Betting On Box Office Opening Weekends Approved Dan Koelsch, June 15, 2010 Want to make some serious money predicting box office opening weekend results? Now you can, at via stock exchange. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved a contract with the new Trend Exchange that allow traders to bet on a movie’s opening weekend gross. While a new revenue stream is always nice, there could be some serious downside to this. There has been a lot of opposition to betting on future box-office receipts within the film industry, most prominently from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), as it could actually hurt box office performance. This could also have a serious affect on the viral trends of new releases. Anyone with a stake in the exchange could manipulate word of mouth and other viral marketing of films if they had enough influence. As the L.A. Times writes:In a follow-up interview, [Bart] Chilton [a dissenting commissioner] added that he was particularly concerned about the ability of studios to manipulate the price of a future through marketing and other decisions, which he said was very different from existing futures contracts related to agriculture and other products. I would imagine this would bring a lot more pressure for hyped films to perform well, which only seems to make matters worse for a fickle industry. I don’t have a business degree, so some of the details on this fly over my head, but this is obviously a hotly debated issue. What do you think? News Viral News Box OfficeTrend ExchangeWeekend Box Office
Even The New “Super 8” Poster Pays Homage To Steven Spielberg June 8, 2011June 8, 2011The sci film Super 8, which we’ve been covering extensively, is directed and written by J.J. Abrams. From watching the trailers and clips, it’s pretty clear that Abrams is paying homage to his idol Steven Spielberg, who is a producer on the film. The film has the feel of Spielberg’s… Read More
Watch: “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” Featurette Showcase WETA’s Incredible Technology June 24, 2014June 24, 2014With Dawn of the Planet of the Apes‘ release just a few weeks away, Fox is ramping up the marketing, which has been surprisingly subtle. Even with three trailers, some viral activity, a clip from the movie, and a panel at Wondercon, the marketing campaign hasn’t created as much noise… Read More
Viral Video For Sundance Sci-Fi Favorite “The Signal” Asks If You’re Agitated March 18, 2014March 19, 2014A recent string of websites and videos have been posing questions to the viewer. Under The Skin has been asking us when was the last time we touched someone. Now the 2014 Sundance Film Festival hit The Signal is also posing a question to you, except it’s not as touchy…. Read More