ITV

Category: Movies

  • TV syndication biz lifts Eros up in FY’09

    MUMBAI: Eros International Plc had a bad theatrical year with its film releases but stayed pre-tax profitable for the full year ended 31 March 2009 as its television syndication business to Indian broadcasters grew 94 per cent to $64 million.

    Profit before tax was up seven per cent to $48.4 million on a gross turnover of $156.7 million. The company said revenue was up 38.7 per cent from $113 million a year ago.


    Theatrical revenue fell from $52.1 million to $46.3 million, despite the number of releases during the year increasing to 70 (from 52 releases in 2008). Eros released 24 films globally, including Tamil and other regional movies.


    Eros saw growth in revenues from international television networks and aggregators for dubbed and original versions including German, Russian, Arabic and other languages dubbed or subtitled in 24 different languages.


    Says Eros chairman and chief executive Kishore Lulla, “I am delighted that Eros International has delivered strong revenue and profit growth for the third successive year, building on our core competency of content and distribution. Against a backdrop of an uncertain macro economic environment and adverse currency movements caused by the significant depreciation of the Indian rupee to the US dollar, with over 60 per cent of the Group‘s turnover coming from India, the underlying business has produced a very robust performance. The company will continue build its content portfolio and distribution network while focusing on cash conversion, effective management of costs and reducing net debt.”


    Revenues from new media grew by 69 per cent to $46.2million, driven largely by growth in video-on-demand deals with Comcast, Cablevision and other cable platforms, IPTV, mobile deals, DTH and internet platforms.


    Aimed at giving digital revenues a big push, the company released 11 music titles in the year which were monetised through ringtones and other revenue streams.


    Having already released two titles on Blu Ray format, Eros plans to release at least a further 50 titles on Blu Ray.


    Eros said over 50 per cent of the Group‘s turnover came from catalogue exploitation and regional content distribution.

    Eros expects cash flows to be healthy in FY‘10 as it has lined up a large slate of global releases like Kambakkth Ishq, Love Aaj Kal, Aladin, De Dhana Dhan and Veer. The production costs for the upcoming slate of movies are already substantially funded and the company aims to reduce its net debt over the next 12 months.

  • ‘Wanted’ premieres on NBC News on 20 July

    MUMBAI: The Wanted will premiere on 20 July at 10 p.m. with specialists in counter-terrorism, foreign intelligence, war crimes and investigative journalism profiling suspected international terrorists.

    NBC News has scheduled its controversial To-Catch-a-Terrorist investigative programme in which an elite team hunts war criminals. “We hope this programme sheds light on an overlooked story,” said David Corvo, executive producer at NBC News. “It is surprising how many people with serious accusations against them are living openly and avoiding any sort of judicial process.”


    The Wanted is about seeking justice for the many victims of terrorism and atrocity around the world,” said David Crane, a former US intelligence official. “It will start a national conversation, an important dialog about war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and international terrorism, as well as the indifference and political cynicism that hampers international criminal law and the quest for justice.”


    The premiere will follow Mullah Krekar, the leader of an internationally designated terrorist organisation who has been living free in Norway. The second episode is set in Germany, where purported Al Qaeda supporter Mamoun Darkazanli remains free.


    “It‘s like nothing you‘ve ever seen on TV before,” promised executive producers Charlie Ebersol and Adam Ciralsky in a statement adding “the pairing of rigorous investigative journalism with high-end production values has resulted in a fast-paced show which we hope will leave viewers wanting more.”

  • Paramount mulling home video merger with other studios

    MUMBAI: In a bid to cut costs, Paramount Pictures is said to be considering the merger of its home-entertainment operations with that of 20th Century Fox or Sony Pictures Entertainment.

    One of the plans being considered would have Fox or Sony handling physical distribution, while Paramount would pay for and market the products.


    The talks are, however, at a preliminary stage. The news comes following a round of cost cuts at Paramount, including a new streamlined management team.


    The move could save the Viacom-owned studio millions of dollars every year, published reports indicate. The worldwide home-entertainment market is in the decline, both due to the economic downturn and to the emergence of popular VOD and streaming services.

  • Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center!

    MUMBAI

    : The funeral of Michael Jackson has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on 7 July at Los Angeles‘ Staples Center. The family of Jackson is in plans to have a memorial service and funeral for Michael Jackson there.

    Under this scenario, which the source said is still very much in the planning stages, a public ceremony at Staples Center would be followed by a procession to Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County. The source said that once there, friends, family and members of the music industry would participate in a memorial service on the grounds.


    Sources in local law enforcement said they have not heard about a memorial in Los Angeles.


    Lt. Butch Arnoldi of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff‘s Department said the agency has not been approached by any members of the Jackson family about a memorial at Neverland.

  • Piper Perabo to play the lead in ‘Affairs’

    MUMBAI: Piper Perabo has been tapped to play the lead in USA Network‘s spy thriller Covert Affairs. The project, which has been quietly casting two major roles for the past month, hasn‘t received a firm pilot order, but a green light is expected within a couple of weeks.

    Written by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, the film centers on Annie Walker (Perabo), a CIA trainee who speaks six languages and excels at any endeavor she undertakes.


    Walker joins the CIA while still reeling over a mysterious ex-boyfriend who appears to be of particular interest to her new bosses. She vows never to let herself be hurt again, but that proves to be a tall order.


    With the lead role cast, attention now shifts to finding an actor to play Auggie Anderson, a blind tech expert who assists Walker in her assignments.


    Affairs from Universal Cable Prods. has been executively produced by Dutch Oven‘s Dave Bartis and Doug Liman, with Corman and Ord serving as co-executive producers.


    The spy thriller genre has been a successful one for USA, which scored a hit with Burn Notice.


    Perabo, a feature actress who rarely has ventured into TV, recently guest-starred on the USA series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.


    Having just completed a Broadway run in the Tony-nominated Reasons to Be Pretty, she next stars opposite Chris Pine in Paramount Vantage‘s Carriers.

  • Budget: Film industry wants CVD exemption on raw stock

    NEW DELHI: The film industry, which had heaved a sigh of relief when the countervailing duty for unexposed colour films was abolished in 2002, is once again battling for a similar status since it was re-introduced in 2004.

    Although the raw stock is imported, the CVD was imposed over two decades earlier since the Hindustan Photo Films sliced the jumbo rolls into smaller ones.


    “CVD should be done away with since it was introduced to protect domestic manufacturers while raw film is imported,” says Mukesh Bhatt.


    Delegations of the film industry led by Film Federation of India President Jitendra Jain recently called on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni in separate meetings to press various demands relating to the budget, and said though unexposed negatives are not produced within the country, the industry has been paying CVD. Though this was removed in 2002, it was re-imposed in 2004 at the rate of 16 per cent.


    While Soni told the delegation that she had already raised this issue with the Finance Minister, Mukherjee candidly told the delegation that he would listen to them patiently but could not make any commitment.



    The industry is also seeking parity in taxation amongst all media, as it feels the government is encouraging new technologies by offering them tax concessions while ignoring the film industry which was the biggest foreign exchange earner and one of the largest employers in the country. Soni assured the industry that she has sought exemption from service tax to the film industry.



    FFI Secretary General Supran Sen told indiantelevision.com that the industry was also seeking relief in Fringe Benefit Tax. The film industry has had to pay huge FBT in booking of hotels, travel and food even when traveling for professional work.



    The government has also been requested to consider relief on remittances abroad under Section 195B of the Income Tax Act as these are for professional work or for hiring foreign technicians.



    The industry wants advance tax and the interest levied under Section 234B and 234C to be made discretionary and not mandatory for the film industry as it often becomes difficult – particularly the months of December and January – since the profits from any film are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. .



    Tax deducted at source for licensing of copyright varies between 10.3 to 11.33 per cent, which the film industry feels is very high particularly for regional cinema. The film delegation asked the Minister to consider regrouping TDS that is levied upon the industry.



    Soni has supported the demand by the Ficci for a 10-year tax holiday for the emerging sectors such as gaming, animation and visual effects.

  • Terminator Salvation grosses Rs 47 mn in opening weekend in India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures‘ Terminator Salvation has grossed Rs 47 million at the box office in India in its opening weekend.

    Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Terminator Salvation focuses on the war between humanity and Skynet. John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future that Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row.


    Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet‘s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.


    Said SPE Films Managing Director Kercy Daruwala, “We are pleased to report that Terminator Salvation has grossed Rs. 47 million in its opening weekend. The film is working as per our high expectations. The special effects and action sequences in the film are sort of that audiences have not yet seen before and this instalment of the Terminator series. Being an action-packed film, and part of the extremely popular Terminator series, we see huge potential for this film in English as well as dubbed languages such as Hindi, Tamil and Telugu as well.”

  • Big Pictures to release ‘Sikandar’ on 21 August

    MUMBAI: Big Pictures, the motion pictures wing of Reliance Big Entertainment, is gearing up to release Sikandar on 21 August. The film stars Parzaan Dastur, Ayesha Kapur of Black fame along with R Madhavan, Sanjay Suri and Arunoday Singh in key roles. Written and directed by Piyush Jha, the film is presented by Big Pictures in association with Sudhir Mishra.

    The film is the story about a 14-year-old boy who has a dream to play football for the National team, but this adolescent‘s life changes drastically when he comes across a gun and gets drawn into the web of militants, power and violence.

    Avers Big Pictures Chief Operating Officer Mahesh Ramanathan, “Sikandar is a first-of its-kind exploration into the source and antecedents of terrorism. The film is a gripping eye-opener and Piyush has explored a complex subject sensitively. The film is bound to attract family audiences.


    “Watch out for the Dhoop Ke Sikkey song, one of Prasoon‘s most facile pieces of work brilliantly composed by Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy. It‘s a potent recipe to go with the holiday mood. Parzan and Ayesha have delivered riveting performances. Big Pictures is proud to present one of its first home productions to worldwide audiences”.

  • Big demand of Michael Jackson memorabilia


    MUMBAI: A news poll in South California has found that nearly a third of its residents own some sort of Michael Jackson memorabilia. Collectors have been snapping up signed record albums, clothing and other merchandise owned by the late singer.


    Dave Elkouby owns Starworld, a celebrity memorabilia store on Hollywood Boulevard. After this weekend he is left with just a small collection of Jackson items, and the prices are going up.


    “They used to be like $20 for things, and now they‘re like $45 and up,” said Jackson memorabilia collector Andrew Robles.


    In Las Vegas a Michael Jackson auction was held on Friday. The 21 items on sale were expected to bring $10,000, but that estimate was before Jackson‘s unexpected death. The final figure was more than $200,000.


    A black fedora worn by Michael Jackson that‘s been signed by Jackson is probably worth anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000. You can find plenty of Jackson merchandise on eBay and Craislist, but be careful, not everything you see is authentic.

  • Just for Laughs Comedy Conference in July

    MUMBAI: Etan Cohen (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Tropic Thunder) will receive the comedy writer of the year award at the Just for Laughs Comedy Conference in Montreal, while Todd Phillips (The Hangover) is to receive the award for comedy director of the year.

    Cohen will also participate in a panel titled Comedy‘s Next Generation of Writers: A Look Ahead along with Tami Sagher (30 Rock), Jeremy Garelick (production re-write on The Hangover, writer/producer of The Break-Up) and Dan Sterling (Sarah Silverman Program).


    The conference is also hosting The Web: Comedy‘s New Wild West with speakers such as Mike Farah (Funnyordie.com) and Avi Rothman (creator of The Inappropriate Yoga Guy).
    In Breaking New Ground: Adult Animation Grows Up, animated show creators will discuss what‘s now possible in the genre, how the rules for writing animation are different and what they think works in animated comedy.


    Other panels and sessions booked for the Comedy Conference include Producing Great Comedy: The Secret Sauce, The Business of Comedy on Television: What‘s Up? and Late Night: In the Writers Room.


    The Montreal Just For Laughs Festival takes place from 3 to 26 July.