Film
Ready for 2023: Fandango Poll Reveals Most Anticipated Movies of Next Year
American ticketing company Fandango recently surveyed 5,000 of their users to learn people's thoughts about going to the movies in 2023. While overall box office revenue was down this year compared to pre-pandemic levels (and with a 45% decrease in releases from 2019), the slew of movies expected to come out in 2023 may provide a big box office boost. Impressively, 99% of all people polled said they were looking forward to seeing a movie in theaters and 97% want to attend more movies than they did in 2022. Superheroes top the list, with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the most anticipated film of 2023 with Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse following close behind. Franchise actions films like John Wick: Chapter 4 and the long-awaited Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also feature prominently on the list—as does Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The survey also asked users for the characters and performances they are most excited to watch in the new year. Halle Bailey, who will star as Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid remake, tops the list. The animated Super Mario Bros. Movie made the cut, as audiences are excited to watch the all-star voice cast portray these well-known characters. In the comedy genre, people are eager to see Soderbergh’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance. The upcoming adaptation of Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot (previously a novel and television miniseries) is the most anticipated horror film of 2023. Audiences are already excited about what looks like a great new year for movies.
Sports
World Cup Record: Final Match Is Most Watched Men’s Soccer Game in U.S.
This year’s World Cup started with several uncertainties. The Qatar setting created many political controversies, and the international time-zone meant strange viewing hours for domestic audiences. After four weeks, the tournament culminated in what some are calling the greatest World Cup final ever played, in which Argentina beat France with a penalty kick. The final game was the most-watched soccer game in the U.S., averaging 25.78 million viewers on Sunday morning. In a more detailed split up, Fox Sports saw 16.8 million viewers, while Telemundo’s Spanish broadcast (which was also streamed on Peacock) brought in another 9 million. The previous U.S. record for most-watched men’s game was set earlier in the World Cup when the U.S. played England. That game earned 15.49 million viewers. Overall, the final is still the second-most-watched soccer game, falling behind the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, which had 26.7 million viewers. The tally for that game may be even higher, since it does not include out-of-home viewing, which Nielsen began counting in 2020. This is the third World Cup win for Argentina, and their last was in 1986. Throughout the 2022 World Cup tournament, there was an upward trend of viewership. Overall numbers were up 38% from 2018. The boost may be due in part to the inclusion of the U.S. team, which did not qualify for the tournament back in 2018. But even after the team lost and left the Cup, audiences in the U.S. remained interested. The cross-platform audience was also bigger for the World Cup than other sports games airing simultaneously, including the NFL’s Sunday Night Football.
Advertising
The World of VPP: Virtual Product Placement Becoming a Big Business
We’re all familiar with the practice of product placement in media, where our favorite characters drink an iconic soda or namedrop a well-known laundry detergent. It’s a practice as old as the entertainment industry, but what if these products could be added digitally in postproduction? Enter: Virtual Product Placement (VPP), a process that experts at insight firm Radicle think generate up to $6.6B in the U.S. market. Although this technique has existed for over a year now, it has yet to take off. Still, the popularity of legacy media libraries on streaming services could be just the boost that VPP needs. Imagine you’re watching an older series like Friends or Cheers when one of the characters takes a sip from a brand of beer that didn’t exist until 2015. Streaming is a huge opportunity for VPP due to the many deep libraries of content. Radicle’s reports found that NCIS alone could generate up to $23.1 million with the 440 episodes that are available. Overall, sitcoms and procedural shows seem to be the best fit for VPP, compared to action or science fiction programming. Still, there is a lot of hesitancy in the world of product placement. The fast-changing streaming landscape, which has recently seen the introduction of ad-tiers and ‘In-Scene Ads’ technology on Peacock, may not be eager to embrace the technology. Another entertainment market that could see great success with VPP is live sports. Radicle believes that live sports VPP could generate up to $7 billion, as it could create added value for sports rights. Technology companies like Apple and Amazon have a great foundation to leverage VPP, as they have customer data sets already available to them.
Industry
Production in the Garden State: New Jersey Strikes Multiple Development Deals
Vacant properties in New Jersey are about to become new studios and production facilities. Both Lionsgate and Netflix have signed separate pacts this December detailing their plans to develop these spaces. Netflix won the redevelopment bid for a former Army facility located in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and the streamer will invest $843 million to develop 300-acres into 12 soundstages, production offices, and additional support facilities. Fort Monmouth has been mostly vacant for the last decade, so the state believes this new location will bring in about 3,500 construction-related jobs and create 1,500 permeant production jobs. Lionsgate made a pact with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority which establishes a studio in Newark. This will be the state's first ever “purpose-built” production facility. Lionsgate is also one of New Jersey’s official economic partners, meaning the two parties have a close relationship and have worked together on multiple ventures and production projects. This new studio is expected to create 600 jobs and generate up to $800 million for the city. The plan was first revealed in May and construction began in September. So far, everything is going as planned and the studio is expected to be complete by September 2024. The Lionsgate facility is being erected on a former public housing complex, but the new construction will include five soundstages, post-production offices, and several additional support facilities. Robert Halmi, an industry veteran who currently heads Great Point Studios, thanks New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for recognizing the value of entertainment and says that, “This is a wonderful development for the many entertainment industry workers and performers in New Jersey and for the state itself.”
International
French Film Equality: Can the Country’s Traditional Industry Find a Balance?
France’s film industry, which has struggled to fairly represent its filmmaking population with the films selected for competition at international festivals, is getting closer to gender equality, thanks to its recent wins. In 2021, both Julia Ducournau’s Titane and Audrey Diwan’s Happening won top prizes at Cannes and Venice respectively. Now, four of the five films on France’s shortlist for the Best International Feature Academy Award are projects directed by women. Even with this win, there have been setbacks. At this year's Cannes, only four of the 21 French titles were directed by women. The percentage is not equal to the actual population of female filmmakers in this country, and according to France’s National Cinema Centre (CNC), 24.7% of all 2020 French films were directed by women. In Paris, an independent organization called Le Lab Femmes de Cinema has the aim to create dialogue around the unequal representation of female filmmakers. Fabienne Silvestre, who runs this organization, is disappointed with the current rate of change, which would “take 25 more years for equal representation.” The organization also focuses on female representation in front of the camera, and recent films show signs of progress on that front. Many newer films are adding feminist twists to traditional storylines and addressing important women's topics like abortion and reproductive rights. Other feminist organizations have arisen, seeking gender parity in the entertainment industry. Producer Vanessa Djian and publicist Karolyne Leibovi co-founded Girls Support Girls, which organizes networking events in Cannes and Paris, giving women more opportunities to connect and work together.
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