Angry Birds, from Mobile Application to #1 Movie in America

Rovio Entertainment Ltd.

Angry Birds started as a simple mobile application video game that launched in 2009; where the user launches birds at structures with pigs in order to knock them down and score points. After having several spin off special edition games, including three based off popular movies (Star Wars, Transformers, and Rio, Angry Birds finally starred in a movie themselves. The film was produced by Sony Pictures animation department for around $73 million. After its first weekend opening the Angry Birds movie sits at the top of the box office with $39 million from the U.S. market alone (Graham, 2016).

Open #AngryBirdsAction when the #AngryBirdsMovie end credits roll and cast some #MovieMagic! https://t.co/8xTA4dKrwl pic.twitter.com/TXHztJ0u7Z

— Angry Birds (@AngryBirds) May 23, 2016

Rovio the company that created the original Angry Birds application is also promoting their new game Angry Birds Action by offering exclusive content if you have the application open during the end credits of the movie. The exclusive content includes a bonus movie scene and extra levels in the new game (2016, Summers). Apparently this is not the only real world interactivity the game has Rovio has also partnered with LEGO to feature QR codes in their Angry Birds playsets; Along with McDonald and their QR codes on their Happy Meals that unlock an additional “Whack-a-Pig” game (2016, Summers). This is a clear example of just how far pop culture can take a simple product like the Angry Birds game and make it explode into a wide array of industries. After six years and over three billion downloads since the first launch, one is wondering when will the Angry Birds every stop soaring (Robertson, 2015).

References:

Graham, Luke. (2016, May 22). ‘Angry Birds’ movie catapults to top of box office. CNBC. Retrieved from: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/23/angry-birds-movie-catapults-to-top-of-box-office.html

Robertson, Andy. (2015, July 16). 'Angry Birds 2' Arrives 6 Years And 3 Billion Downloads After First Game. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andyrobertson/2015/07/16/angry-birds-2/#ba5650720844

Rovio Entertainment Ltd. (2015, March 10). Retrieved from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/angry-birds-free/id409807569?mt=8

Summers, Nick. (2016, April 28). 'The Angry Birds Movie' credits will unlock game content. Engadget. Retrieved from: http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/28/angry-birds-action-movie-unlock/

AMC Tries To Diversify Movie Experience

Source: Rolling Stones

Text messaging became popular in the early 2000’s and ever since then movie theaters across America have had a firm stance against texting during the movies. For the past few years however there seems to be news stories ever so often about the idea of allowing texting while in the theater and they all meet major resistance (Workman, 2016). One of the biggest conversations on this topic recently happened last month; when Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC theaters, tweeted that AMC would begin limited test screenings of movies with texting allowed. The public responded rather quickly with a resounding “no thank you”. The backlash was so apparent that AMC found it necessary to release an official statement along with a follow up tweet. AMC heard their customers loud and clear and is taking their suggestions to heart. It seems AMC will have to find another way to attract the millennial crowd they are looking for.

NO TEXTING AT AMC. Won't happen. You spoke. We listened. Quickly, that idea has been sent to the cutting room floor. pic.twitter.com/JR0fo5megR

— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) April 15, 2016

When I first saw AMC's proposal in my Facebook feed I thought it was a fake article meant to stir up commotion. The idea that a movie theater would allow texting in a theater after preaching “please turn off your phones” before every movie for over the past decade seems a bit ironic. One alternative to texting in theaters that has been proposed is offering movie premiers in customer’s houses via set-top boxes. The idea of a set-top box that streams new releases seems slightly more plausible to me than allowing texting in movie theaters. However companies are finding it difficult to persuade distributing studios to play along (Lang, 2016). I would be surprised if either of these ideas find their way to the masses anytime soon with the major sticking points they are currently facing.

References: 

Lang, Brent. (2016, March 9). Studios, Exhibitors Consider Revolutionary Plan for Day-and-Date Movies at Home (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Retrieved from: http://variety.com/2016/film/news/studios-exhibitors-consider-revolutionary-plan-for-day-and-date-movies-at-home-exclusive-1201725168/

Susman, Gary. (2013, October 15). Should Movie Theaters Allow Texting?. Rolling Stones. Retrieved from: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/should-movie-theaters-allow-texting-20131015 

Workman, Karen. (2016, April 14). Texting in Movie Theaters? AMC Backs Off After Criticism. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/movies/texting-in-movie-theaters-the-internet-does-not-approve.html?_r=0

Visual Effects Show their Magic in The Jungle Book

I first recommend watching The Jungle Book trailer in order to get a sense of how this movie looks and sounds. Then be prepared to have the magic exposed and see how it actually took place.

Special Effects have been in movies for many years, but in recent years have come under fire. Most critics of special effects are disappointed by the lack of realism within the scenes. However as software and computer graphics have progressed critics have had less and less to complain about. Director Jon Favreau has pushed the boundaries of visual effects with his most recent film, The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau says that The Jungle Book blurs the lines between animated and live-action movies so much that it could be classified as either.

Not only is The Jungle Book a work of art due to its visual effects team, it is also being revered by critics. The Rolling Stone's Peter Travers says “Favreau's Jungle Book fills us with something rare in movies today — a sense of wonder” (Travers, 2016). After having been released for two weeks The Jungle Book still embraces a 94% on the Tomatometer. All of the technology used within this movie has been utilized in movies before (Amidi, 2016). This shows that Jon Favreau's directing took a unique approach when choosing to utilize his skilled VFX team. The ability for visual effects to transform an actor and green screen into a fantastic unseen world is at an all-time high. Effects are no longer the limiting factor in what is possible in movies today.  

My hat is off to the visual effects team of artist that worked on this film. Just like any other work of art, hours and hours of tinkering were done to transform what was shot. Here is a behind the scenes look at how The Jungle Book was created and how profoundly visual effects can transform a studio set in Los Angeles into a savage jungle.

References:

Amidi, Amid. (2016, April 24). ‘Jungle Book’ filmmakers can’t decide if they made an animated film or not. Cartoon Brew. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/jungle-book-filmmakers-cant-decide-made-animated-film-not-139075.html

Travers, Peter. (2016, April 13). The jungle book. Rolling Stones. Retrieved from: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-jungle-book-20160413

Streaming War Intensifies as Amazon Diversifies Subscription Services

Image from Amazon.com

Yesterday the Hollywood Reporter published a story about Amazon's decision to offer Amazon Prime and Prime Video services separately. This means that for the first time ever you can get Prime Video for just $8.99 a month. Amazon’s decision to expand their subscription models comes just as Netflix is set to raise their prices for all their members (Jarvey, 2016). Previously Amazon Prime memberships were yearly subscriptions, giving people reason to hesitate due to the substantial contract commitment. This new pricing strategy puts Amazon Prime Video right in line with Netflix in terms of price.

It remains unknown if consumers will find the monthly subscription model enough to experiment with Amazon Prime Video. For long term membership gains Amazon will have to develop more original content and expand their movie offerings.

There has been no better time for large companies with online influence to go after a share of the video streaming industry. Cable costs continue to rise creating cord cutters out of loyal customers who are no longer willing to put up with the extra fees and taxes. The ability to access the internet is also spreading to new heights with Wi-Fi hotspots in affordable family cars. With numerous companies starting to add subscription models that offer ad-free streaming content such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and YouTube Red. As the market for online streaming becomes more saturated it will be interesting to see which content providers find the right mixture of original and curated content to draw in customers. With the significant savings over cable it is even plausible for customers to afford multiple streaming services to fulfill their movie and television entertainment needs.

References:

Jarvey, N. (2016, April 17). Amazon Aims at Netflix With Separate Prime, Video Subscriptions. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amazon-aims-at-netflix-separate-884612

Image:

Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-CoStar-Stream-Player-ISV-B11/dp/B00FRD1H4S