Showbiz Sandbox

Showbiz Sandbox


Latest Episodes

Showbiz Sandbox 411: Everybody Has An Excuse For Lackluster “Solo”
May 29, 2018

On paper Han Solo seemed like the most obvious character for which to pursue a standalone Star Wars spinoff, however the resulting movie, “Solo,” opened to less than stellar numbers. What’s worse, the movie didn’t fly internationally either.

Showbiz Sandbox 410: In a Global Landscape the Cannes Film Festival Remains as Relevant as Ever
May 22, 2018

Despite all the griping over the lack of glitz and glamour, or at the very least big movie stars, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the event lived up to its reputation for programming some of the most artistic movies currently being made around the...

Showbiz Sandbox 409: The Cannes Film Festival Has Its #MeToo Moment
May 14, 2018

Only three films by female directors are competing for the top prize at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival, but that hasn’t stopped women from raising their voices. In fact, a red carpet protest was held by 82 female filmmakers and actresses,...

Showbiz Sandbox 408: CinemaCon Shrugs Off Unwanted Disruptions
April 30, 2018

Movie theater owners from around the world descended upon Las Vegas for CinemaCon last week. Studios wooed exhibitors with clips from upcoming film releases while industry manufacturers lured attendees with the latest technology,

Showbiz Sandbox 407: Beyoncé Delivers A Higher Education To Coachella
April 18, 2018

Though Beyoncé was unable to headline Coachella last year due to being pregnant with twins, she more than made up for it this year with a performance that music critics are rightly hailing as the best live music event in decades.

Showbiz Sandbox 406: Is Live Nation Bullying the Music Industry?
April 10, 2018

The merger of concert promoter Live Nation and ticketing giant Ticketmaster was supposed to increase competition, stabilize the price of live events and lower the cost of ticketing fees. Nine years later the deal has achieved none of those results.

Showbiz Sandbox 405: Hollywood Adopts A Queer Gaze as LGBTQ Films Go Mainstream
March 26, 2018

Hollywood studios are no strangers to coming-of-age romantic comedies (see any John Hughes film), but never before has a mainstream film centered around a gay teenager. Even so, Twentieth Century Fox didn’t cover up the subject matter of “Love,

Showbiz Sandbox 404: Faith-Based Films Are Competing For the Choir’s Attention
March 20, 2018

It used to be that to promote a faith-based film release, especially one geared toward Christian audiences, all a distributor had to do was screen the film for church groups or pastors, and maybe create some study material.

Showbiz Sandbox 403: Justice Department Makes Its Case Against AT&T-Time Warner Merger
March 13, 2018

As the Department of Justice prepares for its antitrust trial to prevent the merger of AT&T and Time Warner, they are submitted a brief to the court claiming the outcome of the case shape how video-content is delivered in the United States for years to...

Showbiz Sandbox 402: How the 90th Annual Oscars Took Shape
March 06, 2018

The 90th Academy Awards went down pretty much as everyone expected it would. After a lengthy awards season there were few surprises over who would go home with Oscars. There were no upsets (or mistakes) when it came time to announce Best Picture,