Showbiz Sandbox
Latest Episodes
Showbiz Sandbox 551: The Significance of the Scarlett Johansson vs. Disney Lawsuit
Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney for breach of contract after the studio released “Black Widow” both in movie theaters and its own streaming service at the same time. The actress believes Disney’s d
Showbiz Sandbox 550: The Olympics Win A Streaming Gold Medal
Like music, movies and television, the Olympics have put streaming front and center during the summer games. It’s easier than ever to watch the hundreds of events taking place in Tokyo over the next t
Showbiz Sandbox 549: Second Guessing Disney’s “Black Widow” Distribution Strategy
In its second weekend the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow” dropped over 67% at the box office; the largest decline for any film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Could it be that the movie’s availabi
Showbiz Sandbox 548: The Cannes Film Festival in the Age of COVID
After COVID canceled the festival in 2020, the Cannes Film Festival is going ahead this year, albeit two months later than usual. Still, it’s remarkable that organizers were able to pull off the world
Showbiz Sandbox 547: Is Netflix The New Kleenex?
With exclusive theatrical release windows having disintegrated during the COVID pandemic, new movies are being released through so many methods and on so many platforms that it has inevitably confused
Showbiz Sandbox 546: The Best Music You’ve Never Heard — 100 Flop Albums
Musician Sal Maida and music writer Mitchell Cohen have been thumbing through record store bins for decades looking for great albums. Now they’ve teamed up to write “The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Oughta Know,
Showbiz Sandbox 545: Writer Paul Rudnick On The Royals, Romance And Rudin
When multi-hyphenate Paul Rudnick isn’t writing hit movies or award winning plays he is working on Broadway musicals with the likes of Elton John or busy writing novels. Rudnick joins us for a detailed and humorous conversation about his work and his l...
Showbiz Sandbox 544: The Existential Crisis Facing Theatrical Movie Releases
Anne Thompson, the editor at large at IndieWire, believes “a lot of things have to go right for the two-hour movie theatrical release to endure.” Thompson said as much in an opinion column she recently wrote for the New York Times.
Showbiz Sandbox 543: Amazon Grabs a Lion’s Share of MGM
In a move that had been rumored for weeks, Amazon became the first tech company to purchase a Hollywood movie studio in an $8.45 million deal. The acquisition will arm Amazon with over 4,000 movies like the Bond Franchise,
Showbiz Sandbox 542: TV Networks Are Upfront About Streaming Plans
Last week all the big television networks in the United States went through the old fashioned ritual of inviting advertisers to big presentations of their fall programming. Besides being virtual a lot has changed for the networks,