AN ALLIED ACCENT.

AMERICA DROWNS ITS SORROW OF TRUMP'S WIN,WITH FILMS.

The major motion picture industry picked up millions of unexpected customers this past weekend as Americans flocked to the box office in the wake of the U.S. Presidential election, and there is evidence the surge could last for several weeks. 

According to industry reports, the overall box office was just over $157 million, significantly higher than predicted. 

"America went back to the movies this weekend," said Jack MacKenzie, EVP of PSB, a leading entertainment market research firm. "It appears we collectively left work Friday or woke up Saturday and chose movies as the way to deal with whatever was on our minds. This upheaval bump could very well last throughout the important holiday season."

Nearly every movie in theaters outperformed expectations, including movies that had opened on previous weekends. "The performance of Dr. Strange and Trolls was stunning," MacKenzie said. "It suggests America held its collective breath the last week of the campaign and exhaled this weekend. It was opening weekend all over again."

According to Box Office Mojo, Trolls took in $34 million, only a 24% drop from opening weekend.  Dr. Strange took in $42.9 million, a little more than half of its opening weekend performance of $84 million.  Other strong performers included Hacksaw Ridge ($10.6/-30%) and The Accountant, which raked in $4.4m—down only 25% from the prior week.

Leading the opening weekend pack was Arrival, which far exceeded expectations and tracking predictions by bringing in $24 million.  According to exclusive exit poll data, VeriTES data shows that more than half of Arrival's customers decided to see it same day. "Not only did nearly 33% more people make the sudden decision to escape to the movies this weekend than normally would – most of them chose to see a film about communicating with an alien species," said Jeff Neuman, President of VeriTES. "While audiences have ever expanding platforms for entertainment, movies remain the most egalitarian and immediately accessible way for social escapism, a collective change the subject narrative." 

According to PSB and VeriTES analysis, the weekend performance is a repeat of prior box office performances following social upheaval. "If you go back to the economic crisis of 2009 and more recently the Brexit vote in the UK, movies have served as the nation's salve before, said MacKenzie. "Our data tells us it is happening again."

Given the historical data, combined with the continued social unrest, MacKenzie says it's likely the US box office could be in for a good run. "The studios have tent-poles and big budget moves lined up over the next six weeks.  This could be a situation where 1+1 equals more than 2 and could help Hollywood end the year in positive territory," MacKenzie said.

WHO'S WHO AT THE AMAs.

HOLLYWOOD: AFTER TRUMP'S TRIUMPH.

MEET THE NEW HAN SOLO!

NOW YOU KNOW WHY, GIRLS LOVE HORSES.

TAYLOR SWIFT'S STALKER BUSTED!

BRUCE CAMPBELL: BLOOD NOTICE.

AN EVIL BIGOT NOW WANTS PEACE, AFTER HE CAUSED A DIVISIVE ELECTION.

TOO MUCH TV, MEANS MORE JOBS FOR ALL.

GET MORE FOLLOWERS, FROM THEM.

CELEBRITY CANADA OR BUST?!

BEYONCE CRASHES- THE WHITEST NIGHT IN TV,THE COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS!

SAM AXE ON GIVING THE LADIES ALL THE SIR RICHARD HE CAN!

THE COSBY BASTARD, STARRING BILL COSBY.

JUSTIN BIEBER ON BEING A BASTARD, TO HIS TEENY BOPPER CROWD.

HOW HAL W(LOUD NOISE) INTRODUCED HEISINBERG TO THE WORLD.

A CASE OF CELEBRITY BROS BEFORE HOS THAT FAILED?

FELICITY JONES SWEEPS THROUGH STAR WARS,LIKE AN INFERNO.

VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY RELEASES- BS DOCUMENTS TO BLAME SAG/AFTRA, FOR THE STRIKE.

From PR Newswire:

Video Game Companies today released copies of the Companies' and the Union's last proposals which show that the Companies matched SAG-AFTRA's requests for wages, benefits, and additional compensation before the Union called its strike. The documents also show that the Companies and the Union had reached agreement to collaboratively investigate vocal stress issues during the term of the next contract.

"These proposals exchanged across the table prove the Companies and SAG-AFTRA have largely agreed on the significant issues before us except for the label we have placed on the 'Additional Compensation,' which would be paid above and beyond our proposed 9% pay increase," said Scott J. Witlin of the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, the chief negotiator for the Video Game Companies. "The documents also demonstrate that the Companies value performers and reached agreement with the Union on the issue of vocal stress."

Witlin reiterated that the Companies have been impressed by the research presented by SAG-AFTRA into the issue of vocal stress. The Companies attempted to address the concerns raised by the SAG-AFTRA bargaining committee during negotiations by offering performers innovative working arrangements including split sessions and multiple performer sessions, but those proposals were rejected by SAG-AFTRA leaders.  

"Among their proposals, the Companies offered to split a 4-hour recording session into two, two-hour portions with the second session to be performed within five days of the first session to ease the stress on performers, but this and other offers were rejected by SAG-AFTRA. This is an area that the parties have agreed to continue to collaboratively investigate during the term of the next contract. Exploring ways to further improve working conditions is something both sides should be committed to," Witlin added. 

The Video Game Companies released a chart and supporting documentation from both the Companies and SAG-AFTRA to demonstrate that the Companies' final proposal to SAG-AFTRA is almost identical to the Union's proposal. 

The chart validates the Companies' position that they have substantially met SAG-AFTRA's last proposal, including the topic of workplace safety. There is nearly no difference between the Companies' final proposal and the Union's proposal. The wages, additional compensation, pension and health contributions, vocal stress, stunt coordination, and transparency proposals are almost identical as summarized below: 

9 Percent Wage Hike

The Companies exceeded the Union's request for a 3% raise over each of the next three years by Companiesoffering a 9 percent up-front increase, but only if a new agreement is ratified by December 1.

Additional Compensation

In the Companies' final proposal, the Companies increased the maximum amount of Additional Compensation to match the amount of the Union's request for a 'contingent' compensation buy out of up to $950. While the Companies have held to their position that there will be no 'contingent' compensation, the Companies have proposed a schedule of "Additional Compensation" that largely matches SAG-AFTRA's last demand, including the total aggregated figure and the number of sessions necessary to earn that amount. This offer, too, must be ratified by December 1 to become effective. 

Pension and Health Contributions

The Companies agreed to the Union's request for a 0.5% increase and have agreed in principal regarding which of the benefit plans the money should be directed to.

Vocal Stress Issues

After the Union rejected the Companies' proposals concerning modifying voice over sessions to mitigate any risk of vocal stress, the parties agreed on forming a joint cooperative committee to study vocal stress issues. 

Stunt Coordination

The expired Interactive Media Agreement between the Companies and SAG-AFTRA already provides for a stunt coordinator to be on site for sessions that include stunts. While SAG-AFTRA made no new proposals in this area, it did seek further clarification about the use of stunt coordinators and both sides agreed to continue those discussions through the cooperative committee during the term of the new agreement. 

Transparency

The Union's proposal requested additional up front information when booking performers in video games to know more information (game title name, new role or a reprise of a previous role). The Companies enhanced their proposal to agree to provide the code name of the project and whether the performer will be asked to reprise a previous role. While SAG-AFTRA contends that the video game industry is the only industry not to require an employer to reveal the name of the project on which a performer is working, SAG-AFTRA has no such requirement in Television, Theatrical Motion Pictures or Animation agreements.  

Summary

Except for the label on the Companies' 'Additional Compensation' proposal, there are no significant material differences between the Companies' final proposal and the Union's last proposal. The wages, additional compensation, pension and health contributions, vocal stress, stunt coordination, and transparency proposals are almost identical. 

"The Union negotiating committee's continued public positioning of workplace safety as a rationale for striking these pro-Union Companies is disingenuous and paternalistic," Witlin said. "SAG-AFTRA should allow its affected members to vote on the Companies' final proposal and determine for themselves whether the semantic difference that does exist between 'additional compensation' and 'residual' is worth the costs of a strike."