All articles by Mike Goodridge – Page 130
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News
Fox, Disney team for rival internet movie service
Just two weeks after five major Hollywood studios announced a joint venture on-demand movie service for internet users, the remaining two - Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox have launched their own service. Entitled Movies.com, it will provide movies and other entertainment content on demand to consumers in the ...
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News
Fireworks to release The Believer after Showtime
Henry Bean's multiple award-winning The Believer will be released theatrically in the US in Jan 2002 by Fireworks Pictures through Independent Distribution Partnership (IDP) - despite and subsequent to its domestic premiere on Showtime in September.The controversial film, which stars Ryan Gosling as a former Yeshiva student turned neo-Nazi skinhead, ...
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Edward Noeltner joins Miramax Int'l as senior vp
Edward Noeltner has joined Miramax International as senior vice president of sales and distribution, reporting directly to Miramax Films chairman of worldwide distribution Rick Sands.Noeltner, a well-known face on the international festival and market circuit, comes to Miramax from AB Svensk Filmindustri where he was senior vice president, international distribution, ...
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News
Warner Spain executive Ed Weinberg dies at 53
Veteran distribution executive Ed Weinberg died last week in Spain after suffering a brain stroke. The respected Weinberg who was deputy general manager of Warner Bros' joint venture with Sogefilms in Spain was 53 years old.He died on Aug 4 and is survived by his wife Dianna and sons Scott ...
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News
Pie 2 stays on top; Rat Race opens with $11.8m
Universal's American Pie 2 became the first film since June to stay at number one at the North American box office for a second weekend, taking an estimated $21.4m over the three day Friday to Sunday period for a ten-day total of $87.6m.The R-rated teen sequel, however, fell 53% from ...
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News
Lot 47 hires distribution veteran Thompson
Distribution veteran Bill Thompson has joined New York-based distributor Lot 47 Films in the newly created position of vice president, general sales manager.Thompson began his career as a salesman in 20th Century Fox's Washington DC branch. Hemoved to New York in 1978 to become director of sales for Cinema 5 ...
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News
Hollywood logs on with on-line studio coalition
In an unusual show of cooperation, five Hollywood studios - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, ParamountPictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros - are banding together to create an on-demand movie service that will offer theatrical films via digital delivery for broadband Internet users in the US. The service will primarily be an ...
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News
US box office bonanza: new rules, new targets
Total box office receipts in North America for the year 2001 passed $5bn this week - setting a record pace not only for the summer season - which closes in a fortnight on Labor Day weekend - but for the year. This time last year, box office was at $4.71bn ...
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News
121% rise in 2nd quarter revenues for First Look
First Look Media has announced a rise of 121% in its second quarter 2001 revenues to $9.8m from $4.4m in the second quarter 2000. Operating results for the three-month period ended June 30 showed an operating loss down to $0.5m from $0.8m in the same quarter last year.The revenue rise ...
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News
Filmstar recruits Lantern Lane to sell two
LA-based production company Filmstar Productions has enlisted Lantern Lane Entertainment to handle sales on its latest two films, The Courier, which is in post-production, and Third Eagle, which is in pre-production.David L Garber, the president and CEO of Lantern Lane, will negotiate all domestic and international distribution deals for the ...
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News
US plexes adopt technology for blind, deaf patrons
A second multiplex theatre in California has installed Motion Picture Access - a new technology which enables blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing patrons to further enjoy the film. The technology - comprised of the DVS Theatrical and Rear Window Captioning systems - was developed by Boston-based Media ...
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News
Bill Block resigns from Artisan Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment president Bill Block is resigning from the company to seek "other investment and restructuring opportunities". Block, who will remain a shareholder in the company, says he plans to consult with other companies on their merger and financing strategies.Block's departure leaves Artisan CEO Amir Malin in sole charge of ...
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News
Australia wins big at Palm Springs Short Film Fest
The seventh annual Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films closed on Sunday night having screened 284 films from around the world. And in the closing night award ceremony, winners of the 21 festival prizes, which shared a total of $43,000 in prize money, came from across the globe. Australian ...
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News
USA Films names Glenn Williamson production head
As expected, Glenn Williamson - a former senior production executive at DreamWorks SKG - has joined USA Films as president of production, succeeding Donna Gigliotti who is leaving after two years to return to producing.Gigliotti will continue to work with USA through the release of the last two productions she ...
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News
Apes, AI grosses stack up in weekend int'l release
20th Century Fox's Planet Of The Apes continued to open around the world over the weekend, bringing its total gross to $47.17m after three weeks of release, while Warner Bros bowed AI Artificial Intelligence in Korea and Mexico, bringing its overseas total to $68.1m from just three territories.Planet Of The ...
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Reviews
American Pie 2
Dir: JB Rogers. US. 2001. 105 mins.The fine balance between sweetness and grossness achieved in American Pie is tipped entirely in favour of the latter in this disappointing sequel - the ultimate exercise in oversexed frat boy preening which will disgust as many as it delights. Universal Pictures, already on ...
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News
Sequel weekend: Pie 2 takes $45m, Rush Hour 2 $31m
The domestic box office continued to roar over the weekend. Not only did Universal's third sequel of the summer American Pie 2 open to a massive $45.1m but New Line Cinema's Rush Hour 2 took $31.5m in its second weekend bringing its ten day total to a spectacular $131.9m.Meanwhile Miramax ...
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News
James Cameron is going back to Titanic
James Cameron is going back to Titanic. Teaming up with Cary Granat's recently launched Walden Media, his EarthShip Productions is producing Ghosts Of The Abyss, an underwater exploration project which will examine the respective sinkings of the Titanic and Bismarck. The six-week expedition to look at the wreckages which will ...
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News
Bingham Ray, new UA head
In 1999, when Bingham Ray sold his stake in October Films - the company he co-founded with Jeff Lipsky - he came to several conclusions. One was that he was keen to produce. Another that he would think twice about getting into any more partnerships. The other was that maybe ...
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News
FilmFour teams with Elmore Leonard
The UK's FilmFour Ltd has bought film rights to Tishomingo Blues, the 37th novel by Elmore Leonard which will be published by Harper Collins in Feb 2002. Leonard will serve as a producer on the film and a full creative partner on the project with FilmFour.The project, which was brought ...