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Gulf Today
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Minecraft's success shows the future of movies is games
It's time for Superman to hang up his cape and the Avengers to disassemble. Hollywood's new hero is here, and his name is Steve. You might not instantly recognise Steve, the player avatar of 'Minecraft,' Microsoft Corp.'s sandbox playground video game; the character is something of a blank slate for the user to project themselves onto. But especially if you have kids, you'll likely have seen Steve played by Jack Black in 'A Minecraft Movie,' the surprise box-office hit of the year. The big-screen feature from Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. has outearned every other US movie so far in 2025, vastly outperforming expectations and taking in twice the box-office revenue of its closest competitor, February's 'Captain America: Brave New World.' It's a comparison that might have legs. Superhero films have been the staple of Hollywood blockbusters for 15 years, but audience interest is flagging — and the success of 'Minecraft' suggests video games can be the next big-screen big thing. Given the expense of a blockbuster movie, Hollywood studios love familiar bets and products with a track record. In the past, that meant bankable action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone, or bestselling books like 'Harry Potter' or 'The Da Vinci Code.' And, of course, executives love the safety of a trend, from the post-'Star Wars' obsession with sci-fi to the brief fascination with young-adult dystopias of 'Hunger Games' rip-offs. Sylvester Stallone That's why they'll be closely watching the viral 'chicken jockey' moment of 'A Minecraft Movie' that had kids throwing popcorn at the screen when Jack Black referenced an obscure piece of the game's lore. It's a testament to how games have become not just part of the zeitgeist, but perhaps one of the only shared experiences of a generation whose media diet is impossibly fractured. That's one thing drawing studios as they struggle to get younger people into theater seats. Another is the nature of the medium: Today's game universes must be incredibly intricate and detailed, resulting in properties that are rich in lore and, if a first take is successful, adaptable content. But the secret of the recent wave of success of films based on video games, from 2023's 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' to the surprise horror hit 'Five Nights at Freddy's,' is that Hollywood has finally learned the deceptively simple secret of how to adapt these properties. It's one that can be explained in a single image: the freakish sight from deep in the uncanny valley of the original 2019 movie design of 'Sonic the Hedgehog.' In place of the cartoon character familiar to '90s-era gamers, the film planned a more 'realistic' Sonic, complete with terrifying human-like teeth. Sonic's online fans (and there are many of them) revolted, demanding the studio make a change. Paramount Pictures relented, delayed the debut for months and spending a reported $5 million to give the nearly finished film a more recognizable Sonic design. It was money well-spent: When released in 2020, 'Sonic the Hedgehog' wasn't just a success; it has since spawned a $1 billion franchise, with each sequel outgrossing its predecessor. A fourth movie is in the works, with Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.'s licensing revenue nearly tripling in the past four years and its shares having doubled since the first entry hit theaters. This solution — give fans what they want and expect — seems remarkably simple. But one staple of game adaptations for years, from 1993's Bob Hoskins-helmed 'Super Mario Bros.' onward, was unnecessary tweaking of often-beloved source material, as executives unfamiliar with the medium made radical changes to fix what they saw as flaws. Instead, today's adaptations lean into what fans hope for — and they turn up. That's why more than 40 movies based on game franchises are in the works, according to some counts — from well-known properties like 'Zelda' to newer franchises such as Sony Group Corp.'s 'Ghost of Tsushima,' helmed by John Wick director Chad Stahelski.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Meet HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery renames streamer Max after two years
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is changing the name of its flagship streaming service back to HBO Max, part of a broader strategic shift designed to re-emphasize premium programming for adults. The company announced the change, which will be effective this summer, at its annual presentation to advertisers in New York on Wednesday. Leading up to the streaming service's launch in the spring of 2020, there was much internal debate about what to call it. Eventually, executives decided to name it HBO Max, a way of incorporating its storied HBO cable brand — known for popular, edgy hits from Game of Thrones to The Sopranos — while positioning the new product as a premium service that would cost more than rivals Netflix or Disney . From the outset sign-ups were sluggish, and many consumers were confused by the branding and how HBO Max differed from the company's existing streaming products, HBO Go and HBO Now. In 2023, following WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery Inc., David Zaslav, the chief executive officer of the combined companies, announced that the service would be dropping HBO from its name in favor or a more generic brand name that in theory would appeal to a broader audience. At the time, the re-branding left many observers scratching their heads. Critics derided the move, saying it jettisoned a brand famous for prestige television. Now the Max experiment is over. 'Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead,' Zaslav said in a statement Wednesday. Recently, much of the streaming service's buzz has come from popular HBO shows, including the third season of The White Lotus, which was a massive hit. HBO Max also houses brands including Harry Potter, A24 films and iconic broadcast-TV shows like Friends. Warner Bros.'s streaming business has added 22 million subscribers over the past year and the company expects to have more than 150 million by the end of 2026. At the end of the first quarter, it reported 122.3 million subscribers and an adjusted profit of $339 million.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Donald Trump to impose 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside US, citing national security concerns
It's a new day and a new tariff, as US President Donald Trump unveils his latest move of slapping a jaw-dropping 100 per cent tariff on any film produced in 'foreign lands.' As per the announcement, which was made on Sunday through his Truth Social media platform, this measure has come as a response to what Donald Trump describes as a coordinated attempt by foreign countries to sabotage the US film industry. However, any more details on how the levy will be applied have not been disclosed yet, but Trump said that he has permitted the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce to immediately start instituting the tariff. 'Messaging and Propaganda' The president characterised the foreign films as forms of 'messaging and propaganda,' portraying international competition in the film industry as a potential national security risk. Trump in the post wrote, 'This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat." "It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!" he added. The announcement has been made amid the growing tensions over trade practices between China and the US. On the other hand, China has reduced the number of American films that were allowed entry into the country, following Donald Trump's tariffs. China condemns the US government's move On April 10, the China Film Administration issued a statement condemning the US government's move, claiming that the tariffs would further diminish domestic audiences' interest in American films. A statement issued by them read, 'The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience's favorability towards American films." 'We will follow the market rules, respect the audience's choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.' A look at the entertainment industry In recent years, the Chinese-made films have outperformed Hollywood releases in China, the world's second-largest film market after the United States. Major studios like Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., Paramount Global, and The Walt Disney Company are still recovering from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and could face significant setbacks due to the 100 per cent tariff. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
Bloomberg
27-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Warner Bros. Streaming Gains Helps Offset Decline in TV Networks
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the parent of CNN and HBO, reported fourth-quarter sales that missed analysts' estimates, dragged down by its traditional TV business, though its streaming service is winning new subscribers. Overall revenue slipped 2% to $10 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31, missing analysts' forecasts for $10.22 billion. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were $2.7 billion, the New York-based company said in a statement on Thursday. That surpassed Wall Street's estimates for $2.66 billion.
Los Angeles Times
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Warner Bros. shuts down three game studios, cancels Wonder Woman title
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is closing three video game studios and halting work on a highly anticipated Wonder Woman title in a bid to boost the profitability of its interactive entertainment business. Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego are being shuttered, according to a memo to staff viewed by Bloomberg News. The cuts reflect a refocusing of the games division on major franchises such as Harry Potter, 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Game of Thrones' and DC Comics, primarily Batman. 'The quality of too many of our new releases has really missed the mark,' JB Perrette, head of games and streaming for Warner Bros., wrote in the memo. 'We need to make some substantial changes to our portfolio/team structure if we are to commit the necessary resources to get back to a 'fewer but bigger franchises' strategy.' In a statement to Bloomberg, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Games said the shutdowns were 'not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.' In January, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. revealed that David Haddad, head of the struggling video game division, would be stepping down. To some who worked closely with the veteran executive, the news didn't come as a surprise. Their only question was why it had taken so long. Warner Bros. Games had just suffered through a dismal year, marked by a $200-million write-down in May on a painful flop, 'Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,' followed a few months later by a $100-million write-down due to the failures of 'Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions' and the fighting game 'MultiVersus.' Warner Bros. Chief Executive David Zaslav told investors in November that the company's video game business was 'substantially underperforming its potential.' With access to a bounty of popular entertainment franchises such as Batman, 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones,' Warner Bros.' video game division should be able to compete with industry titans such as Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. But Haddad's tenure has left major gaps in its portfolio that will probably persist for the next year or two, according to people familiar with the business. The company had been counting on 'Suicide Squad' and 'MultiVersus' to generate revenue throughout this year, but instead has ended support for both games. In the wake of this miscalculation, Warner Bros. now has little to release in the stretch ahead, beyond a refreshed version of the 2023 hit 'Hogwarts Legacy,' a Lego title and a few mobile games. The Wonder Woman game, one of the company's biggest bets in development, struggled to coalesce, according to people familiar with the project. Early last year, it was rebooted and switched directors. The game had already cost more than $100 million, said the people who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information, and was still years away from release. Monolith, based in Kirkland, Wash., had been making video games since 1994 including cult classics such as 'The Operative: No One Lives Forever' and 'F.E.A.R.' In 2014, it received critical acclaim for 'Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor,' an action game set in the 'Lord of the Rings' universe. Player First Games was purchased by Warner Bros. last July, just before the release of its sole game, 'MultiVersus.' Last month, Warner Bros. said it was shutting down that title after poor performance. Schreier writes for Bloomberg.
