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Netflix Original Movies Head Pauline Fischer Exits (Exclusive)
1 hour ago
Pauline Fischer, the high-ranking executive who oversaw original films at Netfix, is leaving her post, Variety has learned.
Fischer, who joined Netflix in 2008, will be starting a business development consultancy firm. As the company’s vice president of original films, she worked closely with chief content officer Ted Sarandos to acquire new titles for the streaming service. Her exit comes as Netflix has been aggressively moving into original content, snapping up the rights of such titles as “The Fundamentals of Caring” starring Paul Rudd out of Sundance and releasing Oscar documentary hopeful “13th,” directed by Ava DuVernay.
One of Fischer’s first offerings was Cary Fukunaga’s “Beasts of No Nation,” a grim drama about child soldiers in Africa that was purchased for $12 million in 2015. Netflix released the title in theaters and on its streaming platforms on the same day last year, as a part of an aggressive bid to »
- Ramin Setoodeh
The Mel Gibson Comeback: Will Hollywood Let This Outsider Back In?
2 hours ago
For the last ten years, Mel Gibson and Hollywood have been deeply estranged. But this weekend’s opening of “Hacksaw Ridge,” his powerfully crafted, bloody-heart-on-the-sleeve drama about the most heroic pacifist — or maybe the only pacifist — to serve in World War II, marks their official reconciliation. After all the scandals and feuds and recriminations, after the fizzled misfire of a comeback attempt (his 2011 performance as a head case who communicates through a hand puppet in “The Beaver”), after the “interesting” trickle of VOD-ready curios like “Get the Gringo” and “Blood Father,” Gibson, at last, has returned. “Hacksaw Ridge” is a large-scale traditional war film that has been praised by critics, has now opened solidly at the box office, and is a potential awards contender. (Likeliest shot: Andrew Garfield for a best actor nomination.)
That said, the behavior that capsized Mel Gibson’s career will, on some level, never be totally behind him. »
- Owen Gleiberman
‘Doctor Strange’ Proves Marvel Is the Gold Standard in Hollywood
3 hours ago
Novelist Richard Russo once mused that Cary Grant never won an Oscar because he never seemed to sweat. “He made everything look so effortless,” Russo wrote. “Why reward someone for having fun, for being charming?”
The same logic applies to Marvel, the comic-book juggernaut that scored its 14th consecutive number one opening this weekend with “Doctor Strange.” The company has been successful for so long, that box office profits are almost preordained. It can be easy to take them for granted. Despite routinely earning good reviews, these films aren’t generating awards heat in the way that populist, Spielbergian fare like “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” or “Raiders of the Lost Ark” once did.
That’s a shame. Under Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the home of Iron Man and the Avengers has been a dazzling model of critical and commercial consistency. Every film the studio has released has been certified “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, »
- Brent Lang
‘Doctor Strange’ Enjoys $44 Million Opening in China
5 hours ago
Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” conjured up a winning $44.5 million opening weekend in China, as it enjoyed a day-and-date release coordinated with its outing in North America.
“Strange” topped the Chinese chart on each of its three days of release, according to data from local tracking service Ent Group. It started with a $12.0 million Friday, peaked at $17.7 million on Saturday and declined modestly on Sunday to $14.2 million.
On each date “Strange” enjoyed over 80,000 screenings, or about 40% of available screening times. But data from Cbo shows its gross accounting for 69% of total box office revenues from the China market on both Friday and Saturday.
The weekend total figures for “Strange” (which includes a sliver of previews) are more modest compared to the $150 million opening weekend enjoyed by “Avengers: Age of Ultron” or the $93.6 million taken by “Captain America: Civil War.” But they cement Disney’s position as the leading foreign supplier of »
- Patrick Frater
AFM: Robert Pattinson-Patricia Arquette Thriller ‘High Life’ Gets Financing
7 hours ago
Sci-fi thriller “High Life,” starring Robert Pattinson, Patricia Arquette, and Mia Goth, has received financing from Andrew Lauren Productions and is set to go into production in the spring of 2017.
The company announced at the American Film Market that it has partnered with Alcatraz Films, Pandora Film Produktion, the Apocalypse Films, and Madants to produce and finance “High Life,” the English-language debut of French filmmaker Claire Denis. The film is now fully financed with Wild Bunch handling international sales.
The film centers on convicts who trade in their jail time by agreeing to crew a dangerous mission to a black hole, set on an intergalactic ship.
Andrew Lauren and partner D.J. Gugenheim will produce for Alp, along with Laurence Clerc and Olivier Thery-Lapiney for Alcatraz, Claudia Steffen and Christoph Friedel for Pandora, and Oliver Dungey for Apocalypse. Klaudia Smeija will co-produce for Madants.
The film is supported by Arte France Cinema and Cnc in France, »
- Dave McNary
AFM: Buyers Seeking Star Sizzle Plus Quality in Independent Movies
7 hours ago
With the 37th American Film Market at its halfway point, buyers are showing plenty of appetite for starry, mainstream fare — and less for the schlocky titles that flooded the market a decade ago.
“Quality seems to be more of a factor than in years past,” notes Afm managing director Jonathan Wolf. “We are seeing growth in titles with true commercial potential at all budget levels.”
Wolf contends that Afm, which has seen a 7% drop in sales companies to 350 this year, has evolved into a more realistic place than in 2006 and 2007. A decade ago, there were so many sellers, thanks to a glut of product and equity money, that Afm needed three floors of the Merigot Hotel to accommodate all the sales companies.
“It took the housing crisis to stop there being too many films,” Wolf said. “There’s more of a rush to quality now.”
One of the biggest splashes »
- Dave McNary
Box Office: ‘Doctor Strange’ Dominates With $85 Million Opening
8 hours ago
The sheer predictability is almost becoming tiresome. Another Marvel opening, another blazing box office success for the studio behind Captain America, the Hulk, and Iron Man.
This time it’s Stephen Strange’s turn to dominate the multiplexes, after “Doctor Strange,” the first big-screen appearance for the Master of the Mystic Arts, notched a first place finish with a $85 million debut. The film centers on a brilliant surgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) who turns to magic after a devastating accident prevents him from plying his craft. Future appearances in the Avengers films are assured. The success of “Doctor Strange” extends Marvel’s hit streak. In recent years, the studio and, by extension, its parent company Disney, have been particularly adroit at turning lesser-known superheroes into blue chip properties.
“Doctor Strange” wasn’t the only film to resonate with consumers. “Trolls,” a DreamWorks Animation offering based on the popular toyline of imaginatively coiffed creatures, »
- Brent Lang
Afm: Quiver Digital Expands Into Movie Acquisition, Distribution (Exclusive)
9 hours ago
Self-distribution aggregator Quiver Digital has announced the launch of a boutique motion picture acquisition and distribution service.
Quiver, which has delivered more than 5,000 titles across major digital platforms in over 100 territories, is expanding its business model to include traditional acquisition.
“Quiver’s focus will always be self-distribution and empowering filmmakers with the tools and services to go it alone,” the company said. “However, they also recognize that there is a large contingent of filmmakers who can’t or don’t want to self-distribute. By entering the world of acquisition, Quiver can bring its reach, capacity, and tools to a new group of films and filmmakers.”
In an announcement at the American Film Market, Quiver said it’s launching the operation with a trio of titles:
“Undecided: The Movie,” a satirical documentary that follows two self-proclaimed undecided voters as they follow the 2016 campaign trail, pranking and confronting each of the presidential »
- Dave McNary
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis Become Instant Oscar Frontrunners in ‘Fences’
18 hours ago
Denzel Washington’s big-screen adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences” has arrived, and it’s an Oscar player to reckon with this year. But that’s hardly a surprise for a project based on Pulitzer Prize-winning source material that has landed major Tony Awards in two separate Broadway productions.
The film unspooled for industry audiences Saturday, screening in Westwood before a crowd that included Screen Actors Guild nominating committee members, Academy voters and press. Washington was on hand for a post-screening Q&A moderated by Variety‘s Jenelle Riley, along with co-stars Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson and Saniyya Sidney.
When asked what drew him to the role of Troy Maxson, Washington let loose a chuckle and quipped, “The role of Troy Maxson.” Indeed, when producer Scott Rudin first sent him the script for the film, which Wilson had penned himself, Washington wasn’t »
- Kristopher Tapley
Afm: ‘Ballerina’ Producers Tap Toon Vet Guenoden for Animated ‘Bravest’
20 hours ago
Laurent Zeitoun and Yann Zenou, the producers behind “The Intouchables,” Armando Iannucci’s upcoming “Death of Stalin,” and the upcoming animated feature “Ballerina,” have enlisted Hollywood animation vet Rodolphe Guenoden to direct “The Bravest,” a 40 million euros ($44 miillion) animated feature exploring the world of firefighters in New York.
A graduate of the prestigious French animation school Les Gobelins, Guenoden began his career at Amblimation in London and later worked at DreamWorks Animation, where he supervised the animation on “Prince of Egypt,” “The Road to El Dorado,” and “Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas.” He also worked as a storyboard artist on “Madagascar,” “Over the Hedge,” and “Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas.” His credits also include “Kung Fu Panda” (animation design, storyboards) and the short “Kung Fu Panda : Secret of the Scroll,” which he directed.
A period piece, “The Bravest” turns on Maria, a 16-year old ordinary young woman »
- Elsa Keslassy
Afm: Dean Devlin Optimistically Expands Electric Entertainment
21 hours ago
Amid massive uncertainty in the independent movie business, longtime Hollywood player Dean Devlin remains relentlessly optimistic about his 15-year-old Electric Entertainment.
Electric is currently in post-production on its third season of “The Librarians” for TNT, and in post-production on the Warner Bros. film “Geostorm,” which marks Devlin’s feature directorial debuts and stars Gerard Butler. He re-teamed with Ronald Emmerich for “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
He’s in pre-production on his second directing gig on thriller “Bad Samaritan,” launching pre-sales at the American Film Market. David Tenant and Robert Sheehan portray car valets who use their business as a front to burglarize houses of their unsuspecting patrons, until they target the wrong house.
“It’s the kind of bread-and-butter drama that major studios have mostly stopped doing,” Devlin said from Portland, where he’s in pre-production to start shooting next month. “It’s not the typical buzzy title but people can »
- Dave McNary
Bona Film Seeks Status as Chinese Major Ahead of Ipo (Exclusive)
21 hours ago
Bona Film Group is building on its role as one of China’s most successful distributors and is looking to expand its business both in Hollywood and in China, prior to a new Ipo in 2018.
The company this week signed a deal to launch a $20 million film investment fund with Imax China, the Hong Kong stock market-listed offshoot of Imax. The pair will invest in Chinese movies and conversions of Chinese titles for release on the country’s huge number of giant screens. Imax China, which has a similar fund with China Media Capital, currently has some 320 screens in commercial operation, with an order book for nearly 300 more. The fund would likely give Bona’s Imax screens priority access to some of the titles.
Bona is also expanding the co-financing arrangement it has through The Seelig Group in the current slate of Twentieth Century Fox. That has already seen Bona »
- Patrick Frater
Afm: Cmc Pictures Makes Market Debut With Slate of Chinese Hits
21 hours ago
“Someone to Talk to,” a Chinese relationship drama in which a man discovers his wife’s extra-marital affairs and considers killing her, is prominent among the debut American Film Market slate of Cmc Pictures. It enjoyed a wide release in Chinese theaters this weekend.
Founded earlier this year, the company is the rights sales arm of the China Media Capital group, a powerhouse fund group. Under the chairmanship of former Shanghai Media Group boss Li Ruigang, Cmc has some 80 media investments and is weaving together an integrated conglomerate that stretches from film production and distribution, through sports ownership to Vr and smart TV technology.
Among Cmc’s highest profile holdings is Flagship Entertainment, a joint venture with Warner Bros. to make Chinese movies.
Cmc Pictures expects to handle the smaller-budget movies flowing from the Cmc portfolio companies including Flagship, Gravity Pictures, vfx and production firm BaseFX, and Infinity Pictures, a »
- Patrick Frater
Afm: John Cleese Joins Voice Cast of ‘Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer’
5 November 2016 1:39 PM, PDT
John Cleese is joining Samantha Bee and Martin Short on the voice cast of the animated feature “Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer.”
Jennifer Westcott is directing from her own screenplay. Producers are Dan Krech and Lucas Lynette-Krech under their Awesometown Entertainment banner with Victoria Westcott of Elgin Road.
Double Dutch Intl. is selling “Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer” at the American Film Market.
“Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer” is based on Blitzen announcing his retirement on Dec. 21, giving a chance to a miniature horse who then has three days to fulfill his lifelong dream of earning a spot on Santa’s sleigh during the North Pole try-outs.
“Having an iconic comedian like John Cleese join the pairing of Samantha Bee and Martin Short further proves the fun-natured, global family appeal of ‘Elliot,'” said Jason Moring from Ddi.
Cleese is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content and Independent Talent Group.
»
- Dave McNary
Film Review: ‘Army of One’
5 November 2016 1:37 PM, PDT
In 2012, I was invited to participate in Sight & Sound magazine’s “greatest films of all time” poll. For a film critic, that’s an awesome honor — and an even greater responsibility — and for some reason I’ll never fully understand, I second-guessed my choices at the last minute, withholding my all-time favorite movie (“Fargo”) and submitting “Borat” in its place. In my defense, Sight & Sound voters always stick to the canon with this poll, since the titles with the most votes win, whereas I sincerely believe that “Borat” is the most revolutionary movie of the last decade, an anarchic social critique for the post-reality-tv era, featuring radical comedy techniques pioneered by “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” director Larry Charles.
I have chosen this space to own up to my mistake (I’ll admit, however genius I still consider “Borat” to be, it ain’t one of the 10 greatest films of »
- Peter Debruge
‘Train of Salt and Sugar’ Named Best Film at Inaugural Joburg Film Festival
5 November 2016 1:34 PM, PDT
Johannesburg — Brazilian-born helmer Licínio Azevedo’s powerful Mozambican war drama, “Train of Salt and Sugar,” was named best film at the first Joburg Film Festival, which wrapped Nov. 5 in Johannesburg.
Set in Mozambique in the 1980s, during the country’s brutal civil war, pic offered a humane portrait of the risks ordinary people faced as they struggled for survival, with the jury noting how it “triumphs in showing the resilience of the human spirit.”
Accepting on behalf of Azevedo, producer Elias Ribeiro expressed his gratitude to the Johannesburg audiences, saying, “We were showered with love this whole week.”
The award for best African film went to Zola Maseko’s “The Whale Caller,” an adaptation of South African scribe Zakes Mda’s novel about an unlikely love triangle between a man, a whale, and the woman who comes between them.
Praising its “fable-like quality” while drawing a contrast to the more »
- Christopher Vourlias
Afm: James Franco’s Heist Thriller ‘The Vault’ Sells to FilmRise
5 November 2016 1:07 PM, PDT
FilmRise has acquired all North American distribution rights to Redwire Pictures and Content Media’s supernatural heist thriller “The Vault,” starring James Franco, Francesca Eastwood, Scott Haze, and Taryn Manning.
Dan Bush directed the film from an original screenplay he co-wrote with Conal Byrne. FilmRise plans to release the film theatrically in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2017.
Content Media is handling sales for the film at the American Film Market.
Redwire Pictures’ Luke Daniels and Content Media’s head of production Tom Butterfield produced “The Vault” along with Tunnel Post’s Allen Pao.
Eastwood and Manning play estranged sisters, while Haze portrays their troubled brother. The sisters are forced to rob a bank in order to save their brother who burned down a warehouse owned by a notorious gangster. Franco plays an assistant bank manager who promises to help put the sisters back on track in return »
- Dave McNary
Rome Film Review: ‘At the End of the Tunnel’
5 November 2016 11:04 AM, PDT
A seven-year hiatus from directing features seems to be just what Rodrigo Grande (“A Matter of Principles”) needed, since “At the End of the Tunnel” is by far the helmer’s most accomplished of his three films. The kind of movie that makes Saturday nights at the multiplex enjoyable, “Tunnel” is a tense, sharply made thriller about a paraplegic who discovers his attractive woman boarder is in cahoots with a team of hoods digging under his house and into the neighboring bank vault. With influences ranging from “Rififi” to “The Great Escape,” the film lays no claim to inventing the genre, yet Grande’s script is fun, his characters intriguing, and his buildup expertly paced. Receipts in Argentina were a respectable $1.2 million following an April opening, and a general European release could add nicely to the pic’s coffers – though late-summer Spanish returns failed to reach $800,000.
Joaquin (Leonardo Sbaraglia, “Wild »
- Jay Weissberg
Afm: The Exchange Closes Credit Line With Pacific Mercantile (Exclusive)
5 November 2016 10:00 AM, PDT
In a move that signals future growth, The Exchange has closed a revolving line of credit funded by Pacific Mercantile Bank to be used for future acquisitions.
The self-funded company is celebrating its five-year anniversary at the American Film Market.
The Exchange’s Afm line-up includes the documentary “Gleason,” “King Coba,” “A Street Cat Named Bob,” “Kickboxer: Vengeance,” “Kickboxer: Retaliation,” “Shimmer Lake” and a pair of upcoming films: Stephanie Laing’s “Irreplaceable You” and Justin Chadwick’s historical drama “The Lady and the Panda,” starring Rebecca Ferguson and Chinese star Liu Ye.
“This line of credit with Pacific Mercantile Bank will tremendously increase our acquisitions power and allow us to take the company to the next level with an even stronger line-up at each market,” said Brian O’Shea, CEO of The Exchange.
“The Lady and the Panda” centers on Ruth Harkness, the first person to bring a live panda »
- Dave McNary
Dimitri Rassam Builds Bridges With Wildside, Endemol Shine France
5 November 2016 9:58 AM, PDT
Dimitri Rassam, the French producer behind “Playmobil” and “Little Prince,” is partnering up with Endemol Shine France to produce TV drama “Apaches,” an English-language period series created by “Mad Men’s” Maria and Andre Jacquemetton.
“Apaches” will be one of the first TV dramas to be produced under the newly integrated banner of Endemol Shine France. “Apaches” will be shot mainly in the U.K. in 2017, using English-speaking actors. Series will center around the infamous French street gangs of the early 1900s, dubbed “Les apaches.” Plot is under wraps.
Described by Rassam as being in the vein of “Gangs of New York,” “Apaches” will have a budget of approximately 40 million euros ($44 million) and will be produced by Rassam’s outfit Chapter 2.
Chapter 2 is also partnering up with Italian shingle Wildside on “The French Foreign Legion,” an epic series based on real events and taking place during the Indochina War, »
- Elsa Keslassy
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