MUMBAI: Imax theatres in the US are reporting sell-outs of its ‘Star Trek Into Darkness‘ sneak peek shows on 15 May with showings in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego and Minneapolis now at capacity.
Interest Paramount adds continues to be strong at other Imax locations across the US, which are offering fans the opportunity to be the first to see the film at 8.00 pm that evening. In response, Paramount Pictures has moved the film‘s Friday, 17 May release up a day to 16 May.
Tickets are available on the film‘s movie app, a technology that allows users to delve deeper into the ‘Star Trek‘ universe, and can also be accessed via Imax.com or through Fandango.com, Movietickets.com, as well as other ticketing platforms and at theatre box offices.
The Imax release of the film will feature approximately thirty minutes of footage filmed with the extremely high-resolution IMAX® cameras. These specific sequences will expand to fill more of the screen exclusively in Imax.
Tag: US
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Imax theatres in the US sell out for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
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‘Ironman 3’ makes $175.3 mn in the US on opening weekend
MUMBAI: The third installment in the ‘Ironman‘ franchise which released in the US this weekend has made $175.3 million. This is the second best opening for any film in the US.
Globally it was released in some markets earlier and has made a little over half a billion dollars making it total $680.1 million thus far.The film with the highest opening in the US is again a Marvel film. Last year ‘The Avengers‘ which featured Ironman as part of the ensemble made $207.4 million dollars over its first three days.
As far as the rest of the US box office is concerned over the weekend ‘Pain and Gain‘ made $7.6 million, ‘42‘ made $6.2 million and the science fiction film ‘Oblivion‘ with Tom Cruise made 5.8 million. -
Obama nominates Tom Wheeler as next FCC chairman
MUMBAI: US President Barack Obama has nominated Tom Wheeler, a technology investor and former head of two major trade associations, as the next chairman of the media watchdog Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Obama announced Wheeler’s nomination at the White House and joked, “Wheeler is the only member of both the cable television and the wireless industry hall of fame. So he’s like the Jim Brown of telecom or the Bo Jackson of telecom”.
If the US Senate approves Wheeler’s nomination, he will replace outgoing chairman Julius Genachowski, who had announced in March that he would step down from his post after four years. Until the Senate vote occurs, democratic commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as FCC interim chairwoman after Genachowski leaves in the middle of the month.
National Association of Broadcasters (Nab) president and CEO Gordon Smith said, “Nab welcomes the nomination of Tom Wheeler as chairman of the FCC. He has the experience and temperament to serve the agency with distinction, and we look forward to working with him.”
Meanwhile AT&T has called Wheeler an inspired pick, saying that his high intelligence, broad experience, and in-depth knowledge of the industry may, in fact, make him one of the most qualified people ever named to run the agency.
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Venture capitalist Jim Breyer to leave Facebook’s board
MUMBAI: Accel Partners‘ Jim Breyer will leave Facebook‘s board of directors in June. The company was an early investor in Mark Zuckerberg‘s online social network.
Accel has enjoyed a 337 times return on investment. Facebook said, “On 23 April, James W Breyer notified Facebook of his decision not to stand for reelection to the Board of Directors at the company‘s annual meeting of stockholders to be held on 11 June. He will continue to serve as a director until the date of the annual meeting.”
“Jim made many, many important contributions during his long tenure on the board and we were well-served by his presence. We will continue to have a strong relationship with Jim and going forward, we‘re thankful we can continue to rely upon the tremendous depth and expertise of our recently expanded board.” The social networking site added.
Breyer wrote, “It has been a genuine honour to serve as an investor and board member since April 2005 as Facebook has grown from an emerging social network for US college students to a global service that connects over a billion people.
“After over eight years of board service, it‘s time to step aside in light of my other responsibilities, including my recent election to the Harvard University Corporation Board. I will leave the board knowing that Facebook is a global internet leader with exceptional leadership within the company and on the board.”
When Accel invested, Facebook had twenty employees and less than $1 million in revenue per quarter. Now it has over 4,500 employees and more than $1.5 billion in revenue per quarter.
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Netflix has 36 mn subscribers; posts $3 mn profit
MUMBAI: OTT subscription service Netflix has reported better than expected first quarter results resulting in its stock appreciating by over 20 per cent. It now has 36 million subscribers. During the first quarter three million were added.
For the first time the company‘s revenue in a quarter touched $one billion. The company managed to record profits of $ one million compared to a loss of $five million during the same period last year.
Netflix added a million streaming subscribers in its markets outside the US. It plans to launch in a new European market in the second half of the year. In the US it added 2.02 million new customers. On the content side it has discontinued its deal with Viacom. Netflix will stream content from Nickelodeon, BET and MTV till the end of next month. After that it will let the deal expire. But the company is looking at a deal where it can stream some of Viacom‘s shows. The focus of Netflix is on exclusive content.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells in a letter to shareholders wrote, “The launch of ‘House of Cards‘ provided a halo effect on our entire service. Customer response to the show increased our confidence in our ability to pick shows Netflix members will embrace and to pick partners skilled at delivering a great series”.
Netflix‘s share price has crossed $200 compared to a 52 week low of $52 in August.
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Disney Junior expands digital offerings in the US
MUMBAI: Disney Junior is boosting its presence on the digital front in the US. The Disney Junior Appisodes app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch has been announced following the ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode‘.
Now the broadcaster has said that the Disney Junior Appisodes app is the first TV appisode app for kids that combine viewing and interaction with the TV characters and stories they love. It can be found now in the App Store at: appstore.com/disneyjuniorappisodes.
Developed by Disney/ABC Television Group‘s Digital Media team, the new app offers true interactive viewing, allowing fans 2-7 to touch, tap, swipe, tilt, shake and talk their way through various fun-filled activities embedded into episodes of some of their favorite Disney Junior shows.
The all-new “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey and Donald Have a Farm Appisode” and the “Jake and the Never Land Pirates Appisode,” which features “Hide the Hideout” and “Captain Hook‘s Hooks,” are available for $4.99. A free download of the original “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode” is included. In the coming months, episodes of shows ‘Doc Mc Stuffins,‘‘Sofia the First‘and more ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘will also be available for download as appisodes.
Disney Channels Worldwide VP digital media Lauren DeVillier said, “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse appisode has been successful because it‘s a natural extension of what kids are already doing in their daily lives. Over 70 per cent of households with kids have app-enabled devices in their homes. Touching, tapping and swiping are second nature to them.
“We are allowing kids to move the narrative of their favourite show forward by interacting with the characters, giving them the opportunity to take an active role in the story. Being able to do that with one of their favorite TV shows is really exciting for them. And from a content perspective, it gives our shows a whole new life on another platform.”
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US broadcasters could go to Congress in Aereo dispute
MUMBAI: The fight between the US broadcasters like Fox and Barry Diller-backed Aereo is likely to get hotter. There is possibility of the broadcasters could appeal to the US Congress.
Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia has been quoted in reports saying that in the past broadcasters have gone to Congress. Earlier a US court of appeals had dismissed a plea by broadcasters against Aereo.
Aereo uses tiny antennas to pick up free over-the-air broadcast television signals and then transmits the video to its customers over the Internet. News Corp COO Chase Carey has threatened to make Fox pay on cable.
Right now Aereo is only in New York but the plan is to expand to several more cities. Aereo‘s premium subscription plan costs $12 a month.
The broadcasters want Aereo to pay to rebroadcast their signals, just like cable and satellite providers already do. Broadcast transmission fees are now a multi-billion dollar business. If Aereo can access content for free then cable companies that also retransmit signals might ask for the fee to be removed or reduced.
Of course Aereo is another case of the disruptive influence of the Internet and the impact it is having on business models and revenue streams.
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MSM launches Sony Mix in US on Dish Network
MUMBAI: Sony Mix, Multi Screen Media‘s (MSM) Hindi music channel, has launched on leading US direct-broadcast satellite service provider, Dish Network.
Moving into the gap created by erstwhile music channels rechristened as ‘youth channels‘ and other music channels dishing out non-music content as interstitial programming, the channel is confident that viewers shall enjoy Mix as a channel that remains true to the music genre.
Mix also aims to maintain its focus on content by producing packaged shows offering right from user generated content to people profiles executed in the most unmistakably musical fashion.
Says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) SVP International Business and Head of North America Jaideep Janakiram, “We are proud to announce the launch of our music channel – Mix on DISH Network for the discerning South Asian lovers of Hindi film music. We are confident that MIX will connect with every viewer with its variety of music and special programming. Mix is and shall stay true to music.”
Dish Network Director of Programming Sruta Vootukuru states, “Sony Mix‘s unique theme-based music format helps Dish deliver a better experience to our customers. Adding the Sony MIX channel compliments Dish‘s robust international programming and enhances our South Asian offerings.”
In a related development, SET has launched its flagship HIndi general entertainment channel Sony Entertainment on RCN, the all-Digital Cable, Internet & Phone provider in New York City effective 2 April.
The channel is part of the brand-new RCN “Sona” tier, including other premium South Asian networks.
“We‘re very excited to announce the launch of Sony Entertainment Television in New York City,” said RCN New York General Manager Bruce Abbott. “It falls perfectly in line with our goal to continually add more networks that provide maximum entertainment and value for our customers.”
Adds Janakiram, “At Sony Entertainment Television, we continue to lead in ways to make our programming available to the widest possible audience. We are proud to announce the launch of SET Asia on RCN and are committed to bring our viewers the best family entertainment and Bollywood blockbusters.”
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Movie going patterns remain stable in the US: Nielsen
MUMBAI: Media research company Nielsen has taken a look at annual moviegoer trends in the US as the awards season continues. According to Nielsen National Research Group‘s 2012 American Movie going report, 70 per cent of Americans aged 12 and older reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in the last 12 months, which is in line with the earlier year trend.
The demographic makeup of the movie going audience has remained relatively consistent over the last couple of years, but the proportion of younger moviegoers (12-24) and oldest moviegoers (65-74) has grown gradually at the expense of middle-aged moviegoers (25-54).
Overall attendance to new release movies was on par with a year ago (6.8 movies per person on average, compared with 6.9 in 2011), while movie going increased among Hispanics (12 per cent), people aged 25-34 (seven per cent), youths 12-17 (three per cent) and males (three per cent). Although there were slightly more female moviegoers than male moviegoers in 2012 (51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively), men accounted for 55 per cent of theatrical attendance.
When looking at the movie going audience by race/ethnicity, Hispanics were the heaviest moviegoers, as they represented 18 per cent of the movie going population, but accounted for 25 per cent of all movies seen. Hispanics were also the only demographic group that went to more movies in 2012 than in the prior year-9.5 movies on average compared with 8.5 in 2011.
The 2012 report highlights that going to the movie theater seems to carry a particularly positive cultural significance for Hispanics, as they were considerably more likely than non-Hispanics to view going to a theater as a way to spend time with their family and friends (86 per cent versus 77 per cent). They also were more likely to spend time discussing the movies after seeing them (66 per cent versus 53 per cent).
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RIM lines-up music and movie content providers for BlackBerry 10
MUMBAI: Research In Motion (RIM) has said its new BlackBerry World storefront for BlackBerry 10 will feature the best of TV shows, movies and music from world‘s leading content producers and music publishers.
The new BlackBerry World will include an extensive catalog of songs as well as movies and TV shows, with most movies coming to the store the same day they are released on DVD, and next day availability of many current TV series.
The offering will feature content from all major studios, music labels and top local broadcast networks. Customers will be able to preview tracks and access the content using multiple payment options.
"Music and video content is an integral part of a rich mobile experience. People want easy and convenient access to their favorite music, movies and TV shows wherever they are," said RIM CMO Frank Boulben.
"RIM is committed to working with content providers to bring the best, most up-to-date content to our customers with BlackBerry 10, and to make it easy for them to get what they want."
The video download and rental section in BlackBerry World will initially be available in the US, UK and Canada.
Varying by region and distributor, customers will have access to movies from the following studios and independents: 20th Century Fox, Entertainment One (eOne), Lionsgate, MGM, National Film Board of Canada, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, StudioCanal, The Walt Disney Studios, Universal Pictures (UK), Warner Bros.Customers will also have access to TV shows from the following broadcasters and studios: ABC Studios, BBC Worldwide, CBC/Radio-Canada, CBS, DHX Media, ITV, National Geographic, NBCUniversal (UK), Nelvana, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Univision Communications Inc, and Warner Bros.
The BlackBerry World storefront‘s DRM-free music download section will feature an extensive catalog from all major and independent labels including: 4AD Records, Domino Recording Company, finetunes, Matador Records, [PIAS] Entertainment Group, Rough Trade Records, Sony Music Entertainment, The Orchard, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, XL Recordings and Zebralution.
The music section will initially be available in 18 countries: Canada, USA, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.