GAUMONT EXPANDS ITS BIZ IN US
Preparing to expand its animation business in US, French powerhouse Gaumont
has appointed LA based industry vet Nicolas Atlan to a new position as president of animation. Another LA based executive, Terry Kalagian, has been tapped creative VP of animation. Both executives will report directly to Sidonie Dumas, Gaumont CEO & Christophe Riandee, vice CEO of Gaumont. Prior to joining Gaumont, Atlan was co – CEO of Splash Entertainment (rebranded from Moonscoop) since Feb, 2014. He has also presided over Kabillion, a VOD platform for kids. Kalagian, meanwhile, has previously worked as VP of business development for Rainmaker Entertainment. During her tenure at Turner, she led acquisitions and co – productions for Cartoon Network US & Boomerang US.
FOX SEARCHLIGHT SIGNS 1ST LOOK DEAL
Fox Searchlight Pictures has signed a 2 year, 1st look deal with Damian Jones’ DJ Films, which recently wrapped principal photography on Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, which will be released by Fox Searchlight on 1st July 2016 in UK & 22nd Jul, 2016 in North America. It is based on the television series directed by Mandie Fletcher, starring Jennifer Saunders & Joanna Lumley. Last year Jones produced the British comedy film Dad’s Army, directed by Oliver Parker, & Lady In The Van, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, who was nominated for both BAFTA & Golden Globe Awards for her performance. Jones is developing Goodbye Christopher Robin with Steve Christian & director Simon Curtis. Jones’ relationship with Fox Searchlight started with The History Boys, and continued through Belle into Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie & Goodbye Christopher Robin. Fox Searchlight Pictures has a long & exciting history of collaborating with film making partners in the British film industry.
NETFLIX COMMISSIONS SEASON 2 OF SCROTAL RECALL
Netflix has commissioned and will debut globally season 2 of the Netflix original series Scrotal Recall, following a deal with BBC Worldwide North America.
Clerkenwell Films will produce the new season exclusively for Netflix with series stars Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas & Daniel Ings all returning to the romantic comedy. Season 2 will consist of 8 episodes. Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix in US & Canada, and will be available globally later this year. In Season 1 of Scrotal Recall, viewers followed the exploits of hapless twenty something Dylan Witter (Johny Flynn) who, after receiving a troubling diagnosis, resolves to contact everyone he’s ever slept with to tell them the news. Each episode focuses on Dylan reaching out to a different girl from his past, which gives him the opportunity to look back on his neurotic mess of a love life and figure out where it all went wrong, all the while missing his most obvious hope at true love that has been under his nose the whole time. Joining him on this trip down memory lane are best friend Evie (Antonia Thomas), and ladies’ man Luke (Daniel Ings), who’ve been by Dylan’s side for years, picking up the pieces after each romantic car crash.
MUSIC BOX ACQUIRES US RIGHTS TO THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT
Music Box Films has picked up all US rights to Jaco Van Dormael’s Golden – Globe nominated The Brand New Testament, a Brussels based eccentric & surreal comedy starring Benoit Poelvoorde as a tyrannical God. The movie, which world premiered at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight & repped Belgium in the Oscars’ foreign language race, re-imagines God as a jerk living in Brussels who clashes with his daughter, the 10 year old Ea. Setting off to save humanity from her father, Ea hacks into his computer and leaks to the entire world via text message their date of death. Poelvoorde stars opposite Catherine Deneuve, Francois Damiens & Yolande Moreau. Deal was negotiated between Music Box Films’ president William Schopf & Camille Neel, head of International sales at Le Pacte. The Brand New Testament’ has been a hit in every territory it has opened so far. Music Box will release the movie in the fall.
LABIRINTUS TO STAR MARK -RACHEAL – LORANT
Mark Webber, Rachel Hurd -Wood & Lorant Deutsch have been signed on to star in a chiller Labirintus, which is directed by The Howling & Gremlins helmer Joe Dante.
Goldcrest Films is handling the International sales. Labirintus tells the story of a paranormal investigator (Mark Webber), psychiatric researcher (Racheal Hurd-Wood) & engineer (Lorant Deutsch) who join forces to explore an abandoned subterranean Soviet research facility, hidden within the dark twisting catacombs beneath Buda Castle. When supernatural forces confound & torment the group they begin to question their own sanity. To escape they must quash their fears and lead their team to find & destroy the dark heart of the maze. Written by Alan Campbell, Labirintus is produced by Fabrice Lambot of France’s Metaluna Prods, Lucy Mukerjee – Brown of Mukerjee – Brown Prods, Elizabeth Stanley of Elizabeth Stanley Pictures & Jean – Charles Levy of Forecast Pictures.
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE STRIKES PROGRAM PACT
The British Film Institute has struck an exclusive deal to curate a movie strand for iQIYI, one of China’s largest online video platforms. “The BFI Collection for iQIYI includes 20 feature titles, a mixture of stand – out British independents & world cinema, which have all premiered at BFI London Film Festival,” the organisation said in a statement. Some titles have already been licensed by iQIYI from rights owners. Others are supplied to Chinese company by BFI, which describes its role as having “programmed & delivered” the collection. Titles in the collection include Captain Phillips, Ilo Ilo & Submarine. BFI supplied titles include Philomena, Nowhere Boy & Millions. They are organised into thematic strands including “foreign adventures,” “growing pains” & “family anecdotes”, mirroring London festival’s own programming avenues. The collection is expected to grow beyond the initial 20. “Online movie streaming transcends time & space to allow more Chinese movie fans to watch world class films in real time,” said Yang Xianghua, senior VP of iQIYI.
EONE BUYS CONTROLLING STAKE IN RENEGRADE 83
Canadian studio’s eOne has acquired a 65% stake in David Garfinkle & Jay Renfroe’s reality show production company Renegade 83. Garfinkle & Renfroe will continue to lead the company as co – presidents & CEOs. California based Renegade 83, which launched in 1994, is behind such shows as Discovery’s Naked & Afraid, Discovery’s Emmy nominated documentary special The Kennedy Detail, CMT’s Gone Country, ABC’s Miracle Workers, NBC’s The Law Firm & USA’s Emmy nominated scripted series The 4400. “Renegade is truly best – in – class with a winning formula and a strong track record of success in unscripted television. We are looking forward to collaborating as they continue to do what they do best now powered by eOne,” said John Morayniss, CEO, eOne Television.
“BATMAN V SUPERMAN BEATEN BY “ASSISSINATION CLASSROOM” SEQUEL
Assassination Classroom: Graduation, the 2nd part of a 2 part action comedy based on a hit comic, debuted atop the Japanese box office for the weekend of 26th & 27th Mar, 2016. Bowing on 319 screens, with Toho distributing, the film earned $5.64 million on 545,000 admissions. That was more than 50% higher than the 1st weekend take of the prior film, Assassination Classroom, which was released in Mar, 2015 and finished with $24 million. Doraemon: Nobita And The Birth Of Japan 2016 took 2nd place after 3 weeks at number #1. Opening in #3 slot was Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Released on 717 screens by Warner, the film recorded $3.27 million on 231,000 admissions in its opening frame. Over the 3 day holiday weekend, the film racked up $4.42 million and is expected to finish with $13 million. Bowing at #4 was Kamen Rider 1: The Movie, the latest feature in the long running action series about a baddie battling biker cyborg, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Bowing on 307 screens with Toei distributing, the film took $1.37 million on 124,000 admissions. That was about 70% of the 1st weekend Box Office for the previous installment, which opened in Dec last year. The film’s final take is forecast at $8.8 million.
GAGA ENTERS PRODUCTION SECTOR
Major independent Japanese distributor Gaga has announced its entry into feature production & TV anime
production. One of its 1st ventures will be Itazurana Kiss – The Movie, a live action feature based on a popular 1990s girls’ comic that has previously spawned live action TV dramas in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea & Thailand, as well as an anime series in Japan. Gaga will partner
with Korean production company Asia Pictures Entertainment & Tokyo based music talent agency LDH for production & distribution. Directed by Minoru Mizoguchi, Itazurana Kiss – The Movie is set for a fall 2016 release in Japan. Gaga will become involved in production committees for TV anime shows, starting with 2 titles that will be announced at the Anime Japan Event on Sat, 26th Mar, 2016. The target is not just Japan but global markets.
“BATMAN V SUPERMAN” TAKES 2 THIRDS OF WEEKEND TOTAL
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice debuted on top of Korean Box Office, accounting for 68% of the weekend Box Office. Opening on 1,600 screens nationwide, the film earned $10.1 million from 1.39 million admissions between Thurs & Sun. That is higher than the opening score of previous DC movie Man Of Steel, which made $8.24 million from 1.21 million admissions over 4 days in 2013, but weaker than The Dark Knight Rises, which earned $15.4 million from 2.43 million admissions in 2012. Previous weekend winner, Zootopia slipped to 2nd place. The Walt Disney animation earned $1.8 million between Fri & Sun, for a total of $21.2 million from 3.18 million admissions after 6 weekends. Korean low budget drama, One Way Trip opened in 3rd, earning $766,000 between Thurs & Sun. The CJ release about 4 friends, whose fate dramatically changes in one night, premiered at last year’s Busan festival. 4th placed, local drama Spirits’ Homecoming made $303,000 between Fri & Sun, for a total of $22.9 million after 5 weekends.
“BATMAN V SUPERMAN” HAS AN OK $56 MILLION OPENING WEEKEND
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice opened on top of the Chinese box office. But it fell short of expectations and failed to rewrite many record books. The double superhero fantasy action franchise picture opened on 16,000 screens and posted $56.5 million over its 3 day opening, according to data from Ent Group. That comfortably beat Zootopia in 2nd place, which managed $26.8 million over the full week and stands on a 24 day cumulative of $197 million after 24 days on release. “Batman v Superman” had the supposed benefit of a release that was simultaneous with its worldwide rollout. And it scored an impressive $18.4 million on Fri (25th Mar, 2016). That was the 2nd largest Fri opening for a Hollywood film, behind Transformers 4 from 2014, and was reported to be the 6th largest opening day for a Hollywood movie in China, But after Fri matters were much closer over the weekend proper. On Sat “Batman v Superman” earned $22.3 million, an increase of only 21%. On Sunday its score slipped to $14.8 million. Warner Bros. said that the film delivered the biggest 3 day opening in China for the studio, and reported $57.3 million (RMB371.5 million). Preliminary data for Mon, which was not a holiday in China, is for a score of $4.58 million and a cumulative of $61.5 million after 4 days. That slowdown is going to make it hard for the film to reach even low end forecasts of $150 million, and it is highly unlikely to reach the top end predictions of $230 million. Sources close to the studio suggest that “Batman V Superman” is well positioned for the upcoming holiday weekend. Though it will face fresh competition from local titles including The Bodyguard & When We Were Young. Zootopia, in contrast, looks to have crossed $200 million on Mon and still has a few days before its run is terminated. It is the top grossing Hollywood film of the year in China and the highest ever animation film. It also beat the China – US co – production Kung Fu Panda 3, which has taken $152 million.
COOK STILL CHARTING A VAST CHINA STRATEGY
Using your brand as the host of a big conference in
China does not necessarily mean that you have made it in to Chinese film industry. In the case of former Disney chief Dick Cook, it appears to mean that he is on the way. Cook, his Dick Cook Studios, and a clutch of Middle Kingdom allies this week put their names to the China – US Motion Picture Summit. It was a bridge building film conference graced by the likes of Paul Haggis, Alfonso Cuaron, animation great Don Hahn, top Chinese director Lu Chuan & Desen Media producer Ann An, as well as senior Chinese Government figures. All in all, it was a massive display of kudos. Though quite who was doing who the bigger favour remains unclear. At present Cook is unwilling or unable to give precise answers about strategy, the timetable or how many movies DCS intends to produce. Cook, who operates with grace, while undoubtedly under pressure, says his alliance with the state backed CITIC Guoan group, 1st unveiled in principal in Apr, last year, is “strategic, not just financial.”
WANDA PICTURES RAISES $2.4 BILLION
Dalian Wanda is reported to have raised $2.4 billion (RMB15.9 billion) for its film unit, Wanda Pictures. According to a report by Bloomberg, group VP Liu Zhaohui held a briefing for financiers in Hong Kong on Thurs and said that the offering, which had sought $1.5 billion was over subscribed. Wanda is busily restructuring & scaling up its entertainment assets, though it is not currently clear how the organisational chart will finish up. Chairman Wang Jianlin has publicly said that he was seeking one, or two, IPOs for the company’s film distribution & production arms. But now it appears that Wanda is able to raise the finance through private placings and may be able to avoid a new share listing. Wanda Cinema Line, the groups already listed theaters chain, is expected to absorb Wanda Pictures, the unit that will include the recently acquired Legendary Entertainment. Wanda Cinema Line shares have been suspended since the end of Feb, 2016 and the group has said that the stock could remain suspended until Apr, 2016, albeit with updates made to the market every week.
PARADIGM & BENDERSPINK SIGN MEXIC’S EMILIANO ROCHA MINTER
The Paradigm Talent Agency has signed Mexico’s Emiliano Rocha Minter, screenwriter -director of Tenemos La Carne” (We Are The Flesh), a Mexican movie that is quickly acquiring cult status after its 2nd Feb, 2016 world premiere at the Rotterdam Festival and endorsement by fellow Mexican cineastes Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Alfonso Cuaron & Carlos Reygadas. LA based production management company Benderspink has also signed on as his manager. Paradigm’s representation deal comes only 3 weeks after it moved smartly to ink Maria Evoli, the Mexican actress star of We Are The Flesh. Not since Reygadas’ 2002 Japan has a Mexican feature debut attracted so much attention, though that’s currently limited to Rotterdam audiences and cognoscenti who have seen the film. We Are The Flesh is set in a seemingly post apocalypse world, where a teen sister (Fauna, played by Evoli) & brother (Diego Gamaliel) stumble on a grotesque but charismatic man who seems to make a living grinding human flesh into slush and offers them food if they convert his building into a womb like cave. There, he cajoles and coerces them to abandon inhibitions, slake their lusts and break taboos in acts of incest, bloodlust, rape, murder, onanism and cannibalism.
