Category: International

MUMBAI: Not one to go by the technological advances that make the process of filmmaking an easier task, Steven Spielberg prefers the ‘old-fashioned craft‘ with which he grew up.

The 64-year-old began making movies as a child and believes many people can now make films by even using a mobile phone to shoot something. “All kids have to do these days is take their cell phone, flip it open and make a movie, but I like the way it started,” he averred.

Reminiscing the times he took to filmmaking, the noted director said, “It wasn‘t a point-and-click art form, it was a craft. It involved solvents, photo-chemistry, cutting out poster board with industrial scissors and getting your fingers fused with Elmer‘s glue.” It was all homemade stuff. If I was a chef, a microwave would be my worst enemy. I would want to do it the old-fashioned way.” he added.

His love of cinema started when his father used to take a camera on holiday and used to capture their trips.

“My dad used to film our camping trips. He‘d put the camera outside the window as we were driving along, and all you‘d see was a blurring, brown motion of the Arizona desert streaking past. It got to the point where I begged him to be the videographer,” said Spielberg.

 MUMBAI: Paramount‘s Transformers: Dark of the Moon has managed to transform its popularity into box office delight for its producer. It has recorded the third best worldwide debut of all time and grossing $372 million through Sunday.

Domestically, Dark of the Moon‘s gross through Sunday was $162 million. It‘s expected to earn another $18.8 million Monday for a total domestic launch of $180.8 million.

With the 4 July holiday still to come, the Michael Bay film, in all likelihood, should finish Monday with a total opening gross of $405.8 million, feel insiders.

That would not change its status compared to Half-Blood Prince and Spider-Man, since Monday‘s grosses don‘t count in terms of the record. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scored the best worldwide debut of all time in grossing $394 million, followed by Spider-Man 3 at $382 million.

It may be recollected that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned $200 million in its six-day domestic debut.

Overseas, Dark of the Moon remained the undisputed king where it‘s already grossed $210 million. It beat $147 million earned by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Through Monday, Paramount puts the film‘s foreign total to $225 million.

Paramount heavily marketed the 3D element of Bay‘s film and the efforts did pay off. In North America, the film earned 60 per cent of its grosses from 3D theaters. Overseas, where 3D continues to thrive in certain markets, 70 per cent of the grosses came from 3D.

Imax theaters playing Dark of the Moon raked in $22.5 million worldwide, while domestically, it hit another milestone, its Friday through Sunday gross of $97.4 million was seen as the best three-day number ever for the 4 July weekend.

On the other hand the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts starrer Larry Crowne grossed an estimated $13 million through Sunday to stand at the No. 4 position at the domestic box office trailing Dark of the Moon and holdovers Cars 2 and Bad Teacher.

MUMBAI: Christopher Nolan is producing an untitled thriller under his own banner, Syncopy, for Warner Bros.
 
This is the second time Nolan will be producing a film. His first project is Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder of Sucker Punch fame, which is still under production and is set to release in 2012.
 
Deadline.com reported that Nolan’s untitled supernatural thriller will be based on a novel. It will be written and directed by former actor Keith Gordan and Nolan’s wife and producing partner Emma Thomas will executive-produce the project.

Earlier, Gordan directed films such as A Midnight Clear, Waking The Dead, The Singing Detective and The Chocolate War.

MUMBAI: Ricco Capital Holdings, a Hong-Kong-based merger and acquisition boutique, and Panda Media Partners, a joint venture of Fidelis Entertainment and Stan Lee‘s POW! Entertainment, have joined forces to create Magic Storm Entertainment.
 
The film financing partnership will develop and produce a new franchise of Stan Lee‘s superheroes for the global marketplace, including China.
 
Magic Storm Entertainment will develop film projects that leverage Stan Lee‘s global legacy, with new entertainment content that is positioned to appeal to Asian markets and broader global audiences. Details of the first film project will be released later this summer.

Magic Storm Entertainment will be based in Los Angeles. Fidelis Entertainment‘s Eric Mika has been appointed CEO and will oversee all future entertainment business development opportunities for Ricco Capital. Magic Storm Entertainment is represented by James Thoma, Reed Smith, LLP.

Pow! Entertainment chief creative officer Stan Lee who co-created Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Hulk and hundreds of other superhero comic book characters, said, “I have been eagerly awaiting this great opportunity, a chance to combine the best of American superhero epics with the best of Chinese and Asian classical film-making for a motion picture that would be excitedly received worldwide.”

The first project will be announced soon.

Ricco Capital Holdings chairman Wu Siu Chung said, “Stan Lee is a global icon whose characters and brands have generated more than $6 billion US at the global box office and sparked vast international toy, video game and merchandise sales. Magic Storm Entertainment will leverage that appeal with Ricco Capital‘s development fund.”

 MUMBAI: North American distributer Film Movement has acquired the distribution rights of Queen of Hearts, said to be the directorial debut of French actress Valerie Donzelli, the romantic comedy. 

The film is the story of thirty years old Adele is devastated following a painful breakup. With no close friends or family, her distant cousin Rachel reluctantly takes her in and graciously attempts to salvage Adele’s personal and professional life. Rachel finds her a job and suggests that Adele sleep with other men to get over her heartbreak. Adele bounces from one lover to the next in search of her perfect companion but can’t escape the visage of her ex. Finally, she recognizes the man who may just hold the answer to her broken heart.

The distribution company plans to release the film in New York later in the year followed by a limited national roll-out.

MUMBAI: The sequel of X-Men titled The Wolverine will go on floors this October. 

This film will take Logan to Japan where he has to deal with the Japanese mafia and the problems that arise due to his own animal nature.

Jackman revealed, “Wolverine is coming back, so the claws are out. The chops aren‘t grown yet but I‘m starting to – the guns are getting there. We shoot in October, so it will probably come out in a year after that. That‘s usually around the timeline.”

According to reports, Christopher McQuarrie has written the script while James Mangold of the fame Knight & Day is likely to direct the movie.
 

MUMBAI: Executive vp of theatrical publicity at Lionsgate Julie Fontaine has restructured her department, creating two project teams to oversee theatrical releases.

While Jennifer Peterson will oversee one team, Jamie Blois, who has been promoted to vp, national publicity, will head the other.

Peterson has been with Lionsgate since 2003 and joined its PR department in 2004 while Bois joins Lionsgate from Disney where she served as executive director of global publicity.
 
As senior vp, national publicity, Todd Nickels will continue to head all of the studio‘s New York-based theatrical publicity and will work with both project teams.

Corporate public relations for the film division will be overseen by Fontaine and managed by Kate Hubin Piliero who now is the Studio’s film division’s vp, corporate communications.

Matthew Clasby, who has been named vp, theatrical promotions, will oversee all publicity-driven promotions as well as oversee special events, tradeshows and conventions.

MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) has promoted Chris Ottinger as President of International Television Distribution and Acquisitions. In his new role, Ottinger will oversee all of the studio’s international TV distribution and acquisitions activities, working closely with teams in Los Angeles, London and around the world.
 
Ottinger previously served as executive vice president, Worldwide Television for the studio. In his current role at MGM, Ottinger oversaw the studio’s international pay television business and was responsible for closing pay television output deals in Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Central Europe.

Additionally, he supervised MGM’s television production and development activities and was responsible for shows including Teen Wolf on MTV and Mildred Pierce on HBO in addition to managing a development slate of over 15 projects.

Ottinger re-joined MGM in 2007 from Fox where he served as executive vice president for Fox World and Fox Television Studios International overseeing over 30 format productions per year and overseas production studios in India, France, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to that, Ottinger served as senior vice president, business development and co-production for Paramount International Television.

MUMBAI: Former president of Miramax Films and Warner Independent, Mark Gill has been appointed president of Millennium Films. Gill has 25 years of film business experience and a production track record of more than $1 billion at the box office.

Beginning July, Gill will work closely with Nu Image/Millennium Films heads Avi Lerner and Trevor Short and development head Boaz Davidson with focus on development, packaging, production and marketing.
 
“It’s a new Millennium,” Lerner has reportedly said. “Mark and I have known each other for 10 years, and have worked together very well in the past. He is highly respected in the creative community, has a strong business sense, and is a very hard worker who likes to move as quickly as we do. I am confident that we will be an extremely effective team,” he added.

Millennium Films has also announced its plans to produce and finance five to eight star-driven, wide-release films per year with budgets between $20 and $80 million.
 
Gill was most recently the CEO and co-founder of The Film Department, an independent movie production and finance company that is known for the film Law-Abiding Citizen, a $40 million thriller starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.
 
Before that, Gill served as the founding president of Warner Independent Pictures. In his tenure, the company produced 15 films and earned 11 Oscar nominations, notable among them being March of the Penguins, Good Night and Good Luck.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Los Angeles has decided to honour Oscar-winning director John Lasseter of the Cars franchise with the ‘Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Filmed Entertainment’ and Harry Potter director David Yates with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for excellence in directing at a ceremony slated for 30 November at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
 
“John Lasseter and David Yates are master creators of joy and imagination. Their high standard of art, perception and pure entertainment is unparalleled. The worldwide success of Mr. Lasseter for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Mr. Yates’ contribution to the final four parts of the Harry Potter franchise makes them global wizards in their own right, and are delighted to honor these remarkable filmmakers with this year’s Britannia Award,” commented BAFTA Los Angeles chairman Nigel Lythgoe.
 
BAFTA Los Angeles will also honour the winners of the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for excellence in film, the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year and the Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy at the event.