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.
DIGITAL HOT AT CES The Martian takes on virtual reality................. 24 AWARDS FEINBERG FORECAST Who’s up and down in Oscar race....... 28 ◄ CHINA LEGENDARY DEAL Why Wanda’s leader wants a U.S. studio.... 30 AN INSIDE LOOK BEHIND THE HEADLINES Inside a Historic Year New heights mask troubling weaknesses for non-tentpoles BOX-OFFICE REVENUE MAY have hit an all-time high in 2015, but that doesn’t mean The Force was with everyone. Disney — home of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — and Universal, with an unprecedented three billiondollar-grossers in Jurassic World, Furious 7 and Minions, pulled away from the competition while other studios grappled with historic lows. So while 2015 is “a big shot in the arm of the industry overall,” says MKM analyst Eric Handler, key lessons linger: 1Plant tentpoles…
KATHLEEN KENNEDY & FRANK MARSHALL The married producers pull off an unprecedented feat as their 2015 movies (Star Wars: The Force Awakens for her, Jurassic World for him) will end up Nos. 1 and 2 at the box office. TIM COOK The Apple CEO’s stock suffers its first down year since 2008, and new reports of decreased iPhone orders could send shares even lower in 2016. MARK WAHLBERG & WILL FERRELL Amid all the Star Wars hoopla, their Daddy’s Home grosses nearly $100 million domestic during the Christmas holidays, one of the best showings ever for a midbudget comedy. MEREDITH VIEIRA The host’s syndicated talk show will end after two poorly rated seasons, the latest casualty in the increasingly difficult daytime TV business. SHOWBIZ STOCKS $46.65 (+1.9%) CBS CORP. (CBS)…
W ITH 2016 shaping up as the year virtual reality finally hits the home, 20th Century Fox is using CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas (Jan. 6-9) to introduce a VR extravaganza based on its movie The Martian. Dubbed The Martian VR Experience, it will allow viewers to step into the shoes of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) and explore Mars. Hollywood’s interest in virtual reality isn’t surprising; the market for VR content is expected to reach $5.4 billion by 2025, according to Piper Jaffray. But it’s still in its infancy, with such companies as Oculus and HTC expected to grab headlines at CES as they launch headsets this year. If VR goggles are to catch on, they’ll also need content. “In order for this…
THOUSANDS OF GADGET LOVERS DESCEND ON LAS VEGAS EACH JANUARY to kick off the year at CES, but the conference has evolved into a must-attend event for Hollywood execs, too. Nearly 27,000 content professionals attended CES in 2015, according to the Consumer Technology Association’s annual audit — a 350 percent surge from the 6,000 entertainment attendees five years earlier. That number is expected to increase when as many as 175,000 head to Vegas on Jan. 6-9. This year’s conference has a media-heavy lineup, with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings speaking Jan. 6 and YouTube top exec Robert Kyncl and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke presenting Jan. 7. Although some entertainment figures might find their way to the show floor, it’s dealmaking opportunities, not nextgeneration drones or self-driving cars, drawing them to Vegas.…
BEST PICTURE BEST PICTURE Spotlight One day, you’re in, the next, you’re out: The crusading journalists drama was named best picture Jan. 4 by the National Society of Film Critics, but the next day, it failed to earn a nomination for the American Cinema Editors’ ACE Eddie Awards. Concussion Not even Will Smith, usually a box-office powerhouse, has been able to help this drama about brain injuries and the NFLscore a touchdown. With a $25 million domestic take as of Jan. 4, it’s trailing other holiday debuts like Joy and The Big Short. BEST DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT The Martian He attended the Palm Springs Film Fest Gala to present an award to Matt Damon, who spent most of his time onstage arguing that Scott deserves his first Oscar. BEST ACTOR…
CHINA’S LEGENDARY PLAY MAY SPUR DEALS DEAL OF THE WEEK IS 2016 THE YEAR CHINA GOES ALL-IN ON Hollywood? On Jan. 5, sources told THR that Chinese firm Dalian Wanda Group was nearing a deal for a majority stake in Legendary Entertainment that would value the U.S. studio at between $3 billion and $4 billion. Legendary CEO Thomas Tull had been wooing Wang Jianlin, Wanda’s chairman and one of China’s richest men, since June. The tieup would provide Legendary, which releases its films through Universal, with access to deep pools of financing and a strong local ally for navigating China’s lucrative but highly regulated movie market. Wanda also owns AMC Entertainment, the second-largest U.S. theater chain. The deal could be a sign of a new rush of Chinese money into…
