Hollywood Breaks

This week we talk about what's happening with this Black Widow - Scarlett Johansson lawsuit with Disney and really wondering "Is this an actress-only situation that's happening?" — Dwayne Johnson gave us something to think about. Hello Sunshine though, Reese Witherspoon's company, sold for some beaucoup bucks last week — and that's a really interesting move and opportunity for new influencers to play in the field as well as looking at actors and actresses' careers and how they played themselves out. And lastly, this throwback move with Universal and their Boss Baby release!  If you're in the film, entertainment, even just curious space, we're happy to have you join us!

Is Disney just bullying Scarlett Johansson by using Covid as an excuse? What are the major shifts happening in the world of streaming platforms? What "revolutions" are we looking forward to with regards to the future generation of Hollywood leaders? We've discussed this and many more in Episode 49 of our weekly Hollywood Breaks show.

This week we speak about those inside politics of Netflix—is their culture really changing or is Big Brother watching over their internal people? We also make note that Netflix hopefully makes progress in improving some of those quality movies by creating new leadership in the movies. We also talk about films that have the potential to revive theatres, as well as the next big franchise on the film marketplace.

This week we welcome back one of our favorite Hollywood Breakers, Marketing Executive Robin Geisen! 

We're diving into subjects such as the recent firings at Netflix over a Slack chat, the future of movie-going business from a talent perspective, and also Space Jam coming to a theater or streamer near you.

This week we discuss the blockbuster hit Black Widow, but also the shifts in filmmaking and what's really happening in our industry. Is the Sun Valley Conference going to solve the problems of the industry, or are we seeing a possible evolution of filmmakers and artists that are rebelling?

Is F9 really the new mark for success in Theatrical? Filmmakers may need to change their scorecard for success and not depend on opening box office as a benchmark for career and investment. But the lack of independence will take its toll. Will the storyteller survive, or will they just be a commodity for the future OTT consumption game?

Spielberg is going for a remake called Saving Private Equity by inking a deal with Netflix for Amblin. A sign of the times when the strongest advocate for the theatrical experience changes course and gets in bed with Netflix business model of Quantity over Quality. Netflix has to leveraging against the WJS coverage that their films do not stand test of time. Of all the major players, Netflix scores a BIG 0 when it comes to films that are talked about 5 months after release. 

The Boomer Elite of the Hollywood Studios are no longer being honest about the industry. The delusional press release that “everything is OK” is covering up the reality that the creative process is in a tailspin. The only big moves of any studio is to merge or release 1000+ pieces of content over a weekend. When the real creative process is being throttled by a cold cultural revolution of censorship and silencing the true dialogue in our world.

Keith Rauch and Tim Thompson discuss the Insider's view on the box office and why The Quiet Place is dominating even after the big marketing push for Into the Heights.

The Netflix failure of Jupiter Legacy has already made a list of scapegoats from inside but will also create pressure from the outside with investors. The pressure continues with Disney to determine the deal for actors and directors could this lead to a future strike?

Tim Heindl of Lionsgate has seen the evolution of marketing into what is now a David vs Goliath mound of data.

But the human experience can’t be captured in a data driven industry so micro giants like Lionsgate separate themselves from the crowd by finding an audience and inspire them to connect with the content.