Hello everyone. We will begin today’s update with a follow-up to our theatrical release discussion from earlier in the week. The discussion then turns to Amazon. Amazon Sidewalk is up there as one of the more interesting initiatives within Amazon. It’s multiple times more interesting to Neil than what is found with Alexa.

The Amazon/AMC Rumor

Over at The Intersect, here’s Joe Bel Bruno:

“Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has dispatched his investment advisors and top entertainment chiefs to explore acquisition plans for embattled theater chain AMC Entertainment, according to multiple senior sources familiar with the discussions.

The thinking is that Amazon can use AMC’s nearly 600 theaters across North America, Europe and the Middle East as ‘marketing weigh stations,’ said one Amazon insider. This would be used for promoting Amazon Prime movies for awards contention, cross-selling services such as grocery delivery, serving as local distribution hubs, and collecting crucial data from AMC’s annual 200 million moviegoing customers.

It would also throw a lifeline to AMC, the world’s largest theater chain whose financials were torpedoed by the COVID pandemic chased by Hollywood’s cut-throat pivot to their own streaming services. The cinema chain – whose stock traded a year ago at $34 and now languishes at about $4 – can be scooped up cheaply (and without a major premium) for just a few billion dollars."

One wonders if those “senior sources familiar with the discussions” happen to be investment bankers itching for a deal. Also, it seems like Bel Bruno refers to AMC as “cheap” merely because the stock price is down. That is not how that works.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Subscribe $20/month

Subscribe $200/year

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.