Wall Street Prediction: 'Hunger Games' Sequel Will be Biggest Movie of 2013; 'The Lone Ranger' to Disappoint

5:48 PM PST 1/4/2013 by Paul Bond

281
103
5
0
1
Email
Print
Comments

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield also tells clients to expect big things from Netflix original programming; not much from "mythical Apple Television."

A few days into the new year, influential Wall Street analyst Richard Geeenfield of BTIG has weighed in with his 2013 predictions for the media sector, telling his clients that Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be the biggest movie of the year and Disney’s The Lone Ranger will be the year’s biggest disappointment.

'Hunger Games' Sequel 'Catching Fire' Motion Poster Debuts

'Lone Ranger': New Trailer Reveals the Story Behind the Mask (Video)

'Man of Steel' Trailer Features Superman's Emotional, Ground-Shaking Journey (Video)

Legendary and Warner Bros. will hit a homerun with Man of Steel as will Disney/Pixar with Monsters University.

PHOTOS: Todd McCarthy's 10 Best Movies of 2012

Among Greenfield’s other predictions are that Fox will renew an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and launch The Dodger Network.

He also predicts that Netflix original shows like Hemlock Grove, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Arrested Development become topics of “water cooler” conversation because “consumers are excited not just by the quality of the programming, but the ability to watch the content on their own schedule and in groups.”

Netflix will also reach an output deal with Sony during 2013 that will begin with movies released in 2017, ending Sony’s relationship with Starz. Meanwhile, DVD spending will “nosedive” in 2013, Greenfield predicts, leading to a reduction in the theatrical-to-home-entertainment window.

PHOTOS: 2012's Biggest Rulebreakers

Greenfield also predicts that Apple will launch iRadio and he writes that he believes the company already “is negotiating direct deals with music labels to offer a far more robust service than current digital radio services that rely on compulsory licenses.”

But in another prediction, he says the tech giant’s “mythical Apple Television” will not be released in 2013.

Greenfield also predicts that Fox will acquire 100 percent ownership of Hulu in 2013 and that the deal will include at least a 10-year programming commitment from both NBC and ABC, which are partners in Hulu.