Can Movies Stay Out of Politics...NOT

 A new movie, "Civil War", is about a divided U.S., premised on a blue state/red state scenario that leads to violence and civil war.

That's one side of Hollywood. The other is that studios (which are known to be left-leaning) are struggling to be apolitical - for fear of finding themselves in a culture war that hurts box-office takes. This is a valid concern given the upcoming presidential election which has become very polarizing.

Take, for example, Disney's remake of "The Little Mermaid", which suffered dismal grosses because of racial miscasting. Ditto, Pixar's "Lightyear" which saw lackluster box-office due to same-sex intimacy. These are two examples of children-friendly films that parents considered 'unfriendly.' On the flipside, "Sound of Freedom" an independent film hit the spot demographically with both conservatives and anti-child abuse activists and was soundly rewarded at the box-office.

All that being said, political correctness is not a big topic of conversation with studios executives at present - that phase has run its course. Essentially, films can't afford to lose 50% of moviegoers due to being woke. 

According to Pew Research, over 65% of U.S. voters say they feel exhausted when thinking, let alone talking, politics. So, it's little wonder the studios' marketing departments are very careful with film messaging and promotion. Currently, if people perceive even a tinge of political bias it could cause box-office doom. 

No major movies are scheduled for release during the first week of November - election time.

Many moviegoers, me included, turn to the movies as an escape from the barrage of real-world issues and concerns. So, the take-away is films should do their best not to get too close to politics. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

Nielsen's Media Rating Monopoly Gets Competition

 Nielsen, the media rating giant, is getting competition from iSpot, as small, but well-regarded audience measurement company.

The upstart, iSpot, is going after Nielsen's big clients. During the Super Bowl, it predicted a "preliminary audience measurement estimate" for Super Bowl viewership, at 126.6 million viewers, while the final number came in at 123.4 million - not bad.

Nielsen has had a virtual monopoly on media ratings for decades and its time it got competition. There is good bank to be earned in media ratings and iSpot wants its share and will to work for it.  

As the global leader in audience measurement, it works across all channels and platforms to determine what audience preferences are and passes this information on to its clients. 

iSpot believes survey-based creative testing and measurement, that Nielsen uses, is too slow for today's fast-paced requirement to provide clients' up-to-the-minute feedback. They provide immediate verification of ad impressions. It considers itself to be the new standard of audience measurement.

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

View the Olympics "Opening" Live at IMAX

 If you can't be there, the next best thing is to view the Olympics' opening ceremony live at an IMAX theater. 

A deal between IMAX and NBC will allow IMAX to air the live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics' Opening Ceremony - it will be covered by all 150 IMAX locations in the U.S. on Friday, July 26th.

According to organizers, the game's opening will take place on the Seine River, which flows through the heart of Paris. The Seine will be turned into a stage on which a four-mile-long flotilla consisting of 100 boats will carry thousands of athletes from over 200 countries past on-shore spectators.

Artist rendition of what the flotilla will look like. 

CMG thinks witnessing the beginning of 16 days of events in this spectacular way is an option totally unavailable with home viewing. The live show will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, and NBC's Mike Tirico.

This will be Paris's third time hosting (also in 1900 and 1924) tying London for the most as a Summer Games host. Los Angeles will also tie at three times hosting when it sponsors the Games are in 2028. LA hosted in 1932 and 1984.

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.

Film: Alive and well in Denmark

 With numerous Oscar and Palme d'Or awards the Danes have always produced above their size when it comes to the cinema.

The 2024 48 new DDF incoming, very select students.

Recently, the Danish government, boosted financial support for the film industry to $4.7 million per year (a small sum by U.S. standards but huge for the Danish film industry).

Thomas Vintergberg, a DDF grad, celebrates receiving an Oscar for "Another Round"
Best Foreign Language Film - 2021

Very instrumental in the Danish cinema's global success is the Den Danske Filmskole. A film/media school which is one of the most important drivers in Danish cinema The DDF is also Denmark's most competitive educational institution - with over 1,000 applicants for just 48 admissions every two years.

Franois Truffaut, French filmmaker taught at the DDF. His works
include: '400 Blows' and 'Fahrenheit 451'

"Our student body is very elite", says Tine Fischer, DDF's Director, "our small size is critical to our success. The students are tutored individually, with many hours of personal dialogue and feedback, developing their own artistic vision and potential."

The Den Danske Filmskole is a one-off educational facility totally devoted to the cinema and pushing the limits of media in general, I applaud and salute your endeavor.

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corporation

Oh No! Not Another Hollywood Workers Strike

 Yes, it may happen again this summer, another Hollywood union strike - this time the movie crews. The International Brotherhood of the Teamsters' contract expires on July 31st and already the issues surrounding the negotiations are heating up. 

O'Brien at Teamsters' Solidarity Rally on 3/3/24

In a recent rally, more than 2,000 film crew members gathered to pledge their support for a strike if their demands are not met by the film producers. "We are not afraid to strike, says Sean O'Brien, President of the Teamsters, "if these greedy corporations - whether it's Amazon, Netflix, Sony, or Disney - if they choose not to reward our members, they are putting themselves on strike. We will put them on their backs, on their knees, begging for mercy."

O'Brien built a national reputation in dealing with UPS and FedEx last year. This year's negotiations, with the Hollywood film producers and streamers, will focus on wage increases and quality of life issues (hours worked, meals, and turnaround times). At 1.3 million strong and with an additional 500,000 retired (but active members) the Teamsters have a lot of clout. And, O'Brien has told them that they will need "to put their helmets on in this battle with Hollywood".

The movie industry is still recuperating from the impact of last summer's strikes which brought movie production to standstill and is still not at full strength.

I'm hoping a peaceful settlement will be made and a shut-down avoided, the industry, particularly the exhibition side of the business, can ill afford another strike. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.