All articles by Francoise Meaux Saint Marc – Page 6
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Besson's Europa in major output & facilities deal
Vivendi Universal and Canal Plus have signed a three-year, ten picture deal with Luc Besson's company Europa Corp. The partnership also includes the use by Universal Music and Universal Studios of Besson's own high-tech facilities Digital Factory.The amount represented by the various deals remained undisclosed. Vivendi Universal chairman and ...
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Local films eroding US marketshare in France
French films, which have been performing consistently well in their home territory since the beginning of the year, have wrestled US titles' normally dominant marketshare down to 49% (compared with 62% last year) in the first nine months of 2001, According with the latest estimations by the CNC (Centre National ...
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Bridget Jones's Diary is the talk of Paris
Bridget Jones's Diary has attracted a massive 872,000 admissions in France in its first five days and should reach the one million admissions mark in its first week. The Working Title film, distributed in France by StudioCanal's affiliate Mars Films (which scored a hit last year with another British title, ...
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Euromedia & Bollore buy French SFP studios
French state-owned studios and facilities group Societe Francaise de Production (SFP), which has been drowning in red ink for decades, has been acquired for $4.2m (Ffr30m) by Euromedia Television facilities house in partnership with Bollore Investissement.The French government has been seeking to sell SFP -- which lost close to $11.2m ...
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Distrib newcomer ThinkFilm calls Time Out for US
ThinkFilm, the fledgling North American distributor that was set up recently by a team of former Lions Gate executives, has acquired US rights to Venice-winning French title L'Emploi Du Temps (Time Out), the second feature film by Human Resources director Laurent Cantet.Since the Toronto film festival some ten companies have ...
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Bonduel to head Pathe distribution and sales arms
Marc Bonduel, formerly CEO of France Television Distribution/President Films, has joined Pathe, where he will head both the French film distribution arm Pathe Distribution and international sales outfit Pathe International.Bonduel, 45, a former CEO of Warner Home Video in France who has headed public broadcaster France Television 's film and ...
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France's Expand reports first half losses
French television production powerhouse Expand, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal, has announced a Euros 4.5m loss for the first half of 2001, compared to a Euros 1.8m net profit in the same period last year.Expand -- in which Vivendi Universal (through StudioCanal) upped its participation to a controlling 52.1% stake ...
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Clouzot commits to Cannes Critics Week reforms
In Claire Clouzot, the Cannes Critics Week has appointed a new head who has vowed to continue the reforms of her predecessor Jose Maria Riba. Riba quit in a storm of dissent and his departure was followed by the exit of other leading members.Clouzot, the niece of Les Diaboliques director ...
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Vidocq tops French chart after slow start
After a slow start, UGC high-tech period/fantasy title Vidocq has attracted over 740,000 admissions in its first five days, topping the French charts at Sept 23The $21.4m (Ffr152m) title -- a first film by SFX specialist Pitof, which stars Gerard Depardieu and Guillaume Canet and was entirely digitally produced - ...
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French films see 40% leap in foreign revenues
Foreign theatrical revenues for French-language films has leapt 40% during the first seven months of 2001 compared to the same period last year.According to a Unifrance report, Germany saw the strongest rise (178%), of the seven countries considered (Germany, Spain, the US, the UK, Italy, Quebec and Switzerland) which together ...
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France's new TPS Star challenges Canal Plus
Television Par Satellite (TPS) the French digital satellite operator which is a rival to Vivendi Universal's CanalSatellite, is taking on Canal Plus, the French pay-TV channel, with the launch of a 'premium' channel, TPS Star, which will concentrate on film and soccer programming.The operator -- which boasts 1 million subscribers, ...
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France's TF1 expects 2001 to see ad sales dive
TF1 is expecting its full year advertising sales to drop by up to 5% in 2001, with its net profits sliding up to 10% compared to last year. During the first half of 2001, TF1's advertising sales were relatively stable (a 0.2% rise, to Euros 834m) compared to the same ...
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French box office heads for vintage year
2001 is looking likely to become a vintage year for the French cinema sector. Since January 1, admissions in the territory have reached 122 million, a 9.9% increase on the same period last year.According to estimates by the CNC (Centre National de la Cinematographie) French films have enjoyed a 42.5% ...
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French TV sales get boost from feature films
Foreign sales of French television programmes leapt by 13.4% last year to reach $117.2m (Ffr848m), according to a survey commissioned by French exporters' association TV France International. Including the sales of foreign television programming $25.6m (Ffr185m) and of TV rights to French and foreign feature films $86.8m (Ffr628m) handled by ...
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French TPS and CanalSatellite merger mooted
Following the resignation of TF1's chairman Patrick Le Lay from his position as chairman of French digital satellite service TPS, a potential merger or at least an alliance between TPS and Canal Plus-rival service CanalSatellite no longer seems so far-fetched.Most observers see Le Lay's departure from TPS - where he ...
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StudioCanal secures control of TV producer Expand
Vivendi Universal's European film and television arm StudioCanal now owns a controlling 52.1% stake in French television production powerhouse Expand, after the first round of a take-over bid which closed last week.The bid for a 20% stake in Expand is to be re-opened at the beginning of November following the ...
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French pay-TV operator AB de-listed from NYSE
French pay-tv operator AB Groupe is to be de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange. The company, which operates 18 cable and satellite channels in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, is to put at end to its ADR (American Depository Receipts - US-traded shares of foreign companies) programme as of ...
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StudioCanal sees film boost half-year revenues
Vivendi Universal's European film and television production and distribution subsidiary StudioCanal has posted a 20.3% hike in revenues for the first half of 2001, mostly due to revenues from new films, which grew by 51% compared to the same period last year.StudioCanal's consolidated revenues reached Euros 179.9m, (including Euros 165.2m ...
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Bac Majestic sees first half revenues jump 21.2%
Bac Majestic has seen its 2001 first-half revenues jump 21.2% to Euros 39.7m. This is good news for the French distributor and exhibitor which was floated on the French equivalent to the Nasdaq a year ago and has seen its shares dip 80% since then.Distribution and sales, which represent 85% ...
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Irreversible re-teams Bellucci and Cassel
Real-life couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, lately seen in French film-maker Christophe Gans' hit title Brotherhood Of The Wolf, are joined again in Gaspard Noe's Irreversible, which started shooting at the end of July.In Irreversible, which is Noe's second film after the award-winning horror Seul Contre Tous (I ...