ITV

Tag: Mr. X

  • FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    BENGALURU: Technicolor revenues increased 12 per cent at current currency and 4.7 per cent at constant currency for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (current year, FY-2015). The company says that its growth reflects growth across the Entertainment Services and Technology segments and broadly stable Connected Home revenues. Technicolor revenue for the current year was €3,652 million as compared to €3,332 million in FY-2014.

    Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said, “In 2015, our teams closed successfully, and in parallel, a number of large acquisitions, while remaining focused on delivering a very strong free cash flow. Moving forward, Technicolor is a much more balanced company built on three leading operating businesses and a core licensing business underpinning our material upgrade of Drive 2020 objectives.”   

    Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations reached €565 million in FY-2015, up 3.1 per cent at constant currency compared to 2014, representing a margin of 15.5 per cent, down by one point year-on-year (YoY). Technicolor says that the adjusted EBITDA increase reflected a solid Licensing revenue performance, combined with strong organic growth in Production Services, partially offset by a weak DVD Services performance in the first half, the impact of unfavourable € versus US$ exchange rate fluctuations on procurements for Connected Home in the second half, as well as a lower contribution from exited activities.

    Segment performance

    Connected Homes

    Connected Homes segment revenues totalled €1,451 million in FY-2015, up five per cent at current currency and, and up 0.3 per cent as compared to the reported €1,382 million in FY-2014. Excluding Cisco Connected Devices (CCD), revenue declined 1.2 per cent as reported and declined 5.7 per cent at constant currency in FY-2015 to €1,3,65 million as compared to $1,382 million in the previous fiscal.

    Technicolor says that even without the contribution of CCD, Connected Home continued to outpace the global CPE market despite adverse business conditions experienced in some regions, driven by a number of new awards and customer wins, including high-end products. The segment achieved in particular a sustained performance in Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific, both regions reporting a double digit YoY growth in revenues, benefiting notably from a mix improvement associated with the introduction of new products and a further ramp up in the value chain. Connected Home faced however lower levels of activity in both North and Latin America, primarily reflecting cautious customer approach towards product orders and inventory management, due to pending industry consolidation in the US and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions in Brazil.

    Adjusted EBITDA reached €76 million in FY-2015 compared to €77 million in FY-2014, with a negative forex impact of €6 million. At constant currency, adjusted EBITDA was €82 million, up by 5.8 per cent compared to 2014, with a margin of 5.9 per cent, up by 0.3 point YoY.

    Entertainment Services

    Entertainment Services revenue, excluding exited activities, was €1,639 million, up 10 per cent YoY in FY-2015 at constant currency, resulting from strong organic growth, the contribution from recent acquisitions in Production Services and solid revenues recorded by DVD Services.

    Production Services recorded a strong double-digit increase in revenues in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014 says Technicolor. Revenues expanded by almost 40 per cent YoY at constant currency, as a result of a strong double digit organic revenue growth, mostly due to a record level of activity in Visual Effects for feature films, and the additions of Mr. X, OuiDo Productions, Mikros Images and The Mill.

    The company says that VFX for commercials and Animation activities also recorded higher revenues, resulting from increased levels of activity across facilities, while Postproduction revenues improved year-on-year.

    Technicolor provided VFX and/or Postproduction services to 10 of the top-16 grossing films of the year worldwide, including some of the best box office performers such as Furious 7 (Universal), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney), Spectre (Sony) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate).

    DVD Services revenues were generally stable at constant currency in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, driven by resilient total Standard Definition DVD, Blu-ray and CD disc volumes, which were down less than one per cent YoY, reflecting a marked improvement compared to the 11 per cent volume decline recorded in FY-2014. Blu-ray disc volumes were up by eight per cent in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, supported by the aforementioned factors and the ongoing growth in Xbox One games volumes, while Standard-Definition discs declined by five per cent YoY. Overall FY-2015 volume trends in Europe continued to be generally better than in North America, mostly due to regionally specific promotional activity for selected studio customers, as well as to the ongoing adoption of Blu-ray in this region (as compared to the more mature and stable US Blu-ray market).

    Total Games volumes declined by 11 per cent YoY, with ongoing erosion in prior generation video game console demand outpacing growth for the current generation Xbox One platform. Going forward, prior generation video games volumes have now reached an immaterial level and should not influence future trends to the same degree.

    Excluding exited activities, Adjusted EBITDA was €190 million, down 2.1 per cent at constant currency YoY, as the stronger Production Services contribution was almost fully offset by lower DVD Services performance. However, the free cash flow generation in DVD Services was stable year-over-year notwithstanding the adjusted EBITDA decline says the company.

    Technology

    Technology revenues excluding M-GO, which was sold in early January 2016 to Fandango, a business unit of NBCUniversal, amounted to €490 million, up 3.3 per cent year-over-year at constant currency, primarily driven by higher revenues from the MPEG LA pool, which represented 59 per cent of total Licensing revenues in FY-2015 compared to 45 per cent in FY-2014. The Group’s direct licensing programs recorded a solid performance in the first half, particularly for Digital TV, which benefited from the strong level of new contracts and contract renewals in the course of 2014. In the second half, direct licensing programs posted a lower performance as the Group did not sign any major contract renewal or new contract as some ongoing discussions with manufacturers were delayed to leverage the joint licensing program with Sony in Digital TV (DTV) and Computer Display Monitor (CDM) that was announced in September.

    Excluding M-GO, Adjusted EBITDA reached €389 million, up 3.4 per cent at constant currency year-on-year, driven by the strong contribution of the MPEG LA patent pool.

  • FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    BENGALURU: Technicolor revenues increased 12 per cent at current currency and 4.7 per cent at constant currency for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (current year, FY-2015). The company says that its growth reflects growth across the Entertainment Services and Technology segments and broadly stable Connected Home revenues. Technicolor revenue for the current year was €3,652 million as compared to €3,332 million in FY-2014.

    Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said, “In 2015, our teams closed successfully, and in parallel, a number of large acquisitions, while remaining focused on delivering a very strong free cash flow. Moving forward, Technicolor is a much more balanced company built on three leading operating businesses and a core licensing business underpinning our material upgrade of Drive 2020 objectives.”   

    Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations reached €565 million in FY-2015, up 3.1 per cent at constant currency compared to 2014, representing a margin of 15.5 per cent, down by one point year-on-year (YoY). Technicolor says that the adjusted EBITDA increase reflected a solid Licensing revenue performance, combined with strong organic growth in Production Services, partially offset by a weak DVD Services performance in the first half, the impact of unfavourable € versus US$ exchange rate fluctuations on procurements for Connected Home in the second half, as well as a lower contribution from exited activities.

    Segment performance

    Connected Homes

    Connected Homes segment revenues totalled €1,451 million in FY-2015, up five per cent at current currency and, and up 0.3 per cent as compared to the reported €1,382 million in FY-2014. Excluding Cisco Connected Devices (CCD), revenue declined 1.2 per cent as reported and declined 5.7 per cent at constant currency in FY-2015 to €1,3,65 million as compared to $1,382 million in the previous fiscal.

    Technicolor says that even without the contribution of CCD, Connected Home continued to outpace the global CPE market despite adverse business conditions experienced in some regions, driven by a number of new awards and customer wins, including high-end products. The segment achieved in particular a sustained performance in Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific, both regions reporting a double digit YoY growth in revenues, benefiting notably from a mix improvement associated with the introduction of new products and a further ramp up in the value chain. Connected Home faced however lower levels of activity in both North and Latin America, primarily reflecting cautious customer approach towards product orders and inventory management, due to pending industry consolidation in the US and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions in Brazil.

    Adjusted EBITDA reached €76 million in FY-2015 compared to €77 million in FY-2014, with a negative forex impact of €6 million. At constant currency, adjusted EBITDA was €82 million, up by 5.8 per cent compared to 2014, with a margin of 5.9 per cent, up by 0.3 point YoY.

    Entertainment Services

    Entertainment Services revenue, excluding exited activities, was €1,639 million, up 10 per cent YoY in FY-2015 at constant currency, resulting from strong organic growth, the contribution from recent acquisitions in Production Services and solid revenues recorded by DVD Services.

    Production Services recorded a strong double-digit increase in revenues in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014 says Technicolor. Revenues expanded by almost 40 per cent YoY at constant currency, as a result of a strong double digit organic revenue growth, mostly due to a record level of activity in Visual Effects for feature films, and the additions of Mr. X, OuiDo Productions, Mikros Images and The Mill.

    The company says that VFX for commercials and Animation activities also recorded higher revenues, resulting from increased levels of activity across facilities, while Postproduction revenues improved year-on-year.

    Technicolor provided VFX and/or Postproduction services to 10 of the top-16 grossing films of the year worldwide, including some of the best box office performers such as Furious 7 (Universal), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney), Spectre (Sony) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate).

    DVD Services revenues were generally stable at constant currency in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, driven by resilient total Standard Definition DVD, Blu-ray and CD disc volumes, which were down less than one per cent YoY, reflecting a marked improvement compared to the 11 per cent volume decline recorded in FY-2014. Blu-ray disc volumes were up by eight per cent in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, supported by the aforementioned factors and the ongoing growth in Xbox One games volumes, while Standard-Definition discs declined by five per cent YoY. Overall FY-2015 volume trends in Europe continued to be generally better than in North America, mostly due to regionally specific promotional activity for selected studio customers, as well as to the ongoing adoption of Blu-ray in this region (as compared to the more mature and stable US Blu-ray market).

    Total Games volumes declined by 11 per cent YoY, with ongoing erosion in prior generation video game console demand outpacing growth for the current generation Xbox One platform. Going forward, prior generation video games volumes have now reached an immaterial level and should not influence future trends to the same degree.

    Excluding exited activities, Adjusted EBITDA was €190 million, down 2.1 per cent at constant currency YoY, as the stronger Production Services contribution was almost fully offset by lower DVD Services performance. However, the free cash flow generation in DVD Services was stable year-over-year notwithstanding the adjusted EBITDA decline says the company.

    Technology

    Technology revenues excluding M-GO, which was sold in early January 2016 to Fandango, a business unit of NBCUniversal, amounted to €490 million, up 3.3 per cent year-over-year at constant currency, primarily driven by higher revenues from the MPEG LA pool, which represented 59 per cent of total Licensing revenues in FY-2015 compared to 45 per cent in FY-2014. The Group’s direct licensing programs recorded a solid performance in the first half, particularly for Digital TV, which benefited from the strong level of new contracts and contract renewals in the course of 2014. In the second half, direct licensing programs posted a lower performance as the Group did not sign any major contract renewal or new contract as some ongoing discussions with manufacturers were delayed to leverage the joint licensing program with Sony in Digital TV (DTV) and Computer Display Monitor (CDM) that was announced in September.

    Excluding M-GO, Adjusted EBITDA reached €389 million, up 3.4 per cent at constant currency year-on-year, driven by the strong contribution of the MPEG LA patent pool.

  • ‘Gabbar Is Back’ earns Rs 36.6 crore at BO

    ‘Gabbar Is Back’ earns Rs 36.6 crore at BO

    MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar’s oft repeated theme of anti-establishment Gabbar Is Back, has benefitted thanks to it being a kind of solo release for the audience starved of  commercial mass film with a popular star this year so far. 

     

    The film will enjoy a four day weekend in many states while it has a three day holiday run in other states (May Day on 1 May and Buddha Purnima on 4 May). The film opened to average response, dropping further on Saturday. 

     

    The collections got better on Sunday ending its first three days with Rs 36.6 crore. The negative word of mouth seems to have caught up with the film, which will limit its prospects as the week progresses.

     

    The other release of the week, Sabki Bajegi Band, remained a nonstarter with five to 10 occupants in the audience on the opening day.

     

    Jai Ho! Democracy proves to be a major disaster managing to collect just about Rs 18 lakh in its first week.

     

    Ishq Ke Parinde goes unnoticed causing heartburns to both, the makers as well as the exhibitors.

     

    Kagaz Ke Fools, it seems, marks the end of Vinay Pathak kind of comedies. The film manages just about Rs 40 lakh for its first week’s run.

     

    Mr X suffered due to its mediocre script and treatment and dropped to about a little less than 10 per cent of its first week figures in its week two. The film managed a bare Rs 2.4 crore to take its two week tally to Rs 20.95 crore.

     

    Margarita With A Straw sustains on the lower side, though. The film collects Rs 1.75 crore in its second week, taking its two week tally to Rs 5.25 crore. 

     

    Ek Paheli Leela adds Rs 30 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 21.14 crore.

     

    Dharam Sankat Mein has added Rs 25 lakh in its third week taking its three week tally to Rs 9 crore.

     

    Detective Byomkesh Bakshy has collected Rs 40 lakh in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 27.08 crore.

  • Box office sees ho-hum collections this week

    Box office sees ho-hum collections this week

    MUMBAI: Almost all movies failed to get the cash registers ringing at the box office this week.

     

    Renowned artistes like Om Puri, Annu Kapoor, Seema Biswas and Satish Kaushik and the co-writer of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Ranjit Kapoor, couldn’t help salvage Jai Ho! Democracy. People in India don’t need to be reminded about the shortcomings of the polity.

     

    The other release of the week, Kaagaz Ke Fools, fared even worse. No footfalls worth noting.

     

    There was also another release, better than the other two, but with no face value. Hence it failed to bring in the audience.

     

    Much was expected from Nanak Shah Fakir but the film has not worked. The film barely managed to put together a figure of Rs 90 lakh for its first week.

     

    Mr X, a forced 3-D, falls flat and adds one more disaster to the names of Vikram Bhatt and Emraan Hashmi. The film, which managed a weekend of Rs 12.45 crore, barely manages to add another Rs 6.1 crore over the next four days to end its first week with Rs 18.55 crore.

     

    Margarita With A Straw, released at limited screens, fared okay at multiplexes in metros to end its first week with a collection figure of Rs 3.15 crore.

     

    Ek Paheli Leela collected Rs 2.15 crore in its second week to take its two-week tally to Rs 20.85 crore.

     

    Dharam Sankat Mein collected Rs 1.15 crore in its second week. With this, the film’s two week total stands at Rs 8.75 crore.

     

    Detective Byomkesh Bakshyi takes its three week total to Rs 26.68 after three weeks.

  • Not much collection at the box office

    Not much collection at the box office

    MUMBAI: Mr X paid for its poor content and the resultant negative word of mouth. Having opened to below par collections on day one, it failed to better its opening day collections on Saturday and Sunday and ended its opening weekend with Rs 12.45 crore.

     

    Margarita With A Straw, despite limited screens release, put up a poor performance at the box office. Except Kalki Koechlin, who earned some plaudits for her performance, nobody looks likely to benefit from this enterprise. The film collected Rs 1.9 crore. NH 8 Road To Nidhivan is starved of audience and has no hope at the box office.

     

    Nanak Shah Fakir carried lots of hope coming as it does after a very successful Char Sahebzaade, another film on the Sikh saga, but fails to even get a decent opening.

     

    Ek Paheli Leela, with Sunny Leone’s skin show being the draw, had a limited appeal, which wears out after its opening weekend. The film added little over Rs 7 crore for the rest of the four days to end its first week with Rs 18.7 crore.

     

    Dharam Sankat Mein proves that best of performers can’t carry a film if the content is poor. The trio of Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Annu Kapoor could do little to salvage this poorly crafted film, which opened to weak response and remained that way through its first week. The film could manage just about Rs 7.6 crore for its first week.

     

    Detective ByomkeshBakshy, despite its deficiencies, managed a reasonable second week thanks to poor oppositions. The film collected Rs 5.2 crore to take its two week tally Rs 25.17 crore.

     

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the best performer at the box office so far this year, added a symbolic Rs 5 lakh in its seventh week to come to the end of its run at the box office with total of Rs 30.37 crore.

  • Diamond Toons partners Fox Star Studios for ‘Chacha Chaudhary and Mr. X’ comic

    Diamond Toons partners Fox Star Studios for ‘Chacha Chaudhary and Mr. X’ comic

    NEW DELHI: Diamond Toons, the publisher of the famous Chacha Chaudhary comic series, has partnered with Fox Star Studios to integrate the comic book in the upcoming sci-fi thriller movie starring Emraan Hashmi in and as Mr. X.

                                    

    The publisher would create a special edition integrating Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu with Mr. X – the special edition has been titled as Chacha Chaudhary and Mr. X and will be released by Hashmi in Delhi.

     

    Produced by Vishesh Films and presented by Fox Star Studios, Mr. X will hit the screens on 17 April.

     

    The comic will feature Hashmi as Mr. X, the invisible superhero with the man whose brain runs faster than a computer – Chacha Chaudhary and his giant companion Sabu from Jupiter resolving cases and combat criminals with Mr. X.  This exclusive edition of comic will be printed in five different languages namely Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati. The comic book with a print run of 5,00,000 copies will be available pan India before the movie release. Moreover, the comic will also be released exclusively on mobile platform by Newshunt.

     

    The idea behind this special edition was to reach out the massive fan following of the legendary character Chacha Chaudhary, giving a strong platform to Mr. X to connect instantly to people in multiple languages and genres.

     

    Diamond Toons will distribute, own and have final creative and storyboard of the complete comic book. Earlier, Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu have aligned with movies like Boss starring Akshay Kumar for promotional campaigns. They were also roped in with IPL cricket team – the Delhi Daredevils for a special comic edition. However, this is the first time; a sci-fi superhero movie is being integrated with the Chacha Chaudhary comic story.

     

    Fox Star Studios chief marketing officer Shikha Kapur said, “Mr X is an entertainer in the truest sense. It’s a tale of justice and redemption, replete with excellent special effects, thrilling chase sequences, designed to appeal to family audiences, especially kids who thrive on larger-than-life action heroes. The character of Mr. X is intriguing one–cloaked in his invisibility powers, he dares to use the law in his own way to correct the wrongs that have been unleashed in the system. We found a relevant and engaging connect with one the most endearing icons in Indian popular culture -Chacha Chaudhary – the tireless crusader of justice and beloved of children for so many years. We are really happy to have Diamond Toons to partner with us in this unique association: to come up with an exciting comic book featuring Chacha Chaudhary and Mr X – two characters separated by age, but united in their intentions to fight crime rampant in our society. We, at Fox Star Studios, have always believed in extending the appeal of our films beyond the traditional platform, and this association is a firm step in that direction.”

     

    Looking for the ways to capitalize the new trends in comics, Diamond Group chairman N K Verma added, “We are delighted to partner with Fox Star Studios for this exclusive edition of Chacha Chaudhary and Mr. X. Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu have captured the attention of numerous readers traversing various age groups. Emraan Hashmi has paid tribute to Pran by becoming a part of his latest comic Chacha Chaudhary and Mr. X. And according to me, this is the best way an artist can accolade another artist for his creations.”

     

    “The combination of Chacha Chaudhary, Sabu and Mr. X is definitely a step ahead in the Indian comic history. As the iconic character Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu have always portrayed the ideal combo of brain and muscle, adding the power of Mr. X and the three working together to fight against evil will be a new element for the comic lovers,” said brand custodian Nikhil Pran.