Warner Bros.

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Studios Sweating August Releases

(Newser) - Studios used to spending August releasing movies from slightly out in left field, free from the pressure of early summer blockbusters, are finding this year more stressful than usual, the New York Times reports. A soft four weeks has put releases such as Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds under pressure to...

Ryan Reynolds Lands Green Lantern Gig

(Newser) - Warner Bros. has finally found someone to wear its power ring. The studio has picked comic book movie veteran Ryan Reynolds to play Green Lantern, says the Hollywood Reporter. Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, and Justin Timberlake for the part. He’ll be the first actor to don...

Warner Bros. Bumps Up Harry Potter Release

Summer date timed to blast competition

(Newser) - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be hitting theaters two days earlier than planned, E! reports. The studio is bumping the film forward with an unusual Wednesday opening on July 15, in hopes the mid-week premier will be equivalent to two debut weekends. "Every day the kids are...

Warner Bros. Opens Its Film Vault Online

6,800 movies will be posted for viewing, recording

(Newser) - Film fans, rejoice! Warner Bros. is dusting off its archive and making 6,800 films that never made it to DVD available for purchase online. Warnerarchive.com launched yesterday with an initial 150 titles—ranging from the 1923 silent Souls for Sale to the more recent Wisdom with Emilio Estevez....

Warner Bros. Watches Watchmen to Gauge Health
Warner Bros. Watches Watchmen to Gauge Health
ANALYSIS

Warner Bros. Watches Watchmen to Gauge Health

(Newser) - Warner Brothers restructured last year to focus on producing blockbusters like The Dark Knight, and now the studio is waiting to see if the move pays off with Watchmen, the Financial Times reports. Warner can finance a slew of films with profits from one “tent pole” movie. “The...

Dr. Ross Heads Back to ER

Clooney joining cast for final season

(Newser) - George Clooney is returning for the final season of ER, the show that made him a star, reports People.  It's not clear how many shows ER's most famous alum will appear in to reprsie his role as soulful babe hound Dr. Doug Ross. The show's creator, John Wells, has...

Warner Bros. Slashing 10% of Workforce

600 workers to be laid off; 300 jobs to be outsourced

(Newser) - Even the Dark Knight is no match for this economy. Warner Bros. is cutting 800 jobs across all levels of the firm, shrinking its workforce by 10%, the Wall Street Journal reports. That means 600 employees will have to leave, with 300 departing in the next few weeks. The rest...

Studios Call Off Watchmen War
 Studios Call Off Watchmen War 

Studios Call Off Watchmen War

Long-awaited comic adaptation to hit theaters after Fox, Warners settle

(Newser) - Audiences will be able to watch Watchmen as scheduled now that Warner Bros and Fox smoothed out a super hero dispute, E! Online reports. Fox, which sued Warners for copyright infringement over the DC Comics film adaptation, has agreed to relinquish distribution rights for a cash payment and a...

WB Won't Show Dark Knight in China
WB Won't Show
Dark Knight
in China

WB Won't Show Dark Knight in China

(Newser) - Just because Batman landed in Hong Kong doesn't mean The Dark Knight will. Warner Bros. has decided not to release the film in China in part because of "cultural sensitivities," the studio said. Warner Bros. did not elaborate, but company execs are apparently concerned that the film's scenes...

Oscar Campaign for Ledger Is a Tough Balancing Act

(Newser) - Warner Bros. is tiptoeing around the possible Oscar nomination for Heath Ledger, the late star of Dark Knight, writes Rachel Abramowitz in the Los Angeles Times. Hollywood insiders contend that a nod for Ledger is almost certain, but the studio must tread the line between boosting his chances and exploiting...

Songbird Paris Goes It Alone

Hilton says she's finished second record ... now she just needs a taker

(Newser) - The good news for Paris Hilton fans is that she’s finished her second album. The bad news is that the omnipresent gossip magnet doesn’t actually have a contract, or even a label. “I’m figuring it out right now. I’m not sure which label I’m...

'Hari Pattar' Beats Some Wizard Kid in Legal Battle

Bollywood flick OK'd in court

(Newser) - No one is going to confuse Hari Puttar for Harry Potter, an Indian court ruled today, dismissing a Warner Bros. lawsuit against the upcoming Bollywood flick Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors. The court said Potter fans wouldn’t confuse Puttar, a Home Alone-like tale devoid of wizards, with their...

Potter Diehards Putting Hex on Warner Bros.

Irked by delayed film release, faithful fire off petitions, death threats

(Newser) - Warner Brothers’ postponement of the release of the sixth Harry Potter film enraged some diehard “Potterheads,” inspiring a wave of angry emails, picketing, and mocking YouTube clips directed at the studio, the Wall Street Journal reports. When president Alan Horn decided to push the picture from November to...

Abu Dhabi Invests Another Billion in Hollywood

New subsidiary will work with 3 US producers

(Newser) - A media branch of Abu Dhabi’s government funneled $1 billion into a partnership with Warner Brothers last year—and now a subsidiary of the same firm is investing a second billion over the next 5 years with three US film producers, the New York Times reports. “Abu Dhabi...

WB Favorites Survive Online
 WB Favorites Survive Online 

WB Favorites Survive Online

Fresh content, networking tools also in the mix

(Newser) - Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can rejoice: The defunct WB network relaunched last week as an interactive website. TheWB.com features on-demand episodes of its classic teen shows, alongside original programming aimed at the 16- to-34-year-old market, Advertising Age reports. The site also sports "sharing features," including...

Summer Movies Smash Record
 Summer Movies Smash Record

Summer Movies Smash Record

Blockbusters boost studios to record-breaking sales

(Newser) - Hollywood studios are reeling in their highest-grossing summer ever, the Los Angeles Times reports. Domestic ticket sales stand at $3.9 billion, up from last year's record-breaking summer. A steady stream of smash hits—and higher ticket prices—accounted for the record take, more than making up for costly flops...

Hari Puttar? Warner Bros. Sues Over Bollywood Flick

Bollywood producers deny Hari Puttar cribs steals from wizarding juggernaut

(Newser) - The newest Harry Potter adventure doesn’t see the young hero once again battle Voldemort—instead, the Times of London reports, it’s Hollywood vs. Bollywood. Warner Bros. is suing the Indian producer of Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors, alleging it too closely resembles JK Rowling’s wizard tales....

Potter Flick Pushed to Summer
 Potter Flick Pushed to Summer

Potter Flick Pushed to Summer

(Newser) - Harry Potter won't be working movie magic in November. In a surprise move, Warner Bros. has pushed back the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to July of 2009, MTV reports. The studio says the move isn't because of any problems with the film. It simply needs a...

Mummy Sequel Misses Top Spot at Box Office

Dark Knight still rules, banking $43M in third weekend win

(Newser) - Even the undead can't stop Batman: The Dark Knight defeated The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in its third weekend win, grossing an unexpected $43.8 million and hitting nearly $400 million. The Mummy sequel took second with $42.4 million, while Kevin Costner's Swing Vote, the only other...

Media Companies Brace as Advertising Slump Worsens

A slowing economy has prompted a sharp reduction in spending

(Newser) - A major slump in advertising is moving beyond newspapers and radio and is now starting to hurt TV and the entire media industry, reports the Financial Times. Major advertisers—especially car dealers, airlines, and banks—are cutting back on marketing as the economy slows. And, analysts say, even the windfalls...

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