movies

report:-apple-changes-film-strategy,-will-rarely-do-wide-theatrical-releases

Report: Apple changes film strategy, will rarely do wide theatrical releases

Small screen focus —

Apple TV+ has made more waves with TV shows than movies so far.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt stand in a doorway

Enlarge / A still from Wolfs, an Apple-produced film starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Apple

For the past few years, Apple has been making big-budget movies meant to compete with the best traditional Hollywood studios have to offer, and it has been releasing them in theaters to drive ticket sales and awards buzz.

Much of that is about to change, according to a report from Bloomberg. The article claims that Apple is “rethinking its movie strategy” after several box office misfires, like Argylle and Napoleon.

It has already canceled the wide theatrical release of one of its tent pole movies, the George Clooney and Brad Pitt-led Wolfs. Most other upcoming big-budget movies from Apple will be released in just a few theaters, suggesting the plan is simple to ensure continued awards eligibility but not to put butts in seats.

Further, Apple plans to move away from super-budget films and to focus its portfolio on a dozen films a year at lower budgets. Just one major big-budget film is planned to get a wide theatrical release: F1. How that one performs could inform future changes to Apple’s strategy.

The report notes that Apple is not the only streamer changing its strategy. Netflix is reducing costs and bringing more movie production in-house, while Amazon is trying (so far unsuccessfully) to produce a higher volume of movies annually, but with a mixture of online-only and in-theater releases. It also points out that movie theater chains are feeling ever more financial pressure, as overall ticket sales haven’t matched their pre-pandemic levels despite occasional hits like Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine.

Cinemas have been counting on streamers like Netflix and Apple to crank out films, but those hopes may be dashed if the media companies continue to pull back. For the most part, tech companies like Apple and Amazon have had better luck gaining buzz with television series than with feature films.

Report: Apple changes film strategy, will rarely do wide theatrical releases Read More »

report:-apple-tv+-will-soon-get-a-lot-more-movies-made-by-studios-other-than-apple

Report: Apple TV+ will soon get a lot more movies made by studios other than Apple

Streaming services —

Apple TV+ series have made an impact, but its films have been less successful lately.

A photo of a TV showing the landing page for Argylle in the Apple TV+ app

Enlarge / Apple seeks to continue to augment its library of original films like Argylle with films from other studios.

Apple TV+ has carved a niche for itself with strong original programming, and while it’s still far behind the likes of Netflix in terms of subscribers, it has seen a fairly strong initial run. To build on that, Apple is talking with major studios about ways to complement its slate of original programming with films from other companies in order to expand and extend the service’s appeal.

That’s according to Bloomberg reporters Lucas Shaw and Thomas Buckley, who cite people familiar with Apple’s workings. Those sources say Apple is “having discussions” with more than one large film studio about bringing more movies to the service.

Apple previously experimented with this by licensing around 50 movies and making them available on the service for limited runs over the past several months. That experiment seems to have gone well, leading Apple to begin laying the groundwork for expanding on that.

That test run was just in the United States. Bloomberg claims the focus this time is international, with the possibility of new films not just in the US but in other regions, too.

Hollywood studios have reportedly been anticipating this move. As you may have noticed amid the numerous subscription service price hikes, media companies have begun putting greater emphasis on profitability after the conclusion of a long period where subscriber growth at any cost was the goal. Licensing deals like this can help with that new goal.

It’s worth noting that while Apple has found some big successes in terms of series (Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show) it has struggled to make as much of an impact with its movies. Despite big stars and budgets, the films have not always made as much cultural impact as the shows.

That means that bringing in films from studios with a more proven record can be a win-win: It will help Apple bolster the TV+ subscription service while generating revenue for film studios that are struggling to keep up in the new era.

Services like TV+ are a growing part of Apple’s business, which has historically been focused on hardware sales. In the second quarter of its 2024 fiscal year, the services bucket accounted for $23.9 billion in quarterly revenue, which is more than half the revenue generated by iPhone hardware sales.

Report: Apple TV+ will soon get a lot more movies made by studios other than Apple Read More »

openai-shows-off-sora-ai-video-generator-to-hollywood-execs

OpenAI shows off Sora AI video generator to Hollywood execs

No lights, no camera, action —

CEO Sam Altman met with Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros Discovery.

a robotic intelligence works as a cameraman (3d rendering)

OpenAI has launched a charm offensive in Hollywood, holding meetings with major studios including Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros Discovery to showcase its video generation technology Sora and allay fears the artificial intelligence model will harm the movie industry.

Chief Executive Sam Altman and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap gave presentations to executives from the film industry giants, said multiple people with knowledge of the meetings, which took place in recent days.

Altman and Lightcap showed off Sora, a new generative AI model that can create detailed videos from simple written prompts.

The technology first gained Hollywood’s attention after OpenAI published a selection of videos produced by the model last month. The clips quickly went viral online and have led to debate over the model’s potential impact on the creative industries.

“Sora is causing enormous excitement,” said media analyst Claire Enders. “There is a sense it is going to revolutionize the making of movies and bring down the cost of production and reduce the demand for [computer-generated imagery] very strongly.”

AI-generated video of a cat and human, generated via video generation model Sora.

Those involved in the meetings said OpenAI was seeking input from the film bosses on how Sora should be rolled out. Some who watched the demonstrations said they could see how Sora or similar AI products could save time and money on production but added the technology needed further development.

OpenAI’s overtures to the studios come at a delicate moment in Hollywood. Last year’s monthslong strikes ended with the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild securing groundbreaking protections from AI in their contracts. This year, contract negotiations are underway with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees—and AI is again expected to be a hot-button issue.

Earlier this week, OpenAI released new Sora videos generated by a number of visual artists and directors, including short films, as well as their impressions of the technology. The model will aim to compete with several available text-to-video services from start-ups, including Runway, Pika, and Stability AI. These other services already offer commercial uses for content.

An AI-generated video from Sora of a dog.

However, Sora has not been widely released. OpenAI has held off announcing a launch date or the circumstances under which it will be available. One person with knowledge of its strategy said the company was deciding how to commercialize the technology. Another person said there were safety steps still to take before the company considered putting Sora into a product.

OpenAI is also working to improve the system. Currently, Sora can only make videos under one minute in length, and its creations have limitations, such as glass bouncing off the floor instead of shattering or adding extra limbs to people and animals.

Some studios appeared open to using Sora in filmmaking or TV production in future, but licensing and partnerships have not yet been discussed, said people involved in the talks.

“There have been no meetings with OpenAI about partnerships,” one studio executive said. “They’ve done demos, just like Apple has been demo-ing the Vision Pro [mixed-reality headset]. They’re trying to get people excited.”

OpenAI has been previewing the model in a “very controlled manner” to “industries that are likely to be impacted first,” said one person close to OpenAI.

Media analyst Enders said the reception from the movie industry had been broadly optimistic on Sora as it is “seen completely as a cost-saving element, rather than impacting the creative ethos of storytelling.”

OpenAI declined to comment.

An AI-generated video from Sora of a woman walking down a Tokyo street.

© 2024 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved Not to be redistributed, copied, or modified in any way.

OpenAI shows off Sora AI video generator to Hollywood execs Read More »

debt-laden-warner-bros.-discovery-and-paramount-consider-merger

Debt-laden Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount consider merger

Game of Thrones

Enlarge / Media firms are looking for allies to help them take the coveted media throne.

The CEOs of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Paramount Global discussed a potential merger on Tuesday, according to a report from Axios citing “multiple” anonymous sources. No formal talks are underway yet, according to The Wall Street Journal. But the discussions look like the start of consolidation discussions for the media industry during a tumultuous time of forced evolution.

On Wednesday, Axios reported that WBD head David Zaslav and Paramount head Bob Bakish met in Paramount’s New York City headquarters for “several hours.”

Zaslav and Shari Redstone, owner of Paramount’s parent company National Amusements Inc (NAI), have also spoken, Axios claimed.

One of the publication’s sources said a WBD acquisition of NAI, rather than only Paramount Global, is possible.

Talks to unite the likes of Paramount’s film studio, Paramount+ streaming service, and TV networks (including CBS, BET, Nickelodeon, and Showtime) with WBD’s Max streaming service, CNN, Cinemax, and DC Comics properties are reportedly just talks, but Axios said WBD “hired bankers to explore the deal.”

It’s worth noting that WBD will suffer a big tax hit if it engages in merger and acquisition activity before April 8 due to a tax formality related to Discovery’s merger with WarnerMedia (which formed Warner Bros. Discovery) in 2022.

A union of debts

Besides the reported talks being in very early stages, there are reasons to be skeptical about a WBD and Paramount merger. The biggest one? Debt.

The New York Times notes that WBD has $40 billion in debt and $5 billion in free cash flow. Paramount, meanwhile, has $15 billion in debt and a negative cash flow. Zaslav has grown infamous for slashing titles and even enacting layoffs to save costs. But WBD is eyeing greener pastures and declared Max as “getting slightly profitable” in October. Adding more debt to WBD’s plate could be viewed as a step backward.

Additionally, Paramount is even more connected to old, flailing forms of media than WBD, as noted by The Information, which pointed to two-thirds of Paramount’s revenue coming from traditional TV networks.

Antitrust concerns could also impact such a deal.

WBD stocks closed down 5.7 percent, and Paramount’s closed down 2 percent after Axios’ report broke.

Of course, these details about a potential merger may have been reported because WBD and/or Paramount want us to know about it so that they can gauge market reaction and/or entice other media companies to discuss potential deals.

Debt-laden Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount consider merger Read More »

“privacy-lost”:-new-short-film-shows-metaverse-concerns

“PRIVACY LOST”: New Short Film Shows Metaverse Concerns

Experts have been warning that, as exciting as AI and the metaverse are, these emerging technologies may have negative effects if used improperly. However, it seems like the promise of these technologies may be easier to convey than some of the concerns. A new short film, titled PRIVACY LOST, is a theatrical exploration of some of those concerns.

To learn more, ARPost talked with the writer of PRIVACY LOST – CEO and Chief Scientist of Unanimous AI and a long-time emerging technology engineer and commentator, Dr. Louis Rosenberg.

PRIVACY LOST

Parents and their son sit in a restaurant. The parents are wearing slim AR glasses while the child plays on a tablet.

As the parents argue with one another, their glasses display readouts of the other’s emotional state. The husband is made aware when his wife is getting angry and the wife is made aware when her husband is lying.

privacy lost movie emotions

A waiter appears and the child puts down the tablet and puts on a pair of AR glasses. The actual waiter never appears on screen but appears to the husband as a pleasant-looking tropical server, to the wife as a fit surf-bro, and to the child as an animated stuffed bear.

privacy lost movie sales

Just as the husband and wife used emotional information about one another to try to navigate their argument, the waiter uses emotional information to try to most effectively sell menu items – aided through 3D visual samples. The waiter takes drink orders and leaves. The couple resumes arguing.

privacy lost movie purchase probability

PRIVACY LOST presents what could be a fairly typical scene in the near future. But, should it be?

“It’s short and clean and simple, which is exactly what we aimed for – a quick way to take the complex concept of AI-powered manipulation and make it easily digestible by anyone,” Rosenberg says of PRIVACY LOST.

Creating the Film

“I’ve been developing VR, AR, and AI for over 30 years because I am convinced they will make computing more natural and human,” said Rosenberg. “I’m also keenly aware that these technologies can be abused in very dangerous ways.”

For as long as Rosenberg has been developing these technologies, he has been warning about their potential societal ramifications. However, for much of that career, people have viewed his concerns as largely theoretical. As first the metaverse and now AI have developed and attained their moments in the media, Rosenberg’s concerns take on a new urgency.

“ChatGPT happened and suddenly these risks no longer seemed theoretical,” said Rosenberg. “Almost immediately, I got flooded by interest from policymakers and regulators who wanted to better understand the potential for AI-powered manipulation in the metaverse.”

Rosenberg reached out to the Responsible Metaverse Alliance. With support from them, the XR Guild, and XRSI, Rosenberg wrote a script for PRIVACY LOST, which was produced with help from Minderoo Pictures and HeadQ Production & Post.

“The goal of the video, first and foremost, is to educate and motivate policymakers and regulators about the manipulative dangers that will emerge as AI technologies are unleashed in immersive environments,” said Rosenberg. “At the same time, the video aims to get the public thinking about these issues because it’s the public that motivates policymakers.”

Finding Middle Ground

While Rosenberg is far from the only person calling for regulation in emerging tech, that concept is still one that many see as problematic.

“Some people think regulation is a dirty word that will hurt the industry. I see it the opposite way,” said Rosenberg. “The one thing that would hurt the industry most of all is if the public loses trust. If regulation makes people feel safe in virtual and augmented worlds, the industry will grow.”

The idea behind PRIVACY LOST isn’t to prevent the development of any of the technologies shown in the video – most of which already exist, even though they don’t work together or to the exact ends displayed in the cautionary vignette. These technologies, like any technology, have the capacity to be useful but could also be used and abused for profit, or worse.

For example, sensors that could be used to determine emotion are already used in fitness apps to allow for more expressive avatars. If this data is communicated to other devices, it could enable the kinds of manipulative behavior shown in PRIVACY LOST. If it is stored and studied over time, it could be used at even greater scales and potentially for more dangerous uses.

“We need to allow for real-time emotional tracking, to make the metaverse more human, but ban the storage and profiling of emotional data, to protect against powerful forms of manipulation,” said Rosenberg. “It’s about finding a smart middle ground and it’s totally doable.”

The Pace of Regulation

Governments around the world respond to emerging technologies in different ways and at different paces, according to Rosenberg. However, across the board, policymakers tend to be “receptive but realistic, which generally means slow.” That’s not for lack of interest or effort – after all, the production of PRIVACY LOST was prompted by policymaker interest in these technologies.

“I’ve been impressed with the momentum in the EU and Australia to push regulation forward, and I am seeing genuine efforts in the US as well,” said Rosenberg. “I believe governments are finally taking these issues very seriously.”

The Fear of (Un)Regulated Tech

Depending on how you view the government, regulation can seem scary. In the case of technology, however, it seems to never be as scary as no regulation. PRIVACY LOST isn’t an exploration of a world where a controlling government prevents technological progress, it’s a view of a world where people are controlled by technology gone bad. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

“PRIVACY LOST”: New Short Film Shows Metaverse Concerns Read More »

the-best-new-movies-you-can-watch-at-home-right-now

The best new movies you can watch at home right now

internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 905 throw err; ^ Error: Cannot find module ‘puppeteer’ Require stack: – /home/760439.cloudwaysapps.com/jxzdkzvxkw/public_html/wp-content/plugins/rss-feed-post-generator-echo/res/puppeteer/puppeteer.js at Function.Module._resolveFilename (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 902: 15) at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 746: 27) at Module.require (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 974: 19) at require (internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js: 101: 18) at Object. (/home/760439.cloudwaysapps.com/jxzdkzvxkw/public_html/wp-content/plugins/rss-feed-post-generator-echo/res/puppeteer/puppeteer.js:2: 19) at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 1085: 14) at Object.Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 1114: 10) at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 950: 32) at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js: 790: 12) at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (internal/modules/run_main.js: 75: 12) code: ‘MODULE_NOT_FOUND’, requireStack: [ ‘/home/760439.cloudwaysapps.com/jxzdkzvxkw/public_html/wp-content/plugins/rss-feed-post-generator-echo/res/puppeteer/puppeteer.js’ ]

The best new movies you can watch at home right now Read More »