Insights Into Entertainment: Episode 151 ”Indy Strikes Back: The Disney Firesale”

[INTRO THEME] [INTRODUCTIONS] (2-3 minutes)
Insights Into Entertainment: Episode 151 “Indy Strikes Back: the Disney Firesale””
My rested and relaxed co-host Michelle Whalen [SHOW SUMMARY] (2-3 minutes)
With writers and actors on strike, box office numbers struggling to rebound after the pandemic, and missteps with streaming costing studios billions, what could Hollywood possibly do to save the day?
Maybe have a firesale and make some money, or at least that’s what Bob Iger is looking to do.
But before we see our heroes on the picket lines or the unemployment lines we first saw them on the silver screen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and we’ve got our thoughts on that and more coming up in this episode of Insights Into Entertainment.
But first I’d like to invite our listening and viewing audience for your feedback and support [Show Plugs] (2-3 minutes)
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Links to all these on the web: https://www.insightsintothings.com [TRANSITION] [SEGMENT 1:] (8-12 minutes) How NOT to handle a strike
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-07-18/sag-aftra-strike-bob-iger-fran-drescher-barry-diller-david-zaslav-revolution
https://bit.ly/3rGD0wF It’s hard to miss the talent strike(s) happening in the entertainment industry at the moment
First the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in the name of fair wages and protections against AI encroachment on their work.
Then the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined them shortly afterward Who are they fighting?
The Hollywood studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers What’s particularly curious about all of it is how the Hollywood studios seem to invite the strike, and then enflamed it even further
This spring, it sometimes seemed like the Hollywood studios were actively itching for a writers’ strike.
Speculations about why, exactly, ran the gamut:
Perhaps it would save a little money in the short run and show the Writers Guild of America who’s boss.
More obviously, it might secure the least costly compromise on issues like residuals payments and transparency about viewership. As discussions broke down between the two parties and the SAG-AFTRA representatives were seeing a majority of their demands rejected despite a nearly unanimous strike vote, a Deadline story quoted unnamed executives detailing a strategy to bleed striking writers until they come crawling back. Further enflaming the issue were comments from well known Hollywood executive Bob Iger of Disney saying:
“There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.” Iger may have succeed in looking like the cool, calm and collected voice of the studios but he opened up a can of worms that simply egged on SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher
https://imgur.com/gallery/vGpozmS Her response was one that was up there with battle cry motivational speeches the like of which Hollywood has historically been known for “We are the victims here,” she said marking the start of the actors’ strike.
“We are being victimized by a very greedy entity.
I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us.
I cannot believe it, quite frankly: How far apart we are on so many things.
How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right, when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs.
It is disgusting. Shame on them.
They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.” Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group and a former Hollywood studio chief, suggested that studio executives and top-earning actors take a 25% pay cut to bring a quick end to the strikes and help prevent “the collapse of the entire industry.” It’s worth noting at this time that the motion picture industry is still struggling to recover it’s box office numbers which are nearly have what they were pre-pandemic
It’s also worth noting that in their haste to capitalize on the streaming bandwagon many companies are in the red
Disney, Peacock, Paramount+, HBO Max and Discovery+ have reportedly lost a combined $18gbn since 2020
Which begs the question, can either side in this strike really afford it? Of course enflaming all of this is the wage disparity between executives and the actors and writers who make up the union work forces on strike
Average pay for top Hollywood executives climbed an average of 53% from 2018 to 2021 up to $28 million
Bob Iger of Disney $31 Million in total compensation
David Zazlav of Warner Bros. $39.3 million
Ted Sarandos of Netflix $50.3 million
Brian Roberts of Comcast $32.1 million
Bob Bakish of Paramount $32 million
Tim Cook of Apple $99.4 million In contrast, the average WGA writer makes $250,000 per year
And to contrast further, the average SAG-AFTRA actor makes approximately $40,000
Of course you have your top talent getting paid very well
Tom Cruise took home over $100 million in 2023
Will Smith took home $35 million for his Apple TV+ show Emancipation, now that’s a real slap in the face
Leonardo DiCaprio regularly brings in $30 million or more per project as does Brad Pitt
Dwayne Johson routinely brings in $20+ million per project, I’d certainly like to smell what the Rock is smelling compensation-wise
Even will Ferrell can demain in the $20 million dollar range for a project
But that’s the 1% club really
The vast majority of Hollywood really is made up of starving artists who live pay check to pay check
Of course this begs the question, why not just get a real job like the rest of us? [SEGMENT 2:] (8-12 minutes) How much would Disney go for in a firesale?
https://wdwnt.com/2023/07/disney-ceo-bob-iger-looking-to-sell-abc-fx-and-freeform/#:~:text=The%20Walt%20Disney%20Company’s%20CEO,infamous%20%E2%80%9CSquawk%20Box%E2%80%9D%20interview.
https://bit.ly/3O0I1HP In a recent interview for “Squawk Box” conducted by David Faber held at a media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho Iger’s made some volatile comments he’s since been trying to walk back
The initial questions revolved around the impact of the writers and actors strike but quick moved to business matters that may have revealed more information than Iger originally intended to be public at that time
During the interview he indicated that ABC and its local stations “may not be core” to The Walt Disney Company.
The interviewer speculated about a possible sale and Iger said, “We have to be open-minded and objective about the future of those businesses.”
Bloomberg reports that with cable TV on the decline, Iger wants to sell most of Disney’s TV assets, mainly ABC, Freeform, and FX. While Bob Iger had made it clear that he’s looking to sell some of the company’s TV and streaming assets, rumors have been swirling for months in the industry that Disney may even be considering selling the entire company. Disney’s streaming services have been losing money and subscribers — Disney+ lost 4 million subscribers last quarter.
Streaming is expected to have hit a total loss of $800 million in the third quarter. According to Bloomberg, Iger wants to completely sell or restructure Disney’s TV and streaming business in India where Disney+ has had the biggest losses.
Disney+ Hotstar, the region’s version of Disney+, lost streaming rights to Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches, leading to the service losing 3.8 million subscribers in quarter one and 4.6 million subscribers in quarter two. Despite the recent setbacks Iger looks to double down on stream with his plan to hold onto Hulu
Disney will launch a combined app for Hulu and Disney+ later this year.
Though Disney will more than likely have to buy Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu in 2024. Experts speculate selling Disney’s TV networks could get them about $8 billion, which could help offset the cost of that last third.
Potential buyers would be financial entities, like private equity firms. Iger also wants to hang onto ESPN, but is looking for a partner for the sports network.
Potential partners include sports companies and Apple. Speaking of Apple, there have been rumors since Iger’s return last November that he will sell all of Disney to the tech company.
At the time, Iger called these rumors “nothing more than speculation,” but the sale seems to still be a possibility. Bob Iger isn’t known for selling.
During his first tenure as Disney’s CEO, he acquired Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, which have all proven successful purchases. According to Bloomberg, TV generated 35% of Disney’s revenue ($24.8 billion) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and over 50% ($7.5 billion) of its operating income.
Contrast against the massive losses from streaming it’s a bit of a head scratcher as to why he’d want to keep the loser and sell the winner
Disney+ was Iger’s baby before he retired the first time around
Launched under his part time successful Bob Chapek it met with initial success despite it’s surprisingly discounted monthly rate but quickly started hemorrhaging subscribers, failing to offset the high costs of their premier productions. It’s also worth noting that Iger got his start not just in TV, but in ABC.
When The Walt Disney Company acquired ABC in 1995, they acquired Iger and he worked his way up to CEO of the entire company over the next decade, finally landing the top spot in 2005 after Michael Eisner was ousted.
Iger was CEO until retiring in 2020, but returned to the position in November 2022 after Bob Chapek was also ousted. [SEGMENT 3:] (8-12 minutes) Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-movie-review-2023
https://bit.ly/3Y0LFGg Rogerebert.com’s review of the movie hit the nail on the head when they described it as never boring, but never really entertaining at the same time.
Overall it was at about the level of a streaming mini-series and that’s probably where it would have been best showcased
It wasn’t worth a big screen adventure
And it certainly wasn’t worthy of capping off such an illustrious series That phrase in fact I think has to be drawn into question
When only two of the five movies in the franchise are illustrious and exceptional, should we really be looking back so fondly on the Indiana Jone franchise as we do?
It think it’s more nostalgia than anything But let’s take a deeper look
Hands down the best movie of the series was Raiders of the Lost Ark
It like the spark for the franchise and reinvigorated the entire movie going experience
Then we get the Temple of Doom
A mediocre show with a weak cast, limited sets, lackluster special effects and uninteresting story telling
But it was a sequel, so expectations were low
The Last Crusade was an absolute masterpiece and dispelled in doubts about sequels being sub-par
It recaptured the original spirit of Raiders and give us what we thought would be at the time a fitting end to the saga
Then we go Crystal Skull
A movie that had such potential, so many opportunities to do the right thing and seem so deliberately self sabotaging as to make us cringe at the thought of watching it again
Destiny of Dial falls somewhere between Crystal Skull and Temple of Doom
It wants to be a class Indy adventure, but lacks the inspiration
Much like the previous failed movies the object of adventure is a weak plot point pulled from a known existing museum piece combined with a plot that pushes it beyond the realm of believability
And there’s where the movie loses me and so many other fans of the genre Your thoughts? [OUTRO AND CREDITS] Show Plugs
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00:00:03:17 – 00:00:53:02
Michelle
Insightful podcasts by informative host insights into Things, a podcast network editor. Welcome to Insights into Entertainment, a podcast series Taking a deeper look into entertainment and media. Your hosts, Joseph and Michelle Whelan, a husband and wife team of pop culture fanatics, are exploring all things from music and movies to television and fandom. 00:00:53:04 – 00:01:12:14
Joseph
Welcome to that sudden intro to Insights into Entertainment. Episode 151 IMDB Strikes Back The Disney Fire Sale. I’m your host, Joseph Whalen, and my rested and relaxed co-host Michelle Rhee on owning a team that for the last week. 00:01:12:15 – 00:01:15:20
Michelle
I don’t I don’t think so. I think I kind of left it. 00:01:15:23 – 00:01:18:14
Joseph
As you were very busy today. I don’t think arrested and relaxed. 00:01:18:14 – 00:01:19:23
Michelle
No, I am not. 00:01:19:23 – 00:01:20:26
Joseph
I don’t. 00:01:20:29 – 00:01:22:24
Michelle
I am doing well. How are you. 00:01:22:25 – 00:01:30:12
Joseph
Doing? Okay. So we finally we had some, I guess, entertainment news that was worthy of talking about. 00:01:30:12 – 00:01:32:06
Michelle
True, True. 00:01:32:08 – 00:01:35:24
Joseph
Anything else exciting happened since our last podcast? 00:01:35:26 – 00:01:41:13
Michelle
Hmm. I can’t think of anything I don’t even know. 00:01:41:15 – 00:01:42:18
Joseph
It was only a few weeks ago. 00:01:42:18 – 00:01:46:16
Michelle
Yeah, it wasn’t. It wasn’t that long ago. No, I don’t think anything really. 00:01:46:16 – 00:01:49:11
Joseph
Things have been kind of team. Yeah, so they. 00:01:49:11 – 00:01:50:24
Michelle
Normally are for us. 00:01:50:27 – 00:01:53:16
Joseph
Usually. Usually. Thankfully. 00:01:53:19 – 00:01:56:00
Michelle
We’re not at Comic-Con this week or. 00:01:56:03 – 00:02:02:07
Joseph
The century ago. Yeah, we didn’t. We didn’t go out to San Diego for that room. Have any conventions coming up anytime soon? 00:02:02:09 – 00:02:23:19
Michelle
No, because the last one fan expo, we actually decided not to go to. Yeah. So I think the next one coming up is I think there was a solo con fold thing and then retro con is the one that comes in September. So I don’t I don’t think there’s anything in the summer lineup for us. 00:02:23:20 – 00:02:31:00
Joseph
Interesting. That’s, that’s usually our season too. Yeah. But yeah, when a good one comes around, well we’ll cover it for everyone. 00:02:31:01 – 00:02:32:03
Michelle
Absolutely. 00:02:32:05 – 00:03:03:15
Joseph
So with the writers and actors on strike box office numbers struggling to rebound after the pandemic and missteps from streaming costing studios billions, what could Hollywood possibly do to save the day? Maybe have a fire sale, make some money, or at least effort by buyers looking to do. But before we see our heroes on the picket lines or unemployment lines, we first saw them on the silver screen and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 00:03:03:18 – 00:03:34:18
Joseph
And we’ve got our thoughts on that and more coming up on this episode of Insights and Entertainment. But first, I’d like to take a moment to invite our listening and viewing audience to subscribe to the podcast. You can find audio versions of this podcast listed as insights in the entertainment. You can find audio and video versions of all of our podcast listeners insights into things, and we’re available anywhere you get a podcast, Google, Stitcher, Pod being and or wherever. 00:03:34:21 – 00:03:55:28
Joseph
I can also invite you to write in, Give us your feedback, tell us how we’re doing. You wish suggestions on what you’d like us to cover. You can email us at comments and insights into things that calm. You can catch us on Twitter at insights, underscore things, or you can find links to all that and more on our official website at WW w that insights anything. 00:03:56:00 – 00:04:05:15
Joseph
Dot com. Are we ready. Sure let’s do it. 00:04:05:17 – 00:04:32:02
Joseph
So how not to handle a strike so everyone knows that the actors and the writers are on strike right now. It’s kind of hard to miss the talent strikes happening across the entire entertainment industry at the moment. First, the Writers Guild of America went on strike in the name of fair wages and protections against encroachment, which I thought was kind of interesting. 00:04:32:04 – 00:04:35:27
Joseph
We didn’t think I was going to be destroying the world. 00:04:36:00 – 00:04:37:00
Michelle
So soon. 00:04:37:03 – 00:04:38:10
Joseph
Or through that method. 00:04:38:11 – 00:04:39:21
Michelle
Right. Right. 00:04:39:23 – 00:04:51:03
Joseph
And then just recently, the screen actors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, SAG-AFTRA. Well, that just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it? 00:04:51:03 – 00:04:51:26
Michelle
Or does. 00:04:51:28 – 00:05:08:21
Joseph
They joined them shortly after word on the picket line. So who are they fighting? So they’re fighting the Hollywood studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the producers of the bad guys. Depending on your point of view, I guess. 00:05:08:28 – 00:05:10:08
Michelle
In most cases, yeah. 00:05:10:10 – 00:05:35:08
Joseph
So what’s what’s particularly curious about all this is how the Hollywood studios seem to invite a strike. And then once they got one, they did everything in their power to inflame it even further. So this spring it’s in LA. This spring, it seemed like some Hollywood studios were actively itching for a writers strike. Speculation about why exactly ran the gamut. 00:05:35:11 – 00:05:56:09
Joseph
Maybe it was a you know, to save a little money on in the short run on shows. The writers of Writers Guild was were part of. But more obviously, it might be to secure the least costly compromise on issues like residuals and transparency about viewership. 00:05:56:12 – 00:06:37:24
Michelle
So as discussions broke down between the two parties and the SAG-AFTRA representatives, we’re seeing a majority of their demands rejected. Despite a nearly anonymous strike vote. A deadline story quoted unnamed executives detailing a strategy to bleed striking writers until they came crawling back further inflaming the issue were comments from well-known Hollywood executive Bob Iger of Disney, saying There’s a level of expectation that they have that it is just not realistic and they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing. 00:06:37:26 – 00:07:06:29
Michelle
That is, quite frankly, very disruptive. Iger may have succeeded in looking like a cool, calm and collected voice of the studio, but he actually opened a can of worms that simply egged on the SAG after President Fran Drescher. Her response was one that was up there with a battle cry motivational speeches like that of which Hollywood has historically been known for. 00:07:07:01 – 00:07:35:22
Michelle
We are the victims here, she said, marking the start of the actors strike. We are we are being victimized by the very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that have been in this business are treating us. I cannot believe it. Quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things, how they plead, plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right, then giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. 00:07:35:22 – 00:07:58:03
Michelle
It’s disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history. And this was a very funny meme that kind of popped up where, you know, the woman we all thought would lead the rebellion against the machines and, you know, the woman who actually ended up leading the rebellion against, you know, the deceased as. 00:07:58:03 – 00:07:58:24
Joseph
Very funny. 00:07:58:26 – 00:08:34:11
Michelle
Yeah. So Barry Diller, who is the chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group and a former Hollywood chief, suggested that the studio executives and top earning actors take a 25% pay cut to bring a quick end to the strike and hope helped prevent the collapse of the entire industry. It’s worth noting that at this time, the motion picture industry is still struggling to recover its box office numbers, which are nearly nearly half of half of what they were pre-pandemic. 00:08:34:14 – 00:08:58:21
Michelle
It’s also worth noting that in their haste to capitalize on the streaming bandwagon, many companies are in the red. Disney Peacock, Paramount Plus HBO, Max, Discovery Plus have reportedly lost a combined 18 billion since 2020, which begs the question, can either side in this strike really afford it? 00:08:58:23 – 00:09:04:11
Joseph
Yeah, I think the the sad thing here is obviously the fans are the ones that are going to be losing out. 00:09:04:17 – 00:09:05:00
Michelle
Right. 00:09:05:01 – 00:09:16:12
Joseph
In general. Right. You know, the last time we had this, you know, it was a back and forth or tots or whatever the strike was. We wound up getting a rash of reality TV. 00:09:16:13 – 00:09:51:03
Michelle
Well, and the one, I guess positive is there’s been such an influx between all of the different streaming services that have so much original content content that’s already there. So if nothing were to come back for a little while, there’s plenty out there. It’s just that you’re not going to get anything new. So anything that people are waiting for, like a new season of Stranger Things or new things, you know, that are on regular or broadcast television, that’s what’s going to hurt. 00:09:51:05 – 00:10:04:29
Michelle
Whereas, you know, somebody like a Netflix or, you know, all of these other streaming services, they’re probably not really going to be hurting because there’s so much content that probably the average person hasn’t gone through everything in the catalog yet. 00:10:05:03 – 00:10:21:03
Joseph
Well, and that’s also a good point, because even Disney is getting to the point where they’re exclusive streaming content they’re going to be releasing on network television. They have already announced they’re releasing the Ms.. Marvel series. Right. That was never intended to come out on network television. 00:10:21:03 – 00:10:39:11
Michelle
Right. And I think there was something else from HBO that was going to be released on, you know, So that’s how they’re kind of balancing. Okay, well, we have enough on our streaming, but what are we going to do on broadcast? Okay. Well, now we’ll start doing a little bit of this to to make it happen. 00:10:39:13 – 00:11:11:12
Joseph
So, of course, inflaming all this is the wage disparity between executives and the actors and writers who make up the union workforce is on strike. So just to put this into perspective, the average pay for top Hollywood executives climbed an average of 53% from 2018 to 20 1 to 2021, up to $20 million annually. And to put that further into perspective, you’ve got Bob Iger of Disney, who makes 31 million course. 00:11:11:12 – 00:11:43:27
Joseph
He just renegotiated. So he’s making actually he’s going to be making a million. But his incentives put him up back up into the twenties. You have David Zaslav of Warner Brothers, who is compensated 39.3 million. Ted Sarandos of Netflix gets 50.3 million a year. Brian Roberts of Comcast is 32.1. Bob Bakish of Paramount is 32 and you have Tim Cook from Apple at the top at 99.4 million. 00:11:44:00 – 00:11:57:00
Joseph
Now granted, Tim Cook, you know, Apple does more than just streaming, right? So there’s a lot more going on there. So you could probably take, you know, 60% of that out and he’d still be enough third of the 40 million just for the streaming side of things. 00:11:57:00 – 00:11:57:24
Michelle
Right. 00:11:57:27 – 00:12:08:03
Joseph
So to contrast that, we take a look at the Writers Guild of America and what their average writers make for a year is about 250,000. 00:12:08:05 – 00:12:11:11
Michelle
And that’s probably on the high end for that’s average. 00:12:11:14 – 00:12:29:01
Joseph
That’s that’s what your average writer makes and your average SAG after actor makes about 40,000. That’s what blew my mind. Mm hmm. Now, granted, that average is low because you have the top 1% talent, right? 00:12:29:01 – 00:12:31:25
Michelle
That make $10 million a movie, right? 00:12:32:01 – 00:12:32:29
Joseph
Yeah, Well, more. 00:12:33:00 – 00:12:33:23
Michelle
Well, yeah. 00:12:34:00 – 00:12:56:21
Joseph
So taking a look at the top talent, you’ve got Tom Cruise, who in 2023, which is about half over, has taken in over $100 million. You have Will Smith, who took in 35 million just for his Apple Tv+ show emancipation. Now, that’s a real slap in the face. 00:12:56:23 – 00:12:58:27
Michelle
Yeah, that was funny. 00:12:58:29 – 00:13:21:21
Joseph
You have Leonardo DiCaprio, who brings in 30 million or more per project, as does Brad Pitt. You have Dwayne the Rock Johnson, who routinely brings in 20 million per project. Now, I certainly like the smell of the rockets smelling compensation wise, even Will Ferrell, who I’m not a big fan of him. I know a lot of people like him and think he’s funny. 00:13:21:23 – 00:13:41:13
Joseph
He demands about $20 million for a project as well. So the 1% of the club, really, they’re the the bulk of the actors that are involved here. You’re extras. You’re you’re bit part you’re your character actors, the people that aren’t your big Hollywood stars. Right. They make up the bulk of the union. 00:13:41:16 – 00:13:42:04
Michelle
Right. 00:13:42:07 – 00:13:45:03
Joseph
And they’re making an average of 40,000 a year. 00:13:45:04 – 00:13:57:19
Michelle
Well, and some of them aren’t even making that because in order to get benefits through the union, you have to be making a minimum of $24,000 a year. And there are so many. 00:13:57:21 – 00:14:02:00
Joseph
And I agree that that’s one reason these numbers are making that. So obviously. 00:14:02:00 – 00:14:02:08
Michelle
You got. 00:14:02:08 – 00:14:04:27
Joseph
It. I got people making more. You got people making less. 00:14:04:27 – 00:14:32:18
Michelle
And there was actually, you know, something that I saw that where you had about, you know, if they took 25% off the top and there was something that I saw that even said 2% of the top executive salaries. So 2% would be like nothing. Nobody would notice. But basically everybody that’s in the union would be able to get coverage because of just that 2% off the top for everybody. 00:14:32:22 – 00:15:00:28
Michelle
Right now, what is interesting was I just saw briefly an article I didn’t read fully, but there’s one of the movie studios, a 24, that they actually met all the negotiations. So anybody that’s actually working with A24, with their production team, they’re not striking because they said, okay, you want more money, here’s more money. The actors, you need more money. 00:15:01:00 – 00:15:11:20
Michelle
So they went, you know, all of the demands that were asked for between the actors and the writers, they met them. So those people are working, right? So. 00:15:11:22 – 00:15:15:27
Joseph
Yeah, so the vast majority of Hollywood really is made up of starving actors who. 00:15:16:03 – 00:15:16:10
Michelle
Live. 00:15:16:14 – 00:15:17:14
Joseph
Paycheck to paycheck. 00:15:17:15 – 00:15:18:04
Michelle
Yep. Yep. 00:15:18:11 – 00:15:38:06
Joseph
Now, being the first time I want to ask the question, why not just go get a real job if if you’re not making it, it making it in acting? I understand that’s a lot of people’s dream, right? But if you’re living paycheck to paycheck and you can’t meet make ends meet, maybe it’s time to go get another job somewhere. 00:15:38:09 – 00:15:42:11
Michelle
And in a lot of cases, they do have other jobs. They are doing other things. 00:15:42:13 – 00:15:56:22
Joseph
Have you ever considered a career in truck driving? And I don’t mean to sound callous about it, but. Right. You know, you’re not like if I wanted to be a doctor and I am not a failed doctor and I can’t do it, I’m not going to keep trying to be a doctor. I want to go do something else. 00:15:56:22 – 00:15:57:28
Michelle
Right. 00:15:58:00 – 00:16:14:05
Joseph
You know, if if and in this case, the industry you know, the industry is not treating it right. If I work for a company and that company mistreats me, doesn’t compensate me fairly for my work, doesn’t provide benefits, I’m going to leave and go somewhere else and do something else. 00:16:14:09 – 00:16:45:13
Michelle
I know and many people do. And you see that time and time again where you know, unfortunately, the paparazzi are now, you know, in the age that we’re in that everybody has a camera on their phone. You know, someone will go to the grocery store and, hey, aren’t you, you know, so-and-so, you used to be on television. Now you’re bagging groceries and you get belittled for going and earning an honest living and doing that in some cases. 00:16:45:18 – 00:16:48:27
Joseph
And you know what? This that stems from caring what other people think? 00:16:48:28 – 00:17:07:09
Michelle
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And that’s where I think a lot of people, they try and. Okay, well, if I can’t be on the screen, let me see if I can do behind the scenes and do something. So you see that, too, where people try and, you know, get into production or set design or something to kind of. 00:17:07:16 – 00:17:12:29
Joseph
Or you turn into Kevin Sorbo and you just troll people on Twitter when you’re on a successful like. 00:17:13:01 – 00:17:13:22
Michelle
That, too. 00:17:13:26 – 00:17:47:10
Joseph
So so really what this what the strike boils down to is two things. One, it’s salaries. Mm hmm. Really, It’s three things. It’s salaries because of the disparity between and I don’t know why you would pick on CEOs. I think the problem you have is that when you compare yourself to a CEO and you’re an actor, the value that you lent to the franchise at that point in time is on a completely different measuring scale than what the CEO or the executives bring. 00:17:47:11 – 00:18:12:28
Joseph
It’s like you’re comparing apples and oranges. So I think that’s a problem right there that you’re comparing yourself to that. The other one that they have is residuals from streaming. Right. So the problem that you run into here is traditionally the studios are usually two or three steps behind in technology. You know, they missed the ball on VHS and got screwed on that. 00:18:12:28 – 00:18:34:00
Joseph
They missed the ball on DVDs because they tried to encrypt them and they got screwed on that. So they kind of got out. It’s the first time in decades that they got out ahead of things. Mm hmm. And they got into streaming and it was supposedly successful, even though they’re $18 billion in the hole because they invested so much money in it. 00:18:34:03 – 00:18:43:25
Joseph
And the problem that you have is the previous contract, didn’t it? Streaming exploded so quickly. Right. You couldn’t have it in a contract before. 00:18:43:26 – 00:18:50:15
Michelle
Well, and really, it was because of the pandemic, because everything really changed in some respects. 00:18:50:16 – 00:18:55:26
Joseph
Yes and no. I mean, Netflix was a streaming juggernaut well before the pandemic. 00:18:55:27 – 00:18:56:10
Michelle
Right. 00:18:56:15 – 00:19:03:14
Joseph
Everybody saw that. Right. And and was shocked that Netflix because everyone had their content on Netflix. 00:19:03:17 – 00:19:03:28
Michelle
True. 00:19:04:01 – 00:19:19:00
Joseph
Everybody was shocked at how well Netflix did. And Netflix did so well because they just poured money hand over fist into original content. Right. They were in the red for years producing content. 00:19:19:01 – 00:19:19:12
Michelle
Right. 00:19:19:18 – 00:19:21:27
Joseph
Just to get it out there and get subscribers in. 00:19:22:02 – 00:19:23:13
Michelle
Mm hmm. 00:19:23:15 – 00:19:52:06
Joseph
So you had technology explode and the industry’s trying to catch up to it. Now you’re also dealing with the industry at a very fragile state now. Your tickets sales, your box office ticket sales are up 50% what they were pre-pandemic. You’ve got streaming services that are hemorrhaging money to the point that they’re pulling back on projects now because they can’t afford to keep making new content. 00:19:52:08 – 00:20:26:13
Joseph
So to strike now when the when the industry is at its weakest to a certain extent, I think Iger’s right in that it’s a really bad time to do this because you’re really going to hurt the industry. What’s going to happen here is they’ll resolve this strike obviously at some point in time. But how many people are going to be out of a job because you’re gonna have studios that are cutting budgets back because of the losses they’re already incurring, plus the losses that they’re incurring because of the strike. 00:20:26:15 – 00:20:47:07
Joseph
So you may see as much I’ve seen speculation up to a 30% cut in the workforce in the industry. Is is that really the union benefiting its employees at that point in time where, okay, you can get your 20% raise, but you’re out of a job now. Hmm. Good luck finding a job at that at that rate. Yeah. 00:20:47:10 – 00:21:12:12
Joseph
So it’s a double edged sword. Mm hmm. And then finally, the third one they’re complaining about is. I know I. There’s a couple of different aspects of it. One is the writing. Mm hmm. You know, like, you can go out and have some AI system, write a script for you. The A.I. that’s out there today isn’t good enough to write a Hollywood script, right? 00:21:12:14 – 00:21:16:16
Joseph
Because all it does is it parrots what’s out there already. 00:21:16:16 – 00:21:17:09
Michelle
Right. 00:21:17:12 – 00:21:44:29
Joseph
So you’re not going to. It’s good to help supplement or to start or whatever. It’s not going to replace writers. Right. So that’s an irrational fear right now. The other fear is deepfakes, right? Where you’ve got industries where you can produce somebody else’s likeness. Mm hmm. Well, there’s already laws for that. You don’t need to have something in your contract if somebody uses your likeness. 00:21:45:01 – 00:21:49:12
Joseph
Like you can’t make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford. 00:21:49:13 – 00:21:50:06
Michelle
Right. 00:21:50:08 – 00:22:01:04
Joseph
You can digitally reproduce them. And they did. They de-age them and they digitally reproduced them. Mm hmm. But if they did that without Harrison Ford’s permission and involvement, he would have sued them. 00:22:01:06 – 00:22:21:02
Michelle
Well, and I think that’s what a lot of these back down actors are concerned about who are on that bottom level is that they’re going to go in and do something. And there’s going to be something in the contract saying, you know, oh, we now own your likeness and it’s going to be, you know, hidden somewhere. 00:22:21:02 – 00:22:27:05
Joseph
And they can still do that. There’s nothing that says they can’t do that. So you need to have an agent that’s going to roll that contract. 00:22:27:06 – 00:22:37:11
Michelle
That’s the thing, is that they’re trying to protect to make sure that’s not something that’s added on because it’s now so easy to to do. 00:22:37:17 – 00:22:55:10
Joseph
But that’s not something you can expect to use as a bargaining chip in a negotiation for a strike. That’s something that’s a negotiating point when you negotiate your contract. Mm hmm. So make sure that your agent and your lawyer know how to read a contract. 00:22:55:13 – 00:22:56:17
Michelle
Right. 00:22:56:20 – 00:23:16:02
Joseph
So I’m kind of hesitant on giving them credit for that one here. But salary wise, I’ll totally give you that streaming. You know, we saw we covered the the A of what was the one with her studio where Disney didn’t want to pay her. 00:23:16:04 – 00:23:17:19
Michelle
Oh. 00:23:17:21 – 00:23:19:13
Joseph
Scarlett Johan Scarlett Johansson. 00:23:19:17 – 00:23:22:14
Michelle
Was the kind of the star of everything. 00:23:22:16 – 00:23:31:07
Joseph
So Disney basically engaged in a contract with her. It said they pay her a certain percent for ticket sales at the box office. 00:23:31:08 – 00:23:31:29
Michelle
Right. 00:23:32:02 – 00:23:35:27
Joseph
Then the pandemic hit and they released it streaming. 00:23:36:01 – 00:23:36:14
Michelle
Right. 00:23:36:21 – 00:23:52:00
Joseph
And they said, oh, well, we don’t have an agreement on streaming. And they pretended as though they could just do whatever they wanted with it at that point. Right. When in reality, you didn’t have an agreement for streaming. So you legally have no rights to stream it. It’s not that you don’t have to pay me for it. 00:23:52:01 – 00:23:52:29
Michelle
Right. 00:23:53:02 – 00:24:06:01
Joseph
So they wound up settling that out of court, though. But that’s another, you know, instance of how streaming they just it’s so new that the industry doesn’t it’s falling over itself now to try to figure out what to do with it. 00:24:06:04 – 00:24:07:13
Michelle
Right. 00:24:07:15 – 00:24:50:01
Joseph
So, anyway, we’re going to take a break. We’re going to come back and we’re going to talk about Disney’s fire sale. We’ll be right back. For over seven years, the second Siff Empire has been the premier community guild in the online game star Wars, the Old Republic with hundreds of friendly and helpful active members, a weekly schedule of nightly events, annual guild, meet and greets, and an active community both on the Web and on Discord. 00:24:50:03 – 00:25:25:19
Joseph
The second season of Empire is more than your typical gaming group. We’re family. Join us on the Star Forge server for nightly events such as opera Ocean’s Flashpoints, Girlboss Funds, Star Wars, Trivia Guild, Lottery and much more. Visit us on the web today at WW w start the second sip and fire dot com. 00:25:25:22 – 00:26:06:27
Michelle
So welcome back, everyone. So how much would Disney go for in a fire sale. Probably outside of our our price range. But in a recent interview for Squawk Box conducted by David Faber, held at a media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Iger’s Iger’s made some volatile comments he’s since been trying to walk back from The initial questions revolved around the impact of the writers and the actors strike, but quickly moved to business matters that may have revealed more information than Iger was originally intended to go public at the time. 00:26:06:29 – 00:26:38:03
Michelle
During the interview, he indicated that ABC and its local stations may not be core to the Walt Disney Company. The interviewer speculated about a possible sale, and Iger said, We have to be open minded and objective about the future of those businesses. Bloomberg reports that with cable television on the deal on the decline, Iger wants to sell most of Disney’s TV assets, mainly ABC Freeform and Fox. 00:26:38:05 – 00:27:09:26
Joseph
Well, Bob Iger had made it clear that he’s looking to sell some of the company’s TV and streaming assets. Rumors have been swirling for months in the industry that Disney may even be considering selling the entire company. Disney’s streaming services have been losing money and subscribers. Disney lost 4 million subscribers last quarter. Stream Music Boulevard streaming is expected to have hit a total loss of 800 million in the third quarter, according to Bloomberg. 00:27:09:28 – 00:27:43:28
Joseph
Iger wants to completely sell or restructure Disney’s TV and streaming business in India, where Disney Plus has had its biggest losses. Disney Plus Hotstar, the region’s version of Disney, plus lost streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches, leading to the service losing 3.8 million subscribers in quarter one and 4.6 million subscribers in quarter two. Despite the recent setbacks, Iger looks to double down on streaming with his plan to hold onto Hulu. 00:27:44:01 – 00:27:56:20
Joseph
Disney will launch a combined app for Hulu and Disney Plus later this year, though Disney will more than likely have to buy through Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu in 2024. 00:27:56:22 – 00:28:32:06
Michelle
So experts speculate that selling Disney’s TV networks could get them about 8 billion, which could help offset the cost of that last third. Potential buyers would be financial entities like private equity firms. Iger also wants to hang on to ESPN, but is looking for a partner for a sports network. Potential partners include sports companies and Apple. Speaking of Apple, there have been rumors since Iger’s return last November that he will sell all of Disney to the tech company. 00:28:32:09 – 00:28:52:23
Michelle
At the time, Iger called these rumors nothing more than speculation motion, but the sale still seems to be a possibility. Bob Iger isn’t known for selling during his first tenure as Disney CEO. He acquired Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, which have all proven successful purchases. 00:28:52:25 – 00:29:20:11
Joseph
According to Bloomberg TV, generated 35% of Disney’s revenue, about 24.8 billion. Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic and over 50% 7.5 billion of its operating income. Contrast that against the massive losses from streaming, and it’s a bit of a head scratcher as to why he’d want to keep the loser and sell the winner. Disney Plus was Iger’s baby before he retired the first time around. 00:29:20:13 – 00:29:58:18
Joseph
Launched under his part time successor, Bob Chapek, it met with initial success despite its surprisingly discounted monthly rate, but quickly started hemorrhaging subscribers. Failing to offset the high costs of the premiere productions. It’s also worth noting that Iger got his start not just in TV but in ABC when the Walt Disney Company acquired ABC in 1995. They acquired Iger and he worked his way up to the CEO of the entire company over the next decade, finally landing the top spot in 2005 after Michael Eisner was ousted. 00:29:58:20 – 00:30:17:19
Joseph
Iger was CEO until retiring in 2020, but returned to the position in November 2022 after they kicked Bob Chapek back out. So what do you think? Do you think selling it off piecemeal is worthwhile? Or do you think they should sell the entire thing at one time? 00:30:17:21 – 00:30:40:23
Michelle
I don’t know. It’s kind of interesting. So it kind of reminds me of the documents that we watched on Marvel and the history of Marvel and how that went. And you kind of see how, okay, you had Marvel and they weren’t doing well. So they sold this entity, this where this to this one, this to this one and this to this one. 00:30:40:25 – 00:31:10:06
Michelle
And then while it worked for them, it kind of made a mess of things because you had this company that could do this and this company that could do this. But if you had this company that wanted to do something joint, they couldn’t without trying to jump through hoops to pay all these other people. So if you were to do that, I could see that kind of happening with Disney where certain things with Disney would succeed. 00:31:10:06 – 00:31:32:17
Michelle
And then I think certain things with Disney would kind of fall flat if you, you know, just kind of sold it off to the highest bidder, you know, to to do one or the other. ESPN Does that need to still be with Disney? I think ESPN could go anywhere, like there’s not enough crossover with ESPN and anything else with Disney. 00:31:32:17 – 00:31:40:09
Michelle
Okay. So Disney, you know, down in Orlando, they have the wide world of sports. That’s really the only kind of tie in. But to me, I would. 00:31:40:11 – 00:31:40:29
Joseph
See them. 00:31:41:04 – 00:32:04:24
Michelle
Right. So, you know, so I don’t I don’t really see an issue. If you said, okay, we’re going to sell that part off to to somebody else, you know, the network TV stuff, I guess maybe you could kind of let that go to somebody else, because right now there’s a partnership because every now and then there will be, you know, a Disney movie or something. 00:32:04:28 – 00:32:27:17
Michelle
And then, of course, they tried with the whole Disney Plus thing with like Dancing with the Stars the last season of it. Instead of putting it on network television, they only had it streaming on Disney Plus and they saw their numbers go down. So what are they doing this season? It’s going to be back, you know, on regular television. 00:32:27:17 – 00:32:52:00
Michelle
And then they’ll, you know, put the episodes on Disney Plus after the fact. So, you know, kind of going back to how they were. So I don’t know. It’s kind of a a mixed bag, obviously. I don’t want Apple to buy it just because I’m anti Apple, but that’s just me. But then again, maybe, you know, Apple getting into it. 00:32:52:00 – 00:33:06:04
Michelle
Maybe we’d see things get updated in the parks and and things like that that haven’t you know, that have been neglected over over the years. So I don’t know. I’m kind of. 00:33:06:10 – 00:33:23:03
Joseph
Well, and I think you raise a couple of very good points one being the things that he seems to want to hold on to are the ones that are the most most logical to get rid of. Mm hmm. And the ones he’s saying he wants to get rid of are the moneymakers that are the most logical ones to hold on to. 00:33:23:03 – 00:33:52:17
Joseph
Like like, yeah, ESPN can be parceled off and sold off either on its own or to somebody else and have zero effect on Disney whatsoever. Nothing is tied to ESPN. Why Disney even has it still is amazing to me. But ABC Disney has has ABC has been their premier broadcast network for decades now. Mm hmm. You know, it’s been there for special events. 00:33:52:17 – 00:34:15:11
Joseph
It’s been there for special releases. It doesn’t make sense, especially considering it’s making money and it’s making a lot of money, apparently. So why would you get rid of that? So these statements from him almost seem like false flags to me, like he’s throwing stuff out there. He’s testing the waters and seeing what kind of reaction he’s going to get. 00:34:15:11 – 00:34:36:24
Joseph
Is somebody going to make him an offer? What kind of offer are they going to make? He’s also not talking about, selling off anything other than streaming and television right now. Right. So you’ve got production studios. You’ve got all your all your intellectual property that he’s still holding on to and not talking about selling. You’ve got your parks that he’s got that he’s not talking about. 00:34:36:24 – 00:35:06:22
Joseph
So I think what they’re running into is streaming. They went about it wrong. Mm hmm. When they went into streaming, they went into it. Unlike everything else Disney does, they wouldn’t do it on the cheap. Right. The price that they released their streaming service, that was a fraction, literally 50% off of what every other streaming service was. And the production value that they were putting into it, which shows like The Mandalorian and everything else, they were spending a fortune on it. 00:35:06:22 – 00:35:13:21
Joseph
They were making essentially feature length movies in each of those episodes and spending a lot of money on. 00:35:13:21 – 00:35:14:09
Michelle
Yeah, yeah. 00:35:14:16 – 00:35:39:09
Joseph
So it almost sounds like it’s it’s a little bit of regret. On how they launched their streaming, but I think it’s it’s almost him trying to shake up the the industry, try to shake up the executives at Disney to realize that there’s a there’s a awakening coming and something has to give. He’s not going to be there that much longer. 00:35:39:09 – 00:35:58:12
Joseph
Right. I don’t think there’s enough time for him to start selling off assets. Right. Even with the contract extension he just got. So I think what he’s really trying to do since he renegotiated his contract and he’s looking for the incentive bonuses, is he’s trying to kick people in the pants and get them moving to get some money so that he can get his bonuses. 00:35:58:14 – 00:36:04:24
Joseph
Yeah, I would be shocked that they sold off anything in the next 2 to 3 years. What do you think? 00:36:04:26 – 00:36:26:01
Michelle
Yeah, I think you’re right. I think it’s, again, testing the waters, seeing what’s out there, seeing, you know, like, hey, I might be interested in selling, you know, the loo and, oh, how much are you going to give me for it? How much you know, how much is it worth to you and kind of seeing, okay, where’s that going to put me at the end of the deal. 00:36:26:02 – 00:36:48:02
Joseph
Well, and that’s the thing. Like so somebody comes in and starts speculating and saying, I want to give you 5 million for ABC. Mm hmm. Any idea what that’s going to do? Their stock price and all he’s trying to do is boost the stock price. Mm hmm. If he can do it by, you know, make basically doing what Elon Musk does, going out there saying stupid stuff to to change your stock price right now. 00:36:48:02 – 00:37:04:06
Joseph
That’s that works, too. As long as the stock price goes up and it stays there. Yeah. You know, if he if he I think he’s trying to generate this idea of value. Mm hmm. Like, I know what we have is valuable. I want somebody else to tell me how valuable is and tell the rest of the world right. 00:37:04:07 – 00:37:09:18
Joseph
So that people realize how valuable we are. Sure. So I just. I think it’s a lot of bluster right now. 00:37:09:20 – 00:37:11:06
Michelle
I could say that. 00:37:11:09 – 00:37:31:05
Joseph
I don’t. I’ll be honest with you. I’m an Apple person. I don’t want to see Apple acquired Disney either, but that’s just me. So anyway, we’re going to take our second break and we’ll be back with our review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 00:37:31:08 – 00:38:12:00
Michelle
Uh. Insights into Teens, A podcast series exploring the issues and challenges of today’s youth. Talking to real teens about real teen problems. Explore issues from races to puberty, social anxiety to financial responsibility. Each week we talk about the topics concerning today’s youth. We look at how the issues affect teens, how to cope with these issues and how parents, friends and loved ones can help teens handle these challenges. 00:38:12:02 – 00:38:37:09
Michelle
Check out our video episodes on YouTube.com backslash insights into things. Catch our audio versions on podcast are insights into teens. XCOM or on the web at insights into things. XCOM. 00:38:37:12 – 00:39:01:14
Joseph
So Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I’ll give you my state, my take on it first, and then you can give yours. So I went out and did a little bit of research to see what the critics said. And Roger, Roger Ebert, icon’s review of the hit of the movie, hit the nail on the head when they described it as never boring but never really entertaining at the same time. 00:39:01:16 – 00:39:27:11
Joseph
Overall, it was at about the level of a streaming mini series. That’s probably where it would have been best showcased. It wasn’t worth a big screen adventure, and it certainly wasn’t worthy of capping off such an illustrious series. But that phrase, in fact, I think, has to be drawn in the question when only two of the five movies in the franchise are illustrious and exceptional? 00:39:27:13 – 00:39:50:09
Joseph
Should we really be looking back so fondly in the ending on the Indiana Jones franchise as we do? I think it’s more nostalgia than anything else. But let’s take a deeper look at the movie without giving away too many spoilers. So hands down and then we’ll take a look at the series real quick, too. So hands down, the best movie in the series was Raiders of the Lost Ark. 00:39:50:12 – 00:40:19:14
Joseph
It lit the spark for the franchise and it reinvigorated the entire movie genre going forward. When we get to the Temple of Doom, it’s a mediocre show showing with a weak cast, limited sets, lackluster special effects, and an uninteresting story. But it was a sequel, so expectations were low. We get The Last Crusade and it was an absolute masterpiece and dispelled any doubts about sequels being subpar. 00:40:19:16 – 00:40:47:09
Joseph
It recaptured the original spirit of Raiders, and it gave us what we thought would be at that time a fitting end to the saga, especially the main last crusade that would have worked. Then we get to Crystal Skull, a movie that had such potential, so many opportunities to do the right thing and seen so deliberately self-sabotaging it to make us cringe at the thought of watching it again. 00:40:47:12 – 00:41:15:23
Joseph
Because I did. I sat down and watched the ball with our daughter because she hadn’t seen them all. Destiny had dial a destiny of the dial of destiny. Sorry. The dial of destiny. The sea. It’s not even a memorable title. The dial of destiny falls somewhere between Crystal Skull and Temple of Doom. It wants to be a classic indie adventure, but lacks the inspiration, much like the previous failed movies. 00:41:15:26 – 00:41:48:12
Joseph
The object of the adventure is a weak plot point pulled from a non-existing museum piece combined with a plot that pushes it beyond the realm of believability. And that’s where the movie loses Me and so many other fans is. They push it to the point of ludicrousness, and it was just flat. It had no emotion. It had no no oomph. 00:41:48:14 – 00:41:56:12
Joseph
It felt old and tired and weak. I mean, granted, Harrison Ford is like 97 now or something. 00:41:56:12 – 00:41:59:28
Michelle
He’s you. 00:42:00:00 – 00:42:03:20
Joseph
There’s only so much you can get from the man at this point in time. 00:42:03:20 – 00:42:17:07
Michelle
But for 80 years old, you know, he’s not, you know, sitting in a nursing home, you know, drooling in the corner. So you got to you got to kind of give him credit for that, I guess. 00:42:17:12 – 00:42:19:00
Joseph
What are your thoughts? 00:42:19:02 – 00:42:40:00
Michelle
Okay. So I didn’t I don’t know. I think I’m kind of in the same boat as you. It was you know, it definitely wasn’t one of the better, but it definitely wasn’t at the bottom where, you know, Crystal Skull was. I know when we went and saw that in the theater, we kind of left the theater going, Really? 00:42:40:00 – 00:43:12:09
Michelle
That’s where you went with it? Well, I think so. You know, so going into this, it was like, okay, they have to do something better and they did it. So it was definitely better. And again, interesting little plot twist that you kind of have going on with it. You know, again, was it realistic? Well, you know, some of the stuff that happened in Raiders really wasn’t realist take it was supernaturally. 00:43:12:12 – 00:43:39:05
Michelle
So you can kind of go, okay, every movie kind of has that aspect of some, you know, make believe magic thing you know going on. You know there were some some touching moments. There were some sad moments of it. You know, the one thing was like everybody that Indy is meeting up with is getting killed off. You know, you have somebody you’re like, Yeah, I’m going to help you. 00:43:39:10 – 00:44:03:04
Michelle
Oh, you’re dead. Oh, I’m going to help you. Oh, you’re dead. It’s like nobody hoping him you’re gonna lecture let’s, you know. So that was kind of interesting. You know, the bad guy is a bad guy, but, you know, he’s trying to make things better for bad guys is really what, you know, what it comes down to and. 00:44:03:07 – 00:44:32:00
Michelle
And the little things that go back and forth. But yeah, in some cases it kind of fell flat. But he’s also 80 years old. So yeah, the fact that he’s kind of tired and, you know, the the one premise behind it is he’s getting ready to finally retire from, from teaching. And it’s like, great, now I can’t retire because now I got to go across the world and, you know, try and look for this last, you know, adventure. 00:44:32:03 – 00:44:50:21
Michelle
You know, so it was again, it was definitely it kept moving. There weren’t too many slow parts. But like, you know, they had said in the review, it was like, okay, there was so much going on, but yet nothing was going on. Did you need to have all of that? 00:44:50:21 – 00:45:14:06
Joseph
Right? It would just make busy stuff. Right. It didn’t drive a plot or anything, right? I mean, I would have been better off calling it Indiana Jones than the search for Social Security. I mean, that’s really what it felt like. Yeah. You know, it’s like if I got nothing out of it, like I walked out of there thinking, oh, okay, well, let’s watch the next episode next week. 00:45:14:06 – 00:45:18:13
Joseph
And it almost right, it almost felt like it’s a serial that left it hanging. 00:45:18:16 – 00:45:18:28
Michelle
Yeah. 00:45:19:04 – 00:45:21:05
Joseph
Like. And it’s supposed to be the last. 00:45:21:05 – 00:45:23:10
Michelle
One, right? Right. 00:45:23:12 – 00:45:30:14
Joseph
So I think the series have done so much better had they just not done the last two movies and ended it with last. 00:45:30:14 – 00:45:33:09
Michelle
Unless you said no, I can totally, totally agree. 00:45:33:14 – 00:45:58:16
Joseph
I would have been perfectly fine with it. But But to my point, you’ve got five movies in this series and only two of them are good. Is it really a great series at that point? I mean, yeah, if you’re if you’re a baseball player, you know, you’re batting 250 at that point. Like it’s not it’s not incredible. I can’t get excited about that at this point. 00:45:58:16 – 00:46:06:21
Joseph
And it’s it’s almost like they’re doing a discredit to the franchise like last. I mean, Crystal Skull was just abysmal. 00:46:06:22 – 00:46:36:17
Michelle
Well, it’s kind of funny if you go to Hollywood Studios and Disney and they have the Indiana Jones stunt show, it’s all stuff based on Raiders, Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s they’ve never incorporated with all of these other movies. They’ve never changed the the script to match where other theme park things you have you know Pirates of the Caribbean that they made a movie based on the rides. 00:46:36:17 – 00:46:50:21
Michelle
And then they went back and added aspects of the movie to the ride. And every time a new movie came out, they would change the ride. Where Here you have something Where? Nope, this is the only thing that we’ve done. And that’s that’s what we leave it at. 00:46:50:25 – 00:47:03:19
Joseph
So it’s almost like they made the movie because they couldn’t end the franchise on Crystal Skull because it was so bad. So I think they thought it would be successful as long as it wasn’t as bad as Crystal Skull. And that and it wasn’t. 00:47:03:19 – 00:47:04:21
Michelle
And it wasn’t. 00:47:04:24 – 00:47:10:22
Joseph
So I think it’s mission accomplished for them. Right. But the movie didn’t need to be made. 00:47:10:24 – 00:47:23:18
Michelle
I could I think it would have been better off if they had done it. Like a streaming. Yeah. You know, a six part episode. Yeah. And that’s that would have fine. Yeah. 00:47:23:18 – 00:47:34:24
Joseph
So anyway, I wouldn’t go and pay for it. Knowing what I know now, I’d wait for it to come out on streaming. That’s just me. 00:47:34:26 – 00:47:52:00
Michelle
And that’s and kind of going, you know, leading back to where everything was now you’re seeing movies that they’re only out in the theater for three months and then they’re available to stream. So a lot of people. 00:47:52:00 – 00:47:54:09
Joseph
Which is another reason why Disney is losing money. 00:47:54:14 – 00:48:11:03
Michelle
Right. And that and that’s kind of going back to, you know, so people are like, well, why should I go to the movie theater when I’ll be able to just watch it in my home and I’ll be able to pause it and get a drink and a snack and, you know, if something comes up, I can finish the movie tomorrow. 00:48:11:03 – 00:48:15:09
Michelle
I don’t have to sit and waste, you know, 3 hours. 00:48:15:09 – 00:48:24:28
Joseph
That’s a reflection of them not knowing what to do with the new technology. Right. And they’re basically abusing themselves with this technology because they don’t know how to use it. Right. 00:48:25:01 – 00:48:26:03
Michelle
Right. 00:48:26:05 – 00:48:57:21
Joseph
So I think that was all we had today. Yep. Before we go, I do want to once again invite our listening and viewing audience to subscribe to the podcast. You can find audio versions of this podcast listeners insights into entertainment. You can find audio and video versions of all the network’s podcasts listed as insights in the things we’re available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, iHeartRadio, etc., etc. I would also invite you to write in and give us your feedback. 00:48:57:23 – 00:49:00:21
Joseph
You can email us your comments and insights into things. Dot com. 00:49:00:24 – 00:49:04:06
Michelle
You can find us on Twitter at Insights underscore things. 00:49:04:14 – 00:49:10:16
Joseph
We do stream five days a week on Twitch at Twitch talk TV slash insights in the things. 00:49:10:16 – 00:49:15:27
Michelle
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Joseph
We stream five days a week on YouTube at YouTube.com slash insights and the things. 00:49:20:15 – 00:49:24:02
Michelle
You can find us on Instagram at insights into things. 00:49:24:06 – 00:49:32:16
Joseph
And you can find all that and much more on our official website at WW dot insights into things dot com and that’s it No one in the books. 00:49:32:21 – 00:49:34:24
Michelle
Have a good week everyone. Bye bye.