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‘Play On!’ hits all the right notes
The English Renaissance meets the Harlem Renaissance in “Play On!,” a sparkling show that marries a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” with the music of Duke Ellington. Conceived by Sheldon Epps, who also directed the original 1996-97 production (first in San Diego, then on Broadway), the show is getting a marvelous revival under his direction to open Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 40th anniversary season.While the title “Play On!” refers to the famous quote about music being the food of love and thus to the dozens of Ellington songs—among them “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good),” “Solitude” and “I’m Beginning to See the Light”—incorporated into the plot, one of the highlights for me is the clever way Cheryl L. West's book reworks the story. Apparently, it's also been updated for this outing, among other things to give the women more agency. In the big opening number (there's a six-piece, horn-heavy onstage band), aspiring songwriter Vy (Hailee Kaleem Wright) is the one to “Take the 'A' Train” to “Drop Me Off in Harlem.” She wants to meet the famous Duke (Edred Utomi) — Ellington, not Orsino, that is — and she seeks the help of Jester (an engaging James Harkness) to find out how. When Jester tells her in no uncertain terms that the music industry is a man's world, she disguises herself as Vy-Man and persuades the Duke to listen to one of her songs. He's suffering from a creative block because he's pining for Lady Liv (Krystal Joy Brown), queen of the Cotton Club, and convinces Vy-Man to bring the Lady the song as if the Duke had written it, promising to reward her with employment. Vy reluctantly complies, and the predictable complications ensue. Lady Liv is attracted to Vy-Man, while Vy is attracted to the Duke and he to Vy, though it disturbs him because he thinks she's a man. The fallout when the deception comes to light bodes ill—at least for a while.Here's where West's book cannily diverges from Shakespeare. Vy's twin brother Sebastian really is dead, so West devises another love interest for Lady Liv basically by rehabilitating the Malvolio character, here named Rev (Alan H. Green), the Lady's uptight, self-important manager. His unrequited love for her is magically transformed after he gets his comeuppance (minus the torture) from Miss Mary (Alanna Lovely), her honey Sweets (James Earl Jones II) and Jester, the stand-in for Sir Toby, who has romantic problems of his own with a woman named CC (Kaylah Janssen). In other words, Rev gets the girl — and also a show-stopping yellow zoot suit from costume designer An-Lin Dauber. All the costumes are dandy, though those for the men have more pizzazz than the women's day dresses. The bilevel, slanted scenic design by Beowulf Boritt brings 1930s Harlem to life in a slightly expressionistic way with the help of Adam Honoré's lighting and Ray Nardelli's sound design. Edgar Godineaux's choreography adds to the period feel, though there could be even more of it.Most of all, the leads have splendid voices, and the performances are terrific. Green's Rev and Harkness's Jester get my vote for comedy chops, and Brown's Lady Liv probably will stay with me the longest for her complexity and big blues number, “I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues.”
UCLA’s Season Just Took A Horrifying Turn
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is reportedly out for the remainder of 2026, dealing a devastating blow to the Bruins and their future. Things just went from bad to worse for UCLA football. According to a report attributed to CBS Sports, Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season ,…
🌟 Champions League: 5 curiosities from matchday 2
Things are starting to get serious...The second matchday of the 2026-2027 Champions League league phase takes place this Tuesday and Wednesday. From the showdown between Manchester City and PSG to Re...
The Carolina Hurricanes roasted Philadelphia sports with one mind-blowing stat
Philadelphia is DOWN BAD.
David Montgomery week-to-week
Houston Texans RB David Montgomery (groin) is considered week-to-week with a groin injury.
Don Francisco returns to TV roots with 'Sábado Gigante' show revival
Don Francisco is taking it back to where it all started.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly vs. Kentucky
Sloppy play, coaching, and officiating throughout LSUs loss to Kentucky
Intel (INTC) Fixed Its Chip Business. Can the Foundry Earn the Premium?
For years, the easy line on Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was that it had become a fallen giant, losing ground on chip design and manufacturing at the same time. That line has aged badly. The stock now trades at a multiple usually reserved for high-flying growth names. Here’s the twist: the part of Intel that best explains […]
Commentary: Democrats can become the party of business
For half a century, Republicans have worn the “party of business” label like a permanent badge — tax cuts, deregulation, tough trade talk — while Democrats have too often ceded
The Future of Entertainment 25: New Stars, Studios & Storytellers
MrBeast. Bad Bunny. YouTube bosses. Ben Affleck. Hollywood doesn't make the rules now — and showbiz has never looked wilder
Republican Aaron Flint touts Montana roots in western congressional district race
Aaron Flint says he and his family have deep connections to western Montana – connections he says you can still see on a short street on Whitefish’s west side, called Flint Avenue.
I’m 55 and serious health issues run in my family. Should I get long-term care insurance, or is it just a scam?
It sometimes gets a bad reputation, but experts believe long-term care insurance can be worth buying.
I Receive the Same Message From My Aunt Every Year on the First of October. Then I Have to Convey the Bad News.
This time, I snapped.
Wisconsin running back commit eclipses 100 touchdowns in second season
Wisconsin football commit Kingston Allen hit a milestone in his high school career, the second player in Wisconsin history to record 100 touchdowns.
Playoff Predictor: Georgia, Alabama lead inevitable SEC domination of CFP field
The CFP Playoff Predictor: the Inevitable has arrived. Don't say you weren't warned.
What is Going on With Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski?
Milwaukee Brewers ace right-hander Jacob Misiorowski has looked like a superstar all season long. But in the playoffs, he has been average.
Dodgers Pitching Powerhouse Faces Brewers In High-Stakes NLCS Clash
Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal leads the charge against Milwaukee in the NLCS. See the pitching matchups, stats, and expert analysis for the series.
Andrew Garfield says OpenAI film 'Artificial' turns lens on creators of 'new world'
LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Curiosity and fear powered actor Andrew Garfield's performance in Luca Guadagnino's OpenAI movie "Artificial", which premiered at the London Film Festival on Sunday.
Why Chargers won't be benching Justin Herbert anytime soon
Los Angeles will need to have Justin Herbert play through his turnover slump.
Bad blood spills over in the Texas Senate race — and it’s tearing Republicans apart
Wounds haven’t healed from the contentious primary in which Ken Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn, and allies of both say the other side needs to do more to bring the party together.
Healthy Kids Running Series returns to Tyler for fall event
Youth runners are on the move again as Healthy Kids Running Series hosts its fall event at Noble E. Young Park in Tyler.
Former Tennessee running back will face Vols with Alabama
Former Tennessee running back will return to Neyland Stadium with Alabama.
Fatal Motorcycle Collision Followed by Separate Vehicle Crash Into Local Business
Emergency responders were dispatched to two serious motor vehicle crashes Sunday afternoon, October 11, including a fatal motorcycle collision and a subsequent crash involving a vehicle striking a…
Fatal Motorcycle Collision Followed by Separate Vehicle Crash Into Local Business
Emergency responders were dispatched to two serious motor vehicle crashes Sunday afternoon, October 11, including a fatal motorcycle collision and a subsequent crash involving a vehicle striking a…
Will Titans Bench Cam Ward After Embarrassing Texans Loss?
Following a historically bad 0-5 start, Robert Saleh addresses the growing pressure to sideline his struggling quarterback while the franchise spirals toward a potential lost season.
Walker Kessler returns to practice, wants to play 'really bad'
Walker Kessler returns to practice, wants to play 'really bad'
BiomEdit receives conditional licensure for first commercial product
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The Brutal Truth About the Chicago White Sox’s ALDS Elimination
The Chicago White Sox 2026 season ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Guardians in a winner-take-all Game 5 at Progressive Field on Saturday night. The South Siders became the first franchise since 2017 to lose a Division Series despite leading 2-0. This leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Chicago fans as …
Florida scouts earned Nuclear Science Merit Badges at AFTAC event
Eighty-nine scouts earned their Nuclear Science Merit Badge during an educational event at Patrick Space Force Base.
SEC fines school $500,000 for fan behavior
The SEC didn't wait long to penalize for the infraction.
Tom Cruise Dud ‘Digger’ Drops 60% In Second Weekend At Box Office
Things are going from bad to worse for Tom Cruise’s apocalyptic satire "Digger" in its second weekend at the domestic box office.
Darius Cooper catches another TD pass
Eagles WR Darius Cooper catches two of his three passes in Week 5 and picks up TD
OHSU study finds late-night eating could impact liver health
A recent study led by Oregon Health and Science University found that late-night snacking could be bad for liver health.
The Good and Bad News After 3 Straight Losses
Even for Mountaineer fans, the last 3 games have been a tough watch
'Why not?' - Germany sporting director Völler gives Füllkrug hope
Germany sporting director Rudi Völler has boosted Werder Bremen striker Niclas Füllkrug's hopes of a return to the national team. The 33-year-old, overlooked in Jürgen Klopp's first squads for the recent Nations League games, scored for a fourth Bundesliga game in a row in Friday's 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund.
Syracuse Football: More Bad News on Quarterback Injury Front
Not only did the Orange lose against Virginia on Saturday night, they may have lost multiple important pieces.
Ariel Roblin: Political differences should never diminish our concern for one another's safety
Normally, we like to focus our editorials on local or state issues – as federal issues tend to be immediately divisive. But this one hit Californians hard.
Latest Ladd McConkey injury update is bad news for Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers face uncertainty at wide receiver ahead of their Week 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos as injury concerns grow.
Ranking Wisconsin football's remaining opponents from best to worst
While it looks unlikely, if they can get through Halloween unblemished, then Wisconsin hold chance of being able to progress as far as they allow
FYI BR: Dustin Gaspard in concert and girls flag football league at Elite
The Voice’s Dustin Gaspard will perform at the Boots, Bayous and Blues Concert on Oct. 16 at ULL’s Angelle Hall. Tickets range from $60 general admission to $100 for a VIP meet-and-greet experience.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers: How to watch Game 1 of the NLCS series, full game schedule and more
Here's how to watch the Dodgers play the Brewers in the NLCS this week.
ACC Football Power Rankings: FSU falls after Week 6 loss
The ACC had several big developments in Week 6 of the season, with FSU and Virginia Tech both suffering bad losses.
Voters are connecting the dots — and it’s bad news for Republicans
Of all the dynamics threatening the GOP this year, the most menacing may be the connection voters are drawing between their economic frustrations and GOP policies.
Returning Wisconsin forward named All-Big Ten Preseason First Team
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter was named to the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten First Team, an early honor ahead of his fourth season in Madison.
Editorial: The Case for Impeachment — What would the founders do?
When the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia 250 years ago to “form a more perfect Union,” they studied the collapse of the Greek and Roman republics with an eye toward
TST Images: Gulls defeat Knights, 2-0, at Pechanga Arena
SAN DIEGO - The Gulls defeated the Knights, 2-0, at Pechanga Arena on October 10, 2026.
Grades for Cardinals Starting Pitchers in 2026
As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals’ starters posted mediocre-to-slightly-below-average full-season stats in 2026. They finished 20th in ERA (4.27), third in HR/9 (0.99), 14th in FIP (4.09), and 26th in batting average against (.250). But there was more good than bad to take away, as several of St. Louis’ young starters took steps in …
Democrats can become the party of business
For half a century, Republicans have worn the “party of business” label like a permanent badge – tax cuts, deregulation, tough trade talk – while Democrats have too often ceded
Badgers swept in fifth straight loss to Nebraska
The Badgers fought quite hard, but fell short on Saturday.
Maple Leafs Get Telling Sergei Bobrovsky Reaction From William Nylander
As part of their monumental summer of change, the Toronto Maple Leafs brought in multiple new faces, including the likes of Nick Paul and Darren Raddysh from the divisional rival Tampa Bay Lightning, along with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who had played the last seven years with the rival Florida Panthers. Of course, Bobrovsky had helped […] The post Maple Leafs Get Telling Sergei Bobrovsky Reaction From William Nylander appeared first on HEAVY.
Patriots Announce Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Raiders Game
New England placed two more players on injured reserve Saturday, adding to a growing list of absences ahead of Sunday's matchup with Las Vegas. How long can the Patriots keep relying on their “Next Man Up” mentality?
Spence makes Inter debut: how the former Tottenham defender fared
Djed Spence finally made his Inter debut in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Parma, and showed a few glimpses of what he can offer.The former Tottenham defender came on in the 73rd minute with the result lon...
Kentucky gets a surprise visit from 2027 center
Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball team received a surprise visit from one of the top centers in the 2027 class on Friday.
Should the NY Giants trade for Marvin Harrison Jr.?
How badly do the NY Giants need a wide receiver?
Giving Props: Vikings Player Bets Vs the Saints
Let’s try to keep the positive momentum going
Genoa 2-1 Fiorentina: Match report
The Viola can’t even score their own goal as they slump to a deeply embarrassing defeat against a bad opponent.
The official line-ups for Inter vs. Parma
INTER VS. PARMA | OFFICIAL LINE-UPSINTER (3-5-2): 1 Martinez; 28 Pavard, 31 Bisseck, 30 Carlos Augusto; 17 Diouf, 8 Sucic, 20 Calhanoglu, 22 Mkhitaryan, 32 Dimarco; 94 Esposito, 9 Thuram. Substitutes:...
Juventus is keen to make their team more Italian
Juventus are reportedly preparing to change their transfer strategy by focusing more heavily on Italian players as they look to strengthen their domestic core. The Bianconeri have spent recent years p...
Brian Schottenheimer Must Answer for More Than the Offense
Brian Schottenheimer faces scrutiny after the Cowboys’ loss to Tampa Bay exposed problems that extend beyond the offense and into his entire team.
Different voices, shared challenges: mental health in athletics | FEATURE
It was a fleeting exchange at a press conference, but it touched on a much wider issue.
Paddy 'the Baddy' joins Liverpool's mental health fight
Paddy Pimblett says it is "shocking" someone takes their life every 90 minutes in the UK.
Phillies news: Brandon Marsh, Dante Nori, Jose Ramirez
The outfield? Needing a change? For the Phillies?
Wisconsin Badgers 2026 football schedule: Is Wisconsin playing today?
Fresh off a 31-3 win over Michigan State, the Wisconsin Badgers are able to enjoy Saturday, Oct. 10 off.
Blue Jays’ Future Hall Of Famer Makes Next Career Decision
The Toronto Blue Jays’ eight-time All-Star made a decision about his life after baseball.
No Celtic deal for Bakayoko, and rightly so
Contrary to rumours flying around over the last few days, Celtic will NOT be offering a contract to former French international Tiemoue Bakayoko…Tiemoue Bakayoko of AC Milan celebrates with the fans...
Where to watch Georgia vs. Alabama today: Time, TV channel
The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs play the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide in a game between the two teams with the best records in SEC play to start the season
From campground to 'bespoke village,' this St. Tammany community is now getting a grocery store
This gated community is hoping to become a “destination” north of Abita Springs. Here’s the latest on new development.
Memphis Grizzlies Bring Bad Injury News About New Controversial Big
The Memphis Grizzlies brought unfortunate news about their newest center, who was one of the team’s biggest pickups in the offseason. According to the team, center Isaiah Stewart is sidelined for at least two weeks with a moderate left ankle sprain. How Isaiah Stewart Picked Up The Injury Stewart suffered the injury in the first […] The post Memphis Grizzlies Bring Bad Injury News About New Controversial Big appeared first on HEAVY.
Latino nonprofits start their own shops to make helping small businesses their business
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — From the pink neon sign on the sunshine yellow wall to the multicolored Mexican paper garlands, Mission Lotería's storefront emits cultural pride everywhere you look. After seven ...
Pennridge downs North Penn in key SOL National football matchup
Pennridge remained unbeaten after downing North Penn in a big Suburban One League National Conference high school football game in Week 7.
Steph Curry drops truth bomb on Warriors’ front office failure
It’s no secret there is disappointment surrounding the Warriors ahead of the upcoming season. While Golden State retained Steph Curry for another two years on a $116 million contract extension,...
Boston Red Sox’ Sonny Gray Makes Decision on 2027 Season
After contemplating retirement, the 36-year-old veteran has made a decision on his future.
Browns' Deshaun Watson gets bad news ahead of Jets showdown
The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson may have a tougher time against the New York Jets. Here's why.
Kyle Monangai ruled out
The Bears running back is going to miss Week 5 after a big Week 4.
Rico Dowdle listed as questionable for Week 5
Steelers RB Rico Dowdle questionable after three straight limited practices
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
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Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
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