Party like it's 1948
Paramount Decrees, the DOJ and you
Happy Monday. Welcome back to Jacob’s Letter, a free pop culture newsletter full of puns and occasional badly-PhotoShopped dog photos.
Sweet, sweet Nova. A legend forever.
Today, we discuss the Department of Justice’s decision to look into the Paramount Decrees of 1948 and what that means for the theater-going experience, the insane box office totals for “Frozen II,” five forgotten films now streaming on Disney+, a new “Memorable Movies” segment, and, as always, more trailers and other recommendations.
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Coming up next week: “Knives Out,” “The Irishman,” noir films and more. But for now, let’s take a trip back to 1948…
Scary movie theater
Last week, the Department of Justice announced that it is looking into repealing the so-called Paramount Decrees, which, as you’ll recall from the Oct. 29 edition of this newsletter, was a 1948 Supreme Court antitrust decision that ruled that film studios can’t own their own theaters and then deny other theaters the rights to show their films.
As of last week, all of that could change.
The DOJ has two years to fully repeal the Paramount Decrees, so studios aren’t going to snatch up theaters just yet, but the fact that this is being considered as an option is telling.
The DOJ’s review of the decrees argues that the decision was made in a different era, a time when movie theaters only had one screen and only one town in a metroplex area had a theater. Now that there are multiple theaters in many different cities (also not true; more on that in the “Memorable Movies” segment later), the argument goes, the decrees are outdated and while they used to foster more competition, they are no longer needed now since streaming and video on demand platforms exist.
From the review:
Finally, consumers today are no longer limited to watching motion pictures in theatres. New technology has created many different distribution and viewing platforms that did not exist when the decrees were entered into. After an initial theatre run, today’s consumers can view motion pictures on cable and broadcast television, DVDs, and over the Internet through streaming services.
While that may be true, a Birth.Movies.Death. review of the top box office earners from 2019 showed that major studios still control most of the profits in theaters through what’s called block booking, where distributors will sell theaters movies in bundles to ensure maximum profit for all movies involved. For example, if the latest “Star Wars” and Marvel film is included in said bundle, the bundle also has to include some smaller-budget fare that will be played prominently in a theater to make sure they make money.
In theory, that would seem like it would give a fair shake to indie films and big studio films alike, but what that BMD analysis found was that the top theater chains repeatedly buy the top-earning films from major studios, resulting in a low amount of film diversity at chains like AMC or Regal, leaving smaller arthouse theaters to play smaller films.
Through the block booking practice, it’s likely that studios won’t even have to buy theaters to more effectively distribute their product. And as theaters continue to play films from studios who control most of the landscape, the theater environment will become just as bifurcated as the streaming landscape.
All of this might just be baseless pondering on my part since the decrees might not even be repealed in 2021. But I’ve got two years to see a lot of indie films in theaters while I can.
The cold never bothered these audiences anyway
Aided by lots of children singing “Let It Go” and their parents who have heard that song ad nauseam for the last six years, “Frozen II” has taken in more than $350 million worldwide in its first weekend. Its domestic opening weekend total of $127 million is a new record for any animated film — ever. At this rate, it should top the original’s $1.3 billion haul in no time. Get ready for a lot more Olaf merch at Christmastime.
Memorable Movies: ‘Spider-Man 2’ in Dayton, Tenn.
“Memorable Movies” is a semi-regular segment where I’ll talk about moviegoing experiences that have had an impact on me. This edition is about the first midnight movie premiere I ever went to.
In light of the recent DOJ/Paramount Decree news, I was reminded of the first midnight movie I ever saw. It wasn’t at a multiplex. It was at the Richland Park Cinema, a one-screen movie house off of Highway 27 in Dayton, Tenn. It’s now a Gold’s Gym, but when I was a teen visiting family over the summer, it was the only movie theater in town. Anyone looking for some choice in their movie selection could go to the local Blockbuster (now a Verizon store by the local Walmart) or drive the 40 miles south to Chattanooga to watch a movie at the mall.
But on June 30, 2004, that theater was packed with people ready to see “Spider-Man 2” at midnight. I remember I stayed up late with all my cousins to go see it, and it might have been the first PG-13 movie I saw in a theater without my parents. There wasn’t an open seat in the house, and the theater probably made its monthly quota on concession sales in that one night.
I love the Raimi “Spider-Man” franchise (well, “3” is iffy at best, but the first two were fun, and “2” should be remembered as one of the Top 5 superhero movies when we look back at this MCU era) and part of that love stems from the communal experience of seeing the second movie in that theater. Dayton is a small town, and it felt like the whole town was in that theater that night, a rare occurrence where everyone experienced the same moment.
When it shut down a few years later, I was sad that the town was losing a landmark but also sad that the town was losing a theater. For me, watching movies and reading books are ways to experience things I might not know otherwise — the “empathy machine,” as Roger Ebert once put it — and especially when I lived away from family overseas, it was a way to connect with what everyone else was talking about. Removing that convenient theater location from the equation eliminates a business choice, but it also cut off a lot of people from getting to be transported away to another world for two hours. There’s now another theater in Athens, just 25 miles east of Dayton, but it always made me sad seeing the Gold’s Gym logo where the theater used to be. My lifelong goal is to someday open up a small theater like that one and try my hand at booking the shows, but these theaters are becoming fewer and fewer.
Which brings us to today and the Paramount Decrees discussion. If the decrees are repealed, a theater like the Richland Park Cinema might be boxed into only playing the top studio fare, because that’s all that will turn a profit because nobody knows that other films are out there. Multiplexes will continue to make money while mom-and-pop theaters suffer. And if the only choice for consumers is a different showtime for the same movie, what kind of a choice is that?
Islands in the Stream
“Islands in the Stream” is where I’ll discuss any and all happenings on the streaming front every week, since there’s so much of it now. While you’re here, read my deep dive for WFAA about how diverse the streaming landscape is becoming.
This week:
Now that Disney+ is here, I’ve been looking at all the crazy stuff in the company's back catalog. I wrote a roundup on some of the more forgotten films for Book & Film Globe.
Apple TV+ has delayed the theatrical release of its first feature film, “The Banker,” after a dispute from the family of one of the people depicted in the Civil Rights-era set film about the true-life story of two black men who hired a white man to pose as the head of their bank while they secretly pulled the strings behind the scenes but front-faced the public as the bank’s janitorial staff. Adding to the controversy are allegations that Bernard Garrett, Jr., a producer on the film and son of one of the main characters depicted, molested his half-sister over the course of some years. Not a good start for Apple as they try to make a footprint in the streaming landscape.
Trailer Park
Trying to decide which movies to see in the theater over the holidays? My gift to you is this holiday movie preview at jakeharrisblog.com.
“Cats”
God grant me the confidence of the people who made this movie and then decided to release it against “Star Wars.” This second trailer has a bit more plot — the cats’ souls will apparently be judged by Dame Judy Dench, which I believe is in the Bible somewhere, surely — and some more touched-up special effects. What a time to be alive.
“Call of the Wild”
Disney’s already done “White Fang,” so this was imminent. It’s been a long time since I read Jack London’s novel about Buck and his adventures, but this looks like it sanitizes the tale a little bit. And that dog is definitely computer-generated, which is great for the ethical treatment of animals but uncanny-lookin’ on screen. Ah, who am I kidding, that dog looks like a very Good Boy, so I’m going to see this. The question is: Since this was originally a 20th Century Fox property, will this be released theatrically or on Disney+?
“Sonic the Hedgehog”
The fans have spoken. Sonic is back and he looks more computer-animated than ever, after countless hours of labor and anywhere from $5 million to $35 million depending on which story you read. This now has a February 2020 release date, which still doesn’t bode well for the property. This movie has now become a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” prospect. I’ve seen a lot of discussion about how fans now owe it to the animators to go see this movie, since their outcry was what led to this redesign. If it flops, it’s the fans’ fault. If it’s a success, then it sets a dangerous precedent for how fans can manipulate studios to their will. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out in February. There’s no way this will be remembered for its plot and not the controversy it’s caused.
“Antebellum”
Janelle Monáe stars in this thriller from Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions that looks like a cross between “12 Years a Slave” and “Get Out.” This trailer plays its cards close to its vest but still looks intriguing and scary.
“Hunters”
Al Pachino makes his first streaming series appearance in Amazon Prime’s new show about current-day Nazi hunters. Fun fact: This used to be named “The Hunt,” but we all know how that title fared…
Letter of Recommendation
For those looking for a new podcast to listen to, “Moonface,” from creator James Kim, is a vivid coming of age story about Paul, a second-generation Korean-American gay man who doesn’t speak Korean. The podcast focuses on him as he tries to manage the language gap with his mother, who doesn’t speak English and doesn’t know her son is gay. This fictional podcast is short, with a definitive story arc, and it is about much, much more than just Paul’s dynamic with his mom. Taylor and I listened to the whole thing on the way to New Mexico last week and were very moved by it by the end.
(A note: This podcast features explicit discussions and depictions of sex, so maybe listen with your headphones in.)
Friday News Dump
A list of online writing I really liked this week:
Advent starts this Sunday. This edition of Sarah Bessey’s “Field Notes” newsletter is all about the hope of the coming liturgical season, even among everything happening in the world right now. (via Sarah Bessey in Field Notes)
“Eating at Luby’s never felt like a compromise. In fact, it was a great equalizer.” Amid the iconic Texas cafeteria chain’s financial trouble, this Texas Observer piece is a love letter to all who have partaken in a LuAnn Platter. (via Andrea Valdez in Texas Observer)
What’s it like to narrate an audiobook? A lot more work than you might think. (via Tim Dowling in The Guardian)
First, we had Bro Country. Now, is Boyfriend Country, a swing in the complete opposite direction, going to become a trend? (via Kyle Coroneos in Saving Country Music)
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This newsletter is written by me and edited by my favorite person, Taylor Tompkins. Views expressed here are my own and don’t reflect the opinions of my employer, yadda yadda yadda.
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See you next week,
Jake