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WARNER ON UNIVERSAL PARTNERSHIP AS DEAL KICKS IN
ERA PUBLISHES YEARBOOK…
2020 BIGGER THAN EARLY FIGURES SUGGESTED
ASSOCIATION WELCOMES BACK RETAIL…
…AS STORES BEGIN TO PREPARE
CONSOLIDATION: SPARE THE HOME ENT STAFF PLEA
ACORN ON TERROR ALERT
BEYOND SPACE INTO STORES
MANGA UNVEILS Q2 SLATE
AT THE MOVIES
SITE OF THE WEEK
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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The future is here, in the shape of the new Universal and Warner partnership that sees the pair looking after distribution for each other in territories around the world, with the latter handling the s&d duties for the former in the UK and some other European territories as part of the global deal. And after comment from Universal last week, we have input from Warner on the deal which kicked off on March 1. Warner Media UK and Ireland general manager, Consumer Products, Home Entertainment & Retail, Rachel Wakley said: “This is a milestone moment. In a fast-paced, ever changing consumer industry, we have made a significant move in partnering with Universal. Our combined expertise, our commitment to delivering the best possible consumer experience, and our proven track record in physical home entertainment ensures we are delivering for our fans and customers, and are catering to all tastes in a dynamic market. We are delighted to collaborate with such an esteemed partner and are greatly looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”
The arrival of the Entertainment Retailers’ Association’s yearbook is always an exciting time, particularly for those among us who like to pore over facts and figures about the entertainment industry. We’ll have more after having distracted ourselves from watching football over the weekend by perusing it, but the headline figures alone make for interesting reading. The entertainment business across video, music and games was, the yearbook shows, the fastest growing area of the leisure sector in the UK, while the overall activities, taking in hobbies, sport, eating and going out, was down by almost a third in 2020, the combined force of video, music and games was up more than 18 per cent to a record £9.26 billion, This is actually more than £200 million more revenue than the ERA figures first published in January. IT’s the eighth successive year spending has grown in entertainment, driven by streaming. Further broken down, video showed a 25.6 per cent growth in 2020 on the previous year, up to £3.279 billion. Video was the fastest growing digital sector, up £37.7 per cent to £32.9 billion, further boosted by the arrival of Disney+ and other streaming services as well as more growth for the twin giants of Netflix and Amazon. On the downside, physical video saw the biggest decline in ales, down by more than a quarter to £372.6 million.
Other key learnings from the ERA yearbook, as highlighted by the retail trade organisation showed the following: “Subscription video-on-demand services like Netflix are now the most popular way to consume paid-for video, chosen by 61.6 per cent of the population and 82.6 per cent of under-25s; subscription services now account for 74 per cent of spending on video, with the number of subscriptions doubling over the past two years.” The yearbook outlined sone of the further elements, particularly surrounding physical media, noting: “Coupled with production delays and closed cinemas, the impact on new release sales was felt immediately and sales plummeted. By the end of the year, spend on physical new release product fell by 48 per cent, worth just over £110m. Barely 31 per cent of total DVD and Blu-ray sales were new release in 2020, down from 45 per cent in 2019. It certainly wasn’t all bad news though. Bereft of regular new releases, there is strong evidence of the consumer shifting spend into catalogue product instead and particularly Blu-ray catalogue. In 2019, sales of physical catalogue titles declined by 21 per cent year-on-year. In 2020 that decline rate flattened significantly to just -7.2 per cent versus 2019, driven by unexpected growth in Blu-ray catalogue sales, up 14.3 per cent year-on-year. The 4K UHD format also enjoyed much improved fortunes in 2020 as the committed high-definition fan invested heavily. Compared to the smallish annual gains made in 2019 (+5 per cent) sales last year were worth £24.8m, up 20 per cent year-on-year.” More next week…
 ERA has also welcomed the return of entertainment retail stores, with hmv and others all set to open from April 12 – we’ve already marked the date in our diary and will probably see you queuing up at an establishment in Soho on that morning, with Fopp at Cambridge Circus chief among our first ports of call. The combined force of hmv and Fopp is still working on its reopening strategy, so more news soon, but in the meantime, ERA ceo Kim Bayley said: “It is heartening that we are now at least under starters orders for a return to something like normal trading. After months of bad news, it feels finally like everyone has a spring in the step. We have to be prepared for some bumps in the road ahead, but retail is raring to go.”
And, of course, the UK’s other independent stores, from record shops to its last surviving video rental outlets will also be opening on that day, all things being equal (we’re certain that there will be, as ERA intimated above, some “bumps in the road”), so we thought we’d head to the The Wirral, where our chum Dave Wain continues to ply his trade at his Snips Movies store, to get his opinion on reopening. He said: “Five weeks to go to reopening and I must confess I haven't thought about it. Knowing the likelihood that the current incumbent at number 10 will somehow manage to, er... screw things up, it seems a little premature to make any concrete plans at this stage. Having said that, I've been hoarding new releases since January 3. There may be an absence of newbies from the big boys, but dependable indie distros like Dazzler, High Fliers and especially the very impressive Danse Macabre will ensure that come April 12 my customers will at least have some very swanky looking product to sink their teeth into. I've had a number of emails this week from customers reaching the end of their tether at the limitations of Netflix and Prime Video, so hopefully this will mean we can hit the ground running when the new normal begins to gradually seep into society.”
There’s consolidation afoot at the majors and bigger independents, as the film and home ent businesses continue to come closer together. But why, when there are redundancies and lay-offs as part of restructuring, is it always the home entertainment staffers who are made redundant? It’s been on our minds for a while and there are others in the States who feel the same way too. Over on US trade Media Play News, Thomas K Arnold wrote: “One of the more disturbing trends in Hollywood is that while home entertainment teams played a key role in keeping the studios afloat during the height of the pandemic, they are now the target of consolidations and restructurings as studios seek to balance the books at a time when the theatrical business is just beginning to come back.” It’s part of an excellent article bemoaning distributors’ thinking that theatrical is the A list and home ent is merely a guest at the table. The article’s, here, well worth reading, although see below in our Quote Of The Week for more thoughts…
 Also in stores in Monday is the latest revival project from Studiocanal, They Came From Beyond Space, a slice of homegrown science fiction from the 1960s. Comment on the release came from the company’s Carys Gaskin, who said: “Starring Robert Hutton and adapted by Milton Subotsky (Dr Who and the Daleks and Tales from the Crypt) with liberal use of the sets and props from Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. also from Amicus Productions; They Came From Beyond Space is a wonderfully kitsch 60s British Sci-Fi classic, lovingly restored and released on Blu-ray and Digital for the first time this month."
Continuing our ongoing Q2 previews and the latest company we’ve been speaking to is Manga, now under the Funimation banner and hugely busy judging by the titles on offer for the three months beginning in April. First up on April 5 come a pair of releases – the complete third season of Attack On Titan alongside Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt So I’ll Max Out My Defence. The latter comes in a limited edition SKU containing not just two Blu-rays and digital copy voucher, but a set of six art cards, a 120-page artbook, a gaming playmat and a sticker. A week later comes another new title launch in the shape of the first season of “all-out battleship girl war” series Azur Lane. On the same day, April 12, comes the second part of the second season of Fruits Basket, available as separate DVD and Blu-ray SKUs as well as a limited edition dual format version. Completing the line-up for April 12 is a release of the fifth and sixth seasons of Hetalia World Party. April 19, meanwhile, sees the debut of the complete collection of Clannad and Clannad After Story, with a limited edition set of the romantic anime series that spans multiple formats and media. The limited Blu-ray set includes a set of art cards and art book contained within a rigid box. April is rounded off with the release of the sixth outing of Dragon Ball Z, the long-running hugely popular franchise. As well as a standard Blu-ray SKU featuring art cards housed within a slipcase, there’s also a limited edition Steelbook. There are two further seasons, seven and eight, in similar formats, released at the end of May and end of June respectively. May includes Hunter X Hunter Set 4, a mammoth three-disc Blu-ray set weighing in with a running time of more than 12 hours. Set 5 is released in June, May 10 sees the release of the complete series of Cannon Busters, another title available in standard and hefty limited edition versions, the latter containing an augmented reality pun badge, art book and cards and more. At the end of May there’s also Plunderer Season 1 Part 1, another set available in a limited edition format, this one includes both formats, more art cards and book and stickers.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
When the pandemic hit and the theatrical business effectively ended, home entertainment teams swooped in to save the day. They began mining catalogs for anniversary and seasonal reissues. They stepped up 4K Ultra HD release schedules. They were PVOD first responders, pivoting on short notice and essentially launching a brand-new business until their theatrical counterparts could take over. And they perfected the art of out-of-the-box thinking, taking creativity and ingenuity to new heights. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment launched a Twitter catalog watch-party series, which spotlighted several library classics and anniversary releases. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment also held social media watch-alongs, hosted by film talent and encouraging viewers to post reactions in real time on their social media accounts. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment held a virtual fan event celebrating all the superheroes and super villains in the DC Multiverse and featuring panels with talent and filmmakers, displays of cosplay and fan art, and more. Lionsgate struck a series of promotional partnerships with digital retailers, including a “Best of Lionsgate” catalog promotion with Microsoft Movies & TV that led to a triple-digit lift in sales. And Paramount Home Entertainment marketers worked in tandem with digital retailers such as FandangoNow and Vudu to create curated promotions marketed primarily through Instagram and other social media channels. Home entertainment teams also worked tirelessly to create theatrical-style campaigns for PVOD releases such as Love and Monsters and Spell, including virtual junkets, New York Comic-Con panels and more.”
Thomas K Arnold on US trade site Media Play News about studios cutting home entertainment staff rather than theatrical… See the full article here
AT THE MOVIES
The Golden Globes took place last Sunday night, for those who still think awards are important during a pandemic (we’re still sitting this one out on the fence), with a raft of winners celebrating from home. The big winner in this relatively light of big-hitters nominations was streaming, and not just in the TV categories either, the influence of Netflix and Amazon Prime crossed over into the feature film gongs too. Nomadland was one of the big winners yet to see the light of day, and you can see the full list of winners here. https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees
Of course, one o the most talked about, and yet not seen by many, films of this awards season is Nomadland, a Fox Searchlight film which aired at London Film Festival in 2020 but has been awaiting awards buzz and the small matter of what’s happening with Coronavirus before a firm date was announced. And this week, it’s been confirmed that the film will be, ahem, “available to UK and Ireland exhibitors for theatrical performance” as and when they reopen, but at the same time it will also be heading to Disney+ from April 30. It will appear on the Star section of the subscription video on demand service, which highlights less-Disney-esque fare. Unlike previous titles such as Mulan, it will not appear as a premium title so will cost no extra…
Much like the Skynet machines of the future, the Terminator is a franchise that simply refuses to die. Next destination for James Cameron’s ongoing saga is Netflix for an animated take on the ongoing battle between man and machine. The series is being worked up by Mattson Tomlinm who penned the script for the forthcoming superhero flick The Batman. He said: “Anyone who knows my writing knows I believe in taking big swings and going for the heart. I’m honoured that Netflix and Skydance have given me the opportunity to approach Terminator in a way that breaks conventions, subverts expectations and has real guts."
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Due from AppleTV+…
https://youtu.be/RfpzdSJlv6o Trippy visuals…
https://youtu.be/OsXyNcckpwM And more Netflix…
Due in April…
Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, apparently…
Monday releases now and due in stores on March 1 is the latest classic restoration from Studiocanal, with the company dipping once more into its vast archives and coming up with a homegrown gem much loved by Britfilm fans. Restless Natives follows two desperate-for-cash lads who come up with a great way of earning money – by jumping on a motorbike, donning masks and robbing coach loads of tourists up to see Scotland’s countryside. The film has grown in stature since its release in 1985, and its been given the full 4K restoration treatment. Studiocanal’s Alison Arber said: “We are very excited to be releasing a brand new 4K restoration of the 80s gem Restless Natives. Directed by the brilliant Michael Hoffman and featuring a fantastic soundtrack from Big Country, the release includes brand new extras including a Big Country Documentary about the making of the soundtrack and a cast and crew documentary recalling the original shoot.:
Also on Monday and arriving on the shelves from Lionsgate is a double helping of Pinhead and pals in the shape of two titles featuring the horror icon, Hellraiser Revelations and Hellraiser Judgment. The two latest instalments from the long-running horror franchise created by Clive Barker are being released siumultaneously alongside each other. Lionsgate’s junior product manager Katy Machin said: “On Monday, we are very excited to finally bring from the depths of hell to the UK market, Hellraiser Revelations and Hellraiser Judgment. The ninth and 10th films in the iconic franchise are the perfect addition to any horror fans’ collection. Full to the brim with gory special effects that will appeal to fans of the genre, get ready for nightmare visuals that will tear your soul apart! We are supporting these releases with a thorough PR campaign, consisting of interviews with talent, features and competitions to raise awareness and excite the horror community that these titles will finally be available to purchase in the UK.”
Keep an eye out too for Lionsgate’s The Father, which will be landing in cinemas when they open again before heading to eventual home entertainment release. And by the time it arrives, Lionsgate should have to clear a lot of the sleeve to list the numerous awards it is tipped to pick up. The film stars Anthony Hopkins as a gentleman facing dementia and an uncertain future, Olivia Colman heads a strong supporting cast as his daughter. The distributor held an online press screening for the awards-friendly title on Friday night to help build buzz and word of mouth around the film in the run-up to its release and it really is a wonderful film – moving and affecting without ever being mawkish and full of towering performances, not least a fantastic turn from Hopkins as the suffering patriarch. Commenting on the release, Lionsgate’s Kirsten Sweeney said: “The Father is a truly masterful film, full of phenomenal performances. We’re honoured by the reception the film has received from critics and awards voters, and we can't wait to share it with audiences everywhere.”
Also in stores on Monday is one of our favourite films of the past year, one we’ve been banging on about since we last viewed it, White Riot. The March 1 release of Rubika Shah’s excellent documentary about Rock Against Racism. Eagle-eyed Raygun readers will remember us banging on about the film here and beyond last year, not least on The Ransom Note, where we spoke to original attendees at the legendary RAR gig at Victoria Park in 1978 (you can see it here). The release is timely given the film getting a nod from BAFTA, where it is long-listed for the forthcoming awards. Commenting on the release, Modern Films’ Eve Gabereau said: "We are happy to have the White Riot DVD now available so that people can have a physical piece of the film and its history too. The story connected so closely with Black Lives Matters last summer and continued to resonate with audiences across our theatrical and digital release, all the way to being long-listed for the BAFTAs this year in the Outstanding Debut category."
It starts off a busy period for Modern Films, with next week the release of punk doc Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche at virtual cinemas from March 5 and, later, on April 23, a similar vod release for Sisters With Transistors. Here’s the company’s Eve Gabereau on this pair. She said: “Poly Styrene is about the X-Ray Spex lead singer, is co-directed by her daughter Celeste Bell and by Paul Sng, produced by Rebecca Mark-Lawson (Irene's Ghost) and is narrated by Ruth Negga. It features contributions from Vivienne Westwood, Neneh Cherry, Thurston Moore, Don Letts, Jonathan Ross and more. We will be hosting a number of preview screenings and events - virtually - including one celebrating the Kings Road of the 1970s, in partnership with Everyman Cinemas, the Saatchi Gallery's Art & Music Books and Worlds End. Sisters With Transistors is a film we are proud and honoured to be part of. Narrated by Laurie Anderson, and with contributions from such musicians as Holly Herndon and Kim Gordon, it is about pioneering women in electronic music, is directed by artist and filmmaker Lisa Rovner and is produced by Anna Lena Vaney (Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait). The UK campaign will be in parallel with the US distributor Metrograph Pictures, which is super exciting for us."
More forthcoming product announcements and this week has seen Eureka and its Masters Of Cinema imprint heading to social media too reveal details of its May releases and open pre-orders for the latest batch of releases. Outlining the range on offer, here’s national accounts manager Marcus Garwood said: “It’s action and thrills all the way here at Eureka Entertainment this May as we unleash a triple threat of quality releases. First up on our Masters Of Cinema imprint is the UK debut on Blu-ray of the 1965 hard edged classic thriller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Based on the best-selling novel by John Le Carré the film stars Academy Award-nominated Richard Burton (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Becket,1984) alongside Claire Bloom (Hamlet, A Streetcar Named Desire). Winner of 4 BAFTA Awards (including Best British Film) The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is presented here as a limited collectors edition featuring an exclusive o-card slipcase with new artwork by artist Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju). Extras include a brand-new audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin and a brand new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns.
Eureka’s May round-up continues, with, as Marcus Garwood said: “The well-known ‘with one hand behind my back’ idiom is taken to a brutal extreme on our next release as a top martial artist incurs the wrath of a local gang leader and ends up having his right arm severed off. A multitude of unique and inventive fight scenes follow as revenge is exacted. Jimmy Wang Yu both stars and directs this 1971 gem as One-Armed Boxer makes its worldwide debut as a brand-new restoration from the original film elements on Blu-ray. The release features a limited edition O-Card featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling, plus a superb limited edition reversible poster featuring new and original artwork as well. Add to that a limited collector’s booklet and disc extras this is an absolute essential purchase for any discerning martial arts or action fan. Sticking with the action and thriller vibe we round off the month with Tsui Hark’s Time And Tide. Originally released in 2000 Time And Tide was nominated for six Hong Kong film awards and remains one of Hark’s most acclaimed features (alongside his other essential films such as Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain; Once Upon a Time in China which are also available from us here at Eureka Entertainment). The release features vibrant new O-Card slipcase artwork by Darren Wheeling, plus a limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Chinese-language film expert and author Stephen Teo.”
AT THE MOVIES
A new film from George A Romero has been discovered and signed up for release by horror streaming service Shudder. The film, The Amusement Park, was a for-hire job made in the early 1970s, commissioned by the Lutheran Society and is an allegory about the perils of growing old, complete, apparently, with the director’s strong sense of biting satire. It’s now being restored with the help of the George A Romero Foundation before airing on the service later this year. Shudder’s general manager Craig Engler said: “The moment we heard The Amusement Park had been rediscovered and was being restored, we knew we had to bring this unseen George A. Romero masterpiece to Shudder members.”
Superman Returns. Or, rather, Superman returns. The Man of Steel is set to come back to the big screen after Warner and comics subsidiary DC announced that there will be a new Superman feature. No word on who will play the refugee from Krypton, but it is being produced through JJ Abram’s Bad Robot company, and a writer has been announced: author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The novelist has already had a comic book-related stint, working on both Captain America and Black Panther. Abrams said: “There is a new, powerful and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, over in the world of TV, the big news this week has been the mooted comeback for Frasier. For it seems as if Kelsey Grammer will be returning to the role of the Seattle-based radio therapist that he inhabited for years and turned into one of the most successful sitcoms ever. The new series will land on Paramount+, the major’s new streaming service in the US. “Having spent over 20 years of my creative life on the Paramount lot, both producing shows and performing in several, I’d like to congratulate Paramount+ on its entry into the streaming world,” said Grammer. “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.”
SITE OF THE WEEK
More from the Home Viewing column from The Raygun’s Tim Murray over at the Ransom Note, this week talking to Host director Rob Savage. You can see it here. TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Forthcoming from Disney…
Due from Altitude
DVD and Blu-ray in May…
The latest from Neil Marshall…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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