Lionsgate Quarter Beats Street As Motion Picture Sales Soar, Profits Rise Across Divisions

Work has begun to transform a Northern Quarter street into a dramatic catwalk for international fashion brand Chanel. Thomas Street has been cordoned off for the next MONTH while huge metal structures are being erected, set to form a canopy for the catwalk extravaganza.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief iQiyi, the NASDAQ-listed Chinese streaming firm, confirmed its recent swing from loss to profitability with a July-September quarter that saw revenue and profits growth even as subscription numbers dipped fractionally. Net income attributable to iQIYI was RMB476 million ($65.2 million), compared to a net loss of RMB396 million in the same period in 2022, the company said in a filing on Tuesday. Using the company’s preferred non-GAAP statement of its accounts, net income was RMB622 million ($85.3 million), compared to non-GAAP net profits of RMB187 million in the same period last year. Total revenues in the period were RMB8.0 billion ($1.1 billion), a 7% year over year increase. Within that figure, subscription revenue was RMB5.0 billion ($687 million), up 19% year over year.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Disney has joined a growing list of blue-chip advertisers who are pulling advertising and promotions from the social-media outlet X in the wake of a recent antisemitic remark posted by the venue’s owner, Elon Musk. A Lionsgate spokesperson said Friday that the entertainment company “has suspended advertising on X because of Elon Musk’s recent antisemitic tweet.” The move comes as Lionsgate is marketing the release of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” the latest film in its “Hunger Games” franchise.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor A group of blue-chip advertisers said they were pulling their promotions from the social-media outlet X in the wake of a recent anti-Semitic remark posted by the venue’s owner, Elon Musk. A Lionsgate spokesperson said Friday that the entertainment company “has suspended advertising on X because of Elon Musk’s recent antisemitic tweet.” The move comes as Lionsgate is marketing the release of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” the latest film in its “Hunger Games” franchise.

EXCLUSIVE: Claire’s is teaming up with Sony Pictures Television — Kids to create a new series for young people for the global marketplace.

Naman Ramachandran The Edinburgh International Film Festival has tapped Picturehouse Entertainment head of acquisitions Paul Ridd as its new director. Ridd will join in December. His first festival, the event’s 77th anniversary, will take place in August 2024, with specific dates to be announced.

Peter Hook & The Light have announced a huge 2024 world tour that will see the band play the ‘Substance’ albums from Joy Division and New Order in full – find dates and ticket information below.The New Order and Joy Division co-founder will be touring with his band from May next year, spanning New Zealand, Australia, North America, the UK and Ireland.The tour will open at the Opera House in Wellington, New Zealand on May 16, followed by eight more dates across New Zealand and Australia. From August 31, they’ll continue with a North American run that starts at History in Toronto, Canada.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, ??p?? Dìrísù and Himesh Patel today joined forces along with other industry experts to decide the next BAFTA EE Rising Star award nominees. The annual award which, in the past has gone to the likes of James McAvoy, Eva Green, Juno Temple, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Jack O’Connell, Will Poulter, John Boyega, Tom Holland, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Micheal Ward, Bukky Bakray, and Lashana Lynch, will be dished out with the other film BAFTAs early next year.Emma Mackey was awarded the honour earlier this year.Now in its nineteenth year, it stands as the only EE BAFTA Film Awards category to be voted for by the British public, reinforcing EE’s commitment to become the UK’s most personal, customer-focused brand by providing the nation with an opportunity to have their voice heard.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Growing streaming subscriptions lifted the bottom line at Tencent Music Entertainment, in the third quarter of its financial year, despite a top line decrease in revenues. Net profits hit $173 million (RMB1.26 billion), representing a 16% year-over-year increase. Tencent Music, which is a major stakeholder in both Spotify and Universal Music Group, reported figures on Tuesday, for the three months from July to end September 2023.

When Chad Stahelski stopped by to chat with The Playlist for an upcoming episode of The Discourse with Mike D’Angelo, it wasn’t entirely about his “John Wick” franchise. But the action series did take up a giant chunk of the conversation, considering it’s Stahelski’s brainchild and what’s put him on the Hollywood map to make his “Highlander” remake and more.

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company have nabbed The Best Christmas Pageant ever which The Chosen creator/producer/director Dallas Jenkins will direct and adapt from Barbara Robinson’s comedic family book and play. Cameras roll next month in Canada for a 2024 holiday theatrical release.

Jon Feltheimer, CEO of the first media company to report quarterly earnings since SAG-AFTRA struck a deal with studios, said Thursday that he’s so pleased that “we can now all get back to making great content for a global audience.”

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer NBCUniversal has laid off less than 50 employees across three divisions: Peacock marketing, NBCUniversal Entertainment and ad sales. The majority of these cuts, approximately 30 to 40, were made at Peacock as part of a restructuring under CMO Shannon Willett, a source within the company told Variety.

EXCLUSIVE: Canadian streamer Crave has cast Lauren Collins and Megan Follows to lead a six-part short-form comedy, My Dead Mom.

Refresh for latest…: Sony Pictures Entertainment saw a 1% gain in profits for the quarter ended September 30 versus the similar period last year. Coming in at $204 million, operating income was also 77% above the first quarter of 2023.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief All three of Sony Group Corporation’s entertainment segments – film and TV, music and Games and network services – improved their profitability between July and September, the second quarter of the Japan and Hollywood conglomerate’s financial year. Group revenues increased by 8% in local currency terms to JPY2.83 trillion, compared with JPY2.75 trillion in the same quarter last year. But Sony’s financial services unit and its entertainment technology segment pulled down group sales and profitability. The group’s net after tax profits dropped a hefty 29% to JPY200 billion.

The executive producers of critically acclaimed BBC prison drama Time have launched their own scripted production operation.

Gary Martin, a retired longtime executive at Sony Pictures who served as President of Studio Operations and Product during a 32-year stint at the studio, has died. He was 79.

Starz plans to lay off 10% of its staff and exiting the UK and Australia ahead of its separation next year from Lionsgate.

Selome Hailu As Starz prepares to separate from parent company Lionsgate in 2024, it will reduce its staff size by 10%. Starz will also cease business operations in the U.K.