Cineworld Nears Bankruptcy
As the coronavirus threatens to close movie theaters in the US and beyond, Cineworld has warned that there is “significant doubt about the group’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
Box Office
Disney Aims At Netflix
Disney+ nearly triples its subscriber base since launching in November. Through January, the streaming service has 28.6 million subscribers, up from 10 million weeks after it debuted.
Sony Shutters Streaming Service
Sony Pictures is shutting down its PlayStation Vue streaming television service in the first quarter of 2020. Rising content costs and a plethora of choices have made the service untenable.
Box Office Declines
The box office in North America was down almost 5% from 2018 even after rising ticket prices, and despite a slew of mega-budget franchise films being released.
Fox Falters
In the first three months since becoming the new owner of Fox, Disney has publicly complained about Fox’s weak performance and believes there is more trouble on the horizon.
Point of No Return for North America’s Box Office
In 2017, North American theatrical admissions fell to 1992 levels. Admissions in the U.S and Canada dropped 6% to 1.23 billion tickets sold.
Hollywood Financing is Broke [Part One]
Sony Pictures’ co-financing partner, LStar Capital, informed the studio at the last minute that they would no longer invest in Sony’s slate.
Is Sony Pictures for Sale?
Mismanagement of Sony’s film unit over the years has propelled the studio into a downward spiral. Sony is under pressure by investors to sell the film unit.
China’s Rampant Box Office Fraud
On Monday, China passed its first law addressing unbridled box office fraud. For years, theatrical corruption has been accepted as a part of doing business.
Insight: eOne Theatrical Revenues Decline
In an attempt to cash-in on the television boom, eOne is building a greater presence in the U.S. But is eOne’s rush into television too little too late?