|
INDUSTRY READY TO WORK FROM HOME
BASE RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
MORE MOVIES MOVE BACK
CINEMA DELAYS TO HIT HOME ENT Q4?
“SO MANY QUESTIONS LEFT TO ANSWER”
OBVIOUSLY TRIALS HOME WORKING
CONTAGION GETS A BOOST
ABBEY CLOSES DVD ARM
MIDWAY LOOKING GOOD AT THE HALFWAY…
…AS LIONSGATE SHARPENS KNIVES…
…AND UNVEILS Q2 SLATE
SECOND SIGHT PLOTS REVENGE…
…AND GETS READY FOR DAWN
JUDY PACKS A PUNCH
ACORN’S PRIDE AND JOY
TAKING THE CENTRAL LINE
VETERANS TAKE OVER FRIGHTFEST
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIESTWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
If you can't read this newsletter or see the ads, please click here.
It was a good week for… Midway starts strongly…
It was a bad week for… Record Store Day joins a long list of feature film releases that gets postponed because of you-know-what…
So, what’s it like working from home then? As the country moved a step closer to total lockdown, the great and good of our industry were beginning to prepare for self-isolation, quarantine and working from home by testing out practices and procedures. A number of companies are already working from home, some as a trial to see if it can work, while others are preparing for a week or two off sorry, we meant doing their jobs from the comfort of their own sofa. Sony was the first to shut down, as reported here last week, but a number of companies are now firming up plans for the coming days and weeks. It’s such a fast-moving scenario that things will probably have changed by the time you read this, heck it’s changing as we write it. There are a raft of film cancellations, while others have started eyeing mainland Europe nervously, as problems with borders, travel bans and the spread of virus, may throw a spanner in the works of the supply chain. Others are predicting a boom for physical formats, digital downloads and subscription vod services. Fingers crossed that it won’t affect you or yours too badly…
Meanwhile, we sought some comment from BASE, to discuss supply chain issues, quarantine problems and more, here are the thoughts of chief executive Liz Bales. She said: “The COVID-19 outbreak is presenting a global public health challenge the like of which hasn't been seen for a generation. At government and, on a more personal level, that challenge is rightly centred around keeping communities safe and managing the outbreak in a sensible, proportional manner - a focus that BASE and the wider category clearly shares. Fortunately, the fact that many colleagues across the category and across territories are already well-placed and used to working remotely reduces some of the stress being seen elsewhere, and we count ourselves lucky for that. Nevertheless, across the board, we are hearing of businesses testing and readying their preparedness to weather what could well be a prolonged period of disruption but, as with organisations in other industries, we will have to continue to monitor the situation before it's true long term effects are known. Similarly, we've been in touch with various contacts across the supply chain and while that remains an emerging position, we've been heartened by the presentation of robust strategies already in place to cope as the situation evolves. We're balancing the need to look after our colleagues and loved ones with the need to drive a business as usual approach. That means continuing to drive the delivery of our stated objectives while also assisting members with navigating the changing landscape. At the same time, we remain mindful that audiences across the country will be finding some distraction in the superb offerings of the video category."
One issue that sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb is what is going to happen to cinemas and the crop of releases currently being pulled. The number of features being pulled from release at UK multiplexes and Indies is now well into double figures following the decision to pull the next Bond film, No Time To Die, from its April slot and moving it into November. A raft of titles followed in the wake of the decision from Universal, MGM and Eon. But, as we noted last week, what happens to the home entertainment? Bond had earmarked a Q4 date for its home entertainment bow, most of Universal’s contemporaries knew which Monday had been pencilled in. What next? There are murmurings of reduced theatrical to to home entertainment windows to enable releases to flow through and to prevent a drought in the later months of 2020; there are further rumours that titles will e sold to Netflix or Amazon or, in the case of Disney, go to its Disney+ svod service. Frozen 2 has been moved up on its Disney+ service in the US, it will now appear on Sunday (March 15) on the service. This is still nine days before Disney+ starts in the UK. Will it affect sales when Frozen 2 comes to DVD on March 30? Are there still UK consumers who are shortcutting Disney’s regulations and using Disney+ from other territories over here who now won’t bother buying the film? When will Disney+ air Frozen 2 in the UK. Mulan has already been put back, and as boxoffice.com's Shawn Robbins noted: “A movie like Mulan has a big budget, and it's been marketed already as a theatrical film. It's not so easy to just put it on Disney+. A major release like that costs Disney hundreds of millions of dollars and the financial lifespan of a production of that size needs to have some sort of theatrical release to make its money back.”
Theatrical titles so far delayed – some with dates, some still tbc – include, as well as 007, Peter Rabbit 2, Mulan, Antlers, The New Mutants, Fast & Furious 9, A Quiet Place Part II, The Lovebirds, Dream Horse, Our Ladies, The Secret Garden and Rocks. “You move one movie, then that potentially impacts five others. It's a domino effect," said Shawn Robbins of Boxoffice.com. "The box office has never really had to deal with something as widespread as the coronavirus before. There's no timetable to when things get back to normal, and there's just so many questions left to answer.”
Over on the agency side, assorted companies have been trialling working practices and how best to cope with quarantine, self-isolation and working from home to ensure a smooth flow. While client meetings are now being carried out via phone and conferencing, they’ve been preparing for potential WFH situations. Chief among these has been Obviously Creative, who all spent a day at home to see how it worked. And, as the company’s Alex Carter said in an email to clients: “We have been looking at our position on this to ensure that we have a measured and professional response in place, ensuring we can protect our team and continue ‘business as usual’ for our clients in the event of more stringent measures to slow the outbreak. We took the last minute decision to trail a full office closure on Wednesday this week, putting our systems and business continuity plan to full test. The urgency this decision brought to the team highlighted many things we already knew. We have strong, detailed and considered internal systems which have been built and run by an amazingly versatile and collaborative group of individuals. I’m pleased to announce, the operation was a success with the agency working to full effect, on-time and with full grace and humour intact - and we’re in an infinitely stronger place than we were days ago. In addition to our overall learnings, we have made immediate additional investment in new hardware, security, insurance and enhanced I.T. measures to handle the complex workflow and team integration required in a creative business, ensuring we do all we can to minimise distribution, whilst keeping our quality and speed of delivery intact.” In a further message, the company’s Richard Benjamin added: “From here we will consider whether to continue working remotely in groups to reduce the risk of being in a larger gathering and to also consider how we protect those more vulnerable (either through personal existing health conditions or living with families who do). We also know that if things escalate beyond the seemingly uncontrollable, we will, actually, remain in full control. We have the hand sanitiser, we shake elbows not hands, we’re stocked with a completely sensible amount of toilet roll…but we now have a fully actionable and conscientious plan to protect each other.”
One inadvertent winner among the Coronavirus pandemic is Warner’s film Contagion, which has enjoyed a boost across all formats thanks to public fears (although what we could learn from this title in practical terms is suspect). It’s one of a number of virus-related flicks that have surged, but Contagion’s is even more marked: in December it was Warner’s 270th most downloaded film, by January it had soared to number two. Similarly, at the end of 2019, it was getting 200 illegal downloads a day, within weeks, this too had rocketed to more than 25,000 a day. It’s earning physical rentals too, as our sometime video rental correspondent Dave Wain, from Snips Movies on The Wirral, reported. He said: "While I'd refrain from rubbing my doom-laden (but sanitised) hands at the sign of any imposing apocalypse, I did consider it a little too exploitative to set up a virus-themed rental bay, so instead just opted to display the usual array of infection-based entertainment at eye-level friendly locations. Contagion is undoubtedly the wheezy front runner, with Outbreak a spluttering but steady second. Shout-out for the also rans though, which include World War Z, The Crazies (old and new), and The Stand which is gradually beginning to gather favour. It's also a handy opportunity to nudge people (without physical contact) towards lesser-known indies and arthouse pictures like [Rec], Maggie and Pontypool.”
Some rather sad news and long-standing children’s specialist Abbey is to shutter its home entertainment operation at the end of March. The move follows the tragic death of founder Ian Miles and health problems suffered by Anne Miles, his business and life partner. The company prided itself on its British independent roots, nurturing homegrown talent and going up against the major Hollywood studios and their IPs. Key properties over the years had included the likes of Spot the Dog, Horrid Henry, Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, Mr Men and Alphablocks/Numberblocks related releases and more, while it had also supported charity initiatives, pulling together industry-wide compilation releases raising much needed cash for well-deserved causes such as BBC Children In Need. It had supported initiatives and pushed the boundaries of pre-school and other children’s sectors, backing releases that were educational as well as enjoyable. Abbey’s sales and acquisitions director Emma Evans said: “It’s a really sad time for the whole team here at Abbey, however given the challenging market conditions, reduced space in-store and the expansion of digital services it’s time to call it day for our DVD distribution arm. This has coincided with Anne Miles suffering health issues which is our primary concern and the whole team wish her the speediest of recoveries and she takes time to convalesce. I would like to thank all our wonderful licensors, customers but especially Anne and Ian for all their support kindness and wonderful opportunities they have given me over the last two decades, it has been so much fun and an incredible journey.” Sadly, two industry stalwarts, Emma Evans and Lloyd La Pierre will be laid off as a result of the company’s closure, we wish them all the best in future endeavours. And a fond farewell to a company that cared about the industry as well as wider issues.
Over in to chartland and the Official Film Charts have seen one key new entrant this week as Midway turns up at number two on the back of its digital downloads alone – the physical sales from Monday March 9 won’t show up until next week – held off only by Terminator Dark Fate, the latest instalment of cyborg-related action. The Addams Family in their latest animated iteration enters the top 10 for the first time at number four. Midway is the latest hit from Lionsgate, with the company further investing in a home entertainment release with some impressive underground advertising across the TFL network. It looked great – you can see it on our Twitter or here on instagram and here. Commenting on its success, the company’s Abigail Golding said: “We invested in London Underground advertisements as part of our consumer marketing campaign, to maximise the powerful imagery from this feature. The posters displayed stand-out, action-packed artwork which captured the theme and tone of the movie. Seeing the poster in situ across the underground network has been fantastic, and we are really confident that we’ve reached the right audience with this, and the rest of our marketing strategy. We are also really pleased with the sales results – this week we entered the Physical Official Charts Company chart in the number one position, and it's been a delight to see the figures continue to climb as the week progresses. The first week of EST results were equally impressive, and we received stand-out support from the digital platforms, resulting in excellent sales – Midway was number one in the digital charts during its first week and we are delighted to see the title performing well across all transactional formats.”
Meanwhile, next up from Lionsgate is another biggie and one with plenty of potential in the shape of Knives Out, one of the best films we’ve seen over the past 12 months. With Rain Johnson working on a sequel to this wonderful whodunit, the name is still high in film fans’ minds, and given the success with the likes of Midway recently, Lionsgate is offering a strong recent track record. Commenting on the release (March 21 digital, March 30 on physical formats), the company’s Olivia Dean said: “Following its hugely successful run at the box office, we’re very excited to be bringing Knives Out to 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital. The film is a real treasure trove of mystery, thrill and humour with a fantastic cast, script and behind-the-camera credentials and our marketing is geared around reflecting this. Our media campaign will run across VOD, London Underground, and a host of digital outlets including true crime podcasts, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. We’re creating striking AV assets which show off the cast, the genre and brilliant critical acclaim. To further support, we’re running a full press office and social campaign positioning Knives Out as a must-own for any film fan.”
Speaking of Lionsgate, we’ve also been chatting about the company’s forthcoming slate, running through Q2, which sees a clutch of awards friendly titles that arrive with acclaim and nominations ringing in their ears. Here’s the company’s Kirsten Sweeney talking us through its slate. She said: “Lionsgate starts Q2 with the catalogue re-release of Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 crime drama The Limey. Starring Terrence Stamp and Peter Fonda, the film will available for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. May sees the Home Entertainment release of Bombshell starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. A regular fixture during this year’s awards season, this timely film tells the story of the Fox News sexual harassment scandal that broke in 2016 from the perspective of the women who lived it. The hair and make-up team wowed the Academy by transforming Theron into Megyn Kelly, Kidman into Gretchen Carlson, and John Lithgow into Roger Ailes – winning the Oscar for their work. June brings the Home Entertainment releases of The Personal History of David Copperfield and faith-based melodrama I Still Believe. Copperfield is the latest film from acclaimed writer/director Armando Iannucci and stars a who’s who of British talent including: Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, and Ben Whishaw. Releasing in time for Father’s Day, Copperfield is an exceptional example of a modern period drama: beautifully made, wonderfully acted, and very, very funny. I Still Believe is the true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp, and his journey of love and loss. The film stars K.J. Apa (Riverdale), Britt Robertson and legendary Shania Twain.”
Making an impression this week was Second Sight, with the indie making two key announcements, one firming up details of a May release, the other a biggie that will, we reckon, be one of the year’s finest outings. The release date confirmation came for Revenge, the brutal horror thriller about a wronged woman who seeks retribution against the men who attacked her. It’s a blend of 70s exploitation and more modern sensibilities from writer director Coralie Fargeat. It’s the latest in recent horror and genre releases given the full limited edition Blu-ray release from Second Sight, a strategy we previewed here last year. Due on May 11, it features a raft of extras, a booklet, poster and new commentary. Recent critical and commercial successes for the likes of Upgrade and Under The Shadow, both former DVD releases given Blu-ray treatment by the imprint, have vindicated its efforts and Revenge is another film certain to find its status enhanced. Commenting on the release, the company’s Chris Holden said: “Another more recent release to get our limited edition treatment and one that deserves special attention. It’s gained a strong cult following over the last couple of years and we’ve put together a great package with exceptional new artwork. Cast and crew have been great to work with and director Coralie Fargeat will be supporting with press interviews.”
Meanwhile, later in the year, and teased back in 2019 by Second Sight, is Dawn Of The Dead, George A Romero’s classic slice of zombie action (and one of our absolute favourites), which it is releasing alongside another Romero goodie, Martin. Genre fans have been waiting eagerly for more news since the company said the pair would be arriving in 2020. And pre-orders will kick off imminently on the two titles, each of which will come in sumptuous packaging with in-pack extras as well as lots of on-disc value added material too. Commenting on the releases, Second SIght’s Chris Holden said: "The reaction to our posts on social announcing a release date for Dawn is by far the biggest we’ve ever seen. It’s been a long time coming and fans have been very patient and supportive of the time we’ve spent on the production side. We believe this reaction will be eclipsed when we announce full details in two weeks time."
More from the excellent Picturehouse Entertainment label, which has been consistently serving up the goodies this year. Latest, driving on March 16, is Judy & Punch, a bold telling of the puppet show in which Judy seeks revenge on her vicious partner. As with many of the company’s releases, it has been critically acclaimed, a great launchpad for the release of the film, which stars Mia Wasikowska as the eponymous hero. Commenting on the release, Commenting on the release, Head of Distribution for Picturehouse Entertainment Nick McKay said: "Judy & Punch is an outstanding debut feature from Mirrah Foulkes. Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman deliver brilliant performances in this darkly comic tale. Both visually arresting and wholly distinctive, we're looking forward to bringing this wickedly funny new film to audiences on Monday.”
Also on Monday are a brace of titles from Acorn that reflect the breadth of offerings from the company on the television side. First up is Finding Joy, an Irish comedy that has earned plaudits since it started airing recently Commenting on the release, Acorn’s Helen Squire said: “Finding Joy premiered on UKTV's W Channel at the beginning of February and comfortably took its place in their Top 10 most watched shows. Amy Huberman wrote and stars as the eponymous Joy, recently jilted, then promoted, and looking for happiness in all the wrong places - all with hilarious results. Amy plays Joy with such charm that we root for her even as she makes us cringe in embarrassment. She's also helping promote our DVD and EST release with radio interviews throughout the week thanks to Aim Publicity's Debbie Murray. And with a Series 2 commission already announced we're lucky enough to have plenty more opportunities for Finding Joy ahead.”
Finding Joy contrasts with the company’s other title due on Monday, Baghdad Central, following shady goings on in the Iraqi capital. Commenting on the release, Acorn’s Helen Squire said: “For those who prefer their TV dramas to be more thought provoking, Baghdad Central has been gripping audiences on Channel 4 for the last six weeks. Political commentary meets thrilling detective drama as ex-policeman Khafaji searches for his missing daughter while apparently collaborating with the allied occupiers in war-ravaged 2003 Iraq. This one will keep you guessing until the very last moment.”
We reckon that if we do have to lockdown here and work from home for the next few weeks, top of our list for viewing will be Universal’s biggie due out on Monday March 16. Yes, it’s time for Last Christmas, the romance starring Emilia Clarke and Harry Goulding as well as the songs of George Michael… Miserable weather and being stuck indoors with no chance to escape friends and family will give it that extra Christmassy feel for Universal’s plans. Commenting on the title, the company’s Stephanie Don said: “Last Christmas was the breakout hit in cinemas last November, and it’s been an absolute delight to build on the extremely positive word of mouth and sentiment around the film and encourage fans to bring Last Christmas home on Blu-ray and DVD with extensive added value including audio commentaries, alternate opening and endings, blooper reels, behind the scenes featurettes and much more!”
The threat of coronavirus and miserable weather didn’t stop a big turnout for Arrow Video FrightFest’s annual Glasgow-based weekender, one of the highlights of the weekend was VFW, which arrived on digital on Monday march 9 through The Movie Partnership, the release keenly timed to ride on the back of the word of mouth generated by the horror community. Commenting on the release, The Movie Partnership’s Michael Lee said: “TMP are really proud to bring Joe Begos's instant classic VFW to the market. The UK premiere at Frightfest was a riot, and went down extremely well with the audience who loved its full-blown, non-stop, blood thirsty, action! We are currently very happy with how is working in the marketplace, and thank ours friends at Strike Media who put together a great campaign to support its release."
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“[Pirate site-blocking] allows a rights holder to seek a legal order, subject to due process, from an online intermediary that is capable of preventing its service from being used for unlawful purposes. Many countries currently offer such a no-fault injunctive remedy to address infringing conduct by pirate sites, including Australia, most member states of the European Union, India and the United Kingdom, to name a just a few. Our internal data shows us that site blocking is very effective at cutting traffic to pirate domains – meaning that an order applicable to the main access providers in a given country reduces traffic to a targeted domain by seven per cent on average and can be as high as 80-90 per cent in some countries. So yes, site blocking is effective. And that is why much of the rest of the world has embraced this approach.”
MPA EMEA chief Stan McCoy in the US Senate on site-blocking’s effectiveness in territories outside America.
Anything that could be distributed digitally online was stolen and monetised by criminals, facilitated by some of the world’s wealthiest internet companies including Google, its now-sibling YouTube, and Facebook. Back [in 2012], we all thought Silicon Valley was simply trying to make the world a better place. The tech industry and its allies tried to portray the creative community as a rich and greedy behemoth that was trying to take away people’s free content and destroy their access to a safe and well-functioning internet. Well, I think we all know who the rich and greedy industry behemoth is today, and there are plenty of questions about who can properly wave the guardian banner on behalf of internet users. In this David and Goliath scenario, the creative industry is obviously the David to the Big Tech Goliath.”
Jonathan Yunger, co-president of production powerhouse Millennium Media, at the same event.
AT THE MOVIES
This week it’s been more about what’s not being filmed, rather than what is on the production lots and elsewhere, as studios, TV companies and streaming giants such as Netflix have all postponed or delayed productions, with the latter shutting down all its ongoing productions. If things don’t get up and running soon, expect a big fall in output arriving in cinemas and on smaller screens later this year… Biggest thoughts go to the likes of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, quarantined in Australia, or director Destin Daniel Cretton, who has tested positive, a move which has seen production temporarily shutdown on forthcoming Marvel martial arts blockbuster Shang Chi…
Talking of Marvel, Sony is working up another film featuring the comic book company’s superhero Spider-Man. It’s yet another Spidey-related offering, although little is known yet how it will sit alongside the likes of Venom and the next title due, Moebius. Or Peter Parker himself. Or even what it is for that matter. What is known, however, is that Roberto Orci, whose CV includes the second Amazing Spider-Man outing, will be writing the script…
Shifting gears and non-Marvel Disney news now, as it’s revealed that the studio is joining forces with some band called The Beatles and director Peter Jackson for a documentary due out later this year. No word yet on release strategy, but it will be called Get Back and look at the recording of Let It Be and the latter part of the band’s story. Jackson said: “Working on this project has been a joyous discovery. I’ve been privileged to be a fly on the wall while the greatest band of all time works, plays and creates masterpieces. I’m thrilled that Disney have stepped up as our distributor. There’s no one better to have our movie seen by the greatest number of people."
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Coronavirus updates, snide remarks about not getting sent press releases and more over here: twitter.com/theraygun…
SITE OF THE WEEK
Blow your own trumpet time and The Raygun’s very own Tim Murray has penned a mammoth tribute to DJ, producer and all-round lovely bloke Andrew Weatherall that went live this week. You can read it here, should you be interested…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Junglist massive…
You know you got soul…
Our film of the year…
The Widow maker…
Snookering you tonight…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
You're on The Raygun newsletter mailing list, which has been running for eight years, because you requested it, have been recommended to us or sent us emails. You can unsubscribe at any time, if you're daft, using the link elsewhere or by emailing as below. But of course, you don't want to do that, do you? We don't share your information with anyone else, we don't like cookies and we're the good guys. We care because you do…
To subscribe to The Raygun newsletter, please email info@theraygun.co.uk
with subscribe in the subject matter
To unsubscribe, email info@theraygun.co.uk with unsubscribe in the subject
line
For editorial or advertising queries, contact tim@theraygun.co.uk
The Raygun
7 Lightcliffe Road
London N13 5HD
|
 | Powered by YMLP.com | |
| | ||