Documentary
BBC Worldwide’s ‘Deep Blue’ documentary grosses $25 million
| MUMBAI: Deep Blue, the documentary feature film produced by BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media has grossed over $ 25 million at the box office since its release this summer. |
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Deep Blue developed from a popular series The Blue Planet a co-production by BBC/Discovery Channel broke record in Japan’s single theatre, overtaking the record set three months earlier by the Academy Award winning film Lost In Translation and has taken 1 billion Yen and knocking Spiderman 2, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Deep Blue collected around $5.8 million in its first 12 weeks of release in France and collected appromximately $5.3 million in 13 weeks, becoming Germany’s best selling documentary feature film, informs an offical release. |
The producer of Deep Blue Alix Tidmarsh said: “Audiences around the world have reacted incredibly well to the movie. Its box office success to date demonstrates that we have hit exactly the right note with Deep Blue. It’s a powerful and emotional event that contains wonderful entertainment for a family audience.” Greenlight Media VP and producer of Deep Blue Sophokles Tasioulis adds, “The response to the movie from around the globe by audiences and critics has been phenomenal. The box office success of Deep Blue reflects the growing importance of theatrical documentary features.” Deep Blue, explores life above, below and far beneath the ocean’s surface. It was inspired by the international series, The Blue Planet. The documetary film features a score from composer George Fenton, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (its first-ever recording of a movie score), and is narrated by actor Michael Gambon. The film was made in more than 200 locations around the world with camera crews descending as far as 5,000 metres in the most powerful submersible craft available, Deep Blue was directed by Alastair Fothergill and Andy Byatt. |
Documentary
Netflix and Warner Music ink landmark documentary deal
The streaming giant has just unlocked one of the richest vaults in music history. Its rivals should be worried
CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: Netflix and Warner Music Group have signed an exclusive multi-year deal to produce documentary series and films drawn from the label’s storied artist roster, the companies announced on Friday — a move that hands the streaming platform access to one of the most formidable catalogues in music history.
Warner Music Group represents legends including David Bowie, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, alongside contemporary superstars such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. That is a staggering breadth of material for a platform hungry for prestige content and subscriber growth to match.
Under the agreement, Warner Music will work with Unigram, the production company aligned with the label, which will serve as the studio for its long-form projects. Each title will be developed in collaboration with the artists themselves or their estates, ensuring the kind of intimate access that turns a documentary into an event.
The deal reflects an intensifying race between music-rights owners and streaming platforms eager to turn deep catalogues into premium visual content. Music documentaries have become a vehicle for fan-driven, culturally resonant programming — a trend underscored by Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” film, which grossed over $260 million globally and reminded every platform chief just how lucrative the genre can be.
Netflix already boasts formidable credentials in music storytelling, with “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Quincy” among its highest-profile releases. The Warner deal sharpens that edge considerably. Rival platforms have not been idle: Disney+ has released “The Beach Boys”, while Max has drawn attention with “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” Apple Music, meanwhile, has pushed into original content through its Apple Music Live series, producing documentaries and livestreamed concerts featuring Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
The battle for music’s visual soul, then, is well and truly on. Netflix has just made its boldest move yet.
