All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1263
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Strand takes on Jacques Nolot's Before I Forget
Strand Releasing has picked up all North American rights from Colifilms Diffusion to Jacques Nolot's Before I Forget (Avant Qur J'Oublie), which gets it world premiere here on Thursday.This is Strand's second acquisition of a Nolot film after Le Chat A Deux Tetes, which was released in the US as ...
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Midler, Bergen and Fisher join The Women for Inferno
Bette Midler, Candice Bergan and Carrie Fisher have joined the case of Inferno Distribution's comedy The Women, which is currently shooting in New York and Boston.Annette Bening, Eva Mendes and Jada Pinkett Smith also star in the story of a wealthy New Yorker who leaves her cheating husband and bonds ...
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Paramount Vantage starts buyer talks for Traitor and Harvey
Paramount Vantage co-president Nick Meyer has commenced talks here with international buyers on Overture Films' terrorism thriller Traitor and romance Last Chance Harvey.Meyer and Overture chiefs Chris McGurk and Danny Rosett are testing the waters after announcing their partnership in Cannes, under which Overture has access to Vantage's international sales ...
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Voltage plans six creature features with Insight
Los Angeles based financing and sales company Voltage Pictures has announced another six creature feature films to be produced with Vancouver's Insight Films Studios.The first, Odysseus And The Isle Of Mists, is in post-production and will be directed by Terry Ingram and star Arnold Vosloo from The Mummy franchise.Riddles Of ...
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Sayles' Honeydripper to open IFP week in New York
John Sayles' Honeydripper, which gets it world premiere here today, will open the IFP's 2007 Independent Film Week on Sept 17.Highlights of the week-long event include the Filmmaker Conference and the 29th Annual IFP Market, which since its inception has spawned more than 7,000 projects including Maria Full Of Grace, ...
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THINKFilm strikes $3m deal for Hunt's Then She Found Me
In the first major deal to be struck at the festival, THINKFilm isbelieved to have paid just under $3m for US rights to Helen Hunt'sdirectorial debut Then She Found Me.The distributor was among a pack of buyers chasing rights after theKiller Films production's world premiere on Friday, finally closingthe deal ...
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Myriad takes on rights to Farlinger's All Hat
Los Angeles-based financing, production and sales company Myriad Pictures has picked up international rights on Leonard Farlinger's Toronto entry All Hat.Based on the book by Brad Smith, the comedy Western centres on the exploits of an ex-con who struggles to stay on the straight and narrow after he returns to ...
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Arts Alliance takes North America for Never Forever
Arts Alliance America, formerly Hart Sharp Video, has picked up North American rights to the Vera Farmiga drama Never Forever and will co-distribute with South Korea's Prime Entertainment.The company plans a theatrical release in the first quarter of 2008 followed by DVD rollout.Never Forever premiered at Sundance and stars Farmiga ...
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Louisiana ex-film comissioner faces bribery charges
Louisiana's former film commissioner Mark Smith faces up to 15 years in prison and a $350,000 fine for taking bribes to entice film production into the state.Smith pleaded guilty on Friday to accepting approximately $60,000 in bribes while he led the state's film development efforts, a role he carried out ...
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Miramax takes on US rights to Meirelles' Blindness
Miramax announced last night that it had picked up US rights to Fernando Meirelles' thriller Blindness in a deal believed to be in the $4m-5m range.Meirelles is currently shooting his adaptation of Jose Saramago's novel, about a doctor's wife who becomes the only person in a town who can see ...
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THINKFilm takes on US rights to Hunt's Then She Found Me
In the first major deal to be struck at the festival, THINKFilm has paid just under $3m for US rights to Helen Hunt's directorial debut Then She Found Me. The distributor was among a pack of buyers chasing rights after the Killer Films production's world premiere on Friday, finally closing ...
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Weinsteins take world rights to John Crowley's Boy A
The Weinstein Company (TWC) made the first big play of the festival as it announced on Friday it had swooped on worldwide rights excluding UK TV for Boy A. John Crowley's UK drama centres a young ex-con after he is released from prison for committing a murder as ...
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IFC takes North America for Kormakur's Jar City
IFC Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Baltasar Kormakur's crime thriller Jar City, which started screening here on Thursday. Vice president of acquisitions and production Arianna Bocco and director of acquisitions and production Lizzie Nastro did the deal with ICM and Trust Films' sales executive Natja Noviani Rosner at ...
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Broomfield delivers controversial Iraq project Battle For Haditha
Nick Broomfield adds his voice to the wave of films on modern warfare and terrorism with Battle For Haditha, which gets its much anticipated world premiere here on Sept 11.The British film-maker employed his trademark unflinching storytelling style in the re-enactment of an alleged retaliatory massacre of 24 Iraqi innocents ...
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Gavin Hood eyes December shoot for Wolverine
Gavin Hood, in town to attend last night's world premiere of Rendition, has lined up a December start in Australia and New Zealand for the X-Men spin-off Wolverine.Hood said he planned to make a profound origins story that would bear the hallmarks of Greek tragedy.'We all mutate after trauma, in ...