Good News for MGM Investors As Studio Adds $300M To Stock Repurchase Plan
This should please investors in privately held MGM: The studio says this morning that the board has added $300 million to its stock-repurchase plan, though it offered no timetable. (DL)
You Caught Us- Netflix Admits to Capping Video Streams on Wireless Networks
Netflix has enforced a maximum limit on the quality of video streamed over AT&T and Verizon wireless networks for years, the company acknowledged Thursday. But Netflix also said it’s working on a way to give users control over how much bandwidth they wish to use to access the service. (VAR)
Box Office: ‘Batman v Superman’ Beats ‘MI: Rogue Nation’s’ Friday Debut in China
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has earned an estimated $20.3 million in its first day of play in China. That includes a $1.35m midnight opening and is the sixth-biggest opening day for an American movie in China. (FB)
A Creative Overhaul on ‘APB’ Happening as Creator Exits, Production Stops and Matt Nix Steps in as Showrunner
Fox’s drama pilot APB starring Justin Kirk is undergoing a creative overhaul. Production on the pilot, directed by Len Wiseman, has been shut down temporarily, and Burn Notice creator Matt Nix has been brought in as writer-showrunner. (DL)
IFC Films Snags ‘The Free World’ Starring Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss
IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to The Free World. Boyd Holbrook and Elizabeth Moss star in the Jason Lew-helmed drama. Octavia Spencer, Sung Kang and Waleed Zuaiter round out the cast. The film, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26 in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, was produced by Laura Rister. (THR)
How a Possible Boycott on Georgia Raises Questions About Other Places Where Human Rights Are Far From Stellar
The boycott on shooting in Georgia raises questions about whether studios, having threatened a boycott over a discriminatory law in one state, would apply the same standards to a plethora of other regions where human rights are far from stellar. (VAR)
Box Office Analysis: The Smallest Movies with the Largest Profits in 2015
When looking at the most profitable films of the year, there are other wildly profitable films, usually genre pictures, that don’t merit inclusion on the basis of highest domestic gross. But that doesn’t mean these films don’t tell compelling stories in their own right. So this time, we included snapshots of five overachieving pictures. (DL)
Screenwriters: Egyptian Filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah Reveals His Tips on Depicting Terrorists in Storytelling
If you convince yourself that “it is for a just cause,” every taboo can be broken. Every flaw becomes a quality. Your very inadequacy is a virtue. The way the media tells the story, it really depends on where you stand. (VAR)
Trailer Buzz: ‘Last Days in the Desert’
Following in the footsteps of Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe and Jim Caviezel, Ewan McGregor is set to bring Jesus back to the big screen in the upcoming odyssey “Last Days in the Desert.” (IW)
More Trailer Buzz: ‘War Dogs’
If you were looking to cast a couple of Hollywood actors as arms dealers, Jonah Hill and Miles Teller probably wouldn’t be top of the list. This is precisely why they’re the right fit for War Dogs, a forthcoming action comedy film from Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover trilogy. (ID)