All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1407

  • News

    Are We There Yet' defies blizzards to open top on $18.5m

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Columbia/Revolution'sAre We There Yet'opened top on an estimated $18.5m at the weekend, dominating a three-day periodthat was blighted by massive blizzards across northeastern America.BrianLevant's poorly reviewed romantic comedy starring Ice Cube And Nia Longaveraged $6,829 on 2,709 screens and knocked Paramount's drama Coach Carter into second place on$11m for $43.2m ...

  • News

    V good Bridget passes $200m at international box office

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason passed $200m in international ticket sales throughall distributors at the weekend.The romantic comedy sequel added an estimated $2.5m on 1,070 screens in 21markets through UIP for a $184.5m UIP running total. The figure rises to $210mincluding a $15.5m cumulative total in France through Mars.Bridget ...

  • News

    Elektra takes $4.5m for Fox International

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Fox International's Elektra grossed an estimated $4.5m on 1,207 screens in six territories at theweekend, raising its international running total to $6.8m.The comic book adaptation opened in fifth place in the UKon $1.5m on 330, second in Mexico on $893,000 on 350, fourth in South Korea on$715,000 on 81, first ...

  • News

    The Incredibles passes $600m at global box office

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Buena Vista International's(BVI) The Incredibles became onlythe 25th picture to pass $600m in global ticket sales at the weekendfollowing a $5.2m international weekend gross that raised its internationalrunning total to $343m.National Treasure added $6.1m for $128.5m, fired up by number onedebuts in Malaysia and Argentina that yielded $289,000 and $239,000respectively.BVI ...

  • News

    PGA goes for Aviator as the year's best film

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Michael Mann and Graham King won the DarrylF Zanuck Producer of the Year award for The Aviator at the 16th Annual PGA Awards hosted by Intel in LosAngeles on Jan 22.Innon-theatrical honours: Mike Nichols, Cary Brokaw, Celia Costas and Mike Haleywon the David L Wolper long-form television award for Angels ...

  • News

    Paramount, MTV, Miramax lead buying fever at Sundance

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    An initiallyrestrained Sundance 2005 finally kicked into life yesterday (23) with a flurryof deals closed, led by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films' $16m three-picturedeal with producer John Singleton that includes the acquisition of CraigBrewer's early festival favourite and American Dramatic Competition entry Hustle& Flow.Meanwhile Miramax was believed to be in ...

  • News

    Closer gathers steam with trio of major debuts

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Sony Pictures Releasing International's (SPRI) torriddrama Closer continued its impressiverun with an estimated $12.3m weekend haul that included a trio of major numberone debuts.The picture opened top inFrance on $2.7m on 328 prints, top in Spain on $2m on 259, and top in Brazil on$750,000 on 180. It also opened ...

  • News

    US indie distributor TLA plans initiative into UK market

    2005-01-24T00:00:00Z

    Marking its first expansion outside North America,domestic independent TLA Releasing, which specializes in gay and lesbian titles,has declared its intention to enter the UK home entertainment market andrelease 12 to 16 titles from its US catalogue each year.Down the line the company says it plans to acquire titles fortheatrical release ...

  • News

    Docurama acquires ex-Sundance six-pack

    2005-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Docurama, the US home entertainment specialist distribution label for non-fiction titles,has picked up a raft of previous Sundance titles and plans to release themthroughout the year.The titles are:* Sundance 2004 entry The Arthur Dong Collection: Stories From The War OnHomosexuality containingComing Out Under Fire,Family Fundamentals,and Licensed To Kill;* Carlos Bosch ...

  • News

    Empire brings Italy's Caterina to US

    2005-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Empire Pictures has picked up Paolo Virzi's coming-of-age story Caterina In The Big City (Caterina Va In Citta) and plans a US release on April 8 in New York and Los Angeles followed by a nationwide arthouse rollout. The picture, which was a sizeable hit in Italy when it opened ...

  • News

    Picture This! picks up domestic rights to The Great Water

    2005-01-21T00:00:00Z

    PictureThis! Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to Ivo Trajkov'sMacedonian foreign language Academy Award submission The Great Water. Basedon the novel of the same name by Zhivko Chingo, The Great Water traces the childhood of a high ranking elderlycommunist party member who is approaching death. IdaMartins, president of German ...

  • News

    Vine libary titles find Dream ticket

    2005-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based production and international salescompany Dream Entertainment has acquired all rights to select titles from VineInternational Pictures' UK-based film library.The titles include:* Alan Rudolph's thriller Equinox starring Marisa Tomei, Mathew Modine andLara Flynn Boyle; * the drama Prince Of Jutland starring Christian Bale, Gabriel Byrne, Kate Beckinsale and HelenMirren; ...

  • News

    Elektra pins hopes on overseas rescue

    2005-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Fox International's Elektra begins its international assault in earnest with debuts inthe UK, Mexico, Brazil and South Korea on Jan 21 on 350, 350, 176 and 81screens respectively.The comic book adaptation has taken $2.3m from the earlystages of its run and executives will be hoping for stronger returns than thoseposted ...

  • News

    Sea Inside wins audience award at Palm Springs

    2005-01-19T04:00:00Z

    AlejandroAmenabar's true life drama The Sea Inside won the audience award for best narrative feature at the16th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, while Yaron Zilberman'schronicle of the Jewish Sports Club in Watermarks took corresponding documentary honours.Danielle Arbid'scoming-of-age story In the Battlefields won the New Voices/New Visions Award and first-timedirector ...

  • News

    Bocco gets new independent role at Gersh

    2005-01-19T04:00:00Z

    US talent agencyGersh Agency has hired former Miramax Films senior vice president ofacquisitions Arianna Bocco (pictured) to head up its new Independent Feature Packagingdivision.Based in NewYork, the division will seek to assemble financing for independent features andsell them in the global marketplace, while broadening Gersh's existing rosterof directing and producing ...

  • News

    Buerling gets senior job at LA's Filmmates Co

    2005-01-19T04:00:00Z

    Veteran producerJeanette Buerling has been appointed executive vice-president of production anddistribution at Los Angeles-based Filmmates Corporation.Buerling hasworked with Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Germany's Leo Kirch Network DSFand the Bertelsman Group, among others.Prior to herappointment with Filmmates she served as executive director of HollywoodInternational Finance, a film investment fund that ...

  • News

    Keith named senior vp at Yari's Bull's Eye

    2005-01-19T04:00:00Z

    Yari Film Group'sBull's Eye Entertainment has hired former DreamWorks executive Leah Keith tothe new position of senior vice president of development and production.Keith will focusprimarily on broadening Bull's Eye reach into studio films and will oversee asmall number of independent projects. The company has a first-look deal atParamount.She arrives atBull's ...

  • News

    Huntsberry temporarily steps into Finkelstein's shoes at Universal

    2005-01-19T04:00:00Z

    FrederickHuntsberry has been named interim president and chief operating officer atUniversal Pictures while Rick Finkelstein takes an undetermined leave ofabsence after sustaining injuries in a recent skiing accident.Huntsberry willreport to Universal chairman Stacey Snider and continues to oversee NBCUniversal Television Distribution in his role as executive vice president,reporting jointly to ...

  • News

    Lewis named production president at Searchlight

    2005-01-18T04:00:00Z

    In the latest senior appointment at Fox Searchlight as the studioprepares for its biggest ever year, company veteran Claudia Lewis has beenappointed president of production.Lewis (pictured) will oversee the slate including development,packaging, budgeting, casting and production. All production executives willreport to her.Fox Searchlight president Peter Rice called Lewis "hands-down thebest ...

  • News

    International box office drives Alexander

    2005-01-18T00:00:00Z

    Alexander grossed an estimated $14.5m from approximately 3,600screens in 51 territories through IS Film Distribution and Warner Bros PicturesInternational at the weekend, driving its international cumulative total to$88m.The picture scored a pair ofstrong debuts through Warner International in Italy and Brazil (see separatereport), and opened top in Romania on $74,995 ...