All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1463

  • News

    Dates staves off four wide new openers

    2004-02-22T00:00:00Z

    Despite four new entries in the top 10 none was strong enough tochallenge Columbia's 50 First Dates, which held on to number one in its second week on $21m for a$72.3m running total.Buena Vista's Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen opened a distant second but performedroughly as executives predicted on ...

  • News

    Lightning acquires teen horror Dead Scared

    2004-02-20T04:00:00Z

    LosAngeles-based sales and distribution outfit Lightning Entertainment hasacquired international rights to Honey Creek Pictures' first feature production,the teen horror picture Dead Scared.Dead Scared will get a world premiere screening atthe AFM and centres on five college children trapped in a haunted mansion whoeach become possessed by a demonic spirit.It stars ...

  • News

    Stanton to get ShoWest award for animation director

    2004-02-20T04:00:00Z

    Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton has been named ShoWest 2004Animation Director of the Year and will collect his honour during the event,which runs in Las Vegas from Mar 22-25."To think that Nemo, Marlinand Dory were first introduced to the industry at ShoWest 2003 when Disney andPixar screened Finding Nemo isvery ...

  • News

    Countdown to $1bn: King is now number two

    2004-02-19T04:00:00Z

    The Lord OfThe Rings: The Return Of The King has overtaken Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone to become the second highest worldwidegrossing picture of all time behind Titanic.Figuresyesterday (Wednesday) from New Line International (NLI) put Peter Jackson'strilogy finale on $981.9m. This comprises $624.2m in international and $357.7min domestic ticket ...

  • News

    HBO Films starts shooting Rwanda drama in Rwanda

    2004-02-19T04:00:00Z

    Production isunderway in Rwanda on HBO Films' ...Sometimes In April, which stars Debra Winger as a USofficial during the Rwandan genocide of the mid-1990s.The US-Frenchco-production between HBO Films and Cinefacto is being directed by Raoul Peck (Lumumba), who also wrote the screenplay andserves as co-executive producer along with Joel Stillerman. ...

  • News

    Mountain set for four major openings including Germany, Mexico

    2004-02-19T04:00:00Z

    Milestones will be reached this weekend in the internationalmarkets as The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King will pass $1bn in worldwide ticketsales, while The Last Samurai is expected to slice through $300m in international and Something'sGotta Give should racepast $50m.New Line International's The Return Of The ...

  • News

    King is king in Japan with $11.1m two-day take

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    The Lord OfThe Rings: The Return Of The King opened top in Japan at the weekend on $11.1m from 729 screens, asthe picture grossed $21.7m from 4,128 screens in 60 markets to boost itsinternational running total to $618.4m.Including lastweekend's previews New Line International's fantasy finale grossed $14.7m inJapan through Nippon ...

  • News

    Warner Germany ties up X for a further 20 films

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    Warner Bros Pictures Germanyhas extended its partnership with Germany's X-Filme and its distribution armX-Verleih in a long-term, multi-faceted distribution agreement covering up to20 films.

  • News

    Cheaper makes Fox richer with $3.3m opening in UK

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    FoxInternational's comedy Cheaper By The Dozen opened top in the UK at the weekend on$3.3m (including previews) from 364 screens.The picture alsoopened in Korea on $204,000 from 70. Overall it added $4.5m from 1,137 screensto raise its international running total to $19.2m.The comedy StuckOn You opened top inAustralia on $1.2m ...

  • News

    Major, Bumstead pick up honours from ADG

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    Grant Major wonthe Art Directors' Guild Excellence in Production Design and Art Directionaward for a period or fantasy film for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return OfThe King at the weekend.Henry Bumsteadpicked up the contemporary film trophy for his work on Mystic River.Among otherhonorees at the ceremony at the ...

  • News

    Disney buys the rights to Muppets from Henson Co

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    The Walt DisneyCo said yesterday (Feb 17) it had agreed to buy the characters from The Muppets andBear In The Big Blue House from the Jim Henson Co.Disney isexpected to relaunch the characters, which include Kermit The Frog and MissPiggy, through a new television series and special shows.The media gianthas ...

  • News

    Law is male star of the year at ShoWest

    2004-02-18T04:00:00Z

    Jude Law has been named ShoWest2004 Male Star of the Year and will receive his accolade at the exhibitors'conference, which runs in Las Vegas from Mar 22-25."In this day andage it's quite a compliment to note that there is no such thing as a typicalJude Law character or role, as ...

  • News

    Warner Germany ties up X for a further 20 films

    2004-02-18T00:00:00Z

    Warner BrosPictures Germany has extended its partnership with Germany's X-Filme andits distribution arm X-Verleih in a long-term, multi-faceted distribution agreementcovering up to 20 films.The relationshipbegan in 2001 with the release of Connie Walter's romance Wie Feuer UndFlamme and has continued through to the recent successful theatrical, DVD andVHS distribution of ...

  • News

    Showcase takes on Puerto Vallarta Squeeze for AFM

    2004-02-18T00:00:00Z

    ShowcaseEntertainment will be representing the thriller Puerto Vallarta Squeeze starring Scott Glenn and Harvey Keitelat the upcoming AFM, which kicks off in Santa Monica on Feb 25 and runs untilMar 3.Based on thenovel by Robert Waller (The Bridges Of Madison County) with a screenplay by the award-winningtelevision writer Richard Alfieri, ...

  • News

    NORTH AMERICA

    2004-02-18T00:00:00Z

    In the limited release arena Fox Searchlight's NC-17 drama The Dreamers grossed $511,207 for a $714,458 total in its second week. It climbed nine places to 27th and expanded by 61 sites into 66.Sony Pictures Classics opened Francois Dupeyron's acclaimed drama Monsieur Ibrahim in 52nd place on $65,696, which translated ...

  • News

    First Look beefs up US home entertainment arm with two key hires

    2004-02-17T04:00:00Z

    First Look HomeEntertainment, a division of First Look Media, has hired two key members ofLions Gate Home Entertainment's sell-through team, with Michael L Katchmanjoining as vice president of sales, sell-thru, and Marty Dattilo as salesmanager, sell-thru.Katchman will reportdirectly to Bill Bromiley, senior vice president of First Look HomeEntertainment, and Dattilo ...

  • News

    Indican buys US rights to Carlos Castaneda doc

    2004-02-17T04:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based IndicanPictures has acquired US rights to Ralph Torjan's documentary CarlosCastaneda: Engima Of A Sorcerer,which charts the life and legacy of one of the founders of New Age philosophy.Through interviews withfollowers, friends and members of Castaneda's inner circle, the film traces theMexican's cult following and assesses his impact on ...

  • News

    Shadow acquires US rights for Lost Boys Of Sudan doc

    2004-02-16T04:00:00Z

    US independent distributorShadow Distribution has acquired Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk's acclaimeddocumentary Lost Boys Of Sudan,which was shortlisted for the Academy Award and has been nominated for anIFP/Independent Spirit Award.The story follows twoSudanese orphaned refugees who overcome lion attacks and militia gunfire toreach America, where they are confronted with suburbia ...

  • News

    De Luca to step down at DreamWorks after two-and-half years

    2004-02-16T04:00:00Z

    DreamWorks head ofproduction Michael De Luca is set to vacate his post in June and will bereplaced by the studio's longtime production executive Adam Goodman."Michael has been anextremely positive force at DreamWorks," company co-head Walter F Parkes saidin a statement."He is an extraordinarycreative executive and a wonderful collaborator and we ...

  • News

    Ornstein Carter named executive director of Global Film Initiative

    2004-02-16T04:00:00Z

    Holly Ornstein Carter hasbeen named executive director of the Global Film Initiative (GFI), the NewYork-based non-profit organisation set up to promote cross-culturalunderstanding through cinema."Following the tremendoussuccess of our first-year, 14-city, major cultural institutional tour, it is apivotal time in our history as we look to expand and increase the impact ...