In today’s Daily Bite, news that production revenue is largely behind ITV’s first quarter growth; a merger that will increase China’s position as a major player in the global film industry and Ben Affleck’s return to the director’s chair.
Production boosts ITV’s first quarter growth… Strong production has boosted ITV’s first quarter revenues to €701m - up 13 per cent over the same period last year. ITV Studios, the production arm of the network behind shows like ‘Titanic’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, performed particularly well, accounting for €263m of that figure. Its revenues were up 61 per cent, according to Broadcast.
China hints at ‘surprise’ AMC merger…. China’s Wanda Group cinema chain operators have hinted of a planned merger “that will surprise the world,” according to Variety who say the comment almost certainly refers to a deal with AMC Entertainment, the US’s second largest cinema screen chain. If completed, the deal would mark a new phase in China’s push into the global film industry, making the country a major player in the US domestic market.
Disney revenues up despite ‘John Carter’ flop….. Variety are reporting that Disney has announced strong second quarter earnings, with revenue up six per cent and profits up 21 per cent. The results come despite the company’s $200m writedown on ‘John Carter,’ which has performed poorly at the box office. Overall, Disney earned $9.6bn in revenue and $1.1bn in profits. The company can also expect growth to continue in the third quarter when figures for ‘Avengers Assemble’ come into play.
If you watch one trailer today… Ben Affleck returns to the director’s chair for ‘Argo,’ a conspiracy thriller based on a true story set in Iran. Affleck also stars in the movie, which is released in Ireland on October 12.
