General
Disney’s Progress Report Shows Pandemic Recovery Remains Slow
Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co. is recovering from the Covid-19 crisis, but business won’t return to normal anytime soon.
As Hollywood reopens, COVID-19 liability waivers abound. What are they and should you sign?
Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times
As many production companies attempt to resume filming, many are asking crews to give up the right to make any claims against them if they get sick with COVID-19. Such liability waivers are being widely used despite many of Hollywood’s entertainment unions cautioning members not to sign them before first getting advice.
Gender Neutral Festival Awards Work in Theory, But Raise Questions in Practice, Say Venice Attendees
Ben Croll and Nick Vivarelli, Variety
Once the Venice Film Festival branded this year’s modified version of the event as a trial balloon for future gatherings, industry minds began to wonder: With the festival scene undergoing such shifts, what other conventional wisdom was suddenly less than certain?
How Songtradr Became the Amazon of Music Licensing – And Doubled Artists’ Earnings Since the Pandemic
Trey Williams, The Wrap Pro
In 2014, music producer Paul Wiltshire got an idea: There had to be a better way for artists to get their music noticed and licensed for commercials, film, TV, etc. Thus Songtradr was born.
Film
Warner Bros. Won’t Share ‘Tenet’ Box Office Data, Angering Rival Studios
Rebecca Rubin, Variety
People who closely follow box office earnings have noticed a surprising lack of transparency surrounding ticket sales for “Tenet,” the $200 million-budgeted sci-fi epic from director Christopher Nolan that released last weekend in U.S. theaters.
Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Tops China Box Office Amid Controversy
R.T. Watson, The Wall Street Journal
Walt Disney Co.’s retelling of an ancient Chinese folk tale, “Mulan,” fought off political backlash and lukewarm reviews on its way to a strong opening in China.
‘Tenet’ Hits $200 Million Globally, Despite Lackluster U.S. Box Office
Rebecca Rubin, Variety
Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” crossed the $200 million mark globally, propped up by overseas grosses while U.S. cinemas struggle to draw audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.
Chloé Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’ Wins Golden Lion Top Prize at 2020 Venice Film Festival
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao’s look at America’s van-dwelling community, starring Frances McDormand, has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.
Films Hit Festivals Trying to Create Buzz Without a Crowd
Nicole Sperling, The New York Times
Some 70 cars crammed into a downtown Los Angeles parking lot surrounded by high rises and a smattering of food trucks on Thursday night to watch “Concrete Cowboy,” a father-son film starring Idris Elba and set in North Philadelphia’s Black cowboy community. In terms of movie premieres, it was unorthodox.
As the Toronto International Film Festival goes virtual, these directors are just happy to be seen
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
The season of fall film festivals is typically one of year-in, year-out rituals and repetition. This year, thanks to a global pandemic and international travel restrictions, all of that has changed.
Television
Why TV shows like “The Simpsons” and “Grey’s Anatomy” keep getting shorter
Dan Kopf, Quartz
Over the last several decades, the TV show has shrunk. With fewer people watching, figuring out how to maximize revenues has been a tricky balance for network executives.
NFL Season Opens With Fewer Viewers in Busy Sports Landscape
Gerry Smith, Bloomberg
The NFL’s season opener on NBC attracted a smaller TV audience than a year ago, held back by a busy schedule that included all major sports vying for viewers at the same time because of Covid-19 delays.
Technology and New Media
Would a TikTok Ban Make the App Disappear? Oracle Bid Could Mean a Reprieve
Sebastian Herrera, The Wall Street Journal
For the tens of millions of TikTok users in the U.S. watching the fate of the popular video app play out amid a geopolitical drama with China, a new turn of events Sunday brought the possibility of relief as an important deadline looms.
Netflix to take crown for spending on films and television
Alex Barker, Financial Times
US streaming service outspends rivals on content as pandemic dents ad-funded broadcasters.
ViacomCBS Nears Deal to Sell CNET to Red Ventures for $500 Million
Benjamin Mullin, The Wall Street Journal
ViacomCBS Inc. is close to selling CNET Media Group to Red Ventures LLC, according to people familiar with the matter, as the entertainment giant sheds parts of its business to focus on video streaming.
Netflix doesn’t have commercial breaks, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have ads
Adam Epstein, Quartz
Netflix doesn’t have commercials—and it won’t any time soon. But that doesn’t mean it won’t embrace advertisers.
Disney Plus is slowly rolling out a new party watch feature, GroupWatch
Julia Alexander, The Verge
Disney is currently testing a new feature that will allow Disney Plus subscribers to create tiny private watch parties. Screenshots of the feature first started to appear on the Disney Plus subreddit yesterday.
Apple revises App Store rules to permit game streaming apps, clarify in-app purchases and more
Sarah Perez and Anthony Ha, TechCrunch
Apple today is releasing updated App Store Guidelines with the goal of clarifying how it will approach new technologies, like game streaming services, App Clips and widgets, in addition to better detailing its stance over how and when it will collect in-app purchases from certain categories of apps.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The Oscars’ New Inclusion Standards Don’t Go Far Enough
Chris Feil, Vanity Fair
On September 9, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a new set of standards that, as of 2024, films must meet before they can be nominated for the Oscars’ top prize. Best-picture hopefuls are now being asked to fulfill at least two out of four sets of criteria, which aim to increase inclusion for underrepresented groups—people of color, women, LGTBQ+, and people with disabilities—both on and behind the screen.
The Woman Taking Over TikTok at the Toughest Time
Mike Isaac and Taylor Lorenz, The New York Times
Six weeks ago, as TikTok grappled with escalating tensions between the United States and China, the social media app’s top executives huddled together to figure out their next steps.
COVID shut down his set. How Paul Schrader finished shooting ‘The Card Counter’ in 5 days
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
Having somehow weathered his way from enfant terrible to wizened survivor, Paul Schrader is a filmmaker who is simply not finished yet. Every time it might seem his career is on the wane, he resets, revitalizes and comes back again.
The Many Faces of Ethan Hawke
John Lahr, The New Yorker
On a chilly November morning last year, the sunlight a ribbon of gold on the rolling Virginia hills, Ethan Hawke, who would turn forty-nine the next day, ambled into a replica of Harpers Ferry in 1859. An armory and four short streets had been constructed on the grounds of State Farm, a prison property outside Richmond.
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