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  • GroupM downgrades 2013 global ad spend

    MUMBAI: Due to the continuing sluggishness in the US and European economies, the global ad spend in 2013 will grow by 4.5 per cent, as per GroupM’s revised forecast.

    The study revealed that the forecast is almost a full percentage point lower than the 5.3 per cent spending hike GroupM predicted in June.

    The 70-country forecast predicted that global ad spending in 2013 will increase 4.5 per cent compared to 2012, representing $531 billion.

    The revised spending forecast was made in GroupM’s biannual worldwide report, “This Year, Next Year,” which also concluded that 2012 ad spending in measured media will hit $508 billion, a 4.6 per cent increase over 2011 spending of $486 billion.

    For the U.S. market, the report said advertising investment in measured media grew 3.5 per cent in 2012 to $152.4 billion, up from $147.2 billion the previous year.

    For 2013, the new report predicted a less optimistic 2.7 per cent increase to $156.5 billion.

    GroupM chief investment officer Rino Scanzoni said, “Ad spending in 2013 won’t enjoy the boost from Olympic and election-year spending we saw in 2012. At the same time, overall economic conditions in the US do not support more than very moderate advertising spending expansion.”

    GroupM Futures Director Adam Smith said ad investment in the Eurozone periphery (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) is expected to fall 15 per cent this year, a 40 per cent contraction from its peak spending year of 2007 and comparable in real terms to 1998 spending levels.

    “Western Europe is the slowest region for ad spending growth, with a 2.6 per cent contraction expected in 2012, the worst year since 2009‘s 11 per cent collapse. Western Europe now accounts for 20 per cent of global advertising, down from 30 per cent in 1999 and heading for 17 per cent in 2017,” Smith added.

    Smith also said that Russia and Turkey continue to lead ad spending growth in central and Eastern Europe, a regional economy that is one-fifth the size of Western Europe but with twice the ad spending growth.

    The study is part of GroupM‘s media and marketing forecasting series drawn from data supplied by parent company WPP‘s worldwide resources in advertising, public relations, market research, and specialist communications.

    The report predicted that investment in digital media would account for 19.5 per cent of measured ad spending globally this year ($99 billion) and 21.4 per cent in 2013 ($114 billion), with respective growth rates of 16 per cent and 15 per cent. Those figures are comparable to the GroupM forecast made earlier this year.

    “Digital ad growth remains strong, sustained and structural, though one or two highly-digitized European markets now look for growth in usage as opposed to new users,” said Smith. “More newsworthy is our rising dependence on digital to support total growth, now furnishing over 60 per cent of new incremental ad dollars in 2012 and 2013. This produces a reciprocal reduction in TV’s contribution, being the only other large growth medium.”

    In other media categories, TV accounted for 43 per cent of measured global media investment in 2012, the same amount recorded for the previous year.

    “We continue to predict TV‘s share of global ad budgets peaking in 2012 at 43 per cent as other screens begin to claim meaningful amounts of consumer time,” Smith added.

  • The Dark Knight garners $122.1 mn in opening weekend

    The Dark Knight garners $122.1 mn in opening weekend

    MUMBAI: Going by its weekend results, Warner Brothers‘ The Dark Knight Rises was seen ruling the foreign theatrical circuit, garnering $122.1 million from around 17,000 venues in 57 markets.
    This is a nearly 40 per cent increase from the Batman sequel‘s opening that generated $88 million from 7,173 sites in just 17 markets. This pushed the film‘s foreign gross total way past the $200-million mark to $248.2 million.
    Dark Knight Rises introduced itself in some 40 markets including No. 1 bows in France ($11.3 million at 892 sites including previews), Germany ($9.9 at 718 spots including previews) and in Mexico ($9.8 million at 1,141 situations). The film also premiered in Russia ($8.7 million at 1,310 screens including previews), Brazil ($6.6 million at 931 sites) and in Japan ($6 million including previews).

    Top holdover market was the UK where the film roped in $10.6 million from 598 spots for a market total of $47 million. Australia delivered $7.8 million in round two from 628 sites, pushing the overall total to $27.5 million. Average drop from opening round grosses in U.K., Australia, Korea and Spain was 52 per cent.
    The aftermath of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado seems not to have significantly affected second round foreign action. The film still has a long way to go to catch up to the overseas gross total of $469 million registered by 2008‘s The Dark Knight.
    Passing the half-billion foreign gross mark ($514.1 million) was the weekend‘s No. 2 title, Ice Age: Continental Drift, that grossed $49.4 million at 15,924 venues in 69 markets. That puts the latest sequel in the computer animation franchise within very distant hailing distance of the best-grosser of the series, 2009‘s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, that grossed a total of $693.9 million offshore.
    Continental Drift opened No. 1 in China, registering $15.7 million at some 3,500 locations, and also benefited from strong introductions in South Korea ($3.1 million at 501 sites) and in India ($1.5 million at 238 spots), both of which set market records for a Fox animation title.
    At the No. 4 position was The Amazing Spider-Man the fourth title in the blockbuster series, which has been playing overseas since June 27 — elevated is foreign gross total to $412.7 million thanks to a $12.2 million weekend at 9,920 sites in 86 markets. Distributor Sony said the sequel is the top grosser of the franchise in 30 markets. Biggest offshore title of the series is 2007‘s Spider-Man 3 (bagging a total of $554.3 million).
    Pixar‘s Brave continues to chug along on a measured release pattern overseas, playing in 24 territories — which distributor Disney describes as about 38% of the international market. Weekend tally for the animation title was $9.6 million, elevating the film‘s foreign gross total to $92 million. (Domestic cume stands at $217.3 million.) Brave is the weekend‘s No. 5 title.

  • David Hasselhoff set to play himself in the film Baywatch

    MUMBAI: 59-year-old David Hasselhoff has said that he won‘t be reprising his role as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the big-screen version of Baywatch but will instead appear as himself. “I‘ve just met the guy writing the film. I‘m going to play myself,” he reportedly said.
    The former ‘America‘s Got Talent‘ judge is the only cast member certain to star in film but it is rumoured that Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber may be the others who would also appear in the film.
    Hasselhoff, who was one of the star performers at the White Nights of St. Petersburg festival last weekend, added, “There will be certain people in the movie for the original parts and we‘re trying to make it a very cool, updated version.”
    The White Nights of St. Petersburg festival took place in St. Petersburg, Russia from July 6 to July 8 and as well as star performers such as David, Anastacia, Natalie.
    Pamela Anderson, who played long-running character CJ Lewis in the 90s series, is yet to be confirmed, although the production people hope that she will sign up.

  • Eros to release Suriya-starrer Maatran on 15 August

    Eros to release Suriya-starrer Maatran on 15 August

    NEW DELHI: Eros International Media Ltd, which recently acquired the theatrical rights of the Tamil film Maatran, has revealed that the film would be released in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on 15 August.

    Maatran, directed and co-written by KV Anand, has lead actor Suriya essay the role of conjoined twins. Popularly known as Siamese twins, such people whose bodies are joined have to eat, sleep and do every other job together.

    Launched mid-2011, the film, produced by AGS Entertainment, was shot near the Pakistani border. A major major chunk of the film was shot in the Balkan region of Russia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia.

    Maatran also happens to be the first Tamil film to use performance capture technology in some of its action scenes.

  • Five 007 films to screen at Cannes on 50th anniversary

    Five 007 films to screen at Cannes on 50th anniversary

    MUMBAI: This year‘s Cannes Film Festival will celebrate 50 years of the James Bond franchise by screening five classic 007 films.
     
    The films that will be screened on the occasion are From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty‘s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever and Daniel Craig‘s debut film Casino Royale. The films, which have all been digitally enhanced, will be shown free to the public.
     
    “The screenings in Cannes mark a year-long celebration, including a return to theatres worldwide of some of the classic Bond films,” said MGM and Sony executives in a joint statement.
     
    The superspy first made an appearance on screen in 1962‘s Dr No and went on to become a sensational hit thereafter.

  • The Avengers amasses $95.4 million in 3rd week

    The Avengers amasses $95.4 million in 3rd week

    MUMBAI: Continuing its onward victorious march, Disney and Marvel‘s The Avengers garnered a weekend tally of $95.4 million from 54 territories in its third week.

    Avengers‘ weekend action was down by 39 per cent from the last weekend‘s gross. In just 12 days, the film has out grossed such Marvel titles as Captain America ($192 million offshore), Iron Man ($266.7 million), Thor ($268.3 million) and Iron Man 2 ($311.5 million).

    Besides setting industry opening records in a dozen offshore markets including Brazil and Mexico, the Joss Whedon-directed film rolled up mighty market cumes in the UK ($65.7 million), China ($52.3 million), Mexico ($49.6 million), Korea ($41.3 million), Australia ($40.5 million), Russia ($36 million), France ($33.4 million) and Germany ($24.1 million).

    Slightly eating into Avengers‘ gross intake was Warner Bros.‘ Dark Shadows that opened offshore at 5,664 sites in 42 territories for an estimated $36.7 million. It finished No. 2 on the weekend.

    The Johnny Depp film drew 93 per cent of what 2005‘s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory grossed in the same markets at “the same point in release,” said Warner Bros. (Factory went on to take in $268 million offshore.)

    The biggest market for Shadows was Russia, where the film playing at 977 situations grossed $5.3 million. A No. 1 France opening generated $4.6 million at 474 situations, and in the UK, the film collected $4 million from 515 venues.

  • The Avengers grosses $ 151.5 mn in 52 territories

    The Avengers grosses $ 151.5 mn in 52 territories

    MUMBAI: A strong opening in Russia adding to the extraordinarily strong holdovers in key overseas markets has propelled The Avengers to a commanding No. 1 position in the foreign theatrical circuit with a gross of $151.5 million in 52 territories.

    The film‘s worldwide cume including the film‘s record $200.3 million domestic opening stands at $641.8 million. The weekend‘s foreign tally was a mere 18 per cent down from the opening weekend figure last round, an indication of the film‘s incredible staying power at the box office.

    So far, The Avengers‘ biggest market is the UK where it has collected a total of $48.1 million; other key markets being Mexico ($40.2 million), Australia ($32.2 million), Korea ($31.3 million), Brazil ($31 million), France ($26.4 million), Italy ($18.8 million),Germany ($18.3 million), China ($17.4 million), Spain ($14.4 million), Taiwan ($14.3 million) and the Philippines ($11.5 million).

    As of today, The Avengers is far and away 2012‘s biggest hit on the foreign circuit so far eclipsing Titanic 3D that grossed $98.9 million a fortnight ago. Furthermore, the film has already out-grossed its predecessors of Marvel Productions including Iron Man 2 (that registered $311.5 million in total overseas gross), 2011‘s Thor ($268.3 million) and 2008‘s Iron Man ($266.7 million).

    Imax said it grossed $6.1 million from 174 digital only locations overseas, including a $1.1 million opening day Saturday in China.

  • Agent Vinod: No flow of story, no explanations

    Agent Vinod: No flow of story, no explanations

    MUMBAI: A spy thriller is not a genre often seen in Hindi films and for that reason one thought Agent Vinod was a welcome idea as well as an opportune one. The title betrays director Sriram Raghvan‘s fascination for films he grew up watching. His last film, Johny Gaddaar (2007) was a remake of Gaddar (1973). For this film he opts for the title of a 1977 hit film, Agent Vinod. Further inspiration for the plot and situations comes from 1970s spy thrillers such as That Man In Istanbu

     

    Producers: Saif Ali Khan, Dinesh Vijan.
    Director: Sriram Raghvan.
    Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Prem Chopra, Ravi Kissen, Ram Kapoor, Adil Hussain, Anshuman Singh, Shahbaaz Khan, Maryam Zakaria.

    Saif Ali Khan, playing a RAW agent, has lost his close colleague – Ravi Kissen while on a mission to Russia. His last message before he was murdered was just the figures ‘242‘. That sets Saif Ali Khan on a mission to find out what these figures mean as he liquidates anybody and everybody that comes in his path. His search begins in Russia and takes him from place to place; while in Morocco, he meets Kareena Kapoor, a Pakistani, posing as a personal doctor to local Mafioso, Prem Chopra, but who is actually an MI6 agent now working for ISI. Kareena Kapoor has a sad past and dreams of a future with a nameplate describing her as a doctor, children and a husband who loves her more than anything (that is the emotional quotient in the film). Saif Ali Khan‘s trust button for her keeps blinking most of the time; that is till she convinces him that she is on his side and equally anxious to stop any destruction that the villains may have planned. As he goes from Russia to Morocco to Latvia to Karachi, he always outthinks his detractors and draws his gun faster than they do. He reaches Delhi at the same time as a nuclear bomb stolen by an ex-KGB man from the Russian depot is headed there via Somalia in a fishing trawler. The villains‘ grand plan blessed by Gulshan Grover, who is a refugee don under protection of Pakistani authorities (read Dawood), is to blow up Delhi with this nuclear bomb and blame it on some Islamic group. This is when the film provides finally some thrill and excitement. The culprit is killed, bomb traced and defused and Saif Ali Khan heads to South Africa to eliminate one more of a group who actually are behind such terror plots – a promise of a sequel.

    Agent Vinod traverses from place to place as Saif Ali Khan follows clues. But because of this it comes across as a totally disjointed film. Nothing makes sense as men are tossed, kicked and shot. You don‘t care after a while since you are not taken into confidence as to who is who and why people are killing each other; no villain is constant or established. One makes an appearance and is killed soon enough. The Indian audience loves dhishum-dhishum and gun shots, not silencer-fitted guns. There is no flow of story, no explanations.

    There are no smart one-liners the heroes in such films are expected to mouth; the few that are there are wry and too subtle to be enjoyed. There are no other distractions as the film has no comedy or emotions, songs lack appeal and romance, whatever little there is, is silent.

    Yes, the film is beautifully shot and is apt technically, but that is not what attracts the audience as much an interesting story and entertainment. The film makes no demands on actors‘ histrionics as there is no drama; Saif Ali Khan has to survive this film on his charm which, alas, is missing. Kareena Kapoor is a hanger-on, playing an aide to Saif Ali Khan and looking forlorn. All the action and excitement going around never seem to touch her. The rest of the cast-Prem Chopra, Gulshan Grover, Ram Kapoor, Ravi Kissen, Shahbaz Khan-is packed off before you notice them.

    Agent Vinod has had an average opening and its prospects from single screen are not bright while prospects at multiplexes are limited and hence far short of being cost effective.

  • BRICS Youth Short Film Festival in Delhi to feature over 35 films

    BRICS Youth Short Film Festival in Delhi to feature over 35 films

    NEW Delhi: Over 35 short films from the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will be screened in a three-day festival to be held in the capital from 13 March.

    Around 31 films including four from Russia and the rest from India will be in competition. A block of short films from South Africa and one film each from Brazil, Russia, and China are in the non-competition section.

    ‘Film Dialogue 2012’, the BRICS Youth Short Film Festival, is being organised jointly by Delhi’s Citizens Film Forum and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture.

    The films include documentaries, short fiction films, animation films, and those with drama and action.

    According to Vimal Mehta of the Forum, the festival is aimed at encouraging young filmmakers from these countries and offer them a platform.

    The best films will receive awards and all films that take part will be given certificates of participation.

  • Knightley to play Anna Karenina

    Knightley to play Anna Karenina

    MUMBAI: Keira Knightley, know for her films Pride & Prejudice and Atonement is set to star in Joe Wright‘s adaptation of the epic Leo Tolstoy novel Anna Karenina. She 26-year-old will be seen opposite Jude Law and Aaron Johnson in the film.
     
    “Joe Wright will direct the epic romance Anna Karenina, adapted from Leo Tolstoy‘s classic novel by Academy award winner Tom Stoppard. The film made under the banner of Working Title Films, will be filmed in the UK and Russia this month.
     
    Anna Karenina was published in 1873, the novel is considered one of the world‘s great pieces of literature and is the story of love within the Russian aristocracy.
     
    Knightley first came to national attention after starring in 2002 comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham and gained international recognition following her appearance opposite Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.