CINEMA BuzzFEED - 6 August 2013

Will Wonder Woman be the next BIG Superhero?

Linda Carter as WW on TV

Why not! It seems that Warner Bros. agrees with me, in fact, they are planning a 2017 release for Diana, the Princess of Themyscira (aka Wonder Woman).

Warner's would be remiss if they didn't push Wonder Woman's superhero status given the success of female leads in fantasy films of late.  Tomb Raider grossed over $430 million, Hunger Games has surpassed $690 million with two episodes to go, Resident Evil,  is a $1 billion franchise with 5 films, Underworld's four films have grossed over $500 million, and the list goes on.  Female superheros are everywhere and Wonder Woman - the most well known and popular female superhero of all - deserves (no, demands) a solo movie.

Conceived by William Marston in 1941, WW is an Amazon warrior princess, gifted with a wide-range of superhuman powers and skills who battles for justice and equality.

Warner Bros. DC Comics Entertainment Head, Diane Nelson told CMG that Wonder
Woman is "one of the top three priorities" among the studio's comic-book roster. "We have to get her right, we have to. She is such an icon for both genders and all ages and for people who love the original TV show and the people who read the comics now."  That reference is to the current $100,000 per month in sales for the Wonder Woman comic which has been in publication since the 1950s.

Wonder Woman is a known brand with proven staying power and success over six decades in a variety of different mediums.  A full-length feature is what is needed to spur this superhero on to her rightful place in fantasy land history.

Who would play Wonder Woman? A-lister or new face?  I'm thinking 'newer' face but with a track record.  A good actor who is believable in the role and has a commanding screen presence. Any suggestions?

Digital Viewing Surpasses TV Watching

For the first time in history, during 2013, time spent viewing digital media will surpass time spent watching TV programming. The average adult will spend 5 hours per day on-line or with other digital media as compared to 4.5 hours of TV viewing.

U.S. adults (over age 18) will spend, on average, 2hrs. 21 minutes per day on non-voice media activities, including mobile internet usage on phones and tablets and an additional 2.5 hours viewing other digital content such as DVDs or videos via streamers such as YouTube or via pay-per-view content.  It's scary how much time we all spend on the web or viewing TV shows.  Is there something more productive we should be doing?  Hmmm ..... Ok, what?  Much of the on-line stuff could be work related - emails, texting and such.  TV, on the other hand, is escapism - watching sports, reality shows, sitcoms etc. I don't know how you classify the social networking of  YouTube and Facebook but it sure takes up a lot of time.  Blogs are a whole other beast as are video games. There is no right or wrong to it. It is just what we do.

Most Watched Made for TV Movies in 2013

Yes, believe. The Disney Channel's July 19 debut of Teen Beach Movie drew 8.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched original movie on cable TV this year. This level of viewership would equate to a cinema box office gross of about $75 million. Listed below are other 'small screen' blockbusters so far in 2013 and their viewership on their debut:

1. Teen Beach Movie/BET Network - 8.4 million
2. Being Mary Jane/Lifetime - 4.0 million
3. Anna Nicole/Lifetime - 3.2 million
4. Prosecuting Casey Anthony/Lifetime - 3.2 million
5. Jodi Arias:Dirty Little Secret/Lifetime - 3.0 million
6. Twist of Faith/Lifetime - 2.8 million
7. Cedar Cove/Hallmark Ch. - 2.6 million
8. Behind the Candelabra/HBO - 2.3 million
9. Betty & Coretta/Lifetime - 2.2 million
10. An Amish Murder/Lifetime - 2.1 million
11. Pastor Brown/Lifetime - 2.1 million

The Lifetime Network seems to have their finger on the pulse of what cable viewers are tuning onto for movie watching, their original productions thus far in 2013 would have equated to a cinema gross of over $204 million with 22.7 million viewers.

Cinema operators beware: It is imperative that your movie presentations surpass anything that can be viewed on a TV screen - both picture and sound. Don't try to just get by with a mediocre presentation to save a few dollars, it simply won't work in the long run - the competition is far too great.

Best and Happy Movie Going!
Jim