Showbiz Sandbox

Social justice and political issues have been making life complicated for movie studios, record labels and concert promoters. Whether you’re casting a movie, choosing a director, booking a live performance or releasing a new album, you’ll also be having to deal with their past, present and sometimes even future behavior. Just ask Johnny Depp, filmmaker […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 585: Entertainment Industry Stumble Into Sociopolitical Pitfalls appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

After the COVID pandemic hampered the Cannes Film Festival over the last two years, the 2022 edition moved back to its usual May time frame with all the glamor and artistry that has made it one of the most important annual cinematic events in the world. Despite critics’ complaints about what was deemed a weak […] The post Showbiz Sandbox: Movies Were the Stars at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Unlike some years, there was no frontrunner or obvious favorite to win the Palme d’Or at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival which concluded over the weekend. Instead, the social satire “Triangle of Sadness” from Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund took the festival’s top prize, the second time he has won the award. We discuss the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 584: Cannes Film Festival Showcases Industry Revival appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

With each new superhero blockbuster that hits multiplexes it is clear that big well-done movies can score big at the box office. However it is a huge mistake to treat every new release as the barometer of whether cinema is back. Especially when smaller films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and family movies like […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 583: The Long and Winding Road to Box Office Recovery appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

When cinema operators from around the world gathered in Las Vegas for CinemaCon last week, it quickly became obvious that movie theaters ain’t dead yet. Though a global pandemic may have decimated their business model for several years, audiences seem to slowly be returning to movie theaters. So have Hollywood studios who are starting to […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 582: Movie Theaters Come Roaring Back at CinemaCon appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

A new industry study claims the five largest producers of original content in the United States also happen to be some of the biggest streamers in the world. Nearly half the content offered by Discovery, Disney, Paramount, the former WarnerMedia and Comcast are original productions which increasingly premiere on their subscription streaming services. Turns out […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 581: Streamers Double Down On Original Programming appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Last week Discovery closed its $43 billion deal to acquire WarnerMedia from telecom giant AT&T. Discovery topper David Zaslav immediately installed his own executive team to run Warner Bros. Discovery forcing the existing management team to head for the door. We discuss the fallout from the merger and the what the future may look like […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 580: Warner Bros. Enters Its Discovery Phase appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The coronavirus pandemic once again nearly foiled the Grammy Awards, delaying the ceremony and forcing the event to relocate to Las Vegas. Yet once again, the show’s producers managed to do a stellar job of putting together all-star performances that helped promote and celebrate music. We discuss our thoughts on the telecast and all the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 579: The Award For Best Awards Show Goes To The Grammys! appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

If there was ever a year to speak with Indiewire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson the day after the Oscars it would be this one. In what should have been a celebration of first’s; from the first deaf actor to win an Oscar (Troy Kotsur), to the first openly gay actress to win a prize (Ariana DeBose) […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 578: The Oscars Get Slappy With It appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Over the last year the mobile video game “Genshin Impact” has earned over $2 billion. From its anime-like visuals to its bug-eyed characters the role-playing game appears to be Japanese in every way. However, while Japan may have a reputation as the world’s leading video game developer, “Ghensin Impact” was made in China. We explain […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 577: Why The Biggest Japanese Game Is Actually Chinese appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Frank Marshall is probably best known as a producer of some of Hollywood’s biggest films, but he has also directed four successful narrative features throughout his career. More recently he has turned to directing documentaries, including “Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story,” which he co-directs with Ryan Suffern. Marshall joins us to discuss the film, […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 576: Director Frank Marshall Strikes A New Note With Jazz Fest appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The opening weekend of “The Batman” was the anticipated blockbuster everyone was expecting, though an ongoing pandemic and a political crisis in Europe softened its global take. AMC Theatres on the other hand saw an opportunity to raise ticket prices, but only for the latest entrant to the Batman franchise. Is this a strategy that […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 575: Should Movie Theaters Charge More For Blockbusters? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

After Russia invaded Ukraine it didn’t take long for various sectors of the global entertainment industry to respond by canceling concerts, sporting events and film releases in the territory. While this is insignificant in comparison to the loss of life and liberty currently taking place in Ukraine, it still serves to show how art, culture […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 574: Entertainment Industry Shuns Russia appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

During its most recent earnings call ViacomCBS outlined how they plan on reorganizing the media giant to compete with streaming leaders such as Netflix. First they are bringing content from all of their current services into Paramount+ and retaining the rights to popular programming such as “South Park.” They announced a glut of new projects […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 573: Paramount Takes A Global Approach to Streaming appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.