All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1253
-
News
THINKFilm takes Battle In Seattle as Toronto deals continue
THINKFilm has bought US rights to Stuart Townsend's directorial debut Battle In Seattle in a deal believed to be just over $2m.Graham Taylor of Endeavor Independent closed the sale with THINKFilm'sacquisitions executives late on Thursday [Sept 13] after sustainedinterest from at least four buyers.The ensemble drama received its world premiere ...
-
News
The summer everyone had a hit
The 2007 blockbuster season exceeded the projected numbers in emphatic style. Hollywood top brass were celebrating the first $4bn North American summer before the season officially came to a close over the Labor Day weekend (August 31-September 3), and the international profile looks equally bullish. According to informal figures collated ...
-
News
Rialto buys Australia and New Zealand on We Are Together
Rialto Distribution has acquired theatrical and home video rights in Australia and New Zealand to Paul Taylor's documentary We Are Together (Thina Simunye).The film chronicles an uplifting episode in the life of South African children from an orphanage. it is a RISE Films production in association with The Channel 4 ...
-
News
Magnolia takes US rights to In Bloom from sister company 2929
2929 Productions has sold Vadim Perelman's drama In Bloom to Magnolia Pictures in the US and TVA Films in Canada.The film got its world premiere at Toronto last Saturday and stars Uma Thurman as a woman haunted by the memory of a high school shooting. Evan Rachel Wood and Eva ...
-
News
Cillian Murphy to join Al Pacino in Room 9's Dali & I
Cillian Murphy will star opposite Al Pacino in Room 9 Entertainment's Dali & I: The Surreal Story, which is set to begin shooting in Spain and New York in early 2008.Andrew Niccol will direct from his rewrite of the speculative script by John Salvati based on Stan Lauryssens' novel Dali ...
-
News
Magnolia Pictures launches genre label
Magnolia Pictures has launched the genre label Magnet to release 'thewild, unquantifiable and uncompromised', kicking off with the DVDrelease of Jeremy Saulnier's hipster slasher film Murder Party on Oct16.The label will allow Magnolia to specialise in an area that it haspreviously serviced through releases such as The Host, Severance,Exiled, and ...
-
News
Magnolia Pictures launches genre label
Magnolia Pictures has launched the genre label Magnet to release 'thewild, unquantifiable and uncompromised', kicking off with the DVDrelease of Jeremy Saulnier's hipster slasher film Murder Party on Oct16.The label will allow Magnolia to specialise in an area that it haspreviously serviced through releases such as The Host, Severance,Exiled, and ...
-
News
Toronto deals close on Visitor, Nothing Is Private, Diary Of The Dead
Following an anaemic first few days at Toronto the domestic acquisitions scene finally showed signs of life as Overture Films took North American rights to Thomas McCarthy's crowd-pleaser The Visitor, Warner Independent Pictures and Red Envelope jointly took North America and other territories on Alan Ball's Nothing Is Private and ...
-
News
Harry Potter now biggest franchise ever
The combined worldwide box office of the five Harry Potter films to date currently exceeds $4.47bn, overtaking box office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the six Star Wars films. Each of the first five Harry Potter films is among the top 20 worldwide releases in history. 'It ...
-
News
Regent hires Proud Mary Entertainment's Aloe for acquisitions
Proud Mary Entertainment president Mary Aloe has been hired by Regent Releasing to source acquisitions for its existing $50m P&A fund. The fund was established through Merrill Lynch to provide strategic print and advertising support for Regent's slate. Aloe is in Toronto to help find the initial slate. 'We are ...
-
News
Veneziano to leave GreeneStreet to head new partner Icon
Ariel Veneziano is leaving GreeneStreet Films International (GSFI) to head Icon Entertainment International (IEI) as part of a strategic alliance between IEI and GreeneStreet Films (GSF).Effective Sept 17, the Los Angeles-based Veneziano will acquire rights to select GSF films and library titles as IEI bulks up sales on third party ...
-
News
Podell promoted in acquisitions for Weinstein Company
Michal Podell has been promoted to senior vice president of acquisitions and business and legal affairs at The Weinstein Company.Podell, who formerly served as vice president of international business and legal affairs, is based in New York and will report to acquisitions heads Michelle Krumm and Maeva Gatineau and executive ...
-
News
Sagansky named co-chairman of Peace Arch
Jeffrey Sagansky has been elected co-chairman of Peace Arch Entertainment Group, effective Sept 1, 2007.Sagansky will serve alongside Peace Arch's former chairman Drew Craig, currently co-chairman, in executing the company's business model.He previously served as chief executive officer of CBS Entertainment, co-president of Sony Pictures Entertainment, president of TriStar Pictures, ...
-
News
Arthouse, Red Envelope take Wagstaff and Mapplethorpe doc
Arthouse Films and Red Envelope Entertainment will jointly release the documentary Black White + Gray: A Portrait Of Sam Wagstaff And RobertMapplethorpe.James Crump's film premiered at Tribeca and will open theatrically in Los Angeles and New York at the end of the year followed by DVD release in 2008 on ...
-
News
Polanksi drops out of Summit's Pompeii due to schedule conflict
Roman Polanski has left the forthcoming production of the epic drama Pompeii due to scheduling conflicts.The director pulled out after Summit International indicated it may have to postpone principal photography in Europe next summer due to concerns over a possible industry strike.Summit International is selling worldwide rights and is searching ...
-
News
Harry Potter turns into world's biggest franchise
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix has propelled the Warner Bros franchise past the James Bond series and into the record books. The combined worldwide box office of the five Harry Potter films to date currently exceeds $4.47bn, overtaking the box office totals of all 22 James Bond ...
-
News
Sigrid Ann Davison dies at 49 after long illness
International sales executive Sigrid Ann Davison died on Aug 26 at her home in Los Angeles after a long illness. She was 49.Davison started her career at Universal Pictures International Sales before moving on to Skouras Pictures, where she served as senior vice president of international and oversaw sales, distribution, ...
-
News
Sanchez promoted at NBC Universal Television Distribution
Maria Sanchez has been promoted to senior vice president liaison, Latin America, Spain and Portugal at NBC Universal International Television Distribution (NBC UITD).Sanchez most recently served as vice president liaison, Spain and Portugal, and will continue to be based in NBC Universal's Madrid office, reporting to NBC UITD president Belinda ...
-
News
3:10 To Yuma shoots to top in strong domestic weekend
James Mangold's Western remake 3:10 To Yuma opened top through Lionsgate at the weekend on an estimated $14.1m. The film stars Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and Ben Foster and centres on a rancher who has to escort an outlaw on to a prison train despite being pursued by the ...
-
News
Bourne back on top in international markets
Another solid weekend haul for Universal's The Bourne Ultimatum sawthe spy thriller close in on $100m as it reclaimed the weekend crownfrom Shrek The Third.The spy thriller grossed an estimated $16.5m through UPI from 3,660venues in 37 territories to elevate the running total to $98.8m. It isexpected to cross $100m ...