Spielberg, Scorsese and Anderson Respond to TCM Fears

The Filmmakers’ old guard (and Paul Thomas Anderson, who’s much younger but just as eager and respected) have called an emergency meeting with Warner Bros. CEO David Zavlav to ‘discuss’ the damage done to the TCM channel by most recent leadership reshuffling. Concerns and alarm bells have been raised over the possibility of losing a priceless service of filmic education, and there are few collectives with the cache to ask Zavlav for such a meeting over what is in the broader sense a minor financial concern to the company. Luckily, one Steven Spielberg, one Martin Scorsese and one Paul Thomas and Anderson have such cache, and though there are doubts that their pleas will so much as cross Zavlav’s mind, their concern should communicate that at a time of horrendous PR for Warner and general dissatisfaction (the strike is still on), this move will not help win over talent. Rumors are that Christopher Nolan is being courted for a return to the studio, and omens like the TCM debacle will play heavily into the decision of a director as film-format and preservation -forward as Nolan.

PTA specifically plays TCM on a 24 hour a day loop in his kitchen, so that the household can ‘absorb’ it. He doesn’t demand viewership from his kids of course, but if it’s always there the inevitable happens and they are captivated by a moment from a black and white, foreign or otherwise ‘niche’ film for the first time. The barriers are minimal, so long as viewers are kept at arm’s length from these classics they will never overcome the hurdle to inspect them and may never discover a world of fractally fascinating history, and emotionally regenerative and enlightening art. Should TCM falter from its staunchly defended quality of programming, film will find itself in an even darker state, and the degeneration of regard for our greatest artform will have dealt a crushing blow. Warner Bros. Discovery meanwhile is closing in on a deal to sell around half of their film and TV music library for $500 million. The company remains in around $45 billion in debt.

Early word is that meetings have been encouraging, with the three releasing a joint statement just this morning: “We have spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema is very important to him. Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected. We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone we all treasure.”

John Frankensteiner has collected an excellent summary of the road to this moment: Zavlav’s leadership as CEO has come under extensive criticism precisely for its devaluation of art and artist since near day one, as he set the once proud icon of Warner on a cost-cutting venture meant to eliminate about $3 billion (by August 2022 the merged company had lost $20 billion in market cap). Next animation and children’s ‘content’ received a broad range of cuts, since we should of course invest the least in our future and melt their capability for judication in its infancy.  Then HBO Max (somehow not aided by the day-and-date approach even for its continuation, thank goodness) began to remove titles from the service, 36 at once to begin with. This was no licensing change, 20 of the titles were originals, and its a move Disney mirrored in removing major productions like Willow from Disney+. Then entire near-finished films (Batgirl most famously being among them) were shelved and kept from public release, the announcement coming as a surprise to cast and crew alike, who may bare the brunt of suspicions over quality for the foreseeable future).

For 2022, the company decided to divide their limited funds into the minimally wide release of Don’t Worry Darling (a lambasted critical disappointment and potentially minor box office success) and the enormously advertised, hyped up and otherwise inescapable cash-sink that was Black Adam (a major critical and commercial flop for which the following DCEU films’ opening weekend earnings suffered). The company would go on to invest even more heavily into the DC cinematic universe, with Zavlav announcing that the franchise would be “a very big growth driver for this company”. This has not come to pass, though starting with a clean slate, as they have done with director James Gunn, may revive some interest in the future. For the time being, Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods was a disastrous release, but a positively conservative victory when compared to the loss the company can expect from The Flash, should it continue on its present course at the worldwide box office. Next to go was Cartoon Network, which underwent an ominous and ultimately cautionary restructuring not dissimilar to that of TCM now.

By November 2022 the Warner Bros. Discovery stock price had closed at its lowest level since the company’s merger, following the cooldown in streaming investment (turns out you do actually have to make a profit somewhere, layoffs don’t do much on their own). The streaming venture was reported to have cost around $2 billion, while the company’s three major services could only muster just over a million subscribers. Then the ill-conceived scheme to drop the ‘HBO’ from streaming service HBOmax, stripping the service of the singular element of prestige to sell the desperate nature of the service to the public. “Well, HBO is always good, might as well try it!” What is a MAX? WarnerBros. contended that the HBO name intimidated potential subscribers. Stock dropped significantly after this debacle. The update to the service was also dogged by technical problems wrapped up in its conversion, causing log-in errors described by Warner Bros. as “minor” and were dealt with quickly.

Further devaluing the disciplines of filmmaking was a new feature of the Max user interface, which would lump all creatives behind a film into a single “creator” tab, rather than crediting them for their roles on the film. Who directed the movie you’re about to watch, the fourth name or the first. Max does not care. This practice was rescinded after public backlash, including a response from the WGA and DGA who labeled it “insulting”, resulting in an apology from Max for the “mistake”. The decision was reversed in short order once again, so we’re back to square one.

The company’s various layoffs and content write-offs drew the attention of local lawmakers, who requested that the Justice Department investigate WarnerBros Discovery, believing that the merger has resulted in damage to workers and reduced consumer choice (they applied both to the case of Batgirl). Around this time, with the WGA on strike, Zavlav was asked to address Boston University students with a commencement speech for their 2023 graduation ceremony. The event did not go as planned as students, in solidarity with the strike, began to boo Zavlav at opportune occasions, such as during the ‘life-advice’ portion of the speech. Overhead, a plane had affixed to its rudder a banner reading “David Zavlav Pay Your Writers”, which delighted protestors in- and outside of the venue. Zavlav addressed the matter by restating that he has always “respected writers, and hope(s) that the strike comes to a resolution soon”, with the writers satisfied that they are valued by the studios.

A month or so later, here we are. The Flash is flopping in theatres as TCM undergoes a perilous change in leadership, both contributing to a 5-day drop of around 11 percent in stock value. The latest concerns involve the film and TV music library sales on the horizon and their signing a deal for an AI-driven film management system. Dune should hold strong, and Barbie has the potential to be a runaway hit, but the future of film (and ‘content’…) at Warner Brothers Discovery is in serious contention.

New Requirements for Best Picture Contention

The updated credentials required for any prospective Best Picture nominee now include:

• An expanded theatrical run of 7 days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024. (AKA No cheating by only showing the movie in LA and New York for ‘theatrical release).
• For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10^th, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification. (Business as usual).
• Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24^th, 2025. (This and the above are really more inside baseball than anything revelatory).
• Non-U.S. territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets. (Yay).
• Qualifying non-U.S. markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film. (This seems a fair allowance, though we’ll never have fluke foreign film hits that got big elsewhere like Italy’s Trinity Is Still My Name, which really popped off in Germany for some reason).

The terms further steer the Academy’s focus to the theatrical distribution model, and further towards the advice of Steven Spielberg, who called all of this around 2015. These alterations bare no effect on the 2023 films competing for next year’s Academy Awards, and will only be implemented by 2024.

The Flash and Elemental BOMB

Last week saw what amounts to one of the most disastrous weekends in box office history, as two major blockbuster hopefuls, each carrying a budget over $200 million, flopped. There’s no other way to put it, the DCEU going out on a dismal $55 million opening weekend for The Flash is a tremendous letdown considering the PR effort behind the project, a lower opening weekend debut than Black Adam, though stronger than Shazam 2. Another huge loss is in store for Disney with the release of Pixar’s Elemental, which was unable to mount more than $30 million for its opening, worse still than Pixar’s Lightyear, and the company’s worst-ever opening weekend. Based on numbers like these, there is a strong possibility that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse may reclaim the number 1 position as soon as this week.

Challengers Trailer Goes Viral

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist, who turned in a standout performance in the incredible company of the West Side Story cast), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor, best known for a turn as Prince Charles on Netflix’s The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

Star sex appeal alone may sell this one, but beyond that it is so wonderful to see Mike Faist moving on to yet another great project in his burgeoning stardom, paired with the co-star that helped him send tongues wagging over Broadway’s Brokeback Mountain; Josh O’Connor. Zendaya’s sheer presence in the final shot is beyond promising, though she can’t seem to disappoint as is, and the chemistry is off the charts throughout.

Beyond even that, it is as exciting as it has ever been to follow the career of director Luca Guadagnino. Dripping fresh from the cannibal romance of Bones and All, memories still brightly recalling the sensuality of Call Me By Your Name, viewers may forget this is the man behind 2018’s Suspiria too. The sudden shift to as commercial a property as a tryst and sports drama may be cause for concern, but the visual element is Guadagninian – the cast is flagrantly enticing, and the energy is airtight. That choice in soundtrack (Rihanna’s S&M-flavoured “Chains and Whips (Excite Me)” is spot on campy as well. Despite a raised eyebrow turned double, this trailer is beyond encouraging. As ever, filmmakers are keeping it a sensational time for cinema, even as the form fights to remain vibrant and multi-faceted these days.