Box Office: ‘The Jungle Book’ Beats ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ in its Debut
Disney’s The Jungle Book earned a whopping $103.6 million in its debut weekend, which means it’s the second-biggest April debut of all time. It sits well ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($95m in 2014) but well behind Furious 7 ($147m in 2015). (FB)
CinemaCon Wrap-Up: The Winners, the Losers and the Oscar Contenders
CinemaCon is now over, but here’s a look back at which studios made a splash. If anything what CinemaCon confirms is the adage ‘everything old is new again’ and that seems to be what exhibitors, and by extension moviegoers are conditioned to expect and line up for. (DL)
Alakazam! Jon Chu Returning to Direct ‘Now You See Me 3’
The studio struck a deal with Chu nearly two months before it releases his Now You See Me 2 on June 10 — a signal that it believes the sequel will perform in the same range as the 2013 original, which took in $351.7 million worldwide. (VAR)
Amazon Going Head-to-Head with Netflix with New $8.99 Monthly Price
Amazon will begin offering its video-streaming service as a stand-alone option for the first time. A monthly subscription will cost $8.99, a dollar less than the most popular plan from Netflix. Prior to the offering, Amazon snapped up deals for HBO’s older content and with premium TV network Epix. (WJ)
The Top 10 International TV Trends at Series Mania
With more than 18,000 spectators welcomed every year, the Series Mania Festival launched by Forum des Images in 2010 has now become a major event entirely dedicated to the international production of recent TV series. Here’s a look at the top trends at this year’s fest. (VAR)
On the Bubble: Update on Which Shows Face Cancellation- Could ‘Castle’ Be Next?
2016 has been a relatively calm year for bubble shows. For the first time in a while, all five broadcast networks gave early renewals to the bulk of their lineups, leaving a handful of shows — mostly freshmen — on the fence. (DL)
No Need to Lease Cable Boxes as President Obama’s Executive Order Clears the Way for Set-Top Ownership
“Instead of spending nearly $1,000 over four years to lease a set of behind-the-times boxes, American families will have options to own a device for much less money that will integrate everything they want — including their cable or satellite content, as well as online streaming apps — in one, easier-to-use gadget,” said a White House statement announcing the decision. (VI)
Mission Possible for China’s Alibaba with Investment in ‘Ninja Turtles’ & ‘Star Trek Beyond’
After dipping its toe in Hollywood waters by putting money into Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation last year, China’s Alibaba Pictures said Monday it is investing in two more Paramount Pictures films: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Star Trek Beyond. (LA)
Cannes News: What Films Made Critics’ Week 2016 Lineup?
The Critics’ Week selection committee sifted through 1,100 feature-length submissions in order to come up with the final 10, which include six feature debuts and four sophomore outings. Here’s the 2016 lineup. (VAR)
Sky Signs Pact with Sony, Marking Sky’s 1st Multi-Territory Deal with a Major Hollywood Studio
Sky and Sony Pictures Entertainment have signed their first ever multi-year movie agreement stretch across Europe. The arrangement covers both subscription and transactional movie services in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. (BTV)
Trailer Buzz: ‘Equals’
Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult play co-workers Nia and Silas in a futuristic utopian society called “The Collective” where crime and violence have been erased through genetic engineering that also, by the way, got rid of all those messy human emotions and love is a crime. (DL)