Tag: Disney

  • Farhan Akhtar praises Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, shares experience on Ms Marvel

    Farhan Akhtar praises Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, shares experience on Ms Marvel

    Bollywood director and actor Farhan Akhtar penned a long statement of gratitude for the crew of Ms Marvel, including Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for her ‘guidance’.

    Ms. Marvel Snippet Gives Us the First Look at Farhan Akhtar in the MCU Show

    Akhtar, whose role in Ms Marvel is yet to be revealed, started his tweet off by writing: “The post is in appreciation of the creators, the directors and all those in front and behind the camera, who collaborated to make Ms Marvel what it is.”

    The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara star gave a shout out to Chinoy, saying: “It is in appreciation of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for her guidance through my days of working on it.”

    He then went on to share his appreciation for Marvel itself, writing: “It is in appreciation of Marvel. I’m proud to be part of their conscious inclusiveness.”

    “This show is a celebration of diversity and it certainly will bring joy and pride of self-identity to millions of young girls and boys of the sub-continent.”

    Akhtar then moved to conclude his note, saying: “And last but not least, it is in appreciation of the wonderfully talented Iman Vellani. Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained and effortlessly charmed by her. Thank you and good luck, team Ms Marvel.”

  • Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    Netflix lost 200,000 clientele in the most recent quarter, a significant loss for the streaming titan which has enjoyed exponential user growth over the previous decade. The company revealed that it fell far short of its own low estimates of 2.5 million new users by the start of 2022.

    Except for the Asia Pacific market, where it witnessed a net gain of almost 1 million customers, the streaming giant lost users in nearly every region.

    Netflix lost roughly 640,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada in the first quarter, a higher decline than its prior subscriber loss in the region last year, and 300,000 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 350,000 in Latin America.

    The decline is projected to continue into the second quarter when Netflix expects to lose another 2 million customers.

    Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings stated in a pre-recorded interview that the company will look into creating an ad-supported tier in the “next year or two” – a move that Netflix officials had previously opposed.

    “Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been a vocal opponent of advertising complexity and a strong supporter of subscription simplicity. But, as much as I enjoy that, I prefer consumer choice, and letting consumers who want a lower price and are tolerant of advertisements to obtain what they want makes a lot of sense,” Hastings added. “Think of us as being fairly open to delivering even lower costs as a consumer choice with advertising”.

    .According to CFO Spencer Neumann, the streamer will also draw back some of its content investment over the next two years in order to boost revenue growth. During the pre-recorded interview, Neumann added, “We’re cutting back on some of our spend increases across both content and non-content expenditure and we’re trying to be wise and sensible about it, reining in some of that expenditure increase to match the realities of the business’s revenue growth”.

    Due to the company’s poor performance in Q4 and lowered estimates for the first quarter, Wall Street had low expectations for Netflix going into Tuesday’s earnings. Netflix’s move to cease service in Russia, where the streamer claims to have 700,000 customers, was also expected to have an impact on subscriber growth.

    Read more: Samsung Galaxy S23 to launch with high capacity battery, inspired by electric vehicles

    Netflix said in its shareholder letter that it would have added 500,000 customers in the first quarter if the losses in Russia were not taken into account.

    However, Netflix attributed its slowing growth in Q1 to a number of issues, including account sharing, the pandemic’s prolonged disruption, and, once again, greater competition from competing streamers.

    Netflix revealed in a shareholder letter on Tuesday that more than 100 million of its 222 million paid subscriptions were pooled with viewers outside of paying customers, with 30 million shared accounts in the US and Canada alone.

  • Disney fans can now rent Winnie the Pooh house in the woods

    Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is turning 95 this year and to celebrate Pooh’s birthday, fans can now stay at a new Winnie the Pooh-themed house located in the Ashdown Forest in Sussex countryside.

    As per details, the rental house is exclusively designed by Disney-appointed Winnie the Pooh illustrator, Kim Raymond, who has been drawing the iconic bear for over 30 years.

    Photo via Hello Magazine

    Airbnb’s themed house costs £95 per night. Available for a limited time only, Kim will host just two separate stays on the 24th and 25th of September. Official booking dates will go live on September 20 (Monday).

    Perfectly capturing the magic of Pooh’s house, exposed tree branches wrap around the doorway that has been inscribed with ‘Mr. Sanders’ in gold letters, just like in the books. Kitchen cupboards are stocked with ‘hunny’ pots.

    Encouraging guests to embrace their natural surroundings and live more like Pooh, visitors will be taken on a guided tour through the hundred-acre woods. From playing Poohsticks on the iconic Poohsticks Bridge to enjoying locally sourced honey-inspired meals, this is truly a one-of-a-kind staycation. 

    The interior of the Bearbnb (photo via Henry Woide)

  • ‘American Eid’: Disney+ is all set to release a short film on a Pakistani girl

    Disney+ has released the trailer a the short film, American Eid. The story of American Eid revolves around two young girls from Pakistan- Ameena and Zainab- and their struggle to celebrate Eid in the United States (US).

    Sharing her excitement over the film on social media, director Aqsa Altaf said: “The trailer for American Eid is here! I dreamed of telling a Disney Eid story and I will forever be grateful to Disney, Launchpad and the entire cast and crew for making this film a reality.”

    American Eid by Disney+ is a part of the Launchpad series which will feature six original short films.

    “Launchpad is about giving access and opportunity to those in Hollywood who historically have been left behind and not given those opportunities and access,” said Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Walt Disney Company, Mahin Ibrahim.

  • Hilary Duff confirms ‘Lizzie McGuire’ reboot cancelled

    Hilary Duff confirms ‘Lizzie McGuire’ reboot cancelled

    Hilary Duff has confirmed that the Lizzie McGuire reboot planned at Disney+ has been cancelled, saying that “the stars just didn’t align” for the project.

    “I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” Duff wrote in her post.

    “I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today,” she continued. “It’s what the character deserves.”

    “I’m very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best,” she added.

    Meanwhile, Disney in a statement, said: “Lizzie McGuire fans have high expectations for any new stories. Unless and until we are confident we can meet those expectations, we’ve decided to hold off and today, we informed the cast’s representatives that we are not moving forward with the planned series.”

    The revival was first announced in August 2019, a few months ahead of Disney+’s launch. Duff was to play a grown-up version of the character living in New York City working as a decorator’s assistant and finding luck in love. Adam Lamberg, Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas were set to reprise their roles as well.

    Series creator Terri Minsky was also attached to the revival, but she exited the series in January after two episodes had been filmed. “We concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show,” a Disney had spokesperson said at the time.

    VIDEO: Tom and Jerry are back in action in new trailer

    Following Minsky’s departure, Disney+ said it would search for a new showrunner, but none was ever announced. Duff and Minsky both lobbied for the show to reflect the adult Lizzie’s life in full and supported moving the series to Hulu.

    “I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30-year-old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating,” Duff had written in a February Instagram post. “It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again.”

  • Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy to reportedly co-direct ‘Ms Marvel’ series for Disney+

    Yet another proud moment for Pakistan! Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has reportedly been roped in by Disney+ as one of the directors of the Ms Marvel series.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chinoy along with Meera Menon, Adil El Arbi, and Bilall Fallah have been assembled to bring the Pakistani-American superhero’s story to the screen. While Arbi and Fallah are the team behind this year’s Bad Boys for Life, Menon has worked on episodes of The Walking Dead, The Punisher, Titans, Dirty John, and Outlander.

    Marvel Studios’ first onscreen Muslim hero, Ms Marvel was introduced in 2014. Written by Bisha K. Ali and co-created by Marvel editor and director Sana Amanat, Ms Marvel is about Kamala Khan, a teen based in New Jersey who one day discovers that she has superpowers. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has said that in addition to appearing on the small screen, Kamala Khan will be included in future Marvel films.

    The studio is currently searching for an actor to play the hero, whose comics have explored her identity as a Pakistani-American living in a religious family while trying to find her own way.

    Read more – Marvel to feature Muslim-Pakistani superhero Kamala Khan in blockbuster Avengers game

    A celebrated documentarian, Sharmeen took home Oscars for 2015’s A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which explored the aftermath of an attempted honour killing, and 2012’s Saving Face, which highlighted acid attacks on women in Pakistan. The Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker also won Emmys for both projects and has collected a total of six in her career.

    Meanwhile, Sharmeen’s team has said that the development has not yet been confirmed by Disney+.

  • What’s so special about Disney Plus?

    What’s so special about Disney Plus?

    Two weeks after Apple rolled out its own streaming service Apple TV+, Disney launched its own streaming service Disney Plus.

    While Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple Plus are spending money on original content featuring big celebs, Disney Plus offers you something different: ALL Disney content. From Disney animated classics to Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and even 20th Century Fox content, everything under the Disney banner and more is included in Disney Plus.

    Disney Plus released a 3-hour trailer last month to showcase all its programs.

    By comparison, Apple had a relatively subdued launch earlier this month. At $6.99 per month, Disney Plus debuted with 10 original movies, specials and series. It is also expected to release more than 45 original programmes within a year of its launch. 

    A recent study said that 40 percent of consumers would sign up for Disney Plus just because the content reminded them of their childhood.

    In fact, on the first day of its launch, Disney Plus was hit by technical issues. There were many reports on social media platforms about problems accessing the service. Many users shared screenshots of error messages.

    Disney
    Plus launched in the US, Canada and the Netherlands on Tuesday. Disney Plus
    will arrive in Australia and New Zealand on November 19.

    Globally,
    Disney plans a progressive rollout worldwide over the next two years. The
    company provided a generalised timeline for when it will expand the service to
    the world’s major regions.

    Disney
    Plus is slated to roll out in:

    • Eastern Europe over the course of a year starting as early as October 2020.
    • Latin America over the course of three months starting as early as October 2020.
    • Asia Pacific over the course of two years starting anytime.

    Pakistan comes in the Asia Pacific region which means we’ll have to wait a little longer than others.