Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, addresses the audience during the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon 2019, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) at Caesars Palace, Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --
Lionsgate's motion picture group chairman Joe Drake says the sky is not falling in Hollywood and the feature film business is not dead. It's certainly a message that the audience of movie theater owners and exhibitors wanted to hear at the final Hollywood studio presentation at CinemaCon.
The studio on Thursday announced a multi-platform deal with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures and a new banner for faith-based films called Kingdom. It also offered a first look at Rian Johnson's crackling Agatha Christie-style whodunit "Knives Out," with Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.
The studio brought out stars like Halle Berry, of "John Wick 3," Jamie Lee Curtis of "Knives Out" and Charlize Theron of "Long Shot" to promote its slate.
Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.
In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
"Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion โฆ could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More
