When we say that a television show is “realistic,” what do we mean? Must the drug corners on The Wire resemble the streets of Baltimore? Do the mimetic set pieces on Mad Men engender more cinéma vérité than its sexual politics? How representative must The West Wing be of the West Wing, or Empire of hip-hop, or MASH of Korea, or The Hills of hell? And does realism even equate with quality?
Category Archives: Etc.
Bollywood Producers Experiment With Releasing Films On Streaming Platforms
In normal times, Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan’s movie Gulabo Sitabo, billed as a family comedy, would have premiered on April 17 in more than 2,000 theaters across movie-mad India. But with cinemas shuttered since the end of March, when a countrywide lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the producers of the much-awaited film have opted to bypass the traditional box office altogether.
Gulabo Sitabo will premier this Friday on streaming platform Amazon Prime Video, which having acquired the global rights to the film for an undisclosed sum, will make it available across 200 countries globally. In India, the film’s digital reach will cover 4,000 cities and towns.
70% of Consumers Would Rather Watch New Movies at Home
According to an exclusive new study, however, that media coverage belies a deeper truth: Anxiety over health and safety in public spaces still greatly outweighs the desire to leave home, and that disparity has only gotten larger as the pandemic has unfolded. The results — from a survey of roughly 1,000 people in mid-May by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. — point to just how steep a climb the entertainment industry has in front of it to win back public perception that it’s safe to attend, and spend money on, public events again.