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EVOLVE NOT REVOLVE
VINYL SECOND BIGGEST PHYSICAL FORMAT…
…AND NETFLIX IS MOST POPULAR STREAMER
EAR LONG-TERMER CELEBRATES…
…TRADE CONGRATULATES BAYLEY ON 20 YEARS
CRUISE FLIES HIGH…
…AS TOP GUN PICKS UP OFFICIAL GONG
SOME DAY FOR DOMINION…
RADIANCE SLATE SHINES…
…AS GOLD OFFER SELLS OUT
EUREKA UNVEILS NOVEMBER TITLES
AT THE MOVIES TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
With a suitable fanfare, BASE and partners at the Digital Entertainment Group International have launched a report looking at the future of the business, under the banner of The Evolution Of Home Entertainment Report 2020-2025. And the hefty tome, available here, says that for the overall HE sector, more growth is on the way. The assorted experts who have contributed have noted that the UK category will grow by £5.5 billion by 2025, a figure that is 114 per cent higher than earlier pre-pandemic forecasts. It also predicts a transactional cumulative consumer spend of £2.4 billion by the same year. We’ll have a full report on the report next newsletter, after we’ve had a good read through it, but in the meantime, Liz Bales, chief executive of BASE and DEGI said: “The evolution of Home Entertainment is in full force and this report is a bold vision of the category’s future. Built on the pillars of data and analysis that are the foundations of the BASE and DEGI agenda, it envisions a landscape of opportunity for the sector, with predicted UK category growth of £5.5bn by 2025, a rise of 114% on the £2.5bn predicted pre-pandemic, and a forecast transactional cumulative consumer spend of £2.4bn by 2025. Where transactional formats expand to embrace premium, SVOD embraces AVOD, joined by FAST, all offering consumer choice and taking a share of growing consumer engagement.” Robert Marsh, Chair of BASE and Vice President Commercial, Sony Pictures Entertainment: “Ever-increasing consumer engagement with in-home viewing has been accompanied by innovation across the sector. BASE, as the champion for the growth of screen entertainment, is perfectly placed and actively working to help realise this growth. I welcome this report at this key time, and, alongside the BASE Board and all its members, I look forward to BASE and DEGI further unlocking the myriad opportunities within the Home Entertainment space. After all, there’s no place like home.”
It follows on from a wealth of activity around trade organisations such as the Entertainment Retailers Association and BASE, with the annual conference from the latter. ERA marked the event by unveiling figures that showed the physical entertainment market broken down by format. The Nintendo Switch is top, while the vinyl revival continues apace – it’s worth more than £80 million on 2022 so far. Third is the two PlayStation formats, then CDs and, in fifth and sixth respectively, DVD and then Bu-ray. The former is worth more than £66 million in 2022, albeit down by almost 20 per cent, while the latter was up by exactly 10 per cent was worth over £52 million. ERA CEO Kim Bayley said: ”Vinyl’s rise and rise seems unstoppable. For a 74 year old analogue format to eclipse the digital-age technology of games platforms is quite extraordinary. Ten years into its long climb back to favour, the vinyl revival is most definitely here to stay.”
ERA also published the latest results of its consumer tracking research, which regularly ask consumers their opinions about entertainment and the industry. As ever, there were some fascinating facts that emerge – not least that songwriters and artists are more popular than film stars. In the film business, video streaming services have a net positive view from consumers of more than 35 per cent, which fell to 15 per cent for studios, 11.8 per cent for cinemas and just 6.7 per cent for film stars. Of streaming services and studios, consumers were most positive about Netflix (more than 36 per cent), followed by Amazon Prime (30.4 per cent), Warner (21.5 per cent), Universal (19.9 per cent), Disney+ at 14.4 per cent and Disney as a studio, with just 6.2 per cent. At least they were all positive, however – record companies are still rated negative, at minus 11 per cent. ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The positive bond music fans feel with the artists they love is no surprise; what is extraordinary is the scale of that affection – six times more than they have for movie stars.”
And finally from ERA, chief executive Kim Bayley has marked 20 years at the association by receiving warm congratulations from around the entertainment business. Among those celebrating her lengthy stint, which has overseen the rebranding from BARD to ERA and the addition of digital services, was BASE chief Liz Bales, who said: “Always practical and solution-focused, always supportive of the wider video category and its people, beyond what would be expected from ERA or yourself, always organised and calm – heartfelt congratulations from everyone at BASE. Doug Putman, owner of HMV UK, said: “I’ve not known Kim for the full 20 years but in the time I have been involved with HMV and Fopp, we have been incredibly grateful for Kim’s representation, cross industry communication and support. She is an asset to the entertainment sector and we look forward to working with her well into the future.”
Commenting on her long stint, Bayley herself said: “One notably industry figure apparently was heard to say that he gave me six months in the role – so it’s quite gratifying to still be here 20 years later. It’s been an amazing 20 years at many times challenging but for the most part inspiring. Integrating supermarkets, home delivery retailers and (God forbid!) digital services into essentially a group of high street shops was no small feat. Thankfully everyone has learnt from each other and it is recognised that they each have a role in the music eco-system– but getting to this point was by no means easy.”
Meanwhile, Top Gun Maverick continues its celebratory flypast at the top of the Official Film Chart, having racked up four weeks and counting in its digital window ahead of the full physical release at the end of October (we confirmed the date some weeks ago and the official press notice has just gone out unveiling the release). Its first week was a record breaker – the biggest week one of the year and one of the biggest debuts ever on the Official Film Chart – while its second week, 11 days into its digital bow, saw the film passing the 500,000 digital unit mark in terms of sales. The milestone mark was achieved in less than half the time the fastest selling predecessor had taken – Spider-Man: No Way Home took almost five weeks to hit the half a million mark. And in the Tom Cruise blockbuster’s third week, its combined sales were higher than the rest of the top 10 combined. Four weeks after its initial release and the title is still atop the charts.
Still on Top Gun: Maverick and another first for the blockbuster that finally materialised after years of waiting. For the film’s remarkable Digital success has seen it becoming the first recipient of the Official Film Chart Number 1 Award. It’s similar to the Official Charts Company’s gong for reaching pole position in the singles chart. As noted by BASE: “The award was launched on Tuesday, 13 September when Official Charts Company Commercial Director Becca Monahan presented the first ever award to Oleg Ozoling, Director Digital Distribution at Paramount Pictures for the success of Top Gun: Maverick.”
It’s back to dinosaurs with the biggest release of the week from Universal through its ongoing arrangement with Warner, with the title, Jurassic World Dominion, the latest in the 25-year plus saga started by Steven Spielberg with Jurassic Park. The new outing sees some of the franchise’s more recent bankable stars, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, teaming up with some of its original casts, including the always marvellous Jeff Goldblum. Comment on the release came from Universal’s Stephanie Don, who said: “Jurassic World Dominion is roaring into homes this week on Home Entertainment, and our campaign has left no stone unturned with dino-sized OOH media running across major commuter hubs and shopping malls as well as premier league football perimeter boards, alongside a heavyweight broadcast, digital media and publicity campaign including Amazon Fresh branded shopping bags distributed across the UK. In-store we have a fantastic LEGO GWP offer in Asda plus exclusive collector’s SKUs and a huge POS footprint across all of retail which will deliver the stature and excitement that is synonymous with a Jurassic World release.”
We mentioned some time ago about former Arrow mainstay Fran Simeoni, who has done as much as anyone to advance the boutique label collector’s market, working at the company to help develop one of the original imprints that have helped reshape the market. He exited the company to launch his own label, Radiance Films, and he has unveiled his first slate of titles. There’s 10 in all representing the broad scope of Simeoni’s ambition, taking in multiple territories and different eras, right up to the present day. They include The Working Class Goes to Heaven and Yakuza tale Big Time Gambling Boss, both due in January 2023; crime thriller from the VHS era Miami Blues and French 1968 affair A Woman Kills in February, and, beyond those, the likes of Welcome To The Dollhouse, She Dies Tomorrow, Fill ‘er Up With Super, The Sunday Woman, The Man On The Roof and Red Sun. Interesting to note too that among the welter of pre-order offers from the company, it offered a three year gold package, offering every release for the first 36 months to be be sent automatically, along with other benefits. What’s more, the limited edition offer – there were only 50 available at a hefty cost of £1,600 each for UK punters, which sold out almost immediately.
In the launch announcement, Radiance’s Simeoni said: “Every film is a journey into the unknown. I find it thrilling to explore new areas of cinema. Different periods, tropes, styles, politics, sensibilities, I find it all absolutely fascinating - it’s art, history, biography, and lots of emotion. With Radiance Films I want to encompass the whole of cinema.” And following the launch, he told the Raygun: "I’m delighted with the reaction to the announcement from colleagues and fans alike. Early sales look very encouraging and I’m looking forward to now ensuring these releases get to customers in the best shape they can.
Forthcoming news now and Eureka has unveiled its releases due in November, with the company announcing plans for the bonfire month and, as ever, national accounts manager Marcus Garwood talking us through the slate. He said: “We have a couple of essential Q4 gifting gems coming out this November. First up via our Masters Of Cinema imprint is an extremely desirable special edition of legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics' Son Of The White Mare [Fehérlófia]. This psychedelic adaptation of the Hungarian folk tale traverses an otherworldly canvas as it follows mythic folk heroes Treeshaker, Stonecrumbler, and Irontemperer as they descend into the perilous underworld on an epic quest to battle the forces of ancient evil and save the cosmos. The feature is presented from a director-approved 4K restoration and comes to home video for the first time ever in the UK. The release also includes Jankovics’ debut feature–and the first ever Hungarian animated feature film – Johnny Corncob [János Vitéz] – as well as a selection of his short films. The package is encased in a limited edition o-card and also includes a collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Rich Johnson. Sticking with the UK debuts, our Eureka Classics range presents a brand new 2k restoration of acclaimed kung-fu comedy The Dead And The Deadly. Directed by Wu Ma and co-starring Sammo Hung, The Dead And The Deadly has (up until now) been criminally unseen in the west, so martial arts fans are in for a real treat here. The Dead And The Deadly is a horror-action-comedy-special effects extravaganza in the in the same vein as Mr. Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind. The initial special edition runs of those two aforementioned films were in hot demand and sold out in double quick time, so early pre-ordering is definitely advised once again on this forthcoming release. The limited edition features an 0-card slipcase, plus a limited collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver.”
AT THE MOVIES
Shudder has inked a deal that will see it releasing another festival hit after acquiring psychological horror Spoonful Of Sugar ahead of the film’s airing at Fantastic Fest. The film sees, it says, “a disturbed babysitter experiencing a sexual awakening while using LSD to alternatively treat a seemingly ‘sick’ child from a family with dark secrets of their own. The film will air on the genre streaming service next year in key territories including the UK and US. Craig Engler, General Manager, Shudder, said: “With Spoonful of Sugar, Mercedes Bryce Morgan delivers an incisive psychological horror laced with nightmarish visions of hallucinogenic beauty. We can't wait for Shudder members to take the trip.” Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan added: "AMC Networks’ Shudder is the perfect partner for this movie, and we're so honoured to be able to showcase such a unique story. I can't wait for audiences everywhere to dive into the trippy psyches of our characters."
He’s back. After Better Call Saul finished came to its satisfying conclusion following six seasons, Breaking Bad and Saul creator Vince Gilligan has revealed plans for his next outing. And what's more, after both his high profile recent outings went to Netflix, the to property has signed up with Apple for his new series. The move sees him working once more with the Sony executives who first got behind Breaking Bad after they moved to the company. The unnamed series will star Saul co-star Rhea Seehorn in the lead. Gilligan said: “After fifteen years, I figured it was time to take a break from writing antiheroes… and who’s more heroic than the brilliant Rhea Seehorn? It’s long past time she had her own show, and I feel lucky to get to work on it with her. And what nice symmetry to be reunited with Zack Van Amburg, Jamie Erlicht and Chris Parnell! Jamie and Zack were the first two people to say yes to Breaking Bad all those years ago. They’ve built a great team at Apple, and my wonderful, long-time partners at Sony Pictures Television and I are excited to be in business with them.”
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Nixed this…
Crown Plaza…
Five years ahead of its time…
Time plus tragedy equals comedy
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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