Small MPU – Page 4006

  • News

    Day After Tomorrow sweeps past $500m for Fox

    2004-07-08T04:00:00Z

    The Day After Tomorrow, 20th Century Fox's eco-disaster epicdirected by Roland Emmerich, has passed the $500m mark at the worldwide boxoffice after six weeks on release.As of Tuesday July 6, thefilm's domestic gross was $177.28 and its international gross was $322.84m,bringing its wordwide total to $500.12m.The film opened with 108number ...

  • News

    Babelsberg management tipped to takeover studios

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Studio Hamburg has dropped out of the bidding for the Babelsberg film studios, leaving the management buy-out team led by Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures boss Thierry Potok as the most likely winner.Speaking to the Berlin daily newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, Studio Hamburg chief Martin Willich explained that he "didn't see any ...

  • News

    German media funds look to local production

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Germany's private media funds are showing increasinginterest in backing local feature production and dispelling the belief that theprivate equity they raise flows only as 'stupid German money' intoHollywood productions.As part of a move to work more closely on local features,Munich-based fund VIP Group has begun collaborating with the German DirectorsGuild ...

  • News

    Distributors eye magazine DVD goldmine

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Distributors can significantly boost their revenues byallowing publishers to offer 'free' copies of DVDs in magazines, Screen's DVD:The Home Cinema Summit heard yesterday.Farfrom destroying a film's library value, giving away copies of a DVD in magazinecan also significantly boost sales in the months following the promotion.In Germany, magazines that offer ...

  • News

    UPI president calls for DVD discipline

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    "The DVD successstory is really just beginning, but we are goingto have to be very intelligent about how we manage this story," said PeteSmith, president of Universal Pictures International, giving the keynoteaddress at Screen International's DVD: The Home Cinema Summit in Londonyesterday (July 8).Smith's speech, TheFuture Of Digital Entertainment: Consumers, ...

  • News

    Industry weighs up DVD pricing dilemma

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    The DVD release of Finding Nemo earlier this year hassparked a pricing revolution in France, said Jean-Paul Commins, chief operatingofficer of independent distributor France Televisions Distribution (FTD), atScreen's DVD: The Home Cinema Summit in London on Thursday.Apanel comprising Commins, Jan Rickers, head of marketing for Germany's Kinowelt Home Entertainment, and ...

  • News

    Supermarkets and specialists set to dominate DVD

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    A polarisation isthreatening to disrupt the UK DVD and video sector, according Alison Casey,head of content division at market researchers Understanding & Solutions.Speaking at ScreenInternational's DVD: The Home Cinema Summit, Casey warned that the UK'shigh street and internet retail and rental business faces a shake-up in whichthe middle ground could ...

  • News

    Gilliam, Winterbottom get benefit of Foresight

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Terry Gilliam and MichaelWinterbottom's next productions are amongst the debut slate of titles to securea quarter of their budgets from start-up UK tax-based fund Foresight.Foresight has now raised£5m, meaning it is past its minimum subscription and halfway to its overalltarget. The fund has earmarked Gilliam's previously announced Tideland, which is ...

  • News

    Isabelle Adjani to get special tribute at Montreal

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    French actress IsabelleAdjani will be the guest of honour and focus of a five-film retrospective atthe 2004 Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF). MWFF will present her with itsSpecial Grand Prix des Ameriques at a tribute evening on Friday 27 August. Thefestival runs from August 26 to September 6.The five films ...

  • News

    du Toit named programming director at Palm Springs shorts fest

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Helen du Toit has been nameddirector of short film programming at the tenth Palm Springs InternationalFestival of Short Films, which is scheduled to run from Aug 31-Sept 6.Du Toit was oneof the programmers for the 2004 Palm Springs International Film Festival andhas worked for film festivals including Seattle and Toronto ...

  • News

    Spider-Man 2 to get IMAX treatment

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    IMAX andColumbia Pictures have struck a deal whereby Spider-Man 2 will be digitally remastered for releaseon IMAX screens around the world beginning Jul 23."When you have amovie like Spider-Man 2,it makes sense to offer audiences an opportunity to experience the film in thisincredible format," Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony ...

  • News

    Empire launches US video arm with 9/11 shorts

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    Arthouse distributor Empire Pictures is set to launchvideo arm Empire Pictures Home Entertainment this autumn with September 11(11'09"01), the composite work featuringthe responses of 11 film-makers to 9/11.The divisionwill be headed up by executive vice president and industry veteran StevePennie, who most recently served as director of national accounts for ...

  • News

    Global Film Initiative takes US rights to Whisky

    2004-07-09T04:00:00Z

    US-basedcharitable trust the Global Film Initiative has picked up Juan Pablo Rebellaand Pablo Stoll's Cannes award-winning drama Whisky for its Global Lens touring filmsseries.The Initiative is also partnering up with the Museum ofModern Art for the New York premiere, which is expected some time in Decemberas part of MoMA's 10-week ...

  • News

    Spider-Man 2 prepares for second wave attack

    2004-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Barely one week into release, Sony's Spider-Man 2 has already spun such a solid international platformthat a raft of second wave releases in several major markets and strongholdovers elsewhere could take it past $100m this weekend.The comic book sequel has amassed $60.5m to date and was dueto open in Germany ...

  • Reviews

    Stage Beauty

    2004-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Dir:Richard Eyre. US-UK. 2004. 106minsLikeits cross-dressing hero Ned Kynaston (who makes his name playing female partson stage), Stage Beauty isn't entirely sure of its own identity. On theone hand, this is a bawdy and colourful Restoration-era romp, stuffed full ofpuns and sexual innuendo and propelled by some tremendous character turns. ...

  • News

    ITALY 9 July

    2004-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Columbia Tristar's crime caper The Punisher opened at number one in Italy last weekend, knockingoff Warner Bros's Harry Potter and ThePrisoner of Azkaban after five weeks of box office glory.The weekend's only other new release, Simon Cellan Jones's The One And Only, opened on 44 prints atnumber 14, grossing a ...

  • News

    Barrack heads race for Russian Oscars

    2000-03-31T11:33:00Z

    Valery Ogorodnikov's Barrack is heading the field in the race for the Russian equivalent of the Oscars, the Nikas, which will be awarded by the Russian Academy of Motion Picture Arts in Moscow on April 22.Barrack was nominated in 10 categories, including best feature, best director and best screenplay for ...

  • News

    FRANCE 9 July

    2004-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Shrek 2 remainedon top this week taking in an additional 1.5 million admissions. Dawn Of The Dead opened in the fourthspot for 194,031 admissions. LesChoristes sees its lowest rank in its 16 week run now down to number 8.Other new films include the Drew Barrymore vehicle 50 First Dates at ...

  • News

    UK drives European DVD bonanza

    2004-07-12T04:00:00Z

    When it comes to the success of DVD in Europe, sales andpenetration are being driven by the UK - but the continent's Easterncountries are still playing catch up.Speaking at Screen International's LearningLessons: Europe And The US seminar, JeanPaul Commin, president of industry body the International Video Federation,said that in 2003, ...

  • News

    Leigh to nominate Katrin Cartlidge bursary recipient

    2004-07-12T04:00:00Z

    UKdirector Mike Leigh will nominate the recipient of a bursary from the recentlyfounded Katrin Cartlidge Foundation at the forthcoming Sarajevo Film Festival.Leigh, who is serving as the president of the festival'sinternational jury this year, will announce his choice on August 24 before agala screening of his film Career Girlswhich featured ...