Alkemy X has added commercial and film director Dean Blumberg to its roster for U.S. commercial representation. Living in Johannesburg, South Africa, but shooting globally, Blumberg has a body of work which showcases his affinity for eliciting strong performances from actors on spots for such top brands as KFC, Virgin and Toyota, as well as campaigns with celebrity talent including Sir Ben Kingsley and William Shatner. Blumberg started his career directing short films which garnered him honors at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. He then entered the competitive commercial directing world. Before long he won his first Ad of the Year for Creative Circle with his Ford “Together” spot and that his 1st for Women “So Backwards” piece made the Gunn Report’s 100 Most Awarded Commercials List—something he repeated in 2015 with his Student Flights’ “Grandpa.” He’s gone on to win various Cannes Lions, Clios, Midas, London International, and One Show awards. Blumberg has won Creative Circle’s Ad of the Year twice, as well as 2nd and 3rd places in alternating years. Outside of advertising, Blumberg has continued to work on his feature film and television endeavors throughout the entirety of his career. He has penned three feature film scripts, two of which he sold early on, and is regularly invited to lecture and give workshops on narrative direction. He is currently in development on his first feature film for Netflix, Splitsville, which is slated to begin production in 2023….
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff... Read More