Studios have been itching to shorten the theatrical release window for their movies since the moment they learned how much money they could make on home video. Of course, cinema owners aren’t too keen on the idea and refuse to book films that can be viewed at home less than three months after they hit theaters. With reports that Apple is talking to Hollywood in hopes of getting early access to movies for iTunes, have the stakes been raised?
Oscar season is heating up as the guilds begin weighing in. First up was the Screen Actors Guild who announced the nominees for their annual awards helping confirm a few front runners. When it comes to foreign language features, the Academy narrowed the list of eligible contenders down to nine, leaving out a few of this year’s favorites.
Meanwhile the Library of Congress announced a selection of 25 titles to enter the National Film Registry including silent films starring Buster Keaton, “The Princess Bride”, “Thelma & Louise” and “Rushmore”.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including the executive shakeup at Warner Bros. Pictures, Julia Roberts comes to television and Amazon goes global with its video streaming service.

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Oscars Hosting Pay
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jimmy-kimmel-reveals-oscars-pay-956232
comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of December 18, 2016
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-december-18-2016-300380676.html
Box Office: ‘Rogue One’ Blasts Off With $29 Million Thursday
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/weekend-box-office-rogue-one-star-wars-story-29-million-previews-tally-thursday-956347
Box Office: ‘Rogue One’ Clears $155M in U.S. for $290.5M Global Bow; ‘Collateral Beauty’ Bombs
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/weekend-box-office-rogue-one-clears-155m-collateral-beauty-bombs-la-la-land-957284
China Box Office: ‘The Great Wall’ Builds $66 Million Opening Weekend
http://variety.com/2016/film/asia/china-box-office-the-great-wall-65-million-opening-weekend-1201944941/
‘Rogue One’: What Peter Cushing’s Digital Resurrection Means for the Industry
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/rogue-one-peter-cushing-digital-resurrection-cgi-1201943759/
SAG Awards Nominations 2017: See the Full List
http://ew.com/article/2016/12/14/2017-sag-awards-nominations/
Oscars: 3 Ways the Academy Can (and Should) Spruce Up the Awards
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-2017-3-improvements-academy-can-should-make-955240
Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race