Distribution

From film festival strategies to theatrical to VOD to online options to finding and securing a sales agent the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on all things related to the distribution process

Pat Alexander
Couldn't pay to finish Batgirl or Coyote vs. Acme, but he sure paid himself a raise. Cool

It's no secret WB/Max has been run pretty willy nilly over the last 5 years. Two name changes. Shelving finished films. Messy streaming platform layout. Renting their library to the highest bidder (including Tubi!). Zaslav has to be one of the worst studio heads out there right now, but wow, do they...

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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's 2023 Compensation Rises 26.5% to Nearly $50 Million
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's 2023 Compensation Rises 26.5% to Nearly $50 Million
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had a 2023 pay package worth $49.7 million, up 26.5% from the year prior.
Tasha Lewis

I used this company for my case studies in my Budget Challenge for studios to help them save close to $50 Billion USD.

If you would like to see the budget challenge, please communicate with RB and Support. (Filmmakers, Studio and Talent Challenges). On my Stage 32 Wall.

Craig D Griffiths

Those decisions are why he gets the pay rise.

He is not there to make movies. He is there to facilitate making money, which is done in the movie industry.

Ashley Renee Smith

Craig D Griffiths is right, Pat Alexander. He's not there as a Creative Executive, he's there to run a corporation which means making money and keeping shareholders happy. By making decisions like axi...

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Maurice Vaughan

Yeah, Craig D Griffiths, but he's making $49.7MM while a lot of the people who come up with the ideas for the movies and shows and make them are struggling. Ridiculous.

Ashley Renee Smith

Couldn't agree with you more, Maurice Vaughan. It's ridiculous and gross. But it's also the sad reality of how larger studios operate. These are corporations first and creative entities second....

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Karen "Kay" Ross
Netflix Stops Reporting Quarterly Numbers

Huh...

"The new approach by Netflix will remove one element of transparency from its reporting, but in some ways it will bring it a bit more in line with some of its rivals. In the nearly five years since the launch of Apple TV+, the tech giant has never reported any subscriber data. Amazon, similar...

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Lindbergh E Hollingsworth

Not reporting quarterly numbers won't have an impact on anyone, anything except Netflix.

Ashley Renee Smith

Thats interesting after so much fuss was being made last year to push streamers to be more transparent overall.

Ashley Renee Smith
Civil War: will A24's $50 million gamble pay off?

It seems so as the film's box office numbers came in at $25.7 million for its debut. According to Variety, "It’s the first A24 movie to lead the charts in North America, setting an opening weekend record for the New York-based specialty studio. It also marks the biggest R-rated start of the year."

Th...

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Ashley Renee Smith

I think that the quality has dropped a bit and that's made it difficult to get excited about them, Debbie Elicksen. You know that I'm a pretty die-hard comic book geek and even I chose to skip seeing...

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Geoff Hall

Jed Power “The screenplay is horrible…” Okay, Jed you got my attention. Please can you tell me why you think this? I thought considering the genre, it flew straight down the fairway of dystopic storie...

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Jed Power

Hi Geoff, Besides being partisan, Dialogue, Characters, locations, etc. were unbelievable!

Geoff Hall

Jed Power oh, I saw the film with my son and we didn’t think any of those things.

Ashley Renee Smith

Thats interesting that you felt that way, Jed Power. I haven't had a chance to see it yet but I've been hearing that they went out of their way to make the division within the nation so different from...

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Geoff Hall
Tribeca goes to Lisbon!

This is a fascinating move for Tribeca to flex its wings across the pond. The more I delve into the Tribeca festival, the more I see “Seeing Rachel” as a great fit.

I’ve attended film festivals before, but only once as an artist and certainly nothing on this scale.

Are any of the Stage32 community go...

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Geoff Hall
“We’re In A Crisis Situation”: British Distribution And Exhibition Execs Sound Alarm On Challenges Hitting British Cinemas

And so it goes on. The UK is still in crisis mode, despite the optimism previously engendered by the Inquiry.

““We’re in a crisis situation,” Picturehouse Managing Director Clare Binns concluded this morning when quizzed on the current challenges facing British cinemas during an appearance at the UK...

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Amanda Toney
Netflix’s “Crazy Distribution Model” is Breaking Zack Snyder's Brain

In a revealing new interview, Zack Snyder revealed Netflix’s internal strategies for measuring viewership, and it exposes the inflation streaming services apply to their own audiences. https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/zack-snyder-netflix-distribution-m......

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Maurice Vaughan

It's definitely confusing, Amanda Toney. Some streamers count it a view when you start the movie/show (even if you don't watch it), some streamers count it a view if you watch a certain amount of the...

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Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg

Netflix... doesn't seem to know the truth of the adage "don't believe your own press" Especially when their numbers are private numbers and manipulated to push whoever they wish, even they have a hard...

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Geoff Hall

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg I was talking to RB a while ago about Netflix’s debt situation and he said it wasn’t the case. I’m not sure who to believe!

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for sharing, Pat Alexander. That shows that one production company, producer, etc. might say no, but another company or something else could say yes. Rejection doesn't mean we quit. It means we...

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Debbie Elicksen

Pat Alexander Is there anything Jordan Peele can't do?

Amanda Toney
Streaming deals

I'm working on our education partnership for the Cannes film festival and we are doing a panel on "To Stream or Not to Stream: That is the Distribution Question" - I'd love to hear from anyone who's made streaming deals recently and have you provide any insight into how deal structures have changed....

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Debbie Elicksen

Amanda Toney I look forward to hearing the results of your inquiry.

Ashley Renee Smith
Stage 32 Certification Welcomes The Polish Film Institute!

Stage 32 Certification continues to bring film commissions, institutes, colleges, streamers, & other organizations into the mix. This week we welcome the Polish Film Institute to Stage 32 Education! Learn more in today's blog!

https://www.stage32.com/blog/stage-32-certification-welcomes-the-polish-.....

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Debbie Elicksen

Ashley Renee Smith I love this.

Dustin Richardson
4DX Features & Signature Effects│What is 4DX cinema?

4DX allows films to be augmented with various practical effects, including motion seats, wind, strobe lights, simulated snow, and scents. What are people's thoughts on 4DX? If you've gone to a 4DX screening, what was your experience? I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss!

https://youtu.be/rgJlOZ...

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Ashley Renee Smith

There were two years when my husband and I lived in LA and we couldn't afford to travel home for Christmas. So instead, my sister joined us for the holidays and we would see a 4DX film at LA Live to c...

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Maurice Vaughan

4DX sounds exciting, Dustin Richardson. Busch Gardens used some of the same features for one of its shows years ago. I'm not sure if Busch Gardens used 4DX or something else.

Debbie Elicksen

Dustin Richardson A couple of our Cineplex theaters in Calgary have D-Box seats that have immersive experiences (nope, nope, not for me). Not sure about wanting to smell a movie either. I love the Scr...

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Ashley Renee Smith
Don't Miss Out On Today's Ask Me Anything With PR Professional Laura Ackermann!

Hey, All!

Don't miss out on today's fantastic AMA with Laura Ackermann, Founder of Advantage PR, Publicist, & Branding Expert (Charisma Carpenter, Anna Lamb, Rushi Kota) in the Acting Lounge! Laura is sharing her time with us to answer YOUR questions about "What Should Performers Look For In A Public...

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Mike Boas
Filmhub's update on Amazon changes

As someone with content repped through Filmhub, I got an email today regarding changes over at Amazon/Prime/Freevee. I thought this might be of interest to those who have questions about streaming content over there. Here's the email:

***

Dear Producer,

Amazon is rolling out changes to the two streami...

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Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for sharing, Mike Boas.

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