Showbiz Sandbox
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Showbiz Sandbox 561: After “Squid Game,” Korea Wants Netflix to Pay Up
Though Netflix’s expensive blockbuster “Red Notice” is getting little notice in movie theatres, the company’s signature streaming service is thriving. In fact, its series “Squid Game” is so popular ar
Showbiz Sandbox 560: Should Hollywood Get Rid of the (Real) Guns?
In European film and television productions, real guns with either live or blank rounds are rare to non-existent. Instead, plastic replicas or airsoft blowback guns are used with muzzle flashes added
Showbiz Sandbox 559: Dune Survives The Streaming Desert
Despite being available to stream day-and-date with its theatrical release, Denis Villeneuve’s epic film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel “Dune” opened to strong box office around t
Showbiz Sandbox 558: Hollywood Workers Scrutinize Gains In New Contract
At the eleventh hour the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union representing film and television production workers, negotiated a new contract with studios and network
Showbiz Sandbox 557: Talent Agents Strike A Deal… for Themselves
In yet another sign that the entertainment industry is consolidating, Creative Artists Agency, one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent agencies, announced it would acquire ICM Partners, the fourth lar
Showbiz Sandbox 556: The Emmys Crown the Streaming Era
When “The Crown” took home the prize for best drama at the 73rd Emmy Awards on Sunday it capped a years-long campaign mounted by Netflix to win one of television’s top awards. The streamer picked up a
Showbiz Sandbox 555: Modern Media Consumption Metrics Are A Big Mess
Keeping track of television ratings, streaming viewership and music revenue has become a hopeless task in the digital age. Everyone is mad at Nielsen though how can they realistically capture all the
Showbiz Sandbox 554: China’s Love Affair With Hollywood May Be Over
For years analysts have breathlessly insisted China would become the largest movie market in the very near future. Well, last year after North American movie theatres spent most of 2020 shuttered, Chi
Showbiz Sandbox 553: CinemaCon Makes A Case for the Big Screen
After more than a year in which most blockbuster releases headed to streaming services, movie theater operators gathered in Las Vegas last week for CinemaCon, their annual convention. Ryan Faughnder o
Showbiz Sandbox 552: Disney and the Great “Shang-Chi” Experiment
First Disney tried to shame Scarlett Johansson for daring to sue them over the studios distribution strategy on “Black Widow.” Then during an earnings call the company’s CEO described the upcoming Mar