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“THANKS FOR TAKING ME TO THE VIDEO SHOP”
FUTURESOURCE: VIDEO ON TRACK FOR 2025 GROWTH…
…”A LOYAL COLLECTOR BASE IS SUSTAINING PHYSICAL“
BASE REVEALS AWARDS NOMINATIONS
STUDIOCANAL LEADS THE FIELD WITH 11…
…MAJORS NESTLE ALONGSIDE INDIES, AGENCIES
LONG WALK IS FAR FROM A TRUDGE
NEW “BRUMES” FOR STUDIOCANAL
…WITH EALING SPOOKY CLASSIC ON THE WAY…
…AND CLASSIC CHRISTIE SET TOO
BRITISH TAKE ON NOIR SET TO LAND
ARROW REVEALS MASK RELEASE
LA NOTTE CALLS FOR EUREKA …
…WITH FANTOMAS ALSO ON THE WAY
STAR TREK PODCAST BOLDLY LAUNCHES
SADLER’S GUIDE TO THE INDUSTRY…
SUPPORT THE RAYGUN
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
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It was a good week for… Some good box office numbers for the weekend, not least for Lionsgate's excellent The Long Walk, while congratulations too to Studiocanal for its multiple BASE Awards nominations…
It was a bad week for… Commiserations to all those not nominated for BASE Awards…
We have been watching… The Long Walk, one of the year's best as far as we're concerned… As well as loads more for FIlm Stories, from Arrow's Ms 45 to Studiocanal's The Graduate. And special mention to 88 Films' The TOwn That Dreaded Sundown, including a commentary from video store man and critic Dave Wain… Keep up to date with what we've been watching on Letterboxd…
If you don’t believe just how much home entertainment is woven into the fabric of the lives of millions of people in the UK and beyond, then listening to actor Stephen Graham pick up his Best Actor Emmy for his role in Netflix drama Adolescence should change all that. For as well as the his friends and family, his associates and industry pals, he also name checked his (long defunct) video rental store for getting him into acting. As he won one of six gongs that went to the show (The Studio, perhaps the most industry relevant comedy we’ve seen since The Player, was another big winner), Graham said: “I want to bring it to my dad for taking me to the video shop when I was a kid and starting my education in film - Quarry Green video shop.” It’s not the first time he’s paid tribute to the Kirkby, Liverpool store. He told The One Show earlier this year, while sat alongside your actual Robert De Niro: “When I was a kid and I was a little bit younger than [Adolescence co-star] Owen Cooper, I said to my Dad, 'I want to do this acting this thing properly’. He said, 'right, let's go'. I got my coat and we went to Quarry Green video shop. We were walking up and down the aisles and he picked three films. It was The Godfather, Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter. We went home and we watched those three films over a weekend. You were the beginning of my whole love affair with films so thank you from the bottom of my heart.” You can see the clip here and the full list of winners here (Thanks, incidentally to long-time Raygun reader and former industry stalwart David Jones for being the first to bring this to our attention…)
New from Futuresource Consulting, with the experts at the insights company suggesting that the video market is on target to rise two per cent in 2025, to a total of £11.4 billion, In its latest Video Insights UK report, the entertainment team at Futuresource said that, once again, subscription video on demand (SVOD) is the “powerhouse of growth”, adding that there are also signs of a stronger year for box office in the UK and “signs of stabilisation in transactional video”. SVOD spending is set to rise by six per cent this year, accounting for 40 per cent of that £11.4 billion figure. Subscription stacking, with multiple different SVOD services is still the order of the day, with UK households now having 52 million subscriptions, a growth of 13 million in the past five years. Premium and ad-supported packages are further increasing that too. Pay TV is still at the biggest revenue driver, accounting for 45 per cent of spend in 2025, thanks to resilient consumer habits and the dominance of live sport. SVOD will, Futuresource noted, overtake pay TV by the end of the decade. The report further noted that UK box office is set to go beyond the £1 billion mark this year for the first time since Covid, further encouraging news.
Futuresource’s announcement about its Video Insights UK report continued: “The transactional market, combining digital and physical formats, is beginning to stabilise. In digital, electronic sell-through (EST) accounts for nearly two-thirds of spend, with premium formats to lift average transaction values. Meanwhile, Blu-ray continues to underpin the physical sector, representing nearly 60 per cent of packaged sales. Although overall volumes remain in long-term decline, a loyal collector base is sustaining physical formats and slowing the rate of erosion.” Principal analyst James Duvall said: “We’re halfway through the decade, and we’re seeing a market continuing to climb. SVOD continues to expand, though not in isolation, and the interplay with Pay-TV, the recovery of cinema, and renewed loyalty in transactional all tell a story of resilience and evolution. The UK market is no longer defined by a simple transition from Pay-TV to streaming. It’s all about striking a balance, between subscription and ad-funded, between streaming and cinema, between digital and physical. Over the next few years, we expect that interplay to become a structural feature and shape the growth paths of every segment in this industry.”
With some 11 mentions in the 2025 BASE Awards shortlist, Studiocanal is leading the way with the most nominations at this year’s event, due to take place on Thursday November 13. The company features in more nominations than any other, its 11 putting it ahead of Sony, which features in seven, Universal with six, Warner with five and Lionsgate with four. Other notable nominations see three for the BFI, with the changes in the way releases come to market seeing the likes of Elevation, with three, and Spirit, garnering further nominations. Agency DnA got a couple of nods, while other companies nominated run the entire gamut of the business, from Sky and Amazon to MUBI and hmv, Disney and Paramount to Lightbulb. Still to be unveiled are the Hedy Lamarr Rising Star Award nominations for female talent coming through the industry and Retailer of the Year nods across digital and physical. Voting has just closed in the Hidden Gem (we’ve already cast our vote), with the shortlist also due this week and further voting set to start, while voting in the Entertainment Moment of the Year award now takes in 45 years of entertainment – BASE is marking its 45th anniversary this year, giving an extra edge to the proceedings. Chief executive Liz Bales said: “Reaching our 45th anniversary feels incredibly special – it’s not just a celebration of our past, but of the extraordinary evolution of Home Entertainment. The calibre and range of this year’s submissions have been truly inspiring, and it’s a privilege to recognise the passion, talent, and creativity that continues to define our community. Congratulations to everyone shortlisted – I cannot wait to see you all in November to celebrate these achievements in style.”
The nominations in full are: Agency of the Year: Make It Social; OC; Official Charts Company; Silk Factory. Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year: Advent Calendar 2024 (Sky Store and Sony); Columbia 100 (Sony); Paddington in Peru Partnerships Campaign (Studiocanal); Third Party Credit Collaborations (Amazon Prime Video). Best in Class Blu-Ray and 4K: Friends 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition (Warner); Nightmare on Elm Street Collectors Edition (Warner); Perfect Days (MUBI); Seven Samurai (BFI). Best in Class Bonus Features: Hitchcock the Beginning (Studiocanal with Silver Salt Restoration); The Small Back Room (Studiocanal); Watership Down (BFI). Best in Class Packaging and Artwork: Paddington in Peru: Box of Adventure (Studiocanal with Sophie Bland); Paramount Scares (Paramount with Spark ASG); The Third Man (Studiocanal with Nico Delort and Rogue Four Design). Best in Class Producers Award: Chuck Chuck Baby (Artemisia Films with Chuck Chuck Baby Ltd, Delta Pictures, BFI, BBC Films, Film Cymru Wales and Moment); Hundreds of Beavers (Lightbulb Films); Something In The Water (Julie Baines/Dan Films with Studiocanal).
Moire BASE Awards nominations include Best in Class Social/PR: Deadpool & Wolverine: Dogpool Cake (Disney); The Garfield Movie (DnA PR with Sony); The Strangers: Chapter One (Lionsgate UK with Charnley Communications & Prelude); Venom: The Last Dance (Sony with DnA PR and DDA PR). Best in Class Video Asset: Flight Risk (Lionsgate); Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony with Silk Factory); Piece by Piece TikTok Challenge (Universal with TikTok and Essence: MediaCam). Campaign of the Year for Catalogue: Nightmare on Elm Street 40th Anniversary (Warner); Spark Joy This Christmas on DVD and Blu-Ray – Elevation Sales; Universal Physical Catalogue Strategy 2024 (Spirit Entertainment). Campaign of the Year for Independent Film: The Apprentice (Studiocanal); I Saw The TV Glow (Sony); The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Lionsgate). Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Up to £5m Box Office: Anora (Universal); Small Things Like These (Lionsgate); The Substance (MUBI). Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: £5m – £15m Box Office: Alien Romulus (Elevation Sales); Back to Black (Studiocanal); Nosferatu (Universal); Twisters (Warner). Campaign of the Year for New Release Film Over £15m Box Office: Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney Company and Elevation Sales); Paddington in Peru (Studiocanal); Wicked (Universal). Campaign of the Year for Specialist/TV: Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet (BFI); Friends 30th Anniversary (Warner); The Mountain Within Me (Universal Pictures Content Group). Commercial Initiative of the Year Paddington in Peru (Studiocanal and hmv); Sky Store Supersize. Creative Initiative of the Year: Kraven the Hunter x Tough Mudder x David Kingsbury Training (Sony); Wicked Premium Release (Sky Store); The Wild Robot x Vox Pops (Universal). Social Impact: Into Film Awards (Amazon Prime Video); Paddington Visits (Studiocanal). Tickets for the event, due to be held at the Roundhouse, north London, available here.
To the Soho Hotel for a special screening of The Long Walk, Lionsgate’s big theatrical opening this week (you might have seen some of the many ads dotted around, certainly its outdoor over the past week or two). Those of us who braved the tube strikes (god bless the Elizabeth Line which has made London a lot more manageable when there’s industrial action, otherwise it really would have been a long walk home) were rewarded for one of the finest Stephen King adaptations of recent years. It’s a simple and effective tale, one that was penned years ago by the bestselling author, but feels hugely contemporary and relevant today, as a group of youths try and lift a dystopian America by walking across the country non-stop, albeit with the punishment of death if they flag. It’s got a great pedigree, with BAFTA Rising Star David Jonsson starring alongside Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman), screenwriter JT Mollner, director of one of our favourite films of 2024 Strange Darling behind the script and long-time Hunger Games franchise director Francis Lawrence at the helm, giving it that all important YA seal of approval (our 17-year-old correspondent was blown away by the film). It’s a cracking ride (or walk), and has huge word of mouth potential – as Screen Daily noted: "it’s one of the most powerful King features for some time… Audiences are likely to be attracted by the source material and cast and – as with recent allegorical horror Weapons – strong word of mouth could give it serious legs when it rolls out globally.” Lionsgate has already capitalised on that talker potential with a much-covered screening that saw attendees walking on treadmills at the pace of The Long Walk itself – never below 3mph – earning worldwide coverage (see more here). It all seems to have worked – the film raked in £1.2 million in its opening weekend…
We promised some further product announcements a while back and are happy to update with a raft of titles from boutique labels and more. Studiocanal, as ever, announced its titles separately; we’ll run through them in chronological order. On October 13, there’s a 45K restoration of Marcel Carné’s seminal 1938 French film Le Quai des Brumes. The company’s Alison Arber said: "We were thrilled to announce the latest exciting addition to our Vintage World Cinema collection - Le Quai des Brumes. Considered one of the earliest examples of Film Noir, this French masterpiece has now been restored in stunning 4K, showcasing just how magnificent black and white films can look in 4K too and preserving film history for future generations to enjoy.” On the same date from Studiocanal comes a hugely influential 1990s horror Jacob’s Ladder, one which has grown in stature over the years. The company’s Piers Slade said: “We were delighted to announce Jacob's Ladder as the latest addition to our ever-expanding Cult Classics label. With a deep influence on subsequent works, ranging all the way from the Silent Hill video game series to Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Adrian Lyne's masterful horror has now been restored in 4K. With striking new artwork from Sam Wolfe Connelly, Jacob's Ladder will release on 4K UHD SteelBook and on a standard Blu-ray that includes four art cards.”
A week later on October 20 Studiocanal is releasing another seminal tale, with Ealing Studios’ foray into horror, Dead Of Night. The company’s Piers Slade said: “We are very pleased to be releasing Dead of Night as a 4K UHD Collector's Edition for its 80th anniversary. Releasing under our Vintage Classics label, this spooky Ealing classic has been restored in 4K and the collector's edition comes with two posters and a booklet featuring four fantastic essays. Rightfully held up as one of the best horror films of all time, this is a perfect film to pick up in time for Halloween.”
November 24 sees a wealth of talent coming to stores as Studiocanal releases a box set and four separate releases of a quartet of 1970s and 80s Agatha Christie adaptations – Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile, Evil Under The Sun and Th Mirror Crack’d. They boast an all-star cast, taking in Albert Finney as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in the first, Peter Ustinov taking over the sleuthing in the second and third, with Angela Lansbury starring as Miss Marple in the final one. Other big names include Ingrid Bergman, John Gielgud, Jane Birkin, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, James Mason, Roddy McDowall and Diana Rigg. Alison Arber said: “We were so excited to finally share the news of a brand-new Agatha Christie Collection boxset. Four iconic adaptations from the 70s and 80s with all-stars casts – now in beautiful 4K. These will also be available as individual releases, but the boxset with its gorgeous new artwork from Australian based design duo Sonny&Biddy is a sumptuous, lavish delight – perfect to see through the winter months or give as a gift this Christmas. Sharpen those claws and fill those glasses while you sit down to enjoy a masterclass in suspense and performance.”
Powerhouse and its Indicator series has revealed its titles for November, and, in keeping with the film viewing them of the month – it is famously, after all, known as Noirvember on social media – it is bringing the latest of its Noir box sets to market. And it has a distinctly British feel to it, as outlined by the company’s head of production Anthony Nield who explained: “Our line of Columbia Noir box sets has gone down incredibly well with punters since we issued the first collection in November 2020. So, we are naturally happy that it’s still going strong five years later, with volume seven lined up for this year’s ‘Noirvember’. In contrast to the previous six box sets, as well as those in our Universal Noir line, the focus this time – as the subtitle has it – is on British productions. This creates an intriguing mash-up of American actors familiar from US noirs, like Victor Mature and Richard Widmark, with such recognisable British faces as Sid James, Diana Dors and Christopher Lee. As with the earlier box sets, Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain will be released as an individually numbered collector’s edition, and packed with newly recorded commentaries, appreciations, archival interviews, rare short films, and a 120-page book containing new essays and archival reprints.”
More November titles and Arrow arrives with another varied slate which takes in everything from new treatments of relatively mainstream blockbuster fare given the Arrow treatment right through to forgotten classics ripe for reassessment and also takes in everything from older older classics through the VHS era to recent titles. Here’s the company’s James Flower on its December releases: “We might be saving some of the big bangers for our December slate to be announced later this month (including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy and two other releases sure to get Hong Kong cinema fans salivating…), but don’t sleep on our November line-up, which includes loaded 4K UHD special editions of Sean Connery sci-fi classic Outland, Jim Carrey special effects showcase The Mask and Val Kilmer outer space DVD favourite Red Planet; special edition Blu-rays of Wes Craven’s 80’s teen horror VHS favourite Deadly Friend (watch out for that basketball!) and another Shudder modern horror favourite in the form of the original Danish version of Speak No Evil; and last but not least, a UHD upgrade of Billy Wilder’s all-time classic The Apartment, just in time for mandatory alternative Christmas/New Year viewing if you don’t already have it in your festive rotation.”
Also revealing for November was Eureka, with more martial arts, classic world cinema and a slice of rarely seen French action too. Here’s the company’s Marcis Garwood on the company’s November titles. He said: “Starting off in pristine 4K UHD we are proud to present Michelangelo Antonioni's 1961 masterwork La Notte via The Masters Of Cinema Series. This marks the first time the film has been available in 4K UHD—and its sweeping crane shots and intimate, sprawling study of Italy’s upper middle class, presented as an x-ray of a relationship on the verge of collapse, make it perfectly suited for the high-definition experience. As you'd expect from a Masters Of Cinema release there is a limited edition booklet featuring an essay by film critic and scholar Brad Stevens and the transcript of a lengthy Q&A conducted in 1961 with Antonioni. The product is also encased in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase. Next up, featuring the iconic screen presence of John Wayne, and directed by veteran filmmaker, Howard Hawks (Red River, Rio Bravo) at the top of his game. Rio Lobo is a thematic successor to Rio Bravo and El Dorado and released as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch, and collector’s book with new writing on Rio Lobo. Disc extras include a new interview with Western scholar Austin Fisher, author of Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western; plus, a new interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on the career of director Hawks.”
Continuing with Eureka’s November titles and the company’s Marcus Garwood said: “The criminal mastermind takes centre stage next as we present the Fantômas Trilogy on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK. Created by crime writers Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, Fantômas is one of the most iconic figures in French crime fiction. Released between 1964 and 1967, André Hunebelle’s films revived the character with a comedic twist in the era of four-colour comic books, Bondmania and a boom in French popular cinema. This three-film set comes housed in a limited edition hardbound slipcase, featuring stunning package design by Nick Wrigley. A Limited edition 60-page book will also be included, featuring new writing on the Fantômas trilogy. Disc extras include a new interview with Leon Hunt on Fantômas and his connection to other European supervillains in the 1960s, French cinema expert Mary Harrod on Louis de Funès, French comedy and the Fantômas trilogy and a video essay on the evolution of Fantômas in cinema by Radio Times editor Calum Baker. Our fourth release for the month caters for our martial arts fans with Kinji Fukasaku's 1978 Shoguns Samurai (The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy) making its UK debut on Blu-ray here in the UK. One of Kinji Fukasaku’s most revered forays into the samurai genre it stars the incomparable Sonny Chiba. The release will comprise of a Limited O-card slipcase featuring beautiful new artwork by John Dunn, there will also be a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by on the film by Jonathan Clements.”
Anyone who’s been in the business for a while will remember our old mucker, friend of The Raygun and former industry trade press editor Toby Weidmann. As well as putting together such illustrious now long-gone magazines timecode and RRP alongside The Raygun’s Tim Murray, Weidmann has most recently been print editor at BAFTA, as well as serving notable stints at The Official Walking Dead magazine and, most pertinently for this story, as editor of the official Star Trek magazine’s UK and Australian editions. For Weidmann is now, alongside a former colleague t Star Trek magazine, Rich Mathews and American Star Trek expert Ian Spelling launching a new Star Trek podcast. Beyond The Final Frontier. Each episode, the trio say, will “explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal favourite stories, characters and themes to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom. Expect deep-dives into beloved moments in Star Trek history, extensive breakdowns of developments in the modern era and occasional special guests from the Star Trek cast and crew to provide even greater insight. Everything Trek!” The first episode is live now, with the others to follow weekly. You can get it from, as the saying goes, where you normally get your podcasts; try here, here and here. Good to see the first episode containing the important issues that the editorial team of timecode and RRP spent many an afternoon discussing: Trekkie or Trekker?
Jon Sadler is one of the rare breed of industry staffers who has worked across a raft of different areas and disciplines. We first met him more than 30 years ago when he was a buyer at Harrods, and his lengthy career takes in more retail (MCV among them), wholesale (THE), creative agency work and, of course, distribution spanning both home entertainment and theatrical, at companies such as Momentum, Revolver, Warner Music, Arrow, Parkland, Vertigo, PolyGram and Universal and more. SO who better then, to write a guide to the ins and outs of the industry for filmmakers than Sadler? That’s just what his done with the latest string to his bow, as author of a new tome entitled Film Marketing & Distribution: An Independent Filmmaker’s Guide, published by Oldcastle Books. It’s an exhaustive publication, with a wealth of interviews with people across the business, including The Raygun’s own Tim Murray and numerous industry experts taking in all areas, many of whom will be familiar to Raygun readers. It’s officially due for release in October, but copies are now shipping from here. And don't just take our word for it, reviews include such industry mavens (and Raygun readers) such as former Amazon Prime Video md Chris Bird, who said: “An indispensable guide for anyone beginning or furthering their expertise in the highly skilled craft of identifying, understanding and communicating with your audience through the media.”. While former Universal chief Eddie Cunningham, now president at the Universal and Warner’s joint North American venture Studio Distribution Services, said: “An invaluable resource for independent filmmakers looking to get their work seen in a market that's more crowded - and more unpredictable - than ever.”
 The Raygun, is 15 years old and continues to report on the home entertainment industry and its ever-changing face. To ensure we can continue to bring you the latest news, opinion and analysis from a business we love and care passionately about, you can support our independent journalism by donating to us via Ko-fi… Thank you.
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
The LFF trailer…
Kathryn Bigelow, via Netflix…
Reckon the cinemas will be open all night for this one…
Due from Trinity CinemaAsia…
“You must be the lady I’ve been hearing so much about…”
More Sweeney…
Hot knives…
Raptor, not rapper…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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