Categories
Movies

I hope to see some new releases, and maybe STAR WARS again this week. It was a busy December.

Box Office: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Holds Off ‘Jumanji’ on New Year’s Weekend

In a battle of box office heavyweights, Luke Skywalker just managed to hold off Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the world rang in another year.

Disney and LucasFilm’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” retained first place for the four-day New Year’s holiday weekend despite steep competition from Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” “Last Jedi” picked up an estimated $68.4 million, bringing its domestic haul to $533.1 million.

Don’t weep for “Jumanji,” however. The fantasy reboot, which finds Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart transported into a video game world, has outperformed expectations, picking up a lordly $66.5 million over the holiday weekend. It now has a hefty $185.7 million domestic gross and should continue to draw crowds in 2018. The “Jumanji” sequel has also done well internationally, racking up $350 million worldwide, and has provided a much-needed hit for a studio that has struggled to keep pace with the Disney’s and Warner Bros.’s of the world. It also scored with “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” a reboot of its wall-crawler franchise, and “Baby Driver,” but failed to turn “The Dark Tower” into a viable movie property.

Sony claims that “Jumanji” has a $90 million budget. Those veracity of those alleged production costs have raised eyebrows around town given the film’s Hawaii location and starry cast, but regardless of creative accounting and aggressive spinning, the result is impressive. A sequel seems preordained.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” closed 2017 as the year’s highest-grossing release and the seventh highest-grossing domestic movie of all time with $517.1 million. It will bypass its fellow franchisee “Rogue One” at some point on New Year’s Day to take the seventh spot on the stateside charts and has already blown past the $1 billion mark globally. The film carries a $200 million price tag, and has generated controversy for a series of creative decisions by director and writer Rian Johnson that have, depending on your perspective, either infused new energy into decades-old series or deviated dangerously from the Jedi canon.

It’s been a dismal year for the domestic box office, which ends 2017 with $11.12 billion in sales, down 2.3% from last year’s $11.38 billion and off slightly from 2015’s $11.14 billion, according to comScore. After a bruising summer, when revenues plummeted more than 6% in the wake of costly flops such as “The Mummy” and “Transformer: The Last Knight,” the gap did narrow. Fall and winter hits such as “It,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Coco,” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” helped make up the difference. The industry was also aided by record ticket prices. Empirically, fewer people made it to the multiplexes. Attendance is expected to hit a 27-year low when official numbers are tallied.

Universal’s “Pitch Perfect 3” took third place on the stateside charts, grossing $22.7 million for the four-day period and pushing its domestic total to just under $70 million. The a Cappella comedy carries a $45 million production budget and has been billed as the final installment in the franchise.

Hugh Jackman’s musical drama “The Greatest Showman” is finishing a close fourth with $20.7 million. The Fox-Chernin Entertainment production chronicles the rise of circus impresario P.T. Barnum. It got a boost from the holidays, and showed the biggest gain in the top 10 movies from the Christmas Eve weekend with an impressive 73% surge. The domestic total should hit $54.3 million through Monday. It’s a pricey movie, though. All that singing and dancing didn’t come cheap and “The Greatest Showman” cost $84 million to make.

Fox’s second weekend of “Ferdinand” rounded out the top five with $14.6 million, giving the animated comedy $56.8 million domestically.

Not every film was feeling the holiday spirit. Paramount’s “Downsizing” is a costly bomb. The comedy about a man (Matt Damon) who shrinks to the size of thimble in order to live in a materialistic utopia collapsed at the box office, eking out $6.1 million over the long weekend. Its total stands at $18.5 million — a paltry result given its $65 million budget. It also prolongs a box office losing streak for Damon. The actor also struck out with “Suburbicon” and “The Great Wall,” both of which opened during and flopped in 2017.

Warner Bros. and Alcon’s comedy “Father Figures” was another casualty of the Christmas crunch. The story of two twin brothers (Ed Helms and Owen Wilson) on a quest to find their biological father netted $5.1 million over the four-day weekend. Its total tops out at $14.1 million, making it unlikely that it will recoup its $25 million production budget as well its marketing costs.

And Sony’s “All the Money in the World” struggled to appeal to older audiences. The drama about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III attracted lots of attention for the filmmakers’ last minute decision to re-cast a key role played by disgraced actor Kevin Spacey. The breakneck reshoots took place in a matter of weeks, with Christopher Plummer assuming the Spacey part as parsimonious billionaire J. Paul Getty, and added $10 million to the film’s $40 million budget. Alas, audiences failed to show up. The movie grossed $7.5 million over the holiday weekend, bringing its domestic total to $14.7 million.

Foreign audiences picked up the slack as domestic attendance sputtered in 2017. The global box office is projected to hit $40 billion for the first time in history, propelled by the return of China. Total ticket sales in the Middle Kingdom grew by 22.3%, ending the year with $8.6 billion in revenues. That, at least, gives a beleaguered movie business some cause for celebration.

Categories
Jodie Foster

She’s not wrong.

Jodie Foster Says Studios Are ‘Ruining’ Movies With Big-Budget Superhero Blockbusters

Jodie Foster takes aim at big-budget studio movies, telling Radio Times magazine that they could spell doom for Hollywood in the way they shape the expectations of American audiences.

“Going to the movies has become like a theme park,” she told the magazine, according to the Telegraph. “Studios making bad content in order to appeal to the masses and shareholders is like fracking — you get the best return right now but you wreck the earth.”

“It’s ruining the viewing habits of the American population and then ultimately the rest of the world,” Foster continued. “I don’t want to make $200 million movies about superheroes.”

Foster made it clear that if she were to direct a superhero movie, it would have to be one with a compelling story and character at its core. Rather than doing a brainless action film, it would have to be about a character with a “really complex psychology.”

The Oscar-winning actress has shifted her focus to directing in recent years, most recently taking on an episode of the Netflix sci-fi anthology “Black Mirror.” In the interview, Foster described a “lack of respect” for directors in Hollywood that accepts only the “untouchable” likes of Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood.

Categories
Star Wars

Loved that STAR WARS movie! THE LAST JEDI was amazing!!

Hollywood has another huge year thanks to ‘Star Wars’

The ­“Star Wars” force is on track to hoist North American box office receipts above $11 billion for the third year in a row.

That’s if the final six days of 2017 come close to matching the $408 million in ticket sales generated over the same period last year, according to comScore.

The total gross of $11.1 billion forecast by comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian would make 2017 Hollywood’s third-best year ever — 2.5 percent below 2016’s record $11.38 billion and 0.3 percent behind 2015’s $11.13 billion.

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” contributed $408 million to the 2016 total after its Dec. 16 opening, while “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” jolted Hollywood’s 2015 take by $652 million after a Dec. 18 release.

This year’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which opened on Dec. 15, has already added $400 million alone to exhibitor coffers and is expected to deliver $100 million more.

The strong finish will save the industry from a disastrous summer, when receipts fell below $4 billion for the first time in 11 years.

Experts blamed the summer doldrums on franchise fatigue, noting that Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” and Paramount’s “Transformers: The Last Knight” were ­in their fifth iterations.

Hollywood was ­pleasantly surprised by an 11 percent uptick in the fall’s box office. ­“It” from Warners Bros. led the turnaround by generating a worldwide gross of $700 million on a budget of $35 million.

This holiday season, which Box Office Mojo defines as the first Friday in November through New Year’s weekend, already boasts five $100 million-plus openers — “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Justice League,” “Coco” and “Wonder,” in addition to “The Last Jedi.”

Two more are almost certain to join this exalted club: “Daddy’s Home 2” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” each with receipts in excess of $99 million and counting.

Categories
Beastie Boys

Love this!! RIP MCA

BEASTIE BOYS INSPIRE CHARACTER SLOWEN-LO’S NAME IN NEW MOVIE ‘STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI’

The Beastie Boys inspired the name of a character in the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie with one of their hit records from 1986. Entertainment Weekly says that a tall alien character named Slowen-Lo featured in the film is named after the Beastie Boys’ “Slow and Low” track off of the collective’s debut album, Licensed to Ill. Slowen-Lo is voiced by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the new movie, which released to theatres on December 15th.

This isn’t the first time that the Star Wars franchise has made a reference to the iconic rap group. The Force Awakens also featured a Beastie Boys easter egg with another alien character and resistance pilot, Ello Asty, who was inspired by their Hello Nasty album title.

JJ Abrams, the director of the new Star Wars films, has not been shy about his love for the Beastie Boys and hip-hop culture. This is yet another way for the late MCA’s legacy to live on following his tragic passing in 2012.

Categories
People

Rest In Peace Johnny Bower.

Maple Leafs to Host Celebration of Life To Honour Johnny Bower

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the club will host a Celebration of Life event honouring Johnny Bower on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. at Air Canada Centre.

The details for this event are as follows:

The Celebration of Life will be open to the public with doors opening at 2 p.m. The Gate 1 entrance of Air Canada Centre will be the only point of entry for the event. Seating will be available in the arena stands of Air Canada Centre, on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating on the arena floor will be reserved for the family and special guests by invitation. Members of the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and MLSE organization will be in attendance along with Toronto Maple Leaf alumni and guests from the National Hockey League.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Trillium Health Partners – Credit Valley Hospital or to the Mississauga Humane Society would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.glenoaks.ca.

More details surrounding the Celebration of Life will be provided as they become available.

Categories
Music

I’m very thankful that they did record it!!

Why Run-DMC didn’t want to make ‘Christmas in Hollis’

Shopping for the holidays is stressful enough to send anyone reaching for the eggnog, but for Darryl McDaniels, a k a DMC of Run-DMC, it’s especially taxing.

“At this time of year, I can’t walk five steps at the mall without someone shouting the lyrics to ‘Christmas in Hollis’ at me,” he tells The Post. “Just yesterday, I was at the grocery store, and a lady said, ‘Guess what’s on my playlist right now?’ I said, ‘Christmas in Hollis.’ She said, ‘How did you know?!’ It’s a beautiful thing, but I got to expect that for the rest of my life!”

That didn’t seem likely when the song was first released 30 years ago. In 1987, Run-DMC was invited to contribute a holiday song to “A Very Special Christmas,” a charity compilation benefiting the Special Olympics. Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Whitney Houston and other artists recorded covers, but the New York rap trio went the extra mile and came up with the fun and funky “Christmas in Hollis.”

The song didn’t chart at the time, but over the years, it’s developed a cultural cachet as one of the few holiday songs that isn’t sappy. It’s also been featured in movies such as “Die Hard” (1988) and Seth Rogen’s 2015 comedy “The Night Before.” DMC’s just given it a 30th anniversary revamp to help promote the IFC network’s “Christmas in the ’80s” movie marathon over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

“We’re down with Christmas forever because of that record,” says the 53-year-old DMC, who recently released a four-track vinyl-only EP “Back From the Dead — The Legend Lives.”

“We’re part of the holidays, and I get paid a lot of money to do that song at parties this time of year.”

But the coolest Christmas song of all time almost didn’t happen. Kurtis Blow released the holiday track “Christmas Rappin’ ” in 1979, and the group worried about looking like copycats by releasing another. “In hip-hop culture, you can’t duplicate what’s already been done, so we weren’t sure about doing it,” says DMC.

But publicist Bill Adler convinced them otherwise. An avowed enthusiast and collector of lesser-heard Christmas music, Adler bought the group’s DJ Jam Master Jay (a k a Jason Mizell) a crate of festive records, hoping there would be something they could use to build a song. Eventually, Jay came across Clarence Carter’s 1968 R&B track “Back Door Santa,” and it immediately caught his ear.

“Run and DMC were in the next room and came in, as if they’d been drawn to the scent of a big Christmas pie or something,” Adler tells The Post. “They nodded at Jay, and everybody knew that was going to be the sample.”

Lyrically, the song followed Run-DMC’s established trope: writing about their native Queens. Joseph “Run” Simmons’ verse centers on spotting Santa Claus in Hollis, while DMC captures his own childhood Christmases, with his mom “cooking chicken and collard greens” at home.

“I ate that meal for 48 years before my mother passed away [in 2013], and I got tired of it,” says the rapper, who’s since left Queens for New Jersey.

“Now, I go out with my family on Christmas, because when you go to the city on Christmas, the whole city’s yours. You can get reservations in places you never would. The next Christmas song I do is gonna be about going out on Christmas to eat!”

Categories
Star Wars

I saw THE LAST JEDI and I absolutely loved it. It’s not perfect, but I loved it!!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi scores second-highest opening ever with $220 million

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a force to be reckoned with at the box office.

Episode VIII of Lucasfilm and Disney’s enduring space opera is on track to gross an estimated $220 million in 4,232 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, marking the second-highest domestic opening of all time (not adjusted for inflation), behind only its predecessor Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which debuted to $248 million in 2015.

The Last Jedi is just the fourth film in history to open north of $200 million, joining The Force Awakens, Jurassic World ($208.8) and The Avengers ($207.4). It’s also set to add $230 million overseas, for a worldwide bow of $450 million, which would rank fifth all time. (The Last Jedi has yet to open in China, the world’s second-largest movie market.)

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick), The Last Jedi has met with excellent reviews from critics and also garnered an A CinemaScore from moviegoers. The film, which picks up where The Force Awakens left off in the midst of a heated intergalactic conflict, features original Star Wars players Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher, as well as next-gen heroes and villains Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Kelly Marie Tran.

The Star Wars franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with a young Han Solo spinoff movie (directed by Ron Howard), Episode IX (with J.J. Abrams at the helm), and a new Johnson-directed trilogy all in the works. The Last Jedi‘s huge opening also comes in the wake of Disney announcing its seismic deal to buy film and TV assets from Fox, the original home of Star Wars.

At the weekend box office, The Last Jedi is being followed — in a very distant second place — by Ferdinand, Fox’s animated movie based on the children’s book The Story of Ferdinand. The family-friendly film will take in about $13.3 million, falling short of analysts’ predictions of $15 million to $20 million.

On the bright side, Ferdinand received an A CinemaScore and generally positive reviews. Carlos Saldanha directed the movie, which centers on a gentle bull (voiced by John Cena) who refuses to participate in bullfighting. The voice cast also includes Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, and Bobby Cannavale.

Rounding out the top five are Disney and Pixar’s Coco, with about $10 million; Lionsgate’s Wonder, with about $5.4 million; and Warner Bros. and DC’s Justice League, with about $4.2 million.

According to ComScore, overall box office is down 2.9 percent year-to-date. Check out the Dec. 15-17 figures below.

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi — $220 million
2. Ferdinand — $13.3 million
3. Coco — $10 million
4. Wonder — $5.4 million
5. Justice League — $4.2 million
6. Daddy’s Home 2 — $3.8 million
7. Thor: Ragnarok — $3 million
8. The Disaster Artist — $2.6 million
9. Murder on the Orient Express — $2.5 million
10. Lady Bird — $2.1 million

Categories
Awards

They absolutely belong in the Hall. Absolutely!!

Bon Jovi on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ‘It’s a Christmas Miracle’

Almost no band that started after the 1970s has been more successful than Bon Jovi. They have sold a reported 130 million records and packed just about every stadium in the world many times over. Their songs are inescapable on classic-rock radio (not to mention karaoke bars) and their last four new albums hit Number One on the Billboard 200. Despite all that, they only appeared on a single Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot before finally getting in this year, nearly a decade after first becoming eligible. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi shared his views on why that happened with Howard Stern last year, but presumably all is forgiven now that they are finally in. We spoke with drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan a couple of days after they heard the big news.

How did you first hear you were in?
Tico Torres: Jon called me. It’s something that’s iconic in a sense. A lot of my friends are in it. It’s pretty prestigious. The fact that it covers all types of music is a beautiful thing. Of course, there’s so many other people that have yet to be in there like [John] Coltrane. Elvin Jones was my drum teacher for God’s sake.

How about you, David?
David Bryan: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame carrier pigeon dropped by my house and delivered the note. [Laughs]

What were your first reactions?
David Bryan: It was great. There’s a lot of people that are in it. There are a lot of people that aren’t in it and deserve to be in it. There’s a lot of people that are going to be in it. It’s a nice recognition of 25 years after 1984, which is when our first record came out. We’re what I call a current classic. We still have a Number One record and we’re still out there touring the entire earth and selling out stadiums everywhere, and yet we’re still a classic. It’s a great thing.

Tico Torres: And we’re old!

Did the news surprise you at all?
Tico Torres: I was elated. It was nice to tell my mom and my son. He was the first one. He’s 13. I told him right away. I had to tell my mom. We grew up annoying our parents, making noise and having band practice. For me, it’s been going on since ’67. If anyone deserves the first mention, it would be my mom. Our parents.

David, what does this mean to you on a personal level?
David Bryan: When you look at it, its almost a journey of your peers. You’re in with people you grew up with. They were my heroes, the reason why I play rock & roll. It’s an honor to be amongst them. It’s a nice nod from the industry. We’ve been eligible since 2009, so it’s nice to be recognized.

Did it ever bother you that it took this long?
Tico Torres: There’s only so much room. Again, David mentioned this, there’s a lot of people that should be in before us that have since passed, like Joe Cocker, guys that made statements in life that we grew up with. It’s an ongoing adventure of music. It also brings to light a lot of music of people that gets passed to younger people, people just getting into music. They can actually go backwards and research and learn from it.

David Bryan: We were at the inaugural, way before the Hall of Fame was built, we played that concert in Cleveland. We had Eric Burdon with us. There were so many greats that night, from Al Green to Little Richard to Jerry Lee Lewis. It was a pretty special event and it’s wild that this many years later we’re amongst them and there’s a building now. It’s all good.

They’re taking in the two of you, Jon, Richie Sambora and Alec John Such. Do you think those are the right ones? Did they miss anybody?
Tico Torres: That pretty much covers the band when we started.

David Bryan: That was us guys living the dream, getting on a bus with no guarantees in any way shape or form or anything. It was, “Let’s go out and make this happen.” And we actually did. For me, it’s a Christmas miracle.

Tico Torres: It’s funny. You grow up listening to these great musicians and then you get a certain status in your environment as a musician where you actually get to play together and meet each other and jam. You always think, “Gee, I was born too late.” But then you get better and better and fall in line and you’re almost in the same schoolhouse even though you’re younger. You get to hang out and play with your peers.

It’s going to be you guys, the Moody Blues, the Cars, Dire Straits and Nina Simone. There tends to be an all-star jam at the end of the night. Can you think of any song that would work everyone?
David Bryan: That has to be the hardest part of the night because everyone has great songs. You can do a standard blues song or something. I don’t know. I guess we’ll figure it out when we’re in the room.

Bands usually get three songs. Can you take a guess at which three songs you’ll do?
Tico Torres: I guess we’ll figure that out. It’s kind of new to us. You have to include the songs that got us to this point. It’s a hard pick. We’ll figure it out.

David Bryan: We’re trying to wrap our heads around it now and figure it all out.

Bands often play with former members at the induction ceremony. Are you down to play with Richie Sambora and Alec John Such that night?
Tico Torres: Absolutely.

David Bryan: Yeah. Why not?

Tico Torres: They are a huge part of us. We’d love it if they played with us.

Do you keep in touch with Alec?
Tico Torres: Honestly, he’s a mystery sometimes. The hard part is finding him.

David Bryan: Alec is definitely a moving target.

He played with you guys in 2001. The fans are always very curious about him. He’s the mystery man of Bon Jovi to so many people.
Tico Torres: He’s always been the mystery man of Bon Jovi, even then he was like 007.

Do you think he’ll show up?
Tico Torres: I think so.

David Bryan: I would hope so. The idea is that it’s a celebration of what we were and what we are, so that was definitely what we were and we are what we are now. I think its a celebration of both those things. You’ll see the current lineup and then see the original. It should be a fun night.

Many people will argue that Hugh McDonald should be inducted since he’s been there for so long.
Tico Torres: He’s a big part of the band. They should acknowledge that.

What are the future plans for Bon Jovi?
David Bryan: We’re going to keep touring. That’s what we do. We love to make records and we love to tour. We did a handful of shows this year down in South America and played a bunch of big stadiums and Rock in Rio. Next year, we’re putting plans together and we’re going to do some shows, do what we do.

So few bands are able to play those soccer stadiums you guys headline.
Tico Torres: The hardest thing about those soccer stadiums is trying to find room in the soccer schedule since that takes precedent. We’re lucky in South America that there wasn’t much soccer that time of year. But it’s incredible to still fill houses. A lot of it is because we try to stay current. We come up with new material and songs and try to reinvent ourselves. It’s a journey of a lifetime. I’m glad we’re able to do that as a band and keep creating and expanding our limits.

I think a lot of fans in America don’t realize that you’re just as popular overseas, filling stadiums in Asia, Europe – it’s a real global thing.
David Bryan: The fans realize the hell out of it. It’s been something we always set out to to from the beginning, which was play the world. We’d go out and play 50 countries. We’ve done 50 concerts 30 times. They’re familiar with us and we’re familiar with them. It’s a big world out there. One of the greatest things about our band is that we bring the American dream to the world. Here’s a bunch of kids that were living in nowhere New Jersey and we made it through a lot of practice and a lot of work and a lot of luck. It shows the world, “If we did it, you can do it.” It’s that whole dream of “you can make it” that we bring to the world.

David, you’ve won Tony Awards. The band has won Grammy Awards. How does this compare to those honors?
David Bryan: Any honor is an honor. You can’t really say which one is better than the next, but it’s always wonderful when you’re honored by your peers for your work. There’s the Tonys and the Grammys we won and were nominated for. The Tonys were an amazing evening and this will be another amazing evening. It’s wonderful to be recognized by our peers, and the fans. This was one of the biggest fan votes. Almost 2 million fans voted for us, which was huge.

I’m sure the night will be very emotional.
Tico Torres: For me, I live in the present, in the moment. It’s one of those experiences I look forward to without a preconceived notion other than I’m excited.

Categories
Movies

No thanks. Even though it’s only a dollar, I’ll take my chances.

Cineplex tests $1 reserved seating fee at some Star Wars screenings

Cineplex Inc. is giving Star Wars fans a surprise twist at the box office by charging an extra dollar for assigned seating at some showings.

The country’s biggest exhibitor has tacked on a surcharge at select regular screenings of Star Wars: The Last Jedi across Canada in hopes moviegoers will be willing to pay more for not waiting in line.

It’s a move the company says makes it convenient when a screening is sold out, which often leaves latecomers hunting for empty seats.

While reserved seating isn’t entirely new at Cineplex, the cost has usually been built into ticket prices for the company’s premium Imax, VIP and UltraAVX theatres. The exhibitor also experimented with charging an extra $2 for “prime seats” at the centre of a few of its busier theatres.

But it has not previously rolled out the concept at what it calls “regular” screenings — movies shown in traditional auditoriums without the additional costs associated with 3D or a larger screen.

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi likely to be the biggest film of the year, Cineplex wanted to gauge how audiences reacted to the concept on a wider scale. The company says about 20 per cent of its Canadian locations are testing the $1 fee for reserved seats at regular screenings.

If the concept is received positively, it’s likely Cineplex will revisit the reserved seating at regular screenings for other event movies expected to draw huge crowds.

The move comes as Cineplex and other theatre owners hunt for ways to boost profits at a time when a night at the movies competes with a raft of other convenient entertainment alternatives, like Netflix.

Screenings of Star Wars: The Last Jedi have put an extra financial squeeze on North American exhibitors after Disney revealed a number of unusual requirements for any theatre wanting to screen the film.

Disney told exhibitors it would pocket about 65 per cent of the box-office revenues from Star Wars tickets. Traditionally, distributors take about half of the box-office revenue for a movie.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Disney’s move cuts deeply into exhibitor profits for the biggest movie of the holiday season.

It was widely expected that theatre owners would look to recoup their lost share in other places, like hiking the price of concession items and boosting ticket prices wherever possible.

Categories
Television

If you’re curious…

Here are the Netflix shows people binge-watch the most

For the second time in the company’s history, Netflix Inc. has published a press release that gives investors a tiny bit more insight into what shows and films are popular on the streaming service.

The most binge watched show: “American Vandal,” a true-crime satire that is centered on the blowback from a costly high school prank.

Shares of Netflix NFLX, -1.23% are down a fraction at $186.17 after hours.

This year, Netflix included only its original content in the ranking and considered shows that people watched more than two hours a day as “devoured” — read: binge watched — and shows that consumers watched less than two hours every day the company tagged as “savored.” The most “savored” show was “The Crown,” a program about Queen Elizabeth II’s life.

The company also disclosed that viewers around the world watch 140 million hours every day and about 1 billion hours of Netflix a week.

Netflix is notoriously tight-lipped about its viewership and streaming-habits data and based Monday’s release on results from November 1 of this year, to November 1, 2016.

1. American Vandal

2. 3%

3. 13 Reasons Why

4. Anne with an E

5. Riverdale

6. Ingobernable

7. Travelers

8. The Keepers

9. The OA

10. The Confession Tapes

The company also conducted a survey of 60,000 members about what shows they skipped ahead of their significant others to watch. Topping that list are “Narcos” and “13 Reasons Why.” The survey also indicated that Netflix original “Stranger Things” was the show families would most watch together.

Netflix stock is up 50% this year, as the S&P 500 index has gained 19%. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company has beaten Wall Street estimates in four of the past five quarters. Analysts polled by FactSet model fourth-quarter earnings of 42 cents a share on sales of $3.2 billion.