English Entertainment
FLIX FIRST SCREENING: &flix makes October spookier with the multi-city theatrical premiere of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
MUMBAI: &flix, the all-new destination for the most-awaited Hollywood blockbusters, brings the much-anticipated sequel Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween on Thursday, October 25, as a part of its exclusive on-ground property FLIX FIRST SCREENING: in theatres across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The channel is giving its viewers an opportunity to watch the film, before anyone else does, as the movie is releasing in theatres on October 26, 2018.
With Halloween around the corner, Goosebumps series makes for a perfect addition to the celebrations. Inspired by one of the most popular children’s horror story author R.L. Stine, Goosebumps and now its sequel, aims to retain the original spookiness of the story with exceptional visual extravaganza. As a precursor, Goosebumps released in 2015, will air on &flix on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 11PM to set the theme of the second edition and revive your terrific memories.
The film follows Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished book ‘Goosebumps’ by R.L. Stine and the best friend pair Sonny and Sam’s adventures. Hoping to start his own family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny's mother and brings all his ghastly friends back to life – just in time for Halloween. As the sleepy town is overrun with monsters, witches and other mysterious creatures, Sonny joins forces with his sister, Sam and a kindly neighbor to save Sonny's mom and foil Slappy's plan. Slappy is back and how!
Staying true to its proposition of Leap Forth, &flix, the official broadcaster for the television premiere of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween will provide an exclusive opportunity to viewers to watch the movie, before anyone else. In order to promote this, the channel will activate and host contests on its digital platform that will start on October 20. #FlixFirstScreening #BeforeAnyoneElse
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
