Entertainment Lawyers

With the dust finally settling on the turbulent Paramount-Skydance merger, the now-merged companies do not seem keen on another rising entertainment trend- spinning off their cable networks. However, it seems they will be focusing mostly on their streaming potential. We have Brandon Blake, the best entertainment attorney in Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., with the full story.                                                                              Brandon Blake   No Spin Offs Ahead   Although we have seen a general move towards spinning off legacy and cable channel networks into stand-alone companies this year, with NBCUniversal and even Warner Bros. looking to lighten their load and modernize their business models, it seems the new Paramount leadership is not on b...

  The summer season may be ready to fade away, but the domestic and international box offices are still going strong. To share the good news, we have Brandon Blake, best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A.                                                                                  Brandon Blake Superman Continues to Show Success The latest Superman release, intended to revitalize the franchise, has now passed $300M at the domestic box office- the first DC movie to attain that benchmark since The Batman in 2022. Given that it was hoped that the film, a soft reboot of the DC universe, would revitalize the franchise, they must be very happy. It’s also the ninth DC movie to meet that mark at the North American box office, and has surpassed the...

  Although much of Hollywood’s attention has, understandably, been on California’s ongoing issues with the allure of its tax credit incentives for location shooting, we’ve seen a considerable amount of other states keen to get their slice of the filming pie. Just last week, Wisconsin announced new changes to its tax credit program aimed at sweetening the deal for interested films and TV shows further. Brandon Blake, our expert entertainment lawyer from Blake & Wang P.A., shares the news.                                                                         Brandon Blake Reawakening the State Film Office Wisconsin itself has seen little activity from its state film office since 2005. Now, however, it is to be refreshed and reactivated, with an approved $5M in annual tax credits on offer. Thi...

 Although much of Hollywood’s attention has, understandably, been on California’s ongoing issues with the allure of its tax credit incentives for location shooting, we’ve seen a considerable amount of other states keen to get their slice of the filming pie. Just last week, Wisconsin announced new changes to its tax credit program aimed at sweetening the deal for interested films and TV shows further. Brandon Blake, our expert entertainment lawyer from Blake & Wang P.A., shares the news.                                                                                 Brandon Blake Reawakening the State Film Office Wisconsin itself has seen little activity from its state film office since 2005. Now, however, it is to be refreshed and reactivated, with an approved $5M in annual ...

 You may remember a rather ugly breakup between Disney and Charter back in 2023, which saw several cable channels (and Hulu) removed from Charter’s lineup. In a deal that took most by surprise, they’re back on air. Here is Brandon Blake, our entertainment attorney from Blake & Wang P.A., with his take on the deal.                                                                                     Brandon Blake Spectrum TV Select: Hulu is Back The deal will return Hulu to the subscription bundle for Spectrum TV Select, as well as the cable channels that were cut two years ago in the notorious carriage dispute. At the time, spectrum wanted to bundle in streaming services more vigorously, while Disney at the time wanted to protect its reach (and fees) for its core c...

 With the domestic box office now approaching $3.7B, 23% higher than 2024, it’s time to look at who is leading the pack when it comes to box office earnings. We have Brandon Blake, entertainment attorney Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., with the facts and figures.                                                                         Brandon Blake Disney Studios Has Passed $1B To no one’s particular surprise, Disney Studios is leading the majors, with a total of $1.1B in the kitty. In the year that brought us not only the highly successful live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch as well as the Captain America: Brave New World Marvel release, that was pretty much predicted. Even the releases that didn’t see particular box office success, like Thunderbolts and the notably less successful...

 As streamers fight for ever-more limited market share across geographical territories, we’ve seen a wealth of strategies arise. HBO Max, for example, is currently engaged in a rather aggressive territory expansion. Netflix has been using its non-English language productions as a selling point in recent years, and now there’s even more ahead. To fill us in, we have Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment attorney Los Angeles , Brandon Blake.                                                                                  Brandon Blake Push for New Productions In February, we saw Netflix co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, announce an ambitious $1B budget for Mexican productions, to be split over four years. Now, they’re offering the same for Spanish originals- $1B through 2029 for local conte...

 While this won’t go down as the most exciting box office weekend on record, it managed to carry on the fantastic momentum that began with Labor Day and keep cinema seats warm. To keep us up to date on what’s performing well, we have Brandon Blake, our entertainment attorney Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A.                                                                     Brandon Blake Ballerina Puts on a Solid Performance The John Wick spinoff, Ballerina , was projected to take around the $30M mark, so its $25M across North American screens ($10.6M domestically) was just about on the mark, if a little lackluster. It brought in $51M across all 82 territories where it initially released, again roughly in line with the expected $60M. This puts it pretty much on a par with John Wick: Chapter 3 in 2019,...

 It’s that time of the month again- Nielsen’s latest round of streaming ratings are in. It’s always interesting to see what’s hot (and what’s not) on the streaming charts, so Brandon Blake, our entertainment lawyer Los Angeles in the know from Blake & Wang P.A. is here to unpack this week’s top streaming titles.                                                                             Brandon Blake You Remains on Top, but The Four Seasons Has a Strong Start Netflix’s comedy, The Four Seasons , opened on streaming this week, and managed to rack up 1.3B minutes of watch time, even without a full week to attract viewers. This took it straight into second place.   However, it was still beaten out by You for the number 1 spot, which was also the top performer in the prior set...

 A strong box office benefits us all, of course, but Warner Bros. Discovery must have a particularly shiny smile this week, with both the stand-out performers coming from them. Our entertainment attorney Los Angeles in the know, Blake & Wang P.A.’s Brandon Blake, fills in the details.                                                                    Brandon Blake Shattering Domestic and Global Milestones The Minecraft Movie has now passed the $900M threshold globally, making it the second-highest grossing video adaption of all time (and that’s without adjusting for inflation, which may see it take the top spot). Needless to say, it’s currently the top contender for top grossing film of the year domestically so far. Captain America: Brave New World slides into second place. The Surprising Success o...

 Samsung, already a leader in sheer volume for FAST channels, is now introducing a broadcast network-style central platform to anchor its dominance in this growing market. Unveiled at their NewFronts presentation last week, there could be interesting shifts ahead. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., takes a closer look.                                                                            Brandon Blake Introducing Samsung Television Network Ambitiously calling it the “broad-FAST channel of the future,” the new FAST “network” will incorporate live sports offerings alongside key library fare such as late-night stalwarts. Letterman himself made an appearance at the NewFronts event to talk more about the show’s new channel.   We’ve seen cons...

  Lionsgate Shareholders Weigh in on Looming Split from Starz As we approach the final formalities in the separation between Lionsgate and its Starz arm, we’ve finally seen regulatory processes close and the split head to shareholders for a final vote. With further details, we have entertainment lawyer Los Angeles , Brandon Blake, at Blake & Wang P.A.                                                                        Brandon Blake Overwhelming Investor Support During a special shareholders meeting last Wednesday, Lionsgate shareholders gave their overwhelming support to the planned split between the two entities. This will see Lionsgate rebrand as Lionsgate Studios Corp, and Starz reformed as Starz Entertainment Corp. Other necessary proxy resolutions, including the new board of director...

 FAST streaming services have become a critical cornerstone of the streaming ecosystem, if an often forgotten one. While Roku holds the crown in the FAST arena, Samsung’s recent advances in the space have certainly created some competition for them— and may have actually claimed the crown. Brandon Blake, our expert entertainment attorney in Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A., looks for a winner in the battle of the FAST providers.                                                                           Brandon Blake The Battle of the FAST Platforms Samsung is certainly happy to claim the FAST crown, and with 700 FAST channels now open in the US market under their banner, they may have a point. As with Roku, they had a natural entry into the FAST ecosystem, in this case through their Smart T...

    While we’ve seen plenty of consolidatory action from larger studios in the post-pandemic period, we’ve seen considerably less movement on the indie front. However, with Shout! acquiring fellow indie distributor, Gravitas Ventures, there’s now an incredibly impressive indie film library for them to draw on. To tell us more, we have Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer at Blake & Wang P.A.                                                                            Brandon Blake Continuing as Independent Brands Despite the consolidation, however, both Gravitas Ventures and Shout! will be continuing to acquire content separately. However, the increase in scale will no doubt bring to life better monetization opportunities for their content across both streaming and linear. Gravi...

  LA’s production-related woes are hardly news at present. With a dire need to encourage more TV series and films to choose LA as their filming destination, hoping to offset the 30% plunge in production we’ve seen over the last 5 years, there could well be reason to believe mid-budget movies will be returning to the LA area. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., shares the news.                                                                          Brandon Blake   New Plans   We’ve already seen some major proposed overhauls to the city’s tax incentive plans, which would bring LA back into line with some of the more compelling local and international location destinations. However, a small local group, including some LA City Councilmembers, ar...

  The quiet and often under-considered success of the Roku Channel may be leaving its own mark on the entertainment landscape. Last week, NBCUniversal announced a partnership with LG Smart TVs that will see 40 new FAST channels launch. Our entertainment lawyer in the know, Brandon Blake of Blake & Wang P.A., unpacks this exciting new development for us.                                                                            Brandon Blake   New FAST Offerings   These new FAST channels will cover a broad range of subjects, from “standard” entertainment to sports, news, true crime, and even a dedicated Spanish channel. The deal includes key live event shows like Dateline 24/7, NBC News, and Today All Day alongside their extensive TV show library and films from the Univer...

  As the post-pandemic box office recovery accelerated over the past 2 years, we’ve seen over and over again how a smart theatrical release can drive extra value and marketing for streaming releases. After one of the longest theatrical windows of the modern entertainment era, A24’s Babygirl is finally shifting over to streaming on Max. To tell us more, we have Brandon Blake, best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A.                                                                               Brandon Blake   121-Day Window   Although there is, strictly speaking, no set modern theatrical window as we once saw, with 90 days being the then-standard, we have seen the post-pandemic period slowly default to either 45-day runs or 31-day runs in genera...

 The Chinese New Year box office has launched what may be the world’s next biggest animation success. As Ne Zha 2 continues to blow through local Chinese records, it’s also beginning to make its name on the global stage. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., shares this exciting news.                                                                     Brandon Blake Bigger than Inside Out 2 ? It is thoroughly remarkable to be talking about global records around a film that has yet to release outside of the Chinese market. Ne Zha 2 will only open this week in North America, New Zealand, and Australia. However, with takings now topping $1.37B from its Chinese run alone, Ne Zha 2 has already knocked The Super Mario Bros. Movie out of its spot on the Top 3 animated films of...

 The record-breaking Thanksgiving box office was a win for blockbusters. However, while the shattered records and beefy takings are certainly impressive, let’s not let it overshadow the many success stories we saw from the indie arena as well. Brandon Blake, entertainment attorney Los Angeles at Blake & Wang P.A., shines a spotlight on some Thanksgiving indie success stories.                                                                            Brandon Blake A Fantastic Weekend for All Even with the powerful performances from Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator 2 , speciality films left their own mark on this past weekend’s box office, with 3 indie movies managing to find a spot in the Top Ten.   A24's latest release, Queer , made a strong debut with $188,800 on seven screens...

  Despite being a two-and-a-half-decade-old franchise, it seems that Gladiator , the massive Roman epic by Ridley Scott, still has pulling power with modern audiences. After a spectacular international debut, the film will head to domestic screens this weekend. Brandon Blake, our entertainment lawyer Los Angeles and insider from Blake & Wang P.A., shares this success with us.                                                                            Brandon Blake Best Start for Ridley Scott Gladiator 2 opened in 63 international markets last weekend, with the US debut this coming weekend. It has accumulated almost $90M in its first weekend, aligning well with pre-release projections. Incidentally, this also makes it Ridley Scott's best overseas start as director.   Nor do Pa...