Cordkillers 347 - Backing Stankey's Play
Is HBO Max a flop? New Sonic the Hedgehog and Tomb Raider toons for Netflix. Ryan Coogler heads back to Wakanda. All this and more on Cordkillers!
This week on It's Spoilerin' Time: The Stand (107), WandaVision (104), Hannibal (110)
Next week: The Stand (108), WandaVision (105), Hannibal (111)
CordKillers: 347 - Backing Stankey's Play
Recorded: February 1 2021
Guest: None
Intro Video
Pacific Rim: The Black
Primary Target
HBO Max hits subscriber goal two years ahead of schedule
AT&T Boss John Stankey Defends Theatrical-HBO Max Strategy
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Soars To Christmas Streaming Win On Updated U.S. Nielsen List, With 35% Margin Over ‘Soul
‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Sets Premiere Date On HBO Max
You can watch the Snyder Cut while snacking on a $130 Justice League-themed meal kit
- It seems to have worked. HBO Max reports 37.7 million US subscribers hitting its goal two years early. That number includes 17.2 million "activated" subscribers, folks who signed up independently or upgraded an existing subscription rather than having their app magically converted from HBO to HBO max. You'll also see AT&T throw around the number 41 million which includes Pay TV subscribers who only have HBO alongside all the HBO Max folks.
- However you look at it, it's up from the 28.7 million HBO Max subscribers of which 8.6 million were activated at the end of September.|
- AT&T is attributing the rise to Wonder Woman: 1984. Which makes you wonder how the numbers would be if it had been a movie everybody loved.
- But Nielsen numbers back up AT&T. Nielsen revised its numbers for December 21-27 to include HBO Max. WW84 tops the revised chart with 2.252 billion minutes of streaming, 35% better than Pixar's Soul, and 85% ahead of Netflix's Bridgerton.
- AT&T CEO John Stankey defended the strategy of releasing movies on HBO Max at the same time as theaters, pointing to the glut of movies that will eventually come out from all studios, saying, “We don’t believe that magically just because there’s more content showing up in theaters all at the same, that’s going to dramatically increase the moviegoing population at that time.”
- Warner Media also announced that the extended cut of Justice League will arrive on HBO Max Thursday, March 18 as a four hour movie. Warner Media is also teaming up with Wonderland restaurants to offer Justic League meal kits in "Mother Boxes" just like in the film. It includes Cod and chips appetizer in honor of Aquaman and a Big Belly burger in honor of the Flash. Other menu items are Superman-inspired "Ressurection" Wonder Woman-inspired "Ancient Themysciran fire and "snack and Extras" though we have no details on any of those. It will also include in-univers brands Kopul-Brau beers and Jitters cold brew. There are also vegetarian alternatives as well. The box is $130 for a meal for two or $260 for meal for four. Delivery starts April 15.
How to Watch
Voice recognition features return to TiVo through a partnership with Atlanta-based Pindrop
- TiVo discontinued using Amazon Voice services in its TiVo boxes last year and has announced it will replace them with voice recognition from Atlanta-based Pindrop. Pindrop's assistant can tell the difference between different speakers which TiVo can use to pull up personalized recommendations and app profiles.
What to Watch
‘WandaVision’ Mid-Season Trailer Gives Marvel Fans a Taste of What’s to Come in the Trippy Disney Plus Series
- Disney Plus released a mid-season trailer for WandaVision with a lot of footage from released episodes, especially the most recent one, but also a few more sneak peeks at what's to come.
Netflix re-confirms new 3D-animated Sonic series is coming in 2022
- Netflix has some animated series news. A 24-episode series from Wild Brain and Sega called Sonic Prime, will come to Netflix in 2022. Netflix is also developing an anime series based not he movie Skull Island and an anime series in the Tomb Raider universe set after the events of 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider game.
Netflix is getting Tomb Raider and Skull Island anime series
Anne Hathaway, Jared Leto to Star in WeWork Series at Apple
- Apple has signed Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto to star in a limited TV series about the rise and fall of the WeWork startup called WeCrashed. The movies is based on the podcast of the same name. There is another series based on WeWork in development from Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content based on the book "The Cult of We."
HBO will adapt the third season of the Serial podcast into a TV series. Season three of Serial examined multiple cases in the Cleveland justice system.
Disney released a trailer for Raya and the Last Dragon coming to theaters March 5th as well as available for $30 on Disney Plus.
Apple bought worldwide rights to a Sundance festival hit called CODA about a girl who can hear breaking away from her deaf parents.
Netflix announced the second half of season one of Lupin will return this summer, though no specific date was announced.
Noah Baumbach has signed an exclusive deal to write and direct movies for Netflix for several years.
Apple TV+ approved the series Tehran for a second season.
‘Shadow And Bone’: Netflix Sets Official Premiere Date, Unveils First-Look Images
- Netflix series Shadow and Bone arrives April 23. It's based on the Grishaverse novels by Leigh Bardugo and takes place ion war-then world with an extraordinary power unleashed by an orphan who then has to train with elite magical soldiers called Grisha.
Netflix's Sandman series has cast Gwenoldine Christie as Lucifer and Tom Sturridge as Lord of Dreaming.
Ryan Coogler's Proximity media signed a five year deal with Disney that will include a Marvel TV show set in Wakanda.
Eyes On
Brian: Dave
Tom: Minari
On the Lookout: Snowpiercer
Front Lines
‘The Office’ Peacock Viewing Is Ahead Of Netflix Pace, NBCU Chief Jeff Shell Says, With Service Off To “Promising” Start
- NBCU says Peacock has 33 million signups in the US up from 28 million December 8th. NBC CEO Jeff Shell said The Office is being streamed more actively than on Netflix though he didn't explain what he meant by that. Nielsen estimated The Office was the most streamed show int he US last year on Netflix with 57.1 billion total minutes.
Study: Americans Now Spend $47 Per Month on Streaming Services
- A JD Power study estimates people in the US spend about $47 a month on average for streaming services, up 24 percent from before the pandemic. US viewers have an average of four streaming providers. The top five services according to JD Power are Netflix with an 85 percent share, Amazon Prime Vide at 65 percent, Hulu at 56 percent, Disney+ at 47 percent, YouTube at 20 percent and HBO Max in 6th place at 22 percent. Apple TV has 14 percent followed by everybody else.
Denzel Washington’s ‘The Little Things’ Leads Box Office Despite HBO Max Debut
- Another feather in Warner Media's cap is that crime thriller "The Little Things" starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek topped US box office charts this weekend with $4.8 million while also available on HBO max. The Croods: A New Age rose 2 percent and was number two, despite being available to rent. Wonder Woman: 1984 was number three.
Dish’s Sling TV Hikes Rates by $5 per Month, Expands DVR Storage
- Sling TV is raising the price of its orange and Blue base packages $5 a month each to $35 a month. Also Sports Extra goes up by a dollar to $11 a month. All other add-ons go up a dollar to $6 a month. Existing customers will not see a price rise until July. Sling TV last raised prices in December 2019.
AMC Ent. Stock Rises More As Analyst Warns It’s Worth A Buck; GameStop Dips, Reddit Furor Grows – From Shares To Silver
- So we're not going to get into the whole GameStop stock short squeeze thing here, but if you somehow missed it, a lot of folks on reddit got together and were able to drive the price of GameStop stock way up. When that worked they turned their attention to other stocks like AMC Theaters. Funny thing that, once the stock price was driven up, AMC Theaters was able to convert $600 million worth of debt into stock. So AMC Theaters is now that much further away from impending bankruptcy. Deadline reported that MGM acquired rights to turn a book on GameStop trading into a movie and that Netflix is in talks to make an untitled film about it all.
Apple TV Plus Touts ‘Most-Watched Weekend’ Ever With Premiere of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Palmer’
- Variety's sources say Justin Timberlake's Palmer drove Apple TV Plus viewership up 33 percent this weekend for its most-watched weekend yet. Palmer is a movie about an ex-con who becomes the caretaker of a gender-nonconforming child. Apple also has new episodes of Servant and Dickinson rolling out as well and got big international numbers for "Losing Alice."
Dispatches from the Front
GUYS. I finally cut the cord!!!!
Comcast forced our hand by increasing the prices on crap internet and then throwing in a cap limit during covid. I have two kids doing school from home as well as my work (which involves pushing a lot of animation renders and effects over the network back to co-workers who need them to complete edits). So needless to say -- it was funny when the wife came in and said - ""why aren't we using cloud-based DVR - TV is for like old people who are stuck with Comcast - and I just don't trust Comcast."" 🤔😬
We've moved on to better pastures with Fios. We also choose Youtube TV or Hulu because of the fast-forwarding and skipping commercials.
Cheers Guys.
I'd say I miss you - and the movie draft, lol. But I hear you guys in my ears every week so.... yeah!
- Mulango and Kristi Kates
There are 6 minutes of credits at the end of a 25 minute episode of WandaVision! Unbelievable! What were they giving the ushers Time to clean up the popcorn in my living room?
The Expanse season finale had 2 minutes and a lot more CGI. I just checked Infinity War has 10 minutes of credits but it was a 2 hour movie with lots of CG. I can't believe I wasted 6 minutes looking for a surprise post credit scene.
LOL
- MattBatt
Links
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