Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
10-30-12, 08:21 PM
#126
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Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
That bleeding cool report makes no sense. Lucas, through lucasfilms decisions opted to not release the oot in any decent fashion. You remove Lucas and lucasfilms may decide to release them. If the fox distribution deal exists, then fox will have first crack at releasing whatever lucasfilm will release
My understanding is that fox essentially paid lucasfilm a lot of money in order to distribute the films, especially the prequels. Their control of what product gets released is zero. They barely made any made actually distributing the films, it was more of a prestige thing for them.
Having said that, I could see Lucas including a provision in the disney deal preventing disney from releasing them.
By the way, a creative consultant is a nice word for doing nothing. He will probably retain a office at lucasfilm and get to add his 2 cents.
All those people who always claimed that Lucas could do whatever he wants with his films because he owned them, I wonder how thy are going to feel now that Disney could burn the negatives to the movies if they wanted to. I wonder if their self proclaimed love for property rights will fly now
My understanding is that fox essentially paid lucasfilm a lot of money in order to distribute the films, especially the prequels. Their control of what product gets released is zero. They barely made any made actually distributing the films, it was more of a prestige thing for them.
Having said that, I could see Lucas including a provision in the disney deal preventing disney from releasing them.
By the way, a creative consultant is a nice word for doing nothing. He will probably retain a office at lucasfilm and get to add his 2 cents.
All those people who always claimed that Lucas could do whatever he wants with his films because he owned them, I wonder how thy are going to feel now that Disney could burn the negatives to the movies if they wanted to. I wonder if their self proclaimed love for property rights will fly now
10-30-12, 08:27 PM
#127
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
Disney will own and release future films in the Star Wars series (as for potential Indiana Jones films, Paramount retains some distribution rights and future movies will only be made if both Paramount and Disney agree on terms). Lucas apparently has sketched out plans for three more Star Wars films -- he always envisioned making nine -- with Episode Seven set for release in 2015. But Fox owns distribution rights to the original Star Wars, No. 4 in the series, in perpetuity in all media worldwide. And as for the five subsequent movies, Fox has theatrical, nontheatrical and home video rights worldwide through May 2020.
While the rights on those five films eventually will revert to Disney, that "in perpetuity" pact for the first film appears to be an obstacle to Disney releasing a complete set -- unless a deal can be made.
According to a longtime Lucas associate, the filmmaker always wanted to keep his films together. “Now it seems like he can't have a total package of the story because one of the movies is with Fox, unless they can make some kind of deal [with Disney] to release nine of them,” this person says.
Disney and Fox did not respond to a request for comment. But a Fox insider tells THR that as for Disney's blockbuster deal to purchase Lucas' company, "we certainly would have liked a crack at it but i get the play."
Fox plans to proceed with plans to re-release the supposedly much-improved 3D versions of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in fall 2013. The re-release of Episode I -- The Phantom Menace turned in only a fair performance earlier this year, grossing a total of $102.8 million worldwide. Fox receives only a relatively low - six percent - distribution fee to release those films.
Lucas’s decision to sell his company to Disney--not Fox--makes sense: Disney has the theme parks, merchandising and licensing operations to take full advantage of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones characters. "Disney is the perfect place,” says the Lucas associate. ”At Fox they just make movies. Fox doesn't have theme parks and huge brands. This is a good fit."
So despite Lucas’s wish to keep the films together, the allure of the Disney parks in particular may have been too strong. The filmmaker has long been known for demanding exceptionally tough deals. But one of the few instances in which he felt he wasn’t tough enough involved a deal in the late 1980s with Disney to make characters from Star Wars and Indiana Jones the first non-Disney properties at the parks-- for $1 million a year, in perpetuity.
While the rights on those five films eventually will revert to Disney, that "in perpetuity" pact for the first film appears to be an obstacle to Disney releasing a complete set -- unless a deal can be made.
According to a longtime Lucas associate, the filmmaker always wanted to keep his films together. “Now it seems like he can't have a total package of the story because one of the movies is with Fox, unless they can make some kind of deal [with Disney] to release nine of them,” this person says.
Disney and Fox did not respond to a request for comment. But a Fox insider tells THR that as for Disney's blockbuster deal to purchase Lucas' company, "we certainly would have liked a crack at it but i get the play."
Fox plans to proceed with plans to re-release the supposedly much-improved 3D versions of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in fall 2013. The re-release of Episode I -- The Phantom Menace turned in only a fair performance earlier this year, grossing a total of $102.8 million worldwide. Fox receives only a relatively low - six percent - distribution fee to release those films.
Lucas’s decision to sell his company to Disney--not Fox--makes sense: Disney has the theme parks, merchandising and licensing operations to take full advantage of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones characters. "Disney is the perfect place,” says the Lucas associate. ”At Fox they just make movies. Fox doesn't have theme parks and huge brands. This is a good fit."
So despite Lucas’s wish to keep the films together, the allure of the Disney parks in particular may have been too strong. The filmmaker has long been known for demanding exceptionally tough deals. But one of the few instances in which he felt he wasn’t tough enough involved a deal in the late 1980s with Disney to make characters from Star Wars and Indiana Jones the first non-Disney properties at the parks-- for $1 million a year, in perpetuity.
10-30-12, 08:32 PM
#129
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
I guess if that's true, the story that has been repeated for years about Lucas going back and buying the rights to ANH from Fox after the fact wasn't quite accurate.
10-30-12, 08:41 PM
#130
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
I don't know if he ever made attempt to retain the rights to ANH but Fox was pretty smart to hang onto them.
10-30-12, 08:50 PM
#132
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
Whatever relationship/contracts that existed between Lucasfilm and Fox should remain in force. Unles these agreements stipulated that a sale of Lucasfilm voids them. Since Disney now owns Lucasfilm, and Lucasfilm owns the original trilogy, Disney could decide to release the unaltered versions and the Christmas special sdince they own them. However, depending on the agreements, they would be on Fox Home Video.
Disney could probably make all the Indiana Jones movies it wants, but would have to let Paramount distribute them.
No different than had George sold the rights to his neighbor who has nothing to do with movies. Just because it was a studio he sold to doesn't alter anything but the future.
Disney could probably make all the Indiana Jones movies it wants, but would have to let Paramount distribute them.
No different than had George sold the rights to his neighbor who has nothing to do with movies. Just because it was a studio he sold to doesn't alter anything but the future.
Last edited by rw2516; 10-30-12 at 08:55 PM.
10-30-12, 08:52 PM
#133
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Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
I'm not sue fox was so smart. They financed the first film and could have basically owned the whole thing. They gave up the ip rights as part of the deal for distributing empire and Jedi. They gave up a lot to secure that.
10-30-12, 08:54 PM
#134
DVD Talk Hero
10-30-12, 09:03 PM
#135
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
Disney will offer them a nice payday to fork the rights over when the time comes.
10-30-12, 09:04 PM
#136
Banned by request
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
I, for one, look forward to the inevitable Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Day of the Tentacle films.
10-30-12, 09:16 PM
#138
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Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
No doubt Disney will buy the rights from Fox. It makes sense from both sides to do a deal. Lucasfilm never really cared about the right to distribute ANH anyway. Some major studio would have to do the heavy lifting and so it made sense to go back to Fox to do everything. Now that Disney controls it, they will cut out the Fox middle man.
My understanding of the original ANH deal is that Fox never negotiated for sequel rights prior to original financing. The merchandise deal was negotiated before the movie got big and in exchange for merchandising, Lucas gave them rights in the film itself (i.e. intellectual property). When the movie got big, Fox wanted to distribute sequels, so Lucas got back what he gave way for merchandising rights. I did not know that Fox held onto distribution rights, but in the long run, it is only distribution rights and not ownership of the movie itself.
My understanding of the original ANH deal is that Fox never negotiated for sequel rights prior to original financing. The merchandise deal was negotiated before the movie got big and in exchange for merchandising, Lucas gave them rights in the film itself (i.e. intellectual property). When the movie got big, Fox wanted to distribute sequels, so Lucas got back what he gave way for merchandising rights. I did not know that Fox held onto distribution rights, but in the long run, it is only distribution rights and not ownership of the movie itself.
10-30-12, 09:23 PM
#139
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
Instead, Lucas is doing what he's always done: Blame the fans for his butthurt.
10-30-12, 11:00 PM
#142
10-30-12, 11:02 PM
#143
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
The prequels have very little that ISN'T embarrassing. Fart jokes, stupid kids, Jar-Jar, the Nemoidians, every incarnation of Anakin...it goes on and on.
Lucas is the one who comes across as a whiny bitch who can't stop "fixing" things that aren't broken. I've never played the "raped my childhood" card and I don't get worked up about the prequels, but I am able to look at them and go "yep, those are pretty dumb." Not sure why Lucas can't do the same.
10-30-12, 11:08 PM
#144
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
Folks,
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
We're forgetting that the Disney brand name is one of the most recognized American brand names on this planet, right up there with Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Nike. Few people here in the USA know it, but Disney has a very influential European comics publishing division based in Italy and is a huge presence even in Japan with its large anime industry.
As such, given Disney's influence (and money!), the first of the next-generation Star Wars trilogy films will be well-funded for production and definitely well-publicized worldwide. And the movie can even tap into the animation expertise of Pixar to do digital special effects far beyond what can be done even now, especially for 48 frame per second 4000-line resolution theatrical projection with 3-D.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
We're forgetting that the Disney brand name is one of the most recognized American brand names on this planet, right up there with Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Nike. Few people here in the USA know it, but Disney has a very influential European comics publishing division based in Italy and is a huge presence even in Japan with its large anime industry.
As such, given Disney's influence (and money!), the first of the next-generation Star Wars trilogy films will be well-funded for production and definitely well-publicized worldwide. And the movie can even tap into the animation expertise of Pixar to do digital special effects far beyond what can be done even now, especially for 48 frame per second 4000-line resolution theatrical projection with 3-D.
10-30-12, 11:17 PM
#145
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
So is the plan to theatrically re-release the other 5 Star wars films in 3D scrapped, considering the 3 new films will begin being released in just 3 years?
10-30-12, 11:55 PM
#146
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
I can't believe Star Wars is only worth $4 billion dollars. Something we all grew up with that became this huge monumental pop culture phenomenon is only worth 4 times as much as some picture website I've never visited.
10-31-12, 12:17 AM
#148
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
No. II and III will be out in 2013 and the the rest will probably come out in 2014, unless they want to hold off the re-release of Return of the Jedi until 2015.
10-31-12, 12:20 AM
#149
Banned by request
10-31-12, 12:32 AM
#150
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Disney buys LucasFilm for $4B in cash & stock
It was funny. I first read the story on CNN.com & the Episode 7 was like an after thought of the article. It goes on talking about the sale & how Lucas will get the money & stocks. Then it says: 'Star Wars Episode 7 will be out in 2015'. I took a double take. What!?! How is news like that 3/4 of the way down the article & just 1 line mentions it? To fans and the general public Ep7 is the news and selling of Lucas film is the substory.