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Author: Variety

Disney Will Not Fight DeSantis Takeover of Special District in Orlando

Variety

Disney will not fight a bill that gives Gov. Ron DeSantis broad powers over its Orlando theme parks, after the bill passed both houses of the Florida Legislature this week. The bill establishes a new district to assume the powers held by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Disney has controlled since it was created in 1967. The new entity, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, will be run by a five-member board appointed by DeSantis and confirmed by the state Senate. In a statement, Disney said it is “ready to work within this…

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Middle East Box Office Is Recovering Faster Than Other Global Regions Largely Due to Saudi Boom

Variety

Theatrical box office returns in the Middle East are recovering faster than most other regions in the world largely thanks to Saudi Arabia’s box office growth and proliferation of screens. That is the main takeaway of a presentation by research firm Omdia at Dubai’s Meta Cinema Forum, which is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s top exhibition convention. Omdia’s senior analyst Maria Rua Aguete said the total theatrical intake across the Middle East in 2021 recovered to $558 million which – while still lower than pre-pandemic total returns of $743 million – is…

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John Oliver Blasts Ticketmaster in Scathing Broadside Against Ticket Prices, Fees, Secondary Market

Variety

Anyone who’s tried to buy a concert ticket in the past three decades knows what a frustrating price-gouging and seemingly corrupt process it is Many major concerts are sold out literally seconds after the tickets go on sale, and the only recourse is to go the secondary market, where fans must pay exponentially more than face value, which happens even when they can get them directly, due to a battery of mysterious “fees.” Ticketmaster, the largest broker in the business, is at the center of this morass and has been…

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