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DISNEY+ LAUNCHES…
PIRACY FEARS AS UK LAGS…
…BRIT CONSUMERS USE ILLEGAL MEANS
EXPERTS SUGGEST PIRATES MIGHT NOT “GO LEGAL”
TRUST AIMS TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING
FANS HIT OUT AT ANTI-PIRACY MESSAGE
OFFICIAL FILM CHART UPDATE
BUSBY’S NIGHT OUT…
…AND KENDALL CALLING TOO…
…WITH GREAT PR COUP
INDICATOR REVEALS JANUARY QUARTET
WARNER’S BOXING CLEVER…
…AND STUDIOCANAL DELIVERS
ODYSSEY CONTINUES
MURDEROUS INTENT
MINE’S A SCOTCH
MUBI PLUMPS FOR LAMB
ROMA GOES PHYSICAL
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
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It was a good week for… Disney+ launches to acclaim and much publicity…
It was a bad week for… …UK fans of Star Wars getting up to no good to watch the service…
It's been the elephant – or rather the mouse – in the room since it became clear that new subscription video on demand service Disney+ would launch later in the UK than other territories, most notably the US – what impact would the delay have on piracy? Even before that, many analysts and industry experts and observers have been suggesting that the proliferation of streaming service would eventually lead to an increase in piracy. Consumers are faced with such an array of services – at an increased cost (up to and around $90 to $100 a month in the US according to some – that sooner or later the dam would burst, they wouldn’t be able to afford them all, and would in turn illegally stream, download or torrent key programmes. And the launch of the service in the US this week has seen an outpouring of emotions on social media and beyond, as well as predictions that the flagship series on Disney+, Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, would become one of the most pirated shows ever. As Vice magazine noted in an article on the subject: "A simple glance at torrent websites shows that plenty of people are stealing from the brand new steaming services—episodes of The Mandalorian and Dickinson all have hundreds or thousands of seeders and are among the most popular shows on torrent sites. I reached out specifically to Disney, Apple, and Netflix to ask what their policy was on going after pirated content, and haven’t heard back, but it’s obvious that these companies assume that at least some of their viewers aren’t paying the full price for their services. Given that you can watch as many as six simultaneous streams with Apple TV+, and four with Disney+ and the top Netflix package, the more common form of piracy—password sharing—is built into the system. But for pirates who don’t have any access to the legit services, what makes stealing content particularly appealing in this age is that there are few if any people who face consequences for the crime.”
And so, the launch this week saw a wealth of UK consumers (and other territories) complaining about not having the chance to watch The Mandalorian, stating they couldn’t wait, demanding restitution from Disney, sharing advice on how to use VPNs to enable them to sign up, sharing how to illegally access the films; it also saw journalists from reputable publications using similar methods to enable them to review the film. Some took a principled stand – Empire among them – others used US journalists for their reviews. But there was little official comment, certainly not from key figures, although the Raygun has been speaking to many in the industry about the problem. One industry insider said: “Piracy is almost inevitable despite the best endeavours of content creators, but measures to mitigate against piracy are vital. Ultimately though IP creators and owners make decisions on a commercial basis.”
Many had acknowledged it would happen without the regional factors added to the mix, merely because of the proiliferation of providers. Website Torrent Freak, which offers regular and valuable insight into the minds of those prepared to find ways around the issues of availability (one could argue it’s pro-piracy, they would be more inclined to say they support the fact that content should be available whenever and wherever you want to watch it), has oft reported it. The site’s Ernesto van der Sar said: “If people have to spend more money to satisfy their movie and TV consumption needs, a large group will either consume less or look for alternatives. A likely result is that more people will pirate on the side. The surge in pirate streaming boxes and illegal IPTV subscriptions suggests that this demand is already there.” On the Torrent Freak site, it was noted: “After all, people who want to watch Mandalorian in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere, have few other options than to pirate. The limited release of Disney+ may actually breed some new pirates. Even worse, there is a chance that many of these pirates may not go legal when the streaming service officially launches in their country. For now, Disney’s anti-piracy efforts appear to be focused elsewhere though. The company has sent takedown requests for thousands of URLs that host or link to unauthorized copies of Mandalorian. This includes notices that were sent to Google, with requests to delist these pages.”
The Industry Trust, the distributor-backed initiative that has been behind the key Moments Worth Paying For campaign and other elements of education about piracy is one of the key groups when it comes to teaching the public about why piracy is wrong, as well as directing them to legal options. The organisation is headed up by Liz Bales, who this week told The Raygun: “The revolution in consumer choice that has seen audiences embrace consumption across digital transactional, in addition to physical media and of course subscription VOD services, is about to enter its next phase as distributors roll out direct-to-consumer services, with Disney+ being the first out of the gate and driving a huge amount of positive coverage as audiences embrace change and dive into a staggering range of beloved content. Of course, as services diversify and arguably drive choice, at category level we should all be mindful that some passionate fans could be drawn towards copyright infringement in their eagerness to watch must-see content like The Mandalorian ahead of the service’s global roll out, and so education around illegality and personal risk becomes all the more important. At the Industry Trust we educate members and industry stakeholders to the fact that infringers are also very often the entertainment category’s most impassioned consumers and all the more likely to also transact significantly across theatrical and home entertainment. This fact endorses a balanced approach to the way we work with and educate consumers and activity to do so ranges from disruptive search campaigns in partnership with Crimestoppers (a third wave of which is launching imminently), through to highlighting the risk of malware, viruses and cyber fraud that increasingly comes hand-in-hand with accessing infringed content. If members or interested parties want more information around the infringing landscape we would encourage them to get in touch with the Industry Trust. Together, we can deepen understanding of the range of ways to approach and engage with audiences who may be tempted to ultimately break the law and also put themselves and their families at risk.”
One person who did stick their head above the parapet to denounce piracy and snide ways of viewing The Mandalorian and Disney+ was freelance journalist Chris Tilly. As the furore and discussion over illy downloading and streaming Disney’s titles raged, he boldly stated the facts as viewed by many in our business, Tilly tweeted: “Don’t pirate anything. Even it’s something you really want to watch, but which doesn’t launch in your country immediately. Just don’t pirate.” His statement was met with outcry from Star Wars fans and Disney nerds who rained down abuse and more, taking their ire out at the circumstances on him. He later told The Raygun: “I was surprised at the amount of abuse - well over 1,000 angry Tweets now. And all the anger aimed at Disney, particularly as I didn't even mention the company in my original Tweet.”
In the world away from subscription video on demand and The Mandalorian, what’s been selling then? Toy Story 4 holds on to the number one slot again, with Yesterday, the Beatles-featuring jukebox musical affair from Danny Boyle is closest, its Blu-ray sales being the highest of the week. The latest Spider-Man outing, Far From Home, was the week’s most downloaded, while, as noted here last week, Apollo 11 from Dogwoof is off to a flying start, in at number nine, while Lionsgate’s Anna was at number 10, continuing the company’s strong run of hits in 2019.
Feature length sporting documentaries are among the key gifting items again in 2019, many of which (Diego Maradona et al) we’ve covered here. Two we’ve already written about were officially launched this week, both on Monday in respective cities close to the subjects portrayed. First up is Busby, the feature film looking at the legendary Man United manager, which launched at the city’s Everyman Cinema with support from players and staff past and present. Among those attending was Zavvi’s Richard Jarmin, have us an exclusive on-the-spot report. He said; "The Busby premiere was at the new Everyman in Manchester – a wonderful venue, very plush inside and just what the city needs as an alternative to the Odeon/Vue/Cineworld soulless cinemas. The film was attended by 200 plus people and from what I could see with a mixture of Busby babes and their families. The film itself is a standard football documentary, comparable to the Bobby Robson one from a few years ago. It showed Busby’s birth place, discussed his life growing up in a hard mining town, his young mother bringing up the family, his father dying in World War I and him getting trials at City at an early age and leaving the family home. It showed a little bit of his playing days but moved on quickly to his years in management and being scouted for United. Interesting points I hadn’t seen before was his involvement in the re-build of Old Trafford after the WWII bombings, him bringing in a friend from a butchers to run the commercial side of the game, insisting on United being the first club to have commercial boxes as he recognised he had friends who would pay more for their seats and hospitality. It obviously showed the Munich air disaster which was raw viewing. There was lots of footage which I’d seen before, showed a lot of how humble he was, a natural leader, never shouted, but if you were a dissenter, or didn’t train right, you were on the transfer list the next morning. Probably the main points was that he was the first tracksuit manager, he re-invented Old Trafford and United to being the commercial beast that they are now (there was a comment about football being a business) and his fearless approach to bring in youth as they were more mouldable and would cost the club less money than expensive mercenaries. You can definitely see that Ferguson and Solskaer the only two managers post Busby to follow this club code.” The title is released on Monday November 18 on physical formats.
A short hop down the M62 away, in Liverpool, Everton fans were congregating for first a signing then a special screening of another title we've already covered here, Howard Kendall doc Howard’s Way, charting the Toffees’ mid-1980s glory years. Commenting on the launch, here’s Magus Marketing’s Jon Sadler, who worked on the title. He said: “The launch went incredibly well in Liverpool. The film had already premiered at the Liverpool Film Festival on November 2 and then had a theatrical run at Picturehouse at FACT, kicking off with a q&a screening on Friday 8 but the main event was on the home entertainment release date when we kick started proceedings with a signing at HMV Liverpool One with class of 85 players Gary Stevens, Paul Bracewell and Trevor Steven (Even Stevens!) which lasted over an hour with the queue never letting up, and then a press conference in the 85 suite at Goodison before heading to St George’s Hall for a charity gala screening of the film hosted by Everton in the Community where the 1985 winning squad reunited for a series of interviews afterward. The event was attended by over 500 fans and the reactions were simply phenomenal. Subsequently the film was at position 14 on Amazon.co.uk the following day and at 25 on iTunes [they rose further after this, into the top 10 on Aamazon] , as well as being #2 in sports (Peter Reid still chasing Maradona!).”
Perhaps the highlight of the campaign was this interview with the former engine of Kendall's team Peter Reid. For not only does it promote the release, and contain the correct information at the end crediting the release details, but it also includes Reid’s thoughts on Boris Johnson – and mighty hilarious they are too. As far as we’re concerned, and we noted this on Twitter, it really is one of the best interviews promoting a home entertainment release dating right back to that time George Best went on Wogan in support of a DVD release… 
More plans for 2020 are being revealed, and Powerhouse Films’ Indicator imprint has unveiled its slate for January next year, with a raft of impressive titles it has rescued from the vaults to bring to the market in sumptuous looking, extras-laden special editions. Revealing the line-up, the company’s Sam Dunn said: “2019 had been a busy year for us; we've released a great many Blu-ray premieres of exceptional, often overlooked, films - both in individual editions and in critically acclaimed box sets - that cover a range of genres, from 70s British slashers to classic-era Hollywood melodramas. As we look ahead to 2020, we're excited at the prospect of bringing yet more fantastic films to Blu-ray for the first time, and offering cinephiles the opportunity to discover and enjoy fantastic quality presentations of both well-known and little-seen gems. Our January slate offers a taste of the kind of range we will be offering: Night Tide is an acknowledges classic of horror-fantasy cinema, featuring the legendary Dennis Hopper in his first leading role; Winter Kills is a star-studded conspiracy thriller with Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Elizabeth Taylor and many others; Resurrected is Paul Greengrass' feature-film directing debut, based on real-life events during the Falklands conflict, starring David Thewlis, Tom Bell and Rita Tushingham; and Orphans is Peter Mullan's uncompromising jet-black comedy, featuring brilliant performances from all of its cast, including the brilliant Douglas Henshall and Gary Lewis. All four titles contain a wealth of extras features and come with extensive booklets featuring new writing and archival material."
It’s a box set frenzy from Warner for November and into December, with a raft of specially compiled titles from the major containing both innovative packaging and some of its key franchises and players. What’s more, in at least one of the sets, it’s got what we reckon ,just be one of the biggest sets ever released. Monday November 11 saw a selection of boxes hitting shelves and stores, with one containing Warner’s Stanley Kubrick titles in a lavish set in SKUs including a 4K UHD one, which includes a first ever ultra high definition release for The Shining; a Polar Express set featuring a Blu-ray of the seasonal film and a book and a Wizard Of Oz set offering up the soundtrack as well as a first ever 4K Ultra HD set. On November 25, there’s a Blu-ray and soundtrack set for A Star Is Born, again complete with sumptuous bells and whistles. Into December, and for the ultimate Wizarding World fan there is all 10 Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts films on Blu-ray, packaged together for the first time in a Hogwarts trunk. A secret compartment reveals a full of a selection of beautiful collectables such as a map of Hogwarts and prints of the original theatrical posters from each film. There’s also a mammoth 61 film box set featuring the works of the actor and director arguably most synonymous with the studio, Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood: The Signature Film Collection charts the star’s career from the early Spaghetti Westerns when he still had no name, right through to recent outings such as The Mule, Sully and American Sniper, by way of such classics as his Dirty Harry outings, Unforgiven, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. We’ve racked our brains for a bigger set – it includes not just the 61 films but two documentaries looking at his life and times – but all we could come up with was a mammoth 170-disc plus Prisoner Cell Block H box with every episode contained. Colin Thomas, executive director for digital development, catalogue marketing and physical sales for video said: “We are delighted to be offering consumers a variety of exciting and distinctive premium boxsets this Q4. From the first-ever complete Clint Eastwood Signature Film Collection, to the unique packaging design of The Wizard of Oz Limited Edition Anniversary Collection, there is truly ‘something for everyone’. Each of these collections are available at a limited quantity, and make a perfect addition to anyone’s film library.”
More box set madness as Studiocanal has unveiled a rather spiffing set featuring a key title from Japanese anime giant Studio Ghibli, directed by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, Kiki’s Delivery Service. The film is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, with the limited edition set (only 1,000 are being made) containing Blu-ray and DVDs of the film and art cards, poster, sew-on patch, a mammoth book and a tea towel, all housed in a deluxe oversize box. It’s due on December 16, just in time for gifting, and the company’s Carys Gaskin said: “We're delighted to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the beloved Studio Ghibli classic, Kiki's Delivery Service, this year with a new premium collector's edition available on the December 16. Following on from the success of our anniversary set for My Neighbour Totoro last year we’re thrilled to be bringing another special release out in time for Christmas as the perfect gift for any Ghibli fan, including exclusive items only produced for this set.”
Arriving in stores on Friday November 15 is the latest all-singing, all-dancing release from Take That. Odyssey: The Greatest Hits Live is taken from the band’s last tour, their 30th anniversary celebration. It features all the hits and more, and is available in a raft of SKUs, taking in CD with DVD, Blu-ray, digital and a lavish four-disc box set. The final night of the tour played out not just to 45,000 people in Cardiff, but also to more than 100,000 at cinemas around the UK and even went international. Commenting on the release, Eagle Rock Entertainment’s senior content marketing manager Hannah Tandy said: “Eagle Rock Entertainment is delighted to release Take That Odyssey: Greatest Hits Live. The Take That tour was one if the biggest tours of the year, a real celebration of timeless pop music! Aside from the DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats we also have a special, limited edition four-disc collector’s photobook, which makes a fantastic Christmas gift, and exclusive content across all formats - which we think will make this release a favourite with fans.”
Out on Monday is a series we raved about when it first began its four-week run airing on consecutive Monday and Tuesday evenings, Dublin Murders. Penned by Sarah Phelps, it’s one of the year’s finest, an Irish-set thriller that genuinely rewarded close viewing. Commenting on the release, Acorn’s Helen Squire said: “BBC One’s Dublin Murders concluded last week having gripped over 6 million people twice a week for the past four weeks. “Written by Sarah Phelps, it was always going to be dark drama and with two episodes each week audiences were able to fully immerse themselves in the complex world of Dublin Murders which will be available to enjoy on DVD as well as digital from Monday. Based on the Tana French novels, series was written by Sarah Phelps (of recent Agatha Christie BBC dramas The ABC Murders etc). We’re hoping for a second series commission announcement soon.”
Also on Monday comes another home entertainment release from the fledgling Parkland Entertainment imprint, in partnership with Munro Films. The title is Scotch, making its DVD bow following a digital release two weeks ago. The documentary, looking at the titular drink, is aimed squarely at the Christmas market, and Munro’s Jane Smith said: “We took the decision early on to release Q4 to capitalise on the Christmas, positioning the DVD as the ideal gift for whisky aficionados and documentary lovers, particularly dads/grandads. Another nice angle is the story of Jim McEwan, a ‘Cinderella story of the legendary master distiller who turned a dilapidated distillery in the Inner Hebrides into an award-winning blend’. This is being supported by paid and earned editorial gift guide spots, paid social, organic social, DVD giveaways and reviews etc. Further social and promotional boost are planned for Burns Night 2020.”
Acquisition news from MUBI and the company has inked a deal that will see LFF and international festival hit The Other Lamb playing exclusively on its service in the UK and Ireland. It’s the first English language outing from Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska, and looks at a strange all-female religious group led by a charismatic man known as Shepherd. Commenting on the deal, Efe Cakarel, founder and eco of MUBI, said: "Małgorzata’s vision is striking, bold and vital – we are thrilled to be working with one of the most exciting new Polish voices on her English language debut as we continue MUBI’s commitment to championing emerging talent.”
And we’ll end with some interesting news from Netflix. For it's been announced this week that Roma will become the first fully-backed Netflix feature to earn itself a physical release. After wowing on a brief theatrical release, then doing the business on the svod service (and picking up Oscars along the way), Alfonso Cuaron's tale will now be making a physical bow. The film is being released under the Criterion banner and arrives in the US, Uk and other territories in February, along with a raft of extras, the kind you don’t get on Netflix, ironically. More on this in the coming weeks…
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Hollywood is in the midst of a costly land-grab. America’s traditional media empires are spending tens of billions of dollars as they fight back against technology groups that have ravaged their business. As the distribution model for entertainment is remade, a revolutionary ardour has seized the industry: the choice is to win the streaming battle against the likes of Netflix, or face commercial oblivion. The immediate result has been clear: more television than ever before. There were 496 scripted TV shows made in the US last year, more than double the 216 series released in 2010. In the past eight years the number of shows grew by 129 per cent, while the US population rose only 6 per cent. The trend is set to deepen, as groups like AT&T’s WarnerMedia commission dozens of new series to convince people to sign up for their streaming services. “This isn’t a gold rush, it’s an arms race. We don’t know if there is any pot of gold,” warns an executive at a big media group. “Once the music stops, there will be carnage. It might take three to five years, but there has to come a point when we come to our senses.” In recent years, Netflix has spent tens of billions of dollars bankrolling its own content to build up an independent library, in anticipation that traditional media groups would eventually become rivals, rather than partners willing to license films and television series. That moment has arrived. In the span of about six months, Disney, Apple, AT&T and Comcast are launching new streaming services, asking people to pay nothing for some services or up to $15 a month to watch their libraries of films and shows. The goal, says Discovery Inc chief executive David Zaslav, is to attract 150m subscribers and become “the third man standing with Netflix and Amazon”. Netflix already has 160m paid global subscribers. “It’s fear-driven frenzy over the same pie,” says Mr Zaslav. The battle over scripted entertainment is “going to be a mess”, he adds, “and in the end it’s not clear anyone will make money”.
Lengthy feature in the Financial Times about streaming and the future…
AT THE MOVIES
Big news from Amazon which has bagged the next project from Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the creative producing, writing and directing team behind Westworld’s TV revival. The Peripheral is based on works by cyberpunk sci-fi scribe William Gibson, a name revered among those in the know. It’s being produced in conjunction with Warner, but Amazon will air it exclusively. Joy and Nolan said: “Thirty-five years ago, William Gibson invented the future. With The Peripheral he brings us another look, and his vision is as clear, intoxicating, and terrifying as ever. All of us at Kilter are incredibly proud to be supporting Vincenzo and Scott's brilliant vision for bringing Gibson's work to the screen.” Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke said: “We’re thrilled to announce The Peripheral as our first project with Jonah, Lisa, Athena and their talented team at Kilter Films. This story calls for a masterful level of talent to bring acclaimed author William Gibson’s science fiction thriller to life. We are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Television, Oscar-nominated writer Scott B. Smith and Vincenzo Natali in bringing this fantastic new series to our global Prime Video customers.”
Some upmarket, definitely not superhero or Star Wars news concerning the next project from Paul Thomas Anderson, the director everyone on social media pretends they know by calling him PTA. And it seems as if his first post-Phantom Thread feature is nearing production, with the first details starting to emerge this week courtesy of Hollywood Reporter. Seems as if it will be set in unlikely territory for the man – a high school – although it will be set in familiar surroundings, the San Fernando Valley, the location for previous outings such as Boogie Nights. Casting has begun for the film about a student who is also a child actor, although no word yet as to who will play who…
Every now and then a story comes along that is so fantastical that you really have to rub your eyes and double check just to see if it’s actual real and not just some kind of strange hoax. This week it was the story noting that Spike Lee, is turning his attention to Shakespeare. For the director, fresh off the back of Blakkklansman, is working on an adaptation of Romeo And Juliet. The twist? It’s a hip-hop themed take on the Bard’s tragic tale, set in 1980s Brooklyn (of course it is). The title? The Prince Of Cats…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
In the week that Gwen was released by Bulldog, we loved this tweet from director William McGregor in which he stated: “This time 9 years ago I was a temp stacking shelves at @HMV & today I just bought a film I wrote and directed from of off those said shelves. @GwenFilm (and yeah ok I then took a shameless selfie with the my purchase whilst security eyed me suspiciously...)
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Hey boss, da plane, da plane…
Scoobs, not in Colombia (a gag for early 90s techno fans there)…
Affleck’s back, in Back…
He’s been tweaked…
More family from Paramount…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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