Entertainment Lawyers

  It appears that the controversial cancellation of the Batgirl film will not be the only big-budget write off we see from the restructuring efforts at the newly minted Warner Bros Discovery. Just this week we see an announcement of up to $2.5B in further write offs coming. Brandon Blake, the entertainment lawyer with Blake & Wang P.A, elaborates on the news.                                                                       Brandon Blake Pre-Tax Restructuring Charges We always knew that the integration of two key companies in the entertainment landscape would come with changes. However, the newly-formed Warner Bros Discovery is pulling no punches. Somewhere between $3.2B and $4.5B in write offs will fall in its fiscal Q3. The projected $2B-$2.5B will come from its pipeline content, with the rema...

  As Halloween Ends hits both the big and little screens, we have further proof that combined release models can work well for a film’s best interests. Brandon Blake , entertainment attorney with Blake & Wang P.A, looks deeper into this interesting success story. No Longer Either-Or In the immediate wake of the streaming boom and industry shifts of the COVID era, we saw a sharp polarization emerge- there was no way theatrical and streaming releases could co-exist for the betterment of their takings and bottom line, right? It had to be either-or? With the day-and-date release model showing its flaws fast, however, we have seen a quick reversal of this black-and-white mentality, with combination models mostly proving to be the best release strategy for films.    Halloween Ends released last week, giving us the biggest opening weekend we’ve seen since Nope in July. Budgeted to pull in $30M, it has succeeded in reaching $41.25M, taking the Number 1 spot for th...

While the September Box Office performed a little better than its $300M projection, closing out at $317M, it was still a dull month, the worst on record since April 2021. And October barely looks better. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Entertainment attorney with Blake & Wang P.A, Brandon Blake, elaborates.                                                                       Brandon Blake Small Victories September did bring us three notable female-lead movies, especially the surprise dark horse of The Woman King, that each managed to open at $19M or more. This could be a juicy cue for the industry to lean into this under-serviced niche more. October, typically a grungy month in the Box Office calendar even in pre-pandemic years, also has a solid chance at a better-than-average performance. I...

  After yet another vicious carriage agreement- or possibly rather disagreement- we have now seen Disney’s offerings return to Dish. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer with Blake & Wang P.A, has the news.                                                           Brandon Blake Temporary Restoration The Disney components of the service went dark as of the end of September due to the dispute over their existing carriage agreement with the service. While it has now been restored to the platform, it is a handshake agreement only, and Disney are clear that the return to service is merely temporary until a new deal can be finalized.   We’ve seen many such carriage deals reach the end of their existing terms without clear renewal agreements in place over the last few months. For Dish, it’s the second in a month, with the Game Sh...

Amazon has now closed a first look, three-year film deal with Safehouse Pictures. Entertainment attorney with Blake & Wang P.A, Brandon Blake, unpacks the details we know so far.                                                                 Brandon Blake A Varied Output Founded by Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold in 2005, Safehouse has brought some noted pictures to our screens. With Netflix’s Atlas , a sci-fi thriller, currently in production, as well as Apple’s new live-action Godzilla/Titans Monsterverse series, they've had credits on King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Spinning Out, My Blind Brother, and Underground. Harold was also the executive producer and writer for Obi-Wan Kenobi , currently running on Disney+, and has writing credits on The Flash and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts , due to release next year. Sa...

  Despite the wider return to classic in-person events and the buzz of the red carpet this Awards Season, the Emmys have proven to be a cost-sink for NBC. What does their sharp decline in viewers mean for the Emmys themselves? Blake & Wang P.A entertainment lawyer , Brandon Blake, takes a look at the wider climate around the broadcast’s nosedive in popularity.                                                                   Brandon Blake Lowest Audience Engagement Ever At 5.9M total viewers on NBC according to Nielsen averages, and a rather dismal 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, this year’s Emmy broadcast was little but a disappointing flash in the pan. These dismal numbers represent record lows for the once-prestigious TV awards ceremony.   Of course, the Nielsen averages aren’t quite the full pi...

  In a further great development for the overall recovery of the film and TV industry post-pandemic, foreign location shooting has sent at least one popular destination- British Columbia- to new heights. Blake & Wang P.A entertainment lawyer , Brandon Blake, has everything you need to know.                                                               Brandon Blake 2021 Period This data is based on tracked spending from the Vancouver Economic Commission, reflecting spend for the 2021 year, the last for which data is on record. This passes the $3.15B record in overall production spending seen in 2019, before the pandemic hit. It’s also a vast improvement on 2020’s $2.6B, although that comparison is likely not fair.    A lot of that spend is driven by anchor series like The Flash, Superman & Lois and Yell...