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The Paramount Pictures Thread

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40 minutes ago, AJG said:

 

Netflix and Disney claim their first victim.

 

It's wild Sony outlived Paramount tho.

Not really, given the last few years, Sony has been able to construct strong brands whether it’s Spider-Man content, Jumanji films or the now somewhat revitalized animation division, whereas Paramount despite having a string of hits with Sonic and AQP, had most of its franchises outside of MI, dead in the water:

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Honestly the one person I feel bad for the most is Emma Watts. She left the franchise dictatorship of Disney just months after the Disney buyout and was set to do great things at Paramount...only for another regime change that emphasises franchises.

 

Morale at Paramount/ViacomCBS really must be at an all-time low right now.

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Can someone explain to me why these studios are throwing away money? 

 

Unless there's some growing belief that the way things are now is going to continue for years and years. If anything, this past weekend proved that the recovery is happening. It's incremental, but it's happening. 

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2 hours ago, Napoleon said:

The other studios were throwing shade at Warner/HBO Max at Cinema Con while behind the scenes were trying to do the same thing for their streaming services, lmao.

I am pretty sure that everyone is envy of WB's strategy. They wish they have done the same.

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1 hour ago, tonytr87 said:

Can someone explain to me why these studios are throwing away money? 

 

Unless there's some growing belief that the way things are now is going to continue for years and years. If anything, this past weekend proved that the recovery is happening. It's incremental, but it's happening. 

I'm betting that part of it is that studios are indeed getting greedy now, realizing that they can claim much more of the revenue by siphoning things directly through their own streaming services...and combined with yes, possibly prepping for an uncertain future/reading some tea leaves, nothing is guaranteed -- better to have at least one guaranteed funnel for content where some of the pluses go directly back to you, rather than the possibility that a theatrical flop would be little profit for either the Exhibition or the Studio.  But a lot of this specifically with Paramount may simply have to do with Viacom/CBS, yes, and an overall restructuring at the corporate level -- if the incoming leadership doesn't see theatrical as a prime revenue source, they are pivoting.  

 

I don't know exactly where/how Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, HBOMax are making all that money, either -- but that itself is the very problem -- if they are less beholden to "report" numbers, they are probably making plenty, and internally are finding ways to funnel off profits in more ways that can't be currently regulated.

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16 hours ago, Macleod said:

I'm betting that part of it is that studios are indeed getting greedy now, realizing that they can claim much more of the revenue by siphoning things directly through their own streaming services...and combined with yes, possibly prepping for an uncertain future/reading some tea leaves, nothing is guaranteed -- better to have at least one guaranteed funnel for content where some of the pluses go directly back to you, rather than the possibility that a theatrical flop would be little profit for either the Exhibition or the Studio.  But a lot of this specifically with Paramount may simply have to do with Viacom/CBS, yes, and an overall restructuring at the corporate level -- if the incoming leadership doesn't see theatrical as a prime revenue source, they are pivoting.  

 

I don't know exactly where/how Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, HBOMax are making all that money, either -- but that itself is the very problem -- if they are less beholden to "report" numbers, they are probably making plenty, and internally are finding ways to funnel off profits in more ways that can't be currently regulated.

 

The thing about streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount Plus is...they're not making any profit. These services are meant to replace a different dwindling revenue stream: broadcast/cable television. They won't replace both revenue from television AND movies. I recommend following David Poland on Twitter. Industry insider/journalist who says they're just throwing darts at a wall blindfolded because they're drunk on streaming, believing they can all be like Netflix. Being like Netflix only works if you have 200 mil subs. 

 

We rag on Disney for PA, but that at least is a bonafide revenue stream. Getting subscribers to HBO does very little for WB except move money around that they were already making. 

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I think it's pretty safe to assume that the upcoming Matt Shakman Star Trek film is either getting sent to Paramount+ or just straight up getting canned altogether. No way in hell they make another big budget Star Trek after Beyond bombed. Even Jim G's regime, one in favour of blockbusters, had trouble getting Star Trek 4 off the ground. I can't even imagine what happens to it now that a more penny-pinching guy is in charge.

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23 hours ago, tonytr87 said:

 

The thing about streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount Plus is...they're not making any profit. These services are meant to replace a different dwindling revenue stream: broadcast/cable television. They won't replace both revenue from television AND movies. I recommend following David Poland on Twitter. Industry insider/journalist who says they're just throwing darts at a wall blindfolded because they're drunk on streaming, believing they can all be like Netflix. Being like Netflix only works if you have 200 mil subs. 

 

We rag on Disney for PA, but that at least is a bonafide revenue stream. Getting subscribers to HBO does very little for WB except move money around that they were already making. 


The math doesn’t add up to me either. The 1980’s created new revenue streams for films. Home video sales were making studios lots of money. They turned films that were failures at the BO into successes, and made blockbusters even more successful. 
 

Then came cable television, which was an additional revenue stream. Home video converted into DVDs and Blu Rays.

 

Now, DVD sales have almost evaporated and there is cord cutting with cable. Therefore, streaming services should cover some of the lost revenue from those avenues. If a studio skips theatrical altogether to put a movie on a streaming service, they keep all the profits of the streaming subscription, but that is less than half of their cut from theatrical, and they still havent replaced the lost revenue from declining DVD and cord cutting cable subscriber losses. 
 

The best return on investment is to release a movie theatrically, then put it on your streaming service. That’s what makes the most money. 

Edited by Walt Disney
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On 9/10/2021 at 5:29 PM, tonytr87 said:

Can someone explain to me why these studios are throwing away money? 

 

Unless there's some growing belief that the way things are now is going to continue for years and years. If anything, this past weekend proved that the recovery is happening. It's incremental, but it's happening. 

Seems kinda obvious that Paramount is in turmoil these days.

 

They have no more movies for the rest of the year after Top Gun and Jackass moved to 2022. Their 2021 ends with Paw Patrol.

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10 hours ago, filmlover said:

Seems kinda obvious that Paramount is in turmoil these days.

 

They have no more movies for the rest of the year after Top Gun and Jackass moved to 2022. Their 2021 ends with Paw Patrol.

 

Yeah, I didn't even realize that. 

 

They made a big mistake not holding onto Marvel. 

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On 9/12/2021 at 3:30 AM, tonytr87 said:

 

The thing about streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount Plus is...they're not making any profit.

To be fair over the last few years Paramount Picture has been making very little profit anyway. They lost $33m in 2018 and made $80m in 2019.

 

IMG-0404.jpg

 

They also made a better return on investment off books (publishing) than from the studio which I'm sure would probably shock most people here. 

 

IMG-0405.jpg

 

Sometimes it makes sense to zag when everyone else is zigging, is it a risk? Absolutely, but it's not like they are Warner or Universal (let alone Disney) where their studio brings in a decent return on investment. 

 

As for the David Poland only Netflix can be Netflix thing that is bullshit, Paramount+ in particular doesn't need to get to Netflix levels to stay flat with revenue (Cable and Broadcast will still exist but just be smaller) and streaming has grown nearly 100% from a revenue perspective (now at ~$1B a quarter) in the last year. In fact ViacomCBS (the parent company of Paramount) is on track to surpass 2019 levels in Revenue and possibly even Operating Income (which is impressive because as you rightfully mention streaming is a big investment.)

 

Anyway all that said I really hope they keep MI7 theatrical because I want to see that shit in IMAX.  

Edited by Jamiem
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On 9/11/2021 at 11:30 AM, tonytr87 said:

I recommend following David Poland on Twitter. Industry insider/journalist

 

Love a lot of his body of work but that a bit generous:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0688847/

 

From memory he did tend to be a bit more down on home ent and tv revenues of movies versus theatrical versus what Studio annual report or sony leak said back in the days.

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