Showbiz Sandbox

One of the key disputes striking actors are having with the AMPTP (the studios and the streamers) is over artificial intelligence and how it will be used in movies and television shows in the future. What rights will actors have and will they get paid if their image and likeness is used through AI? We […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 625: SAG-AFTRA Concerns Over AI Are Justified appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The idea of counter-programming the simultaneous global release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” over the same summer weekend always seemed like a gamble. But somehow Greta Gerwig’s comedy about a popular toy doll and a Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the renowned nuclear physicist wound up becoming a worldwide phenomenon breaking all sorts of box office records […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 624: Hollywood Is Bungling Its Barbenheimer Momentum appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Film and television production ground to a halt last week in Hollywood (and elsewhere) when actors joined the already striking writers on the picket line. This marks the first time in 63 years that the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild has been on strike at the same time and it is […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 623: Actors Join Writers In Historic Dual-Strike appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The Writers Guild of America members have been on strike for over two months now and might soon be joined by the Screen Actors Guild. When it comes to artificial intelligence however both guilds agree; when their members’ work is used to train AI, actors and writers should be paid. Some writers are now taking […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 622: Actors and Writers Agree That AI Ain’t So Smart appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

In a year which boasted a bevy of summer blockbusters, moviegoers haven’t been turning up at theaters for some of the more highly anticipated releases. Instead, big budget titles such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Elemental,” “The Flash,” and even “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” among others have all had underwhelming opening weekends. Is […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 621: Summer Box Office Is Much Cooler Than Expected appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

This 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held last weekend honoring the best and brightest Broadway productions from the past year. Although there was no script for host Ariana DeBose to work due to the writer’s strike. But while the telecast may have been refreshingly unscripted, the winners were fairly predictable with “Kimberly Akimbo” winning […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with studios, networks and streamers on a new three-year contract avoiding what some believed would be the first true strike in its 87 year history. Entertainment and technology attorney Jonathan Handel joins us to explain the proposed agreement the directors negotiated with producers. He wrote the book […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 619: Directors Strike Deal for New Contract With Producers appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend handing out prizes to some of the 21 official selections appearing in competition this year. Justine Triet’s film “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the Palme d’Or though that was one of many deserving titles programmed at what many festival goers felt was one […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 618: The 2023 Cannes Film Festival Lives Up to the Hype appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

There are few people that know more about labor issues in the entertainment business than attorney and journalist Jonathan Handel. So when members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike last week, grinding most television production to a halt, we asked him to join us to discuss all the nuanced details. Handel not […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 617: Why the Writers Strike Will Last for Months, Not Weeks appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Movie theater operators from around the world gathered in Las Vegas last week for CinemaCon. Though the last two pandemic suppressed editions of the conference were filled with artificial optimism about the business, this year’s event showcased an industry that had survived and is indeed thriving thanks to a robust release schedule with plenty of […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 616: Movie Theaters Celebrate Recovery at CinemaCon appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Warner Bros. Discovery had long promised to merge its two major streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single, combined offering. This past week the media giant unveiled the name of the new service to the public; Max. Despite having decades of positive brand recognition, HBO will be dropped from the name. The company […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 615: Warner Bros. Takes Streaming to the Max appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

When the recording industry first moved online in the early 2000’s piracy was driven by fans illegally downloading music through services like Napster. These days piracy is being committed by the music industry itself through streaming fraud. Artists and/or record labels are generating millions of fake automated streams to pump up playback numbers with the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 614: Streaming Fraud Is Costing Musicians Billions appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

James Patterson has been a perennial presence on the New York Times best seller list after his most recent book failed to make the list, he accused the newspaper of “cooking the books” in the way it compiles its lists. According to BookScan, which uses actual sales figures, Patterson’s latest book should have made the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 613: Author James Patterson Questions New York Times Best Seller List appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Everyone from fans of popular music groups to Broadway regulars are still facing angst and high prices when buying tickets. When the English rock band The Cure decided to forego dynamic pricing and charge only $20 to verified fans for tickets to their upcoming tour, the service fees and facility charges added up to more […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 612: No Easy Cure for Concert Ticket Troubles appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

As everyone expected, the big winner at this year’s Oscars was “Everyone Everywhere All At Once,” taking home seven of the 11 awards it was nominated for. Anne Thompson of Indiewire was at the ceremony and joins us to give us the scoop on what happened behind the scenes at this year’s Academy Awards, including […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 611: This Year’s Oscars Were Everything Everyone Could Have Asked For appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

The current Writers Guild of America contract with signatories ends on May 1st of this year. Television networks and studios are bracing for what feels like an inevitable writers strike. The guild, which represents TV and movie writers, recently settled on a list of demands it is seeking during upcoming contract negotiations. Meanwhile AMC is […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 610: Hollywood Writers Prep For A Contentious Strike appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

According to Digital Entertainment Group, consumers in North America spent $37 billion on home entertainment in 2022. That includes not only spending on streaming services, but also DVD, Blu-ray and digital sales. Not to mention physical and digital rentals. And none of these figures includes spending on cable television. Meanwhile, awards season is in full […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 609: Consumers Are Spending A Fortune on Home Entertainment appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Major television networks, cable channels and even streamers are all reeling from all of the changes the industry has been undergoing recently. New shows are being canceled before they air. Others disappear after only a single season with all their episodes yanked from streaming libraries. Ratings for linear and cable are way down causing every […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 608: The Television Landscape Is Changing FAST appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, announced plans to start charging moviegoers based on where they sit in an auditorium. Preferred seats will cost a few dollars more than standard seats and those in the first two rows will cost less. At a time when movie theaters are having trouble attracting patrons back into […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 607: AMC Sets Sights On Upending Movie Ticket Prices appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.

Though Beyoncé led the 2023 Grammy Award nominations with nine nods, in the end she did not win the top prize for Album of the Year for “Renaissance.” Much to the dismay of some, that honor went to Harry Styles for “Harry’s House,” though Beyoncé did break the record for the most Grammy wins ever. […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 606: Beyoncé Makes Grammy History As Harry Styles Wins Album of the Year appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.