Moviegoers return to cinemas in droves

The verdict is in- and it’s looking surprisingly positive. Moviegoers are returning to cinemas even as key areas in New York City and Los Angeles finally get to open their doors again. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Law Los Angeles takes a look at this most encouraging development.

Brandon Blake– Managing Partner at Blake & Wang P.A

Released just this week, key statistics from the National Research Group suggest that moviegoers’ confidence has reached a point that parallels the last working weekend pre-pandemic, March 15th, 2020. In fact, the top tier of respondents, those who felt ‘very comfortable’ attending the cinema, is a little higher than it was at that point. Current statistics suggest that we could cross a key milestone, 60% of moviegoers having confidence in the safety of the venue, by as early as April.

This comes as movie attendance metrics continue to rise, too, again setting pandemic records. We’re also seeing more consumers becoming aware that local cinemas are back to work, too, with a 6% jump to 48% of people surveyed. Even more positively, almost 70% of respondents want to see a movie in a theatre within the next quarter. The best news of all? These stats have been rising steadily, with no sign of a setback. As vaccine rollout continues to accelerate, we anticipate seeing even more buy-in from consumers, too.

While it’s still a difficult time for the exhibition industry, especially while draconian occupancy limits remain in place, the news of this encouraging improvement certainly deserves celebration. With no identified case of cinema transmission for the virus, either, it’s a sign that the public can safely come back to the Silver Screen- and that they’re more than happy to do so, too. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment attorney Los Angeles hope for a wholescale recovery across the board for this vital cornerstone of the movie industry.

Cinemark Has Confirmed Theatrical Reopening For L.A

With the industry finally seeing the shutters fall for cinemas in NYC and L. Both this week, BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles is thrilled to see many of the industry giants finally rolling into action. Among them, we have full confirmation from Cinemark, the nation’s No 3 cinema chain, about their L.Openings.

Long Beach is already open, having opened as soon as possible after the news was received. San Bernardino County also raced for a weekend opening, and we’ve heard that the rest of the L.County locations will open in the next few weeks. This includes key L.A locales like the Cinemark Playa Vista and the Howard Hughes Center locations.

Cinépolis is not far behind, with Friday openings for Orange County, Ventura County, San Diego County, and, of course, L.A itself. Harkins also has San Bernardino, Riverside County, and L.A County reopenings underway. Sadly, Studio Movie Grill, which has yet to announce many reopening locations, has confirmed that they will be shuttering their new Glendale location.

AMC will be dusting off its key Century City and Burbank multiplexes to join the reopening party and aims to have 23 more locations open by this Friday. The Alamo Drafthouse is also hard at work with preparations to reopen, although it will still be a few weeks until they, and Landmark, anticipate welcoming visitors again. Even though the next wide release- namely Universal’s Nobody, an action film offering from Bob Odenkirk- will only be available as of Friday 26th of March, we’re certain these eager complexes will find some compelling content to lure people back to their seats. Incidentally, this will coincide with the planned reopening of the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX. BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles wishes all the L.A theater all the best through the much-anticipated reopening process.

The Oscar Race for Beast Picture Hots Up

In a year like no other, who will take the ultimate Oscars crown? That’s the question that BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles alongside everyone else in the entertainment industry, is asking. After all, even this close to the ceremony, it’s near impossible to tell. Have we ever seen an Oscar race so hotly contested, yet with so little indication of who will reach the shortlist? It’s certainly a fascinating phenomenon to watch.

Tenet was an undeniable big splash in a difficult year, yet we see it actively avoided for the AMPAS site shortlists. Warner doesn’t seem to be campaigning for it, either- at least not as hard as The Way Back, The Little Things, and Judas and the Black Messiah. Are they hoping for a last-minute theatrical release to blast it to prominence?

Or will it be left off the list? No one seems sure. In a year we have Borat Subsequent Moviefilm as a serious contender, how likely are our guesses to be valid at all? Mank, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Promising Young Woman, Da 5 Bloods, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Soul, Nomadland, Minari… the list of potential hopefuls goes on, with no clear contender yet emerging. Nomadland is currently occupying a lot of attention, but that seems to shift almost weekly. Will it pay off with a spot on the list?

This may be a first for the industry, with the ceremony date almost on us. While each of these unique films is definitely worthy of consideration, the fact the field remains this wide opened is an Oscar first. With that in mind, we’re still perched on the edge of an ever-fluctuating sea of potential. Even Academy voters don’t seem sure where to cast their nets.

If nothing else, it’s a fascinating time to be watching the Oscar Race. Which is your favorite pick?

The Entertainment Industry finally features in COVID-19 relief bills

With the House of Representatives narrowly passing the American Rescue Plan this weekend, we see the first steps towards the U.S’s largest COVID bail-out to date. If it passes the Senate as well, this bill will hit President Biden’s desk, making it his first major legislative achievement to date. For the entertainment industry, it’s one that’s been a long time in coming, and, in some aspects, desperately needed. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Attorney take a closer look at this historical milestone.

At 1.9 trillion, there’s little wonder that the bill didn’t draw any Republican votes. More surprising, there were 2 democratic representatives to also vote against the bill. However, it’s been immensely popular with the public at large, especially those suffering under the current COVID-19 restrictions.

This includes, of course, a disproportionate amount of the entertainment business. This is primarily due to the fact that many in the industry report as freelancers, contractor, or ‘gig worker’, sectors for whom accessing state-run programs have historically been hard. Despite copious attempts to keep people working (and some efforts to get sets reopened from Q3 last year), a huge segment of the entertainment industry has had to rely on Washington to support them through the current hardships. Most of the Entertainment industry works as contractors or freelance artists, and since regular benefits like unemployment have not been reshaped to include them, this is hardly surprising.

A vast segment of the bill focuses on testing schemes and vaccine distribution, as well it should. Luckily, there’s also provision made for the businesses and workers suffering under current conditions, which we will look at in more detail later. Overall, it moves in a very positive direction for the entertainment industry. Combined with further moves from President Biden to make accessing relief easier for workers, there’s definitely a more positive horizon opening up for smaller players in the entertainment industry. As always, BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles will keep you informed.

How Detective Chinatown 3 Helped Rally the Chinese Box Office

Just this week we’ve seen immensely positive news from the Chinese Box Office. With a Box Office totaling over $1.2 billion for the Lunar New Year, a record-busting stat that pushes past 2019 peaks, it’s hard not to hope we’ll see a similar rally in the U.S. The anticipated release of Detective Chinatown 3 has had a huge hand in these successes. BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles crunches the numbers on this exceptional performer.

We saw the hit crack records for opening day and opening weekend both over the Feb12th-14th period. To date, it’s grossed over $551 million. This places it as the top movie of the year, not just in China but globally. This also puts it a meaty 20% ahead of China’s The Eight Hundred, 2020’s top title worldwide.

Did we mention this is just 6 days into opening?

It’s not the only hit to carve out a notable spot over the New Year, however, with Hi, Mom, a time-travel comedy, managed to top the charts from Monday to midweek. It’s taken $423 million to date. This is expected to double by the end of the run. If accurate, this would make it the second top movie ever to hit their market. Despite overtaking Hi, Mom for its opening weekend, Detective Chinatown 3 is expected to peak at around $700 million- a good third again ahead of the previous installment in the series.

Overall, seven strong releases (of which Detective Chinatown 3 and Hi, Mom were the pillars) over the Lunar New Year season have created a resounding Box Office Boom it’s hoped will carry over worldwide. Despite running with capacity restrictions, this weekend’s takings represent a record-breaking attendance, fuelled in part by people’s inability to travel to family over the holiday period. All in all, it’s a positive global trend BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles hopes to see continue.

Netflix Dominates Golden Globe Nominations

In one of the strangest years for TV and movies ever seen, it can hardly be surprising that the applecart was completely upset when it came to Golden Globe nominations. In an ironic twist of fate, this year’s entire award season is heavily influenced by what didn’t get made last year, as well as what did.

Specifically, many Big Name studios put Oscar-anticipated projects on the back burner. With the field left wide open, it was inevitable we’d see smaller studios and projects shine. Netflix has been gunning for some recognition from major awards ceremonies for a good few years now, and this year the Golden Globes delivers. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Lawyer Los Angeles dive deeper into Netflix’s nomination domination.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Mank, following the story of the screenwriter for Citizen Kane, came out swinging. It earned six nominations, closely followed by 5 for The Trial of the Chicago 7, an in-depth look into the trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests.

Having two key films dominate must be exciting for the streamer, but it was far from their only success. In TV, they scored 20 more nominations, 6 going to season 4 of The Crown alone. It’s close to a full sweep for the cast, there. Ozark, a darker drama focusing on money-laundering, also picked up some seriously heavy nominations with 3 actors and Netflix’s first drama series nomination.

Of course, being nominated doesn’t mean you won (yet). All the same, this represents a massive jump up the nomination’s ladder for Netflix, and we’re sure execs are smiling ear-to-ear as they finally get some big-ticket recognition for their content. With the channel focusing on higher and higher budgets and compelling content, these nominations (and some inevitable wins) will seal the deal for moving Netflix productions, especially its feature films, into the big leagues for good.

Historic Win For The WGA Could Alter How Agencies Do Business

Just this week we have seen the final holdout, WME, agree to the WGA’s proposed working terms. Aimed to address both packaging fees and the commercial interest of talent agencies in production companies, this historic (and long-drawn-out) dispute/agreement returns the agency industry to a place it has not been for decades- and could have intriguing knock-on effects down the line. BLAKE & WANG P.A entertainment lawyer San Francisco analyze the situation.

It’s possible that the DGA’s recent coming-out in favor of the WGA argument was an influencing party in WME finally dropping its antitrust suit and returning to the negotiation table with the WGA. Or perhaps the argument and court posturing have simply run their course, with even the courts suggesting they would prefer to see mediation over litigation. With both threatened court actions finally put to bed and a productive agreement reached, this represents the culmination of an action begun in the far-back mists of April 2018. While it’s been frighteningly close to 3 years coming, now it has finally arrived, what does this mean for the talent agency industry as a whole?

Firstly, we return to a 10% commission structure that hasn’t been in play for many years. As was always the intent behind the WGA’s campaign, they wish for writer’s agents to ‘only make money when (their) client does.’ With the juicy allure of packaging fees and incentives created by owning in-house production entities gone, it will certainly be a different world for talent and the agencies that represent them.

Hopefully, we will also see relations between the WGA and the Association of Talent Agents return to normal. The forerunners for WGA ire in April 2018, the ATA refused to negotiate with the WGA, which in turn led to the individual agreements reached between agencies and the WGA. We may even see SAG-AFTRA, who haven’t dealt with the ATA since a similar, earlier, dispute, return to the table with them.

It’s not rare for strikes and disputes to have a long-term impact on the industry, of course. Yet this is a major defanging of some critical conflicts of interest in the industry, and will undoubtedly have a profound impact on things to come. BLAKE & WANG P.A entertainment lawyer San Francisco will be watching carefully.

Brandon Blake– Managing Director Blake & Wang P.A.- Entertainment Attorney

What do the new award season nominees suggest for the Oscars ahead?

This is a difficult year to be an Academy member. With no chance for peer-to-peer social interaction, a broad and unusual field heavily influenced by the blockbusters we didn’t get in 2020, and a fast-approaching nomination deadline, there’s none of the usual clarity on Oscar contenders we’d usually see. So what do the latest nominees and winners from other awards suggest we may see gain an Oscar nomination too? BLAKE & WANG P.A went looking for clues.
Entertainment Lawyers

Currently, only the Trial of the Chicago 7 and Nomadland appear as any kind of widely floated can’t-miss. Apart from them, however, it’s up in the air. Other awards nominations have suggested some firm directions to look. Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods has made it back to the spotlight with some attention from the AFI and NBR awards. Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom certainly seems to have pulling power, too.

Amazon’s Sound of Metal and A24’s Minari would have been relegated to ‘arthouse’ in other years, but they’ve seen intense attention this year, and now have a spot on the AFI list to call their own- even over big-budget titles AFI usually would choose. The Spirit Awards have also showered Minari with love, and both have got acknowledgment from the NBR.

Another shining indie, Miss Juneteenth, seems set to stun, harvesting Spirit, Gotham, and NBR awards. Focus’ Never Rarely Sometimes Always starred in the Spirit Award nominations, and got some NBR love too. So have A24’s First Cow and Pixar’s Soul.

While Focus’ Promising Young Woman was expected to do well with the AFI’s list and Spirit both, it missed out a little. Netflix’s The Midnight Sky and Hulu’s Palm got none of the anticipated attention, either. Several anticipated films- Warners’ Tenet and The Way Back, Amazon’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Hulu’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and others were nowhere to be seen.

It’s an interesting look at how the Oscar nominations could go, for sure, and will probably focus critical attention on some unexpected films. All the same, there are still more awards to go, and everything remains up in the air for now. BLAKE & WANG P.A will be keeping a careful eye on the situation.

Brandon Blake is the managing partner at BLAKE & WANG P.A.- Contact for more details.

What are the differences between the Oscars and the SAG Awards?

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, or SAG awards, are seen as a critical step in the campaign to earn an Oscar. How did this perceived milestone come to be, and why is one ceremony so influential on the other? BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Lawyer San Francisco takes a look.

The SAG awards are different from the Oscars in one key area- they also look at the TV industry. There’s 2 separate nominating committees each year, one for the TV side of the industry and the other for film. 2500 random active members of the guild are chosen for each. All will be actors, and each can only serve once in every eight years. They choose the nominees, but after that have little active say in the winner. That is decided by all eligible voting members.

That’s a little different from the Oscars, where nominations come from those who work in the same industry as the category. So directors nominate Best Director, and so on. Anyone can nominate for Best Picture. Again, once nominations are complete, anyone eligible may vote.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards have been seen as the go-to barometer for Oscar Campaigns in the coveted Best Acting and Best Picture categories since they first started back in 1994. That said, they also have something of a reputation as a place for Hollywood to nominate golden-age actors who missed out on Oscar fame in their prime. For this season, we could see Sophie Loren’s performance in The Life Ahead and Bill Murray for On the Rocks get some recognition from that very same nostalgia.

With the 2020 film year having been so disruptive, it’s nice to be able to say that the SAG Awards voting opened on January 11th, giving a pleasant sense of normalcy to the tumultuous industry. It will be interesting to see who receives this critical nod on their Oscar journeys, and BLAKE & WANG will be monitoring closely.

Is the film industry’s back-to-work plan an example for the nation?

Amid praise from SAG-AFTRA for the overall success of commonly adopted back-to-work protocols on film sets, one key thing becomes clear: America could probably do to learn more than one lesson from the industry. BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles takes a closer look at a rare 2020 success story.

The film industry is a complex landscape in which there are many players. From working guilds for crew, actors, writers, directors and more, to agencies and authorities overseeing their special niches of work, a set is a difficult environment at any time. To this has been added a complex layer of diverse health and safety protocols- from zoning areas of the set, to basics like mandatory testing and screening as well as environmental decontamination.

While it’s an added layer of administrative difficulty for all concerned parties to navigate, they’ve been widely adopted on working sets since June 2020- and have largely been a success. While there have been isolated health incidents on some sets, for the most part, movies continue to be filmed in a safe working environment, even where the cities around them face soaring case numbers.

Observers country-wide have praised the industry wide collaboration at the heart of such a successful program. With this success comes jobs, job security, and the ability to expand back to normal work levels. Most critically of all, it brings wages to the many cast and crew members who rely on a thriving industry to work- and, coincidentally, the businesses around the sets that see an uptick in custom and the cities that host them.

In an America that’s hurting economically as more and more face uncertain work and wage futures, there’s valuable lessons to be learned from the success of the film industry and its COVID-19 set restrictions.