MUMBAI: Exhibition of films in Italy is set to change with ANICA, the Italian audiovisual industry association, announcing that soon the weekend will begin early for film lovers when films will open nationwide on Thursday rather than Friday, this week onwards.
That means starting this week, distributors and most exhibitors have agreed to start the weekend rollout of films a day early. According to Richard Borg, ANICA president and the head of Universal Studios-Italy, the reasoning was to give a longer lead-in to the weekend that could help ticket sales on Friday and Saturday.
“We made this decision to boost ticket sales for Thursdays in a way that could contribute to growing the overall market by creating what amounts to a longer weekend,” Borg said in a statement.
In addition to moving the release date forward, the plan also calls for tickets for Wednesday screenings to be sold at reduced rates.
It is not immediately clear how the new changes will impact the scheduled Italian releases for international films already on the calendar to take place on Fridays. In many cases, those releases are coordinated with releases in other countries months in advance.
The changes come as Italy‘s moribund film sector is starting to show new signs of life. After declining all year compared to the same months in 2010 and 2011, ticket sales in September were 37 percent higher than in the year ago period, with 8.3 million tickets sold compared to 6.2 million in September 2011.
Category: International
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Weekends in Italy to start from Thursday this week hence
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British Film Institute draws plans to push UK film industry
MUMBAI: The British Film Institute has unveiled a three-pronged assault on driving the UK film industry forward over the next five years with almost $800 million rattling its pockets from the lottery, the government and substantial earned income.
Unveiling its long-looking plan for the first time since taking up the bulk of the public funding duties for movies from the now-closed dow U.K. Film Council in 2011,the organisation noted the headline figure “sounded a lot” but wasn‘t that much spread across its ambitions.
Entitled “Film Forever: Supporting UK Film 2012-2017,” the BFI‘s plans include pledging $52 million per year to British film and filmmaking, $71.3 million each year for education and audience development and pumping $16 million annually into film heritage projects such as digital restoration of the BFI‘s archives.
BFI chairman and former BBC director general Greg Dyke said one of his main ambitions with the plans was to ensure the organisation was no longer referred to in certain circles as the London Film Institute.
The BFI has pledged “more money for the production and development of U.K. films.”
The cash available will rise annually to ?24 million ($38.7 million) by 2017, “with new opportunities for filmmakers working in documentary and animation and a greater focus on development.”
The BFI aims to develop a “new talent network to discover, grow and nurture new voices and stories all over the U.K.” and has remodeled the old prints and advertising fund – renaming it the distribution fund – to try and reflect the myriad ways digital distribution has thrown up. -
Virat Kohli is Hugh Grant’s one of favourite batsmen
MUMBAI: British actor Hugh Grant has recently revealed that he is amongst the millions of fans to be captivated by the young and dynamic Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.
The Hollywood star who has portrayed multiple roles in his upcoming movie ‘Cloud Atlas‘, himself has played quite a few celebrity cricket matches for charity.
Talking about Virat Kohli he commented, “Virat is one of my favourite batsmen from this new generation of cricketers. He is a treat to watch on field.”
Although Hugh Grant mentions that he is a profound cricket fan, he also revealed that he does not like the Twenty20 format of the game. He prefers the ‘civilised‘ test version of the sport, in spite of the fact that his home country England is the reigning world Twenty20 champion.
‘Cloud Atlas‘, Hugh Grant‘s new movie also stars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in major roles. It has been directed by the renowned Wachowskis – Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski of The Matrix trilogy fame along with Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run).
Cloud Atlas is an epic tale of humankind in which the actions and consequences of everyone‘s lives impact one another throughout the past, present and future. The movie releases in India on October 26. -
Seth MacFarlane to host 85th Oscars
MUMBAI: Seth MacFarlane will host the 85th Academy Awards, telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced. This will be MacFarlane‘s first appearance on Oscar‘s stage. The 85th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on 25 February on Star Movies in India.
Zadan and Meron said, “We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars. His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh. He will be the consummate host, and we are so happy to be working with him.”
MacFarlane said, “It‘s truly an overwhelming privilege to be asked to host the Oscars. My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don‘t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast.”
Academy president Hawk Koch said, “Seth is unbelievably talented. We couldn‘t be happier with the creative team we‘ve assembled. With Craig, Neil, and now Seth, we‘re off to a great start.”
MacFarlane made his feature directorial debut this year with the ‘Ted‘. -
UK, Brazil sign film co-production treaty
MUMBAI: The UK and Brazilian Governments have signed a co-production treaty.
The terms were negotiated by BFI, a UK organisation for film, and Ancine, the National Cinema Agency of Brazil. The treaty was signed in Brasilia by Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint.
The treaty is expected to take two years to come into force.
Film and TV productions that qualify under the terms of the treaty will be able to access the benefits of national status in each country.
In Brazil these include tax incentives, all federal public funds and access to favourable TV terms, while in the UK qualifying productions will be able to access the UK public film fund with a current allocation of ?18 million per year to invest in the development, production and completion of feature films.
This is set to increase to ?24 million by 2017 when the BFI launches its five year plan for film in October.
The announcement follows a number of initiatives to foster greater creative collaboration between the UK and Brazil. The most recent example came at the Rio Content Market in March 2012, where Pact and the ABPITV, the trade bodies representing independent producers in the UK and Brazil respectively, signed an agreement to promote closer ties between the independent production sectors in both countries.
Further cultural collaboration between the UK and Brazil will come later in 2012 with the British Council Transform event, a cultural programme of cross arts and transformative arts activity spanning the four years between London and Rio Olympic Games.
Transform kicks off at the Rio International Film Festival in October 2012 with a retrospective of the works of Brazilian director, Alberto Cavalcanti, from the BFI National Archive and a high profile screening of legendary British director Alfred Hitchock‘s The Pleasure Garden at an outdoor gala on the Copacabana Beach. The film has been restored by the BFI as part of its Genius of Hitchcock summer blockbuster project, and will be screened in Brazil accompanied by live music performed by the Brazilian Youth Orchestra from a score composed by British composer, Daniel Patrick Cohen. -
Robert Pattinson named sexiest man on Earth
MUMBAI: Robert Pattinson has been voted world‘s sexiest man, as per a poll conducted by a magazine.
The 26-year-old, who is reportedly rekindling his relationship with Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart, has won the accolade for the fourth year running, it is understood.
Pattinson started his career by playing Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He later landed the leading role of Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and came to worldwide fame, thus establishing himself among the highest paid and most bankable actors in Hollywood.
In 2010, the actor was named one of TIME magazine‘s 100 most influential people in the world and also in the same year, Forbes ranked him as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world.
Pattinson was followed by Assemble actor Tom Hiddleston who was in turn followed by Johnny Depp.
While Prometheus actor Michael Fassbender was in fourth place, British TV actor Benedict Cumberbatch took the fifth place.
Over 40,000 people voted in the poll to choose the 50 sexiest men of 2012. -
Matt Reeves signs Planet of the Apes sequel
MUMBAI: Matt Reeves has been signed to helm the sequel of Fox‘s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the film was supposed to have reteamed the studio and producers at Chernin Entertainment with Rise director Rupert Wyatt.
Wyatt exited the project last mid-September because of his reported discomfort to have the film ready by the 23 May, 2014 when it is scheduled to release.
Soon after his exit, a round of meetings with eligible directors took place and only afterwards Reeves was selected.
Reeves, who co-created Felicity with J.J. Abrams, is best known for directing the Paramount monster movie Cloverfield as well as the classy vampire movie Let Me In, a remake of the Scandinavian movie Let the Right One In. -
Looper grosses $ 36 million in opening weekend
MUMBAI: On its foreign debut, the sci-fi film Looper did impressive business with a gross of $36 million over the weekend with most of the intake coming from China. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, Looper is a Chinese co-production between Jim Stern‘s Endgame Entertainment and China‘s DMG.
The film opened at No. 1 in China with an estimated $24 million, a lot, lot more than its US intake of $21.2 million.
Worldwide, Looper took in $57.2 million, the best number of the weekend. Sony‘s Hotel Transylvania debuted to $43 million domestically and $8.1 million internationally from 13 markets for a global total of $51.1 million.
The film also opened in Russia ($4.5 million), the U.K. ($3.6 million) and Australia ($2.9 million). Glen Basner‘s Film Nation Entertainment handled the film internationally, while Sony‘s TriStar is releasing it domestically in tandem with Film District and Endgame.
Placing No. 2 at the international box office over the weekend was Resident Evil: Retribution that grossed $20.7 million from 6,460 venues in 65 markets. This brings the total overseas gross for the fifth title in director-producer Paul S.W. Anderson‘s action/sci-fi series.
A No. 3 U.K. opening at 355 locations delivered $1.25 million while a No. 2 Italy debut came up with $1.4 million at 290 spots. Retribution opened No.1 in India, and held top rankings in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand and Venezuela.
The latest Resident Evil is being distributed in most foreign markets by Sony, which has tallied a cumulative of $127.1 million. Another distributor, the film‘s German co-producer Constantin, has raked in 9.9 million in all thus far. -
All You Need Is Kill to open on 14 March 2014
MUMBAI: Sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt will open on 14 March 2014. The film, based on the book by the same title, is from Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.
The announcement of the release date was made by Warner Bros. Pictures president domestic distribution Dan Fellman and Warner Bros. Pictures president international distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.
The story is set in the near future, in which a hive-like alien race, called Mimics, have hit Earth, shredding cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties. The world‘s armies have joined forces for a last offensive.
Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and then dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. But he awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again…and again – as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
“But with each pass, Cage becomes tougher, smarter, and able to engage the Mimics with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt), who has lain waste to more Mimics than anyone on Earth,” a description of the film says.
The film is being directed by Doug Liman and is the first to be shot at the recently christened Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden near London. -
Andrew Garfield and Marc Webb return for The Amazing Spider-Man
MUMBAI: Andrew Garfield is all set to reprise his role as Peter Parker aka ‘Spider-Man‘ with director Marc Webb in the sequel of the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man.
Also in talks to feature in the film is Emma Stone, the real life girlfriend of Garfield, as Parker‘s love interest Gwen Stacy.
The script for the new film is being penned by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci along with Jeff Pinker, based on an earlier draft by James Vanderbilt.
Webb, who first came to notice with his indie hit 500 Days of Summer, has successfully rebooted the franchise after director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire quit five years ago.
If all goes according to plan, The Amazing Spider-Man will start filming early next year. It is targeted to release on 2 May, 2014.