The longtime coming documentary Frank Miller: American Genius is getting a one-night-only theatrical showing, announced the film’s distributor Picturehouse, which also unveiled the trailer for the feature.
Set to screen simultaneously in Cinemark theaters nationwide Monday, June 10, the event will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by actress Rosario Dawson, and all ticket holders will receive an exclusive custom collectible. It will take place in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Playa Vista at 5 p.m. Pt and will be livestreamed to all other theaters across the country.
Miller’s home base of New York gets its own screening event, being billed as a sneak preview, which will take place June 6 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. It, too, will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by author Neil Gaiman. And yes, all ticket holders will receive that exclusive custom collectible at that showing as well.
Set to screen simultaneously in Cinemark theaters nationwide Monday, June 10, the event will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by actress Rosario Dawson, and all ticket holders will receive an exclusive custom collectible. It will take place in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Playa Vista at 5 p.m. Pt and will be livestreamed to all other theaters across the country.
Miller’s home base of New York gets its own screening event, being billed as a sneak preview, which will take place June 6 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. It, too, will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by author Neil Gaiman. And yes, all ticket holders will receive that exclusive custom collectible at that showing as well.
- 5/23/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire had no trouble winning a relatively quiet weekend at the box office: Stronger-than-expected Saturday turnout rescued the movie from opening behind the franchise’s last installment.
Sunday estimates show Frozen Empire launching with $45.2 million in North America thanks to multi-generational turnout and families. In 2021, the pandemic-challenged Ghostbusters: Afterlife debuted to $44 million. The new movie will need to have decent legs, considering it cost more to make — $100 million, versus $75 million for Afterlife. And there’s still concern that the film hasn’t broadened out to any notable degree in terms of new fans.
Overseas, the Sony tentpole started off with $16.4 million from 25 markets — it has a staggered rollout for competitive reasons — for a global start of $61.6 million. In like-for-like markets, Sony says it is pacing 15 percent ahead of Afterlife. The U.K. leads with $5.3 million, followed quickly by Mexico with $5.2 million.
On Saturday, rival studios showed...
Sunday estimates show Frozen Empire launching with $45.2 million in North America thanks to multi-generational turnout and families. In 2021, the pandemic-challenged Ghostbusters: Afterlife debuted to $44 million. The new movie will need to have decent legs, considering it cost more to make — $100 million, versus $75 million for Afterlife. And there’s still concern that the film hasn’t broadened out to any notable degree in terms of new fans.
Overseas, the Sony tentpole started off with $16.4 million from 25 markets — it has a staggered rollout for competitive reasons — for a global start of $61.6 million. In like-for-like markets, Sony says it is pacing 15 percent ahead of Afterlife. The U.K. leads with $5.3 million, followed quickly by Mexico with $5.2 million.
On Saturday, rival studios showed...
- 3/24/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Q&a’s are a staple of indie opening weekends since they tend to sell tickets but Bob and Jeanne Berney’s Picturehouse has raised that bar, offering audiences seven-minute live burlesque revues before selected screenings of documentary Carol Doda Topless At The Condor. The ode to the woman, and to 1960s San Francisco where she broke out topless, opens in limited release in New York, LA, San Francisco and San Rafael. Dancers in what Bob Berney called a “Doda-esqe burlesque” will not be topless,” he said — “but pretty close.”
Dancers start in the audience then move to the front of the theater against a specially designed backdrop of image and sound on screen. “It brings you into that world immediately. You are there before the film starts,” he said.
“Eventizing” a film is great if you can do it. The box office is much better but still a bit weird since Covid.
Dancers start in the audience then move to the front of the theater against a specially designed backdrop of image and sound on screen. “It brings you into that world immediately. You are there before the film starts,” he said.
“Eventizing” a film is great if you can do it. The box office is much better but still a bit weird since Covid.
- 3/22/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Picturehouse is spicing up the opening weekend of their documentary Carol Doda Topless at the Condor on March 22-24 with a live revue of top burlesque dancers before the movie screens.
Carol Doda Topless at the Condor documents the life, history and impact of the legendary topless dancer who ignited the 1960s sexual revolution.
The “Doda-esque Burlesque” will launch on Friday, March 22, at the NuArt in Los Angeles with performers Ashleeta Beauchamp, Vita DeVoid and Lux Lacroix, and at The Roxie in San Francisco with Frankie Fictitious, Sweetpea and Sgt. Die Wies. The tributes to Doda’s legacy will continue as the film rolls out on March 29 in additional markets, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington DC, New Orleans, Detroit and more. The revue will be available at select showtimes.
In addition, the pic’s Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker will be participating in several Q&a’s across the country,...
Carol Doda Topless at the Condor documents the life, history and impact of the legendary topless dancer who ignited the 1960s sexual revolution.
The “Doda-esque Burlesque” will launch on Friday, March 22, at the NuArt in Los Angeles with performers Ashleeta Beauchamp, Vita DeVoid and Lux Lacroix, and at The Roxie in San Francisco with Frankie Fictitious, Sweetpea and Sgt. Die Wies. The tributes to Doda’s legacy will continue as the film rolls out on March 29 in additional markets, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington DC, New Orleans, Detroit and more. The revue will be available at select showtimes.
In addition, the pic’s Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker will be participating in several Q&a’s across the country,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Picturehouse will release the documentary, Carol Doda Topless at the Condor, exclusively in theaters on March 22 in New York and San Francisco, followed by a March 29 debut in LA, with a further breakout to 40-plus markets.
The doc, from San Francisco filmmakers Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker, premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. The nonfiction feature follows a daring young woman who fired one of the first shots in the sexual revolution of the 1960s and became an international sex symbol and a San Francisco tourist attraction second only to the Golden Gate Bridge. Doda went from cocktail waitress to international icon and defender of sexual freedom. Pic was produced by Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich.
The docu is based in part on Three Nights at the Condor, a memoir by Benita Mattioli, the wife of Condor co-owner Pete Mattioli. Carol Doda...
The doc, from San Francisco filmmakers Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker, premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. The nonfiction feature follows a daring young woman who fired one of the first shots in the sexual revolution of the 1960s and became an international sex symbol and a San Francisco tourist attraction second only to the Golden Gate Bridge. Doda went from cocktail waitress to international icon and defender of sexual freedom. Pic was produced by Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich.
The docu is based in part on Three Nights at the Condor, a memoir by Benita Mattioli, the wife of Condor co-owner Pete Mattioli. Carol Doda...
- 1/26/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
For some artists, the duties and demands of awards attention can be a lifelong dream come true. For others, it’s a slog. Or worse. Christopher Nolan may fall in the latter category, based on what his Oppenheimer star Robert Downey Jr. said from the stage on Thursday night in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival’s opening night gala.
“During this wildly social season, in the wake of resounding global reaction to the Oppenheimer phenomenon, Chris and I shared a vulnerable moment of existential query. He placed his hand on my shoulder, got a little misty and whispered, ‘I’m beginning to wonder, is it possible: Death by schmoozing?’ Adulation, congratulations, celebration, being thanked and honored is as desirable to him as being tarred, feathered and pilloried.”
If that’s true, Nolan didn’t show it nor did he flinch during his time inside the DeJoria Center in nearby Kamas,...
“During this wildly social season, in the wake of resounding global reaction to the Oppenheimer phenomenon, Chris and I shared a vulnerable moment of existential query. He placed his hand on my shoulder, got a little misty and whispered, ‘I’m beginning to wonder, is it possible: Death by schmoozing?’ Adulation, congratulations, celebration, being thanked and honored is as desirable to him as being tarred, feathered and pilloried.”
If that’s true, Nolan didn’t show it nor did he flinch during his time inside the DeJoria Center in nearby Kamas,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“It’s a quarter of a century later, and I’m still f*cking being discovered by Sundance,” beamed Christopher Nolan tonight at the Sundance Film Festival Opening Night Gala as he received the inaugural Trailblazer award.
“At what point do I move onto bigger things?” the acclaimed Oppenheimer filmmaker cracked.
The wrap-up remark was made as Nolan told the story about how Comcast Universal boss Brian Roberts shared the filmmaker and his producer wife Emma Thomas post Oppenheimer‘s immediate greenlight how he caught their movie Memento by chance at Sundance during a ski trip back in 2001 with the father and the impact it had on him.
Nolan says that Thomas and he were “caught in a moment of reflection.”
Earlier in the evening, Oppenheimer star and Nolan pal Robert Downey Jr. also had the crowd roaring with a plethora of anecdotes about the filmmaker. The Avengers actor told...
“At what point do I move onto bigger things?” the acclaimed Oppenheimer filmmaker cracked.
The wrap-up remark was made as Nolan told the story about how Comcast Universal boss Brian Roberts shared the filmmaker and his producer wife Emma Thomas post Oppenheimer‘s immediate greenlight how he caught their movie Memento by chance at Sundance during a ski trip back in 2001 with the father and the impact it had on him.
Nolan says that Thomas and he were “caught in a moment of reflection.”
Earlier in the evening, Oppenheimer star and Nolan pal Robert Downey Jr. also had the crowd roaring with a plethora of anecdotes about the filmmaker. The Avengers actor told...
- 1/19/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon MGM’s Head of Specialty Theatrical Distribution, Mark Boxer, was among the notables cuts yesterday at the streaming theatrical studio.
Among some of Boxer’s highlights at Amazon, he oversaw the specialty theatrical releases of such Oscar nominated titles as Being the Ricardos, Poland’s 2018 International film entry Cold War, and 2x Oscar winner Sound of Metal.
With Amazon’s acquisition of MGM, Boxer was a key suit in getting Ben Affleck’s Air into theaters. He was also recently involved in the successful release strategies for awards season titles Saltburn, The Boys in the Boat and American Fiction.
During the pandemic, Boxer also handled the theatrical distribution of such big Prime Video acquisition titles, Coming 2 America, Cinderella, Hotel Transylvania 4, and The Tomorrow War to those cinemas and drive-ins that were lucky to be open.
Boxer also supervised the opening, and operated Amazon’s Culver Theater in Culver City,...
Among some of Boxer’s highlights at Amazon, he oversaw the specialty theatrical releases of such Oscar nominated titles as Being the Ricardos, Poland’s 2018 International film entry Cold War, and 2x Oscar winner Sound of Metal.
With Amazon’s acquisition of MGM, Boxer was a key suit in getting Ben Affleck’s Air into theaters. He was also recently involved in the successful release strategies for awards season titles Saltburn, The Boys in the Boat and American Fiction.
During the pandemic, Boxer also handled the theatrical distribution of such big Prime Video acquisition titles, Coming 2 America, Cinderella, Hotel Transylvania 4, and The Tomorrow War to those cinemas and drive-ins that were lucky to be open.
Boxer also supervised the opening, and operated Amazon’s Culver Theater in Culver City,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
At The Gates is an entertaining and timely thriller that blends the hot button topic of illegal immigration and undocumented workers into a universal story of fear, paranoia, and the perilous state of our own humanity. That it succeeds to the degree it does is the fact that first time feature writer/director Augustus Meleo Bernstein keeps us guessing as to the intentions and the ultimate fate of its tight circle of main characters. Essentially this is a chamber piece all set in one attractive Los Angeles area suburb’s home and the class drama taking place inside that seems ripped from headlines of individual tragic stories of illegal immigrants who have to worry at any given moment when Ice is going to show up at their doorstep, or in the case of At The Gates, at the doorstep of their employers.
Ana (Vanessa Benavente) is a Salvadoran undocumented immigrant...
Ana (Vanessa Benavente) is a Salvadoran undocumented immigrant...
- 11/2/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall from Neon grossed $125,377 at five theaters for a per screen average of $25,075 — a solid limited opening for the Justine Triet-directed film that made its theatrical debut Friday in NYC, LA and San Francisco. A limited expansion is planned for next week.
Sandra Hüller stars as a German writer living a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps with her husband Samuel and their 11-year-old son. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether it was suicide or murder. They fix on the latter and Sandra becomes the main suspect who finds herself and her relationship dissected in a courtroom. Anatomy most recently packed screenings at the New York Film Festival.
The dynamics at play are all different, but here are some of the best recent limited openings in terms of...
Sandra Hüller stars as a German writer living a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps with her husband Samuel and their 11-year-old son. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether it was suicide or murder. They fix on the latter and Sandra becomes the main suspect who finds herself and her relationship dissected in a courtroom. Anatomy most recently packed screenings at the New York Film Festival.
The dynamics at play are all different, but here are some of the best recent limited openings in terms of...
- 10/15/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood Reporter thanks the following 322 members of the global film community — listed alphabetically — for taking the time to cast a ballot to help us determine the 100 greatest film books of all time.
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
- 10/12/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Augustus Meleo Bernstein’s new movie At the Gates is getting a November 3 theatrical release date in New York and Los Angeles from Picturehouse.
The Beacon Pictures and Five Towers production stars Miranda Otto, Noah Wyle, Ezekiel Pacheco, Vanessa Benavente and Sadie Anne Stanley. Bernstein wrote and directed in his feature debut.
In the movie, Ana (Benavente), a housekeeper from El Salvador, brings her teenage son Nico (Pacheco) to help her clean an affluent family’s Los Angeles home. But after being told by her employers Marianne (Otto) and Peter Barris (Wyle) that immigration officers are searching for her, she accepts the invitation to shelter in their house until the crisis blows over. As days go by and the interactions between the two families become increasingly tense, Nico begins to question their hosts’ true intentions.
The pic’s theatrical rollout follows several festival stops including New York Latino Film Festival,...
The Beacon Pictures and Five Towers production stars Miranda Otto, Noah Wyle, Ezekiel Pacheco, Vanessa Benavente and Sadie Anne Stanley. Bernstein wrote and directed in his feature debut.
In the movie, Ana (Benavente), a housekeeper from El Salvador, brings her teenage son Nico (Pacheco) to help her clean an affluent family’s Los Angeles home. But after being told by her employers Marianne (Otto) and Peter Barris (Wyle) that immigration officers are searching for her, she accepts the invitation to shelter in their house until the crisis blows over. As days go by and the interactions between the two families become increasingly tense, Nico begins to question their hosts’ true intentions.
The pic’s theatrical rollout follows several festival stops including New York Latino Film Festival,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Independent cinema is in trouble.
That’s according to Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse, John Sloss, founder and CEO of Cinetic Media, and Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and head of public programming. During an Oct. 1 Woodstock Film Festival panel titled the “Current and Future State of Independent Cinema” the trio ruminated on the future of independent film distribution.
Sloss acknowledged that while Netflix heads Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos are progressive, their decision to withhold data from the industry at large “set the industry back 50 years.”
That said, Sloss admitted that he was immediately drawn to the streaming service when they began acquiring independently made films over two decades ago.
“I have 70 films in my office that pay overages, which is not an insignificant amount,” Sloss said. “Then Netflix came in and it was really a conflict because they were paying so much money. From everyone’s standpoint,...
That’s according to Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse, John Sloss, founder and CEO of Cinetic Media, and Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and head of public programming. During an Oct. 1 Woodstock Film Festival panel titled the “Current and Future State of Independent Cinema” the trio ruminated on the future of independent film distribution.
Sloss acknowledged that while Netflix heads Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos are progressive, their decision to withhold data from the industry at large “set the industry back 50 years.”
That said, Sloss admitted that he was immediately drawn to the streaming service when they began acquiring independently made films over two decades ago.
“I have 70 films in my office that pay overages, which is not an insignificant amount,” Sloss said. “Then Netflix came in and it was really a conflict because they were paying so much money. From everyone’s standpoint,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Woodstock Film Festival has added Tony Goldwyn’s comedy drama “Ezra,” starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro to its 2023 lineup.
In the film, which made its world premiere earlier this month at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, Cannavale stars as Max, a stand up comic who after recently blowing up his career and marriage is living with his father Stan (De Niro). When Max’s autistic son Ezra is expelled from yet another school, Max makes the controversial decision to take him on a cross-country road trip.
In addition to Cannavale and De Niro, “Ezra” stars Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg and Rainn Wilson. (Mister Smith Entertainment and CAA are handling sales.)
“I am so excited that the Woodstock Film Festival chose to screen ‘Ezra,'” says Goldwyn. “Woodstock is one of the coolest festivals in the country for a filmmaker. After such an enthusiastic reception at TIFF last week,...
In the film, which made its world premiere earlier this month at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, Cannavale stars as Max, a stand up comic who after recently blowing up his career and marriage is living with his father Stan (De Niro). When Max’s autistic son Ezra is expelled from yet another school, Max makes the controversial decision to take him on a cross-country road trip.
In addition to Cannavale and De Niro, “Ezra” stars Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg and Rainn Wilson. (Mister Smith Entertainment and CAA are handling sales.)
“I am so excited that the Woodstock Film Festival chose to screen ‘Ezra,'” says Goldwyn. “Woodstock is one of the coolest festivals in the country for a filmmaker. After such an enthusiastic reception at TIFF last week,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The upcoming Woodstock Film Festival will kick off with Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play” and present a lifetime achievement award to James Ivory.
The 24th edition of the fest, which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in New York’s Hudson Valley, about 100 miles north of Manhattan, features a lineup of world, U.S. and New York premieres of feature films directed by filmmakers ranging from Steve Buscemi (“The Listener”) and Wim Wenders (“Anselm”) to Roger Ross Williams (“Stamped From the Beginning”).
Opening night “Fair Play,” an erotic thriller about a power-hungry couple contending for power at a cutthroat financial firm, was acquired by Netflix for $20 million after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Wff will be held at venues in Woodstock, Rosendale and Saugerties, all of which are Hudson Valley towns where many Academy members own homes, making the fest an award season campaign hotspot.
Additional narrative feature...
The 24th edition of the fest, which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in New York’s Hudson Valley, about 100 miles north of Manhattan, features a lineup of world, U.S. and New York premieres of feature films directed by filmmakers ranging from Steve Buscemi (“The Listener”) and Wim Wenders (“Anselm”) to Roger Ross Williams (“Stamped From the Beginning”).
Opening night “Fair Play,” an erotic thriller about a power-hungry couple contending for power at a cutthroat financial firm, was acquired by Netflix for $20 million after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Wff will be held at venues in Woodstock, Rosendale and Saugerties, all of which are Hudson Valley towns where many Academy members own homes, making the fest an award season campaign hotspot.
Additional narrative feature...
- 8/29/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Wilson has officially been named Head of Theatrical Distribution for Amazon Studios and MGM as the parent company combines labels into one theatrical distribution group.
The news comes in the wake of the death of the previous Amazon-mgm distribution boss, Erik Lomis, who was the subject of a heartfelt remembrance Tuesday at CinemaCon by several including Chris Aronson; former MGM Motion Picture bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, now at Warner Bros; and as Warner Bros Domestic Distribution chief Jeff Goldstein.
Recently, Amazon’s pivot back to theatrical saw the $272 million global success of Creed III and the current $69M global gross for Ben Affleck’s dramedy Air, about how Nike nabbed Michael Jordan to make the Air Jordan sneaker. Wilson is a longtime lieutenant of Lomis and is a distribution vet who has handled 100 films that in total grossed more that $7 billion stateside.
Related: CinemaCon 2023 – Deadline’s...
The news comes in the wake of the death of the previous Amazon-mgm distribution boss, Erik Lomis, who was the subject of a heartfelt remembrance Tuesday at CinemaCon by several including Chris Aronson; former MGM Motion Picture bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, now at Warner Bros; and as Warner Bros Domestic Distribution chief Jeff Goldstein.
Recently, Amazon’s pivot back to theatrical saw the $272 million global success of Creed III and the current $69M global gross for Ben Affleck’s dramedy Air, about how Nike nabbed Michael Jordan to make the Air Jordan sneaker. Wilson is a longtime lieutenant of Lomis and is a distribution vet who has handled 100 films that in total grossed more that $7 billion stateside.
Related: CinemaCon 2023 – Deadline’s...
- 4/25/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Apart from a visible glow from the thrill of being back together in person, industry professionals at the Sundance Film Festival are undergoing a sort of crisis as they debate how serious the problems are facing independent film.
The one point of agreement: With theatrical in a state of severe decline, the future of independent and art house film is very much in a state of limbo. The business model for arthouse film has been crumbling for years, but now just resembles a haze of confusion. Regal just closed 39 theaters, AMC is expected to close venues to stave off a cash crunch, Landmark shut down in Los Angeles and the box office has re-set to a new, low baseline.
That leaves the streamers as the main port of call, but let’s face it — indie filmmakers would really prefer not to end up in the bottomless pit of Netflix.
Where will all these films go?...
The one point of agreement: With theatrical in a state of severe decline, the future of independent and art house film is very much in a state of limbo. The business model for arthouse film has been crumbling for years, but now just resembles a haze of confusion. Regal just closed 39 theaters, AMC is expected to close venues to stave off a cash crunch, Landmark shut down in Los Angeles and the box office has re-set to a new, low baseline.
That leaves the streamers as the main port of call, but let’s face it — indie filmmakers would really prefer not to end up in the bottomless pit of Netflix.
Where will all these films go?...
- 1/23/2023
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
When the 2023 Sundance began on Thursday evening, there was a giddiness in the air after two years of virtual festivals. For filmmakers and audiences, it was thrilling just to be back in crowded theaters to watch movies and bask in the Sundance buzz that, let’s face it, makes a lot of indie films look better at 6,900 feet than they will at sea level.
Sustaining the giddiness is, of course, more difficult than getting there in the first place. So as the delayed-gratification Sundance’s opening weekend nears its conclusion, it’s hard not to acknowledge that the initial rejoicing also required ignoring the fact that the movie business itself has been rocked, with theaters closing and box-office numbers still far from pre-covid numbers. And, oh yes, covid is still with us.
“It is a tough time. I don’t know where these small films go,” said Bob Berney, a...
Sustaining the giddiness is, of course, more difficult than getting there in the first place. So as the delayed-gratification Sundance’s opening weekend nears its conclusion, it’s hard not to acknowledge that the initial rejoicing also required ignoring the fact that the movie business itself has been rocked, with theaters closing and box-office numbers still far from pre-covid numbers. And, oh yes, covid is still with us.
“It is a tough time. I don’t know where these small films go,” said Bob Berney, a...
- 1/23/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Bill Thompson, a long-time studio executive who booked features with companies like Miramax Films, Gramercy Pictures and Lot 47 Films, died of cancer on Sunday, according to his wife. He was 73.
Thompson’s career spanned over 50 years in film distribution and exhibition in both executive sales and senior film-buying positions.
The New York native was launched onto a successful trajectory in the film industry when he joined 20th Century Fox’s Washington, D.C. Branch. He returned to his home state in 1978 to work at Cinema 5 Distribution, where he became well-versed in the process of buying films by the following year. Having discovered a newfound calling, Thompson continued to take on film-buying roles with exhibitors like Walter Reade, Cineplex Odeon and City Cinemas.
On the distribution side of the industry, Thompson booked with notable clients like Picturehouse, Apparition, Newmarket Films and Film District. Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse and Thompson...
Thompson’s career spanned over 50 years in film distribution and exhibition in both executive sales and senior film-buying positions.
The New York native was launched onto a successful trajectory in the film industry when he joined 20th Century Fox’s Washington, D.C. Branch. He returned to his home state in 1978 to work at Cinema 5 Distribution, where he became well-versed in the process of buying films by the following year. Having discovered a newfound calling, Thompson continued to take on film-buying roles with exhibitors like Walter Reade, Cineplex Odeon and City Cinemas.
On the distribution side of the industry, Thompson booked with notable clients like Picturehouse, Apparition, Newmarket Films and Film District. Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse and Thompson...
- 12/14/2022
- by Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Bill Thompson, whose career spanned Miramax Films, Gramercy Pictures, Lot 47 and other key indie distributors, died Monday of cancer in Manhattan. He was 73.
The well-liked executive spent nearly 50 years in the film industry in distribution and exhibition.
A theatrical booker for years, Thompson held executive sales positions with leading firms from Miramax Films, Gramercy Pictures, Lot 47 Films and Bob Berney-led Newmarket Films, Picturehouse, Apparition and Film District. Before that, he held senior film-buying positions with several New York-based exhibitors, including Cinema 5, Walter Reade, Cineplex Odeon and City Cinemas.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery Related Story Former Verve Head of Unscripted Bill Thompson Joins Vital Artists Agency Related Story SAG-AFTRA Lauds Enactment Of Respect For Marriage Act
Thompson recently received the Motion Picture Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Rip: Bill Thompson, my friend and colleague from Picturehouse and several companies where we made history together,...
The well-liked executive spent nearly 50 years in the film industry in distribution and exhibition.
A theatrical booker for years, Thompson held executive sales positions with leading firms from Miramax Films, Gramercy Pictures, Lot 47 Films and Bob Berney-led Newmarket Films, Picturehouse, Apparition and Film District. Before that, he held senior film-buying positions with several New York-based exhibitors, including Cinema 5, Walter Reade, Cineplex Odeon and City Cinemas.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery Related Story Former Verve Head of Unscripted Bill Thompson Joins Vital Artists Agency Related Story SAG-AFTRA Lauds Enactment Of Respect For Marriage Act
Thompson recently received the Motion Picture Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Rip: Bill Thompson, my friend and colleague from Picturehouse and several companies where we made history together,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Bill Thompson, a longtime exhibition and distribution executive, died Sunday in Manhattan after a battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, his wife of 43 years, Sherrie Thompson, announced. He was 73.
Thompson worked mainly in distribution in the 1990s, with stints at Miramax, Gramercy, Lot 47 and then alongside indie film stalwart Bob Berney at four companies: Newmarket, Picturehouse, Apparition and FilmDistrict.
“Bill was always part of my core team at Newmarket, Picturehouse and FilmDistrict,” Picturehouse CEO Berney said in a statement. “He was devoted to the theatrical experience and the people in the business equally. I’m not alone in saying he was one of a kind, a real gentleman, and will be missed.”
Thompson also was senior vp distribution and exhibition at Cohen Media Group for seven years before retiring in 2020. He taught a class in film distribution at NYU’s School of Continuing Education for 17 years.
Bill Thompson, a longtime exhibition and distribution executive, died Sunday in Manhattan after a battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, his wife of 43 years, Sherrie Thompson, announced. He was 73.
Thompson worked mainly in distribution in the 1990s, with stints at Miramax, Gramercy, Lot 47 and then alongside indie film stalwart Bob Berney at four companies: Newmarket, Picturehouse, Apparition and FilmDistrict.
“Bill was always part of my core team at Newmarket, Picturehouse and FilmDistrict,” Picturehouse CEO Berney said in a statement. “He was devoted to the theatrical experience and the people in the business equally. I’m not alone in saying he was one of a kind, a real gentleman, and will be missed.”
Thompson also was senior vp distribution and exhibition at Cohen Media Group for seven years before retiring in 2020. He taught a class in film distribution at NYU’s School of Continuing Education for 17 years.
- 12/13/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exhibition stocks were up today on news from Bloomberg that Amazon is going to commit a reported 1 billion to theatrical releases annually.
We hear that such a plan is truly in its early days — read Amazon doesn’t have an executive yet to lead MGM theatrical. Capisce? Since Amazon bought MGM, it has been trying to figure out how to put the genie back in the bottle: Amazon committed heavily to theatrical with reported box office numbers and wide releases during the Jason Ropell-Bob Berney-Ted Hope administration — sometimes releasing pics through distribution partners such as Lionsgate, STX, Roadside Attractions and Bleecker Street before bringing it in-house under IFC day-and-date distribution czar Mark Boxer. When Jen Salke took charge of the studio in 2018, she pivoted to a Netflix-like theatrical/streaming model with limited theatrical releases over a shorter or day-and-date window synced with a Prime Video drop.
We hear that such a plan is truly in its early days — read Amazon doesn’t have an executive yet to lead MGM theatrical. Capisce? Since Amazon bought MGM, it has been trying to figure out how to put the genie back in the bottle: Amazon committed heavily to theatrical with reported box office numbers and wide releases during the Jason Ropell-Bob Berney-Ted Hope administration — sometimes releasing pics through distribution partners such as Lionsgate, STX, Roadside Attractions and Bleecker Street before bringing it in-house under IFC day-and-date distribution czar Mark Boxer. When Jen Salke took charge of the studio in 2018, she pivoted to a Netflix-like theatrical/streaming model with limited theatrical releases over a shorter or day-and-date window synced with a Prime Video drop.
- 11/23/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Picturehouse release of National Geographic Documentary Films The Territory grossed a solid 26.4K in six markets (eight screens) for a PSA of 3,308 with its climate change message attracting a broader than typical age range for a theatrical doc, especially lately, according to Picturehouse CEO Bob Berney.
He called it “very encouraging to see younger people attending and asking for ways they can help support the indigenous people of Brazil… The film is a call to action as well as a beautifully crafted work.”
The first feature by Alex Pritz, produced by Darren Aronofsky and Sigrid Dyekjaer, follows the fight of the indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people in Brazil – less than 190 of them – against land-grabbing incursions of non-native farmers causing major deforestation. “We are getting a kind of younger activist demographic that is really nice to see. And obviously in New York we also had a lot of Brazilians that came, because there is a community there.
He called it “very encouraging to see younger people attending and asking for ways they can help support the indigenous people of Brazil… The film is a call to action as well as a beautifully crafted work.”
The first feature by Alex Pritz, produced by Darren Aronofsky and Sigrid Dyekjaer, follows the fight of the indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people in Brazil – less than 190 of them – against land-grabbing incursions of non-native farmers causing major deforestation. “We are getting a kind of younger activist demographic that is really nice to see. And obviously in New York we also had a lot of Brazilians that came, because there is a community there.
- 8/21/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Amazon Studios PR executive Vicky Eguia died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. She was 48.
Eguia spent years as head of publicity for Amazon’s original movies before moving into a new role as the director of PR for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Relations.
Amazon Studios head Jen Salke and PR boss Cory Shields said of Eguia in a staff memo, “As many of you know so well, Vicky was a consummate team player – always ready to pitch in with complete commitment and dedication. We will all miss her charm and sense of humor.”
The widely admired and affable PR executive arrived at Amazon Studios in 2015 when indie film veteran Bob Berney — with whom she had a long professional relationship — was tasked with helping to get the company’s original movie operation off the ground. One of Amazon...
Amazon Studios PR executive Vicky Eguia died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. She was 48.
Eguia spent years as head of publicity for Amazon’s original movies before moving into a new role as the director of PR for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Relations.
Amazon Studios head Jen Salke and PR boss Cory Shields said of Eguia in a staff memo, “As many of you know so well, Vicky was a consummate team player – always ready to pitch in with complete commitment and dedication. We will all miss her charm and sense of humor.”
The widely admired and affable PR executive arrived at Amazon Studios in 2015 when indie film veteran Bob Berney — with whom she had a long professional relationship — was tasked with helping to get the company’s original movie operation off the ground. One of Amazon...
- 6/26/2022
- by Hilary Lewis and Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Veteran PR executive Vicky Eguia, who worked on several award winning movie campaigns such as Pan’s Labyrinth, La Vie en Rose and Amazon Studios’ Oscar winning Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 48.
Her family revealed the news in a Facebook post early Saturday.
For any reporter, publicist or filmmaker who worked with Vicky, they’ll remember her for her jubilant, graceful, patient and can-do spirit. As a journalist, whether you were working with Vicky on a breaking news story, or trying to land an interview with major talent during awards season (i.e. breakfast with Nic Winding Refn) or tickets to a big Cannes film premiere, she always delivered. There wasn’t an ask that was impossible.
For the last seven years, Vicky worked at Amazon Studios, her most recent position being Director of PR, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Relations.
Her family revealed the news in a Facebook post early Saturday.
For any reporter, publicist or filmmaker who worked with Vicky, they’ll remember her for her jubilant, graceful, patient and can-do spirit. As a journalist, whether you were working with Vicky on a breaking news story, or trying to land an interview with major talent during awards season (i.e. breakfast with Nic Winding Refn) or tickets to a big Cannes film premiere, she always delivered. There wasn’t an ask that was impossible.
For the last seven years, Vicky worked at Amazon Studios, her most recent position being Director of PR, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Relations.
- 6/26/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Husband and wife Ed Harris and Amy Madigan will star in School for the Blind, a $4.5 million budgeted indie that will be produced by Picturehouse, John Boccardo’s Blind Faith Productions and Neil Koenigsberg. Lou Howe is directing from his adaptation of Dennis McFarland’s critically acclaimed 1995 novel.
Harris and Madigan have previously starred together in several features including Gone Baby Gone, Places in the Heart, Alamo Bay, The Last Full Measure, The Rules Don’t Apply, Sweetwater, Riders of the Purple Saga to name a few including the Harris-directed Oscar winning Pollock. Harris earned an Oscar nom for playing artist Jackson Pollock and Madigan co-starred as Peggy Guggenheim. The two are also starring in Harris’ The Ploughman which he’s also directing and in pre-production on. Both Harris and Madigan have co-starred in theatre productions such as the world premiere of Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian in Los...
Harris and Madigan have previously starred together in several features including Gone Baby Gone, Places in the Heart, Alamo Bay, The Last Full Measure, The Rules Don’t Apply, Sweetwater, Riders of the Purple Saga to name a few including the Harris-directed Oscar winning Pollock. Harris earned an Oscar nom for playing artist Jackson Pollock and Madigan co-starred as Peggy Guggenheim. The two are also starring in Harris’ The Ploughman which he’s also directing and in pre-production on. Both Harris and Madigan have co-starred in theatre productions such as the world premiere of Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian in Los...
- 10/4/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Yes, today’s announcement of films playing the Telluride Film Festival, which starts Thursday and runs through Labor Day, features many of the usual suspects spotted on the fall fest circuit and eyeing awards attention for their hot Oscar prospects. Netflix has multiple movies, so does Amazon. Focus, Warner Bros, Searchlight, Neon, A24, Sony Classics and more will also be there with some prime prospects.
But perhaps most surprisingly, National Geographic is leading the pack and taking four, count ’em four 2021 documentaries to world premiere at Telluride. And actually it would have been five but the festival passed on another (great) one, but more on that momentarily.
When I sat down recently for lunch and a preview of all five movies on Nat Geo’s impressive slate this year with Carolyn Bernstein, EVP Global Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic, among the first things she pointed out before...
But perhaps most surprisingly, National Geographic is leading the pack and taking four, count ’em four 2021 documentaries to world premiere at Telluride. And actually it would have been five but the festival passed on another (great) one, but more on that momentarily.
When I sat down recently for lunch and a preview of all five movies on Nat Geo’s impressive slate this year with Carolyn Bernstein, EVP Global Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic, among the first things she pointed out before...
- 9/1/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Forget fancy food menus. The must-have amenity for drive-ins? Jumper cables.
In decades past, drive-in customers listened to audio on a clunky externally powered speaker box that was affixed to a car window. Now, sound is transmitted via an FM channel, which means cars must leave their radios on.
Picturehouse chief Bob Berney — whose new company arranged a dozen pop-up and drive-in promotional screenings this summer for Fatima — quickly learned that dead batteries are a common problem.
It’s a phenomenon that’s been happening for years, although it wasn’t until the novel coronavirus pandemic that drive-ins became ...
In decades past, drive-in customers listened to audio on a clunky externally powered speaker box that was affixed to a car window. Now, sound is transmitted via an FM channel, which means cars must leave their radios on.
Picturehouse chief Bob Berney — whose new company arranged a dozen pop-up and drive-in promotional screenings this summer for Fatima — quickly learned that dead batteries are a common problem.
It’s a phenomenon that’s been happening for years, although it wasn’t until the novel coronavirus pandemic that drive-ins became ...
- 9/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Forget fancy food menus. The must-have amenity for drive-ins? Jumper cables.
In decades past, drive-in customers listened to audio on a clunky externally powered speaker box that was affixed to a car window. Now, sound is transmitted via an FM channel, which means cars must leave their radios on.
Picturehouse chief Bob Berney — whose new company arranged a dozen pop-up and drive-in promotional screenings this summer for Fatima — quickly learned that dead batteries are a common problem.
It’s a phenomenon that’s been happening for years, although it wasn’t until the novel coronavirus pandemic that drive-ins became ...
In decades past, drive-in customers listened to audio on a clunky externally powered speaker box that was affixed to a car window. Now, sound is transmitted via an FM channel, which means cars must leave their radios on.
Picturehouse chief Bob Berney — whose new company arranged a dozen pop-up and drive-in promotional screenings this summer for Fatima — quickly learned that dead batteries are a common problem.
It’s a phenomenon that’s been happening for years, although it wasn’t until the novel coronavirus pandemic that drive-ins became ...
- 9/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Theaters and distributors are locked in a dirty dance that could have serious repercussions down the line. Without new movies to drive audiences to theaters, the question is, why pay the huge costs of reopening? That’s why the world’s largest theater chain, AMC, is moving back its relaunch from July 31 to “mid-to-late August”, while Cinemark is expected to open 75 theaters next weekend.
A stateside “Tenet” release, wavers in limbo, as Warner Bros. will soon announce its first overseas bookings. AMC, for example, states that “approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally.”
Which leaves two indie movies prepared to open in American theaters in August, as soon as the chains will let them. Picturehouse has already mounted a series of pop-up parking lot premieres including Miami and Los Angeles for Marco Pontecorvo’s Catholic-themed drama “Fatima,” starring...
A stateside “Tenet” release, wavers in limbo, as Warner Bros. will soon announce its first overseas bookings. AMC, for example, states that “approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally.”
Which leaves two indie movies prepared to open in American theaters in August, as soon as the chains will let them. Picturehouse has already mounted a series of pop-up parking lot premieres including Miami and Los Angeles for Marco Pontecorvo’s Catholic-themed drama “Fatima,” starring...
- 7/23/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Theaters and distributors are locked in a dirty dance that could have serious repercussions down the line. Without new movies to drive audiences to theaters, the question is, why pay the huge costs of reopening? That’s why the world’s largest theater chain, AMC, is moving back its relaunch from July 31 to “mid-to-late August”, while Cinemark is expected to open 75 theaters next weekend.
A stateside “Tenet” release, wavers in limbo, as Warner Bros. will soon announce its first overseas bookings. AMC, for example, states that “approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally.”
Which leaves two indie movies prepared to open in American theaters in August, as soon as the chains will let them. Picturehouse has already mounted a series of pop-up parking lot premieres including Miami and Los Angeles for Marco Pontecorvo’s Catholic-themed drama “Fatima,” starring...
A stateside “Tenet” release, wavers in limbo, as Warner Bros. will soon announce its first overseas bookings. AMC, for example, states that “approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally.”
Which leaves two indie movies prepared to open in American theaters in August, as soon as the chains will let them. Picturehouse has already mounted a series of pop-up parking lot premieres including Miami and Los Angeles for Marco Pontecorvo’s Catholic-themed drama “Fatima,” starring...
- 7/23/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Bob and Jeanne Berney’s Picturehouse will open Marco Pontecorvo’s Fatima in theaters and direct to home (PVOD) throughout North America on Aug. 28.
The pic was last scheduled for an Aug. 14, 1,000-theater-plus run. The distributor has been having sold out pop-up drive-in previews recently as part of their grassroots word-of-mouth digital marketing campaign.
Picturehouse picked up the movie in October. The movie was first scheduled for April 24 before the exhibition Covid-19 shutdown. The movie is set during the Spanish Flu, and has echoes to what’s going on now.
“The response to Fatima at our Pop-Up Drive-In Premieres has been wonderful,” says Bob Berney, CEO. “Audiences and social media reactions have convinced us that we need to get this movie out now. We held out as long as possible for a traditional theatrical release, but given the national situation, we did not want to postpone the release of this...
The pic was last scheduled for an Aug. 14, 1,000-theater-plus run. The distributor has been having sold out pop-up drive-in previews recently as part of their grassroots word-of-mouth digital marketing campaign.
Picturehouse picked up the movie in October. The movie was first scheduled for April 24 before the exhibition Covid-19 shutdown. The movie is set during the Spanish Flu, and has echoes to what’s going on now.
“The response to Fatima at our Pop-Up Drive-In Premieres has been wonderful,” says Bob Berney, CEO. “Audiences and social media reactions have convinced us that we need to get this movie out now. We held out as long as possible for a traditional theatrical release, but given the national situation, we did not want to postpone the release of this...
- 7/23/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Memorial Day Weekend usually heralds the height of summer moviegoing. As the film industry heads toward the slow reopening of theaters, from retro programming and drive-ins to the holy trio of “Unhinged,” “The Outpost” and maybe, just maybe, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” on July 17, IndieWire is bringing together a panel of industry players to share their knowledge with us.
What are the hazards going forward, as well as the likeliest scenarios? The world is watching as the mighty North American box office, the largest in the world, gets up from its knees. Join our virtual panel discussion hosted by IndieWire this Wednesday at 1 pm Pt, 4 pm Et.
To watch the panel and submit questions for the Q&a, register at this form. Registration is free.
The panel is comprised of Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Paramount Pictures; Dori Begley, Executive Vice President, Magnolia Pictures; Bob Berney, CEO Picturehouse; Ted Mundorff,...
What are the hazards going forward, as well as the likeliest scenarios? The world is watching as the mighty North American box office, the largest in the world, gets up from its knees. Join our virtual panel discussion hosted by IndieWire this Wednesday at 1 pm Pt, 4 pm Et.
To watch the panel and submit questions for the Q&a, register at this form. Registration is free.
The panel is comprised of Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Paramount Pictures; Dori Begley, Executive Vice President, Magnolia Pictures; Bob Berney, CEO Picturehouse; Ted Mundorff,...
- 5/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Memorial Day Weekend usually heralds the height of summer moviegoing. As the film industry heads toward the slow reopening of theaters, from retro programming and drive-ins to the holy trio of “Unhinged,” “The Outpost” and maybe, just maybe, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” on July 17, IndieWire is bringing together a panel of industry players to share their knowledge with us.
What are the hazards going forward, as well as the likeliest scenarios? The world is watching as the mighty North American box office, the largest in the world, gets up from its knees. Join our virtual panel discussion hosted by IndieWire this Wednesday at 1 pm Pt, 4 pm Et.
To watch the panel and submit questions for the Q&a, register at this form. Registration is free.
The panel is comprised of Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Paramount Pictures; Dori Begley, Executive Vice President, Magnolia Pictures; Bob Berney, CEO Picturehouse; Ted Mundorff,...
What are the hazards going forward, as well as the likeliest scenarios? The world is watching as the mighty North American box office, the largest in the world, gets up from its knees. Join our virtual panel discussion hosted by IndieWire this Wednesday at 1 pm Pt, 4 pm Et.
To watch the panel and submit questions for the Q&a, register at this form. Registration is free.
The panel is comprised of Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Paramount Pictures; Dori Begley, Executive Vice President, Magnolia Pictures; Bob Berney, CEO Picturehouse; Ted Mundorff,...
- 5/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Marco Pontecorvo’s Fatima, the first title to be released by Bob and Jeanne Berney’s revived Picturehouse, is going wide in 1,000 runs on Aug. 14, Deadline has learned.
The faith-based movie about the Virgin Mary’s appearance to a 10-year old shepherd and her two cousins in Fátima, Portugal, was acquired by Picturehouse back in October, in Bob Berney’s first big move post Amazon where he served as Head of Marketing and Distribution. Fatima was originally scheduled for an April 24 release, however, was delayed due to the exhibition shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the movie, the children’s revelations inspire believers but anger Church and government officials, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle, and what they experience changes lives forever. Interestingly enough...
The faith-based movie about the Virgin Mary’s appearance to a 10-year old shepherd and her two cousins in Fátima, Portugal, was acquired by Picturehouse back in October, in Bob Berney’s first big move post Amazon where he served as Head of Marketing and Distribution. Fatima was originally scheduled for an April 24 release, however, was delayed due to the exhibition shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the movie, the children’s revelations inspire believers but anger Church and government officials, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle, and what they experience changes lives forever. Interestingly enough...
- 5/7/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
France’s Oscar® Entry for Best International Feature ‘Les Miserables’ 2019Les Miserables directed by Ladj Ly is not based on Victor Hugo’s classic story, but it’s set in the same region in France and has the spirit of the original. Ly originally directed an acclaimed short in 2017 of the same name that set the stage for this larger feature focused on police brutality and crime. This is a powerful, powerful film coming from the inner city of Paris.
Les Misérables, French director Ladj Ly’s debut film, was inspired by his original short. It was the joint winner of the Jury Prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival
Les Misérables depicts life in the gritty Paris suburb of La Cité des Bosquets. It is a powder keg ready to ignite, with tensions running high between the immigrant community and the authorities.
Director Ly, who grew up...
Les Misérables, French director Ladj Ly’s debut film, was inspired by his original short. It was the joint winner of the Jury Prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival
Les Misérables depicts life in the gritty Paris suburb of La Cité des Bosquets. It is a powder keg ready to ignite, with tensions running high between the immigrant community and the authorities.
Director Ly, who grew up...
- 12/8/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
John Lynch is exiting his post as head of production and operations at Amazon Studios, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Lynch had been with the company since 2012 but notified the staff about his departure on Friday. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
In June, head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney left the company following the expiration of his four-year contract. And in 2018, Jason Ropell left his post as head of motion pictures — he was replaced by Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman. Roy Price exited in late 2017, at which point Jennifer Salke stepped in to run film and TV operations.
Also Read: Amazon Studios' Jennifer Salke and AMC's Sarah Barnett on Developing a Diverse Film and TV Slates | Video
Amazon Studios’ releases this year include “The Report,” “The Aeronauts,” “Late Night,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Seberg” and “Honey Boy,” some of which are getting awards buzz.
Lynch had been with the company since 2012 but notified the staff about his departure on Friday. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
In June, head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney left the company following the expiration of his four-year contract. And in 2018, Jason Ropell left his post as head of motion pictures — he was replaced by Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman. Roy Price exited in late 2017, at which point Jennifer Salke stepped in to run film and TV operations.
Also Read: Amazon Studios' Jennifer Salke and AMC's Sarah Barnett on Developing a Diverse Film and TV Slates | Video
Amazon Studios’ releases this year include “The Report,” “The Aeronauts,” “Late Night,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Seberg” and “Honey Boy,” some of which are getting awards buzz.
- 11/15/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
John Lynch, the head of production and worldwide operations at Amazon Studios, is leaving the company, Deadline has confirmed. He had been in the post since 2012, according to his profile on LinkedIn.
Amazon declined comment, but it’s the latest departure on the streamer’s film side, now overseen by Julie Rapaport, Matt Newman and Ted Hope. Head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney exited in June following the expiration of his four-year contract.
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited in late 2017, and Jennifer Salke was brought aboard in February 2018 to run both the film and TV operations after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Rapaport, Newman and Hope report to Salke.
Amazon’s film releases this year include The Aeronauts and The Report upcoming as well as Late Night.
Variety...
Amazon declined comment, but it’s the latest departure on the streamer’s film side, now overseen by Julie Rapaport, Matt Newman and Ted Hope. Head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney exited in June following the expiration of his four-year contract.
Berney was hired in mid-2015 to oversee distribution and marketing for Amazon’s original films. Much has happened at the company since then, as Roy Price exited in late 2017, and Jennifer Salke was brought aboard in February 2018 to run both the film and TV operations after Jason Ropell exited last year.
Rapaport, Newman and Hope report to Salke.
Amazon’s film releases this year include The Aeronauts and The Report upcoming as well as Late Night.
Variety...
- 11/15/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
John Lynch is leaving Amazon Studios, the streaming service where he served as head of production and operations, Variety has learned.
Rumors began swirling earlier this week that Lynch was out at the company. Lynch has been with Amazon since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Lynch notified staff of his departure on Friday. It’s unclear what led to his exit. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
Lynch isn’t the only high-ranking employee to leave Amazon Studios this year. In June, Bob Berney, a widely respected indie film executive, stepped down as head of marketing and distribution. The studio has yet to name a replacement. In 2018, Jason Ropell left as head of motion pictures. He was ultimately replaced by the tag team of Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman.
The moves come as Amazon Studios is plotting a much different course on the feature film front than...
Rumors began swirling earlier this week that Lynch was out at the company. Lynch has been with Amazon since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile. Lynch notified staff of his departure on Friday. It’s unclear what led to his exit. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.
Lynch isn’t the only high-ranking employee to leave Amazon Studios this year. In June, Bob Berney, a widely respected indie film executive, stepped down as head of marketing and distribution. The studio has yet to name a replacement. In 2018, Jason Ropell left as head of motion pictures. He was ultimately replaced by the tag team of Ted Hope, Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman.
The moves come as Amazon Studios is plotting a much different course on the feature film front than...
- 11/15/2019
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Industry legend lived large, produced classic American cinema of 1970s.
Robert Evans, the larger-than-life Hollywood executive who as head of production at Paramount guided the studio through a period of extraordinary creativity in the late 1960s and 1970s and produced Chinatown, has died. He was 89.
In a statement, Paramount Pictures said, “Hollywood has lost one of its most influential and iconic figures in the inimitable Bob Evans. He was a valued and beloved partner to Paramount Pictures for over half a century, and his contributions to our organization and the entertainment industry are innumerable and far-reaching. As an actor, a producer and a leader,...
Robert Evans, the larger-than-life Hollywood executive who as head of production at Paramount guided the studio through a period of extraordinary creativity in the late 1960s and 1970s and produced Chinatown, has died. He was 89.
In a statement, Paramount Pictures said, “Hollywood has lost one of its most influential and iconic figures in the inimitable Bob Evans. He was a valued and beloved partner to Paramount Pictures for over half a century, and his contributions to our organization and the entertainment industry are innumerable and far-reaching. As an actor, a producer and a leader,...
- 10/28/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Bob Berney and Jeanne R. Berney have relaunched their label Picturehouse and have acquired the North American rights to faith-based drama “Fatima,” the couple announced on Sunday along with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment.
The film is directed by Marco Pontecorvo and produced by Origin Entertainment along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures. Picturehouse has set a release date for the film on April 24, 2020.
Bob Berney was the head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios and left the company in June of this year. He headed Picturehouse in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema, and he and his wife relaunched the label in January 2013 as an independent distributor before he joined Amazon in 2015.
Also Read: Amazon Studios Marketing and Distribution Chief Bob Berney to Exit Company
“Fatima” is a feature film starring Stephanie Gil, Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida, Goran Visnjic,...
The film is directed by Marco Pontecorvo and produced by Origin Entertainment along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures. Picturehouse has set a release date for the film on April 24, 2020.
Bob Berney was the head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios and left the company in June of this year. He headed Picturehouse in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema, and he and his wife relaunched the label in January 2013 as an independent distributor before he joined Amazon in 2015.
Also Read: Amazon Studios Marketing and Distribution Chief Bob Berney to Exit Company
“Fatima” is a feature film starring Stephanie Gil, Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida, Goran Visnjic,...
- 10/28/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
In his first major move since exiting Amazon Studios, distribution executive Bob Berney has teamed with wife Jeanne Berney to reopen Picturehouse, the label he once headed. They have acquired North American distribution rights to Fatima, a feature film starring Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida (Queen of the South) and Goran Visnjic (Beginners) with Sonia Braga (Aquarius) and Harvey Keitel (The Irishman).
The Berneys are co-heads of Picturehouse and they made the deal with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.
Picturehouse was formed in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line, with Bob Berney at its head. The Time Warner subsidiaries acquired the theatrical distribution operation of Newmarket Films, which under Berney’s leadership had released such films as the record-breaking The Passion of the Christ; Monster,...
The Berneys are co-heads of Picturehouse and they made the deal with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.
Picturehouse was formed in 2005 as a joint venture between HBO and New Line, with Bob Berney at its head. The Time Warner subsidiaries acquired the theatrical distribution operation of Newmarket Films, which under Berney’s leadership had released such films as the record-breaking The Passion of the Christ; Monster,...
- 10/28/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Faith-based film will open theatrically nationwide on April 24, 2020.
Former Amazon Studios head of theatrical marketing and distribution Bob Berney and Jeanne Berney’s revived Picturehouse has acquired all North American rights to the faith-based Fatima starring Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida (Queen Of The South), Goran Visnjic (Beginners), Sonia Braga (Aquarius), and Harvey Keitel (The Irishman).
Picturehouse co-heads the Berneys made the announcement on Monday with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.
Fatima tells the story of a 10-year-old shepherd and...
Former Amazon Studios head of theatrical marketing and distribution Bob Berney and Jeanne Berney’s revived Picturehouse has acquired all North American rights to the faith-based Fatima starring Stephanie Gil (Terminator: Dark Fate), Lúcia Moniz, Joaquim de Almeida (Queen Of The South), Goran Visnjic (Beginners), Sonia Braga (Aquarius), and Harvey Keitel (The Irishman).
Picturehouse co-heads the Berneys made the announcement on Monday with James T. Volk, chairman and founder of Origin Entertainment, which produced the film along with Elysia Productions and Rose Pictures.
Fatima tells the story of a 10-year-old shepherd and...
- 10/28/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Amazon Studios went bold when it chose the first film to bear its name in 2015 — Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq,” the gun-violence musical satire based on an Aristophanes play, with a portmanteau title that combined “Chicago” and “Iraq.” It was a tough sell, even for Lee, who said “everybody said no except Amazon.”
It was also that year Amazon assembled an indie dream team to run its film operation — festival-favorite producer Ted Hope, “Pan’s Labyrinth” marketer Bob Berney, and former critic Scott Foundas. For independent filmmakers and audiences who loved them, the e-commerce giant’s foray into movies looked like a much-needed boost.
But just a few years later, that era is over. Although Hope and Foundas are still in place, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has spent 18 months heading the operation and, as she told the New York Times, she is steering the film division in a new direction:...
It was also that year Amazon assembled an indie dream team to run its film operation — festival-favorite producer Ted Hope, “Pan’s Labyrinth” marketer Bob Berney, and former critic Scott Foundas. For independent filmmakers and audiences who loved them, the e-commerce giant’s foray into movies looked like a much-needed boost.
But just a few years later, that era is over. Although Hope and Foundas are still in place, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has spent 18 months heading the operation and, as she told the New York Times, she is steering the film division in a new direction:...
- 10/10/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Of my list of 34 Must-Sees for the Toronto International Film Festival 2019, how many did I actually see, what other films did I see and what else? The list was based on my personal interests, not on commercial value or what I guess will be voted “The Best”. Here are my notes from this list.
1.Les Miserables directed by Ladj Ly. Les Misérables isn’t based on Victor Hugo’s classic story, but it’s set in the same region in France and has the spirit of the original. Ly originally directed an acclaimed short in 2017 of the same name that set the stage for this larger feature focused on police brutality and crime. This is a powerful, powerful film coming from the inner city of Paris. The relationship between the cops and the youth deteriorates beyond repair. Opening with a new cop being introduced to the neighborhood where the high school is called Victor Hugo,...
1.Les Miserables directed by Ladj Ly. Les Misérables isn’t based on Victor Hugo’s classic story, but it’s set in the same region in France and has the spirit of the original. Ly originally directed an acclaimed short in 2017 of the same name that set the stage for this larger feature focused on police brutality and crime. This is a powerful, powerful film coming from the inner city of Paris. The relationship between the cops and the youth deteriorates beyond repair. Opening with a new cop being introduced to the neighborhood where the high school is called Victor Hugo,...
- 9/29/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
We’ve seen how this movie plays out.
Festival audiences lose their mind for, say, an uplifting drama or a biting satire. Their rapturous response sends studios scrambling for their wallets. Cue an all-night bidding war, and to the victor goes … an indie movie with iffy commercial prospects.
From “Late Night” to “Blinded by the Light,” many of the big sales at this year’s Sundance ended in financial failure. As the movie business gears up for the Toronto Film Festival, studios may be more wary of cutting big checks. Will an all-too-familiar narrative of frenzy resulting in flops change once Hollywood touches down in Canada?
“People have short memories,” says Tom Quinn, founder of Neon, the indie distributor behind “Parasite” and “Apollo 11.” “A lot of these failures are the result of companies chasing the moment and the headline. A big acquisition is alluring for a company that is...
Festival audiences lose their mind for, say, an uplifting drama or a biting satire. Their rapturous response sends studios scrambling for their wallets. Cue an all-night bidding war, and to the victor goes … an indie movie with iffy commercial prospects.
From “Late Night” to “Blinded by the Light,” many of the big sales at this year’s Sundance ended in financial failure. As the movie business gears up for the Toronto Film Festival, studios may be more wary of cutting big checks. Will an all-too-familiar narrative of frenzy resulting in flops change once Hollywood touches down in Canada?
“People have short memories,” says Tom Quinn, founder of Neon, the indie distributor behind “Parasite” and “Apollo 11.” “A lot of these failures are the result of companies chasing the moment and the headline. A big acquisition is alluring for a company that is...
- 9/3/2019
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The summer of Adam Driver trailers continues, prepping us for a luxurious fall of hypnotic performances from the Oscar nominee. After he breaks hearts in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” Driver will head into another Oscar season with a star-studded political thriller under his belt. Written and directed by “The Informant!” screenwriter Scott Z. Burns and based on real events, “The Report” tells the story of a government report on the CIA’s excessive use of torture in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Amazon Studios will give the movie a mid-November release, strongly positioning it as an awards contender.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Idealistic staffer Daniel J. Jones (Driver) is tasked by his boss Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) to lead an investigation of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was created in the aftermath of 9/11. Jones’ relentless pursuit of the truth leads to explosive findings...
Here’s the official synopsis: “Idealistic staffer Daniel J. Jones (Driver) is tasked by his boss Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) to lead an investigation of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was created in the aftermath of 9/11. Jones’ relentless pursuit of the truth leads to explosive findings...
- 8/22/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
As streaming giants continue to upend the global film business scenario it’s getting tougher for indie cinema to survive, both as an art form and as entertainment. But smart new strategies are being devised to mount productions that stay true to the indie ethos, and the thrill of theatrical isn’t gone yet.
In broad terms those were the main takeaways from the Locarno fest’s unique StepIn think tank, where the overall theme was “What Are We Afraid Of?” and 40-plus mostly European indie players convened to share experiences and exchange thoughts for practical solutions to navigate the onslaught of streaming platforms and the digital era at large.
“Agility” emerged as the keyword during the opening session when French producer Rita Dagher, one of the three keynote speakers, recounted how she packaged Jean-Stephane Sauvaire-directed “A Prayer Before Dawn,” which she described as a mix of: “French director, English material,...
In broad terms those were the main takeaways from the Locarno fest’s unique StepIn think tank, where the overall theme was “What Are We Afraid Of?” and 40-plus mostly European indie players convened to share experiences and exchange thoughts for practical solutions to navigate the onslaught of streaming platforms and the digital era at large.
“Agility” emerged as the keyword during the opening session when French producer Rita Dagher, one of the three keynote speakers, recounted how she packaged Jean-Stephane Sauvaire-directed “A Prayer Before Dawn,” which she described as a mix of: “French director, English material,...
- 8/12/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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