Jack Huston has been working hard on the transition from playing the fan favorite Richard Harrow on "Boardwalk Empire" to becoming a bankable movie star.

Playing the lead in Paramount's big-budget remake of "Ben-Hur" last summer was supposed to be the next step, but those hopes were dashed by the movie's disappointing box office, as it earned only $94 million worldwide (it had a budget of $100 million).

Huston was at the Sundance Film Festival supporting his new movie, "The Yellow Birds" over the weekend (which also stars young Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich), and he didn't shy away from sharing his thoughts on "Ben-Hur" flopping when talking to Business Insider.

"When I went into the movie I had a very candid conversation with everyone and I said, 'We're going to get nailed,'" Huston said, stating he knew that audiences would never be able to separate this with the Charlton Heston 1959 classic he grew up on.

But Huston admits he couldn't resist a character with so many layers like Judah Ben-Hur. Though Huston said that he and director Timur Bekmambetov had different plans for Ben-Hur in their movie.

"We did something very different in that Judah was never a hero," he said. "I wanted the audience to almost be guessing who was going to win the chariot race. What I found so interesting was we could recreate this amazing character."

But the powers-that-be at Paramount didn't feel the same way. Huston said filming the movie was seamless but that post production was "not easy."

"You hire a filmmaker, go with the filmmaker's vision," said Huston, who added that he saw numerous version of the movie in post. "The movie kind of breaks my heart because I know what we did and it's very hard when there's a lot of cooks in the kitchen."

However, Huston — who is part of an iconic Hollywood family as he's the grandson of director John Huston and great-grandson of actor Walter Huston — knows all too well how the system works. In the hopes of having a louder voice behind the scenes going forward, since the release of "Ben-Hur" Huston has created the production company CYSA Productions. He said he currently has 14 projects in different stages of development for TV and movies.

"I learned so much from 'Ben-Hur,' the whole process was invaluable," he said. "And I stand by my performance in it because it was a real choice. I know there was a much better film there that we created, it just got lost."

SEE ALSO: Liam Neeson opens up about working with Martin Scorsese on "Silence," which took 26 years to make

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NOW WATCH: Here are all the comic book movies coming out in 2017

Film studios have been campaigning to win an Academy Award since 1929 and spend over $100 million combined on Oscar campaigns. 

Follow BI Video: On Twitter

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The Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, and there were some surprise nominations and snubs that quickly got movie fans heated.

While we all expected "La La Land" to sweep the nods, which tied for the most ever at 14 (alongside "Titanic" and "All About Eve"), some others snuck into the top of the race, including Mel Gibson, years after his personal troubles that almost sunk his career. And just about anyone who saw Amy Adams in "Arrival" was stunned she didn't get a nomination for her work.

Here are the biggest surprises and snubs of the 2017 Oscar nominees:

SEE ALSO: Why the worst movies of the year always come out in January

While perhaps not a complete surprise, it was comforting to see the Academy, given past protests of its lack of diversity, recognize actors and films that reflect a multicultural US, from "Hidden Figures" and "Moonlight" (both with best picture and acting nods) to documentaries "OJ: Made in America" and "13th," which grapple with the country's deep history of racial division.

Michael Shannon getting a best supporting actor nomination for "Nocturnal Animals" is a shock for many. The movie basically lost steam during award season, but Shannon is one of the movie's brightest spots.

"Arrival" cinematographer Bradford Young's nomination is less of a surprise and more of a historic moment, as he's the first African-American to ever receive a nomination in the cinematography category. And he's very deserving. He's responsible for the lush look of the film that has captivated audiences to the tune of over $160 million worldwide. Hopefully he's celebrating on the set of the young Han Solo movie, which he's currently shooting.

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User traffic to Twitter's live stream of the presidential inauguration was down significantly to comparable recent events – like Election Day, and the opening of the Republican and Democratic national conventions – according to Jumpshot analysis cited by Mediapost.

Likewise, viewership on traditional TV also underwhelmed, according to Nielsen estimates cited in Mediapost as well:

• Twitter. The audience for Twitter's live stream of the inauguration was 23% smaller than that of the Election Day live stream. More than 70% of the audience was male, and nearly half of all viewers were between 18 to 24 years old. These figures are consistent with Twitter's audience on other recent political live streams.
• Television. The inauguration also underwhelmed on traditional TV. According to Nielsen estimates, it drew in an estimated 30.6 million TV viewers in the US, placing it in fifth in Inauguration Day ratings, behind Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon.
• Akamai. Akamai is one the most prominent content delivery networks (CDN) with over 216,000 servers across 120 countries to deliver worldwide web traffic. The inauguration was the largest single live news event Akamai ever delivered. Live streaming peaked at 8.7 Tbps, supporting 4.6 million concurrent viewers, beating the previous record set during Election Day coverage.
• Caveats. There’s no YouTube or Facebook data for inauguration live stream viewership yet, which will be necessary to get a fuller picture of the inauguration digital viewership. It’s possible that smaller audience on Twitter reflects a decline in usage of that platform – perhaps in favor of Facebook and Google – rather than a shrinking digital audience for the inauguration.

If 2015 was the year that brands and advertisers embraced online video, then 2016 saw the medium take the next step as live streaming took off.

Live streaming video refers to broadcasts in real time to an audience over the internet. While the concept of live streaming has been around for years, mobile-first video platforms with user-generated content have just recently begun to make serious waves thanks to improved video quality, faster broadband speeds, and enhanced mobile technology.

Online video has become a key part of the strategic business model for both brands and marketers as they seek more innovative ways to capture consumer attention. Creative live streaming video initiatives and campaigns are a way for companies to cut through the digital clutter and have emerged as the medium of choice not only for person-to-person sharing, but also for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communication. 

Brands are increasingly using live streaming to reach audiences. Its importance has grown significantly thanks to substantial investments by social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter to build and enhance their live-streaming platforms.

And advertising dollars are likely to follow. 88% of agency respondents stated that they “might” or “definitely will” invest in live stream video advertising over the next six months, according to a recent Trusted Media Brands survey.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on live streaming video that examines the eruption of online video from the perspective of both consumers and advertisers and assesses how live streaming is emerging as the medium's next catalyst for growth.

Here are some key points from the report:

• Live streaming video will further accelerate streaming videos overall share of internet traffic. Streaming video accounts for over two-thirds of all internet traffic, and this share is expected to jump to 82% by 2020, according to Cisco’s June 2016 Visual Networking Index report.
• Live video’s value comes from its unique ability to add an authentic human element to digital communications. As a result, brands are leveraging three main streaming methods to connect with their viewers: tutorials, product launches, and exclusive and behind-the-scene footage.
• Advertisers will continue to invest heavily in online video, especially as live streaming video gains traction. Already in the US, digital video ad revenue reached $7.8 billion in 2015, up 55% from 2014, according to figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
• While live streaming is still in its early stages, brands are leveraging micropayments, mid-roll video ads and direct payments from social platforms, to monetize their live streaming videos.
• The success of live streaming video hinges on brands overcoming a lack of measurement standards in the space, as well as changes in social media sites' algorithms that affect what content users see.

In full, the report:

• Examines the eruption of live streaming video.
• Explores the differences between platforms that host live streaming video.
• Breaks down successful approaches from both brands and publishers.
• Discusses unique monetization opportunities live streaming presents.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. »BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of live streaming video.

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There are few moments in video games that fans remember as vividly as an early scene in the first "Resident Evil" game. Your crew of special agents has split up to explore a seemingly abandoned mansion. You turn a corner and find a humanoid creature bent over another. What's it doing?

It slowly turns to look up at you:

That crucial scene from the first "Resident Evil" game, which debuted on the original PlayStation way back in 1996, set the stage for a franchise that has spawned at least 10 games, countless remakes, and a successful film franchise.

On January 24, the latest entry in the "Resident Evil" series launched on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

It's called "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard," and it's an incredible demonstration of how far the franchise has come in the past 20 years.

But it's more than another creepy entry in a creepy series; "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" is a return to the series' roots. Here's what we know:

SEE ALSO: The next major PlayStation 4 exclusive is unbelievably pretty

DON'T MISS: The hottest 50 video games you shouldn't miss in 2017

The first thing to know about "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" is obvious — it's very pretty:

Much of the game, if not all of it, takes places in an abandoned plantation home. The house is located in the (fictional) town of Dulvey, Louisiana.

The game stars a man named Ethan Winters. He's looking for his wife, Mia, who has gone missing.

Television's executives, producers, and stars just wrapped up the winter Television Critics Association press tour.

It's an exhausting (and exciting) pageant of the networks' best current programming and upcoming shows for hundreds of critics and reporters from all over the US (and even some international press) who flock to Los Angeles twice a year for the event.

In every press tour, certain themes and patterns from the TV world emerge. They tell us about what the industry is wrestling with and give us a snapshot of what's to come.

Here are the biggest things the industry is facing in 2017:

SEE ALSO: The 22 most exciting new shows of 2017 you have to see

DON'T MISS: Here's when your favorite TV shows are coming back this year

Everyone wants in on the digital game.

Streaming shows and TV everywhere was the talk of TCA. Netflix is so ahead of the curve it didn't even show up for the conference. Showtime is so thirsty (after losing its No. 2 paid cable network spot to Starz a couple years back) that its president, David Nevins, made the network's streaming service a huge part of his executive session introduction.

And in the absence of Netflix, CBS All Access, Crackle, Hulu, and Amazon stepped up their presence at the conference. TV could learn (and is learning) much from the digital companies.

The broadcast network bosses were no-shows.

One of the most important traditions of the TCA press tour are the executive sessions. They typically kick off a network's day of presentations and feature the top bosses facing reporters in an open Q&A. Depending on how their network is doing, they'll be celebrated or verbally attacked by the journalists.

But this year, the broadcast networks decided to bail on TCA. Yes, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox (which later relented to pressure and decided it would attend after all) broke with tradition.

Is the TV industry so in trouble that its bosses couldn't handle 20 minutes of grilling by critics? Are there not enough sports programming and cheesy staged musicals to make up for the lack of live viewing nowadays? Do Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming sites have the broadcast networks running scared?

The truth is nothing they could've said about the state of TV could've been worse than the theories being bounced around the media to explain them being no-shows.

There are still too many TV shows.

You don't have to be a statistician to know that the amount of TV shows exceeds any individual's ability to watch them – quality programming or not. But for those of you who like your numbers, by FX's count there were 454 scripted TV shows in 2016, a new record.

FX Networks President John Landgraf has been waving the red flag on the growing amount of TV shows for years now in a theory he refers to as "peak TV." Though he admits he has been wrong before, Landgraf predicts that the amount of TV shows will hit its peak and thus start to reduce in late-2017 or 2018.

Of course, Landgraf's theory has its opponents – those who believe that there could never be too much TV. That includes many of the digital players, including Netflix, Amazon, and Crackle. And now, even Apple announced recently that it would be getting into the original TV programming game.

Seth Meyers dedicated his popular segment "A Closer Look" on Monday's "Late Night" to President Donald Trump's "alternative facts" about the attendance for his inauguration and how to combat them.

"This weekend could not have provided a more stark contrast to begin the Trump era," the host said. "On the one hand, we saw what may have been the largest organized protest in US history. And on the other hand, we had the new Trump administration openly lying on its first full day in office."

The biggest political events of the last week were Trump's inauguration and the Women's March on Washington and other marches across the world. But when it comes to attendance, it isn't hard to discern which one drew the bigger crowd — unless you're Trump or employed by him.

While the US National Park Service doesn't furnish attendance numbers for the National Mall, the Washington D.C. Metro Transit Authority does release ridership numbers. According to the MTA, last Friday's ridership was lower than the two previous inaugurations for President Barack Obama in 2009 and 20013, and on par with that of President George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005. Photographic evidence would further support the relatively low attendance to Trump's inauguration.

Yet White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Friday, "This is the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration. Period."

"Period?" Meyers asked. "I think you mean double question marks."

Piled on top of that, Trump campaign manager-turned-White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared on "Meet the Press" and said that Spicer wasn't lying, but instead presenting "alternative facts."

"Kellyanne Conway is like someone trying to do the Jedi mind trick after only a week of Jedi training," Meyers joked of Conway's spin.

"These may seem like small lies, but the small lies inoculate us against bigger lies," the host continued. "They make facts a matter of partisan debate rather than accepted shared reality. It may be crowd sizes now, but soon much bigger decisions will come where reality will matter. The only way to answer these lies in the next four years will be organized resistance like the protest we saw this weekend."

Watch the latest "A Closer Look" segment below:

SEE ALSO: People are calling Aziz Ansari's response to President Trump on 'SNL' 'perfect'

DON'T MISS: Seth Meyers jokes Trump's inauguration day will end with his impeachment hearing

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'It's a little demoralizing': Watch Trump's press secretary go off on reporters over perceived bias

"Hamilton" star and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Oscar nomination for “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s "Moana," announced Tuesday, puts him in the running for the youngest person to get an EGOT.

The esteemed EGOT title (named for those who win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony — entertainment's most prestigious awards) would place him in the same exclusive club as the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Rogers, Mel Brooks, and Mike Nichols, who are among the twelve people who have snagged Hollywood's rare and coveted accolade.

The current record holder for the youngest person to win an EGOT is songwriter Richard Lopez, who got the Oscar in 2014 with his win for his work on "Frozen." Lopez was 39 years old at the time, and Miranda is 37.

And there’s more: In addition to being the youngest person to win an EGOT, Miranda would also break the record of getting it the fastest. Miranda got started in 2008 with his Tony Award for the musical "In the Heights."

Miranda has one Emmy, two Grammys, and three Tonys. 

The 89th annual Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air February 26 on ABC.

SEE ALSO: The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2017 Oscar nominations

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NOW WATCH: How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson makes and spends his millions

It's almost the start of February and Netflix has revealed its full list of what's coming to the streaming site next month. 

In addition to new movies like "Finding Dory" and  "Sausage Party," we'll also get FX's "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" and a few new Netflix series, including the "Santa Clarita Diet," which features Drew Barrymore as a amicable zombie. 

Here's the full list of February releases. We've highlighted some favorites.

Available 2/1

"Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Cyber Attacks" (2016)
"Babe" (1995)
"Babe: Pig in the City" (1998)
"Balto" (1995)
"Balto 2: Wolf Quest" (2001)
"Balto 3: Wings of Change" (2004)
"Contact" (1997)
"Corpse Bride" (2005)
"Finding Dory" (2016)
"Eleven P.M." (1928)
"From This Day Forward: A Trans Love Story" (2016)
"Gun Runners" (2015)
"Hell-Bound Train" (1930)
"Highly Strung" (2015)
"Hot Biskits" (1931)
"I Am Sun Mu" (2016)
Invincible" (2006)
"Les beaux malaises" Season 1-4 (2014)
"Magic Mike" (2012)
"Masha's Spooky Stories" Season 1 (2012)
"Mother with a Gun" (2016)
"Paris Is Burning" (1990)
"Project X" (1987)
"Silver Streak" (1976)
"The Blair Witch Project" (1990)
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" (2005)
"The Five Heartbeats" (1995)
"The Furchester Hotel" Season 1-2 (2014)
"The Girl from Chicago" (1932)
"The Longest Day" (1962)

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)
"Twilight" (2008)
"Women in Gold"

Available 2/2

"American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" (2016)
"Frequency" Season 1

Available 2/3

"Daniel Sosa: Sosafado" -NETFLIX ORIGINAL
"Imperial Dreams" - NETFLIX ORIGINAL
"Santa Clarita Diet"– NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/4

"Superbad" (2007)

Available 2/5

"Elvira I Will Give You My Life but I'm Using It" (2014)
"Los herederos" (2015)

Available 2/6

"Girls Lost" (2015)
"Me, Myself and Her" (2015)

Available 2/7

"Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special" – NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/8

"Tiempos Felices" (2014)
"Girl Asleep" (2015)

Available 2/10

"Abstract: The Art of Design"
"David Brent: Life on the Road" - NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/11

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Season 2 (2016)
"Stronger Than The World" - NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/12

"Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014)

Available 2/13

"Code: Debugging the Gender Gap" (2016)
"Magicians: Life in the Impossible" (2016)

Available 2/14

"Girlfriend’s Day" - NETFLIX ORIGINAL
"Katherine Ryan: In Trouble" - NETFLIX ORIGINAL
"King Cobra" (2016)
"Project Mc 2: Part 4" – NETFLIX ORIGINAL
"White Nights" – NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/15

"Aram, Aram" (2015)
"Before I Go to Sleep" (2014)
"Fire Song" (2015)

Available 2/16

"Milk" (2008)
"Sundown" (2016)

Available 2/17

Chef's Table: Season 3—NETFLIX ORIGINAL
DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season 4 –NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Kill Ratio (2016)
The Seven Deadly Sins: Season 2 –NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/19

"Girl Meets World" Season 3 (2016)
"Growing Up Wild" (2016)
"Tini: El Gran Cambio De Violetta" (2016)
"When Calls the Heart" Season 3 (2016)

Available 2/23

"Sausage Party" (2016)

Available 2/24

"I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore" – NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Legend Quest: Season 1 –NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Ultimate Beastmaster—NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Ultimate Beastmaster Mexico—NETFLIX ORIGINAL
VeggieTales in the City: Season 1—NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Available 2/26

"Night Will Fall" (2016)

Available 2/27

"Brazilian Western" (2013)

Available 2/28

"Be Here Now" (2015)
Michael Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes –NETFLIX ORIGINAL

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NOW WATCH: The story of Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the daughter Steve Jobs claimed wasn't his

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences clearly heard the loud protests of #OscarsSoWhite.

After two years in a row in which actors of color were overlooked by the Oscar nominations, the 2017 nominees showcase a more multicultural range of talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

While "La La Land" may have tied a record for the most nominations period (at 14, the same as "Titanic" and "All About Eve"), the Oscars also nominated a record six black actors this year. Denzel Washington and Ruth Negga received nods for lead acting in "Fences" and "Loving," respectively, while Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris of "Moonlight," Viola Davis of "Fences," and Octavia Spencer of "Hidden Figures" all took supporting nods. Seven of the 20 acting nominees are people of color.

The best-picture category honored multiple films that wrestled, each in their own way, with African-American identity and history: "Fences," based on the August Wilson play; "Hidden Figures," the box-office hit about black women at NASA; and the critical darling "Moonlight," which follows a black man from the projects of Miami through three parts of his life.

The documentary-feature category also highlighted work that engages with the history of racial division in the US, with "I Am Not Your Negro," based on an unfinished James Baldwin book; "13th," the Netflix movie directed by Ava DuVernay about race and the criminal-justice system; and "OJ: Made in America," Ezra Edelman's sprawling account of O.J. Simpson's life.

Other firsts for minorities came in behind-the-scenes categories, as Joi McMillon, nominated alongside Nat Sanders for editing in "Moonlight," became the first black woman to be nominated in the editing category. The cinematographer behind "Arrival," Bradford Young, is the first African-American to be nominated in the cinematography category.

SEE ALSO: The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2017 Oscar nominations

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NOW WATCH: This prank promoting the new 'Rings' movie is genuinely frightening

Kellyanne Conway has created a media frenzy after using the phrase "alternative facts," but Trevor Noah said it isn't hard to tell when President Donald Trump's counselor is spinning the truth.

"We've talked a lot about the falsehoods that Donald Trump and his team made over the weekend," Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" host said on Monday's episode. "But on Sunday, we learned that Trump's senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, has a different term for falsehood."

It all started when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refuted reports of the low attendance at Trump's inauguration, saying, "This is the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration. Period." Of course, ridership numbers furnished by the Washington D.C. Metro Transit Authority and photographic evidence show Spicer's statement to be false. But Conway appeared on "Meet the Press" on Sunday and said that Spicer wasn't lying, but instead presenting "alternative facts."

"I like that she can taste the bulls--- in her mouth," Noah said of Conway's gulp before her "alternative facts" argument during the interview.

Noah then launched into what he believes are the other telltale signs that Conway is presenting "alternative facts."

"My favorite part is that you can tell she's lying," he said, "because after she says it she tries to casually flip her hair afterward like she's all chill. It's the choke, the laugh, the hair. I honestly wish my girl had a tell that big. I would win every argument."

Then, in the spirit of honoring the Trump administration's use of "alternative facts," Noah enlisted "Daily Show" correspondent Desi Lydic to present some more regarding Trump's inauguration and demonstrating Conway's telltale signs. Lydic, though, takes them to extreme levels.

Watch the "Daily Show" video below:

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers: Why Trump's 'alternative facts' could turn into a much bigger problem

DON'T MISS: People are calling Aziz Ansari's response to President Trump on 'SNL' 'perfect'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Poll: Trump begins his presidency with the lowest initial approval rating in history

A new update to Amazon Alexa, the virtual assistant at the heart of the Amazon Echo line of smart speakers, finally lets you live out your "Star Trek" fantasies by using the word "Computer" to wake her up, as spotted by The Verge.

The Amazon Echo team was directly inspired by "Star Trek" as they were building the groundbreaking device. To date, the selectable wake words have been "Alexa," "Amazon," "Echo," "Tap," or "Dot." As in, "Alexa, set a timer," or "Alexa, remind me to buy soap."

It's very much like "Star Trek," where the crew of the starship Enterprise activates the ship's computer with voice commands: "Computer, end program." "Computer, open a channel." "Computer, initiate self-destruct," and et cetera.

Take a look: 

Giving way to the classic scene in the 1986 film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" where Montgomery "Scotty" Scott tries to address a then-modern PC by speaking to it:

Now, the "Star Trek" fantasy can be your reality. Just go to your Alexa app, go to settings, select the device you want to change, and just scroll down under the "wake word" menu until you find "Computer." It's easy-peasy. 

On a final note, I asked my dad, the biggest "Star Trek" fan I know and a big Alexa enthusiast, for his thoughts, and he made a good point: Given the fact that the Echo has a history of activating itself when the "Alexa" wake word is said on TV, watching "Star Trek" when you have your wake word set to "Computer" might get irritating, quickly.

SEE ALSO: Why Amazon's Echo is totally dominating — and what Google, Microsoft, and Apple have to do to catch up

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NOW WATCH: Patrick Stewart's Only Rule For Using Twitter

On Tuesday, Amazon became the first streaming service ever to get an Oscar nomination for best picture, thanks to its gritty indie, "Manchester by the Sea," starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams.

Amazon paid $10 million for the film at last year's Sundance festival, and has been rewarded with six total Oscar nominations, in addition to one Golden Globe win for Affleck (and five noms).

Amazon's nomination in the Oscar's most prestigious category underscores the difference between its movie strategy and that of Netflix, its main rival. Though Amazon is a streaming service, all of its films get theatrical releases, because Amazon is willing to keep the movies off its online platform for the traditional length of time.

Netflix, conversely, has angered movie theaters by insisting that its movies be available to stream on Netflix the day they are released in theaters. Theater execs have railed against this practice, and have largely refused to show Netflix movies. Netflix has hit back. In October, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said he thought the state of film was a "real tragedy" and that movie theaters were "strangling the movie business."

Still, Netflix's poor relationship with movie theaters puts the company in a tough position, since many filmmakers prize having a traditional theatrical release for their films, even if it's not a wide one.

Amazon has avoided this issue altogether by sticking to the established release timing. And the company has been rewarded. "Manchester by the Sea" grossed almost $40 million at the US box office, making it a "commercial success" in its category, according to Variety. Now the Oscar nod for best picture is the icing on the cake.

(It's worth noting that Netflix has historically done very well in the documentary category at the Oscars. It scored a nod this year for "13th.") 

SEE ALSO: Netflix explained why its movie selection has gotten so skimpy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Poll: Trump begins his presidency with the lowest initial approval rating in history

Like Pokémon? Like free stuff? Good news: There's a new, totally free Pokémon game available now on your iPhone or Android phone. It's called "Pokémon Duel," and it looks intense.

As if it weren't obvious from the ridiculously busy images above, "Pokémon Duel" is an entirely different beast than the wildly popular "Pokémon Go," which launched last summer. Instead of capturing Pokémon in the real world, you'll collect figurines in "Pokémon Duel." And instead of battling other Pokémon at gyms in the real world, you take it to other players online in "Pokémon Duel."

It's also completely unlike the traditional Pokémon games you've played on Nintendo handheld consoles since the days of the Game Boy.

You don't "catch 'em all" in "Pokémon Duel" — instead, you assemble a team of six powerful Pokémon capable of taking an opponent's territory. (The grid above, on the left, is what this looks like.) Above all else, the focus is on battling other actual human players online.

Your Pokémon can be powered up, and your choice of power-ups and tactics determine how well you do in battle. In so many words, this is a far more complex Pokémon game than most. That said, hey, it's free! There are some free-to-play hooks in there — stuff you can buy — but it's otherwise totally free.

If you wanna snag the game on iPhone, it's here on the iTunes App Store. If you want it on Android, you can snag it from Google Play here. And if you're still not sold on this free thing, check out the trailer for more info:

SEE ALSO: The biggest game coming to Nintendo's new console is gigantic and gorgeous

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A psychologist explains why we need to 'catch 'em all' in 'Pokémon GO'

"BoJack Horseman" was the most popular digital original show in Russia during the third quarter of 2016, according to Parrot Analytics. The show wasn’t nearly as popular in any other major market.

"BoJack," an offbeat Netflix cartoon about an alcoholic talking horse, ranked between six and eight in the US, the UK, France, Germany, and other markets. In all of those places, "Stranger Things" was the top show. But in Russia, "Stranger Things" got second place.

Parrot measures popularity by looking at Demand Expressions, a measure which (lacking ratings from Netflix, which doesn't release them) combines data on file sharing, social chatter, Wiki activity, fan ratings, and other factors.

Russia generated 4.6 million Demand Expressions for "BoJack," while the much larger US market generated only 4.2 million. Parrot tells us that Russian audiences also generated more than twice as much "active consumption," which includes social chatter and file sharing.

Why do Russians love BoJack? Maybe the heavy-drinking country appreciates an alcoholic hero. Maybe the occasional enemy of the US appreciates a satire of Hollywood. Maybe the country was particularly fond of a bit in season two with a KGB spy who wakes up from a 30-year coma and resumes his mission to take down America.

"I’m awaiting orders to take down the American pigs... and dogs and various animals," the spy says over the radio.

The spy is ready to destroy a knockoff version of Disneyland when he realizes that the park will destroy himself. He exclaims: "You know, I came here today to blow up Disneyland, but now I realize I don’t need to take down capitalism. Capitalism sows the seeds for its own destruction. It’s a snake that eats itself. It’s only a matter of time!"

And he walks away whistling.

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This interesting chart comes from a Parrot Analytics report on the top digital original shows in the third quarter of 2016.

As you can see, "Stranger Things" won in every market except for Russia, where "BoJack Horseman" took the top slot. If you look closer at the numbers, the divide is even more striking: "BoJack" ranked between sixth and eighth in every other market.

Can we draw massive geopolitical conclusions from this map? Well, it does kind of make sense that the Western powers would like a nostalgic, escapist return to the 1980s, while Russia would like a dark satire of American culture starring an alcoholic talking horse.

Indeed, you get a sense of the outlook in "BoJack" from the appearance in season two of a KGB spy who wakes up from a 30-year coma and resumes his mission to destroy America.

"You know, I came here today to blow up Disneyland, but now I realize I don’t need to take down capitalism," he remarks at one point. "Capitalism sows the seeds for its own destruction. It’s a snake that eats itself. It’s only a matter of time!"

Anyway, "BoJack" and "Stranger Things" are both Netflix originals, part of the red-hot catalog that is powering explosive global growth for the Silicon Valley company. You can draw your own conclusions from that.

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Alfred Hitchcock had already become the master of suspense by the time he released "Psycho" in 1960. But the film's chilling shower scene would make him a legend for generations to come.

In "78/52," which premiered in the Midnight Section at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday night, we are given an incredible deep dive into the significance that scene has had on not just filmmaking but popular culture.

If you've never seen "Psycho," you've likely seen its shower scene in any retrospective on the horror genre or spoofs. Or you know it from the piercing Bernard Herrmann score that accompanies the scene, and has become as distinctive as the footage itself.

"78/52" (named for the 78 setups and 52 cuts it took to accomplish the scene) celebrates the mastery of the scene by talking to people who were on the film (like Janet Leigh's body double, whose body you mostly see in the scene), Hitchcock historians, and horror aficionados like Elijah Wood, Eli Roth, Richard Stanley, Guillermo del Toro, and others.

What's special about the movie, especially if you've watched or read past pieces on how the shower scene was created, is that it also touches on how "Psycho" itself came at a moment where the country was on the cusp of social unrest with the civil rights movement and the assassination of president John F. Kennedy soon to come following the tranquil 1950s.

Hitchcock admitted that the only reason he made "Psycho" was to do the shower scene. Always a master at manipulating the audience, his making of the movie was the ultimate inside joke — killing off the movie's presumed star 20 minutes into the run time. Hitchcock turned that surprise into the ultimate marketing ploy: When the movie was released, he demanded that no one enter the theater after it started.

"78/52" also has an exhaustive amount of insight on everything you could possibly think of about how the shower scene was created: the use of Hershey's chocolate syrup as blood because it would look better in black and white, how the shower head was rigged so water wouldn't get on the camera lens, even the type of melon the sound man stabbed with a knife to create the skin-penetrating effect in the scene.

Director Alexandre O. Philippe really does take a vast amount of information and displays it in a way that doesn't feel like it's a super-fan's term paper. He pulls this off through great archival footage, entertaining interviews on a set similar to the Bates Motel, and filming in black and white — another ode to "Psycho" — which gets you into the feel of the subject matter.

If you are a Hitchcock fan, this one is required viewing.  

And to get you in the mood, here's the shower scene from "Psycho":

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One of the biggest debates in the television industry currently is over the large amount of programming available to consumers. Eric Berger, general manager for Sony's digital network Crackle, argues that there couldn't be too much TV.

"I kind of look at it like books," Berger recently told Business Insider. "No one ever said there’s too many good books in the world, and it takes a while to digest, and enjoy a good book, just like it does to binge a show, and you’re going to pick and choose, and see the ones that you want to see. You’re not going to suddenly be subjected to lower quality."

FX Networks President John Landgraf has been waving the red flag when it comes to the growing amount of TV shows for years now in a theory he refers to as "peak TV."

By FX's count, there were 454 scripted TV shows in 2016, a new record. Among the detrimental effects of so much programming, Landgraf argues, are viewers' inability to actually watch the good shows and a drop in quality as more and more content providers enter the ring, especially digital companies like Netflix, Amazon, Crackle, and soon, Apple. According to the FX executive's theory, the amount of shows will reach a peak and then begin to shed its numbers by late 2017 or in 2018.

It's easy to see why Berger would be opposed to Landgraf's theory.

Though it just lost Emmy-nominated Jerry Seinfeld series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" to Netflix, Crackle has been ramping up its original series offerings, such as Emmy-nominated stop-motion comedy "SuperMansion," with Bryan Cranston and Keegan-Michael Key among its voice actors; tech drama "Startup," starring Martin Freeman and Adam Brody; "The Art of More," a drama set in the world of art trading, with Dennis Quaid and Kate Bosworth; and the upcoming drama "Snatch," adapted from the heist movie of the same name and featuring "Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint.

"As a consumer, you’ll watch what you want to watch," Berger told us. "So I think it’s a great time to be producing, and for us at Crackle, we’re producing things that we feel our audience really enjoys. We understand our audience. The biggest concentration of our users is on game consoles. These are young men. They like comedy, and they like action, and drama, and all of the thrills and crime, and we’re producing for that audience, and it seems to be working."

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Netflix is rebooting the groundbreaking makeover show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

According to Entertainment Weekly, the streaming company is looking to find five new hosts who will pass on some of their flair to their straight male participants – this time with a focus on guys from the more conservative states.

“In a time when America stands divided and the future seems uncertain, a team of five brave men will try to bring us closer together with laughter, heart, and just the right amount of moisturizer,” the show's producers said in statement. “The Emmy Award-winning 'Queer Eye' is back and ready to Make America Fabulous Again. With a new Fab 5 and the show’s toughest missions to date, 'Queer Eye' moves from the Big Apple to turn the Red States pink — one makeover at a time."

"Queer Eye" originally aired on Bravo from 2003 to 2007. The hit reality show featured a group of five gay men based in New York City, each with an expertise they'd focus on when making over a straight male on each episode.

Celebrated by gay viewers and gay media groups like GLAAD, "Queer Eye" also won an Emmy and and spawned a spin-off, "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl."

Netflix has been ramping up its reality programming as part of its bid to double its number of original programs for another consecutive year. Netflix's first competition show, the Sylvester Stallone-produced "Ultimate Beastmaster," will feature 108 contestants from around the world who tackle physically tough obstacle courses until only one person is left standing. It premiers on February 28.

SEE ALSO: The Lemony Snicket star Patrick Warburton almost couldn't do Netflix's show

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For weeks now, I've been bugging Elon Musk on Twitter ever since he revealed that he plays "Overwatch," one of the most popular video games in the world and Business Insider's top game of 2016.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, first mentioned that he plays "Overwatch" when Y Combinator's Sam Altman asked him about video game recommendations in a video interview. But when Gizmodo approached Musk to ask which "Overwatch" character he plays as, Musk was cagey, and would only hint that the answer was "too embarrassing."

So, I reached out.

No response.

I was unsuccessful, but also undeterred.

Later that day, Musk announced that Tesla had hired Apple's Chris Lattner to be the company's VP of Autopilot Software. I used that opportunity to ask again.

Then, a response!

Now that I had his attention, I prodded further.

Again, no response.

Two weeks passed.

But then, on Tuesday afternoon, Musk tweeted his thoughts on Rex Tillerson, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, saying he would be an "excellent pick." Knowing how rarely Musk surfaces on Twitter, I took the opportunity to respond.

Then, finally, Musk revealed his "dark secret."

If you're not familiar with "Overwatch," playing as Soldier 76 isn't actually as embarrassing as Musk thinks it is. He likely thinks it's embarrassing because Soldier 76 has a reputation for being one of the easiest characters in the game, since most of his abilities are comparable to those you'd find in a traditional first-person shooter like "Call of Duty." He runs, he shoots bullets and missiles, and can create safe zones for team members to heal up. Pretty simple stuff.

Here's a montage of some sweet Soldier 76 plays in "Overwatch."

Now, full disclosure: I too main Soldier 76 in "Overwatch" (by the way, the term "maining" is parlance for the most-often used character you play in a given game). Sure, Soldier 76's abilities are easy to master, but he's one of the best characters in the game, great on both offense and defense.

And so, there you have it. Elon Musk's "dark secret" is that he plays a solid, well-rounded character in a super-popular online multiplayer game. That's not too bad as far as "dark secrets" go.

I've reached out to Musk to see which console he plays on.

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