All News articles – Page 4571

  • News

    Incredibles delivers record-breaking weekend for BVI

    2004-11-30T04:00:00Z

    Buena VistaInternational (BVI) recorded its biggest ever single weekend haul as Pixar hit TheIncredibles grossed $44.3min its first major weekend.Living up to itsname, The Incrediblesopened top everywhere, taking an astonishing $18.1m on 494 screens in the UK,$9.2m on 960 in France, $5.6m on 421 in Spain, and $5.4m on 755 ...

  • News

    Cassavetes signs on to direct New Line's Iron Man

    2004-11-30T04:00:00Z

    Nick Cassaveteshas signed to direct the Marvel comic adaptation Iron Man for New Line.Marvel Studios'chief executive officer Avi Arad will produce with Angry Films' Don Murphy,based on a script by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and David Hayter.Marvel and New Line willbegin casting immediately and the picture is due to open ...

  • News

    French industry proposes VOD rules

    2004-11-30T04:00:00Z

    Filmindustry professionals gathered last week to present proposals which would helpto regulate the local video on demand (VOD) market and keep piracy in check.Thememberships of the authors, directors, producers association (ARP), the writersguild (SACD), exhibition watchdog FNCF, and the video publishers union (SEV)along with internet service providers and terrestrial and ...

  • News

    Canal+, 20th Fox extend exclusivity contracts until 2012

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    CANAL+ has signed anagreement with 20th Century Fox for the period 2007-2012 for first broadcastrights to all of the movies produced by the studio.20th Century Fox has been apartner of CANAL+ since the channel's inception. Covering the broadcast of firstand second-window Pay TV and PPV rights for roughly 20 feature ...

  • News

    Paris film fest to get 20th edition makeover

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    The Paris Film Festival willbe re-christened the Paris Ile de France Film Festival when its 20thedition runs next spring from March 28 to April 5.Organisers announced thechange on Monday and said that the festival would be broadened to include thesurrounding suburbs.Since its inception in 1986,the festival has been restricted to ...

  • News

    Sundance unveils four competition strands for 2005 festival

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    42 world, nine NorthAmerican and nine US premieres are among the Independent Feature Film andinaugural World Cinema competitions announced yesterday (29) by organisers atthe Sundance Film festival, which is set to run in Park City, Utah, from Jan20-30 2005.Both the Independent andWorld Cinema banners carry dramatic and documentary strands. Internationaldramatic ...

  • News

    Alexander rules with powerful international weekend

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    Despite adisappointing US launch, Alexander performed well in a limited international run that grossed anestimated $7.4m on 848 screens in 10 territories at the weekend.The highlightwas a number one $3.7m debut on 345 screens in Russia through Paradise. Thepicture also opened top in Taiwan through Fox International on $1.1m on ...

  • News

    Spirit Awards voters will have screeners courtesy of Netflix

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    IFP/Los Angelesis partnering with online DVD rental service Netflix to make all titlesnominated today (30) for next February's Independent Spirit Awards accessibleto voting members.Netflix andIFP/Los Angeles have created an official Members Viewing Site, inviting studiosto take part in a service that offers filmmakers - whose pictures are oftenwithout distributor - ...

  • News

    Bahamas unveils inaugural festival lineup

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    Mania Akbari'sIranian drama 20 Fingers, Rodney Evans's Harlem Renaissance feature Brother To Brother and Jacob Aaron Estes' youth drama MeanCreek will compete forthe International Competition's Grand Jury Prize at the first annual BahamasInternational Film Festival (BIFF), which runs from Dec 9 to 12.OtherInternational Competition titles include Joseph Cedar's Israeli settlementpicture ...

  • News

    Bitter Dream wins at Thessaloniki film festival

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    Social conflict-themed pictures dominated the awards at the45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival which wrapped yesterday.In the competition section - reserved to first and secondfilms, the Iranian entry Bitter Dream (Khab E Talkh) by Mohsen Amiryousefiwas awarded the Golden Alexander and Euros 37,000. The award comes at the endof a year ...

  • News

    Studios partner with Toshiba on HD DVD technology

    2004-11-30T00:00:00Z

    Paramount,Universal, Warner Bros, New Line, HBO and Toshiba have thrown their weightbehind the new generation HD DVD technology, endorsed by the DVD Forumcomprising studios, consumer electronics manufacturers and IT industry leaders.It is understoodthe new HD discs will be created by the studios while Toshiba will manufacturethe HD DVD players. HD ...

  • News

    Bridget adds $14.6m in international weekend, passes $50m in UK

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    Universal/Working Title's BridgetJones: The Edge Of Reason passed$50m in the UK at the weekend, grossing an estimated $14.6m overall on 1,887screens in 24 territories through UIP to raise its international cumulativetotal to $84m.The romantic comedy sequeladded $5.6m (£3m) on 484 in its third weekend in the UK to raise its ...

  • News

    China creates international media advisory board

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    The Chinese government has invited a group of domestic and foreign media companies to form a board to advise on how capital markets can help modernise the mainlands burgeoning media industry, according to the South China Morning Post.The board, which will include Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone and the heads of ...

  • News

    Beautiful Boxer director readies martial arts epic

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    Thai director Ekachai Uekrongtham, whose debut Beautiful Boxer won the Grand Prix 2004Award at the Brussels International Film Festival, is readying two new projects for Thai studio GMM Grammy.First up is Swords andSpirits, a martial arts adventure set in both Thailand and Japan in thelate 16th century as well as ...

  • News

    Top Korean director in talks to sign with CAA

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    South Korean director Kang Je-gyu is inthe final stage of negotiations to sign on with Creative Artists Agency (CAA),which would make him the first Korean filmmaker to work through one of themajor Hollywood talent agencies.According to production/sales company MKB, Kang isalso fielding multiple offers from major Hollywood studios regarding his ...

  • News

    Filmax wraps up Shroud rights

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    Spanish mini-studio Filmax has acquired the rights toSpanish novel The Brotherhood Of The Holy Shroud as part of a new push to adapt local best-sellers as English-languagefeature films for the international market.According to Filmax chief Julio Fernandez, the project willbe developed next year to follow in the vein of its ...

  • News

    Norwegian-Pakistani Goodfellas gets greenlight

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    With a substantial $1.2m (NOK 7.5m) backing, the NorwegianFilm Fund has put the first Norwegian-Pakistani action movie on the fast trackfor veteran producer John M. Jacobsen's Filmkameratene.Izzat is the featuredebut of Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen, who wrote the script with Leon Bashir. The Goodfellas-like story follows Wasim and his youth gang ...

  • News

    The Moon shines at IDFA

    2004-11-29T04:00:00Z

    Despite the cloud cast over proceedings by the murder offilmmaker Theo Van Gogh earlier this month, the mood as the 17th InternationalAmsterdam Documentary Festival (IDFA) drew to an end at the weekend was upbeat.Audience figures were up to 120,000 (from 116,000 last year) and moreinternational visitors (2300) were in town ...

  • News

    Polar has $8.2m weekend for Warner Bros after major territory openings

    2004-11-29T00:00:00Z

    Fuelled by estimated $2m launch in Germany at the weekend, ThePolar Express grossed$8.2m through Warner Bros Pictures International at the weekend.The German debut generated $2m with 302,000 admissions on 737prints, and $1.8m on 369 screens in Mexico and roughly the same amount on 413 inJapan.The PolarExpress opened in anunconfirmed first ...

  • News

    Alexander disappoints for Warner Bros, Intermedia with $21.6m

    2004-11-29T00:00:00Z

    Buena Vista basked in a rare one-two over Thanksgiving holidayweekend as National Treasure retained top spot with an estimated $46.2m haul and TheIncredibles climbed oneplace to second to comfortably pass $200m in its fourth weekend.National Treasure now stands on $87.9m after its second weekend, while Pixar's TheIncredibles added $33.2mfor $214.7m ...