All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1530
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Columbia TriStar rolls out with XXX, dominates Europe with MIIB
Columbia TriStar FilmDistributors International (CTFDI) embarked on its second wave of internationalroll-outs for XXX over theweekend, scoring $1.2m in total with openings in Taiwan, Estonia and CentralAmerica. The Vin Diesel action movie grossed $388,000 from 18 screens inTaipei, faring slightly better than studio stablemate Vertical Limit managed in that territory ...
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Phenomenal Greek Wedding is now number two
Disney's Signs held off IFC Films's sprightly My Big Fat GreekWedding to retain top spot with anestimated $16.5m haul over Labour Day weekend as the summer season officiallycame to a close. M Night Shyamalan's crop circle chronicle averaged $4,805 from3,437 theatres and has a cumulative total after five weeks of ...
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First Look launches Rolling Rez tour of Skins
US independent First LookPictures will take Native American Chris Eyre's drama Skins on a nationwide trip around Indian Reservations andcommunities ahead of the picture's theatrical release on September 27.The Rolling Rez Tour 2002 will present free screenings and take place in theCinetransformer, a trailer-like exhibition platform that expands laterally onsite ...
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Scooby-Doo heads for $100m in international territories
Scooby-Doo is poised to break the $100m barrier at theinternational box office for Warner Bros after steady weekend takings across 38territories raised its cumulative score to $99m last weekend. The pictureopened at number one this weekend in Sweden, where it took an estimated$235,000 from 100 screens. Overall the live action ...
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DreamWorks refinances, accelerates animated output schedule
DreamWorks has announced a$1.5bn refinancing package that will enable it to double its animated featureoutput to two or three pictures a year by 2004 and increase by around 30% itsannual live action slate to 10-12 titles by 2005. The deal, unveiled on Friday,comprises a $1bn securitisation and a $500m revolving ...
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Palm buys worldwide DVD rights to doc American Mullet
Palm Pictures has acquiredworldwide DVD rights to Jennifer Arnold's American Mullet. The film explores the history and evolution of theMullet haircut, which is distinguished by a short front and long back. Theproject started out as The Mullet Chronicles, a web-based series that premiered at the SundanceOnline Festival, and eventually became ...
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Columbia TriStar takes XXX out in Asia, Yugoslavia
Columbia TriStarFilm Distributors International (CTFDI) launched the first internationalroll-outs of Revolution Studios' XXX over the weekend, scoring modest success in several smallerAsian territories and landing the seventh all-time highest opening inYugoslavia. The Vin Diesel action picture grossed $380,000 in The Philippineson 50 screens; $400,000 including previews from 38 screens in ...
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Meistrich sets up Film Movement, specialised distribution by subscriber
Larry Meistrich, founder ofthe defunct New York production-distribution outfit Shooting Gallery, hasformed a new US distribution outfit called Film Movement chiefly aimed atfestival-winning independents that cannot meet rising marketing costs. FilmMovement will offer film-makers a range of platforms on which to showcasetheatrical-quality, first-run films via a subscription service. Beginning inDecember ...
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Signs returns to the top after four weekends
Disney's Signs returned to top spot over the weekend with a $14.3m haul that brings its total after four weekends to $173.m, according to studio estimates released today. The renewed surge by M Night Shyamalan's supernatural thriller spooked Columbia's XXX into second place on $13.7m and a $106.7m cumulative score ...
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Punch Drunk Love to platform straight after New York fest
Paul ThomasAnderson's Punch Drunk Love will be platform released on October 11 in New York, Los Angelesand Toronto and expand on October 18, Revolution Studios announced today. The romantic comedy, which won Anderson the Director'sAward at the Cannes Film Festival this year, will make its North American debutat the Toronto ...
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Phantom Menace dominates DVD awards in Los Angeles
Star Wars:Episode I - The Phantom Menace picked up four awards at yesterday's 5th Annual DVD Awards in LosAngeles, dominating a ceremony that saw honours go to old and new titles alike.TwentiethCentury Fox Home Entertainment's Episode I won the Viewers' Choice, Best Menu Design and BestAuthoring awards as well as ...
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IFC shuts down micro-budget production arm
IFCEntertainment announced that its low-budget Los Angeles-based production armNext Wave Films is to immediately cease operations as a separate divisionwithin the company. The closureprompted a warning from outgoing Next Wave president Peter Broderick, who saidthere was a "crisis" in independent film distribution that wasstopping most independents from reaching their target ...
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Effects gurus launch Uncharted Territory production outfit
The Academy Award-winning special effects team of Volker Engel (Independence Day) and Marc Weigert today announced the formation of their new production company, Uncharted Territory. Based in Los Angeles, the duo plan to make story-driven motion pictures with cost-effective blockbuster effects. Uncharted Territory's first feature, the action adventure Coronado,recently wrapped ...
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Moonstone to handle Kaige's Together for worldwide sales
MoonstoneEntertainment announced today that it will start representing Chen Kaige's Together for worldwide sales ahead of its galaworld premiere at next month's Toronto International Film Festival. The latestfeature from Kaige, whose previous credits include the Miramax-released Farewell,My Concubine - willshowcase under the festival's Masters Series banner on September 10 and ...
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Sundance Institute among HFPA's new beneficiaries
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) presentednearly half a million dollars in donations to the Sundance Institute and othernon-profit organisations at its annual installation luncheon in Beverly Hillsfor incoming officers. Cameron Diazaccepted a $200,000 cheque on behalf of the Film Foundation Inc while otherrecipients included: Don Cheadle on behalf of ...
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Publicity change-around at Universal, MGM
Universal and MGM separately announced a number of keyappointments today as part of a strategic restructuring of their publicitydepartments. At Universal,Jeffrey Sakson, Stephanie Kluft, Michael Moses and Greg Sucherman were namedsenior publicity executives and will report directly to Universal PicturesMarketing co-president Eddie Egan. Sakson, whojoined the studio's New York office ...
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Revolution renames Lopez, Fiennes romance
RevolutionStudios has changed the name of its romantic comedy The Chambermaid, starring Jennifer Lopez and RalphFiennes, to Maid In Manhattan. The picture wasco-produced by Shoelace Productions and directed by Wayne Wang, whose previouscredits include Smokeand The Joy Luck Club.Lopez plays amaid in a first class Manhattan hotel who is mistaken ...
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SPE smashes annual box office record
Sony Pictures Entertainment has broken its own industry record for North American ticket sales by one studio in a single calendar year, registering $1.29bn and passing 1997's previous best mark of $1.27bn with more than four months to spare.With a 2002 slate that includes such tentpole successes as Spider-Man and ...
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XXX, Signs stay atop while Blue Crush debuts big at three
On the day thatColumbia Pictures announced that 2002 was its all-time biggest year at the boxoffice, the studio's latest blockbuster-elect, the Vin Diesel actionvehicle XXX, heldonto top spot at the North American box office with an estimated $23m haul. TheRevolution Studios-produced picture averaged $6,788 from 3,388 theatres in itssecond week. ...
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Signs of a blockbuster: Disney opens Shyamalan's latest on $60.3m
Mel Gibson and director M Night Shyamalan both recorded career-high openings as the mystery-drama Signs recorded a blockbuster opening for Buena Vista over the weekend with an estimated $60.3m. It is the first number one for the studio since Monsters, Inc. last November and is almost double what executives had ...