BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA['Iron Man' vs. 'Indy': Preview of potential summer blockbusters]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/03/iron-man-vs-indy-preview-of-potential-summer-blockbusters/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/03/iron-man-vs-indy-preview-of-potential-summer-blockbusters/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/05/03/iron-man-vs-indy-preview-of-potential-summer-blockbusters/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Since last year's summer movie preview featured mostly sequels and adaptations, this year's preview has been expanded to include more than just potential "blockbusters." The following is a chronological list of not only the most hyped film fare of the summer, but other noteworthy smaller entries, and a short commentary on each.

Robert Downey in Paramount Pictures Iron Man

5/2 - Iron Man, Viacom (NYSE: VIA)'s Paramount Pictures
The first of two big Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) adaptations of the summer, the Robert Downey Jr. led Iron Man has been getting a ton of hype and critical acclaim. This is the second year that a comic book adaptation has kicked off the summer, following last year's Spider-Man 3, which grossed over $150M over its opening weekend.

5/9 - Speed Racer, Time Warner (NYSE: TWX)'s Warner Bros.
Another big-budget adaptation of a generations-old cartoon. Last year's Transformers was, to my surprise, a huge success, so maybe Speed Racer, in the capable directing hands of the Wachowskis, can be as well.

Continue reading 'Iron Man' vs. 'Indy': Preview of potential summer blockbusters

'Iron Man' vs. 'Indy': Preview of potential summer blockbusters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 May 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This summer was a very profitable one for box offices nationwide, with four movies grossing over $300M, and at least another nine grossing over $100M -- signaling in a big way the resurgence of the movie industry, which had been struggling for the last few years.

The four big $300M+ winners of the summer were Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) 'sSpider-Man 3, which grossed $336M in the U.S., Viacom, Inc (NYSE: VIA)'s Paramount's Shrek the Third, which grossed $320M, Transformers, also from Paramount, which grossed $311M, and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)'s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which grossed $308M.

Three of the four were third installments of well established big-budget franchises, so their success is hardly shocking, but the Transformers success clearly marks the start of a new blockbuster franchise (the release date of the sequel has been announced -- June 26, 2009). The robot-action extravaganza, which was directed by Michael Bay, was definitely a surprise, as I remarked in my summer movie preview that Transformers "has flop written all over it... there cannot possibly be enough substance in a story about alien robots that transform into vehicles to make this a hit with the general public." I was wrong -- very wrong. The movie killed at the box office, grossing over $330M on a $150M budget, and prompting a re-release on IMAX, which opened last week.


Continue reading 'Transformers' and 'Shrek' flex muscles: A review of the summer blockbusters

'Transformers' and 'Shrek' flex muscles: A review of the summer blockbusters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th century fox20thCenturyFox28 weeks later28WeeksLaterblockbustercinemadisdisneyevan almightyEvanAlmightyexpire-images:2008-9-24filmgegeneral electricGeneralElectricgolden compassGoldenCompassharry potterHarryPotterhulkimaxindiana jonesIndianaJonesiron manIronManknocked upKnockedUpmovienew line cinemasNewLineCinemasnews corpNewsCorpnwsparamountpineapple expressPineappleExpresspirates of the caribbeanPiratesOfTheCaribbeanpixarpunisherrush hour 3RushHour3shrek the thirdShrekTheThirdsnesonyspider-man 3Spider-man3summersuperbadtime warnerTimeWarnertransformerstwxuniversalviaviacomwall-eTue, 25 Sep 2007 17:46:00 EST<![CDATA[Excellent or Meh? News Corp embiggens <i>The Simpsons</i>]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/27/excellent-or-meh-news-corp-embiggens-the-simpsons/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/27/excellent-or-meh-news-corp-embiggens-the-simpsons/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/27/excellent-or-meh-news-corp-embiggens-the-simpsons/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Making movies based on long-running television shows is nothing new. Hollywood has cashed in big-time on the Charlie's Angels, Mission: Impossible and Muppets franchises, for example. With The Simpsons Movie however, 20th Century Fox -- a division of News Corp (NYSE: NWS) -- is attempting something different.

Most TV-to-cinema transitions have offered an expansion of the television content, taking the mundane storylines and effects and dramatically upgrading them, giving new dimension and backstory to the characters, pushing them several orders of magnitude beyond their 23" version. The eyeball kicks and surround sound add a thrilling dimension to even the most mundane flat-screen entertainment.

The Simpsons, however, has no such potential. Early reviews have consistently referenced the television-scope frame that the film continues: same characters, same town, same comedy, just more of it. The infusion of famous names wasn't an option to elevate the show beyond the cromulent, either; the show has lampooned, both through cameos and voice doubles, hundreds of the famous and fatuous, from Michael Jackson to Stephen Hawking. Even entering the third dimension wouldn't have broken new ground for the cast, as they invaded both it and the "real" world in my all-time favorite episode, Homer3, a spoof on the math novel Flatland.

This weekend's opening results, then, will be watched with great interest by both the television and movie industry, to see just how low the bar can be set in transitioning content from TV to cinema. I'm guessing the results will be rather disappointing for 20th Century, as moviegoers will want more for their movie D'oh than two hours of Sunday night Fox entertainment.

In the immortal words of Homer S., "Kids, you tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: Never try."

Excellent or Meh? News Corp embiggens The Simpsons originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th Century Fox20thCenturyFoxcartoon cinemacartoon moviesCartoonCinemaCartoonMoviescartoonsfilm openingsFilmOpeningsfox televsionFoxTelevsionhomer simpsonHomerSimpsoninthenewsmovie openingsMovieOpeningsNews Corp.newscorpNewsCorp.nwssimpsonsthe simpsons movieTheSimpsonsMovieFri, 27 Jul 2007 13:40:00 EST<![CDATA[95 years later, The Titanic still commands attention and dollars]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/03/95-years-later-the-titanic-still-commands-attention-and-dollars/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/03/95-years-later-the-titanic-still-commands-attention-and-dollars/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/03/95-years-later-the-titanic-still-commands-attention-and-dollars/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In April 1912, the RMS Titanic, a luxury passenger liner billed as unsinkable, took its maiden voyage and was felled by an iceberg. Lifeboats were scarce, and more than 1,500 passengers perished in the icy seas of the North Atlantic. The tragic irony of the surrounding circumstances are fit for a movie ... but we'll get to that later.

A Christie's auction in New York City last week featured memorabilia from the ill-fated voyage, including a lengthy handwritten description of the ordeal, penned by a 16-year-old survivor. The account, which mentions witnessing the "most terrible shrieks and groans from the helpless and doomed" from her perch in a lifeboat, attracted $16,800. The auction featured 18 lots in total, including telegrams, letters, and deck logs. In all, the products fetched $193,140. An original list of the first-class passengers aboard the ship fetched $48,000, surpassing pre-sale estimates.

Sunday night, flipping through cable stations, I came across James Cameron's epic blockbuster tribute to the sunken ship, which was released by News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) 20th Century Fox and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Pictures almost 10 years ago. It remains the highest-grossing film of all time, with worldwide box office receipts of over $1.8 billion.

I'll admit, with mild sheepishness, that I was among the throng of Titanic devotees that took multiple trips to the theater (my count was five) to follow the story of Jack and Rose. While it's a rare moment that I pull out my DVD to spend more than 3 hours in anticipation of a teary finale, it's still a good movie, made great through the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet before they were superstars.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

95 years later, The Titanic still commands attention and dollars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th century fox20thCenturyFoxauctionschristy's auction houseChristy'sAuctionHousejames cameronJamesCameronkate winsletKateWinsletleonardo dicaprioLeonardoDicaprionwsparamount picturesParamountPicturestitanicviaTue, 03 Jul 2007 13:50:00 EST<![CDATA[News Corp.'s profitable Night at the Museum]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/05/09/news-corp-s-profitable-night-at-the-museum/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/05/09/news-corp-s-profitable-night-at-the-museum/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/05/09/news-corp-s-profitable-night-at-the-museum/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) posted first quarter earnings of 27 cents a share, a penny above last year. The biggest contributor was Ben Stiller's $571 million hit A Night at the Museum. Increased advertising rates at Fox News, the top rated U.S. cable news channel, helped boost its cable-network profit by 34% to $282 million, beating analysts' estimates of $262 million.

Last month I attended a party at which I met the director of New York City's Museum of Natural History where part of the movie was filmed. I had meant to ask her about how the Museum coordinated the filming with all its other activities, but I failed to do so.

Meanwhile, it is a sign of the depth of my ignorance about America that I do not know why so many people watch Fox News. Every time I am forced to watch it when I'm on the treadmill in front of the bank of TV screens at my health club, I feel like changing the channel. And I'm just watching the picture without even hearing the sound!

Investors reacted to News Corp.'s results with a yawn. The stock is down 1% in early trading.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates, a management consulting and venture capital firm. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in News Corp.

News Corp.'s profitable Night at the Museum originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 May 2007 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th century fox20thCenturyFoxfoxfox newsFoxNewsnwsrupert murdochRupertMurdochWed, 09 May 2007 12:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Movie studios pressure Apple]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/29/movie-studios-pressure-apple/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/29/movie-studios-pressure-apple/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/29/movie-studios-pressure-apple/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

After watching the music industry suffer from illegal digital piracy, the film studios are taking extra precautions to avoid the same fate. As a result, Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is coming under pressure from some of Hollywood's biggest studios to rework the operating environment of its iTunes platform.

The studios, including Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros, are enthusiastic about following Disney by offering their content via iTunes, but remain concerned about the platform's ability to prevent piracy.

Rightfully so when one considers that the average cost of a major studio release nowadays is approaching $100 million. The movie studios feel they have a lot more at stake than their (sister) record labels. One movie executive said, "We're very willing to do a deal but we're keen to get some concessions from Apple that will account for the differences between the value of music and television content and feature film content."

With the development and announcement of iTV, it is even more important for Apple to demonstrate that it can protect more than just copyrighted music. If it succeeds in placating the film industry, consumers might just plan to replace their DVD player with Apple's iTV player.

Movie studios pressure Apple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th century fox20thCenturyFoxappledisneyiTunesiTVmovie studiosMovieStudiosparamountuniversalwalt disneyWaltDisneywarner brosWarnerBrosWed, 29 Nov 2006 09:39:00 EST