The Movies: It's All About Good Story Telling

Great storytelling goes back to man's first retelling of a great hunt or adventure... over the centuries we have learned to communicate through stories. 

What did you do today? Where did you go? How was school? Work? Your Vacation? A story unfolds. We live via stories - in books, magazines, TV shows, movies, social media, etc. 

So, it is no surprise that the best movies evolve from the best stories with the best characters. These characters become familiar and are seen in recurring stories through film franchises. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Bat-Man, and a slew of superheroes all have become wedded to our story-based needs. 

Marvel's Storied Superheroes and Villians 

The rise of these 'mega-narratives' has been an avenue for Hollywood to amass  great fortune. Marvel hero-based films have grossed over $22 billion, while the Star Wars saga $11 billion, and Harry Potter $9 billion. And that's all before the tally from toys, games, merch, and theme parks.

But, the issue is not that the media giants continue to feed us more of the same but why is our demand for franchise films so never-ending.  Why do we continue to flock to the 10th Star Wars movie?  What is the need for us to keep coming back for more? Well, it's the story, stupid. 

Mega-narratives have been around since man began to gather in clans. Storytelling is a primal activity. And like folk tales, movies offer stories that can be retold over and over again. We view these films, knowing the premise and the outcome, it's just the details that surprise us. 

Religion and the Bible or patriotic tales of war and history were providers of the social and moral answers we looked to but these stories have made way for new myths based on pop culture heroes and new religions - the Jedi religion (yes, it exists) offers a message of universal unity. 

J K Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter story, with Warner's cast  

Everyone who views a Spider-Man film knows the premise of a high school boy who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and thus gains superpowers. This story has been told at least three times in different films. So the notion that a great story has to be entirely new to be a success at the box office is wrong. 

It's questionable whether or not today's mega franchises will still be enjoyed by people centuries from now. But the fact remains that the huge popularity of great stories proves that no matter how much we change. our need for great stories remains constant.

Vue Cinemas Gets New Life

 Across the pond, cinemas, like their U.S. brethren, are recouping from two years of pandemic-induced box office destruction.

Vue International, the third-largest cinema chain in Europe, was taken over last week by a group of lenders, as part of a restructuring deal worth $1.18billion.

The deal involves a debt-for-equity swap which effectively wiped out $465 million of debt from Vue's current owners. The remaining leaders have taken majority ownership of the cinema exhibition chain.

"With the support of all sides, including shareholders and lenders, we're now in a position where we can move forward and get back to what we're really good at", stated Vue's founder and CEO Tim Richards.

Vue had been on an acquisition spree pre-pandemic and had purchased a number of cinemas across Europe. It currently operates 2,000 screens in nine European markets. Richards says the deal will help the company return " to its buy-and-build strategy".

Like most cinema chains, the Vue is currently enjoying a box office come-back post-pandemic, coupled with a healthy slate of movie mega-hits makes for a perfect situation to get back on track. Good luck Vue!.

K-Pop Leads The Way As Web3 & Entertainment Merge

 

K-Pop Mega-stars BTS Group

I have previously posted on the link between the movie industry and Web3. I have also predicted that this merger will be significant and usher in a new wave of content for cinemas to screen.

A recent event, which was underreported, was a collaboration inked between Disney and BTS (the world's most popular K-Pop group). K-Pop is the name for Korean Pop Culture which is currently the rage in music across the globe. 

The deal includes five exclusive projects featuring BTS and is undoubtedly a coup for Disney as it seeks to ramp up global subscribership to Disney+.

All of BTS's live performances are also streamed live worldwide which is the reason why their U.S. tour, which was only three days in duration, grossed $90 million. The Korean music industry, is the world's 7th largest and fastest growing. It is predicted that it will reach 5th place in 3 - 5 years.

Although K-Pop is very success, the technology continues to evolve and it was really no surprise that Korea would be the first to introduce virtual bands within Web3 metaverses. 

BTS virtural avatars

These virtual performances debuted last year to great success and I see cyberbands  becoming adjacent and equally successful as real performers.

 

Cine'polis Greenlights IMAX Dine-in Theater

Cine'polis, the Mexican cinema chain, announced that a new venue will offer waiter-service throughout a new 12-plex luxury cinema complete with a 300-seat IMAX auditorium. 

Scheduled to open in the spring of 2023, the Inglewood, CA location will be adjacent to the SoFi Stadium, home to the LA Rams and the largest NFL stadium with over a 70,000-seat capacity. Dubbed the 'Luxury Cinema', this will be one of the world's only dine-in IMAX theaters.

Cine'polis operates theaters in eight U.S. states and has nine locations in Southern California. "We want to bring the best cinema experience and offer moviegoers luxury at affordable prices", says Luis Olloqui, CEO of Cine'polis USA.

A Cine'polis dine-in theater

The biggest challenge according to Olloqui was figuring out waiter service for the IMAX. With its 300 seats, the auditorium is often sold out during the first several weeks of a film debut. The service has to be fast, courteous, and delicious - that's a big challenge in terms of service and a right-sized kitchen. All of the food is prepared from scratch.

The lobby will have the look and feel of a 5-star hotel. Cine'polis's strategy is that it has to compete against the streaming platforms and not other cinemas. Therefore, the cinema experience must offer a combination of large screen size, top-quality sound, comfortable chairs, and impeccable service. A very different experience than home-viewing. 

The name Cine'polis translates to 'City of Cinema'. The chain has 427 theaters and it's the world's fourth-largest cinema chain with over 6,200 screens.

If you read CMG with any regularity, you know I have a firm belief that the cinema is in the beginning of a major comeback as an entertainment destination. This belief is based upon a whole variety of reasons and it appears Cine'polis is in agreement.

Kevin Hart Goes Web3 Big-time!

 Kevin Hart is the latest celeb to embrace Web3 as he dives into the NFT and Metaverse worlds. A popular actor-comedian-entrepreneur, Hart is looking to extend his brand, make bank, and have fun in the process. 

A sampling of Hart's NFT images

His foray into Web3 is multi-tactical. He is premiering an original TV docu, which will be aired on Roku called, "Confessions From the Hart". This show reenacts moments from Hart's life, as narrated by him. To coincide with this show his media company, Hartbeat, will release a limited number of NFTs that will allow fans to access bonus content for "Confessions From the Hart" in the Kevin Hart Nation Metaverse, 'Screening Room', developed in partnership with Web3 platform Moonwalk and virtual entertainment company Virtua.

There will be 10,000 NFTs minted and will sell for $65 each. They will be available for purchase via credit card of with Ethereum coins. In addition to the tokens the NFTs will carry member benefits, such as first-rights to tickets for Hart's upcoming comedy tour. Hartbeat is also launching a Discord.

"My favorite thing to do is make people lauch, and with Hartbeat's expansion into the metaverse and Web3 we will have exponential opportunities to bring huor and comedy to a whole new audience," says Hart.

As of the fourth quarter of 2021, Roku reached U.S. households with an estimated 80 million people.