DRAKE SPOILS UNI PIX’S GREY CUP BID

Universal Pictures is said to be cranky about being denied a # 1 soundtrack album to go with Fifty Shades of Grey’s record-breaking opening weekend after said soundtrack was upstaged by Drake's stealth release. This bitter pill is even harder to swallow given the fact that Drake is distributed by Republic, the same label that has their soundtrack.

Despite the disappointment, both companies are laughing all the way to the bank, as the movie does $94m+ over the holiday weekend, while Republic has a week to remember as the two projects combine for 800k+ in TEA.

This killer one-two punch—at this rate, the two projects will collectively hit 2m TEA units in the next few weeks—should go a long way toward easing Republic’s post-Grammy blues after failing to move the needle this year. The early odds are heavily in favor of Monte Lipman, Republic’s masterful tactician, leading the company back to Grammy glory next year; over/under TBD.