Financial
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Chinese Mixed Martial Arts Film ‘Crazy Fist’ Due on Hi-Yah! Streaming Service Aug. 6, Disc and Digital Sept. 14 From Well Go
The Chinese boxing-meets-mixed martial arts drama Crazy Fist will debut exclusively on the martial arts streaming service Hi-Yah! on Aug. 6, before hitting digital, Blu-ray and DVD Sept. 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment. First time feature film director Guo Qing (who also appears in the film) directs Dragon Blade-alums Steve Yoo and Wang Wei, … Continue reading “Chinese Mixed Martial Arts Film ‘Crazy Fist’ Due on Hi-Yah! Streaming Service Aug. 6, Disc and Digital Sept. 14 From Well Go”
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Apple Q3 Services Revenue Leaps 33%
Apple July 27 reported third-quarter (ended June 26) services revenue of $17.5 billion, up 33% from revenue of $13.2 billion during the previous-year period. Services revenue includes sales of movies and TV shows on iTunes, the App Store, Mac App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+, among others. Services … Continue reading “Apple Q3 Services Revenue Leaps 33%”
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Disney+ Hotstar Reveals New Content Slate, Pricing Tiers
With 33% of the 103 million Disney+ subscribers originating from India, the media giant is ramping up its presence in the region, including new original Indian content — and cricket — for the branded Disney+ Hotstar platform. The platform July 27 disclosed 16 new shows, including four movies: Bhuj: The Pride of India, comedy Hungama … Continue reading “Disney+ Hotstar Reveals New Content Slate, Pricing Tiers”
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Redbox Rising: Rental Giant Banks on a Digital Transformation to Reinvent Itself
Digital transformation is the buzzword of the tech era, but for Redbox, it’s a mission statement, marching order and battle cry, all rolled up in one. Since taking the helm of the Bellevue, Wash.-based company in September 2016, the same month the company went private in a sale to Apollo Global Management, CEO Galen Smith … Continue reading “Redbox Rising: Rental Giant Banks on a Digital Transformation to Reinvent Itself”
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Hasbro Ups Q2 Entertainment Revenue Thanks to Netflix Cartoon Series Licensing
Hasbro July 26 reported TV, film and entertainment revenue of $196.2 million for the second quarter, ended June 30. That was up 48% from revenue of $132.2 million in the previous-year period. The game manufacturer attributed the gain to content deals for several properties, including “My Little Pony,” “Peppa Pig” and “PJ Masks” for Netflix … Continue reading “Hasbro Ups Q2 Entertainment Revenue Thanks to Netflix Cartoon Series Licensing”
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‘Old’ is Indeed New as M. Night Shyamalan’s Thriller Tops Quiet Weekend Box Office
Universal Pictures’ Old surprisingly topped the July 25 domestic box office with an estimated $16.5 million ($20 million globally) in ticket sales in another pandemic-affected weekend as infections of the new delta variant spike nationwide. The horror/thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan, which stars Gael García Bernal and Rufus Sewell, among others, bested Paramount Pictures’ … Continue reading “‘Old’ is Indeed New as M. Night Shyamalan’s Thriller Tops Quiet Weekend Box Office”
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Video Games Surprise: Half-Year Sales Up Over 2020 Boom Year
The videogame industry continues to prosper through six months of 2021 after setting revenue records during pandemic 2020. According to the Q2 2021 Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report from The NPD Group, overall total consumer spending on video gaming in the U.S. totaled $14 billion in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021 (April – June), an increase … Continue reading “Video Games Surprise: Half-Year Sales Up Over 2020 Boom Year”
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‘Old’ is New in Weekend Box Office Forecast
The Universal Pictures thriller Old, from director M. Night Shyamalan, joins Paramount Pictures’ newest G.I. Joe franchise release Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins as the July 25 weekend’s biggest new theatrical releases. The two films will take on previous domestic box office champs Disney/Marvel Studios’ Black Widow and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Space Jam: A New Legacy. … Continue reading “‘Old’ is New in Weekend Box Office Forecast”
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Jason Kilar: Warner Bros. Producing 10 More Theatrical Releases Streaming Concurrently on HBO Max in 2022
WarnerMedia made headlines this year releasing the entire Warner Bros. theatrical slate concurrently on HBO Max for a movie’s first 31 days of release. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, speaking on the July 22 fiscal call, said the controversial strategy through six months reveals the enduring importance of the box office ($463 million in revenue domestically … Continue reading “Jason Kilar: Warner Bros. Producing 10 More Theatrical Releases Streaming Concurrently on HBO Max in 2022”
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WarnerMedia Ups Q2 Home Entertainment, Games Revenue 15%
Spurred by an ongoing video game boom as well as an enduring digital and packaged media retail market for movies, WarnerMedia July 22 reported a 15% increase in second-quarter “games and other” revenue to $405 million from $351 million during the previous-year period. Through six months of the current fiscal year, retail sales of games, … Continue reading “WarnerMedia Ups Q2 Home Entertainment, Games Revenue 15%”
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Pachter: Netflix Foray into Video Games a Mistake
NEWS ANALYSIS: Netflix’s recent behind-the-scenes maneuvering to establish a foothold in mobile video gaming isn’t sitting well with longtime Wall Street bear Michael Pachter. The Wedbush Securities media analyst, who specializes in video games, for years has considered Netflix shares overvalued, underscoring his sentiment with the streamers erstwhile (until 2020) negative free cash flows. Thus, … Continue reading “Pachter: Netflix Foray into Video Games a Mistake”
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Verizon: Fios TV Q2 Subs Down, Broadband Up
Verizon July 21 disclosed that while its legacy Fios TV service continues to lose pay-TV subscribers, the losses are more than offset by increases in high-speed internet subscriptions — gateways for third-party over-the-top video distribution into homes. Verizon has no branded streaming service, but it is offering select mobile customers upwards of 12 months free … Continue reading “Verizon: Fios TV Q2 Subs Down, Broadband Up”