Latest news with #BernardMacMahon
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin' Has Rocked the Box Office by Treating It Like a Secret Concert Event
In 2019, director Bernard MacMahon stood in front of film buyers at Cannes and discussed his love of Led Zeppelin. The director of a little-seen music documentary 'American Epic,' he had been selected by the '70s rock gods to tell their story in a rock-doc, something the collective of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and the late John Bonham had never before agreed to do. He had been entrusted with enormous responsibility by icons who had been particularly selective about their legacy. At the time, he didn't even have footage to screen to the buyers. Two years later, MacMahon's film 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' screened as a work-in-progress at Venice. The song remained the same; as IndieWire's review suggested at the time, the film wasn't ready for primetime, and it sat without a buyer. Sony Pictures Classics, which had been following the film from the beginning, saw it again in summer 2024 after it had been reworked. The distributor knew back in 2019 that Zeppelin giving their blessing was special and that it had an audience, but only if the film was right. More from IndieWire CPH:DOX Winners Led by 'Always,' '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' and More Academy Apologizes for Omitting Hamdan Ballal's Name After 600 Academy Members Criticize Its Initial Response to Attack on Filmmaker Now after a release this February, 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' has received a whole lotta love and has surpassed $10 million at the North American box office. It's one of the highest-grossing documentaries at the box office domestically in the last two years, currently just behind last year's 'Piece by Piece' and the right wing satire 'Am I Racist?' And worldwide, it's already at $14.3 million with the likelihood that it will surpass $15 million globally. Roughly $4.7 million of that haul was generated in IMAX screenings, including a $3 million opening weekend that was IMAX's biggest exclusive opening for a music film to date. It was a target of IMAX's after it was acquired by SPC, and it proved a good bet. It plays again on over 200 IMAX screens for one night only on April 2. The film has exceeded expectations for SPC, but the organic success 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' has generated has been through an unconventional and carefully calculated marketing campaign. SPC first began showing teaser trailers ahead of IMAX showings of 'Venom: The Last Dance' last October, but the distributor wouldn't even announce the movie's existence until two months later in December. It generated mystique and online buzz as a result, and the only reviews of it were the tepid ones out of Venice from years earlier. When December rolled around, SPC immediately put tickets on sale for showings as though it was an audience buying concert tickets months in advance of a show. It generated $2 million in advance ticket sales, and only then did SPC announce the additional IMAX only screenings beginning on February 7. Press was part of the process, but not critics. 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' wasn't screened for critics in advance to create a communication breakdown. Instead, the distributor looked to even bigger evangelists who might ramble on about what they saw. With the band themselves not involved, the Counting Crows and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters were among musicians who saw the film at an early screening. A similar screening in Nashville with local musicians had a similar impact. SPC bought ads on Howard Stern's radio show and, by January, got him talking about the movie, turning their simple one-minute ad buy into a 20-minute segment. The film was also heavily promoted on the radio, with the film screened for a number classic rock radio DJs across the country who spent months talking it up. Several stations also held private screenings for select listeners and then aired their reactions to the film coming out of the theater. Suddenly Zeppelin was back in the cultural ethos. 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' returned to the Billboard charts for the first time in decades. 'Whole Lotta Love' was featured in a Nike Super Bowl ad coincidentally the same weekend the movie opened wide. And audiences were wowed by the sound quality, the deeper dive history that befuddled even hardcore fans, and the fact that MacMahon's film featured full songs, something that you generally get only in snippets in other music docs. The demand for the film is real. Just don't get trampled under foot on your way to the theater. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
New York Times
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Corrections: Feb. 15, 2025
A film review on Friday about the documentary 'Becoming Led Zeppelin,' using information from promotional material for the film, described incorrectly the relationship between its director, Bernard MacMahon, and the band's longtime manager, Peter Grant. They are associates, not relatives. An article on Page 20 this weekend about Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and media personality, misstates the role of the Chinese government in the social platform TikTok. It is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company subject to the government's laws and regulations. The Chinese government does not own TikTok. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Raw hunger' to 'scandalous excess': How Led Zeppelin became Britain's ultimate 70s rock band
Becoming Led Zeppelin is a new authorised documentary that tells the "untold story" of the band, who despite achieving global influence and legendary status, are difficult to define. Rock's mightiest anthems, and the tales surrounding them, tend to be continually replayed – and sometimes, their power fades over time. Since their 1968 formation, though, Led Zeppelin's legendary status, and mythology, has particularly endured. The British quartet – driven visionary guitarist/producer Jimmy Page, extravagantly swaggering vocalist Robert Plant, and the poetic powerhouse rhythm section of bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham – have remained instantly recognisable and globally influential, yet tricky to pin down. Their multi-million-selling catalogue is laced with blues, hard rock, folk fables, African, Asian and Latin grooves, macho bombast and avant-garde flair. They gained a rep for scandalous excess, while mostly shunning the press – but now Becoming Led Zeppelin, their first officially authorised documentary, promises to capture the band's "untold story" for posterity. We looked at whether there was one act that carried music through from post-World War Two to the 60s and 70s, and were the embodiment of that final stage of 20th-Century music – and we realised it was Zeppelin – Bernard MacMahon This film's long-awaited cinema release follows a "work in progress" screening at the Venice Film Festival in 2021. Becoming Led Zeppelin also forms a natural progression for filmmakers Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, following their award-winning 2017 doc series, American Epic, traced the history and impact of America's earliest roots music recordings. "We wanted to do a film that would pick up the next era," MacMahon tells the BBC. "Rather than looking at 100 acts, like we did with American Epic, we looked at whether there was one act that carried that music through from post-World War Two to the 60s and 70s, and were the embodiment of that final stage of 20th-Century music – and we realised it was Zeppelin." Getting Led Zeppelin's surviving members on board involved a meticulously fine-tuned pitch – but it was also pivotal that Page, Plant and Jones were fans of MacMahon and McGourty's previous work; American Epic documented their own musical heroes. "Becoming Led Zeppelin wouldn't have happened without American Epic," admits McMahon. Still, Plant warned the film-makers: "I don't think this film can be made, as we didn't do any TV, and Peter Grant [Led Zeppelin's formidable manager, who died in 1995] would eject audience members with cameras from the venues, rip out their film and smash their cameras, so there isn't any footage of our concerts from those years." Sony Pictures Classics In fact, Becoming Led Zeppelin features two hours of painstakingly sourced archive material, personal photos and performance footage (schoolboy Page playing in a skiffle band; teenage Jones as a church organist; both becoming accomplished session musicians on '60s pop hits) alongside individual new interviews from Page, Plant and Jones. Bonham's death in 1980 (from pulmonary aspiration after heavy drinking) would lead to the band's split – yet he is also surprisingly present here, sounding jovially down-to-earth on a previously unheard audio recording. As a child, MacMahon had "discovered" Led Zeppelin via a book charting the band's rise to fame. "It felt like the American Epic stories, in that it's very relatable: these are four kids, pursuing this dream, and trying to find their way through the music business," he grins. "I thought it was a wonderful, almost Arthurian story." This fantastical spirit is echoed in the film, when Page likens his guitar to Excalibur, the mythical sword. Music as a revelatory force While the "untold story" is steered by the band members' anecdotes, they're not strictly the easiest interviewees – though perhaps this perception is based on my own surreal experience interviewing Page and Plant, when I was a gauche young journalist; they cheerfully shrugged off questions while pouring me cups of tea. Ultimately, it is the music that really speaks volumes. Becoming Led Zeppelin pays testimony to music as a revelatory force, for both fans and performers; octogenarian Page is wide-eyed as he relates first hearing US R&B and soul ("It sounded like it was coming from Mars, even though it was coming from Memphis"). The artists' raw hunger and determination is palpable; we see Plant shape-shift through various looks (mod; "flower power" romantic) before assuming his unmistakeably lithe "rock deity" form in Led Zeppelin – and we watch the band play their hearts out, first commanding fans across Stateside gigs and radio, before their eventual triumphant 1970 "homecoming" show at London's Royal Albert Hall. Photo by William Popsie/ Sony Pictures Classics "We used lots of cinematic techniques to take the viewer back in time," says McGourty. "And we use the song lyrics to propel you forward; when they go to Atlantic Records, we're hearing Your Time Is Going To Come; when Robert [Plant] talks about flying across America, we're hearing Ramble On; and when they're playing these early shows in Europe and nobody is really getting it, they're performing Communication Breakdown." More like this: • The band that soundtracked the US counterculture • The most blistering debut album of all time • How the Sex Pistols sparked outrage in Britain Indeed, there is brilliant early footage from a French TV show, Tous En Scene, where Led Zeppelin are riotously rocking in front of clearly nonplussed studio audience, comprising prim adults and children with their fingers in their ears. Later, we hear the inception of one of their most famous tracks, 1969's Whole Lotta Love (furiously catchy, despite Page's aversion to pop), and see extended performance clips including the 1970 Bath Festival – all incandescent, electric and floridly colourful. You get some sense of the intoxicating atmosphere that would even prompt cult novelist William Burroughs to liken a Led Zeppelin performance (in the US in 1975) to: "the trance music found in Morocco, which is magical in origin and purpose – that is, concerned with the evocation and control of spiritual forces." If anybody across any generation listens to that band you fall into a world that doesn't look or sound like anything else – Phil Alexander "If you're making a film about music, then music is the central character, and the viewers – particularly 100 years from now – have got to hear for themselves what this music is," says MacMahon. Music writer, Mojo magazine Contributing Editor, broadcaster and producer Phil Alexander has worked closely with Page, Plant and Jones, and points out why Led Zeppelin's "kinetic energy" remains vital: "Led Zeppelin are not best mates; it's really obvious in the film," Alexander tells the BBC. "Their camaraderie stems from being on stage, and playing off each other. That pure musicianship is what carries them as people – and what they create as a four-piece cannot be replicated. "If anybody across any generation listens to that band – especially now, when you can discover them at the click of a button – you fall into a world that doesn't look or sound like anything else. I think most bands of their generation sound like they are of a time; with Led Zeppelin, there is a nowness in how they are, musically. I don't know how many times I've listened to all their albums, and I still find things that make me think: did I hear that before?" Becoming Led Zeppelin vividly presents the band's origin story "in the moment"; events unfold chronologically, without hazy nostalgia or foreshadowing of what's to come. The "untold" tale is also undeniably incomplete; the film ends after the release of the band's second album, when they have scaled the heights of fame – and before things have spiralled into destructive hedonism. Despite Plant briefly mentioning "girls and drugs", the account feels unusually wholesome. It is a stark contrast to the tabloid accounts of their debauchery – most notoriously, the grimly salacious (which band members have repeatedly dissociated themselves from) band biography Hammer of the Gods, by Stephen Davis. This feels very deliberate; just as American Epic has been added to educational curricula in the US, Becoming Led Zeppelin is pitched at all ages – with the band not only preserving their legacy, but owning their narrative. "Despite all the things you've read about the 70s, you don't get to that place without being incredibly focused," says MacMahon. "The higher purpose of this film is to tell young people: if you have a passion, and you work hard at your craft and persevere, then you can achieve those dreams. You kind of pick up these lessons as you go on the journey with them. These are the only guys that knew and saw what was happening." Becoming Led Zeppelin is in UK cinemas and on limited release in the US now – it goes on wide release in the US on 14 Feb. -- If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. Music Rock music music-history Features
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is the ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin' Documentary Streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?
For anyone out there still interested in buying a stairway to heaven, there's a new Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, opening in theaters and IMAX this weekend. Robert Plant may be pushing 80, but he's still rocking those beautiful golden locks. Directed by Bernard MacMahon, Becoming Led Zeppelin features interviews with the three surviving members of the famed English rockband from the '60s, aka Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Robert Plant. It also features plenty of archival footage, and old audio interviews with drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980 at the age of 32. The film promises to walk viewers through the band's formation and early years in the '60s, including never-before-seen concert footage in both England and the U.S. It definitely sounds like Becoming Led Zeppelin will be a must-watch documentary for classic rock fans. Read on to learn more about where to watch the Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary, and when we expect to see the Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary streaming on Netflix. Becoming Led Zeppelin will only be available to watch in a movie theater, when it opens in the U.S. nationwide on Friday, February 7. You can find a showing near you via Fandango, including screenings in IMAX. Becoming Led Zeppelin is not yet available to watch online or on streaming. Becoming Led Zeppelin is not currently streaming on Netflix or Amazon, because the movie is being released in theaters, only. Right now, the only way to watch Becoming Led Zeppelin is in a movie theater. That said, because Becoming Led Zeppelin is a Sony movie, being release via Sony Classics, so we do expect to see it streaming on Netflix eventually. You will be able to purchase Becoming Led Zeppelin on Prime Video eventually, when the movie becomes available to buy and rent on digital, but you will not be able to stream Becoming Led Zeppelin on Prime Video free with a Prime subscription. If you want to watch Becoming Led Zeppelin movie at home, you'll have to wait for the film to be available to buy or rent on digital platforms, or wait for it to stream on Netflix. Becoming Led Zeppelin will likely be on Netflix sometime in summer 2025. Netflix has a deal with Sony Pictures that gives the streamer the rights to the Sony movies in the 'Pay 1' window, meaning the first streaming window after the film's home media release. Another recent Sony Classic movie, Between the Temples, came to Netflix about four months after opening in theaters. If Becoming Led Zeppelin follows this same release pattern, you can expect to stream the Led Zeppelin documentary on Netflix around early June 2025, aka four months after the movie opened in theaters. In the meantime, you can go watch the movie in theaters.
