Small MPU – Page 1401

  • News

    Wenders, Scorsese support 1st Int'l Frankfurt fest

    2002-01-01T17:27:00Z

    Wim Wenders and Martin Scorsese have been recruited as supporters of the 1st Frankfurt International Film Festival which is launched on January 9 with Herve Le Roux's comedy On Appelle Ca ... Le Printemps.While Wenders has agreed to serve as the patron for this year's event (January 9-16), which builds ...

  • News

    New Line's Fellowship is New Year box office champ

    2002-01-02T02:31:00Z

    New Line Cinema championed the box office for the second weekend in a row as The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring brought in an estimated $37.4m in the Friday to Sunday period Dec 28 to 30. The 178 minute epic played at 3,359 theatres for a ...

  • News

    Danish films hit 20-year high at home

    2002-01-02T13:39:00Z

    Danish films hit the box-office jackpot at local cinemas last year, with a 20-year high of 3.6m admissions.The Danish Film Institute reported that local productions accounted for 3.6m of the territory's 12m total tickets sold - a 30% market share and a 75% increase on 2000. Over the past five ...

  • Reviews

    I Am Sam

    2002-01-02T14:42:00Z

    Dir: Jessie Nelson. US 2001. 134mins.This film about a mentally-challenged father (Penn) whose seven-year old daughter is taken away from him by social workers is as cloying as they come and will try the patience of even the actor's most loyal fans. Certainly there is an audience for this type ...

  • News

    France's TFI boosts stake in loss-making TPS

    2002-01-02T15:54:00Z

    Leading French broadcaster TF1 has acquired France Television's and France Telecom's 25% stake in Television Par Satellite (TPS) for Euros 195m.Following its acquisition of France Telecom's16.5%, and public broadcaster France Television's 8.5% stake, TF1 will hold 50% of the loss-making digital satellite operation, along with private broadcaster M6 and cable ...

  • News

    Indian film breaks UK box office record

    2002-01-02T17:32:00Z

    While box office titans The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone were dominating the nation's screens over the festive break, another titan in its own right was setting box office records elsewhere.After just three weeks on release, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie ...

  • News

    Japan's DVD penetration to hit 50% by 2005

    2002-01-02T22:00:00Z

    Penetration of DVD players in Japanese households rose to 22% by September 2001, a gain of 10.5% from July 2000, according to a survey by the Japan Video Association. The Association calculates that 25% of Japan's nearly 44 million households owned a DVD player by the end of 2001 and ...

  • News

    Rings sparkle for New Line: $350m in 14 days

    2002-01-02T22:55:00Z

    Shaping up as the fastestgrossing film in history, New Line Cinema'sThe Fellowship Of The Ring, the first in its Lord Of The Rings trilogy, has crossed the $350m barrier at the globalbox office in just two weeks on over 8,000 prints.At the end of Tuesday (NewYear's Day), the film had ...

  • News

    Wise Girls, new Pennebaker/Hegedus join Sundance

    2002-01-03T02:19:00Z

    The Sundance Film Festivalhas announced several special screenings at this year's event which takesplace from Jan 10-20 in Park City, Utah.They include Wise Girls starring Mira Sorvino and Mariah Carey, Only TheStrong Survive directed by DAPennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Love The Hard Way directed by Peter Sehr and Alfonso Cuaron'sMexican ...

  • News

    C-2, Intermedia seal T3 int'l deal with CTFDI

    2002-01-03T02:22:00Z

    Intermedia and C-2 Pictureshave concluded a deal for the majority of international distribution rights onTerminator3: Rise Of The Machines withColumbia TriStar Film Distributors International (CTFDI). Warner Bros hasdomestic rights to the film, and per an agreement made between C-2 prior toIntermedia's involvement, Toho-Towa has the option on Japanese rights.C-2 had ...

  • News

    Spain launches French-style cinema loyalty cards

    2002-01-04T00:47:00Z

    Spanish exhibition major, CAEC, has launched the territory's first cinema loyalty pass, two weeks after French film support body, CNC, concluded that the introduction of the card system has benefited both exhibitors and distributors in that country, where UGC, Gaumont and Pathe have all launched versions. (Screendaily Dec 20, 2001) ...

  • News

    2001's $8bn US BO total is a mixed blessing

    2002-01-04T00:55:00Z

    The $8bn mark may have been broken at the North American box office in 2001, but it was a mixed celebration among the Hollywood majors. Up by 8.5% from 2000's record $7.7bn, the year's total of $8.3bn reflected a rise in ticket prices as opposed to an increase in admissions, ...

  • News

    New deals increase US focus for Intermedia

    2002-01-04T00:59:00Z

    It was a muddy picture at Intermedia parent International Media in the New Year as news, some authorised, some not, trickled out of the independent giant - in one of its most tumultuous periods of growth since floating on Frankfurt's Neuer Markt in May 1999. Co-chairman Moritz Bormann travelled between ...

  • News

    Warner, Asahi bank on Son's Room in Japan

    2002-01-04T01:03:00Z

    Warner Bros. Pictures and the TV Asahi network will jointly distribute Nanni Moretti's The Son's Room in Japan in a deal that is a first for the Japanese market. According the terms of the partnership, the two companies will split p&a costs and share film distribution and video sales revenues. ...

  • News

    Telenor, Canal Plus dispute payments in court

    2002-01-04T01:08:00Z

    Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor and Vivendi Universal's TV and film division Canal Plus are battling in court over the payment for an agreement the two companies reached last summer. Canal Plus is demanding immediate payment of Euros 237m for the sale of its 50% stake in Nordic pay-TV operator Canal ...

  • News

    Amelie takes Oz foreign-language record

    2002-01-04T01:09:00Z

    French-language phenomenon Amelie, which has already grossed over $100m worldwide, has set a new foreign-language record on its opening in Australia. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film saw opening week figures of $413,000 (A$798,000) to become the territory's highest foreign-language release of all-time. Including previews it has already grossed over $520,000 (A$1m). Amelie ...

  • News

    Gomez to take back Lolafilms stake from Admira

    2002-01-04T01:12:00Z

    Spanish heavyweight producer Andres Vicente Gomez is in negotiations to take back the 70% stake in his production powerhouse Lolafilms which he sold two years ago to Admira (Telefonica Media).Local press reports suggest that Admira, the media subsidiary of telecoms giant Telefonica, presided over by Juan Jose Nieto, is considering ...

  • News

    Bertelsmann increases RTL Group shareholding

    2002-01-04T01:14:00Z

    Germany's Bertelsmann is to increase its current 67% majority shareholding in the radio and television holding RTL Group by acquiring the 22% stake held by the Pearson Group. The remaining11% is held by the public as free-float.As part of the purchase agreement, Pearson will be paid Euros 1.5bn for its ...

  • News

    Germany's Senator welcomes Fabritius

    2002-01-04T01:16:00Z

    After months of speculation as to his next destination, former Arthaus Filmverleih managing director Juergen Fabritius has been appointed as one of the managing directors at Senator Film Verleih with responsibility for marketing and distribution for releases in the German language area.According to a German press report, Bernd Tietze will ...

  • News

    2001 cinema admissions rise across Europe

    2002-01-06T16:44:00Z

    UK cinema admissions hit 156m in 2001 according to Screendaily estimates, surpassing industry expectations and making it the most successful for nearly 30 years. Other major European territories mirrored the UK's near 10% admissions increase.Despite a below-par first quarter in the UK - which saw admissions down 8.7% year-on-year - ...