Strategy: Last News

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor CANNES — Global tentpoles and local-language series that travel — that’s the content cocktail that Amazon Studios is stirring as the company looks to capitalize the momentum behind “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” series. Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, discussed the e-commerce giant’s content strategy and investment priorities in her keynote address at Mipcom on Oct. 18. Salke had intended to travel to Cannes to accept the Variety Vanguard Award, presented by Variety and Mipcom, but on the eve of travel she came down with COVID. Instead, Salke recorded a 35-minute live-to-tape Q&A with Cynthia Littleton, Variety’s Co-editor in chief.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s BFI has revealed details of the National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, with £15 million ($16.9 million) available over three years to support the U.K. exhibition and distribution sector to grow audiences for U.K. independent film and XR/broader screen work. Applications, which open Nov. 4, are invited from organizations that are focused on increasing access and growing the engagement of audiences that are representative of the U.K. population. The fund will make awards of between £20,000 and £200,000 depending on the scope and reach of the project, with an upper limit of £500,000 for projects of “exceptional scale and ambition,” the BFI said in a statement. Eligible applicants will need experience of film distribution, film exhibition or audience development activities in the U.K. For research and development projects, applicants can apply for between £10,000 and £20,000.

The BFI today published the full details of its new National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, a £15m ($17 Million) pool of cash available over three years to support growth in the UK exhibition and distribution sector to cultivate audiences for UK independent film and XR/broader screen work.

Warner Bros Discovery’s film studio has been through a series of shake ups this year, most recently with the exit of Courtenay Valenti, the ascendance of Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy and the unsuccessful negotiations with Dan Lin to run DC. Despite the tumult, the studio has one very powerful ally as it tries to find its cadence.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Despite rumors to the contrary, Netflix says it has no plans to stop dropping all episodes of a TV show at once for binge-friendly viewing. “We think our bingeable release model helps drive substantial engagement, especially for newer titles,” Netflix said in its Q3 shareholder letter, as part of announcing quarterly results Tuesday. “This enables viewers to lose themselves in stories they love.” The company’s comments come after the Puck newsletter last month reported that Netflix execs were mulling a change to binge strategy and release major titles on a weekly schedule. Netflix, which pioneered the practice of binge-releasing TV seasons in their entirety, said it’s sticking with that game plan.

Rylan Clark has hit back at comments that he's a 'talentless idiot' after wading into the latest political chaos. The BBC Radio 2 host regularly shares his thoughts on the latest goings on in Government. And Monday (October 17) was no different when Liz Truss appeared to go 'missing' amid calls for her resignation.

Christopher Landon, the director of the horror movie Freaky, is slamming Hollywood studios for “day-and-date” releases amid the disappointing box office performance of Halloween Ends.

New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he believes Liz Truss will still be Prime Minister at Christmas - despite five Tory MPs already publicly calling for her to step down.

Liz Truss has apologised for her 'mistakes' and has pledged to lead the Tories into the next general election as she fought for her job after ditching her tax-cutting plans. The Prime Minister said she has 'adjusted what we’re doing' after the Government’s fiscal policies spooked the markets.

UPDATED: Federal prosecutors have recommended that Steve Bannon be sentenced to six months in prison for flouting a subpoena issued last year by the January 6th Committee.

Utah Senate candidate Evan McMullin has paid over $1.6 million to Democratic firms and uses the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, despite running as an independent to unseat Republican Sen. Mike Lee.

Jordan Moreau “Halloween Ends” is just beginning — the final installment in the long-lived horror franchise picked up $5.4 million at the box office in Thursday night previews. The film should hack and slash its way to $50 million to $55 million in its opening weekend, according to projections, even with a same-day release on Peacock. Last year’s “Halloween Kills” opened to $49 million at the box office and had the same Peacock release strategy, so an even bigger launch would be bloody good for the Universal film. Jamie Lee Curtis’ PTSD-riddled survivor Laurie Strode faces off against psycho killer Michael Myers once again for the 13th entry in the franchise, and “Halloween Ends” promises to be the very last showdown between the two foes — at least, until another reboot comes knocking at the door. The “Halloween” timeline is as full of holes as one of Michael’s victims, but the latest movie caps off a trilogy of modern-day sequels that began with 2018’s “Halloween” and its 2021 sequel “Halloween Kills.” The three movies follow the events of John Carpenter’s original 1978 horror, which introduced audiences to Curtis in her film debut and the soon-to-be slasher icon Michael Myers. There have been a handful of other “Halloween” sequels and two rebooted films directed by Rob Zombie, but the new trilogy retcons those and catches up with Laurie and her family 40 years later.

The long-running saga of a new £52m Ayr Leisure Centre was brought to a conclusion yesterday after the tightest of votes.

“Every movie needs a rabbi,” the great and grumpy Robert Altman once warned fellow filmmakers. “You need at least one important critic to champion your cause.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Amazon Freevee has ordered the docuseries “God Family Football,” which follows ex-football player and high school football coach Denny Duron as he returns to once again coach the Louisiana-based team that he once led. Duron has been retired for 30 years, but decides to return to Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La., after the one-time high school football powerhouse fell on rough times. Once home to 14 state championships in the last 20 years, the team is now coming off its worst season in school history. Propagate, Watershed and Ascending Media Group are behind the series, which follows Duron as he looks to teach his motto — “God first, family second, and football third” (hence the title of the series) — to a new generation.

The contours of the upcoming November midterms seem clear. President Joe Biden scarcely polls above 40% approval.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions has named industry veteran Brenda Robinson as its first head of film finance and inclusion strategies. Robinson, an entertainment attorney, financier and producer, will be responsible for bringing new partners to HiddenLight’s slate of productions across film and television. Robinson’s appointment represents a number of developments in HiddenLight’s strategy, including the use of grant and equity funding to develop and produce projects that the company takes to market later in the production cycle. It also signals a desire to tell a wider spectrum of stories from a diversity of voices.

EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Factory has promoted Julie Dansker to SVP of Streaming and Content Strategy. She had been Head of New Content Sales at the multi-platform film and TV distribution, development and production company.

Talks are to take place in a bid to scrub the controversial Viewforth Link Road from Stirling’s transport strategy.

The 16th Film London Production Finance Market opened Tuesday morning with a keynote talk featuring BFI CEO Ben Roberts who spoke at length about his 10-year funding plan for British cinema and the financial issues hitting the industry, including the recent shuttering of the Edinburgh Film Festival.

The leader of Stockport council has claimed the borough will not have to build ‘on an inch of green belt’ as it set a new deadline for consulting on its long-term masterplan. Coun Mark Hunter believes the government will soon cut Stockport’s house building target - which currently stands at more than 1,100 new homes per year - by around 25pc.