All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1477
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Ogilvie moves to vp Europe position at WBITD from MTV
Alex Ogilvie has been namedvice president of business development, Europe, at Warner Bros InternationalTelevision Distribution (WBITD).Ogilvie will focus on allnew business opportunities for WBITD, develop the division's pay televisiondeals and oversee development of video-on-demand and other television modelsacross Europe.In addition, he will workwith all of WBITD's European sales executives on ...
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Vangelisti joins First Look as senior vp, TV sales
Dina Vangelistihas joined First Look Media as senior vice president of television sales andwill oversee the company's activities in the US and Canada for its threedivisions, First Look Pictures, First Look Home Entertainment and OverseasFilmgroup.Vangelisti willreport directly to First Look Media president Bill Lischak and chief executiveofficer and co-chairman Chris ...
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Johnny To signs to CAA for US representation
Hotshot Hong Kong director Johnny To, whose creditsinclude Heroic Trio and FulltimeKiller, has signed to Hollywood talentagency Creative Artists Agency for representation in the US.To began hisfilm career 25 years ago in Hong Kong and used the commercial success of titleslike Good-bye Ah Longand Heroic Trio tolaunch his Milkyway Image ...
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S.W.A.T. opens in 17 territories, takes weekend total of $13.5m
The police action thriller S.W.A.T. opened in 17 territories on 3,575 screensat the weekend and grossed $13.5m to raise its international running total to$53.4m.It ranked number two in most markets behind Finding Nemo and Columbia TriStar Film DistributorsInternational (CTFDI) executives say it is well placed to consolidate itsposition during the ...
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Universal scores $13.8m weekend with Love Actually
Universal's Love Actually added an estimated $13.8m from 2,725 venues in 26 countriesat the weekend, raising its international cumulative score to $69.5m with 14markets still to open.The romantic comedy stayed on top in the UK for the third week ina row, adding $5.6m and dropping 29% for a superb $35.6m ...
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Empire picks up US rights to Japanese Oscar entry Samurai
Empire Pictureshas acquired all US rights to Yoji Yamada's Japanese Academy Award foreignlanguage submission The Twilight Samurai and plans a spring release. Satoko Ishidaand Masaki Koga of Shochiku and Empire partner Edward Arentz concluded the dealat Mifed last month. The TwilightSamurai stars HiroyukiSanada as a low-ranking samurai widower who works ...
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Cruise slices his way to the top with The Last Samurai
Riding high on strong reviews TheLast Samurai vanquished the opposition atthe weekend as it opened on a table-topping $24.4m, according to studioestimates.Warner Bros' nineteenth century epic was more than $10m ahead ofUniversal's dance drama Honey, which opened in second place on $14m and marked the only other wideopener.In The Last ...
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Screeners flood out as judge overturns MPAA ban
The screenerfloodgates were flung wide open on Friday (Dec 5) as distributors reacted to aNew York district judge's decision overturning the MPAA screener ban.Judge MichaelMukasey issued a preliminary injunction against the MPAA after he sided withargument by the plaintiffs that the ban constituted a clear restraint of tradeand was anti-competitive.MPAA ...
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UK's Battsek promoted again at Disney
Industry veteran DanielBattsek has been promoted to executive vice president and managing director forBuena Vista International UK Ltd, Distribution/Production.Battsek will continue tolead BVI's theatrical distribution and marketing operations in the UK as wellas head up BVI UK Comedy Label, which was set up in 1999 and has producedseveral titles including ...
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Pinto gets animation marketing job at WBITD
Jessica Pinto has beenappointed to the new position of director of animation marketing at Warner BrosInternational Television Distribution (WBITD).Pinto will oversee allcreative aspects of the new international Kids WB! branded programming blocksbeing launched around the world and coordinate sales and marketingpresentations of all animation brands and WBITD titles distributed tointernational ...
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Apted to direct first three episodes of HBO/BBC epic Rome
Michael Aptedwill direct the first three episodes of the upcoming HBO and BBC drama seriescollaboration Rome,which begins shooting in Bulgaria in March and is scheduled to air on HBO andBBC2 in 2005.The series,which marks the first series co-production between the networks, centres on thelives of two ordinary Roman soldiers in ...
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US VOD service Movielink signs with Sundance Channel
Broadband video-on-demandservice Movielink has signed a deal with Sundance Channel whereby it will offertitles from the new theatrical releasing division Sundance Film Series and theSundance Channel Home Entertainment catalogue.Movielink will also create aSundance Channel branded area on its service, featuring titles from Movielink'slibrary of independent films that will be chosen ...
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Davis named evp, physical production, at MGM Pictures
Veteran producerAndy Davis has been named executive vice president of physical production atMGM Pictures.Davis willoversee physical production and post-production operations for all filmscreated by the company and immediately replaces Jeff Coleman, who resigned topursue other areas."I'm excitedabout the opportunity to work with multiple film-makers and to develop thoserelationships further," Davis ...
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Urdang, Nozik form DV production team Serenade
A group of industry veteransincluding former Robert Redford producing partners Leslie Urdang and MichaelNozik have launched the low budget video production house Serenade Films, based in Los Angeles.Urdang willspearhead the team along with Nozik, One Fine Day director Michael Hoffman and AfterHours producer AmyRobinson. Co-producer Nick Goodwin Self and production ...
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Showtime brands new theatrical unit for independent films
Showtime Networks has launched Showtime Independent Films, itsfirst foray into financing films directly for the independent theatricalmarketplace.The fledgling outfit has collaborated with specialty producers anddirectors to create three low budget titles that will be presented under thebanner at Sundance, which runs from Jan 15-25, 2004.Jacob Kornbluth's inner city drama The ...
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Nemo, S.W.A.T, Master embark on major int'l launches
Following a sensational European weekend Finding Nemo will still be the one to watch this upcoming weekend with major bows planned for Italy on Dec 3 and Japan on Dec 6.The animated hit has grossed $233.8m in international waters and should do well in Japan, bearing in mind that when ...
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IDT close to acquisition of DVD/video company Anchor Bay
US-based animation and live-action producer-distributorIDT Entertainment is on the verge of acquiring the home video outfit Anchor BayEntertainment Group from Handleman Company after signing a definitiveagreement.Under the termsof the deal, which is expected to close by mid-December, IDT Entertainment willgain an international video and DVD distribution foothold through Anchor Bay'sdirect-to-consumer ...
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Tribeca Film Festival buys New York movie house
Tribeca Film Festival co-founders Robert De Niro, JaneRosenthal and Craig Hatkoff have acquired rep theatre The Screening Room in NewYork, which they will use to enhance services at the festival and De Niro'snearby Tribeca Film Institute and hire out for commercial purposes.The partnersacquired a long lease renewable through to 2023 ...
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Ducard named vp at MGM Home Entertainment
Malik Ducard hasbeen promoted to vice president of worldwide business development andacquisitions at MGM Home Entertainment.In his new roleDucard will spearhead the division's global acquisition projects, targetingdomestic and international features and domestic family-oriented programmingwith particular emphasis on the direct-to-video market.He will alsooversee library valuation and acquisition efforts as well as ...
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Disney crosses $3bn barrier in 2003
Poweredby the phenomenal success of Pixar's Finding Nemo and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced The Pirates OfThe Caribbean, the Buena Vista FilmDistribution Group (BVFDG) has made history by becoming the first studio topass $3bn at the global box office in a single year.BVFDG comprises the domestic operation controlled byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution ...