Y2K is fast approaching and SHOOT-in dead-line for the new age-decided to give executive producers the chance to weigh in with the "last word" on what the past has been and what the future still holds for spot production. In other words, we conducted a survey on the issues production companies face as we approach the new century.
We asked participants to discuss whatever was on their minds, and to define the issues that they thought were most critical to the production community. Meanwhile, SHOOT staffers came up with our own list of important topics, just to get the ball rolling. These are:
The Squeeze: During this most recent slowdown in the spot business, we are seeing mid-range companies squeezed out of the action. Low-budget creative is now often being bid by blue chip directors at big houses, or by the young hotties at the latest-flavor boutiques. In other words, it appears that you either have to be really big or really small to survive these days.
The Freebie: Will the phenomenon of producing agency- and/or advertiser-initiated spec spots continue or fade away?
The Digi-Spot: Will production companies start shooting spots in hi-res digital, as some filmmakers are now doing with low-budget feature films? And how will HDTV affect the way commercials are produced in the future?
The Spread: In order to prosper in the new age, will production companies need to spread their wings and diversify into other areas? Will they offer creative services, feature film services, or more dramatically, will they expand into the interactive media marketplace?
Here is what our respondents had to say:
“Smile 2” Tops Weekend Box Office; “Anora” Glitters In Limited Release
Horror movies topped the domestic box office charts and an Oscar contender got off to a sparkling start this weekend. "Smile 2," in its first weekend, and "Terrifier 3" in its second proved to be the big draws for general movie audiences in North America, while the Palme d'Or winner"Anora" got the best per-theater average in over a year.
"Smile 2" was the big newcomer, taking first place with a better than expected $23 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Parker Finn returned to write and direct the sequel to the supernatural horror "Smile," his debut. Originally intended for streaming, Paramount pivoted and sent the movie to theaters in the fall of 2022. "Smile" became a sleeper hit at the box office, earning some $217 million against a $17 million budget.
The sequel, starring Naomi Scott as a pop star, was rewarded with a bit of a bigger budget, and a theatrical commitment from the start. Playing on 3,619 screens, it opened slightly higher than the first's $22 million.
Second place went to Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "The Wild Robot" in its fourth weekend with $10.1 million, bumping it past $100 million in North America. Family films often have long lives in theaters, particularly ones as well reviewed as "The Wild Robot," and some have speculated that it got a bump this weekend from teenagers buying tickets for the PG-rated family film and then sneaking into "Terrifier 3," which is not rated, instead. Either way, Damien Leone's demon clown movie, which cost only $2 million to produce, is doing more than fine with legitimate ticket buyers. It added an estimated $9.3 million, bringing its total to $36.2 million.
"Rumors like that are PR gold," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "There's... Read More