ITV

Category: Movies

  • Disney postpones release of Saw VI in Spain

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (WDSMPI) International‘s Spanish arm has had to postpone the release of its horror film Saw VI nationwide in Spain because the film was given an X rating for extreme violence by the Spanish government‘s film institute, the ICAA.

    This is the first time a non-pornographic Spanish film has been given such a rating which means that the film can only be released in eight Spanish cinemas normally dedicated to pornography.

    WDSMPI had planned to release the film with 300 prints in commercial Spanish cinemas nationwide yesterday but has instead been forced to appeal the decision made by the ICAA and postpone the film‘s release.

    All five of the previous Saw films had been given an 18 certificate in Spain and enjoyed success at the local box office (each taking more than $6m), but the ICAA ruled that the sixth instalment was too violent and therefore warranted the X rating.

  • Handmade to focus on children’s market

    MUMBAI: UK-based Handmade PLC has announced its intention to get into partnership with the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, mainly to focus increasingly on the children‘s market.

    The company that owns Handmade Films, is launching HandMade Kids, a children and family media business, in partnership with National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) where Handmade will own over 50 per cent share of the new company.

    Handmade, through this new division, will develop Ferguson‘s Tea For Ruby and Little Red children‘s books, the latter will be actively involved and will have a percentage share of future revenues and profits from the joint venture.

    The move comes as Handmade announced its ambitious plan to raise $28m via the placing of 68 million shares at 10 pence per share and convertible loan stock. Handmade has also acquired US animation studio Animation Collective for $12 million.

    Handmade Films International is the company‘s film finance, sales and distribution outfit, Its slate being Jordan Scott‘s Cracks, Menno Meyjes‘s Manolete, animated project Planet 51 and forthcoming features like Charles Shyer‘s Eloise In Paris and Paul WS Anderson‘s remake of The Long Good Friday.

  • IFC Films acquires US rights of Cairo Time

    MUMBAI: IFC Films has acquired US rights of writer-director Ruba Nadda‘s Cairo Time starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig.

    The romantic drama follows the love affair between an American tourist in Cairo, played by Clarkson, who gets involved with an Egyptian man (Siddig), a friend of her husband.

    The film was awarded the best Canadian feature prize at the recently held Toronto International Film Festival.
    IFC Films will release Cairo Time in 2010 through its ‘IFC in Theaters‘ platform which offers movies on demand the same day they premiere in theatres.

    The distribution company acquired the film from E1 Entertainment International, the film‘s sales agent and US and international rights holder.

  • UK-Kiwi co-production Tracker to start shooting in NZ

    MUMBAI: Ray Winstone and Temuera Morrison will star in Tracker, a thriller that starts shooting soon in New Zealand.

    The UK-New Zealand co-production is an action thriller about an ex-Boer war guerrilla who is given the task of capturing a Moari seafarer accused of killing a British soldier.

    The film, scripted by the late Nicolas van Pallandt, will be directed by British director Ian Sharp.

    The film, an Eden Films and T.H.W Film production in association with Phoenix Wiley & Liberty Films, has been backed by the UK Film Council, the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air and private financier Natixis Coficine.

  • DTH impact: Multiplexes stop screening of Main Aurr Mrs Khanna

    MUMBAI: The shortened release window on DTH is beginning to have its impact on the multiplex business. The airing of Sohail Khan‘s Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on the DTH platform just four days after its theatrical release has peeved multiplex owners so much so that they have pulled out the film from its second-week run.

    While multiplex operators were against the release of the film on DTH on a
    pay-per-view scheme thinking producers should not exploit two revenue models at one go, the producers were of the view that the film‘s showing on the new delivery platform would not impact multiplex revenues; it would, on the other hand, help fight piracy.

    Following this complication, multiplex operators have stopped screening Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. Says Fun Cinemas COO Vilkas Kapur “As it is, the film was not doing well and with the airing of Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on DTH from 20 October, we found a considerable fall in the footfalls. Thus in our best interests, we decided to stop screening the film.”


    Agrees Cinemax COO Devang Sampat, “Initally when we heard about the film being aired on the DTH platform, we had voiced our concern. But when we saw that they were going ahead with it, we decided to stop showing the film from the second week.”


    Justifying the decision to air Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on the DTH platform, UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur says: “Producers need to be able to monetise whatever revenue streams come their way. Though DTH is an emerging revenue stream, it is not close to a theatre release. It‘s another revenue stream to monetise and we are tapping it.”

  • Reliance MediaWorks Q2 net loss at Rs 111.5 mn as theatrical biz improves

    MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks Ltd (formerly known as Adlabs Films) has posted a 80 per cent increase in its income from operations for the second quarter over the previous three months as theatrical exhibition business boomed with the return of Bollywood content in mid-June after the two-month strike was called off.

    The company had suffered a net loss of Rs 636.96 million in the first quarter as the exhibition business was shaken up due to the tussle between producers and multiplex owners. However, in the second quarter ending September, Reliance MediaWorks has managed to reduce its net loss to Rs 111.47 million.


    On a consolidated basis, the total income of the company for the quarter was Rs 1.88 billion, up 79.88 per cent from the previous quarter. Total expenses were at Rs 1.83 billion, up 23.94 per cent, from Rs 1.48 billion sequentially.


    Reliance MediaWorks CEO Anil Arjun commented, “Reliance MediaWorks has shown strong performance in all its business segments in this quarter. The company’s strategic investments and scaled business operations have resulted in the creation of a robust business model which makes us a significant player across the entire film and media services value chain and enables us to be a leading beneficiary of the continuing upswing that the industry has seen since July this year.”


    In the segment-wise results, theatrical business reported a revenue of Rs 1.15 billion, a jump of 62.43 per cent from previous quarter’s Rs 708.73 million. However, the company still suffered an operating loss of Rs 84.40 million in the quarter (Rs 298.88 million in the previous quarter), as it invested heavily in theatrical expansion.


    The company has employed capital of Rs 152.17 million in the exhibition segment in the quarter, taking the total capital investment in the segment to Rs 10.47 billion.


    Its multiplex chain Big Cinemas added 16 screens in the second quarter, taking the total screen count to 480 spread across India, US, Malaysia and Netherlands. The company also entered New Delhi with the reopening of Odeon theatre as Odeon Big Cinemas. During the quarter, it also opened a Megaplex in Mumbai with nine screens and seating capacity of 2109 people.


    Also, from film production services segment, the company has earned a revenue of Rs 474.27 million, as compared to Rs 288.89 million in the previous quarter. It also posted operating profit of Rs 146.49 million during the quarter under review (from previous quarter’s Rs 15.08 million).


    In the TV/Film production and distribution segment, the revenue stood at Rs 302.37 million, up from Rs 70.81 million on a Q-o-Q basis. Operating profit from the segment was Rs 85.29 million for the quarter, against Rs 12.80 million in the Q1.


    As it has not regrouped figures for the previous quarter, the company said in a release that the result is “strictly not comparable” with the previous year’s result.

  • Second Whistling Woods institute to be in Hyderabad


    MUMBAI: The second Whistling Woods International Institute in India will come up in Hyderabad. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has allotted over 20 acres of land near Jubilee Hills for the same.

    Soon after YSR‘s nod, the Government machinery sprung into action and allotted 20 acres of land to WWI. The possession of the land was received on 15 October.


    Thanking the Andhra Pradesh government, founder-promoter Subhash Ghai said, “Whistling Woods International and Mukta Arts are grateful to the Government and the people of Andhra Pradesh to help us set up a world-class institute – Whistling Woods International – in Hyderabad. We promise to stand committed.”


    Whistling Woods International that already has its branch in Spain with the help of the Government of Spain is all set to replicate WWI‘s education model in various states of India and abroad like UK and Singapore.

  • Dreamworks acquires filming rights of Wicked

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Studios, a motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with Reliance ADAG, has acquired the filming rights of the young adult book series Wicked.

    A New York Times bestselling series published by Simon & Schuster, Wicked is a five-book series written by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. The first two books, Witch and Curse, were published in 2002 followed by Legacy and Spellbound in 2003. The fifth book, Resurrection was published last summer.


    The film that will have adaptation by Aaron and Matthew Benay will be produced by The Gotham Group.


    The story of Wicked follows the journey of a young woman who learns that she is a descendent of a powerful coven of witches. Complications arise when she falls in love with a boy who turns out to be a member of a rival coven sworn to destroy her family.


    Said Dreamworks co-president Mark Sourian, ” Wicked has all the elements of a great movie–adventure, mystery, star-crossed lovers, bitter enemies and the supernatural. Aaron and Matthew came in with an intriguing take on the books and a story that we feel will really appeal viewers.”


    Nancy Holder, who has received four Bram Stoker awards for fiction from the Horror Writers Association, has published sixty books and more than two hundred short stories. Her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages.


    Debbie Viguié is author of the Once upon a Time novels like Scarlet Moon and Midnight Pearls as well as the Sweet Seasons novels The Summer of Cotton Candy, The Fall of Candy Corn, The Winter of Candy Canes and The Spring of Candy Apples.

  • Man Shu Sum joins Raintree Pictures as managing director

    MUMBAI: Man Shu Sum Resigning from his position as CEO of Mark Burnett Productions‘ Singapore-based Asian arm, Man Shu Sum has joined MediaCorp Raintree Pictures as managing director.

    Sum replaces Daniel Yun who quit Raintree after being at the helm for 11 years to establish his own production venture, Home Run Pictures.

    Sum took up the job of CEO of Mark Burnett‘s Asian arm in May 2008, resigning from his previous position as director of strategic relations at Singapore‘s Media Development Authority (MDA).

    MediaCorp CEO, Lucas Chow said that he was pleased to welcome Sum to the organisation as his experience in the international film industry


    would boost Raintree Pictures in its next phase of development.

    Sum will report to Chow and take up the new post from December.

  • Mechanic and Shankman to produce next Oscar for telecast


    MUMBAI: Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman will produce the 82nd Academy Awards telecast next year, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) president Tom Sherak announced.


    This will be the first major Oscar show involvement for both men. Sherak says, “I couldn‘t be happier to have this talented team on board. I‘ve known Bill for many years, so it‘s like putting Oscar in the care of a dear friend. Bill has a tremendous love and respect of film and will draw from his vast experience as a producer, a studio executive and a film historian to help make this year‘s Oscar telecast a memorable one. And Adam‘s experience in producing, directing and especially choreography will be a huge asset to the production.”


    Mechanic says, “I‘m thrilled to be producing the Oscars with Adam. I think Adam has the perfect background and spirit to make the show both unique and fun to watch. Together we will build upon the best traditions from the great shows of the past while helping pave the way to the future.”


    Adds Shankman, “The last time I was on the show was as a dancer, and to come back as a producer is such an unbelievable honour. I look forward to collaborating with Bill to celebrate the world‘s collective love of movies and provide a fun escape from the difficult times we‘re living in. Simply put, there is no show like the Oscars, and I am thrilled to be a part of our industry‘s most treasured tradition.”


    Mechanic is Pandemonium Films chairman and CEO of and the former chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment. While at Fox, the studio released films like True Lies, Braveheart, Titanic and The Full Monty.