ITV

Category: Movies

  • Cinema ads slow but still grow

    MUMBAI: Revenue from advertising in U.S. movie theaters grew just 5.8 per cent last year marking the slowest gain in the seven years that such statistics have been kept.

    Still, the Cinema Advertising Council, which is about to release its 2008 report can boast of an ad industry still showing growth while most others are not.


    “Media has seen such huge slippage — with audiences and advertisers both leaving — that to have a medium with growth is significant,” CAC president and chairman David Kupiec said.


    According to the CAC, cinema advertising in the U.S. grew 5.8 per cent to $571 million in 2008, down from 19 per cent growth the previous year and 15 per cent the year before that.


    The CAC has been keeping track of revenue generated by the industry since 2002, when the industry took in just $186 million. Since then, it has grown at an average clip of 21 per cent each year.


    The CAC measures ad dollars from onscreen and other in-theater initiatives but only at member theaters, which account for 82 per cent of U.S. movie screens.


    Kupiec said that this year theaters are closing more ad deals than last year, but, because of the weak economy, they are smaller in size.


    Advertisers pay a premium on a CPM basis for cinema advertising compared with television because the recall rate is as much as five times greater, Kupiec said.


    Cinema ad campaigns can run as high as $2 million a month for ads on 30,000 screens. On a CPM basis, they usually run $30-$40, about twice the going rate for primetime television.


    In 2008, 90 per cent of cinema advertising was of the onscreen variety, while lobby-based ads, sampling, concession promotions, etc. made up the other 10%.


    The CAC said 77 per cent of the ad revenue last year came from national and regional advertisers and that the remainder was from local sales.


    As if their ever-growing brood wasn‘t already a clear sign, Brangelina loves kids. So it‘s no surprise that the power couple spares no expense when it comes to children‘s charitable causes.

  • 22 actors contract HIV since 2004

    MUMBAI: Health officials in Los Angeles have confirmed that 22 actors in adult sex movies had contracted HIV since 2004, when a previous outbreak led to efforts to protect pornography industry employees.

    The officials accused an industry-supported health clinic of failing to cooperate with state investigations and of failing to protect not only industry workers but their sexual partners as well.


    “We have an industry that is exposing workers to life-threatening diseases as part of their employment,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for Los Angeles County. “That is outrageous and anachronistic. These infections are virtually entirely preventable.”


    The latest controversy began last Thursday when a newspaper report said that a porn actress had tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus which causes AIDS.


    A timeline on the foundation‘s website states that the actress whose name was not disclosed, tested negative for H.I.V. on April 29, last but that a positive test result was confirmed on June 4.


    The woman performed in a film on June 5 for reasons that the clinic told the newspaper were still under investigation. A second test came back positive on June 6.

  • Laughs, emotion color WIF awards

    MUMBAI: From Jennifer Aniston‘s self-deprecating remarks about her personal life to Universal executive Stephanie Sperber‘s recounting of her emotional personal story, laughs and heart were in attendance at Women in Film‘s 2009 Crystal + Lucy Awards.

    Aniston generated plenty of laughs when, after she accepted the Crystal Award in excellence in film from Stacey Snider, compared the titles of her films — The Good Girl, Rumor Has It, Derailed and The Break-Up — to the evolving goings on in her life at the time.


    On a more serious note, Aniston said that no matter how much the entertainment industry may try to distill movies into pure science or pure business charts, powerful and authentic stories will be told. “The people in this room will find a way,” she said.


    While Dorothy Arzner Directors Award recipient Catherine Hardwicke made a call for the room to write “beautiful parts for women of all ages, color and shoe sizes” and Lucy Award honoree Holly Hunter thanked everyone from her presenter Jodie Foster to the writers on her TNT show Saving Grace it was Universal executive vice president of partnerships and licensing Sperber who moved the crowd with her story of battling breast cancer.


    Sperber recounted how last September, at age 43, she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, how she underwent six weeks of chemo, daily radiation therapy, a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, and had to have her ovaries removed. She also went through a divorce and found herself a single mom.


    But, she said, it was the women in this industry that helped her through her terrible time.


    “As I moved through every phase of this trial, and it was at times brutal in the true sense of the word, the support from this community grew,” Sperber said. “I never went to a chemo session alone. My daughter always had playdates if I couldn‘t get out of bed.


    “I had a hand to hold as I was poked, undressed, biopsied, and injected. I was told I was beautiful even when I had no hair on my head or no lashes and no eyebrows. And somehow these women made me believe it…Producers, directors, writers, executive of every stripe, you all circled around me and protected me as best you could. Many of these women are here tonight. I want to thank them all.”

  • ICC World Twenty20 live on Fun Cinemas, PVR


    MUMBAI: Fun Cinemas and PVR Cinemas have acquired the rights for the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 matches from ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the tournament.


    While PVR Cinemas will screen the Super 8 Matches of India live at its properties in Mumbai and Delhi, Fun Cinemas will screen the matches in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Chandigarh.


    Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur said, “The matches will be screened at our three properties in Delhi and one property each in Mumbai, Jaipur and Chandigarh. In Mumbai, tickets are priced at Rs 500 where we are offering the audiences with unlimited Pepsi, popcorn and two pints of beer with every ticket. The tickets for the Delhi, Jaipur and Chandigarh shows are priced at Rs 400 each (without beer).”


    “This is a deal where we have paid a MG (minimum guarantee) to the broadcaster,” PVR CEO Amitabh Bardhan added.

  • Strike over, Bollywood faces problem of plenty

    MUMBAI: The Bollywood strike may have ended, but the door has opened for a problem of plenty as producers rush for a release pipeline.

    More than 90 films are lined up for release in exactly 30 week’s time before the year ends. That means an average of three releases per week to accommodate a stockpile, spurring producers to work out plans to beat the clutter and avoid internal clashes so as to maximise revenue for all.


    “Producers will soon form a committee that will work towards clearing the backlog of films,” a noted film producer tells Indiantelevision.com on request of anonymity.


    Beating the logjam will be quite a task as the studios threaten to swing back into action fast. Says Big Cinemas COO Mahesh Ramanathan, “As we had declared earlier, we will be releasing 18 movies in 2009. We are moving according to our plans. We have already had a release on 30 January last when we released Luck By Chance.”


    With the strike called off, Big Cinemas will follow its 12 June release of Kal Kisne Dekha with Sikander, Mirch and Chaloo Movie. “A spate of other films will hit the screens post-July,” says Ramanathan.


    UTV has played it safe by not scheduling any of its films during IPL and T20 World Cup. “Our first release will come in the form of Agyat that will be released on 24 July and Kaminaay will release in August,” a source in UTV says.


    UTV’s slate includes films like Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Agyat, What‘s your Rashee, Wake Up Sid, Hook Ya Crook, Delhi Belly, Jihaad, A Wednesday (remake in Tamil and Telugu), Yahoo, Film City, Arjun, Alibaba & 41 Thieves, Ex-Terminators and Rajniti, Hawai Dada.


    In the pipeline also are five films of UTV SpotBoy (Aage Se Right, Pan Singh Tomar, Seasons Greetings, Peter Gaya Kaam Se and Chillar Party), Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s next with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, Anuraag Basu‘s next and a Anees Bazmee directed comedy.


    Other films that have been lined up for release in subsequent weeks include Arif Shaikh’s Let’s Dance, Mukta Arts’ Paying Guest ( both 19 June), Yashraj Films‘ New York (26 June), Sajid Nadiadwala‘s Kambakkht Ishq (3 July), Ramgopal Varma‘s Agyat (24 July), Imtiaz Ali directed Love Aajkal (31 July), Y.T Entertainment Ltd & Anjum Rizvi Film Co.’s Fast Forward (10 July), Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Luck (31 July), UTV’s Kaminay and Sujoy Ghosh‘s Aladin (14 August). ASA Productions and Enterprises Pvt Ltd’s Phhir (7 August) Three- Love, Lies and Betrayal ( 3 September), All The Best- Fun Begins (16 October) and Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Blue (16 October).


    Would producers have to increase on the marketing spends for their films to beat the clutter? “No, spends would be normal as before. Promotional expenses are going to be the same. Where is the chance of spending extra bucks on promotion. In fact, given less of time between releases, costs are likely to come down by half,“ avers Ramanathan.


    Several other producers agree that promotional costs could fall. Says the UTV source, “Promotional costs are going to go down and so will the spending on hoardings and TV promos. In fact, TV channels have seen a considerable drop in their Q1 results because of a drop of commercials. You could attribute this aspect to the downturn. Producers are not taking the six-week promo course anymore.”


    Agrees producer Yash Patnaik, who will soon be releasing his film Kaalo: “The days of six-week promotion is a thing of the past. Let’s take the case of YRF’s New York. Given the fact that the film is releasing on 26 June, where do they get time to properly promote their film? No doubt it’s a good banner, but every film needs a promotion. Two to three week’s promotion is what producers are looking at.”


    Will a minimum time suffice for a film’s promotion? “Why not! Take for example a film like Kambakkht Ishq that is releasing in the first week of July. They easily have four weeks to promote their film and that is the normal time one gets for promotional purpose,” avers Patnaik.


    In the current situation, the exhibition of a film will also take a dip. “I feel that the maximum time that a film will run in theatres would be four weeks beyond which there would be no space. A lot of films would be waiting to see the day on the silver screen,” quips Patnaik.


    Ramanathan disagrees: “If a film is doing well, why would it be pulled out of a multiplex. If other films are in line, multiplexes having many number of screens could divide a film’s exhibition by showing it on a screen for a limited number of shows.”

  • PVR plans to invest Rs 1.2 bn in multiplex biz


    MUMBAI: Multiplex chain operator PVR Ltd has decided to up its investments to between Rs 1 billion and Rs 1.20 billion in setting up more screens nationwide over the next two to three years.


    Talking of the expansion plan, PVR President and CEO Pramod Arora said, “Our theatres have done well and that makes us more and more confident for us to go into expansion.”


    The firm will add around 50 to 60 per cent across properties in India and “it is difficult to say where screens would be added and where the new properties would come up. It is estimated that the screen size would grow to around 165 screens from the current 108.”

    PVR will soon launch a multiplex in Chennai.

  • Michael Douglas achieves AFI Life Achievement Award

    MUMBAI: A galaxy of stars including Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Martin Sheen, Oliver Stone, Benicio Del Toro and Kathleen Turner were among those present when Michael Douglas was honoured with the 37th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute held at Sony Pictures Studios last evening.

    After introductions by Sony President and CEO Sir Howard Stringer and AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale, the show opened with a surprise ‘made-for-the movies‘ moment as a stunt double fell through a fake ceiling (re-enacting Douglas‘s climactic dinner entrance in his film, The Game).


    The highlights of the show included a moving appearances by the honoree‘s father, film legend and 1991 AFI honoree Kirk Douglas and Steve Swankay, an ex-child soldier from Sierra Leone whose education Douglas had sponsored.


    The show also included a show-stopping performance of ‘One‘ from the musical A Chorus Line (the film version in which starred Douglas), featuring Douglas‘s wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones and a surprise musical performance by Bob Dylan. Several of Douglas‘s notable co-stars and friends also paid tribute.


    The ‘94 AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and star of the Douglas produced classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo‘s Nest ,Jack Nicholson presented the award to Douglas saying, “I‘ve had so many of my high moments and so many of my fine moments with you.”


    Among those whom Douglas thanked were both of his parents for his acting DNA‘, noting that both continue to act. Douglas also paid tribute to former co-star and mentor, Karl Malden. Following up on Malden‘s taped thoughts that he considered Douglas an adopted son, he said, “I‘ll be his adopted son anytime.”


    The star-studded black tie gala will air on 19 July at 9pm ET/PT on TV Land Prime, TV Land‘s prime time programming block.

  • Three writers sign on for next Bond pic

    MUMBAI: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have co-written the past four James Bond features, will be joined by Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan on the latest installment of the franchise for MGM. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions Ltd. will produce.

    The three writers will collaborate on the screenplay for the 23rd Bond film, which will once again star Daniel Craig as Agent 007. The triple hiring fits the pattern of the two most recent pictures, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, which saw Purvis and Wade drafting the initial script and Oscar-winning Crash writer-director Paul Haggis coming on to augment it.


    MGM, which shared Royale and Solace with Sony, retains full control of the newest edition in the blockbuster franchise. Solace grossed $570 million worldwide, Royale $588 million. Start of production on Bond 23 has not yet been scheduled.


    Purvis and Wade, who are represented by Endeavor and Casarotto Ramsay & Associates in the U.K., have written on The Italian Job, Johnny English and Plunkett & Macleane. They have an adaptation of John Le Carre‘s The Mission Song and the sequel The Brazilian Job that‘s in development.


    On the other hand Morgan has written or co-written The Last King of Scotland, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen which earned him an Oscar nomination. His scripts for The Special Relationship and Hereafter are in development at HBO and DreamWorks, respectively.

  • Major Hollywood prop shop to close

    MUMBAI: One of Hollywood‘s largest prop shops is closing, the latest sign that the falloff in local film and TV production is taking its toll on small businesses that serve the entertainment industry.

    20th Century Props of North Hollywood said Thursday that it would shut its doors next month because of mounting business losses.


    The prop shop, which supplied the chandeliers in the blockbuster Titanic and futuristic furniture in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has been a fixture for two decades. It operates out of a 1,18,000-square-foot warehouse near Lankershim Boulevard.


    Earlier this year, 20th Century Props employed 28 people, but it is now down to only six. Owner Harvey Schwartz said a steep decline in orders forced him to close. “I‘ve been losing money every month for the last year,” he said. “It‘s been horrible.”


    Several prop shops have laid off employees or closed this year, including Hollywood Practicals, which specialized in leasing period telephones and lighting equipment. Pam Elyea, who runs the prop house History for Hire with her husband, called the latest shutdown a “tremendous loss to the industry.”


    Feature film production in Los Angeles has fallen this year to its lowest level in more than a decade. The recession has caused studios to produce fewer movies, and California continues to lose production to other states and countries that offer tax breaks and rebates. Labor unrest also has contributed to the slump.

  • Digital TV ushered in across US

    MUMBAI: TV stations across the U.S. started cutting their analog signals Friday morning, marking the final signoff for a 60-year-old technology and likely stranding more than 1 million unprepared homes without TV service.


    The FCC put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers, and set up demonstration centers in several cities. Volunteer groups and local government agencies were helping elderly people set up digital converter boxes that keep older TVs functioning. Any set hooked up to cable or a satellite dish is unaffected.


    “When you‘re alone like me, that‘s my partner,” Patricia Bruchalski, 82, said about her TV.


    Bruchalski, a pianist and former opera singer in Brooklyn Park, Md., got assistance from Anne Arundel County‘s Department of Aging and Disabilities and a community organization called Partners in Care. After her converter box was installed, Bruchalski marveled that digital broadcasts seemed clearer and gave her more channels — about 15 instead of the three she was used to.


    “You‘re going to be up all night watching TV now,” volunteer installer Rick Ebling told her.


    About 15 per cent of U.S. households don‘t have satellite or cable, and they tend to be poorer. The Nielsen Co. said minority households were less likely to be prepared for Friday‘s analog shutdown, as were households consisting of people younger than 35.


    A survey sponsored by broadcasters showed that Americans are well aware of the switch, thanks to two years of advertising about it. But many people simply procrastinated.


    Some people might also need new antennas, because digital signals travel differently than analog ones. While a weakly received analog channel might be viewable through some static, channels broadcast in the digital language of ones and zeros are generally all or nothing: If they don‘t come in perfectly, they are blank or they show a stuttering picture that breaks apart into blocks of color. Indeed, one of Bruchalski‘s newly available stations had that pixelated look, and Ebling said she might have to get a different antenna.