Monday March 24, 2008

BOX OFFICE

FILM GROSS
1 Horton Hears A Who $25,100,000
2 Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns $20,010,000
3 Shutter $10,700,000
4 Drillbit Taylor $10,200,000
5 10,000 B.C. $8,660,000
6 Never Back Down $4,861,000
7 College Road Trip $4,630,000
8 Bank Job, The $4,100,000
9 Vantage Point $3,800,000
10 Under The Same Moon $2,602,000

PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

Brad Ingelsby began last week as a 27-year-old AFI grad living with his parents in Pennsylvania and working for his father’s insurance business. By Thursday, he’d made a fortune with his very first script, one that may get made quickly with Ridley Scott directing and Leonardo DiCaprio starring. Relativity Media outbid four studios and paid $650,000 against $1.1 million for “The Low Dweller,” a dark drama set in 1986 Indiana. Plan is for DiCaprio to play Slim, a man released after serving years in prison for murder who wants only to follow through on his promise to marry his long-suffering girlfriend. But when he discovers his brother has been murdered after getting involved in a gambling racket, he feels obliged to avenge the murder. Focus Features creative exec Michael Pruss, an acquaintance of Ingelsby’s, read “The Low Dweller” in January and loved it so much he circulated it among agents. WMA quickly signed Ingelsby, then tied in Scott Free. DiCaprio’s Appian Way then came aboard, with both shingles producing with Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh. Brooklyn Weaver will also produce, and Adam Marshall will exec produce.

Paramount Vantage has optioned the Sudhir Venkatesh book “Gang Leader for a Day” and set Craig Brewer to direct and “Sopranos” scribe Michael Caleo to write the script. Stephanie Allain, who teamed with Brewer on “Hustle & Flow” and “Black Snake Moan,” will produce. Brewer wrote and directed both of those films, with Paramount Classics distributing the first and Par Vantage the follow-up. Venkatesh is a Columbia U. professor, and “Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets” recounted years he spent chronicling a crack-dealing gang in Chicago for a research project. He befriended the Black Kings and their leader and was invited to observe close up. Venkatesh found a close-knit group whose corporate culture was much like that of a successful legitimate business. Venkatesh was given the job of calling the shots of the criminal enterprise for a day.

The CW is getting into business with “American Idol” producer Simon Fuller, HBO is working with some old friends, and thesp Amy Smart (“Smith”) has been cast as the female lead in Glenn Gordon Caron pilot “The Meant-to-Bes.” Smart will star as a rich, young gallery owner who elopes one winter night in New York, only to fall victim to an unexpected act of violence en route to her honeymoon. After dying, she finds herself in someplace other than heaven or hell and is charged with helping people on Earth do those things that were “meant to be.”

DreamWorks has preemptively purchased Lars Jacobson’s “C.O.D.” action-thriller spec and set it up with Barry Josephson of Josephson Entertainment and Neal Flaherty of Royal Prospect. The deal closed Saturday. Story centers on a New York City bike messenger who becomes a puppet in an assassin’s deadly game, forced to deliver bombs to save his family’s life. A female FBI agent with a vendetta against the villain must work outside the system to catch the messenger and solve the case before it takes on global implications. Josephson produced “Enchanted” and is currently in production on “They Came From Upstairs” for Fox. Josephson Entertainment VP Danica Radovanov will exec produce. Jacobson also wrote, directed and produced horror thriller “Baby Blues,” with Andy Meyer also producing. That film recently secured domestic distribution with Allumination Filmworks and foreign with Epic Pictures. Flaherty and Jacobson met last year during the filming of “Baby Blues” in Georgia and began developing “C.O.D.” together. Jacobson’s repped by Original Artists.

Starz Media is jumping into “Dead Space” with Electronic Arts, pacting to make an animated feature tied into the sci-fi horror vidgame launching this fall. Starz’ Film Roman unit is producing a film that serves as a prequel to the game, picking up where a comic that is being made by Image Comics leaves off. “Dead Space” is part of a larger deal between the two companies. Starz has two other animation projects in development tied to EA franchises. Starz is in talks with broadcasters worldwide to distribute the pic on TV and will also put it out on DVD through its Anchor Bay subsid and online. “Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for videogames, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media, especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman prexy Scott Greenberg said in a statement.

PROJECT UPDATES

James Gandolfini will go from Jersey don to Gotham mayor. Gandolfini will play the mayor of New York City in Columbia Pictures remake “The Taking of Pelham 123,” directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Gandolfini will plays a pol under incredible pressure to end a crisis when a packed subway car is ransomed by a criminal (Travolta) and his gang.

Vinnie Jones, Michael Matthias, Michael Madsen, DMX and Armand Assante are set to star in “The Bleeding,” a horror actioner from Indifferent Entertainment. Charles Picerni will direct from Lance Lane’s script; shooting begins next month in North Carolina. Michael Tadross Jr. is producing with exec producer Frank Capra III and co-producer Charbel Youssef. Story centers on an ex-Army Ranger searching for the killer of his parents who discovers a family of vampires in a former chemical weapons factory-turned-nightclub. Also cast in the film are William McNamara, Pittsburgh Slim, Rachelle Leah and Kat Von D

Production begins today in Philadelphiaon “The Dream of the Romans,” an ensemble romantic comedy that stars Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Olivia Thirlby and Kat Dennings. Pic marks the feature debut of writer-director John Hindman. Movie is financed by iDeal Partners Film Fund. Kevin Messic is producing with iDeal’s Jana Edelbaum, with Rachel Cohen as exec producer. Formed in 2006, iDeal is teamed with GreeneStreet Films to produce the John Polson-directed “Tenderness,” which Russell Crowe toplines for Lionsgate. In “The Dream of the Romans,” Daniels plays a reclusive author of a landmark book that redefined spirituality for a generation. Graham is a struggling single mom and Pucci a young man fresh out of rehab. Like many others, they seek out the author because they’re convinced he has all the answers — but he just wants to be left alone.

Jon Heder and Dax Shepard have been set to star with Kristen Bell in “When in Rome,” which David Diamond and David Weissman wrote and will direct for Disney. Bell (“Heroes”) plays Beth, a successful but hopelessly single Gotham real estate agent. When her younger sister impulsively marries in Rome, Beth flies out for the wedding and, after picking up coins from a reputed “fountain of love,” finds an overabundance of suitors waiting for her back home. Heder plays a street magician who uses his talents to try to get the girl. Shepard plays a self-absorbed suitor who falls under the spell and chases the girl. Gary Foster, Andrew Panay and Rikki Bestall will produce, and shooting begins shortly in New York and Rome.

ACQUISITIONS/ FESTIVAL NEWS

The Tribeca Institute has set the lineup and jury for its fifth annual Tribeca All Access event slated for April 21-26. TAA aims to foster ties among film execs, agents and investors and directors from nontraditional communities. This year’s edition features 37 pics culled from 550 nationwide entries. The jury for the six-day TAA event, which overlaps with the Tribeca Film Festival, includes Jesse L. Martin, Damon Dash and Joy Bryant. Jurors will award prizes totaling $44,500 at a ceremony April 25. New for this year is a collaboration with the U.K. Film Council, Australian Film Commission and Canadian Film Center, marking the first international presence at TAA. Since its founding in May 2004, TAA has supported 117 film projects, of which 14 have been completed, 18 are in production and 43 are in active development. Three alums have pics in the Tribeca Film Festival lineup.

Indie distrib New Yorker Films has taken North American rights to helmer Carlos Saura’s “Fados,” while HGC has the pic for China. Massimo Saidel, a partner and sales director at Spanish sales consortium Latido Films, announced the deal Thursday from Hong Kong’s Filmart, after it screened at the Hong Kong Film Festival as the fest’s only Spanish pic. The North American buy continues a strong sales rollout for Saura’s fado musical, featuring many performers of Portugal’s national music genre. “Fados” has been licensed to 30 territories and will soon open in France, Japan and Brazil, Saidel said. Latido has added more territories for Arnold Schwarzenegger biodoc “Running With Arnold” with deals closed for Japan (Shochiku), Canada (Mongrel) and India (UTV), while ABC-Cinemien has purchased rights to trainee chef doc “The Chicken, the Fish and the King Crab,” a recent Berlinale Special. In further Latido deals, Franco de Pena’s prostitution drama “Your Name Is Justine” was licensed to Subraya for Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam and to distrib Mercamedia for Mexico. Accords follow a deal, announced earlier this year, with Aya Pro for Japan. Toon satire “Animal Crisis” has been taken by Mercamedia (for Mexico), Illusion Studios for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and HGC (for China). HGC has also picked up claymation edutainment TV series “Por que?,” deep-ocean toon pic “De Profundis” and feature comedy “The Last Penalty.” In two India deals, Moser Baer took “Por que?” while Indian film and TV group UTV signed a 24-film package, Saidel reported.

BUSINESS NEWS

Regal Cinemas will double the number of Imax theaters it operates by 2010, inking a deal with the large-format theater chain to build 31 additional screens. Deal marks the second-biggest joint venture Imax has entered into with an exhib since December, when it announced a 100-theater pact with AMC Entertainment. It also follows an initial deal between Imax and Regal last March for the rollout of Imax screens. Regal Cinemas is owned by Regal Entertainment, the world’s largest exhib chain, which also operates United Artists Theaters and Edwards Theaters. Under terms of the deal, Regal will build 31 Imax MPX digital projection systems in theaters in 20 markets. These include the Regal Long Beach Stadium 26 in Long Beach and Regal Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 in New York, as well as venues in Anchorage, Honolulu and Syracuse, N.Y. Regal will operate 52 Imax theaters by the end of 2010; Imax will have more than 300 running worldwide by that time. Imax is relying on joint ventures with exhib chains to increase the number of theaters it operates. Imax and the chain share the cost of building the theaters as well as the proceeds of the resulting ticket sales. Company’s in discussions with other loops for the buildout of new Imax screens, but “there aren’t too many deals of this scale you can do,” said Imax co-chairman and co-CEO Richard Gelfond. Rollout of new theaters comes as Imax is upping the number of studio pics it releases on its screens in the 2-D and 3-D formats. Its digital projection system will enable it to unspool up to 12 pics per year vs. the six it now plays annually. Company said more releases on more screens will enable it to increase revenue for studios and exhibs, with higher-priced Imax tickets collecting more coin, and digital eliminating the need for costly prints. Imax is screening Paramount’s “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” with “Shine a Light,” “Speed Racer,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “The Dark Knight” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” set to follow this year. In 2009 and 2010, it will be part of the distribution of DreamWorks’ 3-D toons “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Shrek Goes Forth.”

World Wrestling Entertainment wants more kids in its ring. The company has started to aggressively court the youth set with the launch of WWE Kids magazine, as well as plans to create original programming for the demo on its main website and new WWEKids.com destination. A TV series could follow. The bimonthly mag, aimed at 6- to 14-year-olds, bows April 15. Company already has a successful monthly pub with WWE magazine, which has a circulation of roughly 300,000 and targets the company’s core demo of males 12-24. It’s not as if WWE wasn’t attracting kids already. Company’s live events, TV shows, pay-per-view bouts, homevids, videogames, website, books and magazine are regular draws for younger auds. For example, its TV shows on USA Network, the CW and Sci Fi Channel are watched by 2.6 million viewers in the 6- to 14-year-old age group each week, the company said. Yet with WWE concentrating on teens and young adults, its expansion overseas, especially in Europe and China, as well as going after Hispanic auds, it realized the kids market was an audience segment it wasn’t focused on.

While preparing to take Fox Television to the Supreme Court over a handful of expletives, the Federal Communications Commission let expire a separate indecency fine against the network for airing a movie with multiple repetitions of one of the same expletives. The FCC blamed a recent federal appeals court decision, saying it has created confusion over how the agency can enforce its indecency rules. In March 2006, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to Fox station KTVI St. Louis, Mo., proposing a $27,500 fine for a 2003 airing of the movie “The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper,” which contained numerous instances of “shit” and its variations, including “bullshit,” “holy shit” and “owl shit,” according to an FCC investigation into the lone complaint that was lodged. But the agency never followed up with a formal notice of forfeiture — a demand for payment that the Justice Dept. is authorized to collect. The statute of limitation for collecting on a forfeiture is five years from date of the offending broadcast. Because the FCC never issued a forfeiture notice and because KTVI broadcast the film on March 15, 2003, U.S. attorneys saw their chance to enforce any fine against KTVI expire nine days ago. The failure to issue a forfeiture notice would seem an anomaly given FCC chairman Kevin J. Martin’s often-repeated vows to hold broadcasters accountable for what they air and to take a harder line against indecency than previous chairmen have. Moreover, the FCC analysis of the “Pursuit” broadcast suggested a fairly open-and-shut case: multiple, scripted expletives aired on a Saturday afternoon, when children are likely in the viewing audience.

Yari Film Group has signed an output deal with Entertainment One to distribute all its movies in Canada through 2010. Some 10 or so releases a year will be handled by E1 subsid Seville Pictures, headed by David Reckziegel. The first pic to go out through the deal will be “Assassination of a High School President,” starring Mischa Barton and Bruce Willis. It’s set for release in August. Yari Film Group’s slate includes Joe Carnahan’s “Killing Pablo,” starring Christian Bale; Peter Hewitt’s “The Lonely Maiden,” starring Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden; and Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But the Truth,” starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett and Alan Alda. Patrice Theroux, E1’s president of filmed entertainment, said, “This consolidates our position in Canada as one of the emerging forces in the Canadian film distribution sector.” E1 is publicly listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market. It is pursuing a strategy of aggressive growth in international theatrical, DVD and TV distribution via recently acquired subsidiaries in Canada, the U.K. and the Benelux.

STRIKE AFTERMATH

The end of the 100-day writers strike pushed up employment by as many as 9,000 jobs last month, according to state employment figures. California’s Employment Development Dept. announced Friday that employment in the motion picture and sound recording sector rose 8.7% in February to 114,300. The WGA strike, which brought production activity in scripted TV to a standstill, ended on Feb. 12. The state noted that jobs in the information sector rose by 9,000 to 194,800, with most of the gain due to employees returning from the strike. The gain helped the Los Angeles County unemployment rate drop from 5.7% in January to 5.3% in February. Separately, permitting agency FilmL.A. has said post-strike permitted production is tracking well below 2007 levels for the same period, including 97% fewer days on location for sitcoms, a loss of 31 days of production; a 9% decline in drama production for a 12-day loss; and an 86% decline in television pilots with 56 fewer days. “Even though the strike ended in February, we’re still feeling its impact well into pilot season,” said FilmL.A. prexy Steve MacDonald. “Finalizing scripts, pulling permits and getting crews back to work on location just takes time.” The California figures also show that year-over-year employment in the film production category — which includes TV — has dropped by 11%.

INDUSTRY MOVES

New Wave Entertainment has tapped Chuck LaBella as director of development. LaBella — who helped develop the Starz skein “The Bronx Bunny Show” — will work on scripted and nonscripted projects for TV and film. He’ll report to New Wave owners Paul Apel and Alan Baral. Baral said that LaBella’s “expertise as a veteran talent producer will bring key talent to projects early in their development.” Among LaBella’s credits are stints on skeins such as the New Wave-produced “Frank TV” and “Dane Cook’s Tourgasm,” along with “Thank God You’re Here” and “Last Comic Standing.” New Wave’s past projects include action feature “The Condemned” and ABC’s “The Next Best Thing.”

Fox TV Studios has tapped Daniel Hetzer VP of programming and co-production. Hetzer hops to Fox from European production shingle Action Concept, which is behind skeins including the German hit “Alarm for Cobra 11.” Exec will focus on Fox TV Studio’s international co-productions and report to its prexy, Emiliano Calemzuk. He’ll be based in Los Angeles.

Mike McClellan has been upped to senior VP and head film buyer at Landmark Theaters, the country’s largest specialty film exhib. Landmark CEO Ted Mundorff also promoted Lisa Bunnell to VP of film. McClellan will oversee all film buying for the circuit, as well as work with Mundorff on the company’s continuing expansion plans. McClellan played a key role in the opening of Landmark’s flagship theater in West Los Angeles, as well as the opening of a new sixplex in Denver. He was previously with General Cinema. Bunnell previously bought all product for Landmark’s East Coast screens, overseeing the Ritz Theater in Philadelphia, which Landmark acquired last fall, as well as the circuit’s new sevenplex in Baltimore. Landmark operates 58 theaters in 24 markets.

WEBSITES TO WATCH

http://www.youtube.com/ytawards07winners

The YouTube community has spoken. You’ll see some familiar faces among the 2007 YouTube Video Award winners, including the Tay Zonday (the Chocolate Rain guy) and Ethan – the Laughing Baby who laughs so hard he knocks himself over. But there are several others (including Obama Girl and Chris Crocker “Leave Brittney Alone”) who came up short in their respective categories. Perhaps the feeling was they already enjoyed enough attention.

http://www.picapp.com/publicsite/

A new service called picApp launched to provide bloggers and independent publishers with an archive of copyrighted images they can use for free alongside editorial content. The San Francisco-based start up has signed deals with Getty Images, Corbis and others to sell small ads attached to each image in order to monetize the pics.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

Sports Illustrated unlocked the SI Vault giving online users access to a treasure trove of sports content including 50,000 stories, 2,800 covers and 500,000 photographs from the pages of Sports Illustrated magazine. SI editors and designers have done a nice job making the content easily searchable and have even baked in a Wiki allowing users to contribute and amend entries. Truveo is powering the site’s video search feature, tracking down clips of famous plays. Type in “buzzer beater” for a huge selection of memorable last-second shots.

SOURCES:

www.variety.com

www.cynopsis.com