English Entertainment
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ to premiere on Movies Now, MNX and MN+
Mumbai: Bringing the best of Hollywood blockbusters and the most anticipated film titles to television viewers in India, Movies Now, MNX and MN+ are set to bring the Indian television premiere of “Wonder Woman 1984” on 31 October at 1 p.m and 9 p.m.
Based on one of the most loved DC Comics superheroines of all time, Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince, the film is the ninth installment in the DC Extended Universe and a stand-alone sequel to 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” taking place 66 years after the events of the previous film.
Directed by Patty Jenkins, the film features Gal Gadot stars as Wonder Woman, alongside Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord.
Set in the year 1984, the film follows Diana’s life after saving the world in Wonder Woman (2017). With the memory of captain Steve Trevor, etched on her mind, Diana becomes embroiled in a sinister conspiracy of global proportions when a transparent, golden-yellow gemstone catches the eye of the power-hungry entrepreneur, Maxwell Lord. With Maxwell Lord and The Cheetah out to destroy the earth and her long-lost lover, Steve Trevor resurrected from the dead; Diana has to muster up all her strength and powers once again to save the world from evil.
Magnifying the excitement during the days leading up to the premiere for the fans on digital media, the channels host a special social media trivia contest, which tests viewers’ knowledge about Wonder Woman through a pop quiz on Instagram stories, said the statement.
“The contest will have three levels, wherein audience can play the first level on Movies Now, then hop on to MNX for the second level and finish the final round on MN+. Integrating the theme of the film to showcase a sneak peek into the personal lives of real-life Wonder Women, a fun Q & A reels featuring popular celebrities and news anchors is also being rolled out across the Instagram pages of the channels,” it added.
Offering viewers a chance to express their creative side and design their version of an Indian Wonder Woman, the channels have commenced the #IndianWonderWoman contest, inviting participants to share their artwork on their SM handle. Selected winners and their sketches will be featured across the social media platforms of the channels and they will also win an eclectic mix of Wonder Woman goodies.
On the premiere day, Movies Now will host a one-of-a-kind Watch and Win contest, where viewers have to tweet the letters they spot on TV with the hashtag #WW84Words, tagging the channel. Evoking nostalgia with some of the most memorable and iconic articles from the 80s, MNX on 31 October will host a contest, where viewers can identify the items that will flash on the screen and tweet their answers using the hashtag #WW84Nostalgia, said the channels in a statement.
English Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount deal
Investors wave through a $111 billion megamerger but deliver a stinging, if toothless, rebuke over half-a-billion-dollar goodbye packages
NEW YORK: The shareholders said yes to the deal. They said no to the cheque. At a virtual special meeting on Thursday that lasted barely ten minutes, Warner Bros. Discovery investors voted overwhelmingly to approve Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of the company — and then turned around and voted against the lavish exit pay packages lined up for chief executive David Zaslav and his fellow outgoing executives.
Not that it will make much difference. The compensation vote is purely advisory and non-binding. The Warner Bros. Discovery board can, and almost certainly will, pay out as planned.
But the symbolism stings. It is the second consecutive year that WBD shareholders have voted against the executive compensation packages, and this time they had good reason. Zaslav’s exit deal is, by any measure, extraordinary. Under the terms filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he is set to receive $34.2 million in cash severance, $517.2 million in equity in the combined company, and $44,195 in continued health coverage — a total of at least $550 million. On top of that, Warner Bros. Discovery has agreed to reimburse Zaslav up to $335 million for taxes assessed by the Internal Revenue Service on his accelerated stock vesting, though the company says that figure will decline depending on when the deal closes. As of March 11, Zaslav also held $115.85 million in vested WBD stock awards — and last month sold a further $114 million worth of WBD shares.
Shareholder advisory firm ISS recommended voting against the compensation measure, citing “problematic” tax reimbursements to Zaslav and the full vesting of his stock awards.
Zaslav will be bound by a two-year non-competition covenant and a two-year non-solicitation of customers and employees after the deal closes.
His lieutenants are not walking away empty-handed either. J.B. Perrette, chief executive and president of global streaming and games, is in line for $142 million, comprising $18.2 million in cash severance and $123.9 million in equity. Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer, will receive an estimated $121.5 million, including $18.8 million in severance and $102.7 million in equity. Chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels is set for $120 million, made up of $6.6 million in cash severance and $113.1 million in equity. Gerhard Zeiler, president of international, will get $82.6 million, including $11.9 million in severance and $70.7 million in equity.
The deal itself, clinched in February after Netflix declined to raise its bid for Warner Bros., still needs regulatory clearance from the Justice Department and European authorities. Several state attorneys general are also weighing legal action to block it.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, was unsparing. “The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger isn’t a done deal,” she said after the shareholder vote. “State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight.”
If it does go through, the combined entity would be a formidable beast, bringing together Paramount Skydance’s stable — CBS, CBS News, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, BET, MTV and Nickelodeon — with WBD’s portfolio of HBO, Max, Warner Bros. film and TV studios, DC, CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and Discovery+. Paramount has said it expects $6 billion in cost savings from the merger, which is Wall Street shorthand for mass layoffs on a significant scale.
The ten-minute meeting was presided over by chairman Samuel Di Piazza Jr., with Zaslav, Campbell, Wiedenfels and chief communications officer Robert Gibbs in virtual attendance. Di Piazza was bullish. “We appreciate the support and confidence our stockholders have placed in us to unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio,” he said. “With Paramount, we look forward to creating an exceptional combined company that will expand consumer choice and benefit the global creative talent community.”
Zaslav echoed the sentiment. “Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership,” he said. “Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders.”
Paramount Skydance struck a similar note. “Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery,” it said in a statement, adding that it looked forward to “closing the transaction in the coming months.”
The shareholders have spoken on the merger. On the pay, they were ignored before the vote was even counted.
