Is “The Mountain “ Back? Paramount Turnaround! (1 Viewer)

[Kyrsten Brad]

Didn't quite know where to put this but since I wanted any discussion to be in context of Blu-ray and other home media releases, thought I’d put it here.
Admin can move this if you feel this thread belongs elsewhere.

Variety Magazine ran this article on a big turnaround at Paramount Studios. I’m wondering how this might affect future Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray releases from Paramount which as we all know has been rather moribund in recent years.

Article here: Turnaround At Paramount

Excerpt
==============================

Viacom Chief Bob Bakish on Paramount’s Turnaround: ‘The Mountain Is Back’
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reddit
• Email
• Show more sharing options
• LinkedIn
• WhatsApp
• Print
• Pin It
• Tumblr

Paramount Pictures is enjoying a reversal of fortune this year on the strength of box office hits such as “A Quiet Place” and the growth of its television production business, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish told investors Wednesday.

After a years-long slump, Paramount has real momentum coming out of a summer in which “A Quiet Place,” “Mission Impossible – Fallout” and “Book Club” performed well at the multiplexes. That’s a “very stark contrast” to 2016 when the studio churned through $1 billion in cash and lost $500 million, he said.

 

[Sam Posten]

Here is fine!

 

[Dick]

Didn't quite know where to put this but since I wanted any discussion to be in context of Blu-ray and other home media releases, thought I’d put it here.
Admin can move this if you feel this thread belongs elsewhere.

Variety Magazine ran this article on a big turnaround at Paramount Studios. I’m wondering how this might affect future Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray releases from Paramount which as we all know has been rather moribund in recent years.

Article here: Turnaround At Paramount

Excerpt
==============================

Viacom Chief Bob Bakish on Paramount’s Turnaround: ‘The Mountain Is Back’
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reddit
• Email
• Show more sharing options
• LinkedIn
• WhatsApp
• Print
• Pin It
• Tumblr

Paramount Pictures is enjoying a reversal of fortune this year on the strength of box office hits such as “A Quiet Place” and the growth of its television production business, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish told investors Wednesday.

After a years-long slump, Paramount has real momentum coming out of a summer in which “A Quiet Place,” “Mission Impossible – Fallout” and “Book Club” performed well at the multiplexes. That’s a “very stark contrast” to 2016 when the studio churned through $1 billion in cash and lost $500 million, he said.

Now, if this could translate into the company's finally paying some attention to their classic catalog...

 

[Thomas T]

I'm not holding my breath. Paramount is interested in turning its company around from its losses to profits. They're not going to do that by issuing catalog product. At best, they'll continue to license (and hopefully expand their licensing agreements) to boutique labels.

 

[Worth]

Now, if this could translate into the company's finally paying some attention to their classic catalog...

Because that's where the big money is...

 

[Dick]

Because that's where the big money is...

Yeah, well... I am hoping Tom is right and that they might be an increase in licensing.

 

[Worth]

I don't understand why they aren't willing to licence out titles that they themselves previously released - if they aren't interested in doing their own release. There doesn't seem to be a downside. At least they'd make a little bit of money for no effort, versus the zero they're currently making.

 

[Thomas T]

I don't understand why they aren't willing to licence out titles that they themselves previously released - if they aren't interested in doing their own release. There doesn't seem to be a downside. At least they'd make a little bit of money for no effort, versus the zero they're currently making.

And who pays for the remastering/restoring that might be needed to bring the transfers to acceptable HD quality? Paramount or the licensee?

 

[Worth]

And who pays for the remastering/restoring that might be needed to bring the transfers to acceptable HD quality? Paramount or the licensee?

Paramount. But I'd imagine they're already doing that to create a digital archive of their library. There are a lot of Paramount titles available on iTunes and similar services in very nice looking HD transfers. There's even a 4K version of the original War of the Worlds, that doesn't appear to be coming to disc anytime soon.

 

[Malcolm R]

And who pays for the remastering/restoring that might be needed to bring the transfers to acceptable HD quality? Paramount or the licensee?

That's usually the studio, which may be why they don't want to license the titles if they're not "up to snuff" and they don't want to spend the money on remastering. It would reflect poorly on the studio to allow sub-standard releases (though that hasn't seemed to stop MGM).

 

[OliverK]

I was pretty stunned today when I looked through available 4 DCP's of a number of high profile movies from Paramount as they have apparently started to produce 4k DCP's of a number of films recently including some very high profile classics and even two VistaVision titles:

https://www.parkcircus.com/explore_films?query=&format=4K DCP&genre=&decade=&territory=&language=&rights=&studio=Paramount

So they now have 4k DCP of three VistaVision productions with two of them being pretty recent, the most notable being the often requested The Court Jester but I also would not mind to get an even better looking version of To Catch a Thief.

Then there are now 4k versions of Roman Holiday and Sunset Boulevard with at least Roman Holiday not even haivng a Blu-ray release so far so I wonder when we will see this version released and where, same for The Court Jester.

Of course it would be fantastic to get a UHD release of at least To Catch a Thief and first ever Blu-ray releases of Roman Holiday and The Court Jester and if Paramount doesn't want to do it themselves please let Olive or some other company do it!

 

[Alan Tully]

And who pays for the remastering/restoring that might be needed to bring the transfers to acceptable HD quality? Paramount or the licensee?

I'd think that Paramount have been busy doing great looking HD transfers of their back catalogue (just like all the other big studios), maybe not with a Blu-ray release in mind. It only needs a change of mind about licensing titles out, & that could happen at any time.

 

[Dick]

And who pays for the remastering/restoring that might be needed to bring the transfers to acceptable HD quality? Paramount or the licensee?

Always the optimist!

 

[Robin9]

A few months ago, Kino Lorber informed us that Paramount intended to restore much of their back catalog including several Vista Vision titles. They also were going to restore some Republic titles, and these would be done first because the elements were decaying so rapidly that work had to start immediately.

Three of those Republic titles have now made their way onto Kino Lorber Blu-ray discs: Lisbon, A Man Alone and The Last Command. As we have firm evidence that Paramount are restoring their back catalog, we have grounds for optimism.

 

[MatthewA]

They restored It's A Wonderful Life in 4k but are only making this restoration a digital download. That tells me they're invested in film restoration and preservation but not so much in disc media necessarily, Grease notwithstanding. When the latter film came out, Paramount was #1 in Hollywood and Disney was considered an also-ran. Who ever thought the opposite would ever be the case?

That's usually the studio, which may be why they don't want to license the titles if they're not "up to snuff" and they don't want to spend the money on remastering. It would reflect poorly on the studio to allow sub-standard releases (though that hasn't seemed to stop MGM).

MGM went bankrupt at the beginning of this decade; they were probably still paying off debts incurred by Giancarlo Paretti, a sleazebag in the truest sense of the word, in the late 1980s. If they're more likely to license stuff out, then it's probably because they really need the money. Paramount never got anywhere near that bad, but some of their post-1990s corporate decisions still leave my head scratching. Like separating the TV and film divisions of Paramount so that division that had CBS got the rights to the back catalog of TV shows I Love Lucy (inherited through Viacom to begin with even though Paramount TV used to be Desilu), Star Trek, Cheers, et al and Paramount kept the films (the ones they didn't already sell to MCA TV all those years back, which are still Universal's responsibility). Whatever the intent of that was, the effect was the opposite.

 

[BRAD1963]

I was pretty stunned today when I looked through available 4 DCP's of a number of high profile movies from Paramount as they have apparently started to produce 4k DCP's of a number of films recently including some very high profile classics and even two VistaVision titles:

https://www.parkcircus.com/explore_films?query=&format=4K DCP&genre=&decade=&territory=&language=&rights=&studio=Paramount

So they now have 4k DCP of three VistaVision productions with two of them being pretty recent, the most notable being the often requested The Court Jester but I also would not mind to get an even better looking version of To Catch a Thief.

Then there are now 4k versions of Roman Holiday and Sunset Boulevard with at least Roman Holiday not even haivng a Blu-ray release so far so I wonder when we will see this version released and where, same for The Court Jester.

Of course it would be fantastic to get a UHD release of at least To Catch a Thief and first ever Blu-ray releases of Roman Holiday and The Court Jester and if Paramount doesn't want to do it themselves please let Olive or some other company do it!

Doubtful Paramount would ever let Olive distribute Roman Holiday. The only label they will release "A" titles to seems to be Criterion.

 

[BRAD1963]

I think the writing is on the wall. Paramount is not going to put much effort into releasing catalog titles on disc anymore.

 

[MatthewA]

I think the writing is on the wall. Paramount is not going to put much effort into releasing catalog titles on disc anymore.

Another Thanksgiving is about to pass without Addams Family Values on Blu-ray.

 

[OliverK]

Doubtful Paramount would ever let Olive distribute Roman Holiday. The only label they will release "A" titles to seems to be Criterion.

I don't think that too many would mind if Criterion released it

 

[DVBRD]

Another Thanksgiving is about to pass without Addams Family Values on Blu-ray.

Wednesday Addams would not approve, and that is something that should be feared.