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Tag: Interstellar

  • Kodak inks deals with six Hollywood studios

    Kodak inks deals with six Hollywood studios

    MUMBAI: Kodak has finalised new film supply agreements with all six major Hollywood studios. As part of these agreements, Kodak will continue to provide motion picture film to 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., NBC Universal Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp. and Sony Pictures for their movie and television productions. 

     

    “Film has long been – and will remain – a vital part of our culture. With the support of the studios, we will continue to provide motion picture film, with its unparalleled richness and unique textures, to enable filmmakers to tell their stories and demonstrate their art,” said Kodak chief executive officer Jeff Clarke.

     

    Kodak has been engaged in broad discussions with prominent filmmakers, studios, independent artists, production companies, and film processors to enable film to remain a fundamental medium. Last July, the studios made known their intent to play a key role in leading this industry-wide effort.

     

    Prior to the agreements being finalized, several highly acclaimed films were produced on film, including Oscar nominees Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Interstellar, Foxcatcher, Into the Woods, Leviathan, Inherent Vice and The Judge. Additionally, some of the most-anticipated films of 2015 are being shot on Kodak film, such as Star Wars: Episode VII –The Force Awakens, Mission: Impossible 5, Batman v. Superman – Dawn of Justice, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, Cinderella, Entourage and Trainwreck.

     

    These agreements make it possible for Kodak to continue to manufacture motion picture film while also pursuing new opportunities to leverage film production technologies in growth applications, such as touchscreens for smartphones and tablet computers. This also positions the company to remain the premier supplier of camera negative, intermediate stock for post production, and archival and print film.

     

    “With the support of the major studios, the creative community can continue to confidently choose film for their projects. We’ve been asking filmmakers, what makes a project ‘FilmWorthy.’ Their responses have varied from the need for its exceptional depth to its distinctive grain, but overwhelmingly, the answer is ‘the story.’ They need film to tell their stories the way they envision them, and hold a strong desire for it to remain a critical part of their visual language. Enabling artists to use film will help them to create the moments that make cinema history. The agreements announced today are a powerful testament to the power of film and the creative vision of the artists telling them,” said Kodak president of entertainment and commercial films Andrew Evenski.

  • Viacom’s Media Networks revenue up 4.4 per cent; adjusted diluted EPS up 7.5 per cent

    Viacom’s Media Networks revenue up 4.4 per cent; adjusted diluted EPS up 7.5 per cent

    BENGALURU:  Viacom Inc (Viacom) reported a 4.4 per cent revenue growth for its Media Networks segment to $2654 million for its first quarter ended 31 December, 2014 (Q1-2015, current quarter) from $2541 million in the corresponding year ago quarter (Q1-2014).  ‘Adjusted operating income before tax’ from the segment dropped fractionally by 0.9 per cent to $1104 million in Q1-2015 from the $1114 million reported in Q1-2014.

     

    The company reported an 8 per cent increase in ‘adjusted diluted EPS’ of $1.29 in Q1-2015 against $1.2 reported for Q1-2015. Adjusted Net Earnings totalled $538 million (includes a loss of $24 million due to pension settlement) down 1.6 per cent from $547 million in the year ago quarter.

     

    Viacom executive chairman Sumner M. Redstone said, “Viacom’s powerful entertainment brands continue to lead the way in reaching global audiences with groundbreaking content. Our outstanding management team has positioned Viacom for continued success.”

     

    Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman added, “Viacom’s focus on developing popular franchise properties and constantly expanding our growing international presence drove solid top line results and record earnings per share this quarter. We continued to deliver increased revenues in our media networks operations driven by steady growth in affiliate revenues, and also benefited from Paramount Pictures’ Oscar-nominated Interstellar and our very successful company-wide franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

     

    “The media business is evolving faster than ever, but our mission remains unchanged: to continually develop more and better entertainment programming and deliver it to our engaged audiences on every screen and on every platform worldwide. To maintain our leadership position, we will continue to innovate and to manage our business as effectively and efficiently as possible, embracing change and adopting new technologies to better measure and monetize our content and meet industry-wide challenges. Viacom is financially strong and extremely well positioned for the future, with the talent and the creativity to grow our core business and continue to deliver increasing value to our investors”, informed Dauman.

     

    Results and Revenues

     

    Viacom reported a 7.9 per cent drop in profit after tax (PAT) for Viacom and non-controlling interests in Q1-2015 to $513 million (excludes a loss of $24 million due to pension settlement) from $547 million in Q1-2014. Operating income fell 2.6 per cent to $935 million from $960 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    The company’s total revenues were up 4.6 per cent in Q1-2015 to $3344 million from $3197 million in Q1-2014. Revenues from the other segment that contributes to Viacom revenues – Filmed Entertainment were up 5.7 per cent in Q1-2015 to $720 million from $681 million in Q1-2015. Adjusted operating loss from this segment fell in Q1-2015 to $60 million from $74 million in the year ago quarter.

     

    Media Networks

     

    Revenues from Viacom’s major segment – Media Networks have been reported above. Three streams contribute to Viacom’s Media Networks segment – Advertising; Affiliate fees; and Ancillary. All the three reported increase in revenue.

     

    Media Networks ‘Advertisement’ stream’s revenue in Q1-2015 at $1367 million was 3.2 per cent more y-o-y than the $1325 million in Q1-2014.  ‘Affiliate fees’ went up 6.2 per cent in the current quarter to $1132 million from $1066 million in the year ago quarter. Revenues from the ‘Ancillary’ stream increased 3.3 per cent to $155 million in Q1-2015 from $150 million in Q1-2014.

     

    The company says that domestic affiliate revenues rose 8 per cent and worldwide affiliate revenues grew 6 per cent, primarily due to rate increases. Domestic advertising revenues declined 6 per cent, reflecting lower ratings. Worldwide advertising revenues rose 3 per cent, reflecting a 60 per cent increase in international advertising revenues driven by contributions from Channel 5, which was acquired by Viacom in September 2014. The 4.4 per cent increase in Media Networks revenues includes an unfavourable 1 per cent impact of foreign exchange.

     

    Filmed Entertainment

     

    Revenues from Viacom’s Filmed Entertainment segment improved 5.7 per cent in Q1-2015 to $720 million from $681 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.  Four streams contribute to Viacom’s Filmed Entertainment segment – theatrical; home entertainment; license fees; and ancillary. While revenues from the license fees stream fell, revenues from the other three streams improved in Q1-2015 as compared to Q1-2014.

     

    Revenues from the ‘Theatrical’ stream increased 6.3 per cent to $316 million in the current quarter from $276 million in Q1-2014. The ‘Home Entertainment’ stream revenues in Q1-2015 improved by 16.2 per cent to $316 million from $272 million in the corresponding quarter of last year. As mentioned above, revenues from the License Fees stream fell 9.1 per cent to $189 million from $208 million. Revenues from the ‘Ancillary’ stream increased 9.5 per cent in Q1-2015 to $46 million from $42 million in Q1-2015.

     

    Viacom says that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which was released theatrically in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2014 remained a strong performer in the current quarter, complementing the current quarter releases and helping to drive a 5.7 per cent increase in theatrical revenues and a 16.2 per cent gain in home entertainment revenues. Home entertainment revenues reflect two film releases in the current quarter, compared with none in the same prior year period. License fees declined 9.1 per cent resulting from the mix of available titles.

     

    Stock Repurchase Program

     

    For the quarter ended 31 December, 2014, Viacom repurchased 10.2 million shares under its stock repurchase program, for an aggregate purchase price of $750 million. As of 28 January, 2015, Viacom had $5.62 billion remaining in its $20 billion stock repurchase program. As of 31 December, 2014, Viacom had 407 million shares of common stock outstanding says the company.

  • ‘Interstellar’ grosses $621 million plus at the worldwide box office

    ‘Interstellar’ grosses $621 million plus at the worldwide box office

    BENGALURU:  Paramount Pictures (Paramount) and Warner Bros Pictures (WB) critically acclaimed film Interstellar has surpassed US$ 621 million (about Rs 3900 crore) at the worldwide box office to date says Viacom.

     

    Further, the movie has surpassed US$100 million (about Rs 620 crore) in Imax Theatres worldwide since its release on 5 November, marking the fourth time an Imax film has crossed the US$100 million threshold.

     

    Continuing the legacy begun by Nolan and his use of the 15 perf 65mm Imax cameras in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, more than an hour of Interstellar was shot using Imax cameras. Exclusively in Imax theatres, these sequences expand to fill the entire screen and deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and provide audiences with a truly cinematic and immersive experience. Sequences of Interstellar shot in 35mm film have been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The Imax Experience with proprietary Imax DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.

     

    Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar tells the story of a team of explorers that travel through a wormhole in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival. The story is written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine.

  • ‘Interstellar’ continues to dominate south east Asian screens

    ‘Interstellar’ continues to dominate south east Asian screens

    NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar topped the Greater China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South Korea box office for the second consecutive weekend.
     
    In South Korea, the sci-fi epic earned an additional 14.4 billion (US$13.1 million) from 1.79 million admissions, representing a 6.5 per cent week-on-week increase. After 11 days in cinemas, it has earned 38.7 billion (US$35.1 million) from 4.84 million admissions. It is already the third-highest grossing foreign film in South Korea this year.
     
    In Greater China where it opened several days later than most of the world, the sci-fi epic opened in Mainland China last Wednesday. Released in 2-D and IMAX, it earned RMB259 million (US$42.2 million) from approximately 7.19 million admissions.
     
    After a slow start, grosses picked up considerably over the weekend, earning RMB194 million (US$31.6 million) from approximately 5.38 million admissions between Friday and Sunday. It represented approximately 29.5 per cent of all screenings over the weekend.
     
    Four years ago, Nolan’s Inception (2010) made RMB101 million (US$16.5 million) in its first five days, and RMB475 million (US$77.5 million) during its theatrical run.
     
    Interstellar will have to defend the top spot from Wong Fei- hung reboot Rise of the Legend and World War II war film Fury this weekend.
     
    Interstellar also remained at the top of the box office in Taiwan, earning NT$19.9 million (US$649,000) in Taipei after a week-on-week drop of only 9 per cent. After two weekends, the sci-fi epic has made NT$56.9 million (US$1.85 million) in the capital.
     
    In Hong Kong, Interstellar had a small week-on-week drop in its second weekend. From 45 locations, it made an additional HK$11.2 million (US$1.44 million) between Thursday and Sunday, representing a week-on-week drop of only 4 per cent.

     

    After two weekends, the film has made HK$27.2 million (US$3.50 million).

     

  • Warner Bros and Sky Deutschland extend movie rights contract

    Warner Bros and Sky Deutschland extend movie rights contract

    BENGALURU:  Sky Deutschland and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) announced that they have agreed to an early extension of their cooperation for several more years. The long-term contract between Sky and Germany’s top film distributor includes on demand rights for all current new movies during the pay-TV window as well as exclusive pay-TV rights to all Warner movies across several platforms. Film fans will be able to continue enjoying exclusive access to the most recent cinema blockbusters from Warner as television premieres on Sky. Upcoming highlights include films such as “Interstellar”, “Horrible Bosses 2”, “Magic in the Moonlight”, “Mad Max: Fury Road” , and “Der Nanny” from Matthias Schweighöfer.

     

    Content will also be available whenever and wherever subscribers want it via non-linear services Sky Go and Sky Anytime. In addition to current first broadcasting rights, Sky is acquiring exclusive pay-TV rights to a comprehensive package of high quality library films including rights for Sky Go and Sky Anytime.

     

    Sky Deutschland executive vice president, programming Gary Davey said, “Warner Bros. has been one of Sky’s closest and strongest partners for years. And now we’re pleased to announce a multi-year extension. We would like to thank Warner for its trust and look forward to continuing this successful cooperation. In the future, film fans will be able to keep on enjoying the wide-ranging movie offering that is only available on Sky.”

     

    “We are incredibly pleased to be continuing our long-standing relationship with Sky Deutschland,” said WBITD president Jeffrey R. Schlesinger. “As our television business continues to evolve and consumer behaviours shift to include more options for viewing our content, it is important to have a smart, sophisticated and marketing-savvy partner like Sky in Germany and Austria to showcase our films in the first pay TV window. “

     

    Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is in the process of selling its majority stake in Sky Deutschland to UK based BskyB which is also taking full control of Fox’s Sky Italia and will combine the three pay-TV groups to form Europe’s largest pay-TV service with 20 million subscribers.

  • After fantasy it’s sci-fi for Mackenzie Foy

    After fantasy it’s sci-fi for Mackenzie Foy

    MUMBAI: Earning fame at the age of ten in the blockbuster movieTwilight for playing the role of Renesmee Cullen, Mackenzie Foy will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Matthew McNaughty and Anne Hathaway in Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar.

    Final negotiations are on to join the cast of the movie which also includes Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine and Casey Affleck. Scripted by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, his brother, the movie is about time travel and alternate dimensions. The cast will be playing a group of explorers who are traveling through a wormhole. The plot as well as Foy‘s role is still shrouded under secrecy.

    Foy has also starred in movies such as The Conjuring and is the lead in soon to be released Wish you Well, an adaptation of David Baldacci‘s book. In Twilight she played the role of coveted Renesmee Cullen, daughter of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).After earning a nomination for Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film for her role in Twilight, it is time to see how this new genre will treat the 12 year old.