US movie theatre chain partners with Sony to offer 'Spider-Man' NFTs for advance ticket buyers

It looks like NFTs are turning into the new collectible cards. US movie theatre chain AMC partners with Sony Pictures to give away 86,000 NFTs to Stubs Premiere, A-List, and Investor Connect members who buy or reserve tickets for Spider-Man: No Way Home screenings on December 16. 

To qualify, buyers need to purchase their tickets through the AMC Theatres' website or mobile app when pre-orders launch on November 29. They will receive their code on December 22 and have until March 1, 2022, to redeem one of the 100 designs through the more eco-friendly Wax blockchain. It isn't guaranteed that this promo will improve ticket sales, but it might be something we'll see more often.

Source: Engadget

‘The Walking Dead’ gets ninth season

AMC

Even with the decline in ratings in recent seasons, AMC’s The Walking Dead seems to be doing well enough that the network is renewing the show for its ninth season. It’ll be coming back later this year. AMC is promoting showrunner Scott M. Gimple to chief content officer. He will be in charge of both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead as well as other “potential brand extensions.” And while it’s a promotion for Gimple, it’s also seen as a response to fans who have been critical of where he has taken the show in recent seasons. He will be replaced by writer Angela Kang as showrunner, she has been with the show since its second season.

Source: The Verge

‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman leaves AMC for Amazon

Amazon has scored a big win this week as it signed a first-look agreement with The Walking Dead’s creator Robert Kirkman and his production company Skybound Entertainment. This means, Amazon gets first dibs on upcoming Skybound productions. Fans of shows like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and Outcast will be enticed sign up for Amazon Prime Video to get access to whatever new projects Kirkman and his team produce in the future.

AMC has been a longtime partner of Skybound and The Walking Dead has been one of the most profitable shows for the network. But it makes sense for Kirkman and Skybound to turn their focus on building digital strategies with as big a company as Amazon as it’ll help expand its capabilities and ambitions of the studio. Skybound Entertainment will be extremely busy moving forward. They’re currently working on different film projects with properties for their two-year first look deal with Universal. They also just opened Skybound North, a Vancouver-based production division led by former LucasFilm Animation’s Catherine Winder. The news also shows the continuous shift in the streaming service space. Recently, we’ve heard about Netflix buying Mark Millar’s company and Disney’s plan to launch its own streaming service.

Source: Variety

‘The Walking Dead’ will keep newest baddie in season 8

AMC

The Walking Dead’s most controversial and disturbing villain yet isn’t disappearing that easily. According to actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, his character Negan will be around for a while. While he made a full-length episode debut in the season premiere, not much has been seen of him in the past few episodes. But Morgan has said in an interview with Howard Stern that he’ll be showing up in the next couple of episodes and he’s sticking around for quite some time. “I know I will be on board for season eight,” Morgan said. “We’ve finished [season seven] a week ago. The next two, I’m really big in. I’m fucking heavy in those.”

If you read The Walking Dead comics, this news isn’t much of a surprise as Negan has a long arc in the comic books. Plus, having him on the show just keeps the conversation about it going. The Walking Dead has been seeing some of its lowest ratings in years. And perhaps keeping a controversial character on might help. What do you think? Will this keep you watching?

Source: Polygon