Jay Chiat, founder of Chiat/Day, now TBWA/Chiat/Day, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 70….At press time, there seemed to be an uneasy status quo between actors and talent agents following the rejection last week (4/19) by Screen Actors Guild (SAG) members of a proposed pact between SAG and the Association of Talent Agents (ATA). Nearly 55 percent of those SAG members who voted gave a thumbs down to the tentative agreement, which would have allowed advertising agencies and small to mid-sized independent producers to buy a limited ownership stake in Hollywood talent agencies. The defeat of the agreement means that for the first time since 1939, talent agencies are no longer bound by SAG rules governing commissions and other aspects of business. For the moment, there don’t seem to be any dramatic moves in the offing, such as agents unilaterally raising commissions or selling pieces of their firms. Meanwhile, ATA and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have reached a tentative agreement, subject to AFTRA board and membership approval. Details of that proposed pact had not yet been released as SHOOT went to press…..Diane Flynn, who most recently served as a freelance producer, has been named executive principal/director of broadcast production for Publicis, New York. Prior to freelancing, she was senior VP/director of broadcast production/creative director at Merkley Newman Harty, New York. Previously, she was senior VP/director of broadcast production/ associate creative director at FCB Chicago….Preston Lee, formerly of Venice, Calif.-based Play, has joined Area 51 Films, Santa Monica, as executive producer. He will work closely with Area 51’s managing director, Mark Thomas….Colorist Tim Masick has joined Company 3, New York. He comes over from Moving Images, New York…. Kandoo Films, a Los Angeles shop specializing in entertainment advertising, has launched a commercial production division, signing director Brent Loefke. The move comes on the heels of Kandoo’s opening of feature and music video divisions….
“Dog Man” Still Has Bite, Tops Weekend Box Office For 2nd Straight Week
On a quiet winter weekend at the box office, DreamWorks Animation's "Dog Man" chased its own tail, repeating as the top movie in theaters.
The animated Universal Pictures release, adapted from Dav Pilkey's popular graphic novel series, collected $13.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Both new releases – the Ke Huy Quan action movie "Love Hurts" and the Valentine's Day-themed slasher "Heart Eyes" – were left nipping at the heels of "Dog Man."
Hollywood often largely punts Super Bowl weekend to the small screen. Last year, Apple's much-derided "Argylle" debuted on the same weekend. Instead, the movie industry spends more energy pitching its blockbusters in trailers for the huge football audience on TV.
It wasn't a banner weekend for "Dog Man." It fell steeply, dropping 62% in it second weekend. But with a production budget of $40 million, "Dog Man" has already tallied $54.1 million domestically in two weeks.
Coming in second was Spyglass Media Group's "Heart Eyes," released by Sony. The horror-rom-com mashup earned $8.5 million from 3,102 locations. Reviews have been good for the film, directed by Josh Ruben and starring Oliva Holt and Mason Gooding, though audiences were less impressed. Moviegoers gave it a "B-" CinemaScore. Spyglass made "Heart Eyes" for $18 million.
"Love Hurts," the action comedy from 87North Productions ("John Wick," "The Fall Guy"), debuted with a paltry $5.8 million in 3,055 theaters. In his first big movie role since his Oscar-winning comeback in "Everything All at Once," Ke Huy Quan stars as a mild-mannered realtor with a hitman past. Ariana DeBose co-stars. It, too, was modestly budgeted at $18 million. Audiences, however, mostly rejected the movie, giving "Love Hurts" a... Read More