Firm Returns Weekly - WBD acquires BluTV, and other news
WBD has acquired BluTV, and I take a look at how Wonka and Aquaman 2 are performing in theatres.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Acquisition of BluTV
WBD has acquired BluTV, a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service in Turkey, that has been a strategic partner since 2021 when Discovery+ was made available to BluTV subscribers. As part of that strategic partnership, Discovery Inc. made an investment in BluTV that gave them a 35% stake, and the optionality to invest further, which they have now done.
Here's what Jamie Cooke, GM CEE, for Middle East & Turkey at WBD had to say on the deal:
Turkey has been an important investment territory for us for over 20 years, and the acquisition of BluTV brings Turkey’s first local SVOD player into our portfolio...
The combination of compelling Turkish content and a broad range of the best international series and shows from Warner Bros. Discovery is an unbeatable recipe to be locally relevant and successful. Together we bring Turkish audiences the most compelling viewing experience and expand the reach of Turkish content globally.
Film box office performance
Wonka has been on a real tear, with worldwide box office currently sitting at $281,874,489 and the expectation that it will lead this weekend's takings in it's third week of release.
As you can see from the graph below, the film has broken out above the predictive range in which 95% of films usually sit following their opening weekend. This shows it's performing well above average.
If we look at a comparison with The Greatest Showman, which was another successful musical released over the Christmas holiday in 2017, we can see Wonka is well ahead on its current trajectory.
Internationally, the film has been doing very well in the UK where it had brought in $38,100,000 as of 24 December - a figure that is likely much higher now.
So overall, Wonka is looking like a standout success and the top performing film over the Christmas/New Year period.
Things aren't looking quite so rosy for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which didn't have the best of opening weekends with revenue of $27,700,000 in the US (less than predicted for Wonka in its 3rd weekend). It has however shown pretty good legs, with an above average run following this slow start.
Performance relative to the first film is pretty poor as you can see from the graph below.
Internationally, China is the most popular market as it was with the 2018 Aquaman release, but sales in other markets like the UK are not looking so good. I can tell you that it's currently only getting 1 to 2 screenings a day at my local cinema vs 5 to 6 for Wonka.
That's all I've got for you this week. See you in the New Year.