All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1408
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Fockers closing on $100m at international box office
DreamWorksInternational's Meet The Fockershas a shot at passing $100m this weekend following an explosive run that hasalready produced $31.4m in the UK, $24.9m in Australia and $8.3m in Mexico.Currently on an $88.4m cumulative total from all its markets, Fockers goes out through UIP in Italy today (11)and should prosper, bearing ...
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MPAA announces pair of new policy posts
Capitol Hill veteran John Feehery has been appointedexecutive vice president and chief communications officer at the MPAA, whileRich Taylor becomes senior vice president of external affairs and education.Feehery formerly served as press secretary to the Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Dennis Hastert. Based in Washington, the newly created postwill require ...
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Daniel Taylor appointed MGM president
DanielTaylor has been appointed president of MGM following completion of the sale tothe Sony-led LOC Acquisition Company consortium.Taylor will be responsible for overseeing all operations of MGM, includingdevelopment and production of a smaller slate of theatrical and televisionproduct through co-financing and distribution with Sony.He will play a major role in ...
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Columbia TriStar, SPRI pick up Brown Bunny
Columbia TriStar has pickedup DVD and television rights from Wellspring to Vincent Gallo's The BrownBunny, with Sony Pictures ReleasingInternational (SPRI) acquiring a slew of international rights from Kinetique.SPRI picked up rights to the UK, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand,India, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, and Asia, excluding Japan and Thailand.The Brown Bunny ...
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Flightplan on cruise control after second weekend
Touchstone's thriller Flightplan stayed topof the charts as it added an estimated $15m haul to raise the domestic runningtotal to $46.2m after two weekends.Opening in second place on $10.1m was Serenity, Universal's sci-fi thriller starring Nathan Fillionand Gina Torres. Joss Whedon's picture drew very strong reviews and averaged$4,634 on 2,188 ...
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NBC Universal signs distribution deal with Japan's Broadmedia
NBC Universal and Broadmedia Studios Corporation have signed anexclusive, multi-year distribution agreement for free and basic subscriptioncable television rights to a wide selection of Universal's features andtelevision product in Japan.Under the terms of the agreement, Broadmedia Studios Corporation becomes NBCUniversal's exclusive television distributor for these titles in Japan.The agreement includes ...
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Wild Bunch buys world rights to Sundance comedy Dirty Love
Wild Bunch has picked up international sales on Dirty Love,John Asher's Sundance comedy that played in the Park City at Midnight programme.Written by and starring Jenny McCarthy, Dirty Love is a send-up ofLos Angeles life and centres on a jilted women who embarks upon a bizarre questto "find the white ...
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Pollack wraps on Frank Gehry documentary
Sydney Pollack has completed shooting on his firstdocumentary Sketches Of Frank Gehry, about the famed architect whosecreations include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and theGuggenheim Museum in Bilbao.Pollack, a close friend of Gehry's for more than 25 years, spent four yearsmaking the picture and shot on location ...
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here! Films picks up US rights to Julie Johnson
here! Films has picked upall US rights to Bob Gosse's relationship drama Julie Johnson from Cinemavault Releasing and plans to premiere thetitle in June on its gay and lesbian premium television network here!Julie Johnson stars Lili Taylorand Courtney Love as best friends who move in together and eventually fall inlove. ...
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Goldwyn, SPE snap up The Squid And The Whale
Samuel GoldwynFilms and Sony Pictures Entertainment have jointly acquired worldwiderights to Noah Baumbach's Sundance prizewinner The Squid And The Whale.Samuel Goldwyn will take the lead on distribution in North America and expectsto release the picture this autumn, while Sony Pictures Releasing Internationalwill handle the international roll-out.Baumbach's autobiographical tale chronicles the ...
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Obituary: Joan Weidman
Joan Weidman, president ofproduction at International Film Guarantors (IFG) and one of the industry'smost knowledgeable veterans, passed away on Feb 6.Weidman oversaw allproduction and financial aspects of completion bonding for IFG, a leadingcompletion bond company, and was a key player in the financing and productionof such pictures as The Aviator, ...
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Alexander conquers $120m mark over weekend
Alexander grossed an estimated $4.2m through alldistributors on 1,890 screens in 52 territories at the weekend, raising itsinternational running total to $120m.In its only major release of the weekend the epic openedin the top five in Japan through Summit Entertainment on $1.9m on 261 screens.Alexander added $303,000 on 302 in ...
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Lions Gate sells Rwanda to Germany, France, Australia
Lions Gate FilmsInternational (LGFI) has closed a raft of sales on its Oscar nominated HotelRwanda, which makes itsinternational premiere in official selection at the 2005 Berlinale.Tobis has picked up the Rwandan genocide drama forGermany, Metropolitan for France, Village Roadshow for Australia, and AscotElite for Switzerland.Hotel Rwanda co-producer Mikado is set ...
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Aviator continues to soar for Miramax in Germany, France
The Aviator grossed an estimated $6m through MiramaxInternational at the weekend, raising its international running total to $31.6mfrom five territories.Highlightsincluded a climb to number one in Germany on $1.4m in The Aviator's third weekend for a $6.3m runningtotal, and $2.2m for $6.6m in its second weekend in France, where it ...
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Skoll to back Deutchman's US digital network
New York-basedEmerging Pictures is preparing to launch its long-gestating digital cinemanetwork with the backing of former eBay founder Jeff Skoll's Los Angeles-basedParticipant Productions.The initiativewill establish a nationwide network for the distribution and exhibition ofspecialty films in museums, performing arts centres, science and technologyinstitutions, and restored movie palaces.The venues willscreen English-language ...
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Boyle's Millions wins top film prize at Sarasota
Danny Boyle's Millions won the 2005 Narrative FeatureCompetition Award at the 7th Annual Sarasota Film Festival closing ceremony (6)and Stephen Vittoria's One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer OfGeorge McGovern tookdocumentary honours.In the audienceawards, Dave McKean's Mirrormask won best narrative feature, Rebecca Dreyfus's Stolen took best documentary, Prachya Pinkaew'sThai picture ...
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Echo Bridge buys domestic DVD distributor Platinum Disc
LosAngeles-based independent Echo Bridge Entertainment is consolidating its NorthAmerican distribution enterprise with the announced merger of leading NorthAmerican home entertainment distributor Platinum Disc Corporation and its2,000-title library.TheWisconsin-based Platinum Disc Corporation will become Platinum Disc, asubsidiary of Echo Bridge Entertainment, and will continue to operate as beforewith its 225 staff intact."This ...
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Top Euro buyers swallow Throat rights
Ahead of moreanticipated business at Berlin later this week, Summit Entertainment hasannounced a slew of key European sales on Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato'sdocumentary Inside Deep Throat.The picture, which received its world premiere at Sundanceand plays in Berlin's Panorama programme, sold to Momentum in the UK.Constantin in Germany, Metropolitan FilmExport ...
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Sundance Channel buys de Lestrade's Staircase
The Sundance Channel haspicked up pay television rights to Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's true-crimedocumentary The Staircase.The eight-part miniseriesfollows the investigation into the cause of death of Nortel executive KathleenPeterson, and will premiere as a special Sundance Channel DOCday seriesbeginning on Apr 4.The Maha Films production isthe latest release from de Lestrade, ...
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Dream gets international on Tell Them Who You Are
LosAngeles-based production and international sales company Dream Entertainmenthas picked up international rights to Mark Wexler's documentary Tell ThemWho You Are and willbegin sales at the European Film Market in Berlin.The picturepremiered at Venice last year and offers a portrait of the filmmaker's fatherHaskell Wexler, the legendary cinematographer, outspoken left-wing activist ...