How will the coronavirus affect comics?

[Digifiend]

You know what I think they should do? Reimburse the cost when you enter the digital code from the print comic to get the digital version for free.

I bet they won't though.

[Holt]

From the box office thread---








Can't see losing $53m and ticking off all the movie chains a win for universal. With that said without all the promotions it could have done better.

WB got the ok for scoob to get a digital release and also had promotions so lets see how it goes for wb before we write it off.

About that...

Universal Pictures and AMC Theatres have put aside a bitter feud and signed a multi-year agreement that will allow the studio’s films to premiere on premium video on-demand within three weeks of their theatrical debuts.

The pact, sure to send shockwaves throughout the exhibition industry, has the potential to reshape the ways that movies are marketed and distributed. Rival studios are likely to begin pushing for exhibitors to grant them more flexibility when it comes to determining when and how their theatrical releases can make their way onto home entertainment platforms.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, in a statement, AMC’s CEO Adam Aron said the company will “share in these new revenue streams,” which means that it will get a cut of any money made on these digital rentals. Universal only has the ability to put its movies on premium on-demand, meaning the rentals that go for roughly $20 a pop. It cannot sell films or rent them for lower on-demand fees, in the $3 to $6 range, until three months after they debut in cinemas.

Even though Universal, under this new agreement, could theoretically debut the next “Jurassic World” or “Fast & Furious” installments on premium on-demand with 17 days of their debut, they will likely have longer exclusive runs in cinemas. Instead, the studio has the option to capitalize on its new freedom with mid-budget fare, comedies, and horror movies that might not have as robust runs in cinemas. But if smaller movies perform better than expected on the big screen, Universal can wait to put it digital rental services. On its upcoming slate, Universal also has “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “Halloween Kills” with Jamie Lee Curtis and spy thriller “355” with Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o.

The deal culminates a period of hostilities between the studio and the world’s largest theater chain, a chill in relations that began after AMC vowed to stop showing Universal’s movies after the studio decided last spring to unveil “Trolls World Tour” simultaneously on digital platforms and in the few theaters still open during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, both sides made nice, with Universal praising the viability of the big screen and AMC hailing the decision as a sign of its willingness to innovate.

“The theatrical experience continues to be the cornerstone of our business,” said Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. “The partnership we’ve forged with AMC is driven by our collective desire to ensure a thriving future for the film distribution ecosystem and to meet consumer demand with flexibility and optionality.”

For his part, Aron said, “Focusing on the long-term health of our industry, we would note that just as restaurants have thrived even though every home has a kitchen, AMC is highly confident that moviegoers will come to our theaters in huge numbers in a post-pandemic world. As people enjoy getting out of their homes, we believe the mystical escape and magical communal experience offered at our theaters will always be a compelling draw, including as it does our big screens, big sound and big seats not to mention the alluring aroma of our perfectly prepared popcorn.”


For years, Universal and other studios have pushed to shrink the window, industry parlance for the period of time between a film’s theatrical release and its debut on home entertainment. Traditionally, that frame of exclusivity has lasted for 90 days, which theater owners have maintained is critical to prevent customers from opting to skip cinemas and wait until a film is available in their homes. But studios have griped that those terms are onerous. They maintain that movies make most of their box office revenues in the first few weeks of release and waiting three months to debut films on-demand and across other platforms requires them to spend more money to advertise them and re-familiarize the public.

However, COVID-19 has altered the power dynamics in the relationship between studios and theaters. The bulk of cinemas in the United States remain closed due to the virus, and plans for a large-scale national reopening have been delayed again and again as cases surge in the South and and on the West Coast. Theaters don’t have the leverage they once did and are looking for ways to make money at a time when it’s not clear if customers feel safe going to cinemas.

At the same time, Universal has found continued financial success with its strategy to bypass theaters at a time when most of the country is still staying home. On-demand platforms have been booming during the pandemic, and Universal estimated that five million people rented “Trolls World Tour” in its first few weeks, generating roughly $100 million in sales. Empowered by those figures, it also debuted the Judd Apatow comedy “King of Staten Island” on premium on-demand this summer and has put movies such as “Emma,” a Jane Austen adaptation from its indie label Focus, on-demand after their releases were truncated by coronavirus closures.

In the past, Universal has perhaps been the most aggressive in pushing the limits of the theatrical release window and has tried to find ways to offer its movies to home entertainment consumers earlier, running afoul of the exhibition community with its aborted plans to offer the Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy comedy “Tower Heist” on-demand within weeks of its 2011 debut. In that case, Universal backed down after theaters threatened to stop showing its films.

In the coming weeks, the two companies will begin discussions surrounding international distribution agreements in the countries in Europe and the Middle East served by AMC.

As cinemas nationwide have struggled to reopen, AMC has been saddled with concerns of its liquidity. Even before the pandemic caused its locations to close for four months, the company was heavily indebted due to expensive refurbishments of its venues and deals to acquire rivals like Odeon and Carmike Cinemas. At one point, AMC looked on the verge of filing for bankruptcy, but it recently renegotiated terms of its debt that helped clean up its balance sheet.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/u...ticle-comments

Pandora is officially out of the box.

[Holt]

Absolute bloodbath at DC.

Multiple people have mentioned Mark Doyle, Executive Editor at DC Black Label, as an early casualty. Which, considering that Black Label (aside from the likes of Last God) remains a strong profit centre for DC Comics – in comic stores, bookstores and foreign sales especially. But the … exposure of Batman: Damned still casts a long shadow at the publisher.

We have heard mention from various sources, of various reliability, that Vice President, Global Publishing Initiatives & Digital Strategy Bobbie Chase. DC Editor Andy Khouri, DC Senior Story Editor Brian Cunningham, SVP Publishing Strategy & Support Services at DC, Hank Kanalz and DC Editor-In-Chief Bob Harras are also rumoured to be laid off. If true, this would be one of the biggest editorial changes in DC Comics' history. But I am also getting contradictory information that some – like Hank – seems to have survived. And DC Collectibles may have been sidelined off elsewhere, to be licensed outside of DC – too much cost, timer and attention for the revenue it brings in. No one is making any of this up, but there are games of telephone being played out across the industry right now. Or should that be games of WhatsApp, Zoom, Slack. Discord or even Google Hangouts?. I am being told from multiple sources that Marie Javins Executive Editor of Global Publishing Initiatives & Digital Strategy at DC Comics may be further elevated in this new reality.

But what I am hearing most is that no one actually knows, and that people are being asked not to talk. But because DC recently lost one of their most successful PR people in Courtney Simmons Brown, who presciently left for Amazon Studios and Lord Of The Rings this week. without her handle on the situation, where there is a vacuum of information, gossip floods in to fill the space – and then it leaks out to Bleeding Cool. As a result, consider hiring your own saltlick when reading any of this information. Also what this means for the upcoming DC Fandome online event is unknown, but it would have involved many of these names.

As for why? Well, the reasons being given are all related to the pandemic, the shutdowns, and the health of the economy. But it has also been mentioned that DC Comics were not able to recover sales with their new distributor partners as they did with their old. While Batman and Death Metal have sold very well indeed, and graphic novels got a big boost from bookstores during the shutdown, the midlist – middle range monthly books across the DC range – suffered a major sales shock. And the shockwaves of that are now being felt across the industry. It might suggest DC's further move towards digital and graphic novel publishing and away from monthly comic book shop titles – but this is a journey DC has been on for a while, and Dan DiDio's departure exacerbated that.

I am being told from multiple sources that Marie Javins Executive Editor of Global Publishing Initiatives & Digital Strategy at DC Comics may be further elevated in this new reality.

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dc-c...-on-right-now/

The comics landscape coming out of Covid-19 is shaping up to be different.

[gurkle]

I always found it amazing that Bob Harras lasted so long as DC Editor-in-Chief, when he lasted such a short time as Marvel Editor-in-Chief. If he is among the layoffs it's not surprising (though Marie Javins is one of the ex-Marvel people Harras brought over to DC).

[Revolutionary_Jack]

AT&T are truly s--ty as far as corporate overlords go. That merger should never have been approved. Apparently the company has a lot of debts and they are trying to offload it or hide it, by slicing and dicing DC instead, and that explains the mercurial tendencies at DC/WB for a year or more.

[Holt]

I always found it amazing that Bob Harras lasted so long as DC Editor-in-Chief, when he lasted such a short time as Marvel Editor-in-Chief. If he is among the layoffs it's not surprising (though Marie Javins is one of the ex-Marvel people Harras brought over to DC).

It's weird. I guess WB was happy with the brief New 52 sales boost.

[Drops Of Venus]

Absolute bloodbath at DC.


https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dc-c...-on-right-now/

The comics landscape coming out of Covid-19 is shaping up to be different.

Yikes. And to think that people were praising DC for how they were handling the pandemic and how they seemed to have their **** together better than everybody else. I guess they just delayed the crisis, and now it's catching up to them. It'll be interesting to see the comics landscape one year from now.

[Digifiend]

Comics fans right now:

^^^

[Triniking1234]

AT&T are truly s--ty as far as corporate overlords go. That merger should never have been approved. Apparently the company has a lot of debts and they are trying to offload it or hide it, by slicing and dicing DC instead, and that explains the mercurial tendencies at DC/WB for a year or more.

Honestly, without the merger I feel Warner Media would've made enough from Crunchyroll and HBO Max to keep the weaker sections afloat.

[Digifiend]

Warner never owned Crunchyroll, AT&T took that over separately in 2018 and placed it in WB's control after they bought them.

[Triniking1234]

Warner never owned Crunchyroll, AT&T took that over separately in 2018 and placed it in WB's control after they bought them.

Thanks for correcting me there.

[skyvolt2000]

Honestly, without the merger I feel Warner Media would've made enough from Crunchyroll and HBO Max to keep the weaker sections afloat.

The issue with HBO Max (and Hulu and Disney+) is some of that content (shows/movies) are seen elsewhere. Because of other deals that have to run their course.

Not to mention how many shows have dvd and blue ray? Some of which depending on where you shop is cheaper than the subscription.

And trying to force folk to get HBO Max will never work. Because if it did some of those shows would not be on the CW like Star Girl.

Eventually they will make money but they will take time.

[Ascended]

Yikes. And to think that people were praising DC for how they were handling the pandemic and how they seemed to have their **** together better than everybody else. I guess they just delayed the crisis, and now it's catching up to them. It'll be interesting to see the comics landscape one year from now.

This has nothing to do with DC or it's performance. This is just the economic collapse and AT&T trying to recover from investments like HBO Max that didn't do as well as expected. Everyone is in rough financial situations but AT&T happen to have a massive amount of debt, and they're trying to streamline their production, cut costs, and get ahead of that so their expenses don't sink them.

Blaming DC for this is looking at it backwards, it has nothing to do with them leaving Diamond or anything else they've done wrong or right. DC is just getting caught up in the storm. Busiek actually wrote a thing like this on social media and the guy is totally right. This isn't on DC. Hell it's not even really on AT&T or WB; it's just a crap situation. I mean, AT&T sunk a ton of cash buying Warners, and it's not their fault the pandemic hit before they could start profiting from the purchase, but the bills are still coming due.

Now here's why it matters to Marvel. If DC cuts their direct market offerings down, then it'll be up to other publishers to make up the difference or the LCS will fail. I want to say that, somewhere in the swirl of articles and news I saw last night, that DC is looking to cut it's floppies by 40%. I might be wrong on that, but we do know DC is going to offer fewer floppies. So if Marvel, Image, and the other publishers can't find a way to entice readers to buy more of their books (assuming DC doesn't funnel some OGN's and reprints into the hobby shop), the LCS will have lost a big chunk of their revenue stream and most shops won't be able to survive that, especially after the quarantine and all the money they've lost this year.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

TL;DR American Telephone & Telegraph Inc.* f--ked up and DC/WB are made to suffer for the mistakes of Mighty Darkseid.

* I am sick and tired of these corporations like Micro-soft and AT and T paying Google or whoever to ensure that any typing of their name leads directly to them. So from now on, I am going to try and avoid doing free and unpaid advertising for these flaming incompetents.

[Digifiend]

It's not Google - I only see that happen on the CBR forum, so CBR's owners Valnet are probably getting paid to advertise those firms.