Jared Leto plays WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann and Anne Hathaway plays his wife Rebehak in the new Apple TV+ drama “WeCrashed”. The series will chronicle of how the company’s skyrocketed towards a $47 billion valuation in less than a decade, then quickly and dramatically plummeted.
Neumann, who served as CEO for the company from 2010 to 2019 and later resigned was well known for his megalomania and wild pronouncements of ambition. Becoming ‘King of the world’ was not beyond his imagination. According to reports at the time, his “eccentric behavior” was one of the main reasons he was pressured to step down.
The series is part drama for the entertaining over-the-top reenactments of the antics and impulses of Neumann (Leto) and part exploration of the era of insane exploits at start-ups, as well as part love story, showing their crazy ups, downs, best and worst of times while WeWork is being built.
Not the first to tackle this subject matter, after 2021’s WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn, which was a documentary feature, this star driven Apple TV+ series is clearly aimed at being entertaining first, but still is a thoughtful exploration of the excesses and the era that produced them.
Along with the recent trial of Elizabeth Holmes who was found guilty on four out of 11 federal charges relating to her own megalomaniacal fraud spree at billion dollar start-up Theranos, there’s a building oeuvre of film work, such as HBO’s: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley chronicling the era of excess that is still ongoing.
Apple TV+ is also getting in on the Theranos action. In an upcoming release Jennifer Lawrence will again team up with director Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up, also with JLaw), for Bad Blood. Release date is not yet known, only that it will be based on Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Pulitzer Prize-winner John Carreyrou.
“WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork” will debut its first three episodes on Apple TV+ starting March 18 with new episodes airing every week on Friday.
Here we go again, another end of the month nears and that means some movies on Netflix have to go in order to make way for new content. There are tons of brand new Originals comings this fall, however, the time comes, when nostalgia can kick in and watching some “oldies” but goodies feels like the right move.
Especially if you aren’t into watching scary or horror films for Halloween, there are a handful of additional genres to pick from. You can watch not one but two different Leonardo DiCaprio titles before they are gone, if you are more into Sci-Fi there is “Inception” (Trailer below) or Comedy/Action in “Catch Me If You Can”.
If you rather prefer something more light-hearted for some laughs, you have some good options with Reese Witherspoon in “Legally Blonde”, Jack Black in “Tenacious D” or Matthew Broderick “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
Here is the full list of Movies leaving Netflix Sunday at Midnight:
60 Days In: Season 5 Angels & Demons Battle: Los Angeles Beowulf Billy on the Street: Seasons 1-5 Catch Me If You Can The Da Vinci Code Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Forged in Fire: Season 6 The Heartbreak Kid The Impossible Inception Legally Blonde Mile 22 Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You Reckoning: Limited Series Snowden Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Yes Man
In any particular month, on any given streaming platform, besides the “endless” searching to find something you want to watch, there usually is one, or at best two, new incoming movies or TV shows “worthy” of watching.
This month may prove different, since, with the entertainment industry and movie production in full swing, there are buckets of better movies and shows to watch (and this state of affairs will potentially be the case for the remainder of the year).
We’ve broken down some Must Watch Movies and TV shows on each platform with and an overview:
Netflix
Whether its Jack Gyllenhall in the remake of the 2018 “The Guilty“, Andy McDowell is the limited series “Maid” or the prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” – “Army of Thieves” there is plenty of content to keep us nice and entertained this month. Netflix is the power hitter this month as far as watch-worthy streaming content.
Several widely popular Netflix shows also have new seasons coming our way. First is “On My Block” with, sadly the 4th and final season. And then “You” based on the YA novel and in my opinion is probably the best of the Netflix shows to grace the platform this month. Next is “Locke and Key” and “The Baby-Sitters Club” both coming in season 2.
The Guilty – October 1:
The Maid – October 1:
On My Block – Season 4 – October 4:
YOU -Season 3 – October 15:
https://youtu.be/xAN1ThhTWsE
Army of Thieves – October 29:
HBO
Streamers get to take advantage of all Warner Bros 2021 films that gives subscribers the chance to watch theatrical releases the same day (for up to 31 days) on their HBO Max accounts.
For October there are 2 must watch movies, the highly anticipated “Dune” and “The Many Saints of Newark“. For TV Shows, the third season of the dysfunctional Roy family returns in “Succession“.
The Many Saints of Newark – October 1:
Dune – October 22:
Succession -Season 3 – October 17:
Apple TV+
This streaming platform is bringing us Sci-Fi and extraterrestrial extravaganza. The long awaiting adaption of Isaac Asimov in “Foundation” is available to watch. In addition. On October 22nd (when the first 3 episodes will be released), sci-fi fans can experience “Invasion” what it would be like to live through an alien invasion. Joy!
Foundation – Weekly Episodes – available now:
Invasion – Weekly episodes starting October 22:
Amazon Prime
Since October is obviously the month to bring on the season of spookiness, Amazon Prime has made it a priority is bringing some new horror content to the platform. The biggest original series that it will bring is the latest reboot to the classic ’97 slasher movie “I Know What you Did Last Summer”.
Also starting on October 1st – “Welcome to the Blumhouse” features a total of 4 horror features: “Bingo Hell” and “Black as Night” and then a week later on October 8, an additional two horror indies ” Madres” and “The Manor”.
If you aren’t in the mood for anything ‘scary’ and rather a music fan, specifically a Bieleber – his documentary is also available on Amazon Prime
I Know What You Did Last Summer (Reboot) – October 15:
Welcome to the Blumhouse: (Black as Night and Bingo Hell -October 1 & The Manor and Madres – October 8):
A string of upcoming dystopian sci-fi will be hitting the streaming platform
What does a post-apocalyptic earth, a robot, a dog and Tom Hanks all have in common? That would be the new Apple TV+ film called “Finch”. This project marks Hank’s 2nd Apple TV+ outing, his first appearance on the streaming platform was “Greyhound” which was met with mucho critical acclaim.
This time around, this family friendly film futuristic cashing into the feel of a mash-up between ‘Wall-E’ and ‘The Martian’ and based on the trailer looks to be an oddball thing: bleak futuristic fun for all ages.
A massive solar flare nearly destroys Earth, Hank, who plays a robotics engineer named Finch and has only survived because he has been living in an underground bunker for the past decade. During his time in a post-apocalyptic Earth he befriends a stray dog which he names Goodyear (shades of Wilson?. Hanks decides to utilize his expertise by building a robot to help take care of Goodyear when he is gone.
“Finch” premieres on Apple TV+ this November 5.
Check out the trailer below:
We Aren’t Alone – Invasion:
That’s not all. Apple TV+ is also bringing us an extraterrestrial extravaganza. On October 22nd (when the first 3 episodes will be released), sci-fi fans can experience what it would be like to live through an alien invasion. Joy!
Enter the Galactic Empire – Foundation:
And last, but definitely not least, is the long-awaited sci-fi adaptation of the timeless classic “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov.
The first 3 episodes of Apple TV’s “Foundation” will be released on September 24 and will ultimately have a total of 10 episodes in total when all is said and done.
33 Anticipated TV Shows coming out, but there’s not enough time to watch them all!
There will be no shortage of new series and movies one can stream this fall. Netflix just announced its influx of movies (42) to watch. Next comes an avalanche of new TV series, 33 already scheduled for release during the rest of 2021, including new seasons of established shows.
With what feels like the countless number of streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, Showtime, you get the point), there are almost too many options to know where the heck to start!
Don’t worry, though, the launching new streaming options won’t end in Fall, your TV watching bonanza will be far from over as the holiday season approaches. The gift of streaming will be seemingly boundless, in particular, due to the release of two upcoming Marvel series: “Hawkeye” and “Ms. Marvel” in addition to Netflix’s “The Witcher”.
The future overall looks bright in the digital entertainment realm, at least with regard to “choice” and seemingly endless options, viewers have so much to watch, even as many of us are also already waiting for the long-planned currently-in-production status of Game of Thrones spinoffs and Lord of the Rings TV series to wrap up and finally come to our screens.
In the meantime, below we picked the top 5, out of a total of 33, not including the 42 upcoming movies, that should definitely be on your list to consider for your screens this Fall.
Succession: Season 3 – HBO – October dates and times TBA:
With the incredibly ambitious 2021 lineup for Netflix, that boasts 71 titles this year alone, means that the streaming platform has to make way for a fresh slate of incoming TV show and movies.
However, even as they add so many new titles, each month, a few dozen movies are no longer available to watch. Before the start of the new month, check out the library of titles below that will be gone by March 1. This list has a variety of genres, both newer and classic oldies. So check the list and there are some of these titles you haven’t seen yet, now is the perfect time, before it’s too late!
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The new year means new shows plus the debut of new seasons
Apple launched a new YT video, giving Apple TV+ watchers a glimpse of what to expect as the coming year unfolds. It’s a lot! The video breaks it all down with an exclusive preview of new TV shows, as well as films coming to the platform very soon.
There are now so many streaming platforms: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+, with a new one launching on March 4th, Paramount+ (Teaming up with ViacomCBS).
Apple TV+, although live for some time now, can be viewed as one of the newcomers in the streaming game. With that, it’s not always easy to decide if you should jump aboard to pay for yet another monthly subscription if you aren’t already a user.
For those that do not currently have Apple TV, subscription starts at $4.99 per month with a 7 day free trial. For that low of a price and the handful of new TV shows and movies coming this year, it may be a perfect time to try. However, if you are a buyer of Apple products such as an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac, it includes one year of Apple TV+ for free.
The two minute clip unloads lots of titles. New shows and movies: Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, Cherry, Foundation, Lisey’s Story, Losing Alice, The Mosquito Coast, Mr. Corman, Palmer, Schmigadoon!, Physical and many more.
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In addition, there will be returns of successful shows included: Central Park, Dickinson, For All Mankind, Ghostwriter, Home Before Dark, The Morning Show, Mythic Quest, See, Servant, Trying, and Truth Be Told.
Here’s a taste of some of the full trailers for most of the upcoming titles to be hitting the streaming service in in the next several weeks.
Billie Eilish Documentary – February 26:
Cherry with Tom Holland – March 12:
The Mosquito Coast – April 30:
Mythic Quest Season 2 – May 7:
Foundation – Fall 2021:
Most titles will be premiering late Spring and Summer 2021. From the previews alone, it seems that all the different titles will be well worth the wait. Apple TV+ even gave a teaser video of the highly anticipated adaption of Isaac Asminov’s “Foundation” sci-fi novels.
Netflix’s newest drama, “Firefly Lane” has jumped to the first spot on the platforms top 10. The series follows the decade-long friends, Tully Hart played by Katherine Heigl and Kate Mularkey played Sarah Chalke. The young girls original meet in the early 1970’s when then the two teens move across from one other on ….Firefly Lane.
The two become inseparable friends through 30 years of the good and bad times, as well as everything that in between that can happen when you’ve been friends for multiple decades. The series follows the two young ladies from their teens years up to their 40’s.
I’m not gonna lie…this feels really really good!! Thank you to all those who watched!! You’ve made our #fireflylane dreams come true!! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/no73tIyp0Y
Click to see “Firefly Lane” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Katherine Heigl, who many people recognize her name from the very famous ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy”.
The actor who has been working for decades, was labeled in Hollywood as “difficult” back in the early 2000’s and was essentially blacklisted for a period of time. “Firefly Lane” is the actresses latest comeback, and by looks of her tweet, she is very happy about it!
The episodic, based on the bestselling novel by Kristin Hannah (with same title) premiered February 3rd, and those that have already binged it, are already wanting to know, desperately when season 2 will be out.
Those that have read the book, without giving away any spoilers, knows that there will be a dramatic ending to the season.
Zoom panels, product unveilings all to take place while you have no pants
This year CES2021 is scheduled from Monday January 11-14. It’s a bit later than usual due to lot and lots of strange things happening in the world, and, oh yes, cause they had to shrink it into a phone-sized screen, or at least a zoom-panel for your desktop.
While attempting to put a happy face on it all the exhibitors described it thusly: ”an all-digital experience connecting exhibitors, customers, thought leaders and media from around the world. The new format will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies and the latest product launches, and engage with global brands and startups from around the world.“
In all seriousness if you want to check out the new gadgets, trends and progress you can now attend without “borrowing” somebodies pass who had to leave a day or two early. Wuuhuu! An infinite virtual exhibit hall will be replacing the 3 million square feet of actual exhibition space, but the more than 100,000 attendees will not be renting rooms in Vegas.
Or getting room service on the company tab, or watching pay-per-view from same said tab. Which is all not great for Vegas – but there will be better news next year – we hope seriously and sincerely.
As for this year let’s try to get the hang of this whole virtual thing! There are almost 2,000 exhibits for 2021 CES, to see the in detail, check out CES exhibitor list.
We can recommend, for those who will not register as an official attendee to view the action on CNET’s livestream. They’ll be broadcasting all day on Monday, Jan. 11 and you can follow along for press conferences, product reveals, a CES keynote presentation and expert commentary from the editors and hosts.
Our Premium Plus exhibitors will showcase their latest innovations at the all-digital #CES2021.
Below is our pick of some anticipated titles coming to a screen the first of the year
Watching and streaming videos have undoubtedly been a source of how the majority of us have entertained ourselves throughout the year. With the entertainment industry and filming slowly ramping up, 2021 will likely yield some great TV shows.
We already know streaming movies come next year will be plentiful on HBO Max, as they announced 17 new movies releases and Disney+ will also bring a flurry of new content to its platform. Next year, TV shows hold a plethora of options, whether it be brand new shows, or renewed and limited series, TV watchers will have more than enough content to choose from.
The Serpent / BBC
Streaming January 1. The story of how the conman and murderer Charles Sobhraj, played by actor Tahar Rahim, was eventually caught and imprisoned. Posing as a gem dealer, Sobhraj and his girlfriend, Marie-Andrée Leclerc, played by Jenna Coleman, traversed Asia in 1975 and 1976, committing a spree of crimes along the ‘Hippie Trail’.
History of Swear Words / Netflix
Streaming January 5. Nicolas Cage explores the history, usage and cultural impact of the most notorious swear words in the English language. Each episode will examine the use and cultural impact of words like “damn”, “sh*t”, “fu*k”, “bit*h”, “pus**”, “dic*”, “cu**”, and I’m sure many other good ole cuss words you can think of.
Dickinson / Apple TV +
Streaming January 8. The second season continues to follow the budding writer Emily Dickinson. Played by Hailee Steinfeld, she uses her outsider’s perspective to explore the constraints of society, gender and family in the 19th century.
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer / Netflix
Streaming January 13. This historical documentary that follows the young detective Gil Carrillo and legendary homicide investigator Frank Salerno as they work timely to catch the “Night Stalker”. Beneath the sunlit glamour of 1985 LA lurks a relentlessly evil serial killer. In this true-crime story, two detectives won’t rest until they catch Richard Ramirez, who was eventually arrested for his terrible crimes.
WandaVision / Disney+
Streaming January 15. As part of the many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) shows to be released through Disney+ comes “WandaVision” Living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Evan Peters and Kat Dennings.
The battle is getting very public and will get louder and nastier
The full page newspaper ads taken out by Facebook, where they proclaim themselves the champion of small business and attack Apple directly are interesting and curious on many levels.
It will take a series of articles to attempt to untangle the confusions and endless, often intentionally fostered, misconceptions that will most certainly arise in this battle of titans.
At the heart of the matter is, however, the largest misconception humanly possible, the idea that these monstrously huge companies, and how they operate, are anything at all related to “normal”.
The fact that all of us have seen the role of the internet in general increase over the last 20+ years, and have therefore had to deal with, and in some cases, go through and cooperate with these behemoths, may be the status quo that has developed, particularly in the last decade, but it is without precedent on many levels.
The size, power and influence is beyond comprehension and this clouds every issue
Before even beginning to contrast one giant against another one must first confront the very existence of entities of this magnitude. It’s fair to say that never in history has such a tiny group of companies, and by extension, individual humans, controlled so much of the economy and so much of that impacts the society and our experiences.
This chart is not current. If it were the disparity would be far larger and even more astounding:
This information, for a human, is so out of whack that you would have to stare at this chart for days before it could even sink in. And, as it it only a chart of size, built on company market capitalization, the power and influence, which represents and ever larger disparity, is not represented.
The dominance overall is so extreme as to be humanly incomprehensible. And by all measures the disparity between the big tech firms and “everybody else” grows literally by the second.
If you are afraid of A.I., you’re too late, the world is already controlled by computers and software via these companies
Facebook is probably the best example to illustrate the problem of market power and dominance on a level that is so far beyond traditional methods of measurement that even government antitrust investigations are barely able to begin to access the potential violations.
“The questions below might seem odd, or even absurd. But what is really absurd is that they are, for the most part, never asked. “
The questions below might seem odd, or even absurd. But what is really absurd is that they are, for the most part, never asked. Since the iPhone and later Samsung / Android revolutionized information and photo sharing, it has been accepted as a simple reality that Facebook controls nearly all the “social networking” that is done with that data. Why?
What is Facebook? Most would say they are a “social media company” but that can mean anything you want it to mean. They claim they are in the business of “connecting people” yet they derive massive wealth and profit from advertising, and “monetizing” their network, the largest network of “social users”, by far.
And if they are interested in connecting people, then what do those people own of the network that they themselves comprise? That would be nothing.
What say do they have in how they are used to “monetize” the network that they literally “are”? None.
What trust do they have to surrender to the company, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more (all controlled 100% by a guy named Zuckerberg)? 100%
“What ‘say’ do they have in how they are used to “monetize” the network that they literally ‘are’? None.”
— D.L.
Who authorized Facebook (or Google) to amass vast databanks of private personal information from a huge chunk of the world’s population, and use that data to amass fortunes of unheard of size using secret proprietary algorithms that they have zero requirement to disclose? Well, technically, users, inadvertently and without understanding, did. Otherwise: No-one.
Well, technically all of this was “allowed” via Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996, and states that an “interactive computer service” can’t be treated as the publisher or speaker of third-party content. This, effectively, protects websites and “platforms” such as Facebook, from lawsuits in the case that a “user” posts something illegal. There are exceptions, for example, for copyright violations, sex work-related material, and violations of federal criminal law.
This fact does not remove responsibility for building a system that gives massive financial benefit to Facebook, Google, etc and very little, in reality, by way of return or influence to the “user”.
It’s as if a man figured out a way to use mental-telepathy to rob banks and could never be caught or prosecuted due to the fact that no one had ever robbed a bank that way before. And then he claimed that he should be allowed to continue doing it forever, with impunity.
What would Facebook and Zuckerberg have if the billions of “users” stopped using its network? Nothing.
How little sense this makes just goes on and on. There could be 100s of pages of similar questions and answers and the end result would be a slightly better understanding of the absurdity of the very existence of such a “service” or company or whatever this is.
Why absurd? In a nutshell, Facebook controls private networks that exist “inside” a more public network called, for lack of a better term, “the internet”. And, because of what could be termed a mistake of history they represent a dominant, near monopoly, in the “space” which in this case is currently called “social networks”.
The dominance and the definition of monopoly can be argued endlessly (and likely will be in the coming antitrust cases) but, in the end, the numbers don’t lie. Only one person benefits, in direct payments of trillions of dollars, from a near monopoly in social networks. The billions of people, the very people who are the network, do not.
A bleak analysis, perhaps, but is there any light at the end of this tunnel?
The current increase in antitrust cases, both in the US and Europe, is a canary-in the-coal-mine moment and the wars over all the arising issues has begun and will go on for years.
The fact that Facebook is heavily advertising that they are the “good guy” while Amazon and Google do the same, is both ridiculous and sad, since “good guys” don’t have to buy ads to draw attention to that fact.
And the fact that these companies have already started, both in word and deed, to attack each other directly, is an indication of just how serious and all pervasive these mega-wars will be. This is just the beginning.
While none of the companies depicted on the chart above can be said to be without blame for the world of injustice and malfunction that is the internet, and by extension, our world, there is one company that stands apart from the others in so many ways and for so many reasons that they, amazingly, represent some hope within the madness.
And, not coincidently, they are the one that is already being attacked, in print and software, as the wars begin: Apple.
How Apple actually represents hope to clean up the tech universe that, arguably, they are most responsible for having created, is likely a hard sell with those that want to lump all these huge companies together. Because, after all, they are all huge.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. More on this and other burning questions in our next episode, so stay tuned.
In a comment on a recent post from a hilarious send-up showing Trump being removed from the White House (literally by furniture movers) a reader offering this: “The left is having a wet dream, time to wake up and get to work”.
While technically not bad advice, although it’s a creepy observation, let’s just make something clear; anyone who endured the sick and insane and destructive four years of Trump deserves to celebrate as long as they feel like it. And then get to work rebuilding and repairing all the damage that was caused. On that note, we offer up yet another hilarious video to celebrate.
Slightly frightening and equal parts hilarious, a video of a deepfake Trump reading an election-themed holiday version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has popped up on the internet. Sassy Justice is responsible for its creation and is the name of the new YouTube series by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
What is a deepfake? It is very likely you have seen one and maybe didn’t even know it, deepfakes use technology from artificial intelligence (AI) that can create digitally altered versions of pretty much anyone, although usually used for malicious intent, this time, is for pure entertainment purposes.
In this take, Trump wears a mini Santa hat atop his head along with a festive Santa sweater. The story unfolds the tale of Rudolph, the “best” reindeer that stands out from all others, this time no red nose, but a blonde toupee.
This reindeer happens to coincidentally be the target of an unfair election in the story, yet the ending of the story takes a dark turn. In near tears, Trump reads what happened to the election because all the other reindeers cheated, the died, and there was “no Christmas ever again” all because of a “sleepy-eyed” reindeer.
This episode from Sassy Justice marks the channels 12th episode. The web series that centers around deepfake Trumps, played by actor Peter Serafinowicz. This holiday meltdown of Trump a much needed end of year chuckle and final countdown until he is officially out of the WH.
Immediate streaming option set after unprecedented, game-changing announcement
Warner Bros. has announced it will be releasing its 2021 movies in a unique hybrid, consumer-focused, yet very 2020 way. Warner Bros. will release its films theatrically worldwide, while also adding exclusive access to the HBO Max streaming platform on the same day for a one month period (U.S. only).
HBO Max and Warner Bros. are both owned by WarnerMedia, which is owned by AT&T.
This shift and strategic response by WarnerMedia is a game changer and highlights a major shift industry’s are recognizing in how viewers consume entertainment, or at least for the next year.
There will be a wide range of releases on HBO Max throughout 2021 for every all types of movie lovers. Alongside Wonder Woman:1984 for Christmas release 2020, there will be an additional 17 movies to be released over the next 12 months.
The Little Things
Judas and the Black Messiah
Tom & Jerry
Godzilla vs. Kong
Mortal Kombat
Those Who Wish Me Dead
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
In The Heights
Space Jam: A New Legacy
The Suicide Squad
Reminiscence
Malignant
Dune
The Many Saints of Newark
King Richard
Cry Macho
Matrix 4
The only other studio that is currently set up for dual release besides Warner Bros with HBO Max, is Disney with Disney+, which certainly will help to secure its position in the top tier of the very competitive world of streaming entertainment.
Only time will tell if the pandemic will permanently alter the way we watch movies. Yet if given the option of getting access to blockbuster films at home and on the same exact date as the theatrical release, poses a serious question to how theaters will react.
“No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films. We see it as a win-win for film lovers and exhibitors, and we’re extremely grateful to our filmmaking partners for working with us on this innovative response to these circumstances.”
-Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios
What will come of Theater Chains and the future of the movie viewing experience
he debut for WB’s slate of movies to hit streaming services concurrently with theater releases, will undoubtedly have drastic consequences for the the already hard-pressed and struggling theaters.
Warner Bros. made mention that the hybrid release is strictly due to the pandemic, yet it’s unclear how the studio will navigate with movie releases for 2022 and beyond given the new model they are setting into motion.
Movie theater stock prices fell on the news. AMC shares dropped more than 15 percent, while Cinemark was down 14.5 percent.
Following the announcement, theater chain AMC’s CEO and president, Adam Aron made note they have “already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.” He continued by saying “As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.”
Theaters like AMC were agreeable to the one time exception of the Wonder Woman:1984 release to both theaters and streaming, however it appears they are less on board with the decision to upload the entirety of 2021’s schedule of films with that same release model.
Another large theater chain, Cinemark, wasn’t able to comment on how the hybrid model would impact its theaters in the long-term, “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis,” said a spokesperson.
It’s hard to not to have seen something like this coming. Streaming videos are been on the rise. Earlier this year Disney+ released “Mulan” and Universal released “King of Staten Island” and “Trolls: World Tour” straight to on-demand platforms.
Warner Bros and HBO are doing it a little differently. What has been typical during the pandemic, is the rise of premium video-on- demand (PVOD) where viewers are given access to blockbusters on the same day as theater release but you have to pay a premium price, upwards of $30. Yet in the case of WB’s 2021 movies, if you are already a HBO Max subscriber, you get to watch these movies at no additional charge, other than your monthly fee. Compared to a PVOD price of $30 for one movie, $14.99 a month for the 17 movies for 2021 is a no brainer.
Even though, announcements like those for WB are in a way a form of the studio experimenting to see what works while we are in a pandemic, there’s some major signs that this is the beginning of the end for movie theaters.
It’s unclear whether the dual release model will become the new precedent for how Warner Bro operators in business, as currently only 2021 films are on the table. However, at present, theaters, like Regal Cinema are nearly at the brink of bankruptcy.
A more permanent “new normal” appears to be emerging in effort to adapt to a post-pandemic future
The debut for WB’s slate of movies to hit streaming services concurrently with theater releases, will undoubtedly have drastic consequences for the the already hard-pressed and struggling theaters.
Warner Bros. made mention that the hybrid release is strictly due to the pandemic, yet it’s unclear how the studio will navigate with movie releases for 2022 and beyond given the new model they are setting into motion.
Movie theater stock prices fell on the news. AMC shares dropped more than 15 percent, while Cinemark was down 14.5 percent.
Following the announcement, theater chain AMC’s CEO and president, Adam Aron made note they have “already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.” He continued by saying “As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.”
Theaters like AMC were agreeable to the one time exception of the Wonder Woman:1984 release to both theaters and streaming, however it appears they appear less thrilled to be on-board with the decision to upload the entirety of 2021’s schedule of films with that same release model.
Another large theater chain, Cinemark, wasn’t able to comment on how the hybrid model would impact its theaters in the long-term, “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis,” said a spokesperson.
It’s hard to not to have seen something like this coming. Streaming videos are been on the rise. Earlier this year Disney+ released “Mulan” and Universal released “King of Staten Island” and “Trolls: World Tour” straight to on-demand platforms.
Future evolution of entertainment distribution is a big unknown, like nearly everything else
Warner Bros and HBO are doing it a little differently. What has been typical during the pandemic, is the increased number of options for premium video-on-demand (PVOD) where viewers are given access to blockbusters on the same day as theater release but are required to pay a premium price, in some cases upwards of $30.
Yet in the case of WB’s 2021 movies, provided you are already a HBO Max subscriber, you will be able to watch these movies at no additional charge, other than your monthly fee. Compared to a PVOD price of $30 for one movie, $14.99 a month for the 17 movies for 2021 seems like a no-brainer.
There is a 30-day availability limitation currently set on these special same-day release titles, but that would likely only be an issue if you wanted to sign up for a single month to game the system, so to speak.
It does appear to be the case that this announcement and others that may be soon to come, still represent a form of experimentation by WB / HBO max to see what works during a pandemic. At the same time, there are some major signs that this is the beginning of the end for movie theaters, at least as the primary vehicle for the initial release phase of major feature films.
It’s unclear whether the dual release model will set a permanent new precedent for how Warner Brothers conducts its business, as currently only 2021 films are on the table. Come 2022 it is also possible that the entire entertainment landscape will be unrecognizable, since, for example, theater chains, such as Regal Cinema, are already at the brink of bankruptcy.
This is going way, way, over the edge, what’s next?
Trump and his supporters continue to follow the rhetoric that the election was rigged, fraught with fraud (despite continued evidence to the contrary) and that Joe Bidenstole the election.
Trump’s retweets of Quaid’s posts come after GSA Emily Murphy informed Biden that the Trump administration is ready to formally allow the presidential transition to begin. Perhaps that set him off…
Trump, as per usual, took to Twitter, and decided to retweeted a total of 5 old tweets from Randy Quaid, who has been very vocal in calling for a total 2020 election recount / do-over.
Producer, director, writer, actor, Quaid does it all in Tweets from hell
Randy Quaid, a fervent Trump supporter, has made headlines not for this acting, but for his bizarre social media posts, two in particular that showcase his political ranting in the most theatrical way possible.
Oddly, since Quaid is an actor (or at least a retired one) it is hard to tell if he is serious or if this is some sort of “long con”. He comes across as far more than deranged, mad, totally off his rocker – almost like it’s scripted.
And, yet, this is what he is known for – one of his most famous roles is in “Independence Day” where he plays an alcoholic, wacko, ex-military, semi-retired pilot who commits hari-kari in an effort to save the planet from aliens.
Could it be that some sort of actor-related (or real?) PTSD is causing his brain to think that he is in some imaginary sequel to his Independence Day role? Or maybe Trump is also thinking he is living an extension of his glory days as the mogul on The Apprentice – well, the answer to that one is obviously, yes, but, it appears that the strangeness and sickness is just mounting up for the third act. what will that be?
Some parts of the video, are literally innocent (?), as he speaks gibberish with green and red strobe lights flashing upon a closeup of his face.
“Is this the way America goes? From George Washington to George Soros? From oceans white with foam to a socialist swamp. Is this the way America goes? Is this really our future? Wake up you sleeping giant, the lilliputians have tied you down with their fantastic dreams of icebergs melting into dinosaurs and train tracks stretching across the Pacific water…”
