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90p OF EVERY ENTERTAINMENT POUND IS SPENT ONLINE
DVD AVAILABILITY TEN TIMES GREATER THAN DOWNLOADS
BOND DELAY MEANS NO 007 HOME ENT UNTIL 2021
SONY OFFICES SHUT DUE TO VIRUS ISSUES
STUDIOCANAL UNVEILS Q2…
…WITH A SLATE FULL OF COLOR…
…AND A TRUNK FULL OF LYNCH
MORE STUDIOCANAL TITLES…
…ENDING Q2 WITH A FLASH
LIONSGATE AT THE MIDWAY POINT
LOACH DELIVERS AGAIN
SNOOKER LOOPY
BBFC’S NEW DOMESTIC ABUSE GUIDELINES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
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It was a good week for… 90p in every pound spent on entertainment is online, according to ERA…
It was a bad week for… The Coronavirus crisis hits the entertainment industry, with closures, cancellations and delays…
It’s been a busy week for retail trade association ERA, with the organisation not only unveiling details of this year’s Record Store Day shenanigans (more on the line-up for the admirable and excellent event over here, please don’t snap up the Mikey Dread or Peter Tosh ones before we do), and the Entertainment Retailers’ Association has also published its Yearbook highlighting the state of the nation. Some of the figures and research have already been published, but there’s plenty in there to peruse and it offers not only a snapshot of where the video, games and music industries are at, but also valuable insight into where the business is heading and key trends. More on this as and when we get a chance to sit down and go through it properly, but here are some topline and headline details. Sales across the three areas grew by 2.4 per cent in 2019, up to a record of £7.8 billion, and the seventh successive year of growth. Streaming now accounts for more than 80 per cent of the total entertainment market. It represents a complete switch in the dynamics of the business – less than a decade ago, physical made up four fifths of the market, with the roles now reversed. Video was the fastest growing sector – revenues were up a touch under 10 per cent to £2.61 billion. This was driven by a 21.5 per cent increase in subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime and their ilk, which were worth £2.1 billion in 2019. Almost half of the UK subscribes to svod services, which also now account for two thirds of video sales. It was a similar story in music (revenues up 7.1 per cent to £1.4 billion, streaming up 23.5 per cent to more than £1 billion) and although digital games revenue was only up 1.1 per cent, the digital games market still outstrips both video and music combined. Perhaps the most amazing figure is that if you combine streaming and digital revenues with online sales and 89.8 per cent of all entertainment industry revenues come from the Internet. As ERA ceo Kim Bayley said: “This is extraordinary. The internet now accounts for 90p in every pound spent on entertainment. It is quite simply the most dramatic revolution in entertainment retailing ever seen.”
More from the ERA Yearbook and the figures show that digital video is the fastest growing area of the entertainment market, up £372.9 million in 2019, while the biggest loser was PS4 software, physical games for the console were down by £119 million. DVD was the second biggest behind this, down £116.7 million. All four of the biggest winners were digital, all the biggest losers were physical formats, with both Xbox One games and CDs also suffering. Despite these figures, when it comes to the big hits and blockbusters, physical is still crucial to a title’s success. Some 67.2 per cent of the year’s biggest video release, Bohemian Rhapsody, came from physical formats, with almost 1 million of those coming from DVD. A similar figure, around two thirds (64.5 per cent to be precise) of sales of the biggest game, FIFA20, also came from physical product. Video is still the dominant format in terms of availability too – there were more than 10,000 outlets selling video in 2019, whole less selling music and games (8,450 and 5,544 respectively). And in terms of choice, there’s more on physical formats too – just 9,460 titles were available for download in 2019, while consumers could pick from a total of 122,659 DVDs. It’s a similar story with music too, as there are almost 100,000 more albums available on CD rather than download. ERA has also commissioned research that shows the importance of older consumers in the physical market – more than half of video sales (55.3 per cent) and 652.8 per cent of music sales come from the over-45-year-olds. Interesting to note too that in music, independent record stores are still at a 10 year high – 425 in all – the only sector not to lose stores in 2019. Bayley said: “Physical entertainment still amounted to a £1.4bn market in 2019. It is certainly down, but it is far bigger than many appreciate and still offers benefits in terms of gifting, collectability and permanence which streaming cannot match. While much of music spending has moved online, independents with a distinctive, locally-tailored offering continue to flourish.”
Any retailers expecting a Bond-sized release in Q4 – and those who’d put 007 numbers in their budgets for the end of 2020 – will be dismayed this week by the news that the next big film from the master spy, the eagerly awaited No Time To Die, has been pushed back. Coronavirus is the key reason for the delay, which has seen the film’s worldwide theatrical bow being put back from April this year to November. In a statement, Universal, MGM and Eon said: “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of No Time to Die will be postponed until November 2020. The film will be released in the U.K. on November 12, 2020 with worldwide release dates to follow, including the U.S. launch on November 25, 2020.” The November date means the home entertainment release won’t arrive until March 2021 at the earliest, and although it will be in time for Easter next year, the film will no longer be released towards the end of this year, as it would have been if the film had come out at cinemas this spring. It would almost certainly have been the biggest title of Q4, and the year, with assorted drafting and box set opportunities throughout 2020 too…
Speaking of Coronavirus, staff at Sony’s offices in Golden Square, home for its home entertainment, theatrical and TV divisions, spent the lat few days of the week at home after the doors shuttered as In a note to staff, the company said: "The health and well-being of our employees is of the utmost importance. We thought it was important to share with you that one of our London employees may have been exposed to coronavirus COVID-19 given recent travels to an affected area. Out of an abundance of caution, the London, Paris and Gdynia offices will be closed for the remainder of the week, and employees should work from home."
On to some more Q2 business and we’ve been speaking to Studiocanal and its forthcoming titles for the three months kicking off in April. Outlining its slate, the company’s Kristin Ryan said: “Our line up for Q2 focuses on our strong catalogue and specialist output with restorations of David Lynch’s classic Elephant Man, Luc Besson’s stylish Fifth Element and one of the all time great B movies Flash Gordon, a selection of strong titles being released under our Vintage Classics brand, including two Alistair Sim releases (which feature brand new interviews with the one and only Stephen Fry), two Fellini titles joining our growing Vintage World Classics brand and the continuing roll out of our pre-school titles with Bing and Moon & Me. The focal point of our new release line up for Q2 is Richard Stanley’s truly out there, gotta be seen to be believed Color Out of Space starring the one and only Nicolas Cage.”
We talked about the excellent Color Out Of Space, the return to form from director Richard Stanley last week, and we teased the title’s home entertainment bow after last weekend’s theatrical release for the film (one that, incidentally, saw it tracking at the level of another bonkers Nic Cage starrer Mandy, which bodes well for its short window to DVD and other home formats. That short release window will enable the sci-fi horror based on an HP Lovecraft tale, to capitalise on its theatrical awareness too. Commenting on the film, Studiocanal’s Carys Gaskin said: “After director Richard Stanley helped launch the film in cinemas and on demand last Friday, we’re thrilled to announce the home ent releases for Color Out of Space on April 6 across Digital, DVD and Blu-ray, as well as bringing the alpacalypse to HMV with a limited collector’s Blu-ray which will be the fourth in their prestigious First Edition line. This will house a fold out poster of the stunning artwork created by The Dude Designs exclusively for us and a book featuring the original story by H. P. Lovecraft, spliced with BTS shots from the film’s production.
On the same date (April 6) comes Lullaby, French language drama about a nanny who becomes indispensable to her family – until they discover something darker. It’s based on a bestselling novel that’s been translated into 43 different languages. Also on April 6 comes the first of a clutch of anniversary and birthday celebrations with the 4K restoration of David Lynch’s classic The Elephant Man. Commenting on this classic, Studiocanal’s Alison Arber said: “This year marks the 40th anniversary of David Lynch’s critically acclaimed masterpiece The Elephant Man. An anomaly in the Lynch catalogue, Mark Kermode describes The Elephant Man as ‘One of the most moving films of the 20th Century.’ To celebrate the anniversary, the film has been stunningly restored in 4K with both picture and sound overseen by David Lynch himself. The beautiful restoration can be fully appreciated in cinemas, with theatrical screenings starting this month, followed by a 4K UHD collector’s edition available on April 6, with a stunning pop-up gatefold sleeve, 64 page booklet and art cards. Plus digital, DVD and Blu-ray standard releases.” As well as Merrick’s celebrations, Studiocanal is also marking the ongoing Fellini activity with the release on April 6 of a brace of the director’s classics, Nights Of Cabiria and The White Sheik.
Into May and Studiocanal has a brace of titles from Alastair Sim, one of the finest homegrown acting talents ever. The Green Man and Laughter In Paradise will both feature new interviews with Stephen Fry talking about the great man’s life and work. There’s more classic material due in the shape of The Family Way, a 60s comedy drama starring Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett. It’s directed by Roy Boulting and comes complete with a Paul McCartney soundtrack to give it further appeal to Beatles aficionados. June sees a another live of 60s musical mayhem in Catch Us If You Can, a vehicle for popular beat combo The Dave Clark Five. Moving far, far ahead in time, The Fifth Element getting the kind of treatment that only Studiocanal can give it after the company picked up the rights to Luc Besson’s sci-fi classic. It’s being released alongside Joan Of Arc The Messenger, which saw Besson returning to work once more with Fifth Element model turned sctor Milla Jovovich, the titles will be marketed alongside each other.
And Studiocanal’s Q2 is rounded off by more classic sci-fi, albeit far less earnest, is a special Collector’s Edition of Flash Gordon, with Studiocanal joining in the celebrations for the film’s 40th anniversary this year. It’s coming with new artwork, by Matt Ferguson who worked on the John Carpenter re-releases from Studiocanal, and in a new 4K restoration too. The company is working with Universal MUSIC which is pushing the Queen soundtrack, and stars Sam L Jones and Brian Blessed are on board to full support the release too. Studiocanal’s Alison Arber said: “Gordon’s alive? You betcha and this time he’s in 4K! We are getting ready to kick some Flash, with a stunning 4K 40th anniversary release of Flash Gordon. Get ready to experience the 1980 cult classic in all its glory. With an exciting one day special screening planned in May followed by a bumper five-disc collector’s edition in June, packed full of extras, this is not one to be missed. Flash is back and ready to save every one of us!”
Out this week on digital formats ahead of the release on Monday March 9 on physical formats (4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD) is all-action Second World War tale Midway. Lionsgate has been concentrating on the action-led tale of Pacific Ocean With a one week EST window we’ve focused on a two week high-action AV marketing campaign to really drive awareness for this untold story. Focusing on the high calibre of cast and stunning action sequences, this is a visual spectacular telling the story of real-life heroes who faced impossible odds in an intense battle in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Within all packaged items, a booklet highlighting The Real Heroes of The Battle of Midway is included, and also releasing on the same day is a sleek Steelbook. The media campaign includes all out-action AV across YouTube, OOH digital screens and London Underground. There is a captivating social campaign running, podcast ads, Amazon activity including a Fire TV Creative Rotator across the Prime Homepage and a full skin creative targeting sports websites the weekend before release. The range of assets, capturing different aspects of this story should be a real crowd-pleaser for fans. Our publicity campaign targets the wide audience who are fans of the war genre. Director Roland Emmerich supported with interviews in Unilad and Flickering Myth as well as Keean Johnson who stars in the film also taking part in an interview with Unilad. We worked with James Holland to write a historic written piece and to partake in a one-hour radio session at Cameo highlighting a historically accurate account of The Battle of Midway. James will also give the release a shout out on this podcast ‘We have Ways of Making You Talk’ on March 10. As well as competitions, we have exclusive placement of special features with outlets and placement of gallery images from the real Battle of Midway.”
Also on Monday, is the latest outing from firebrand British director Ken Loach, currently on top form following the huge success of I, Daniel Blake. Sorry We Missed You looks at the gig economy and the implications for one family in particular. Alongside the DVD, there’s a Blu-ray available exclusively through hmv. Commenting on the release, Universal senior product manager Jess Keegan said: “It’s been a pleasure to work on Sorry We Missed You. Ken Loach has brought his unique film-making perspective to another poignant and topical story. We’ve partnered with HMV to bring the film to cinephiles in the best format available with an exclusive Blu-ray alongside a campaign raising awareness through social-focused activity as well as PR with Ken Loach supporting, bringing the debate back to the fore for the Home Ent release.”
Arriving on May 4 comes Break, a feature film set in and around the world of snooker, with the film set to launch both in Sheffield around the world championships and also in a high profile Leicester Square premiere ahead of its home entertainment bow (the film is going through 101 and Trinity for the home entertainment release). As well as featuring snooker aplenty, this Rocky-style tale also represents the last film appearance of video legend Rutger Hauer. Commenting on the title and its potential, producer Dean Fisher said: "Break can be best described as Rocky with a Snooker Cue. This is an inspirational rags to riches feelgood film and stars the late Hollywood legend Rutger Hauer in his final film role, Screen Frightfest rising star Sam Gittins, BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, Jamie Foreman, Luke Mably among world champion Snooker star Ken Doherty, Jack Lisowski and Chinese number two Liang Wenbo. As a sport snooker is watched by 500 million people worldwide with more than 300 million from China and the rest coming out of the UK, India and Europe. We have partnered with the governing body World Snooker to make sure the film reaches the Snooker audience worldwide. As well as your snooker audience the film will also appeal to a younger urban audience who got behind the hood films and Blue Story. There is a lot of positive messages for the kids and hopefully it will inspire them to make something of their lives. The film was shot in London, Beijing and Sheffield at the World Snooker final. We are building a great PR campaign heading towards our gala screening at the world finals and the world Leicester Square premiere on April 22 before the film will be out on May 4 for home entertainment."
We’ll end with news from the BBFC and the organisation went into International Women’s Day announcing it is changing the way it labels domestic abuse for films. The move follows work with the classification group and Women’s Aid and Respect. The new research with both female and male victims of abuse, discussed their thoughts on classification and what advice they’d like from the BBFC. While the organisation was deemed to be getting it right when it comes to classifying content with abuse in it, and also rates at a higher category, there is more that could be done. It will now be referred to as domestic abuse, rather than domestic violence, to take in a broader range of abuse to “include psychological and economic abuse, gaslighting and non sexual abuse of children”. It will no longer say “themes of…” in its classification information, as this could trivialise the issue. Survivors also said that incidents in films and TV could trigger them and be traumatising, especially if it was unexpected. This means all incidents of domestic abuse in content rated by the BBFC will be highlighted. David Austin, Chief Executive of the BBFC, said: “This timely and important research is shining a light on people’s attitudes towards domestic abuse, and it’s important that our classifications reflect what people think. It’s very encouraging to see that we’re getting our classification decisions right when it comes to domestic abuse, which already can be category defining. But what it has shown, is that we should bring our ratings info more in line with what people expect and understand, which is exactly what we’re going to be doing. These changes will give people the information they need to choose content well. Most particularly in this case, the ratings info will highlight the issues to those that have been personally affected by domestic abuse, so they are forewarned of content which could trigger distress.” Adina Claire, Acting co-Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said: “This research has given an important insight into what survivors, experts and the general public think about depictions of domestic abuse in films and episodic content. We’re pleased that the BBFC have responded to the report, and have reflected the attitudes in their classification policies - meaning that anyone affected by domestic abuse will now have the clear and consistent information they need about what triggers content may contain.”
Taika Waititi, the man every film journalist seemingly thinks they’re friends with, is much beloved of film websites everywhere, and every move he makes is keenly observed. So the news that he’s working on not one but two Roald Dahl adaptations, for Netflix, as part of a new strand of programme making from the company, has been everywhere this week. The JoJo Rabbit director, still working closely with Marvel on projects as well as a particularly busy diary, will write and direct two stories. One, the svod service said, would be a retelling of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, the other a spin-off tale about the origins of the oompa loompas. They look likely to be series rather than features, and Netflix further pledged a raft of other Dahl adaptations of stories such as the BFG and Matilda too… More Waititi and the director is resuming his ongoing partnership with Marvel for the forthcoming superhero sequel Thor: Love And Thunder, which will see Chris Hemsworth returning as the Norse god. And co-star Tessa Thompson has this week revealed that Christian Bale will be playing the baddie in the film. It's his first time in costume since he donned the cape and mask for the Batman trilogy with Christopher Nolan. Thompson added: “Disney Plus recently canceled its European launch event in the U.K. this week due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus, but will still host press at a small event in London on Friday, where demos of the service will be available.
Most should by now have noticed the enduring life and legacy of Disney’s witches saga Hocus Pocus, which returns to the upper echelons of the charts every year around Halloween time. The ever-astute studio is now working on a belated sequel to the 1993 Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker starrer for its Disney+ service. And it has signed up Adam Shankman, the man behind the camera for What Women Want, as a director for the forthcoming feature. Its original stars could be set for a return, although where they will fit in has yet to be revealed…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
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TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
We're in the Monae…
By proxy…
The Hunt is on…
Maudilicious
Coming to Shudder…
Hanks is all at sea…
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