Distribution

In looking at the growth of global entertainment, here are a couple of highlights:

Non-digital categories – such as live music, cinema and events – continues to lead consumer sector revenue, accounting for 61% of sector spending in 2024

Global cinema revenue expected to rise from $33 billion in 2024 to $42 billion in 2029, as international audiences continue to spend more on locally produced films

*Global video games revenue forecast to grow from $224 billion in 2024 to $300 billion in 2029 – exceeding movie and music industry revenues combined

Here's the rest of the story:

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/global-entertainment-and-media-ind...

Also, I encourage you to download the PDF deep dive into UNESCO's Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report:

https://www.unesco.org/en/world-media-trends/global-entertainment-media-...

Taylor Swift continues to rewrite the playbook, this time at the box office. Her new film, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, opened to an incredible $34 million, making it one of the most successful album-related theatrical events in history.

Read more here:

https://deadline.com/2025/10/taylor-swift-box-office-showgirl-1236569790/

Released through AMC Theatres and Variance, Showgirl ties directly to Swift’s latest album and was marketed with minimal traditional promotion: no trailers, no poster campaigns, just Swift’s own social media channels, billboards, and direct fan engagement. Yet the film sold out theaters nationwide, proving that connection and authenticity can rival even the biggest studio-backed campaigns.

It’s easy to say, “Well, that’s Taylor Swift — these numbers only apply to her.”

And while that’s true to an extent, it’s worth remembering that the industry listens when new types of content succeed. When Justin Bieber’s first concert documentary took off in theaters, the wave of musician documentaries and event-style releases that followed was immediate. These test cases, especially when driven by the biggest stars, often signal the direction labels and studios will take with their next generation of projects.

The numbers speak for themselves:

• $34M opening weekend

• Over 3,700 theaters nationwide

• Simultaneous #1 film and #1 album, a rare and historic achievement

This case study raises important questions for distributors and producers alike:

Can direct artist-to-fan marketing continue to disrupt traditional release strategies?

Will we see more musicians and creators partner directly with exhibitors to bypass the studio system?

And what lessons can independent filmmakers take from this kind of self-driven eventization — especially in an increasingly crowded theatrical landscape?

What do you think?

Could this approach, leveraging limited promotion, direct fan engagement, and experiential storytelling, be the future of distribution for certain genres or creators?

There is a lot happening in the global marketplace.

Here is the K-pop story:

https://thebambooworks.com/k-pop-returns-to-china-but-asks-chinese-fans-...

Here’s a great book on how to get your short film out there once it’s made. https://a.co/d/3Bge1gN

I have a question. My aunt is planning on showing a movie in a park for the public, and I'm assuming there's a license that needs to be paid since someone from the board of directors/town committee mentioned it to her. What licenses are needed and under copyright what would it go under, since it is a performance for a public audience? I don't know much about distribution, or even if it belongs in this lounge, but any advice would be helpful. Thank you.

It's not a one-size-fits-all and it's not about what you like or dislike. It's about your audience. I GUARANTEE you they are online. If they can stream Netflix, chances are they have a smartphone and a data plan. They're in social media, even if it's just Facebook. Depending on their age, demographic, location, and digital literacy, the platforms your viewers are on must be taken seriously.

This link is a couple of months old and will change (grow), but the message is still clear. The numbers don't lie. I personally don't feel LinkedIn and Twitter are great, but some people still find them viable sources that work for them. My happy place is TikTok, YouTube, and Threads. I love the ease of making Short videos on TikTok that can be easily shared on other platforms (they instantly save into your phone, too).

Here are some digital media statistics:

https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics/

I prefer the term digital media; however, the social part of social media still applies. If you remember there are people (customers) at the end of every profile, then you can find the best way to reach who you want to reach. It's not easy. If it were, we'd all be YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok millionaires and never have to work a day job because posting would become our day job.

Digital media is fickle, too. Platforms come and go (i.e. how I feel about Twitter). Do we even hear about Pinterest anymore? Anyway, it's a place where you can get instant feedback. Post a short on a movie to plant a seed, and if it's the right target, right platform, right time, you can build on the feedback.

The digital space is also how you grow your community. An engaged community is a loyal one. See Taylor Swift. She was an early adopter of digital media and spoke directly to her fans in short videos that showed her humanness. TikTok is a utopia for new music artists, comedians, and other creators who are growing a loyal following, some big enough to get mainstream distributors to notice.

I could go on. You can see where my passion lies in marketing. In fact, here are a couple of blogs that will help you with your audience targeting. Post responsibly. Post often. Respond to your comments. Block the bots.

https://www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-market-your-projects-without-pissing...

https://www.stage32.com/blog/public-relations-promoting-your-content-is-...

https://www.stage32.com/blog/navigating-the-fakes-snakes-and-alligators-...

Hi there... been tearing my hair out trying to teach myself Youtube Channel creation and finally realized I need someone who knows what the heck they're doing! So I need to hire someone who can help untangle the existing channel(s) and help me manage the channel and load the content, etc. Anybody out there have someone they can recommend?

Submissions add up quickly. Save money with these tips.

Here you can find 5 Ways to Keep Your Film Festival Submission Budget in Check:

1. Research Carefully: Apply only to festivals suited to your film.

2. Submit Early: Take advantage of early-bird discounts.

3. Leverage Connections: Seek waivers or discounts where possible.

4. Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Prioritise prestigious festivals.

5. Track Expenses: Monitor costs to avoid overspending.

How Pzaz Helps: Budget and track submissions effortlessly with Pzaz tools.

➡️ What’s your favorite film festival experience?

Who is attending Mill Valley Film Festival this month?

From Sean Fennessey on The Big Picture podcast:

"Box office is a short-term analysis game. It's not a long-term analysis game because the information around how much more money a movie generates over one year 5 years 25 years is very opaque. The studios are not incentivized to release how much money they garner from licensing a film to a streaming service, what their VOD numbers are going to be, what it means when a movie wins awards and comes back into the conversation. Movies can be valuable over they're like an annuity. They they can generate revenue over long periods of time, right? And a movie like One Battle After Another is an interesting contrast to to something like like a dead stock movie."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxGlCJSfug&t=154s)

Taylor Swift.

Her new album is scheduled for release October 2. As she did in the middle of her Eras tour, Swift is using movie theatres across the globe in over 100 countries to promote its release.

Of course, unless your name is Yungblud or Bad Bunny, none of us have the fan base or reach that Swift enjoys. That said, we can all learn from her. What she is doing is providing us with new and unique ways to promote and distribute our creations.

She reminds me of Madonna in this way. Madonna reinvented herself so many times to keep up with changes in both her fan base and to attract new fans. I loved her example. While some just stayed the same, Madonna tested the waters with new and, sometimes, wild presentations to find new audiences and to stay relevant.

Here is the link to the official release party information: https://investor.amctheatres.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/396/t...

Stepping outside of everyone else's comfort zone is necessary in such a changing environment. You might be a filmmaker, a makeup artist, a camera operator, an actor -- it doesn't matter what your craft is, you can always learn tips from the risk takers on how to push yourself into new challenges.

This is a short clip from Variety Studio at Sundance 2018, but it still applies. The opportunities are even better today for independents to find a way to get their films out there without having to be beholden to the studio and theater system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NLEiUzRVbE