Cordkillers 310 - Money for Nothing and Flicks for Free (w/ Nicole Lee)
Are theaters re-opening and, if they do, will people even go? Plus, a Taika Waititi Star Wars and Homecoming comes back in two weeks! All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Nicole Lee.
CordKillers: Money for Nothing and Flicks for Free
Recorded: May 4 2020
Guest: Nicole Lee
Intro Video
Solar Opposites
Primary Target
‘Trolls World Tour’ Breaks Digital Records and Charts a New Path for Hollywood
AMC Theatres Refuses to Play Universal Films in Wake of 'Trolls World Tour'
Regal Cinemas warns Universal over Trolls World Tour skipping theaters
European theaters warn Universal
China’s Government May Control Theatrical Windows When Cinemas Re-Open
NBCUniversal Chief Says Premium VOD for Movies Will Be ‘Complementary’
AMC Entertainment Delays Financial Reports due to Coronavirus Pandemic
AMC, Cineworld & Universal ‘Trolls’ Windows War: Why This Storm Is Already Passing
Czech Republic To Re-Open Cinemas May 11
Norway To Allow Cinema Re-Openings From May 7
“July Might Be Realistic” For Cinemas To Reopen: German Theater Group
Ireland To Allow Cinemas To Re-Open From August 10
Just 40% of Americans Will Go to Movies or Concerts Before Vaccine
- On Cordkillers we have followed well the fight between theaters and Netflix over the 90-day windows. That's the time some theater chains require a movie be made available exclusively in theaters in order for them to agree to show it.
- We've also covered the fact that studios have been releasing movies straight to digital lately as theaters have been closed.
- Theaters are trying to figure out how not to go out of business when they can't make any money AMC recently took on $500 million in debt to keep it going into the middle of summer and delayed filing is Q1 financial reports until June 24.
- Last week AMC Entertainment and NBC Universal got in a public fight about all of it.
-It started Tuesday when Wall Street Journal article titled "‘Trolls World Tour’ Breaks Digital Records and Charts a New Path for Hollywood" reported Trolls World Tour made nearly $100 million in three weeks of digital sales, surpassing the first Trolls movie's theatrical revenue.
- In that article NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told the WSJ "As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats."
- This did not say Universal would violate the 90-day window. But it also didn't say they wouldn't.
- AMC Theatres chairman and-CEO Adam Aron then wrote a letter to Universal "... effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theaters in the United States, Europe or the Middle East."
- "is not some hollow or ill-considered threat. Incidentally, this policy is not aimed solely at Universal out of pique or to be punitive in any way, it also extends to any movie maker who unilaterally abandons current windowing practices absent good faith negotiations between us, so that they as distributor and we as exhibitor both benefit and neither are hurt from such changes."
- WOW. Responding to vaguery with a ban hammer and putting all the other studios on notice.
- That evening Universal responded in a statement
- “We absolutely believe in the theatrical experience and have made no statement to the contrary. As we stated earlier, going forward, we expect to release future films directly to theaters, as well as on PVOD when that distribution outlet makes sense."
- Still doesn't confirm they'll respect the 90-day window but doesn't say they won't.
- Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld chimed in saying it will not show films that “fail to respect” the theatrical window." And the Union of International Cinemas said that the success of Trolls should not be used as a referenced point to redesign the business model.
- That brings us to Thursday. Comcast had its earnings call and Jeff Shell said “I would expect that consumers will return to theaters and we will be part of that. I also would expect PVOD is going be part of that offering in some way. It’s not going to be a replacement, but it will be a complementary element and we’re just going to have to see how long that takes and where it takes us.”
- And theaters are beginning to reopen. Some theaters in Texas opened this weekend, The Czech Republic will open theaters May 11, Norway May 7, Germany says July and Ireland August 10
- In China, the executive vice minister of the Central propaganda Department and director of the National Film Administration said "It is necessary to maintain the “window period” rules of cinema release." The window in China varies by release but is usually around 28 days.
- My guess is Universal and AMC will figure this out before it matters. But will you even go to the theater anyway?
- Reuters/Ipsos conducted a poll.
- Of people who follow sports avidly and go to arts and entertainment venues and amusement parks who is ready to go back
- 4/10 said as soon as they open
- 4/10 said they'd wait for a vaccine
- 2/10 said "don't know" or may never go back.
How to Watch
TV 'Cord Cutters' Will Be The Majority By 2022
- Convergence Research Group estimates 36% of US homes didn't pay for traditional cable TV by the end of 2019.
- They estimate that will reach 42% by the end of this year and for cutters will become a majority at 54% by 2022.
- Cable companies will be fine because they by and large run internet providers.
- Cable TV networks are having to jump start their own streaming services to prepare.
- We know all about HBO Max, Peacock, Disney+ etc.
- But there's a back end too. Disney wisely bought BAMtech and operates one fo the most reliables blackened services for themselves and other companies.
Warner Media just bought The Widget Company, a Dutch firm that creates cross-platform tech for OTT and TV Everywhere. In other words they make it easy to use a service from your console, TV and phone.
What to Watch
‘Parks And Recreation’ Reunion Special: The Pawnee Posse Is Back, Along With Some Sheltered-In Faves
- Parks and Rec special is now available on Hulu after a live premiere on NBC April 30. All the main characters and a good number of the recurring ones made an appearance in a show that took place over a fictional videoconferencing app as the people of Pawnee tried to keep in touch over a phone tree.
Disney announced that Taika Waititi will direct a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release and co-write it with.Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who co-wrote 1917 with Sam Mendes.
‘One Day At A Time’ To Do Animated Special Amid Coronavirus-Related Production Shutdown
- Pop TV's One Day at a Time will do a special but this one will be animated. One Day at a Time executive producer/co-showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett's husband is a cartoonist. Penelope's family is coming to visit and they're worried about arguing over politics so the episode consists fo the Alvarez family figuring out strategies to get through it, illustrated by fantasy sequences of what might happen. The episode had already been planned as a live-action. The episode will air this spring.
Amazon released the trailer for Season 2 of “Homecoming.
- The new season stars Janelle Monáe as an amnesiac searching for her identity. Stephan James and Hong Chau reprise their roles from the first season, while Chris Cooper and Joan Cusack join the cast. It comes to Prime Video May 22.
First trailer for HBO’s Lovecraft Country blends eldritch horrors and racism
- HBO has a trailer out for Lovecraft Country, a series based not he novel of the same name by Matt Ruff. A black science fiction fan and veteran of the Korean War searches for his father in rural Massachusetts after he disappeared. Lovecraft Country comes to HBO in August.
HBO Renewed Issa Rae's Insecure for a fifth season.
1091 And Xumo Light Up Unidentified, Free Streaming Channel With UFOs And Paranormal Fare
- Comcast's free ad-supported video service Xumo has launched a channel called Unidentified featuring documentaries and indie films from 1091 media, like Bob Lazar and Area 51, Unacknowledged, Close Encounters of The Fifth Kind, and The Phenomenon.
Narrativa, run by Rhianna Pratchett, has reached a deal with Endeavor Content and UK-based producer Motive Pictures to make shows set in Discworld.
The Beijing International Film Festival was the latest to go to streaming May 1, running on video streaming platform iQiYi.
Quibi posted the first episode of three of its series to watch for free on YouTube.
May 15 CBS will air The Greatest #StayAtHome Videos hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. People who allow their videos to be shown can choose a charity for CBS to donate to in exchange.
NFL & Amazon Extend ‘Thursday Night Football’ Deal, Add One Exclusive Saturday Game
- The NFL and Amazon agreed to multiyear extension for non-exclusive rights to show Thursday Night Football. In addition, Amazon will get one exclusive game per year, the first one being a Saturday game this season.
‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Team David Leitch & Kelly McCormick Set Up ‘Fast And Loose’ At STX
- STX films is developing Fast and Loose, another side story in the Fast and Furious universe. Fast and Loose will be developed with 87 North, the production label of Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch and EP Kelly McCormick.
Eyes On
Brian: Moon, MiB, Kung Fury, RnM, Larry, Westworld
Tom: Clone Wars (Disney+)
Nicole: The Last Dance, The Half of It
On the Lookout: Rick and Morty is back
Front Lines
Chris Hemsworth Thanks Fans As ‘Extraction’ Looks To Become Netflix’s Biggest-Ever Film Premiere
- Chris Hemsworth took to Instagram to thank everyone for making his Netflix movie "extraction" the number one movie on the planet. Netflix says the movie is on course to get 90 million households in its first four weeks become its most-watched film premiere to date.
Streaming films are temporarily eligible for Oscars, no theatrical run required
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will et some movies forego the normal theatrical-release requirements this year in order to qualify for consideration for an Oscar. A movie must have been originally scheduled for a theatrical run. This temporary change will no longer apply once theaters reopen. Even then the requirement that a release happen in some part in Los Angeles will be widened to include New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Miami and Atlanta.
Plex adds Crackle movies and TV shows to its free streaming service
- Plex announced that it added movies and TV shows from Crackle to its ad-supported streaming service in the US. Plex launched the service back in December, and in the announcement said its working on new partnership to add further content to the free service.
You can now pre-order HBO Max and save $36 on a year's subscription
- Until May 27 if you sign up for 12 months of HBO Max in advance you can get it for $11.99 a month after which it will go back to the normal $14.99. Also HBO says this is "while supplies last" so they may cut it off before May 27. And HBO Max will now be available automatically for HBO subscribers on the Google platforms.
HBO Max streaming service to be available on Google platforms at launch
TV providers asked to stop charging customers for live sports
- New York Attorney General Letitia James asked seven cable and satellite TV providers to cut or eliminate live sports fees since there are no live sports.
Stream TV Review: Verizon’s New Streaming Device Is One Odd Duck
- Verizon and ViacomCBS's Pluto TV have reached a distribution deal. Pluto's ad-supported free streaming video service will have placement on Verizon's wireless devices as well as Verizon's Stream TV Android player and pay TV service FiOS.
Dispatches from the Front
My first thought when I heard the jump in Netflix subscribers was “oh all those people mooching of their friend’s or family member’s Netflix had to get their own accounts”.
Because of the streaming limits (4 simultaneous streams on a basic account) that Netflix had in place I can see people more bumping up against these in quarantine when it hasn’t been a problem before.
I’d be interested to know how many of the new subscribers are actually new users.
- Melissa
As I smugly listened to an email about these kinds of apps and Alison's AirTable database (which she'd previously shared with me), I thought "I'm so glad I found the TV Show Tracker app on iOS, it does everything I want perfectly". Cut to this morning, and there was a major update, now called "TV Club", and they've basically removed or changed everything I love!
So... yeah, I apologize for not listening to those segments more closely in the past. Could you guys remind me of some of the good apps out there for this? I don't care about watching right from the app or having it on Apple TV, I just want to follow when there's new episodes for me to record/watch.
- Tim
Trakt.tv
TVTime.com
TVST
Watcht for Trakt app
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
For using GOOD MICROPHONES!!
I'm watching an NBC Sports show where everyone on the show is talking via ear buds, laptop microphones, etc. It sounds AWFUL!
Thank you for taking what you do seriously enough to have good audio for your listeners/watchers!
- Michael
Links