Miramax to release 22 movies in next 7 months
#1
DVD Talk Special Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Thoradin
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Miramax to release 22 movies in next 7 months
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/bu...a/23movie.html
Miramax Films is likely to release as many as 22 movies in the next seven months as co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein prepare to leave the company, including several pictures that had been shelved or whose release dates had been repeatedly delayed, executives at the studio say.
...
Among the more troubled projects now planned for release is director John Dahl's "The Great Raid," a World War II prisoner of war drama that has been undergoing re-edits for more than a year. The film - which stars Benjamin Bratt and has been estimated by people involved with the movie to have cost $80 million - will be released in August or September, the executives said. Miramax has released about a half-dozen films since Oct. 1.
...
The thriller "Mindhunters," which has been finished for two years and has been seen widely abroad, now has a scheduled release date in May, according to an assistant to the film's director, Renny Harlin. A Miramax executive said the picture, which stars Christian Slater and LL Cool J, was likely to be released, but that a precise date remained uncertain.
"Prozac Nation," starring Christina Ricci, shelved for more than four years, has just been sold to the Starz! cable network, and will be released on DVD in the coming months.
Director John Madden's "Proof," with Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, is among the pictures to be released before the Weinsteins leave Miramax. It had been scheduled for release late last year, but it was delayed and missed the current film awards season.
...
Among the more troubled projects now planned for release is director John Dahl's "The Great Raid," a World War II prisoner of war drama that has been undergoing re-edits for more than a year. The film - which stars Benjamin Bratt and has been estimated by people involved with the movie to have cost $80 million - will be released in August or September, the executives said. Miramax has released about a half-dozen films since Oct. 1.
...
The thriller "Mindhunters," which has been finished for two years and has been seen widely abroad, now has a scheduled release date in May, according to an assistant to the film's director, Renny Harlin. A Miramax executive said the picture, which stars Christian Slater and LL Cool J, was likely to be released, but that a precise date remained uncertain.
"Prozac Nation," starring Christina Ricci, shelved for more than four years, has just been sold to the Starz! cable network, and will be released on DVD in the coming months.
Director John Madden's "Proof," with Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, is among the pictures to be released before the Weinsteins leave Miramax. It had been scheduled for release late last year, but it was delayed and missed the current film awards season.
#2
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Interesting move. Are the Brothers trying to maximize their potential profit before they take off or just unloading all the leftovers? At least now we will be able to see these films that we couldn't have otherwise.
#3
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: City of the lakers.. riots.. and drug dealing cops.. los(t) Angel(e)s. ca.
Posts: 54,199
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Well they did have that habit of buying up all the films at the indie fests just so they could choke the competition by keeping them on the shelf. I'm not surprised. But I did think that the two were going to take some pictures with them when starting up the new production/distribution company since it makes sense to have already finished products then starting from scratch.
Should bold as an interesting move. Lets see how the releases are handled.
Should bold as an interesting move. Lets see how the releases are handled.
#7
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Sitting on a beach, earning 20%
Posts: 9,917
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Originally Posted by dyerjp
now, the problem is finding 22 movies that are worth a damn to release.
#8
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
"Prozac Nation," starring Christina Ricci, shelved for more than four years, has just been sold to the Starz! cable network, and will be released on DVD in the coming months.
-JP
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: harpers ferry, wv
Posts: 659
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by DonnachaOne
That shouldn't be a problem for Miramax. Just HOW MANY films are on their shelves?
#11
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt
The Weinstein Bros. might as get rid of Miramax while they're at it. Its a tarnished name that anyone new who starts running it is gonna have to try and rebuild it.
And Miramax, currently, has at least a solid hundred (if not more) of films sitting on their shelves collecting dust. From indie films they have picked up, to international films they secured the North American rights to, and films they produced with their own money.
#14
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,096
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...try_miramax_dc
Just saw this Reuters story at Yahoo. It mentions a little about the split with the Weinsteins, and mentions a few other movies they plan to release, including Terry Gilliam and Danny Boyle shelved flicks.
Just saw this Reuters story at Yahoo. It mentions a little about the split with the Weinsteins, and mentions a few other movies they plan to release, including Terry Gilliam and Danny Boyle shelved flicks.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Walt Disney Co. plans to relocate its Miramax Films unit to Los Angeles, where a streamlined version of the arthouse titan will operate like "an elite SWAT team," according to a Disney source.
Photo
Reuters Photo
The two companies began a new series of meetings Wednesday to determine the terms of a separation agreement that will see Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein leave the New York-based firm in September after several years of strained relations with Disney.
According to studio sources, Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook plans to hire a new executive to run a reconfigured version of the specialty division, which will be located in Burbank under Disney production president Nina Jacobson.
"It'll be the old-model Miramax before they got a taste for big-ticket pictures," added the Disney source, who further described it as "a filmmaker-friendly environment where they'll be searching for new talent, putting out about 10 movies a year, with five acquisitions."
Disney is expected to consolidate Miramax's back-office financial accounting, distribution collections and incremental overhead.
The Weinsteins are in the process of raising financing for the New Co., which is the temporary name they have given their new venture. They have enlisted help from such Wall Street companies as Salomon Smith Barney and Goldman Sachs, both of which helped them to assemble $420 million in equity to help finance films like "Cold Mountain." That deal fell apart when Disney refused to participate in equity financing.
Pathe, a European distribution and production company, also might be a player in the Weinsteins' future company. According to one source, Harvey Weinstein has been in discussions with Pathe chairman Jerome Seydoux about forming a joint venture.
It's not clear what shape that joint venture would take, but those close to the situation speculate that it could involve a shared interest in the Weinsteins' future distribution company and access to Pathe's international sales operation.
Miramax recently released Pathe's "Bride & Prejudice," from "Bend it Like Beckham" director Gurinder Chadha, and the Oscar-nominated "Les Choristes" (The Chorus). The company is scheduled to release Pathe's "Dear Frankie," starring Emily Mortimer, next month, and it recently bought North American rights to Pathe's "Mrs. Henderson Presents," directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench (news).
The streamlined Miramax will be allotted an annual budget of about $350 million, sources said. At the height of its growth two years ago, Miramax boasted 485 employees with an annual budget of $700 million, according to a company spokesperson. Those numbers are now down to about 200 employees and a $500 million budget.
During the past year, Miramax cut back its overhead and staff. It postponed the release of "Proof," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and "An Unfinished Life," starring Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez (news), because it was felt their release would have strained the Weinsteins' Oscar campaign staff, which was handling "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."
But the distributor has recently committed to releasing from 18-22 films between now and September. Staffers in the Miramax publicity department didn't learn about the massive marketing launch until this week, and some wonder how the feat will be accomplished. "Nobody releases 22 films in seven months and does a good job," one Miramax publicity executive said.
Fourteen films already are booked in theaters, starting with the Wes Craven horror thriller "Cursed," which opens Friday, and running through Danny Boyle's long-on-the-shelf sci-fi comedy "Alien Love Triangle," set for Sept. 16. Other titles include some big-budget films that have been kicking around the release schedule for months, including John Dahl's troubled "The Great Raid," starring Benjamin Bratt (news), Joseph Fiennes (news) and Connie Nielsen, which was originally scheduled to open in December, and Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," whose commercial prospects are doubtful, insiders fear. Miramax has high expectations for its two upcoming releases from Robert Rodriguez: "Sin City" (April 1) and "The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D" (June 10).
Several issues remain unresolved in the negotiations, most notably the question of the Weinsteins' departing bonus. Although reports have pegged that figure at $100 million-$150 million, according to sources familiar with the discussions, it is impossible to quantify the compensation until further decisions about how properties are to be divided. One key could be the Weinsteins' participation in future Miramax projects, including more sequels to "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Photo
Reuters Photo
The two companies began a new series of meetings Wednesday to determine the terms of a separation agreement that will see Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein leave the New York-based firm in September after several years of strained relations with Disney.
According to studio sources, Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook plans to hire a new executive to run a reconfigured version of the specialty division, which will be located in Burbank under Disney production president Nina Jacobson.
"It'll be the old-model Miramax before they got a taste for big-ticket pictures," added the Disney source, who further described it as "a filmmaker-friendly environment where they'll be searching for new talent, putting out about 10 movies a year, with five acquisitions."
Disney is expected to consolidate Miramax's back-office financial accounting, distribution collections and incremental overhead.
The Weinsteins are in the process of raising financing for the New Co., which is the temporary name they have given their new venture. They have enlisted help from such Wall Street companies as Salomon Smith Barney and Goldman Sachs, both of which helped them to assemble $420 million in equity to help finance films like "Cold Mountain." That deal fell apart when Disney refused to participate in equity financing.
Pathe, a European distribution and production company, also might be a player in the Weinsteins' future company. According to one source, Harvey Weinstein has been in discussions with Pathe chairman Jerome Seydoux about forming a joint venture.
It's not clear what shape that joint venture would take, but those close to the situation speculate that it could involve a shared interest in the Weinsteins' future distribution company and access to Pathe's international sales operation.
Miramax recently released Pathe's "Bride & Prejudice," from "Bend it Like Beckham" director Gurinder Chadha, and the Oscar-nominated "Les Choristes" (The Chorus). The company is scheduled to release Pathe's "Dear Frankie," starring Emily Mortimer, next month, and it recently bought North American rights to Pathe's "Mrs. Henderson Presents," directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench (news).
The streamlined Miramax will be allotted an annual budget of about $350 million, sources said. At the height of its growth two years ago, Miramax boasted 485 employees with an annual budget of $700 million, according to a company spokesperson. Those numbers are now down to about 200 employees and a $500 million budget.
During the past year, Miramax cut back its overhead and staff. It postponed the release of "Proof," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and "An Unfinished Life," starring Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez (news), because it was felt their release would have strained the Weinsteins' Oscar campaign staff, which was handling "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."
But the distributor has recently committed to releasing from 18-22 films between now and September. Staffers in the Miramax publicity department didn't learn about the massive marketing launch until this week, and some wonder how the feat will be accomplished. "Nobody releases 22 films in seven months and does a good job," one Miramax publicity executive said.
Fourteen films already are booked in theaters, starting with the Wes Craven horror thriller "Cursed," which opens Friday, and running through Danny Boyle's long-on-the-shelf sci-fi comedy "Alien Love Triangle," set for Sept. 16. Other titles include some big-budget films that have been kicking around the release schedule for months, including John Dahl's troubled "The Great Raid," starring Benjamin Bratt (news), Joseph Fiennes (news) and Connie Nielsen, which was originally scheduled to open in December, and Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," whose commercial prospects are doubtful, insiders fear. Miramax has high expectations for its two upcoming releases from Robert Rodriguez: "Sin City" (April 1) and "The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D" (June 10).
Several issues remain unresolved in the negotiations, most notably the question of the Weinsteins' departing bonus. Although reports have pegged that figure at $100 million-$150 million, according to sources familiar with the discussions, it is impossible to quantify the compensation until further decisions about how properties are to be divided. One key could be the Weinsteins' participation in future Miramax projects, including more sequels to "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
#16
DVD Talk Hero
There's only one reason I'm interested in "Prozac Nation."
(Well, more like two, and possibly three. I'll need the zoom function on my DVD player to verify the third one...)
(Well, more like two, and possibly three. I'll need the zoom function on my DVD player to verify the third one...)