Category: International

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures has bid $50 million to acquire the worldwide distribution rights to a film based on rehearsal footage for Michael Jackson‘s This Is It comeback concert series, it is understood.

The bid came after studios, including Paramount, Universal and 20th Century Fox, were shown the footage early last week but all the studios remained tight-lipped on the subject.

Sony Pictures would now produce the film with Jackson‘s concert promoter, AEG Live. The deal would go a long way in helping promoters, AEG Live recoup some of the $30 million to $32 million it spent producing the concert before Jackson expired on June 25.

Incidentally, Sony Pictures had an advantage on the other bidders because its music wing, Sony Music distributes Jackson‘s music and is in a 50:50 partnership with Jackson in Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Though Sony‘s bid is at par with the cost of making a mid-range budget film, it is offset by the fact that Sony Music would benefit from the music licensing rights of the film.

The promoters are also negotiating with several television networks and pay-per-view outlets on a TV special that would be a stage show featuring Jackson‘s music and dancing. It would be directed by Kenny Ortega.

MUMBAI:Early bird registrations are open for the Sheffield Doc/Fest 2009, which introduces two new awards this year: The Sheffield Inspiration Award and the Sheffield Jury Award.

The Sheffield Inspiration Award recognizes a person who has inspired the doc community, contributed to the impact of documentaries and has made a lasting contribution to the art of documentary.

The Award celebrates the best documentary programme that demonstrates excellence in both craft and style. The award will be selected by a panel of film and media professionals.

The winning films can be of any length and made for any medium and should have been selected for the festival programme. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony during the festival on November 8.

MUMBAI:Phil Claydon has been signed on to direct Dan Mintner: Badass for Hire, a New Line comedy being produced by Contrafilm‘s Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson with Mason Novick. Conceived as a light-hearted homage to 1980s action thriller such as Cobra and Missing in Action, Badass centers on a tight-jeans-wearing, matchstick-chewing man stuck with an ‘80s mentality while kicking some modern-day butt.

Claydon directed Lesbian Vampire Killers, a horror comedy that generated comparisons to Shaun of the Dead. Killers hasn‘t gotten a U.S. theatrical release but has developed a cult in England.

MUMBAI: Paula Abdul may not return to ‘American Idol‘ for a ninth season, it is learnt.
“She‘s not a happy by what‘s going on. She‘s hurt. She‘s angry,” David Sonenberg, her manager told the media.

However, Sonenberg, who said that he became Abdul‘s manager at the end of June, added that he has yet to receive a proposal for a new contract for Abdul.

MUMBAI: The latest ‘Harry Potter‘ film set a new box-office record worldwide in its opening week, grossing nearly 400 million U.S. dollars in five days since its release, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said.
Harry Potter

and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth instalment of the popular boy wizard movie franchise, took in about 397 million dollars since its global debut on Wednesday, breaking the previous five-day box office record of 381.7 million dollars set by Spider-Man 3.
The box-office performance for the new “Harry Potter” film is testament to the staying power of the franchise based on J.K. Rowling‘s novels, whose first movie debuted in 2001, it is said.

“It‘s amazing eight years on, Warner Bros. has a franchise that has to date generated more than 4.6 billion dollars in worldwide box office and is as popular today as it was at the beginning of this journey,” Dergarabedian said.

In North America, the film took in 79.4 million dollars this weekend, pushing its total ticket sales to about 160 million dollars since Wednesday, preliminary weekend box office figures showed Sunday.

Meanwhile, it also took in 237 million overseas since Wednesday in 54 markets, bringing its worldwide total to about 397 million dollars, according to Warner Bros.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was in a distant second place with 17.7 million dollars this weekend in North America. The 20th Century Fox animated movie has earned about 152 million dollars since its release three weeks ago.

DreamWorks‘ Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen comes in third with 13.8 million dollars over the weekend, as the robot action sequel has grossed 364 million dollars in the United States and Canada in four weeks.

MUMBAI: In its ploy to acquire the licensing, production of BrainWorks Entertainment and its distribution business as well and the video and music product pipeline, Synergex Corporation has entered into an agreement with the company.

The manufacturing, content licensing, and distribution business of BrainWorks‘ in Canada will continue under Synergex‘ wholly-owned subsidiary Synergex Media Entertainment (SYXME).

SYXME will strategically focus on the acquisition, production, and localization of DVD and music content for physical and digital distribution in Canada, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina, and for sub-licensing in other markets.

The BrainWorks brand is well-established across Canada, particularly in the Quebec market, providing French language fitness-focused content for the francophone community.

BrainWorks former president Glenn Moss and newly-appointed vice president of SYXME will develop and produce exclusive content programs for traditional and non-traditional markets. He has an extensive career of over 20 years in the entertainment and home entertainment industries, specializing in content acquisition, production, marketing, media buying, and sales.

MUMBAI: Lionsgate film releasing president Steve Rothenberg, a film distribution veteran known for energetic work habits and broad knowledge of his field, died Thursday in Burbank after a months-long battle with stomach cancer. He was 50.

The New York native was a 28-year industry vet, who began his career working for filmmaker Roger Corman. During more than 10 years at Lionsgate, Rothenberg guided the release of films with a combined boxoffice of almost $2 billion, featuring a diverse array of successful films such as Michael Moore‘s political documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11,” western “3:10 to Yuma,” the “Saw” horror pics and Tyler Perry comedies.

Rothenberg previously served as distribution president at Artisan Entertainment, where he created and implemented a distribution strategy for the indie horror phenomenon “The Blair Witch Project” and many other theatrical releases.

Rothenberg is remembered both for his tireless work ethic and unflagging loyalty to family and friends. He is survived by his wife Frances and their children Alexandra, Ted and Emma of Glendale, Calif.; his mother, Ina Rothenberg, of Boynton Beach, Fla.; and a sister, Stacy Moscoe, of West Hills, Calif.

A memorial service will be held noon Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Camp Kesem, a children‘s camp for families coping with cancer at www.campkesem.org.

MUMBAI: Grupo Televisa reported a 10.2-per cent increase in revenues in the second quarter to Ps. 12.7 billion ($946.3 million), delivering a net profit of Ps.1.8 billion ($135 million), down less than 1 per cent on the year-ago period.

Television broadcasting revenues, which account for almost 41 percent of net sales, were flat at Ps. 5.3 billion, with an operating income of Ps. 2.7 billion. The pay-TV networks, meanwhile, boosted revenues by 35.7 per cent to Ps. 698.6 million, while operating income gained 40.2 per cent to Ps. 462.5 million. Programming exports also increased, by 11.8 per cent to Ps. 638.5 million, delivering a segment profit of Ps. 294.3 million, reflecting an 11.1-per cent increase. The satellite business Sky delivered a 7.5-percent revenue hike to Rs. 2.4 billion, but profit was flat at Ps. 1.1 billion. The cable and telecom segment recorded the biggest gain, of 55 per cent to Ps. 2.2 billion, with an operating income that gained 67.5 per cent to Ps. 753.6 million.

MUMBAI: The latest film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince cast a $104 million spell over worldwide box-offices on its first day in theatres thus setting a new record for the boy wizard, distributor Warner Bros Pictures said.

The film, the sixth in the film series based on the popular books by J.K. Rowling, grossed $58.18 million in North America and $45.85 million overseas on Wednesday, the Time Warner Inc-owned studio said.

Only last month Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen scored a bigger mid-week first-day gross with $62 million in domestic ticket sales on June 24.

The latest Harry Potter also ranks as the fourth-highest single-day gross for a film release in North America behind Dark Knight ($67.1 million), No. 2 Transformers: Revenge and third Spider-Man 3 ($59.8 million).

It may be recalled that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that also opened on a Wednesday with first-day domestic collection of $44.2 million went on to gross $937 million worldwide.

The first five films

in the Harry Potter have so far grossed about $4.5 billion collectively at the global box-office.

MUMBAI: Animation Collective has signed up Mexico‘s Canal Once for the modern-day superhero tale Three Delivery.

The 26×22-minute animated action-comedy is slated for a September debut on Canal Once. The series is co-produced with Fatkat Studios, in association with Nicktoons Network, YTV and the BBC.

Created by Larry Schwarz, Animation Collective‘s founder and CEO, Three Delivery follows a group of teenagers who are delivery kids and also superheroes. It‘s set in Chinatown and animated in a highly graphic comic-book style.