Entertainment
Cineplex CEO says company is open to ‘experiments’ with cheaper tickets – National | Globalnews.ca
Chief executive Ellis Jacob said Canada’s biggest movie chain is looking at “different pricing for different types of product,” which this month included a rare discount on tickets to “80 For Brady.” The comedy is aimed directly at senior citizens, a demographic that’s been reluctant to return to the movies.
“We want to be accommodating to our guests and we want to have the right pricing for the opportunity,” Jacob said on Tuesday as Cineplex reported its fourth-quarter results.
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Ticket prices have become a greater focus for movie chains across North America as they look to drive profits after years of staggered closures, but keep audiences coming back in a troubled economy with plenty of streaming alternatives.
In the latest quarter, Cineplex leaned on premium Imax and UltraAVX tickets for the “Avatar” sequel and other blockbusters to help turn around a loss.
The company reported a profit of $10.2 million to end the calendar year, compared with a loss of $21.8 million in late 2021. The results were equivalent to 16 cents per diluted share or 34 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue totalled $350.1 million, up from $300 million a year earlier.
The “Avatar” sequel and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” were bright spots in the period, which faced a drought of new movies and moviegoers.
That void showed in the attendance numbers which dropped to 9.2 million customers from 10.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” smashed box-office records.
Concession revenues still managed to reach a new high of $8.93 per person as moviegoers gobbled up pricier snacks, while box-office revenues hit a record of $13.06 per person driven by those premium-priced tickets.
While some moviegoers are willing to pay for more expensive nights out, Jacob said lowering the cost of tickets might make sense in other instances, though it would depend on the Hollywood title.
In the case of “80 For Brady,” which opened on Feb. 3, he says the film’s distributor Paramount Pictures asked Cineplex to sell tickets at Tuesday prices for any day of the week — a 40 per cent discount. Already discounted senior tickets were reduced by a lesser amount of roughly 13 per cent.
The movie stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and football quarterback Tom Brady, and is squarely aimed at older audiences.
A similar discount was made by U.S. chain AMC which charged matinee prices for the film.
Also this week, AMC announced it will soon charge different ticket prices depending on where the seat is located inside the theatre. The move was immediately met with backlash from moviegoers, including actor Elijah Wood who tweeted it would “penalize people” who couldn’t afford it.
While Jacob didn’t rule out a similar move at Cineplex, he said it’s not something the company is looking at right now and that he intends to be “very careful” when considering such models.
Cineplex mingled with the concept on a smaller scale when it charged more for “prime seating” at the centre of the auditorium in some of its more upscale locations. Those experiments were abandoned early in the pandemic, Jacob said, partly because people were sitting in other people’s “prime” seats without paying for them.
“It’s difficult to navigate when the show has started and people are fighting for the seats,” he added.
Cineplex hopes a new theatre, dining and entertainment complex called Junxion will be a more successful way to boost sales and attract customers.
The hybrid venue opened in Winnipeg last December and features six auditoriums with reclining seats, an arcade, a live entertainment space and dining options.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
Carliz De La Cruz Hernández said she recorded the audio for Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, before he skyrocketed to international fame, as per a new lawsuit filed in a Puerto Rico court. She alleged she invented the phrase.
The lawsuit, which was first reported by the Puerto Rico news website NotiCel, claimed the unauthorized recording is used in the 29-year-old singer’s songs, Pa Ti from 2017 and Dos Mil 16, which is featured on the Grammy-winning album Un Verano Sin Ti. The tracks have been streamed on Spotify at least 235 million times each.
As per the lawsuit, De La Cruz claimed her “Bad Bunny, baby” audio has been used for numerous promotions, worldwide concerts, television, radio and social appearances.
Due to her “distinguishable voice,” De La Cruz said she’s been barraged with messages and comments about the unauthorized recording.
“Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby.’ This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious,” reads the lawsuit.
De La Cruz is also suing Martínez’s manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne.
Neither Martínez nor Assad has commented publicly on the lawsuit.
In the legal filing, De La Cruz claimed a representative for the reggaetón singer contacted her in May 2022, shortly before Un Verano Sin Ti was released. She said the representative offered her $2,000 for the voice recording. At this point, the “Bad Bunny, baby,” audio had already been used in 2017’s Pa Ti.
De La Cruz allegedly declined the payment on the grounds that she was apparently not comfortable with her voice being featured. She said the song was published anyway without her consent.
“Since de la Cruz made it clear that she did not consent to its use, its publication constituted an act of gross negligence, bad faith, and, worse still, an attack on their privacy, morals, and dignity since all parties had and still have knowledge of these facts and even so decided to be reckless and break the law,” the filing reads.
The lawsuit outlines the relationship between De La Cruz and Martínez, who apparently started dating in 2011, before he was signed to the label Rimas Entertainment. At the time, De La Cruz claimed she was responsible for managing her artist boyfriend’s invoices, contracts and scheduling.
She said she recorded the “Bad Bunny, baby” audio in the bathroom of a party in 2015, as it was the quietest room available at the time.
The pair ended their relationship in 2017, a year after Martínez asked to marry De La Cruz.
In February, Martínez won a Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album for Un Verano Sin Ti. The album was also nominated for the coveted Album of the Year award but lost out to Harry’s House by Harry Styles.
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Entertainment
Gwyneth Paltrow to take the stand in $300K ski crash lawsuit – National | Globalnews.ca
Terry Sanderson has accused Paltrow, 50, of negligence and is suing for US$300,000 (about $410,000). He alleged the Goop founder collided with him while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, “knocking him down hard, knocking him out.”
In the complaint filed in 2019, Sanderson, 76, said the accident left him with “permanent traumatic brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life.” He maintains that Paltrow left him collapsed on the slope and skied away.
In a counterclaim, Paltrow said Sanderson skied into her in a “full body hit,” giving her minor injuries that prevented her from skiing the next day. She claims he apologized to her after the accident.
Paltrow said she only left the scene of the accident after a Deer Valley Resort employee gave confirmation she could depart.
She also alleged Sanderson has said before that he does not have a clear memory of the accident.
In 2019, Sanderson classified the accident as a hit-and-run but that was later struck down by a judge. Any mention of incidences after the collision — including an allegation from Sanderson that a resort employee who did not witness the crash skied off and accused Sanderson of being responsible for the accident — were also disallowed.
Sanderson’s original lawsuit sought $3.1 million in damages.
In her counterclaim, Paltrow is seeking only $1 in damages (a symbolic gesture), and capital for her lawyer’s fees.
The trial is set to begin on March 21 in Utah. To win the civil suit, Sanderson must demonstrate the burden of proof and prove his injuries were directly caused by the ski collision.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Entertainment
Fans petition for Pedro Pascal to be 2023 Calgary Stampede parade marshal | Globalnews.ca
A Change.org petition wants Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel in the TV show, to lead the charge.
The parade marshal is usually announced at the end of May or early June.
Pascal spent time in Calgary and across the province filming the hit Crave series, including the Alberta legislature, the Bow River, the Ranchland Inn in Nanton, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Canmore Engine Bridge and Waterton Lakes National Park.
In fact, in episode 1, When You’re Lost in the Darkness, Calgary’s downtown is used as a stand-in for Boston, and a specially designed set situated in the industrial area behind the Calgary Stampede grounds serves at the show’s Boston Quarantine Zone (QZ.)
Pascal has also spoken about his love for Alberta, like exploring the mountains and seeing the northern lights.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, March 20, the petition had about 4,700 names.
Actor Kevin Costner was parade marshal in 2022.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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