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EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that New Line will reduce its output from 8 movies a year to just 4. In addition, some of New Line’s personnel will be laid off in coming weeks. It’s all part of Warner Bros newly named movie boss Jeff Robinov plan to “downsize” the division. The mogul has been quite vocal on the need for Warner Bros to cut down on the total number of movies it releases and markets in order to be able to focus attention on its winners. Our sources say that New Line will still be freestanding — just smaller. There are no plans to exit President and COO Toby Emmerich. “But he may not like the new structure of the company and decide to move on,” an insider speculated. New Line was taken over by Warner Bros in 2008 after Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne were shown the door by Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes after a string of expensive box office failures: as many as 550 New Line staffers lost their jobs. Within the past two years, however, New Line’s movie slate has been performing well and adding to the diversity of the Warner Bros film product. In addition, New Line has the two back-to-back movies of The Hobbit in the pipeline, as well as the Bryan Singer-directed Jack The Giant Killer, the musical Rock Of Ages with Tom Cruise and Russell Brand, the spinoff on Valentine’s Day titled New Year’s Eve, the Seth Gordon-directed comedy Horrible Bosses, and the Steve Carell laugher Burt Wonderstone. In December, Warner Bros rebranded New Line Records as WaterTower Music.
URGENT: Warner Bros Downsizing New Line
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They should just target New Line, make it more specific and make it more their genre division. It should be operating like Screen Gems is to Sony.
Co-sign. NL started as a B-movie company anyway. It’ll be a return to their roots.
“Should be operating more like Screen Gems at Sony?”
You mean like a crap factory? Pass.
Screen Gems and their crap factory turn poop into money, my friend. Almost all their films profit. Thank the Midwest for that.
Not especially interested in who’s buying the tickets or whether they make money or not. Screen Gems churns out crap at a stunning rate.
And there’s nothing wrong with genre films; they can be smart and entertaining and fun and can even make money. There’s NO reason they need to suck as bad as when Screen Gems makes them. Yes, “Stepfather” and “The Roommate” were blatantly cynical and crappy movies, but they could have been SMARTLY-MADE cynical movies. Or at least watchable.
Screen Gems makes crap. And lots of it. The world is fully of enough crap without Screen Gems crapping out more crap.
New Line should be sold off to “Lions Gate”. Warner Brothers has treated NEW LINE like crap. They should sell it off to someone that will return New Line to a full fledged studio
Shocked it took this long to make that call. Not shocked it happened.
Jeffrey is consolidating his power. Toby has been outsmarted/outplayed/outmaneuvered at every turn by this guy. Look for changes in marketing and distribution at Warners at some point also.
one challenge will be to re-boot the “Sex and The City” franchise. Would love to see an origins story with 4 young it girls in NYC. Calling Blake Lively!!!
Never understood their role at Warner Bros. (the same movies -only cheaper?)
I’m guessing that Robinov’s desire to “focus attention on Warner’s winners” means sequels, sequels and remakes. And more sequels. And those who were discussing original projects with New Line have just been shafted. Great work, Robinov…
That’s exactly what it means.
And smae movies “Cheaper”? Bet the Hobbit won’t be deferred pay.
For a downsized studio, New Line’s done pretty well since it was integrated into WB. If the flops had continued, I can see why they would downsize the releases.
Robinov should slash his and fellow higher-up executives’ paychecks in order to save money, but nope, won’t happen. Always has to be the little guy that gets sacked.
Dana has the right idea… New Line shouldn’t be neutered like this… just shut it down other wise. And once again the “marketing of” the so-called winners rules over it all. Jeff Robinov once again gives the keys to the kingdom to the marketing departments…
HALL PASS TO SAVE THE DAY!!
Why even have New Line at all at this point? We liked them for making good films. Four a year. Jesus. You know what you get from that. Four big tent pole “directors” ie; Ratner, McG getting to make a smaller film. No new voices will come of a four pix New Line. We rely on the New Line’s for breakout talent. Jesus. Save us.
It makes one wonder who will end up actually managing production of the Hobbit films.
Who is still there…whose keeping their job, whose not??
Emmerich…Brenner…whose left???
No surprise there. When is Uni going to sell/offload Focus Features?
Total bummer.
So does this mean “Jason Voorhees” and “Freddy Kreuger” have finally been killed off? Their last outings showed there was life left in both “Franchises”. But it sucks Platinum Dunes remade them both into watered down “greatest hits” versions of their originals. Made right (and cheap) there is still at least a few more movies left in each of them.
Also New Line really should operate like Screen Gems. Whoever originally posted that is totally on point.
The House that Freddy Built is slowly getting torn away >_>
Shuttering the division is the smartest play here. Why do the Hobbit movies need the NL logo on them when WB and Jeff are writing every single check. Toby: have fun going back to writing–the biz sure works differently than when DeLuca was fired!
i just hope theykeep making final destination movies!
FINAL DESTINATION 5 is in post, getting ready for an August release.
Since THE FINAL DESTINATION (aka FD4) make nearly $208 million worldwide, WB would be foolish to stop making that particular brand of spicy sausage.
Thanks, Craig Perry.
I thought it was Neustadter.
Funny, Boxofficemojo has it at $180M and change. Adding the cost of reshoots and additional post not included in orig $40M budget quote, plus P&A worldwide, not thinking anyone walked away with enough profit to warrant another one, but hey, good on Craig for selling them on it. Any way to keep the ol’ Practical ship afloat, right?
Oh if the real secrets of what was really going down at New Line could only be exposed. Someone commented about Warners being top heavy with high exec salaries, but New Line is no better considering they carry Toby and Brener and several other “creative” type execs, yet only make a handful of movies each year. You don’t need 10 creative execs when you’re making less than that in films each year!
The problem is they let Jeff Katz go. if JEFF KATZ were there they would still be making great movies. DISCO? NO ! JEFF KATZ.
New Line will be gone within the year.
Both are douchebags – one’s dumber than the other though. Jeff, you embarrass yourself by posting all these ridiculous posts about yourself. But then again, you’ve always been the best at shameless, idiotic, baseless self-promotion. PS – take a shower and hit the gym. Disco – you’re too dumb to be mean to, so I’ll lay off, you lovable mimbo.
Common sense- why all the hatred? Try meditating, prozac or a 12 step program. Comments like yours denigrate this web site.
Hmm, yeah, more SNAKES ON A PLANE is exactly what they need to save them.
If this keeps going, in the end there will be only one movie studio left in Hollywood. It will make one movie a year for $1,000,000,000. And that movie will be a remake.
… and somehow, Brett Ratner will be the Director.
This is the funniest post I have read in a while. And sadly, probably not far from the truth.
A movie the size and complexity would have a Warners production person on it.can’t imagine the people who oversse “Hall Pass’or “Horrible Bosses” have the chops for ‘The Hobbit”
just to clarify, i am not related to mike de luca or jeff katz, but I do know both of them and once de luca left the entire studio went to the gutter…look at all the personnel under his watch and then look at who toby hired and the movies made under both regimes speak volumes of evidence…and by the way they did not let katz go…he actually wisely left that sinking ship
Thanks Jeff. Everyone knows Katz is a ridiculous joke. He flamed out at NL, and was an embarrassment at Fox. Total stooge.
None of the commenters here understand the WB mentality. WB never wanted NL in the first place. They inherited the company when they got Turner. NL was never a personality fit. Genre movies at WB? Not since their 70′s heyday under Steve Ross. NL films were always a rival for audience share that taie away from WB’s tent pole productions. WB’s goal was always to phase NL out of existence and exploit their library for the big franchises, LOTR & Nightmare, etc. It was only a matter of time. Contracts are probably expiring since the shutting down of the main company three years ago, so the time is now. WB has never wanted ANY indie to have a presence.
Cease being xenophobic. International companies practice multi-level market penetration like Marriott w/ 8 levels of hotels each serving a different pocketbook of clientele. For movies the price of the ticket and VOD is the SAME in all genres. Lucky dog you. They’re not clipping off the easy pickings. Have a company for every genre that sends fans into theaters and clicking for a movie in any form that pays. Perhaps the world would be a better place if there were only W hotels and no Comfort Inns.
OMG! Is it possible that the self-serving Emmerich/Blackwood duo may finally get the shaft they so readily handed hundreds of others? Nice to see the bus may have a reverse gear. Shame that NL founders Shaye & Lynne aren’t still driving it. Might have just been just a bump in the road instead of the slaughter of so many just to save the corrupt careers of two.
I was lucky enough to intern with this circle for a semester, and boy I learned a lot about how NOT to treat those who make you a success.
The real crime was letting their two most talented assistants get away, they were the passionate ones that fired on all cylinders in the spirit of the true NL essence after Jeff Katz left.
It’s amazing they’ve made it this far really. Sooner or later the phonies they call “creative executives” (Not Walter Hamada or Dave Neustadter) are going to be shown for the frauds they really are despite the fact that their films have occasionally succeeded.
Oh hell, I’ll name names. Michele Weiss is the most worthless executive ever, she gets by because she went to school with Emmerich. Sam Brown has potential, but he listens to others too often, and really his wife has more balls. Michael Disco is the biggest sham of them all (who uses reader’s notes as their own and steals creative tendencies from their assistant? He should be ashamed.)
How did the Rite taste? About as sour as Hall Pass is going to. Sorry Mark Tuohy, John Rickard, but they were given pats on the head for being faithful ‘yes’ men for far longer than the average ASSistant should.
It will be a sad day in cinema when NLC is gone.
Michele Weiss is 5 years younger than Emmerich, so she could not and did not go to school with him
Seriously man. You have to name names? You do realize that you are naming people here. People who have families and friends and feelings.
Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Would you want to be anonymously called out with no opportunity to defend yourself? Think man think.
Also, Candice McDonough should go. “The Hobbit” publicity has been a disaster from start to finish. During the whole NZ drama, she sounded like a vicious union buster.