PRO Tip Sheet: 5 Insights From This Week

This week on WrapPRO, we got the inside scoop on how Warner Bros. marketed "Barbie"; wondered who was really running X, Elon Musk's new name for Twitter; and dug into the backlash over a controversial story about former CNN president Jeff Zucker. [5 Insights From WrapPRO]( This week on WrapPRO, we got the inside scoop on how Warner Bros. marketed "Barbie"; wondered who was really running X, Elon Musk's new name for Twitter; and dug into the backlash over a controversial story about former CNN president Jeff Zucker. [Read More on WrapPRO]( 1. [Behind ‘Operation Barbie Summer’: How Warner Bros. Created a $162 Million Box Office Triumph]( By Jeremy Fuster | Source: [WrapPRO]( - Warner Bros.' "Barbie," directed by Greta Gerwig, has broken the studio's losing streak, achieving a $162 million opening and ranking among the studio's top five highest-opening weekends ever. - Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav initiated a marketing campaign internally known as "Operation Barbie Summer," featuring promotions everywhere from NBA playoff coverage to CNN.com, in addition to numerous product tie-ins led by Mattel. - But a clever marketing campaign isn't enough. According to Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock, the success of "Barbie" underscores the need for films to have a distinct voice. Audiences respond to originality, and "Barbie" had that in abundance. [Keep Reading]( 2. [Who’s Running X – Elon Musk or Linda Yaccarino?]( By Robert Carnevale | Source: [WrapPRO]( - Elon Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter to "X" has raised questions about the role and influence of recently appointed CEO Linda Yaccarino. - The ramshackle launch stood in stark contrast to the carefully planned initiatives Yaccarino oversaw during her time at NBCUniversal. Despite Musk's claim that such decisions are jointly made with Yaccarino, industry insiders are questioning if she is merely a front for advertisers and regulators as Musk dictates major moves. - The abrupt rebranding, marked by the use of a fan-submitted logo and lack of a secure trademark, could potentially make Yaccarino's task of attracting advertisers back to the service all the more challenging. [Keep Reading]( 3. [Jeff Zucker, ‘Baffled’ and ‘Stunned’ by Variety Article, Asks for Retraction]( By Natalie Korach | Source: [WrapPRO]( - Ex-CNN president Jeff Zucker has requested a retraction from Variety regarding a report that depicted him as striving to buy CNN, slamming the report as "fabricated." The Variety article reported that Zucker had spent the last year seeking billionaire financiers to back a CNN acquisition. - A source close to Zucker said the media executive had no acquaintance with the people and organizations named in the piece. Zucker's team attempted to raise concerns about the accuracy of the article with Variety co-editors-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton but were rebuffed. - The Variety report is facing criticism not just from Zucker's team but also from The Atlantic. Siegel's article questioned the magazine's reporting for a profile of former CNN CEO Chris Licht, leading Tim Alberta, the author of the profile, to also call for a retraction of Siegel's article. [Keep Reading]( 4. [‘Barbie’ Has Women Grappling With Its Mixed Empowerment Messages]( By Kristen Lopez | Source: [WrapPRO]( - "Barbie" has ignited debates about its portrayal of feminism, with some viewers praising the movie's empowerment message while others criticize it as heavy-handed and overly simplistic. - Despite the film's successful box office performance, some viewers found the film to be "preachy," with one saying that the film's attempt to deconstruct the patriarchy was overly simplistic. - Critics suggest that the film's depiction of feminism caters primarily to white, heterosexual, and able-bodied women, leaving marginalized groups like women of color and those with disabilities feeling excluded. - The movie, despite being self-aware of the stereotype of the Barbie character as a white, blonde, thin woman, has been criticized for nonetheless placing that stereotype at the center of the cast. [Keep Reading]( 5. [The Brewing Battle Between Film Critics and Influencers]( By Kristen Lopez | Source: [WrapPRO]( - Amid the actors' strike, studios are increasingly leveraging social media influencers over traditional film critics to generate buzz and engagement for movie premieres, indicating a shift in marketing strategy that caters to changing audience habits. - While there's no transparency around studios' criteria for inviting influencers, it's believed they use data-driven strategies including follower count and engagement metrics, which correlate with an influencer's ability to spark conversations and drive audience to theaters. - Some critics believe that studios prefer influencers as "press you can control," expressing concern over a potential lack of critique and debate in film discourse as influencers rarely express negative opinions about the films they're invited to promote. - Influencers from younger generations, mainly Millennials and Gen Z, perceive this shift as a natural evolution in the media industry, suggesting that legacy critics adapt and create a digital presence to stay relevant and reach younger audiences. 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