of The Garden, taking an MD role. The venture will be based in London. Production
Amid all the noise about studios taking apart the fall and fourth-quarter release schedule over the SAG-AFTRA strike, here’s some good news: Amazon is taking its Emerald Fennell-directed movie Saltburn out on Black Friday, November 24, in New York and Los Angeles. Pic will expand December 1. In the wake of releasing Ben Affleck’s Air
Prime Video’s unscripted originals push in the Nordics is continuing. The Amazon-owned streamer has unveiled a 12-strong slate of unscripted shows that will launch this fall, including an expansion of the LOL: Last One Laughing format and new titles such as Girls of Oslo and Parneviks All In!. LOL is getting new versions in Denmark
EXCLUSIVE: The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has created the Erik Lomis Leadership Award, which will be bestowed at the charity’s 30th Annual Film Row Charity Golf Classic. Modeled after the Payne Stewart Award given annually by the PGA Tour, which is given to a player whose values align with the character, charity, and
Wild Isles, the latest BBC nature documentary series narrated by Sir David Attenborough, has been picked up by Amazon. The streamer will air the five-part series in the U.S. and around the world, excluding the UK, after acquiring the rights from distributor Banijay Rights. The series, which launched in the UK earlier this year, comes
The media news cycle is in a frenzy today over a Bloomberg piece that Apple will shell out a $1 billion to produce big screen features annually. That’s great news for exhibition, yes. But, in reality, doing the math, the streamer was already bound to spend in the billions on a feature slate. Apple’s deep
The death of MGM distribution chief Erik Lomis on Wednesday has shocked many around Hollywood. More than just being a sage to filmmakers and executives about the motion picture business, Lomis was known for his generosity fundraising with the Will Rogers Institute, cultivating others’ careers, and even being a mentor to many in their personal
The power of a wide theatrical release was realized this weekend by streamer Amazon in its pivot back to the big screen with MGM/United Artists Releasing’s Creed III. It easily minted the best opening ever for the Seattle-based parent, as well as for the Rocky franchise, with $58.6M domestic, $100.4M worldwide. While Amazon has snapped
Amazon said today its revenue rose 9% to $149 billion for the fourth quarter, beating forecasts, on a big drop in net income. The commerce and cloud giant gave a big shout-out to its entertainment business from The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power to Thursday Night Football. Key web services division AWS