Hollywood Week: Unions Remain at an Impasse, Box Office, Mark Margolis Dies

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Saturday, 05 August 2023 12:59

Written by Janet Walker

SAG/AFTRA and the WGA remain at an impasse 95 days into what is becoming a battle of wills, as both the studio official negotiating reps, AMPTP, and the unions reps are hopelessly deadlocked over many issues.

The unions and the studios remain deadlocked over several key issues, including the size of writer's rooms, and success-based residuals, as well as pay raises, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers attempting to jump start negotiation presenting union reps with a modified deal ratified by the Director Guild of America in June.

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"The union additionally claimed that "every step of the way through this struggle, the AMPTP has run its tired anti-union playbook straight out of the 2007/08 strike." Noting that the writers' strike has lasted 94 days, the negotiating committee added, "We have not come all this way, and sacrificed this much, to half-save ourselves," reported The Hollywood Reporter.

With the strike continuing and both SAG/AFTRA and the WGA digging in for what could replicate the 2000 strike as the unions appear to be a unified strength, the studio and streaming executives will be forced to either step outside the AMPTP and individually approach the unions, which could set the stage for a third battleground, that of the independent streamer dissolving the solidarity of the AMPTP's bargaining power or the AMPTP could be forced to provide deeper concessions.

Either way the strike continues . . .

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Box Office Continues to Surprise

The Summer 2023 box office continues to surprise as audiences are returning to the theaters, albeit, slowly and exhibiting a more varied choice. The twin billed "Barbenheimer" weekend seemed to resuscitate the struggling one-off box office and reinvent the post pandemic marketing strategy with studio executives agreeing that the box office has room for dueling same weekend premieres, a concept that pre-pandemic would not have been considered.

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With the struggling box office, a concern for all parties, from studios executives, theater owners, and talent who earn a percentage, any marketing strategy that returns the box office to full operation, and drives profits is a viable strategy.

Greta Gerwig's Barbie is nearing the $1billion worldwide mark, with another impressive weekend. Three weekends into the film's release, which has steadily racked up an impressive slate of Records and Milestones, and the cultural phenomenon is holding steady at the number one spot.

Rounding out the top five films are the Jason Statham sequel Meg 2: The Trench, Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Universal's Oppenheimer, and Disney's Haunted Mansion.

Sleeper hit Sound of Freedom, from Angel Studio, continues to hold steady muscling its way onto the top ten at number 6 ahead of Paramount's Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, Disney's Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, both in the top ten.

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Mark Margolis Dies

Mark Margolis, who is best known as the wheelchair bound Hector Salamanca of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame, died this week. He was 83.

"Margolis was nominated for an Emmy in 2012 for outstanding guest actor in "Breaking Bad" as Hector "Tio" Salamanca, the murderous elderly don who was unable to speak following a stroke. But this actor did not need dialogue; he communicated via facial expressions and the sometimes menacing use of a barhop bell taped to his wheelchair," reported the Associated Press.

A career actor, Margolis studied with famed acting coach Stella Adler during the 1960's before being cast in theater performances of Julius Caesar, which never officially opened. Margolis then founded a performing theater troupe which eventually went on to stage more than 50 performances. Margolis also attended the Actor's Studio. He worked for director Darron Aronofsky in six different films and had a scene stealing role with Al Pacino in Scarface as the hit man for Alejandro Sosa.

Margolis was admitted to Mt. Siani, in New York City, where he died after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, of sixty years, Jacqueline, one son Morgan, and three grandchildren. No further information is available.