Transcript: What Really Happened in Vegas
CinemaCon scoop from Richard and Elaine; final days of WGA negotiations
Sean McNulty (00:06):
Welcome to The Ankler Podcast. This is Sean McNulty from The Wakeup newsletter here at The Ankler here in New Jersey on the morning of Friday, April 28. Joining me today from Los Angeles, Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low as always. After a week of sitting through several earnings calls, I'll do my best to creatively answer as many of your questions as possible without actually answering them. So I hope that's okay with the both of you. Giving you some color, some ARPU, whatever you need, I got all your data, Elaine. So I know you missed me this week being out in CinemaCon, right?
Elaine Low (00:40):
Yeah, I need all the ARPU updates, Sean.
Sean McNulty (00:43):
Richard's been texting me all week. Richard, I'll give it to you, just stop bothering me, Richard, please, come on. Of course, please follow The Ankler on socials @TheAnkler, and subscribe to The Ankler to get the full suite of newsletters and podcasts at theankler.com.
(01:00)
So this week, a lot of people at Disney are, unfortunately, out of a job come the month of June, it sounds like. A lot of people who write for Disney may be out of a job come Tuesday, more from the WGA, which we'll touch on in a bit.
(01:16)
Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are both definitely out of a job. Richard, have you been fired from anything this week or are you still fully employed, just so we know here?
Richard Rushfield (01:25):
Weirdly, I still am working here. I have not been called to account for my behavior and actions yet.
Sean McNulty (01:33):
No, at CinemaCon faux pas we didn't... Wasn't reported in the trades or anything, or-
Richard Rushfield (01:37):
I'm waiting for the chickens to come home to roost from our wild time in Vegas, listening to six-hour presentations for three straight days, but-
Sean McNulty (01:49):
It'll make a man go crazy. Of course, we'll get to all the week at Comcast at NBCUniversal as well. A lot to cover. But yeah, CinemaCon, you're both freshly back from the casino-laden empire of the Las Vegas. I've had enough of hearing about trailers I can't see all week and other courageous statements from studios about the movie theater business. Some of it from the various studios that sold off all their product to streamers for a good year-and-a-half. But that was oddly not a topic of conversation.
(02:25)
But at first, Elaine, this is your first CinemaCon. How was Richard as your guide? Give me the Richard Rushfield CinemaCon picture. I need details.