The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
What a difference a decade makes. In 2007, Paramount won the coveted market share race at the domestic box office, but the balance of power among the six major Hollywood studios was one of relative equality. Paramount’s 15.5 percent share was less than a percentage point ahead of Warner Bros. and five points ahead of the sixth-ranking studio, Fox. In 2017, there was a 17 percent spread between studios, with Disney commanding nearly 22 percent of all domestic box-office revenue (it was 26 percent in 2016). More alarming, attendance is likely at its lowest level in 22 years. Now consolidation is looming. The frayed studio system is headed for reinvention as boxoffice fortunes become ever harder to find under the canopy of a tentpole- centric business. Companies now must spend…
Workplace Time’s Up Decoding the antiharassment crusades p. 26 ↑ Television Hoda’s Take Why Today’s new host won’t make Lauer money p. 32 Tom Rothman The Sony Pictures chairman’s gamble on a Jumanji reboot pays off as the Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart hit approaches $350 million worldwide. Andrew Creighton and Mike Germano The Vice president and chief digital officer are suspended after The New York Times reports multiple accounts of sexual harassment. Ted Sarandos Thanks to new tax rules, the Netflix content chief’s base salary jumps to $12 million in 2018 from $1 million, with a stock option allowance worth more than $14.2 million. Sam Haskell The Miss America Organization CEO resigns after the reveal of vulgar emails he sent about former contestants as Gretchen Carlson joins the board. Showbiz Stocks…
Source: comScore. *Still in theaters.. China’s Comeback After slowing down dramatically in 2016, the Chinese box office surged 22.3 percent in 2017 to $8.59 billion. If that rate of growth continues, the Middle Kingdom is likely to supplant North America and become the largest moviegoing market in the world in 2019. That’s good news for Hollywood. International films, the majority of which came from the U.S., accounted for 46 percent of all tickets sold in China last year. Winners and Losers of 2017 WINNERS FEMALE FILMS For the first time in several decades, the three top-grossing films domestically featured female heroines — The Last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast and Wonder Woman. DWAYNE JOHNSON The actor’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle flexed far more muscle at the Christmas box office…
Source: Box Office Mojo. *Still in theaters. The indie box office has been wrestling with its demons for several years now, but the final stretch of 2017 saw a flurry of films do impressive business, from Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird to Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, which is still playing in only four theaters. In terms of global rankings, Focus Features’ Victoria & Abdul was the top specialty release of 2017, earning a royal $42.6 million overseas and $22.2 million in the U.S. The Big Sick, from Amazon Studios and Lionsgate, was the top specialty earner in the U.S. ($42.9 million) despite a summer bow. Focus distribution chief Lisa Bunnell says she’s hoping for more releases like The Big Sick. “We have to spread the…
Hollywood has had three months to respond with a solution to the rampant sexual misconduct unearthed after Harvey Weinstein’s misdeeds were first revealed. The industry now has a plan. Several, actually. From wearing black at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7 to promoting legislation to eliminate the use of nondisclosure agreements as a silencing tactic, the various anti-harassment initiatives are being aggregated under a single banner dubbed Time’s Up, a group of A-listers revealed Jan. 1. The leaderless (for now) campaign characterizes its sprawling efforts as a “hub-and-spokes model,” according to a rep. That Time’s Up counts more than 1,000 artists and executives turned activists and advocates speaks to both the far-ranging ambition of its mission as well as the challenges ahead in coordinating actions. “It’s a leaderless volunteer organization…
THE COMMISSION WHAT IT IS The Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace says it will develop a comprehensive strategy to effect culture change in entertainment. WHO’S INVOLVED Anita Hill is chairing the commission, the brainchild of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. THE BACKSTORY Kennedy called for an industry commission in an October speech shortly after accusations against Harvey Weinstein were first published. Along with attorney Nina Shaw, Nike Foundation founder and cochair Maria Eitel and venture capitalist Freada Kapor Klein, she summoned 24 top leaders, including the chief executives of all the major studios and agencies, to an in-person meeting Dec. 15 where they pledged to fund the commission. LEGAL DEFENSE FUND WHAT IT IS The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund will assist victims of sexual harassment…
