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MORE TIME UNTIL BOND ARRIVES
NEW DIGITAL RENTAL CHART LAUNCHED…
…REACTION TO INDUSTRY INITIATIVE
4K, CATALOGUE MAKE MARK IN FILM CHART
FRIGHTFEST UNVEILS OCTOBER DIGITAL EVENT…
…SIGNATURE TITLES ON SHOW…
…AND FEST OFFERS LAUNCH PLATFORM FOR HOME ENT
FOUND FOOTAGE EXAMINED
ALTITUDE TAKES TO WATER
ACORN TAKES THE MYSTERY ROAD
PUNK’S NOT DEAD
TEA, BEST DRINK OF THE DAY
RAVES FOR GRAVE…
…AS KALEIDOSCOPE UPS A GEAR
EUREKA LAUNCHES WINTER SLATE
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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The news that the latest Bond flick, No Time To Die, is being delayed worldwide once more was announced late on Friday and took many by surprise, not least the raft of UK journalists still discussing access and interviews right up until the end of the working week. The promo for Billie Eilish’s theme song had just been released as part of the ongoing publicity drive and now everything has to be reset for a release in 2021. The terse statement from the partners involved in the release said: “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time To Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until April 2 2021 in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience. We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time To Die next year.” While it’s understandable, it seems as if the US release and the country’s parlous state is driving what happens in other territories too and it looks as if the home entertainment industry is going to have to get more creative, find more catalogue opportunities and more interesting new features and DTV titles in the months ahead while things get back to normal (whatever that is). The signs are there – a number of independents have talked to this week about the support they’re getting for DTV titles and beyond from across retail, while we’ve started watching London Film Festival titles and homegrown fare such as forthcoming BFI title Mogul Mowgli really are deserving of support (it’s likely to land on home entertainment formats early in 2021), while with more independents to announce, there are some strong titles due in Q4. More next week…
The changing nature of the business is reflected this week in the launch of a new digital rental chart from the Official Charts Company and other industry partners. It’s the first monthly video on demand chart service based on data from digital retailers anywhere in the world, another coup from the company and organisations supporting the initiative including ERA and BASE. The move is supported by retailers including Amazon, Apple, Rakuten, Sky Store and Talk Talk TV, with more set to follow. It comes during a pandemic boom in VOD activity, with average weekly rentals soaring from 600,000 a week to more than 1 million a week after lockdown. Contagion was the most rented title in the two weeks leading up to the lockdown, while over the six months to the end of June, Joker was top of the pile. There were 21 million digital rentals in that period, with Joker nabbing 600,000 of those and the second biggest renter, Jumanji sequel The Next Level taking 450,000. Knives Out was the third biggest. Other titles in the top 10 included 1917, Frozen 2, Angel Has Fallen, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Le Mans 66 and Gemini Man. The first monthly rental chart will be published in the middle of October.
Comment on the new chart came from Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot who said: “We are delighted to deliver this world-first service and throw a light on the British public’s film rental habits. The list of the most popular titles illustrates just what a wide range of tastes the British public has, from Frozen 2 to Joker, or Jumanji to 1917 – as well as how huge the rental market remains in the UK, with more than 1m transactions in the majority of weeks this year so far.” Liz Bales, ceo at BASE, said: “Alongside the Official Film Chart, which has been delivering a weekly snapshot of the EST film titles audiences are engaging with for nearly two years now, the world-first VOD chart marks a further significant step in giving distribution and retail a view of how film fans are consuming across a burgeoning digital landscape. We’ve worked hard with our colleagues at the Official Charts Company to unlock much of the data needed for these developments and are excited to be able to offer the category a valuable, regular view of the key trends across genre, product age and the wider effects of seasonality, theatrical drafting and even how the news agenda informs the entertainment audiences are seeking out.” Kim Bayley, ceo at ERA added: “The days of rushing to get your VHS cassette back to the rental store in time may be long behind us, but these numbers show that rental is still an incredibly popular way of enjoying films at home in the digital age, with lockdown only accelerating that trend. Congratulations to the Official Charts Company on an innovation which will not only provide vital business information for film studios, but also gives a fascinating insight into what the UK is watching.” While we’re on chart-based material, after recent stories here on catalogue and older titles getting the 4K treatment, it’s worth noting that this week’s Official Film Chart contains a brace of 4K-related releases – with the 4K Steelbook catapulting Star Wars Attack Of The Clones back into the upper echelons, it sits just 2,500 copies behind number one Scoob, while Full Metal Jacket also returns, in at number six, on the back of Warner’s release of the classic Stanley Kubrick Vietnam drama. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest also makes an appearance in the top 10, thanks to interest sparked by the arrival on Netflix of Ratched. Almost nine out of 10 of its sales came from digital downloads. You can view this week’s chart show here…
After last week’s announcement that it was dropping the physical element of its traditional Halloween outing following uncertainty over Covid-19 regulations and moving the whole shebang online, Arrow Video FrightFest has this week unveiled the line-uo for the event, which is now expanded, elongated and offering up more films than ever. As usual, it’s providing the perfect platform for home entertainment and theatrical releases, with some of our favourite labels well represented by FrightFest’s choices. The event will run from October 21 right through to 25, with an array of different options, including a Zavvi-sponsored Discovery Screen and the usual wealth of world, European and world premieres. Opening film is the excellent Held, described as “Parasite and Get Out meets The Stepford Wives” (we’ve seen it and can testify to that). All films are streamed as live, with assorted protections too. There’s also a wealth of short films on show, including sometime Raygun contributor and designer and former VHE and HEW staffer Dan Auty’s thriller Watch. Commenting on the announcement, co-director Alan Jones said: ““The latest safety regulations and social distancing measures brought in to contain the spread of Covid-19 meant we had no other choice but to cancel our much-anticipated physical edition of FrightFest in October. So the only option open to Team FrightFest, despite all the hard work everyone has put in over the past months, was to take the new normal by its devil horns and reconfigure FrightFest 2020 once more to give everyone an important horror fantasy lifeline. Our virtual event in August was so well received that we knew we had to do it again - with even more picks of want-to-see new releases, hot previews, unusual options and first-rate titles. Enjoy”. You can see the full line-up here…
Of course, among those well represented at Arrow Video FrightFest is Signature, which, of course, has an ongoing relationship with the organisation via the boutique FrightFest Presents label. It too has its fair share on offer at the event, and, as the company’s Emilie Barra said: “We are delighted to be bringing nine standout genre films to our favourite UK genre fest: Tailgate, The Owners (home invasion thriller starring GOT's Maisie Williams), Welsh chiller Concrete Plans, For The Sake Of Vicious, Blood Harvest, Broil, Relic (ahead of its October 30 PVOD release), The Craft-esque horror thriller Let’s Scare Julie and Honeydew. We can't think of a better way to celebrate Halloween! We have also given the FrightFest Presents label a brand makeover to coincide with spooky season! Check out our socials for more info on what's to come.”
Proof of FrightFest’s worth as a launch platform for releases comes from The Nights Before Christmas. The title, a festive slasher, will air over the weekend, before being released on DVD and digital platforms by Kaleidoscope on November 2, with other territories including the US releasing in December. Producer Ken Bressers said: “We’ve always loved it when movies subvert the genre a little... classics like Gremlins, or Die Hard set with the Christmas backdrop... well here’s a real Christmas story to watch when the Hallmark type Christmas movies are making you feel too safe! Playing at FrightFest is a great honour and we're thrilled to be part of the line up.” Director (and Raygun reader) Paul Tanter said: “As a fan of FrightFest since its inception, it’s an honour to have our film premiering in its 20th year amongst this fantastic line up. It’s also a great launchpad for the home entertainment release that Kalaidoscope has very cannily scheduled for November 2, so people can get the DVD or download within days of the event. It’s a great festive horror that can be pre-ordered on DVD now for only £7!”
While we’re on all things horror-related, keep an eye out for forthcoming documentary The Found Footage Phenomenon, currently in the works and, as the title suggests, studying one of the most recent – and profitable – horror film sub-genres. the found footage film. Not only is the subject matter intriguing, and, seeing as it’s been so profitable for home entertainment, commercially enticing too, but the people putting it together should be instantly familiar to a lot of UK distributors, labels and horror fans . Sarah Appleton and Phillip Escott are the filmmakers and they have both worked extensively on home entertainment releases, putting together special features, featurettes and longer documentaries for the likes of 101 Films, Arrow Video, the BFI and Second Sight, both as collaborators and individuals. Appleton told The Raygun: "Phillip Escott and myself are developing a new feature length independent documentary on the found footage sub-genre called The Found Footage Phenomenon. We both have been massively into found footage for a long time and we feel that now is the right time to document the history. The documentary will cover the origins of found footage, with Cannibal Holocaust in 1980 and what came before that even, which sparked a fascinating flurry of movies and even TV, through Ghostwatch, The Last Broadcast and of course The Blair Witch Project and beyond into the early naughties before the boom with Paranormal Activity in 2007, and right up to 2020 where the likes of Host are taking the world by storm. We are interested in looking at the rise of the internet and reality tv and how the audience adapted with the movies.” They’ve already interviewed a wealth of contributors from throughout the genre’s history, with more to come ahead of release sometime next year.
Due in stores on Monday, kicking off the Q4 season, is the first in what promises to be a busy slate from Altitude, which has a slate of successful and hugely commercial feature films as well as a raft of gifting opportunities too, is Dead Water. Commenting on the release, the company’s head of home entertainment Adam Eldrett said: “Social distancing just got deadly! Our Q4 release slate begins on Monday October 5 with the release of Dead Water on digital and DVD. It's great to have some quality direct to video product coming through to complement the theatrical and event-style releases that we all work on here at Altitude. We have some strong retail support for the Casper Van Dien-led release and are supporting the release with a social media campaign. It’s the first in an incredible slate of titles we have this Q4 and hope to share more news on upcoming releases with you soon.”
Also out on Monday is the second series of ongoing murder mystery series Mystery Road, which arrives courtesy of Acorn. The company’s joint head of marketing Helen Squire said: "In the spirit of armchair travel we’re delighted to bring another slice of outback noir to DVD and EST on Monday with the release of Mystery Road Series 2. Alongside Aaron Pedersen, this second series also guest stars Sofia Helin of The Bridge fame and thanks to Aim Publicity she’s been chatting with outlets various to publicise the title for us. This is a dark slow burning murder mystery filmed in a stunning location and the simmering cultural tensions are palpable.”
Another title arriving on Monday is the latest release from the ever-busy Dazzler Media operation and, with a title like Punk, there was no way we weren’t going to note the release of this series. Here’s the company’s Paul Holland on its latest. He said: “Out on October 5 on DVD, Blu-Ray, DTO and seven inch pink vinyl (OK the last ones made up!) comes one of the best music documentaries of recent times. Punk is a four-part documentary series from executive producer John Varvatos and punk music legend Iggy Pop. The series features original interviews with America’s punk pioneers and the UK’s most notorious bands including Johnny Rotten, Marky Ramone and Dave Grohl. Included are rare and unseen photos, gritty archival film and video and a crackling soundtrack of punk hits and misses.”
More for Monday October 5 and there’s another outing from one of our favourite indies, Third Window, which releases The Taste Of Tea into the market. Here’s the company’s Adam Torel on the title, he said: “Taste of Tea is a wonderful Japanese film that, despite being the opening film of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Director's Fortnight and playing a whole lot of international film festivals, never actually was released in the UK. Our release is not just the first of any kind in the UK, but this Blu-ray release is actually the first in the world. Director Katsuhito Ishii is a unique director and loved in small circles, with his career in anime probably most well-known (he directed the animation in Tarantino's Kill Bill), but with the world's first Blu-ray of Taste of Tea, we hope the film and his talent can reach a new audience.”
Also arriving on Monday is the final instalment in the I Spit On Your Grave franchise, Deja Vu, which will land across all grocers, alongside both a special edition of the original, as well as a complete collection featuring all the films. As Kaleidoscope’s Adam Sergeant said: “Deja-Vu has been confirmed for support in ALL grocers, which is a great result, giving KHE its highest initial ship so far this year. Additionally, the I Spit On Your Grave Original Special Edition, a double-disc featuring the original film plus brand new documentary, Growing Up With ISOYG, is being supported by Asda, which we're really pleased with. And more: the ISOYG Complete Collection has recorded really healthy pre-orders on Amazon, and continues to build toward release. The PR for this campaign has been great, including features, lots of reviews and a handful of online 'unboxing' events, which have recorded excellent engagement.”
The I Spit On Your Grave kicks off a busy month for Kaleidoscope, as the company’s Adam Sergeant continued. He said: “Away from ISOYG, Bruce Willis' latest action feature, Hard Kill, is coming to DVD on October 19, and is again supported by all grocers. In the digital arena, today we embark on several Black History Month promotions, chiefly with iTunes and Sky, utilising our extensive back catalogue to leverage titles such as double Oscar-winning Precious and Idris Elba starring, Second Coming. Theatrically, Friday sees the release of That Click, a documentary charting the career of acclaimed Hollywood photographer of the stars, Douglas Kirkland - a man who has photographed more than 60 years of pop culture and the stars of over 150 motion pictures, from Marilyn Monroe to Jack Nicholson and Leo DiCaprio. Focused across the Everyman, Picturehouse and indie circuits, we expect between 30-40 screens by month end.”
Meanwhile, more forthcoming title news, moving into November and December, as Eureka has this week announced an addition to its slate for the former and then titles for the final month of 2020 on social media, to the usual fanfare and interest from fans. The company’s Marcus Garwood talked us through the slate. He said: “Originally planned for release earlier in the year we are proud to finally be bringing Czech director Vaclav Marhoul’s cinematic masterpiece The Painted Bird to Blu-ray on November 16. Adapted from Jerzy Kosinski’s controversial novel, the film depicts a lone Jewish boy’s obstacle course of survival and abuse in Eastern Europe at the end of World War II. The Painted Bird, features a staggering central performance from the young Petr Kotlar alongside a star-studded international ensemble including Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands and Barry Pepper. Its initial release is housed in a limited edition O-Card Slipcase which also contains a collector's booklet featuring an essay on the film by Jason Wood. Onwards into December and when you open up the seventh window on your Advent calendars this year you will also be able to open up one of these new releases we have scheduled for release on the December 7. We start off with a sumptuous six-film box set which brings together all six films in Universal’s classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries series. All six films star the late, great Horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man, High Noon) and appear on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK. Extras on the disc include several audio commentaries, interviews and a selection of episodes from the original Inner Sanctum radio shows from which the films were derived. The set also contains a Collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the series by Craig Ian Mann. Multi-award Winning American Director Samuel Fuller is up next. Previously only available as part of our bestselling limited edition Fuller At Fox box set we are now making two of the films available separately, namely, 1954’s Hell And High Water and 1955’s House Of Bamboo. Fuller is cited as a deep influence on Directors such as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino and when you see these two restored gems it’s not hard to see why. We round off 2020 with the standard edition reissue of Tsui Hark’s Once Upon A Time In China Trilogy. For those that missed the initial limited edition release this standard edition still features the full 4K restorations of the films & the sumptuous disc extras, but minus the booklets and hard case to make things a little easier on the wallet.”
AT THE MOVIES
Firestarter, for those of us with a longer memory than the 1990s Prodigy hit of the same name, was one of the high profile Stephen King adaptations that were a common sight on video rental store shelves during the 1980s (released under the Columbia TriStar banner, if our memory serves us well, although we’re sure someone will correct us), and the film is about to get a new lease of life in this week’s big remake news. The original, of course, starred Drew Barrymore as the telekinetic arsonist of the title, this time around, another big name is set to star, albeit not as the firestarter, Zac Efron is lined up in an as yet unnamed role. The film will be released through Universal with the always watchable Blumhouse involved too. It might be a while off yet, as Efron has a busy schedule, including another, gentler remake for Disney+ in the shape of Three Men And A Baby.
News has been slowly dripping out about Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat 2 for a few weeks now, as it emerged that the had been filming the sequel as the Kazakhstan character in the US during the height of the lockdown. Now, in a sudden move and followed assorted screenings for executives, it appears as is the film has been snapped up by Amazon and it will be screened on the Prime service before the US election – October 23 to be precise. Stories have surfaced that American politicians and key figures, including Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump’s mouthpiece lawyer Rudy Giuliani are those who have been scammed by the character this time around…
Fans of rock biographies will know that Ronnie Spector’s outing, Be My Baby, named after one of the singer’s biggest hits with her girl vocal group The Ronettes, is one of the finest examples of the genre, not least for its mad stories about controlling producer and husband Phil Spector. Now, some years after it was written, the book is set to be turned into a film, with star du jour Zendaya set to appear as the singer, who will herself be involved as producer. Better still, production house A24, behind some of the best US indie output of recent years, is behind the film after picking up the rights to the book.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
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TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Here’s that Borat trailer…
That Nights Before Christmas trailer…
Clip of the week…
Due in a few weeks…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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