Paramount goes hostile to get WB
And Funko might be f***ed
Paramount threw a grenade into the Netflix Warner Bros deal
Because it turns out the battle for the WB isn’t over yet. Ok so last week, we learned Netflix won the bidding to war to buy Warner Bros in a deal valued at $82.7 billion dollars.
But on Monday morning, Paramount said not so fast! “We see your $82.7 billion and raise you to $108.4 billion dollars” That’s right, Paramount is offering a higher “hostile bid” for Warner Bros and it’s going directly to WBD’s shareholders.
You see, Netflix was offering $27.75 a share in a mix of cash and stock. Paramount is now offering $30 a share all cash. Paramount’s billionaire CEO David Ellison has put together that offer, with funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners investment firm.
So what happens now? According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Paramount will need to persuade shareholders to sell their stock to it, rather than sign off on the Netflix deal.” Paramount by the way is promising to release 30 WB movies in theaters annually. Netflix meanwhile is defending its deal, saying it’s better for Hollywood.
As I’ve mentioned previously, any merger will result in less choice and higher prices for consumers. Fewer studios mean fewer places creatives can pitch shows and movies, and of course, redundant departments mean thousands of potential layoffs.
Any merger would have to be approved by federal and international regulators. Stay tuned.
Funko might be f—ed — and they’re low key blaming Trump
Love them or hate them, Funko Pops are one of the defining toy collectibles of the 21st century. The company has sold more than a billion figures since its founding in 1998.
But in its SEC financial statements filed last month, the company revealed that it’s on the brink of collapse. “There is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months,”
And that’s because Funko has more than $240 million in debt as its sales have been in a downward spiral this year. The company blames a “challenging retail environment” and say new tariffs have made it more difficult to turn a profit.
Quote from the filing, “The effects of recently implemented tariffs … continue to have an adverse effect on future net sales, margins and profitability. The Company anticipates continued supply chain challenges, cost volatility, and consumer and economic uncertainty due to these rapid changes in global trade policies.”
Also, retailers have been ordering fewer Funko Pops to sell in stores because they don’t want to take the risk that those items won’t actually move. Mashable reported that Funko has secured some loan relief, but it might not be able to meet the conditions of its loan agreements. And to stay afloat, the company might need to “raise additional capital, renegotiate its loans, or risk default.”
A shocking doc about UAPs is lowkey one of the biggest movies right now
While Zootopia 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 are dominating the box office, The Age of Disclosure is breaking records on Prime Video. After its release last month, “The documentary debuted at #1 and #2 (purchase & rental) on Prime Video’s chart of the Best Selling Movies in all genres, where it remained for the first 8 days of its release.”
Within 48 hours of release on Prime Video, it broke the streaming service’s record for highest-grossing documentary. It’s selling better than One Battle After Another, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Mission Impossible 8. Why is this doc so damn popular? Aliens and stuff.
The movie’s director Dan Farah interviewed 34 military and intelligence officials for the film, plus Secretary of State Marco Rubio and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. When the movie premiered at South by South West in the Spring, its revelations elicited audible gasps from the audience.
A number of the interviewees in the film say they are directly aware of alien life existing on Earth right now and that intelligent non-humans have been traveling to Earth since the 1940s to spy on our technology. But the government is covering it all up. One whistleblower says in the movie it’s “the most successful disinformation campaign in the history of the US government.”
Have you watched The Age of Disclosure, and if so what do you think?
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 just broke a wild RottenTomatoes record
And it’s exactly why there’s going to be a third movie. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is the movie equivalent of brainrot.” “It makes the worst of Marvel look like Citizen Kane.” “The only thing that scares me is this turd’s inevitable box-office success. Kill me now.”
Those are some actual quotes from real critics while talking about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Critics hated it. As of Thursday December 11th, just 15% of the 103 reviews assessed by RottenTomatoes are positive.
But here’s the thing: The audience score is 87% based on more than 2,5000 verified reviews and that means Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 just broke the record for biggest divide between critics and audiences in RottenTomatoes history. FNAF 2’s 72% split tops the previous champ, The Boondock Saints, which has a 65% margin.
This isn’t surprising but it does reinforce the idea that this franchise is purely for the fans and that can tell us a lot about what happens next. You see, the budget for Freddy’s 2 was between $36 and $51 million dollars and so far it’s grossed $117 million dollars worldwide, meaning it’s already profitable.
Pair that with the fan satisfaction and it seems pretty obvious to me that Blumhouse is going to make another one. Will you be seated for Five Night at Freddy’s 3?