Universal Archives

End of AMC Theatres?

December 3, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

The world’s largest theater chain faces imminent bankruptcy if shareholders fail to purchase 200 million new shares being offered by the company.

Netflix Shatters Glass Ceiling

January 21, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix shocked most industry observers by receiving a leading 24 Academy Award nominations, more than any other distributor, including two for Best Picture.

Box Office Declines

January 6, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

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.

Netflix Bets On Big Budget Films

July 31, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix is banking on a slate of big budget films to attract new subscribers. The streamer is spending over $550 million to make just three big budget films.

The China Retreat

January 15, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

Viacom has had enough of China. The New York-based company is in talks with at least one Chinese group to sell some or all of the company’s operations on the mainland.

Studio Netflix

February 4, 2018 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix plans to release 80 films in 2018; nearly as many as all six major studios combined.

Point of No Return for North America’s Box Office

January 2, 2018 FilmTake Comments Off

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.

Inside Baidu’s Hollywood Expansion

April 24, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

Since launching in 2010, iQiyi has accumulated the most paid SVOD subscribers in China, however, calculating an accurate subscriber base is challenging.

Lionsgate Inks Long-Term Digital Licensing with iQiyi

December 5, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

Lionsgate entered into a long-term content licensing agreement with iQiyi in November 2016 for upcoming features and select library films.

Hollywood Welcomes Wanda Group’s CEO Wang Jianlin

October 18, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

Wanda’s CEO Jianlin is in Hollywood to purchase more media properties. The acquisition of Legendary for $3.5 billion was the biggest Hollywood-China tie-up.

Netflix Calls Out Theater Owners

October 11, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

At The New Yorker’s TechFest event last Friday the CEO of Netflix attacked the theater owners for the lack of innovation in the film business.

Rush to Offshore

January 23, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

China’s Perfect World Pictures will co-finance 25% of Universal’s B-slate over five years. The $500 million deal is the second major tie-up in a week.

The Future of Film Markets

Distribution

January 17, 2021 Comments Off

Many uncertainties surround the format and nature of film markets in 2021. All significant markets scheduled in the first quarter will be virtual.

The Lasting Effects

Broadcast & PayTV

January 12, 2021 Comments Off

As a result of diminishing content availability precipitated by production delays and cancellations, there will be large programming gaps for traditional television networks and OTT platforms to fill over the next two years.

Netflix Subscriber Plateau

Streaming

January 6, 2021 Comments Off

Forced stay-at-home orders propelled Netflix’s fastest subscriber additions in its twenty-three history. The streaming leader added 26 million subscribers in the first half of 2020, making it one of the biggest lockdown economy winners.