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BASE AWARDS DATE SET
RAYGUN SOCIAL SET TO RETURN
THE BATMAN SET TO BOOST CINEMAS…
…AS PRE-ORDERS KICK OFF AND FILM EARNS BIG
ERA PUBLISHES YEARBOOK…
…INNOVATION LEADS STREAMING WAVE
ACORN FLAUNTS ITS ASSETS
SPARKS FLY FOR LOUIS RELEASE
SIGNATURE UNVEILS Q2 SLATE…
…WITH PLATINUM ROYAL TITLE SET FOR JUBILEE
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
It’s confirmed. Trade organisation BASE has announced the date for the 2022 awards ceremony and the red letter day is on October 6. Following the huge success of the 2021 event, the first n-person ceremony since the pandemic struck, the awards night is once again returning to its new home of the Roundhouse in Camden, north London. BASE has promised more new awards categories and gongs to reflect the ever-changing nature of the business, while it is also putting together sponsorship packages and getting ready for the awards entries and judging. Entries will open on May 1 and will close later in June. BASE has said this year’s autumn event will be “the most creative and inclusive yet”. It’s the 42nd BASE-organised awards in the storied history of our business. Liz Bales, Chief Executive, British Association for Screen Entertainment, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to announce the details of the 42nd BASE Awards this early in the year, with the wonderful November 2021 awards still fresh in our minds. The BASE team works so hard to listen and learn from every event, and the changes we’ve put in place this year, as well as returning to the amazing Camden Roundhouse, mean it promises to be another brilliant night.”
And while we’re talking about events – as regular readers will know, we had planned a Raygun social event to be held in Vauxhall before Christmas, although the Omicron variant put paid to that, forcing us to postpone the event. We’re now looking at new dates and will be hosting an industry drinks and social event some time soon. Watch this space for more details…
The Batman has arrived in cinemas, bringing with it a whole range of drafting opportunities as Warner pushes assorted version of its previous outings featuring the Dark Knight. What’s more, pundits and analysts are looking keenly at its opening weekend performance to see what its box office receipts mean for not just the first post-pandemic blockbuster, but also the wider film and home entertainment business too. A major Guardian feature quoted Omdia’s David Hancock, who said: “The huge success of Bond and Spiderman proved that cinema is back, but both did it within Covid when cinemagoing was not considered to be back to normal conditions. We will be judging Batman as the first ‘post-Covid film’, if you like, on its pure merits. The hesitancy to return to cinemas and the rush when fans starved of big new releases were actually able to see one are now not factors. The question for Batman is simply, will people like it, and that is how films should be judged.” The same piece quoted Vue’s Tim Richards who said: “We have had false starts. But this looks and feels like the epidemic is in the proverbial rearview mirror. When Batman opens next week, there will be no restrictions in the UK, absolutely nothing. We will not see 2019 levels this year. But I think there is no doubt we have proven cinema is back. My goal within another week or two is to not be speaking about the past and only about the future.”
Early reports indicate a UK opening weekend of more than £13.5 million, with the US receipts totalling $128 million. If anything, this suggests the UK is actually ahead of the US, given the 10 per cent dollars to pounds ratio rule of thumb. If you’re looking for anecdotal evidence, we visited our local Cineworld on Saturday afternoon (actually to see Uncharted, with our junior correspondent who is under the age of 15, the classification for The Batman. And we can report that Bat-screenings looked very busy, but within a minute of queuing for entry, noticed at least two kids with parents being strongly questioned over the age of their offspring they were taken. And the packed audience for Uncharted suggested a lot of people couldn’t et into The Batman for age-related reasons and instead saw other titles. We also had reports from a post-midnight screening of The Batman just after midnight on Friday morning that was packed and delirious. The disappointed under-15-year-olds will lead, we reckon, to huge demand for the home entertainment bow later this year. The weekend’s Bat-activity also saw the likes of hmv start pre-sales of the physical SKUs of The Batman, as yet undated, with the retailer among those offering up their own exclusive versions (hmv had a Steelbook up) and assorted offers Over at Zavvi, the retailer offered up a DC-themed weekend for its titles.
Retail trade organisation ERA, the Entertainment Retailers’ Association, has published its annual yearbook, offering a detailed look at where the entertainment industry – films and TV, music and games – is at right now. Among the interesting details it throws up is that a whopping one billion pounds – that’s right, £1 billion – was spent on discs featuring video, games and music in 2021, which defied the move towards streaming and its rapid growth. And even as ERA noted that the £1.05 billion spent on discs was down 18.5 per cent on the 2020 figures, and makes up just 11 per cent of the overall entertainment market, it still represents more than 50 million discs being sold in the UK. Of those, some 16 million were DVDs. While game software was the highest with more than half the £1 billion plus figure coming from console software, DVDs were the next biggest ahead of CDs and vinyl, representing £150.5 million. Blu-ray sales were more than half that figure, standing at £85.7 billion, with 4K UHD making up £23.6 million. The ERA Yearbook also noted that there were more than 4,200 stores selling music, video and games in the UK in 2021. ERA’s Kim Bayley said: “Amid all the excitement about digital formats, it’s easy to forget that physical is still a huge business. That £1bn total represents more than 50m individual buying decisions. While digital offers convenience, many people still value the quality and sense of ownership discs can offer.”
The ERA yearbook further studies the huge growth in streaming across video and music, with the pair growing to a £4.5 billion market in 2021, up a fifth on the previous year. Video streaming on demand, as exemplified by the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, grew even faster, up 28.2 per cent to £3.2 billion. The Yearbook, listing 30 key innovations from streaming companies, noted that much of the growth comes from the innovations the services are bringing in. Examples included “Rakuten TV’s new ad-supported LEGO streaming channel; the extension of the availability of Disney+ to Xbox; the new Sky Glass television set and the addition of 4K Plus to YouTube TV”. As ERA’s Kim Bayley said: “Streaming services have become the great drivers of the music and streaming businesses. Thanks to streaming services, UK film and music fans have access to a greater choice and greater convenience than ever before.” You can see the Yearbook here…
Monday releases and Acorn returns to the fray with Hidden Assets, a crime drama with International themes that has wowed BBC4 audiences and is benefiting from strong PR support as the title arrives on shelves on March 7. Commenting on the release, Acorn’s Helen Squire said: “Angeline Ball has been doing us proud promoting Hidden Assets which launches on HE on Monday. She plays the lead, Detective Emer Berry, in this thrilling crime drama which recently aired with great success on BBC4. Consumers can get a double dose of Emer as she first played the character in the series Acceptable Risk, co-starring with Elaine Cassidy, which is also out this week on disc and digital.”
A new announcement from Studiocanal this week with the company unveiling a key title due in March as Benedict Cumberbatch switches on for the download and keep digital version of The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain on March 18, with the physical version landing three days later on March 21. Comment on the release came from the company’s Carys Gaskin, who said: “We’re ecstatic to be bringing the extraordinary true story of the eccentric artist Louis Wain to life with The Electrical Life of Louis Wain coming to Digital, DVD and Blu-ray in March, starring the consistently excellent Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role following his recent award attention and star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Backed by a fantastic ensemble cast and with superb British talent amongst the crew including Will Sharpe (Flowers, Landscapers) as the director, we are prioritising our digital support across social and search while exploring partnerships with relevant businesses to create bespoke press drops and prizes for our country of cat lovers.”
And as spring hoves into view, so the presentations for the second quarter of 2022, taking us from April into the early summer, are currently in full swing and we’ve been talking to Signature about its slate. As the company’s Emilie Barra said: "We have a packed quarter with the kind of breadth of genre that `Signature is known for and we have some really cool day and daters, a lot of titles with great festival buzz and some long-awaited VOD releases too.” The quarter kicks off with the Easter theatrical release of Rabbit Academy, a “charming, colourful, vibrant” animation tale with talking animals, which, as Signature notes, falls between Peter Rabbit and Monsters University. The first physical DVD release is the dream team of directors Abel Ferrara and star Ethan Hawke in Zeros and Ones (“two Hollywood forces coming together at the top of their game,” said Signature’s Emilie Barra), following on from its VOD and EST release at the end of Q1. Fresh from its Dublin film festival premiere is Irish folk horror thriller You Are Not My Mother, due at cinemas and on EST and VOD on April 8. “a true genre gem,” said Barra. Into April and there’s the home release for Bull, the Neil Maskell revenge thriller that is one of 2021’s best as far as we at The Raygun are concerned. The release comes off the back of the theatrical and LFF airings, which came with great reviews. This is followed by another festival hit, Escape From Mogadishu. “It’s one of the biggest budget actioners to come out of South Korea,” said Barra, noting it has already made major waves at the London Korean Film Festival and on to Dublin. “It’s a heart-in-mouth survival thriller. We’re calling it the Korean Argo because it has the action, the thrills, the politics and the true story element. We know there’s a huge appetite for high quality Korean content and this really fills that gap.” Of course, there’s some Bruce Willis in there, not least the DVD release for Fortress starring the Die Hard hero. Image Of Victory, a wartime Middle Eastern thriller, followed by Eva Longoria in digital detox romcom Unplugged, which will be supported by the Desperate Housewives star. Into May and there’s a digital release for homegrown Signature historian action title Maid Marian. The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain is an important and heartbreaking true story that has a post-Black Lives Matter relevance that should boost it further.
Continuing with SIgnature’s Q2 slate and the company is promising a return to 90s-style erotic thrillers in the shape of Shattered, which, as Emilie Barra said: “It’s a really commercial proposition, a great thriller with an A-list cast, including John Malkovich, and plenty of twists”. The Innocents has been building up a head of steam since Signature picked it up post-Cannes last year, and has gone on to score big at genre festivals, including Halloween FrightFest last year. “It’s a really unsettling psychological thriller,” said Emilie Barra. Its release is made even more timely thanks to the Oscar nomination for writer and director Eskil Vogt for another title he’s penned, The Worst Person In The World. “It’s a very exciting prospect and there’s room in the theatrical landscape for a really high-quality elevated genre title, this is very original and the cinematography is jaw-dropping. The anticipation is only going to keep growing”. Ghosts Of The Ozarks is another of those blended genre titles that Signature always seems to find a place for, it further boasts David Arquette, back in the limelight for retraining in the Scream franchise. Straddling May and June is Elizabeth: A Portrait In Parts, a project that sees Signature collaborating with Embankment and Amazon Prime with the theatrical on May 27, to be followed by Prime release a few days after (June 1st). The documentary is a definitive look at the reign of the Queen. Directed by Roger Michell, also behind The Duke and Notting Hill, this fresh, must-watch doc will be a huge part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations . “Many cinemas are already delighted at joining in to the celebrations by booking the film and we’ll be doing event screenings with Q&As,” said Barra. Thriller Shut In sees a return to the screen for Vincent Gallo, starring alongside another McDowell family member following Andie and co, in the shape of Rainey Qualley Female-led action thriller Nine Bullets, starring Lena Headey and Sam Worthington boasts strong credentials. Last Looks boasts an impeccable cast and is an action title that again finesse genres by throwing buddy comedy and whodunit elements into the mixer too. It boasts Charlie Hunnam, Mel Gibson, Morena Baccarin and even Dominic Monaghan and Method Man. “We’ve got a great PR opportunity and we have a relationship with Charlie since the success of Papillon,” said Barra. I Am Zlatan is not a documentary, rather a feature film based on the football star Ibrahimovic’s rise to fame and international superstar status, boasting strong football content too. The star is also giving it his full support and the biopic will be a great addition to the football World Cup year. “We can’t wait to see him posting about it on his socials to his millions of followers,” said Barra. Rushed is a heart-wrenching thriller that looks at college hazing, while Rubikon sees Signature further strengthening its sci-fi hand with another special effects-laden action title, `the quarter is closed out with another Signature production, Gatlopp Hell Of A Game, a Jumanji-style adventure that plays for a more grown up audience.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The BFI strongly condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all those affected by these horrific events. We support Ukraine remaining an independent nation and a world in which people from places that are silenced or under attack are safe and free to tell their stories through film and the moving image.
“The BFI believes in artistic freedom, freedom of speech and film’s potential to critique power, unite people and inspire empathy across cultures and we will continue to programme both Ukrainian and independent Russian films and welcome those filmmakers to BFI Southbank, at BFI Festivals and on BFI Player.
“We will also continue to share and give access to the BFI National Archive, and will work with FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) to support the protection of Ukraine’s film heritage.
“However, while this situation continues, we will not programme films or partner with organisations that are backed by the current Russian state.”
A full BFI statement on Ukraine…
AT THE MOVIES
The increasingly complex Alien franchise, with Ridley Scott seemingly on a quest to delve deeper and further into the mythology of the proceedings, has taken another turn this week with news of a new film in the works. What’s more, it looks as if this Alien outing will be a completely standalone title. Even more remarkable is that Scott won’t be directing, that gig has instead gone to Fede Alvarex, who directed Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead reboot as well as penning Netflix’s recent new Texas Chansaw Massacre film. The new Alien outing will be destined for Disney+ and 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell said: “It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before."
The White Men Can’t Jump remake, which boasts the involvement of NBA star Blake Griffin as one of its producing team, has moved a step closer to realisation this week with the casting of rapper Jack Harlow in one of the key roles. The rapper, who has guested with the likes of Lil Was X, had already shown off his hoop skills at the NBA All-star Celebrity Game and he will take on the role made famous by Woody Harrelson in the original, now some 30 years old. No news yet on who will take on the Wesley Snipes-style role…
And the latest film returning to the big screen if the rumour mill is to be believed is Beetlejuice. And what’s more, according to reports this week, both Michael Keaton will reprise their roles in the oft-mooted but not actually happened yet sequel. The report further stated that Geena Davis may return too, although Alec Baldwin is unlikely to given the recent tragic accident on the set of his film Rust. Shooting may even start in 2022…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Some kind of happening…
More multiverse madness? Er, no…
Like and share…
Oldman’s back in the spying game…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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