Viewers have watched Netflix continually raise its subscription fee in recent years, but now the streamer is set to introduce a new version that will cost significantly less — for those who don’t mind sitting through some commercials, that is.
24.09.2022 - 14:34 / deadline.com
This year’s Zurich Summit kicked off with a bang as a host of top industry execs gathered on stage to discuss one of the most challenging topics facing the independent film world today – how to finance an independent film in the streaming age?
The panel inevitably was drawn to the pros and cons of going down the streaming route.
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, who recently was a producer on Oscar-winning hit CODA, spoke at length about the challenges he faced when financing the project. The Pathé title was a project he helped develop at Lionsgate and took with him when he left the US studio. The film had pre-sold to a number of international territories but famously caused a stir when Apple came in and acquired the film at Sundance for $25M in a worldwide deal, causing the streamer to make buyback deals with those rights holders.
“We needed equity, the budget of the movie was $14M,” he said. “There was a pandemic, there was no theatrical market at all and we were selected to go to Sundance – we needed it,” he said. “The movie was in the can.”
When asked if that movie would have worked theatrically and won the Best Picture Oscar had it continued down the traditional pre-sales model, he replied “I don’t know.”
Frank Smith, president and CEO of Walden Media, who has a strong track record of working with streamers and studios, having recently produced The Babysitter’s Club for Netflix and Finch for Apple TV+, acknowledged some of the obstacles that the independent film world is facing.
“The challenges that we’re facing now with streaming is that it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to find places to deploy my capital,” said Smith. “I’m trying to put together many different types of films right now and I’m
Viewers have watched Netflix continually raise its subscription fee in recent years, but now the streamer is set to introduce a new version that will cost significantly less — for those who don’t mind sitting through some commercials, that is.
Manori Ravindran International Editor Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions has named industry veteran Brenda Robinson as its first head of film finance and inclusion strategies. Robinson, an entertainment attorney, financier and producer, will be responsible for bringing new partners to HiddenLight’s slate of productions across film and television. Robinson’s appointment represents a number of developments in HiddenLight’s strategy, including the use of grant and equity funding to develop and produce projects that the company takes to market later in the production cycle. It also signals a desire to tell a wider spectrum of stories from a diversity of voices.
Michaela Zee editor Selena Gomez gets candid in the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me.” “Just be who you are, Selena. No one cares about what you’re doing,” Gomez says in the trailer, which was unveiled Monday in honor of World Health Mental Day. “It’s about who I am, being okay with where I am. I am grateful to be alive.” Directed and produced by Alek Keshishian (“Madonna: Truth or Dare”), “My Mind and Me” chronicles Gomez’s health journey over the course of six years, including her struggles with lupus, depression and anxiety. A Grammy-nominated artist, Gomez has sold more than 210 million singles worldwide and amassed over 45 billion music streams globally. On the television side, Gomez plays Mabel Mora in the Emmy-nominated series “Only Murders in the Building,” starring opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short. She has also ventured into the unscripted side with her popular HBO Max cooking show “Selena + Chef,” which recently released its fourth season.
After a pandemic recovery year in which Focus has started many of its releases with larger theater counts, “Tár” is starting with a return to the traditional four-screen launch in New York and Los Angeles, earning $160,000 for a per-theater average of $40,000. With the LA theaters that first got platform releases, the Arclight Hollywood and Landmark Pico, both now closed, Focus has turned to the AMC locations in Century City and the Grove on Fairfax to release “Tár,” while releasing it at the Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square in New York.
Killer Mike performed his summer hit ‘Run‘ on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon yesterday (October 7). Check out footage of the moment below.The Run The Jewels star also sat down with host Jimmy Fallon to talk about the track and reflect on his recent cameo in Ozark.‘Run’ was Killer Mike’s first solo song since his 2012 album, ‘R.A.P.
Jeffrey Dahmer continues to grow following the release of the Netflix true-crime limited series,, he is the subject of the new docuseries,, which offers additional perspectives on the serial killer’s murders. One of them is Wendy Patrickus, who was a young attorney when she was tasked with spending over 30 hours with Dahmer, interviewing him about his life and crimes. “I felt like Clarice Starling in ,” Patrickus says in the first episode of the three-part documentary, before detailing her experience sitting across the table from her client from July to October 1991, trying to absorb all the gruesome details Dahmer revealed about the 17 men and teenage boys he killed over a 13-year span. In order to get all the information that she got out of him, Patrickus says she had to convince him “that I’m not somebody sitting here judging him.” In fact, she had to build a trust with him so that he felt comfortable opening up to her for as long as he did.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Manti Te’o has signed on with UTA for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. With the signing, UTA will help Te’o work across a variety of areas, including broadcasting, public speaking, publishing, unscripted television, and audio. Te’o is known for his standout college football career. He was one of the most sought after high school recruits in the country when he entered college, eventually enrolling at Notre Dame University and joining the Fighting Irish as a linebacker. He played for Notre Dame from 2009-2012. He racked up impressive stats, including All-American honors and securing 437 tackles over the course of his time there. He was the captain of the team in 2012 and led Notre Dame against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game that same year. He is also one of the most decorated players in college football, winning top honors such as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award. Te’o was a finalist for the Heisman trophy in 2012 as well.
Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” now streaming. Evan Peters, 35, stars as the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.The new show has renewed interest in Dahmer, leading some viewers and “fans” to post disconcertingly loving sentiments about the serial killer, who also engaged in cannibalism and necrophilia.“Jeffrey Dahmers mugshot definitely gives something i didn’t know or think it would give,” one person tweeted, to which another Twitter user replied, “You don’t, under any circumstances, gotta hand it to Jeffrey Dhamer.” Another Twitter user wrote, “oh you think jeffrey dahmer is hot? Ok well I am going to beat you with a stick,” to which someone replied, “jeffrey dahmer is hot.”One fan even tweeted a photo of Dahmer, bemoaning the fact that Peters was the first result to come up when they searched his photo online. “we’ll get through this era king I promise,” they wrote next to a photo of Dahmer, seemingly referring to the serial killer as “king,” to which another Twitter user replied, “Are you seriously praising a murderer???”you will NOT think Evan Peters is hot playing Dahmer pic.twitter.com/Y8fX6iGnYTAnother Twitter user posted, “if you’re thirsting over jeffrey dahmer because he’s played by evan peters PLEASE block me.” The Netflix series, which premiered Sept.
This crypto trader is bullish on her career in comedy.Brooklyn-born Staten Island raised Elyse DeLucci is a digital marketing officer by day and a standup comedian at night, and will be headlining at Caroline’s on Broadway on Sept. 29.“I don’t go on and talk about bosses.
Isabel Allende and Gabby Rivera.
Liza Foreman Boutique distributor Juno Films has picked up North American distribution rights to the Irish-language feature “Róise and Frank,” (“Mo Ghrá Buan”), the company confirmed on Friday. Written and directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy, the drama tells the story of an imaginative widow, played by Irish actress Bríd Ní Neachtain, who decides that a stray dog she befriends is the reincarnation of her deceased husband Frank. As time passes, Róise slowly begins to open herself back up to the outside world and reconnect to friends and family. Her canine companion starts to coach the local junior high school’s hurling team with great success for the team and its players, under Frank’s guidance.
Anna Marie de la Fuente Speaking on the issue of navigating finance in 2022 and beyond at San Sebastian’s two-day Creative Investors Conference, Wild Bunch exec Cecile Gaget and 30West’s Trevor Groth took stock of the challenges ahead in a post-pandemic world. Groth observed that film production budgets have been rising as streaming platforms have been paying relatively good wages, making it harder for independents to stay competitive. Gaget agreed: “It’s getting more expensive to hire writers and crew, and the pandemic certainly didn’t help.” Groth acknowledged that selling to streamers can be a challenge. When 30West was negotiating on the sale of their phenomenal hit “Tiger King” to Netflix, they fought hard to hang on to its IP, but to no avail. “We leveraged this to get a higher sale price but we didn’t realize it was going to be such a big hit, so we lost out from not having a backend,” Groth said. However, “Tiger King” gave them the momentum to enter the documentary space.