It took a long time to get onscreen thanks to COVID-19, but Sony‘s “Uncharted” raked in more than $400 million at the global box office after its February release. Not bad for a poorly reviewed, kind of insipid videogame adaptation.
12.05.2022 - 04:53 / variety.com
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticMusic publishing, a part of the industry that rarely raises its hand to be its hottest or most controversial subject, has recently been an uncharacteristic source of news headlines again and again, due to a seeming gold rush that has major artist-songwriters selling off their catalogs for huge figures. As the chairman-CEO of Sony Music Publishing, Jon Platt naturally has a few thoughts about this crest of cashing in. And they’re mixed, even if he’s not about to wax gloomy about writers getting their due.“There’s no one particular answer to this — no one-size-fits-all answer, to be honest with you,” Platt said during a keynote Q&A at the annual Music Biz conference in Nashville Wednesday.
“You have legacy songwriters who want to secure their future; you have newer songwriters who think they’re gonna write another catalog tomorrow, so they’re going to sell this one — and everything in-between. … Listen, any time that people think there’s value in the music business, that’s a good thing. So I am excited about that piece of it.
But I’m a little torn on some of it.” Platt continued, “The legacy songwriters, I think it’s fantastic for you to have the opportunity to make a choice of what you want to do. For (younger) songwriters, I think you should give it long thought before you do it. No one is buying catalogs to lose money, and it’s a transaction, and you have to be comfortable with that.
It took a long time to get onscreen thanks to COVID-19, but Sony‘s “Uncharted” raked in more than $400 million at the global box office after its February release. Not bad for a poorly reviewed, kind of insipid videogame adaptation.
Calling it quits. Candice Accola and Joe King‘s divorce news comes after their followers started to question whether they had parted ways.
Protagonist Pictures has pre-sold most international territories for package Wild Four O’Clocks to Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMyke Towers. Camilo and Sony Discos are among the big winners at the ASCAP “El Premio” Latin Music Awards, which take place virtually through Tuesday.
After Will Smith‘s slap of comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, there were multiple reports that studios were pumping the breaks on a bunch of his feature film projects including “Fast & Loose,” “Bright 2,” and “Bad Boys 4.” However, Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman disputed that the latter film is in jeopardy while speaking with Deadline, stating the “Bad Boys” sequel is actually still in active development calling the report “inaccurate.” “No.
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Juno) has boarded Jenny Mollen’s City of Likes as executive producer of the series adaptation, which is in development with Sony Pictures TV and The Nacelle Company. Announced in 2021, the project falls under Nacelle’s first look comedy deal with Sony TV. The book will be released by NacelleBooks on June 14.
While “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was a juggernaut at the international box office, earning a massive $1.89 billion globally, it wasn’t 100% certain that “Spider-Man 4” would be moving forward with returning cast members or director Jon Watts. Without contracts signed or a public announcement from the studio, it’s hard to completely bank on everyone coming back.
Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterLatin American jazz fusion icon Carlos Santana will be the subject of an expansive documentary directed by Emmy winner Rudy Valdez.Imagine Documentaries is collaborating with Sony Music Entertainment on the project, who is co-financing and handling distribution. It will follow Santana’s journey from 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy winning global sensation, and feature unseen archival footage and tracks.Valdez is the director of the Sundance documentary audience award winner “The Sentence,” about the corrosive effect of mandatory minimum sentencing on convicts and their families.
is known for being a passionate body advocate and for . But it's taken months for her to speak about the impact of the birth of her twins on her body, and self-confidence. As she unveils her first postpartum lingerie collection, she reveals all in this deeply personal essay.The night I gave , I hemorrhaged.
Wilson Chapman editorSpoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched Episode 5 of “Girls5Eva” Season 2, now streaming on Peacock.Although “Girls5Eva” is one of the funniest shows on television, from the beginning there’s been a tragedy underpinning Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Summer (Busy Phillips) and Gloria’s (Paula Pell) quest to revive the titular girl group. In flashbacks to the band’s Y2K heyday, the four are lead by Ashley (Ashley Park), a veteran girl group performer with six prior bands to her name.
Manori Ravindran International EditorIn one of the first major deals of the Cannes market, Sony Pictures Classics has swooped on Un Certain Regard title “All The People I’ll Never Be.” The distributor has picked up rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.The film, which is written and directed by Davy Chou (“Diamond Island”), will be re-titled as “Return to Seoul.” It premieres in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.The pic centers on 25-year-old Freddie, who impulsively returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticOne of pop culture’s most famous mother figures got a sendoff from her community at the Mother Church of country music Sunday, as Wynonna and Ashley Judd welcomed country stars and other celebrities to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” a tribute that was broadcast live on CMT.A frequently heaven-looking Wynonna, who with her late mother was half of the country duo the Judds, sang “River of Time” early in the ceremony, then closed it joined by her local Christ Church choir for what was the pair’s final hit, “Love Will Build a Bridge.” She also participated in a recreation of the mother/daughter harmonies by pairing up with Brandi Carlile for a duet of “The Rose,” preceded by a video testimonial by Bette Midler. Pure magic on stage tonight ✨ @Wynonna @brandicarlile pic.twitter.com/5XmUe8EdGA— CMT (@CMT) May 16, 2022“It’s so strange to be here, but natural at the same time,” said Wynonna.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticSocial justice got nearly equal time with branding at the 2022 Clio Awards, as music exec Jason Flom got a special award for his work on criminal justice reform, and a public service spot that married the message of Sandy Hook Promise and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” won a Clio in the “social good” category.Six-time Grammy nominee Yola hosted the event, which was being held during the Music Biz conference in Nashville for the first time, at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville. Organizers further took advantage of the locale to book country music artists Breland and Lily Rose as guest performers.Mary J.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Ashley Judd encouraged people to seek help for their mental health and talked about her grieving process after the loss of her mother, country star Naomi Judd.In an interview aired on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, the movie star said she wanted to address her mother's struggle with depression. Judd said she was with her mother at her home in Tennessee on the day Naomi died on April 30.Judd also encouraged anyone who was having thoughts of harming themselves to reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.Naomi Judd died at the age of 76, a day before she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame with her duo partner and daughter Wynonna Judd.
Sony Music Publishing has signed a global deal with songwriter Ashley Gorley, in partnership with Domain Capital Group. The agreement encompasses Gorley’s complete catalog of songs, as well as future compositions.Gorley has written 59 Country No.
Refresh for latest…: For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, Sony Pictures Entertainment saw a 172% increase in operating income to 217.4 billion yen ($1.67 billion). Revenues hit 1,239 billion yen ($9.5 billion), up 55% versus the previous year.
Ashley Roberts delivered one of her most iconic looks yet as she donned a bold purple co-ord outfit and a choppy blonde hairstyle that made her look remarkably like Scooby Doo favourite Daphne. Posting a quirky Instagram reel that showed off her stunning ensemble, the 40 year old radio host slipped into a matching blouse and trouser set for a day at work in London. Pairing the outfit with neon yellow stiletto heels, pink Balenciaga clutch bag and a pair of retro lime green sunglasses, the 60s and 70s vibes were strong in Ashley's latest look.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal Music’s share of Todd Moscowitz’s Alamo Records was acquired by Sony Music Entertainment for around $125 million, with a total purchase of between $188 million and $225 million, according to Universal’s recent earnings report and an educated estimate by Music Business Worldwide published Thursday.The company, which was founded as a joint venture with Universal Music Group by the former 300, Warner Music and Def Jam exec in 2016, has been on a hot streak in recent years with Blackbear, Lil Durk and Rod Wave. Sources told Variety at the time that there was a buy/sell negotiation in the months leading up and UMG opted to walk away.While some sources at the time of the June 2021 deal put the sale price at $250 million, MBW spied an item in Universal Music Group‘s recently-issued annual fiscal report stating that Sony Music paid €102 million (around $123 million, which MBW rounded up to $125 million) to buy UMG’s interest in Alamo, which was presumably 50%, with Moscowitz owning the other half.
EXCLUSIVE: Jeremy Robinson’s The Nemesis Saga novel series is getting the small screen treatment. Project Nemesis, the first book in Robinson’s series, is being developed for television by Sony TV and Neal H. Moritz’s Original Film (The Boys), with John Wick helmer Chad Stahelski set to direct and executive produce.