☀️ The 2024 Box Office Collapse Begins
Who made NFL ad buys in Hollywood / Initial SUNDANCE buys / Soderbergh shopping next pic
Evenin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on SUNDAY January 21, 2024.
Well 2024 Box Office - it’s been a good run. We gave it our best. Anyone in for this Friday’s big release, Miller’s Girl? And if you’re googling that title right now, that about says it all (and I think there’s a SONY CRUNCHYROLL pic too 🤔).
Let’s just say its studio distributor (LIONSGATE) decided to spend its 15-second NFL ad buy this weekend on its Wahlberg dog adventure pic Arthur the Great, which comes out in… two months.
ELSEWHERE THIS WEEKEND: I wouldn’t be too optimistic for a rebound in “M&E” (media & entertainment) ad spending in Q1. Here are the Hollywood ad spends we got across the 4 big NFL games this weekend, each likely getting circa 35 Million viewers.
DISNEY had no movie ads in its last ABC/ESPN NFL game this season on Saturday. Then again, it has no movies.
DISNEY also bought one DISNEY BUNDLE spot in the NBC game.
PARAMOUNT bought two ads for its Bob Marley pic One Love (and had one on CBS).
NETFLIX had one 3 Body Problem ad.
UNI/APPLE did one 15-second Argyle ad, and one 30-second spot.
APPLE TV+ did one 15-second Killers of the Flower Moon ad.
AMAZON did one Mr. & Mrs. Smith ad, and one 15-second Underdoggs ad.
Again, that’s the list across four NFL games.
WELL: APPLE actually did plenty of NFL ad buys this weekend… they were just all for iPhones and the VisionPro.
Funny how the APPLE VisionPro ad uses clips from movies to sell it… and nothing from APPLE TV+ itself.
IN-HOUSE LOVE:
NBC did heavy series promo during games (even a PEACOCK Ted spot this time! - then again, NBC got up and going with returning series post-strikes faster than any other broadcast network #ThanksDickWolf!
Shout out to NBC for the beautiful and frequent drone shots from around icy Detroit during the game - well done.
CBS had a PAR+ MI:7 and Halo promos, PAR+ Mountain of Entertainment promos, and a solid amount of CBS series promo for all of their returning big series.
ABC & FX did get some decent in-house promo but nowhere near the extent of NBC & CBS, plus DIS streaming got a DISNEY BUNDLE spot.
No DIS+ or HULU streaming projects got specific promo… not that there are any on the Q1 horizon outside of Life and Beth.
FOX mostly promoted their current unscripted lineup (the Gordon Ramsey show, Masked Singer and Rob Lowe game show got most of it).
IT’S GOTTA BE LOVE: When you go to Buffalo in late January…
BUT: Sorry Taylor, your (potential) future brother in law stole the show.
EXHIBIT A:
EXHIBIT B (it’s 25 degrees in Buffalo tonight and yes, he seemingly kept his shirt off in the suite… for the whole game 💪):
THEN: Here are the two big NFL Conference Championship games next Sunday:
3 p.m. KANSAS CITY at BALTIMORE on CBS
KC has been in this AFC Championship game for 6 years straight.
And yes - Taylor in Vegas for the Super Bowl is still alive, CBS.
630 p.m. DETROIT at SAN FRANCISCO on FOX
PLUS: A congrats to the OHIO STATE women’s basketball team, who knocked off #2 U OF IOWA and Caitlin Clark in OT before the NFL game on NBC today, in front of over 18,000 fans - a record crowd.
ALSO: SNL coming with another banger this week - Dakota Johnson & Justin Timberlake. The Social Network joke in the monologue better be good!
UH: In PARAMOUNT 2024 layoff watch… Deadline puts them coming in Feb, and numbering in the “hundreds” across all divisions, possibly in mid Feb (maybe even right after the Super Bowl on CBS), but obviously more to come here.
WAKEUP POLL:
Well the people have spoken - look for Kiefer and The Man on ABC this September. Honorable mention goes to reader Julius who sent in Rushfield Hour as a suggestion for Peter & Richard’s odd couple cop show, although that would technically be the movie version (and no, I’m not counting the show that CBS attempted).
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
