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Exclusive: Sarah Jeffery (The CW’s Charmed), Emmy nominee Jane Adams (Hacks), Jake Weber (Those Who Wish Me Dead) and Balthazar Getty (Twin Peaks) will star in Year of the Fox, the latest feature from award-winning director Megan Griffiths, which has wrapped production in the state of Washington.

The film written by Eliza Flug is a fictionalized depiction of teenage experiences and personal encounters she had while growing up in Aspen, Colorado, during the last of its utopian heyday. Set in 1997, it tells the story of 17-year-old Ivy (Jeffery), who was adopted as an infant into a wealthy and notable Aspen family and is now navigating the fallout of her parents’ bitter divorce.

Ivy’s mother, Paulene (Adams), prepares to relocate to her native Seattle, taking Ivy with her. But Ivy’s influential and controlling father, Huxley (Weber), pulls Ivy ever closer by inviting...

Amazon Prime Video has revealed that its upcoming Jason Katims series will be titled As We See It and released three first-look photos.

The series tells the story of Jack (Rick Glassman), Harrison (Albert Rutecki), and Violet (Sue Ann Pien), twentysomething roommates on the autism spectrum, as they strive to get and keep jobs, make friends, fall in love and navigate a world that eludes them. With the help of their families, their aide and sometimes even each other, the trio experience setbacks and celebrate triumphs on their own unique journeys towards independence and acceptance.

The series also stars Sosie Bacon as their aide Mandy, Chris Pang as Violet’s brother Van and Joe Mantegna as Jack’s father Lou.

Katims serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer, with Jeni Mulein and Danna Stern also executive producing. Jesse Peretz directs and executive produces the first episode.

Based on an Israeli format,...

Four VOD titles reached #1 in a week with scattershot results across the board. “Mortal” (Saban), a contemporary action film with Nordic mythology roots, took first place at Apple TV. Meanwhile, the PVOD prison drama “The Informer” (Vertical) repeated at #1 at FandangoNow, Paramount’s horror entry “Spell” is first at Spectrum, and romance “After We Collided” from Briarcliff bested at Google Play. “Mortal” is a standard price entry, while “The Informer” is at $19.99 premium, with “Spell” at $9.99 finding a middle ground.

But the highest showing for a new release is #2 at Apple TV for Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York” (MPI). Its VOD showing comes three weeks after a token theatrical run, more than a year after it opened in most of the world, and after his latest, “Rifkin’s Festival,” premiered overseas.

Right now is something of an intermission period before a slew of studio releases, including several...

It’s no secret that the box office space has been struggling to find life during the pandemic — and it seems to be even more difficult for the specialty box office space. As specialty films try to navigate the space by shifting to PVOD, digital, and virtual openings, some distributors continue to brave the landscape of shuttered theaters and strategize theatrical releases to keep the specialty box office afloat.

Neon’s buzzy Oscar offering Ammonite is the the most noticeable specialty box office title that was released in theaters this weekend. The period romance, written and directed by Francis Lee and starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, debuted on 280 screens this weekend, earning an estimated cume of $85,000, with a per-screen average of $304.

The film sits at a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned the most on Saturday, with an estimated $32,000. Considering Covid-19 cases are spiking across the country, cinephiles are probably...

Even as Covid-19 infections seem to reach new heights on a daily basis, theatrical grosses remained stable; the top 10 accounted for a little less than $11 million. By every other macrostatistic, however, the results remain unsustainable. Of the 3,000 complexes currently open, about half with eight or more auditoriums, the average weekend take is $5,000-$6,000. In normal times, the average would be around $50,000. Aggregate grosses are around 10 percent-15 percent of normal; this weekend last year saw a top 10 of $90,000.

The disappointments this weekend start with “Freaky.” Trying to predict what the Universal and Blumhouse Productions horror comedy would do was an inexact science; in recent weeks, $4 million has been the ceiling for a wide release. The hope was a more mainstream entry like this one could see $6 million or better.

At $3.7 million, it didn’t. Is it the increased resistance to going out? Awareness that it will be available on premium VOD in three weeks?...

Sunday Am Update: Universal/Blumhouse’s Freaky is coming in lower than expected at $3.7M after a $1.4M Saturday that dipped 6% from Friday’s $1.5M. With overseas totaling $1.9M from 20 territories, including Australia, Freaky‘s global start stands at $5.6M. It’s the 14th time that a Blumhouse movie has led the box office in the studio’s history. Blumhouse’s last No. 1 pic was The Invisible Man, with $28.2M before the pandemic threw the box office into the dumpster.

While Wall Street and exhibition stocks got excited about the potential of a Covid-19 vaccine in the near future, with the Pfizer trials at over a 90% effective rate, those good vibes weren’t seeping into the box office this past weekend. Moviegoers continued to be jarred by TV news chatter of increased lockdowns and record spikes across the country.

It’s clear, given the numbers, that the major studios aren’t investing in these movies,...

The range of pricing in VOD play has never been so clear. Two films at the extreme ranges of budget and premium stand out among new releases. At $3.99, which represents rock-bottom for a new film, Dinesh D’Souza’s latest right-wing polemic “Trump Card” is #1 at both Apple TV and Google Play, charts that rank by transaction volume.

At the same time, Disney’s “Mulan” is now available on platforms beyond Disney+ for $29.99, and is #1 at the revenue-based FandangoNow. “Ava” also continues its successful showings, with first place at Spectrum.

“Trump Card” is pitched as an expose of “socialism, corruption, and the deep state,” and clearly aimed at Election Day interest. In his past films (which received theatrical release), D’Souza preferred to specifically demonize Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. This time, the target is far broader than the tougher-to-hate Joe Biden. It placed #2 at FandangoNow, where its low price hurts its ranking.

The Shanghai International Film Festival will take place July 25 to Aug. 2, after Chinese authorities announced Thursday that cinemas will reopen at long last beginning from next Monday in low-risk regions.

The Shanghai International TV Festival has also set its dates. It is scheduled to run from August 3 to 7.

Cinemas in China have been shut for longer than anywhere else in the world. They abruptly shut on Jan. 23 to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and have remained closed ever since — with devastating consequences for exhibitors — even as all other types of businesses across the country resumed operations.

The Shanghai Int’l. Film Festival was originally scheduled to run from June 13-22, but announced in late May that it would be indefinitely postponed.

The revival of China’s theaters comes just in time for the prestigious Shanghai event to move forward with its plans for in-person screenings. The festival reportedly...

The Batman director and Felicity co-creator Matt Reeves has signed an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. The rich pact had quietly closed months ago, and is now being confirmed.

Under the overall agreement, Reeves will develop new television programming for all platforms via his 6th & Idaho production company: streaming services, including HBO Max; broadcast, premium and basic cable networks. The projects will be produced in association with Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Warner Bros. Animation or Blue Ribbon Content, depending on the platform. Beyond the U.S., Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will distribute 6th & Idaho’s shows to the global marketplace.

Under the deal, 6th & Idaho has tapped veteran television/film producer and executive Daniel Pipski as EVP and Head of Television. Pipski, who has been at 6th & Idaho since February, is working alongside EVP Adam Kassan and VP Rafi Crohn.

“Matt has been making...

“The Batman” director Matt Reeves is expanding his relationship with Warner Bros.

Reeves and his 6th & Idaho production company have signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. The multi-year deal will make WB home for all of 6th & Idaho’s future TV projects. The deal encompasses all platforms, including broadcast, cabel, and WarnerMedia’s flagship streaming service, HBO Max. The projects will be produced in association with Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Warner Bros. Animation or Blue Ribbon Content, depending on the platform. Beyond the U.S., Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will distribute 6th & Idaho’s shows to the global marketplace.

6th & Idaho is currently under a first-look film deal at Netflix and was previously under a TV overall deal at 20th Century Fox Television.

With the announcement, Daniel Pipski will now join the company as executive vice president and head of television. Along with Reeves,...