THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN BIG OPENING WEEKEND KICKING OFF SUMMER WITH DISNEY/MARVEL'S "BLACK WIDOW" (NOW DUE 7/9). INSTEAD, WE HAD ANOTHER QUIET EARLY MAY FRAME AT BOXOFFICE. MGM/MIRAMAX/UAR'S R RATED ACTION THRILLER "WRATH OF MAN" TOPPED CHART WITH OKAY $8.1M LAUNCH AT 2,875 LOCATIONS, PER COMSCORE. THAT'S HIGH END OF $6-8M EXHIBITORS EXPECTED. RT: 66% FRESH. NORTH AMERICAN THEATRES: 60% OPEN VS. 57% LAST WEEKEND...
FUNIMATION/ANIPLEX'S ANIMATED HIT "DEMON SLAYER" SLID TO #2 IN WEEK 3 WITH $3M (-54%) AT 2,100 LOCATIONS & $39.6M/DOM. WB/NL'S WEEKEND 3 OF "MORTAL KOMBAT" WAS #3 WITH $2.4M (-62%) AT 2,973 LOCATIONS & $37.8M/DOM...
"DOMESTIC MARKET IS THE 'COMEBACK KID' AS GLOBAL BOX OFFICE ADDS $1.1 BILLION IN APRIL" IS GOOD NEWS FOR EXHIBITORS FROM GOWER STREET ANALYTICS' GLOBAL BOXOFFICE TRACKER. EXCERPT BELOW IS FROM 5/10 SCREENDOLLARS NEWSLETTER. CLICK SCREENDOLLARS NEWSLETTER "SUBSCRIBE" BUTTON (FREE) ON MENU BAR TO SEE GOWER STREET REPORTS WEEKLY...
PER GOWER STREET: "COMPARED TO 2020, THE ONLY WAY WAS UP FOR GLOBAL BOX OFFICE IN APRIL 2021 BUT WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR, AND SOME MAJOR RELEASES, MAKES. APRIL DELIVERED GLOBAL THEATRICAL TAKINGS OF $1.1 BILLION – UP ON MARCH'S $0.9 BILLION."...
HOLLYWOOD STARS SLAMMING HFPA IS KISS OF DEATH SINCE GOLDEN GLOBES ARE ALL ABOUT GLAMOR. SCARLETT JOHANSSON DELIVERED "BLACK WIDOW" KICK RECALLING HFPA PRESS CONFERENCES THAT FOR HER "OFTEN MEANT FACING SEXIST QUESTIONS AND REMARKS BY CERTAIN HFPA MEMBERS THAT BORDERED ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT...HFPA IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS LEGITIMIZED BY THE LIKES OF HARVEY WEINSTEIN TO AMASS MOMENTUM FOR ACADEMY RECOGNITION, AND THE INDUSTRY FOLLOWED SUIT."...
"AVENGERS" STAR MARK RUFFALO (BRUCE BANNER/HULK) PULLED NO PUNCHES: "IT'S DISCOURAGING TO SEE THE HFPA, WHICH HAS GAINED PROMINENCE AND PROFITED HANDSOMELY FROM THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH FILMMAKERS AND ACTORS, RESIST THE CHANGE THAT IS BEING ASKED OF THEM FROM MANY OF THE GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN MOST DISENFRANCHISED BY THEIR CULTURE OF SECRECY AND EXCLUSION...NOW IS THE TIME TO STEP UP AND RIGHT THE WRONGS OF THE PAST."...
NETFLIX CO-CEO TED SARANDOS LEFT NO DOUBT WHERE STREAMER STANDS: "WE DON'T BELIEVE THESE PROPOSED NEW POLICIES — PARTICULARLY AROUND THE SIZE AND SPEED OF MEMBERSHIP GROWTH — WILL TACKLE THE HFPA’S SYSTEMIC DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHALLENGES, OR THE LACK OF CLEAR STANDARDS FOR HOW YOUR MEMBERS SHOULD OPERATE. SO WE'RE STOPPING ANY ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION UNTIL MORE MEANINGFUL CHANGES ARE MADE."...
AMAZON STUDIOS HEAD JENNIFER SALKE HAMMERED HOME: "WE HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING WITH THE HFPA SINCE THESE ISSUES WERE FIRST RAISED, AND LIKE THE REST OF THE INDUSTRY, WE ARE AWAITING A SINCERE AND SIGNIFICANT RESOLUTION BEFORE MOVING FORWARD."...
