Studio
ThinkFilm's Urman Launches Paladin
9/9/2009 at 1:38 PM by Jessica Kantor
Urman's Paladin Will Make People "Think"
We’ve met Mark Urman, and think he’s a lovely fellow, so it’s nice to report that he has launched Paladin, a new distribution outfit staffed with some of his former ThinkFilm associates. He’s assembled an initial four-film release slate, including the Bryce Dallas Howard starrer “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,” which bowed at the Toronto film fest last year. Amanda Sherwin serves as Paladin’s head of marketing and Michael Tuckman will handle theatrical sales. The execs worked with Urman in the same capacities for seven years at ThinkFilm.
Industry News: Basterds Upset By Final Destination
8/31/2009 at 2:11 PM by Jessica Kantor
Box Office Weekend Estimate
August 28-30, 2009 (*millions)
FILM GROSS
1 The Final Destination (2009) $28.3M
2 Inglourious Basterds (2009) $20M
3 Halloween II (2009) $17.4M
4 District 9 (2009) $10.7M
5 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) $8M
6 Julie & Julia (2009) $7.4M
7 The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) $6.75M
8 Shorts (2009) $4.87M
9 Taking Woodstock (2009) $3.75M
10 G-Force (2009) $2.85M
Industry News: Videogame deal for SAG?
8/28/2009 at 12:33 PM by Jessica Kantor
Ex-exec now tyro helmer
Former Pathe U.K. topper Alexis Lloyd is helming his first feature, indie “30 Beats.” Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s play “La Ronde,” Lloyd describes the pic as “six degrees of separation in love and sexual encounters.” Ensemble cast of 10 includes Paz de la Huerta, Justin Kirk, Jennifer Tilly, Lee Pace, Thomas Sadoski, Ben Levin and theater thesp Condola Rashad. International actors Ingeborga Dapkunaite (”Burnt by the Sun”), Jason Day (”Mancora”) and Vahina Giocante (”Lila Says”) round out the cast.
Industry News: 'Basterds' Win
8/24/2009 at 2:25 PM by Jessica Kantor
Box Office Weekend Estimate
August 21-23, 2009 (*millions)
1 Inglourious Basterds (2009) $37.6M
2 District 9 (2009) $18.9M
3 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) $12.5M
4 The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) $10M
5 Julie & Julia (2009) $9M
6 Shorts (2009) $6.6M
7 G-Force (2009) $4.21M
8 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $3.52M
9 The Ugly Truth (2009) $2.85M
10 Post Grad (2009) $2.8M
Industry News: Financial Woes Cause Turmoil
8/19/2009 at 2:28 PM by Jessica Kantor
Gen Art given a reprieve
The Gen Art organization has been granted a reprieve. The struggling arts and style company, which produces Gotham’s Gen Art Film Festival, will merge with Scott Rosenblum and Nicole Purcell’s live event producing org Rock Media. Rock Media is also involved in the entertainment and fashion scene. Gen Art found itself in dire straits earlier this summer as it struggled to refill its coffers after the financial collapse decimated its portfolio. Deal is a merger of partners, but Rock Media will be providing $500,000 in financing to cover short-term liabilities and operating capital for Gen Art, and the new org, dubbed RMGA, will assume all of Gen Art’s outstanding debts. Org will retain 25 full-time employees based out of Gen Art’s offices in New York and Los Angeles, as well as a new office (under the Rock Media brand) in Miami. The 15th edition of the Gen Art fest is officially a go, with the event set for April 7-13.
Industry News: Action Flicks Dominate
8/17/2009 at 12:48 PM by Jessica Kantor
Box Office Weekend Estimate
August 14-16, 2009 (*millions)
FILM GROSS
1 District 9 (2009) $37M
2 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) $22.5M
3 The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) $19.2M
4 Julie & Julia (2009) $12.4M
5 G-Force (2009) $6.91M
6 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) $5.35M
7 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $5.16M
8 The Ugly Truth (2009) $4.5M
9 Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008) $3.51M
10 (500) Days of Summer (2009) $3.02M
Industry News: Mamet to Reimagine Anne Frank?
8/12/2009 at 2:47 PM by Jessica Kantor
Natalie Portman gets 'Booksmart'
Fox is getting “Booksmart” with Natalie Portman, with the thesp set to produce the high school comedy for the studio. Laffer will revolve around two overachieving high school seniors who realize the only thing they haven’t accomplished is having boyfriends, and each resolves to find one by prom. Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern are penning the script. Portman will produce with her partner Annette Savitch through their Handsomecharlie Films shingle.
Industry News: G.I. Joe Pummels Julia Child
8/10/2009 at 2:24 PM by Jessica Kantor
Box Office Weekend Estimate
August 7-9, 2009 (*millions)
FILM GROSS
1 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) $56.2M
2 Julie & Julia (2009) $20.1M
3 G-Force (2009) $9.8M
4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $8.88M
5 Funny People (2009) $7.87M
6 The Ugly Truth (2009) $7M
7 A Perfect Getaway (2009) $5.76M
8 Aliens in the Attic (2009) $4M
9 Orphan (2009) $3.73M
10 (500) Days of Summer (2009) $3.73M
Industry News: Orphanage Finds a Director and a Middle Manager Shines
8/5/2009 at 1:22 PM by Jessica Kantor
Columbia picks up Mike White's 'Babe'
Columbia Pictures has acquired “Babe in the Woods,” an original action-comedy spec script written by “School of Rock” scribe Mike White. White will produce through his Rip Cord Prods. banner with David Bernad. He’ll do a polish on the script before it goes out to directors and cast. The script is about a female freshman from the Midwest who arrives at Yale and becomes a target of the New Jersey mob.
Is a Creative Commons License Right For You?
8/3/2009 at 9:07 AM by Amy Allen
One of the many excellent presentations at the Workbook Project's DIY Days last weekend was made by Nina Paley, creator of the film Sita Sings the Blues. Paley distributed her film using a Creative Commons license. This means that anybody can view, download, share, stream or screen the film. Her theory is that by doing this, more people will donate to the film and purchase the DVD, t-shirts, tickets to screenings, etc. What she found is that the more exposure the film receives, the more money she makes from it. A total of $40,600 and counting.
Industry News: Fest Favorites Get Picked Up
7/29/2009 at 2:08 PM by Jessica Kantor
Oscilloscope gets 'Happy'
Oscilloscope Laboratories has picked up North American rights to Henrik Ruben Genz’s thriller “Terribly Happy.” Danish pic, about a Copenhagen cop who moves to a small town after having a nervous breakdown, won the top prize at last year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
Industry News: Revenge of the Sequels
7/24/2009 at 6:13 AM by Jessica Kantor
Deals cut for 'Saw VII'
It turns out there’s plenty of life left in “Saw” and Jigsaw John. With “Saw VI” due to open in the usual October slot, Lionsgate has greenlit “Saw VII” with a January start of production. David Hackl — production designer of the second, third and fourth films and helmer of “Saw V” — has been tapped to direct. Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who have produced all six of the “Saw” pics, are back as producers. And scribes Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who penned the fourth, fifth and sixth films, are writing the seventh.
Industry News: Comic-Con is Coming
7/22/2009 at 8:35 AM by Jessica Kantor
James Mangold to direct 'Words'
James Mangold is attached to direct an adaptation of the memoir “Three Little Words,” which is among the first projects to come from Lime Orchard Prods., the shingle recently launched by thesp Jami Gertz. Cathy Konrad is onboard to produce “Words,” a 2008 memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter about her traumatic childhood in foster care, through Konrad and Mangold’s Tree Line Film banner along with Lime Orchard.
Industry News: Half-Blood Prince Slays Dinosaurs
7/20/2009 at 2:08 PM by Jessica Kantor
Weekend Estimate
July 17-19, 2009 (*millions)
FILM GROSS
1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $79.5M
2 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) $17.7M
3 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $13.8M
4 Brüno (2009) $8.37M
5 The Hangover (2009) $8.31M
6 The Proposal (2009) $8.29M
7 Public Enemies (2009) $7.59M
8 Up (2009) $3.15M
9 My Sister’s Keeper (2009) $2.83M
10 I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) $2.67M
Industry News: Acquisitions and Updates
7/15/2009 at 8:05 AM by Jessica Kantor
FX starts 'The League'
FX has quietly begun production on “The League,” a half-hour comedy pilot starring “Humpday’s” Mark Duplass. The semi-improvised buddy comedy revolves around a group of thirtysomething guys in a fantasy football league. Set in the suburbs of Chicago, “League” follows the group as they deal with issues of friendship, relationships and parenthood. Duplass stars along with Nick Kroll (”I Love You Man”), Paul Sheer (”Human Giant”), Steve Rannazzisi (”Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) and Jon Lajoie. Also in the cast are Leslie Bibb (”Iron Man”), Katie Aselton (”The Office”) and Nadine Velazquez (”My Name Is Earl”).
