News

Exclusive: BBC Studios has revealed how much it paid to bolster its international production footprint earlier this year with the acquisitions of Australia’s Werner Film Productions and Spain’s Brutal Media.

BBC Studios paid an initial consideration of Aud$6M ($4M) for 100% of Werner, the company behind Australian hit drama series The Newsreader. It spent €5M ($5.5M) for complete control of Brutal, which made Netflix horror feature Killer Book Club.

BBC Studios completed the acquisitions in April, but did not declare how much it paid for the companies. The figures were disclosed this week in BBC Commercial earnings filed at Companies House.

BBC Studios has opened its wallet this year, with the commercial arm also paying £255M ($322M) to acquire ITV‘s shareholding in BritBox International, the best of British streaming service. It comes as the BBC company has raised its debt facility to £600M as part of efforts...

Aside from IP with mass appeal and superhero stuff, horror is about the only thing that seems to make any money at the box office these days. That's mostly due to the fact horror movies typically don't cost a whole lot to make, leaving more profit on the table at the end of their theatrical runs. But horror isn't just a reliably popular genre at the box office. It also does well on streaming, where we've actually had some pretty decent offerings in recent years.

By far the best example is "His House," which hit Netflix back in 2020 and was even better than your favorite horror movie. Indeed, the film earned a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and proved that Netflix could be much more than a delivery method for middling Kevin Hart projects and instantly forgettable streaming films. Unfortunately, not all the horror that emerges on Netflix is of quite the same standard.

One of the great things about Netflix is that even as it contributes to the slow mediocritization of filmmaking, it continues to broaden our collective cultural horizons. Yes, for every Kevin Hart's "Lift," which inexplicably had Netflix viewers enraptured earlier this year, there's a foreign film or series that we'd otherwise never have a chance to see. Last year, Indian thriller "Jaane Jaan" topped the Netflix charts in the U.S. while Mexican series "Thursday's Widows" saw similar streaming success stateside.

Now, it's Spain's turn. The country has had a mixed record when it comes to its streaming exports. Last year, god awful Spanish slasher "Killer Book Club" somehow had the Netflix charts in a stranglehold, but the country somewhat redeemed itself with the Oscar-nominated "Society of the Snow," which hit Netflix in January 2024. Now, España has delivered yet another Netflix hit with "El Correo" or "The Courier."

This...

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the broadcaster, has acquired Spanish producer Brutal Media.

Founded in 2009, Brutal Media’s credits include the recently announced original miniseries for Netflix, “Asalto Al Banco Central,” “The Academy” (Sony Pictures Television), “Vintage” (3cat), film “Killer Book Club” (Netflix), series “Welcome to Eden” (Netflix) and “The Hockey Girls”, documentaries “The End of the Storm” and “Murder by the Coast” (Netflix) and romantic comedy “I Love You Stupid” (Netflix).

Brutal Media’s portfolio also includes formats “This is Opera” and “This is Art” and it has produced primetime family oriented factual shows “El Paisano” and “El Foraster.”

Under the agreement, Brutal Media will continue to develop and market its slate of original IP in Spain as well as producing local adaptations of the unscripted and scripted formats in the BBC Studios catalogue. BBC Studios will distribute and produce Brutal Media formats outside of Spain. Founders Raimon Masllorens...

Scripted formats were placed front and center of BBC Studios’ panel at Series Mania, as the Doctor Who seller confirmed it is making up to three more versions of Ghosts and has bought Spain’s Brutal Media.

One of the hit BBC show’s creators, Simon Farnaby, recently told a podcast the show – which has achieved smash ratings on CBS in the U.S. – is being remade in Germany and Spain.

Matt Forde, who runs BBC Studios Global Entertainment, confirmed “there are two or three other versions in the works.”

“We love those shows and love the UK versions,” said Forde. “We are finding ways into these worlds in local creative communities.” Ghosts was recently renewed for a fourth CBS season, although the BBC version has ended.

Deadline revealed recently that BBC Studios’ deal with Lionsgate, which spawned the likes of Ghosts, had elapsed, but Forde was bullish about the scripted formats game.

BBC Studios on Wednesday unveiled that it has acquired Spanish producer Brutal Media, adding another banner to its growing production network. The U.K. public broadcaster’s commercial arm said the deal will enable it “to respond to the increased appetite for BBC content from Spanish audiences and support Brutal Media’s ambitions to export original creative IP from Spain to the wider international market.”

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Brutal Media founders Raimon Masllorens and Nèlida Sanchez will continue to lead the local team. BBC Studios’ Isabel Durán, format sales director for the region, will transition to the new position of head of entertainment within the Brutal Media team.

Under the agreement, Brutal Media will “continue to develop and market its slate of original IP in Spain as well as producing local adaptations of the unscripted and scripted formats in the BBC Studios catalog,” the companies said. BBC Studios...

In 2023, "Euphoria" star Angus Cloud sadly passed away at the age of 25. It was a particularly tragic loss as the young actor, who played Fezco "Fez" O'Neill on the hit HBO series, was clearly very talented, possessed a seemingly endless amount of charisma, and had a slate of exciting projects in the works at the time he passed. He'll soon posthumously star in the upcoming Universal Monsters film "Abigail," in which kidnappers battle a vampire ballerina, from "Scream" and "Ready or Not" directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. But that's far from the only project outside "Euphoria" that Cloud had in the works.

"Freaky Tales," from "Captain Marvel" directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, caused a small stir at Sundance earlier this year, though a wide release is still being hashed out. The Pedro Pascal-led indie drama focuses on four interconnected stories in 1987 Oakland, and paid tribute to Cloud at its Sundance debut.

How much truth is there to horror as a genre? Is it ethical to turn someone's real life into a story? These are the questions that Netflix's newest horror film, Carlos Alonso Ojea's Killer Book Club, asks of its viewers in its final moments. Well, that and whether the killer that tormented Ángela (Veki Velilla) and her book club friends is indeed gone. The movie's final scene has our heroine standing alone at the university campus, face to face with the girl whose life she turned into a novel all those years back. Having apparently survived the boiler room fire with nothing but a nasty burn on her face, Alicia (Priscilla Delgado) charges at Ángela with her hammer. Completely alone, Ángela doesn't have the time to do anything but scream. Is it finally the end for this horror story's protagonist? Or is it all in her mind?...

“Elite” Season 8, which is currently in production at Netflix, will be the long-running Spanish teen drama’s last. The news was confirmed by the streamer via social media.

“We ended on a high note,” creator Carlos Montero said during a press conference. “Jaime [Vaca, co-showrunner for season 7], Netflix and I thought it was time to end it. I say this with great regret because it’s been several incredible years in which I’ve met wonderful actors, we’ve worked with all the directors we wanted to work with and we’ve had the luxury of having Maribel these last two seasons. Élite changed everyone’s life, there are actors who started with us and it has been their springboard to be now world stars, it is happening to this cast and it is a pride to have contributed to that and to know that they have seen us all...

“Élite” is coming to an end.

Netflix announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday that Season 8 of the show will be its last. The seventh season of the Spanish drama premieres on Friday.

“We are shooting the eighth season, which will be the last season of ‘Élite.’ We ended on a high note,” show creator Carlos Montero said during a press conference. “Jaime [Vaca, co-showrunner for Season 7], Netflix and I thought it was time to end it. I say this with great regret because it’s been several incredible years in which I’ve met wonderful actors, we’ve worked with all the directors we wanted to work with and we’ve had the luxury of having Maribel these last two seasons. ‘Élite’ changed everyone’s life, there are actors who started with us and it has been their springboard to be now world stars, it is happening...

Updated with Carlos Montero statement: Netflix‘s longest-running Spanish scripted series Elite is coming to an end. Just two days ahead of its Season 7 premiere, the streamer announced Wednesday on X (fka Twitter) that the teen drama will end with its eighth season.

Elite was renewed for Season 8, which is currently in production, in July, but there was no mention at the time that it would be the final season. Series creator Carlos Montero confirmed at a press conference for Season 7, that Season 8 would be the series’ last, saying the series “ended on a high note”.

“We are shooting the eighth season, which will be the last season of Élite, Montero said. “We ended on a high note. Jaime [Vaca, co-showrunner for season 7], Netflix and I thought it was time to end it. I say this with great regret because it’s been several incredible years in which I’ve met wonderful actors,...

Netflix viewing figures might be a mostly meaningless mess, but they're getting a little more transparent. They also provide a fascinating picture of global viewing habits that give us a real-time look at how audiences are responding to the deluge of media being funneled directly into their collective visual cortex.

In an age where streaming has truly upended the movie industry, leaving studios scrambling to catch up with the modern paradigm, getting a look under the hood is always interesting. For instance, nobody liked "The Snowman" when it was released back in 2017, but apparently, we all lapped it up when it hit Netflix this year. What does that say about what we expect from our home entertainment? Has streaming lowered all our standards? Perhaps we were always this way ...

The point is, there's clearly something to be learned in an age where we all have access to viewing metrics in real time.

You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here to subscribe.

“One Piece” has debuted at the top spot on Netflix’s most-watched TV list in its first week on the streamer, logging 18.5 million views since its Aug. 31 premiere.

The manga live-action adaptation series climbed to the Top 10 in 93 countries, and scored the No. 1 spot on the list in 46 countries. Right behind “One Piece” on the list was limited series “Who Is Erin Carter?” which brought in 15.8 million views during its second week on Netflix.

Limited series “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” debuted to the TV list in the No. 3 spot with 5.7 million views while “Painkiller” came in fourth place on the list with 3.4 million views and “The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On” Season 2 took the fifth place with 3.1 million views.

On the film front, Adam Sandler-led...

The following contains spoilers for Killer Book Club, now streaming on Netflix.

The slasher genre is indeed undergoing a renaissance. The Scream movies are back, while Halloween recently capped its Laurie Strode and Michael Myers story. There are also modern films and TV shows, such as Sick and Slasher, that prove, even if it's not mainstream Hollywood, the streaming market is leaning into the genre.

Netflix has a new contender join the party in the form of the Spanish slasher flick Killer Book Club. This narrative revolves around a young woman, Ángela, who accidentally killed a professor who sexually assaulted her. Sadly, while her reprisal is a prank gone wrong involving her friends, a mysterious entity doesn't see it as justice. This person has been dressing up as a killer clown from Team Ángela's book club, picking off everyone one by one. It creates a deep sense of mystery, building...

Netflix has done it again. And by "it" I mean foisted another instantly forgettable streaming movie on us all. Sometimes Netflix can be a force for good, such as when the streamer reminded us all that David Ayer's pretty good 2008 film "Street Kings" existed. But sometimes, the company is one of the main culprits in contributing to the cavalcade of generic "content" that pollutes our contemporary cultural landscape. "Killer Book Club," for example, is a Spanish horror effort that, despite sitting at an equally horrific 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, has proven popular since its August 25, 2023 debut on Netflix.

Disclaimer: I have not seen "Killer Book Club." But according to the official synopsis it's about "Eight horror-loving friends," who have to "fight for their lives when a killer clown who seems to know the grim secret they share begins to pick them off, one by one." Sound familiar? It's "Scream," it's just a "Scream" rip-off.

Carlos Alonso Ojea’s Killer Book Club doesn’t hide its intentions to remix Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s Scream — you’ll see both Scream and It referenced by name in the Netflix synopsis. The problem is, over two decades later, who hasn’t attempted to bottle that meta-slasher magic anew? Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls and Scott Glosserman’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon thrive in a post-Scream world by creatively spinning meta-hilarious screenplays into uncharted territories, a lesson Killer Book Club doesn’t learn. Writer Carlos García Miranda does Scream but worse, foolishly begging for comparisons to a 90s horror classic because subverting expectations requires more labor versus copying someone else’s homework.

The story centers around aspiring best-selling author Ángela (Veki Velilla) and her misfit book club. They meet in an afterthought hangout den out of their school’s public eye, discussing serial killers and ghost stories.

This article includes discussions of emotional abuse and sexual assault.

The Spanish Netflix movie Killer Book Club tells a horror tale with a predictable yet enjoyable ending. In the film, a book club full of horror enthusiasts decides to commit a prank against their professor who attempted to rape one of the students, Ángela. The killer clown prank ends in the accidental death of their professor. However, after they all agree to never speak of this to anyone, the news gets out about the death.

Someone who goes by the name the Mad Clown joins their group chat, makes it clear they know what happened, and begins picking off the people involved in the crime. With each death, the Mad Clown writes a chapter of a book about the murder and posts it online. People begin voting on what will happen in the next chapter, and the book club members...

Killer Book Club is a popular horror thriller on Netflix with intriguing characters, including the memorable character Sebas, who survives until the end. Sebas, portrayed by Spanish actor Álvaro Mel, brings emotional depth and complexity to his role, showcasing his versatility as an actor. Apart from Killer Book Club, Mel has appeared in other notable projects like A Perfect Story, Paraíso, La Fortuna, Bajo la red, and A Different View, building an impressive filmography. Expect more surprises from him in the future.

Netflix has a large library of local films and TV shows, but what many might forget is its plethora of international movies and television series. Money Heist and Elite are just some of the many that have risen to popularity among subscribers, and the horror thriller Killer Book Club is the streaming service’s latest entry to have grabbed audience’s attention. The horror flick has a plethora of interesting characters,...

You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here to subscribe.

Limited series “Who is Erin Carter?” and docuseries “Depp v. Heard” led Netflix’s top 10 most-watched series this week.

“Who is Erin Carter?,” which follows a thrilling tale of a British expat teacher living in Spain, scored the top spot on the weekly list with 13.2 million views, while “Depp v. Heard” came in the No. 2 slot with 8.3 million views. Opioid crisis-based series “Painkiller” moved from No. 2 on the list last week to third place with an additional 5.6 million views.

“Untold: Swamp Kings” and the second season of “The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On” debuted in the fourth and fifth spots on the list with 5 million views and 3.6 million views, respectively. After debuting Part 2 of its second season in early August, “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 2 remained on the list in the eighth spot with 1.9 million views.

Warner Bros. isn’t happy with industry consensus appointing “Gran Turismo” as the weekend’s top-grossing film, beating “Barbie.”. It will be small solace, but Warners’ “Meg 2: The Trench” is the dominant title on this week’s VOD charts.

“Meg 2” moved to PVOD after 21 days — a quick turnaround previously reserved for Max exclusives and/or lower-budget titles like “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and “House Party.” However, “Meg 2” is the $130 million sequel to a film that grossed over $500 million worldwide.

It dropped Friday and quickly reached #1 at iTunes. It also is #1 at Vudu, more impressive since its chart covers seven days and “it “Meg 2” was available for only three of them. Google Play, as always lagging a few days behind, has it at #3 and rising.

“Meg 2” opened two weeks after “Barbie,” yet came to PVOD at least 11 days ahead of Greta Gerwig’s #1 film for 2023. Though not confirmed, the PVOD...

This past Tuesday saw the release of six new horror movies, including the new Screambox Original movie Subject. Guess what? Six More new horror movies are out Today!

Here’s all the new horror that just released for August 25, 2023.

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Shark attack sequel Meg 2: The Trench has thus far gobbled up $319 million at the worldwide box office, and it was just put up for grabs on Digital outlets today.

You can rent the film for $19.99 or purchase it for $24.99.

In Meg 2: The Trench, “A research team – including Jason Statham – encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean, including a malevolent mining operation.”

Meg 2: The Trench is directed by Ben Wheatley (In the Earth, Free Fire), from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (The Meg, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Dean Georgaris (The Meg,...

This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist.While the late Wes Craven’s original horror masterwork Scream has always cast a long shadow over the genre with its gleeful snark and the genuine fear it creates, there is something uniquely strange about how the Netflix horror Killer Book Club has made what feels like a largely humorless reimagining of that. Written by Carlos García Miranda and directed by Carlos Alonso Ojea, it centers on a group of eight college friends who all love horror and are soon hunted by a masked killer clown who seems to have an intimate knowledge of a deadly incident that unites them. When she and her friends begin getting sent chapters from this clown of a horror story that mirrors what they did...

The new movie Killer Book Club is out, and it features a risky take on the already post modernized genre. The movie follows the bullet points of the slasher genre almost too literally and yet manages to engage the viewers. It’s one of those films that engages because of the on-the-nose treatment of the plot and not too much because of the characters or the performances. It’s not that the characters are not well-written. But the main detrimental point is that there are too many characters to deal with, and the film doesn’t get the time to flesh each one out properly. The labeling of each character as the archetypal character associated with the genre does help, but it’s no excuse for not writing a full-fledged character. The ‘heroine’ of this slasher is a girl by the name of Angela, played by Viki Vellila. She is,...

If there is one thing that can be said about the horror/slasher genre, it is that it is always entertaining. If it’s not, then it’s really not a slasher film now, is it? Even the word ‘slasher’ is so stylish that it warrants a deeper look. It’s a tool for cutting wood, except that this tool in a slasher film becomes the weapon for a serial killer. The new film Killer Book Club is a great specimen of an engaging and well-crafted film that has the responsibility to not only present to us a fresh slasher film but also tick off most of the checkpoints associated with this genre.

The bravery of director Carlos Alonso-Ojea is imminent right from the get-go. He is in no mood to hide behind a novel, esoteric treatment of the slasher. He wants to go toe-to-toe with filmmakers like Wes Craven and John Carpenter.

August has arrived, and with it, the last full month of summer-worthy shows and flicks, at least for 2023. From all the summer sensations to food weather, carnival fun and, of course, the lack of school, the streamer’s film slate will update with some appropriate flicks like “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” “Eat Pray Love,” “Despicable Me” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” respectively.

If you’re one of those who senses the change in the air as soon as the salty summer heat gives way to crisp fall fog, “Heartstopper” Season 2, complete with its cartoon drawings of leaves, waits for you starting August 3. “The Lincoln Lawyer: Season 2 Part 2” concludes the two-part followup to the legal drama starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. “Heart of Stone,” a big tentpole film starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, promises action-lovers a good time.

For those who didn’t get enough of the Depp v.