With Italy, France and Spain in full lockdown in the face of the unrelenting coronavirus outbreak, their respective film industries are preparing to take exceptional measures that could limit the anticipated economic damage by opening themselves up to an uncharted gamble in streaming.
To date, dozens of film releases have been postponed to between July and October across all three countries, which are the hardest hit in Europe. This could trigger a bloodbath for theaters in markets where independent distributors are already struggling to compete with U.S. majors, such as France, where Hollywood titles accounted for 59% of the nation’s record-breaking 213 million admissions in 2019.
The crux of the battle is ensuring the box office debuts of independent European movies aren’t crushed by a tsunami of movie releases. One increasingly attractive option is to offer these films immediately on demand via streamers or broadcasters — a radical move already enacted...
To date, dozens of film releases have been postponed to between July and October across all three countries, which are the hardest hit in Europe. This could trigger a bloodbath for theaters in markets where independent distributors are already struggling to compete with U.S. majors, such as France, where Hollywood titles accounted for 59% of the nation’s record-breaking 213 million admissions in 2019.
The crux of the battle is ensuring the box office debuts of independent European movies aren’t crushed by a tsunami of movie releases. One increasingly attractive option is to offer these films immediately on demand via streamers or broadcasters — a radical move already enacted...
- 3/25/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy, Nick Vivarelli and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
French pay-tv group Canal Plus, a major backer of local cinema, has lost the broadcasting rights to French Premier League soccer matches, raising fears in France’s struggling film industry of deep cuts in investment.
Canal Plus lost the rights in an auction Tuesday to Chinese-owned Spanish broadcasting group Mediapro, which is based in Barcelona. Analysts and industry players say the loss could be both a major blow to Canal Plus and to French film, since the pay-tv company is obligated to inject 9.5% of its net sales into financing local movies. Its investment has already dipped from €173 million in 2011 to €151 million in 2016, and is expected to have dropped 20% in 2017.
Along with films and original series such as “Versailles” (pictured), live sport has been key to recruiting subscribers for Canal Plus. But the Vivendi-owned pay-tv group has steadily been losing sports rights to deep-pocketed rivals such as beIN Sports, Altice and now Mediapro,...
Canal Plus lost the rights in an auction Tuesday to Chinese-owned Spanish broadcasting group Mediapro, which is based in Barcelona. Analysts and industry players say the loss could be both a major blow to Canal Plus and to French film, since the pay-tv company is obligated to inject 9.5% of its net sales into financing local movies. Its investment has already dipped from €173 million in 2011 to €151 million in 2016, and is expected to have dropped 20% in 2017.
Along with films and original series such as “Versailles” (pictured), live sport has been key to recruiting subscribers for Canal Plus. But the Vivendi-owned pay-tv group has steadily been losing sports rights to deep-pocketed rivals such as beIN Sports, Altice and now Mediapro,...
- 5/31/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
On the surface, France’s film industry is living la vie en rose. The country recorded its third-largest box office haul in 50 years in 2017, following an even stronger performance in 2016. More than 60 French productions or co-productions have been selected for the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. French sales agents represent more than two-thirds of the films in the festival’s official competition.
But look a little closer, and the cracks start to appear. Although France is continental Europe’s biggest film market, many distributors are in dire straits. Major companies like Wild Bunch and EuropaCorp are seeking white knights. Some banners have consolidated, including Mars Films, which sold a 30% stake in the company to Vivendi. Others — such as MK2, which is focusing more on exhibition and international sales — have shut down their distribution businesses or, like La Belle Co., called it quits entirely.
The distribution sector’s woes stem from an ultracompetitive environment,...
But look a little closer, and the cracks start to appear. Although France is continental Europe’s biggest film market, many distributors are in dire straits. Major companies like Wild Bunch and EuropaCorp are seeking white knights. Some banners have consolidated, including Mars Films, which sold a 30% stake in the company to Vivendi. Others — such as MK2, which is focusing more on exhibition and international sales — have shut down their distribution businesses or, like La Belle Co., called it quits entirely.
The distribution sector’s woes stem from an ultracompetitive environment,...
- 5/3/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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