Screen Gems To Release ‘Attack The Block’

COMMENTS (17)

• I’m looking forward to every other distributor scratching their heads and making excuses when this blows up stateside.

  Comment by Wonderful — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:01pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • I agree, that trailer was dreadful.

    Comment by Troublemaker — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:46pm EDT  Reply to this post

    • Wait, you’re saying the exact opposite of what the first commenter said. Is it Opposite Day? Then – your opinion is solid!

      Comment by bbmcrae — Thursday April 7, 2011 @ 9:49am EDT  Reply to this post

• Can’t wait to see this!

  Comment by cameron — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:21pm EDT  Reply to this post

• Kudos to Joe Cornish. There’s a few great independent movies being made in the UK at the moment.

  Comment by Marshall — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:31pm EDT  Reply to this post

• I’m stoked on this film. But will Screen Gems dub or subtitle it? There is a great deal of very close to impenetrable London street slang here. GIve it two or three years and there’ll be a Hollywood remake heading the other way, minus the charm, humor and originality, of course, but with a way bugger budget and the latest ‘fresh young faces’. Anyone seen Jaden Smith’s schedule?

  Comment by Ripsnorter — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:32pm EDT  Reply to this post

• Apparently, someone hasn’t been paying attention to the box office numbers of English films that have been released in America.Take for example every Guy Ritchie film, besides Sherlock Holmes, or every Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film and you will know what the numbers are going to look like for Attack the Block.

  Comment by redmenace — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:34pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • You’re right that Brit imports aren’t typically huge moneymakers in theaters, and “Attack” will probably not be another “Four Weddings” at any stretch. However, these imports develop sizable followings that buy and rebuy the films on home video, in addition to nerd merchandise. I doubt Screen Gems went out on much of a limb acquiring “Attack The Block”, and I’m sure they’ll get their money’s worth.

    Comment by Donnacha — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 3:47pm EDT  Reply to this post

• Actually…

  Beyond from UK arthouse fare over the years from Mike Leigh, Derek Jarman that gross in the single/low-double digits at best, many indie UK films have been made low-budget, US theatrical/home video rights acquried for cheap, and often breakout to be major, mainstream crossover hits, i.e. low-risk upfront, potential breakout hit payoff.

  Here are a few examples to name a few recent “success stories” of UK films (diverse mix, too, from kitchen sink drama, working-class comedy, to genre horror pix) that cost a fraction of many major US studio films but earned boffo BO:

  THE FULL MONTY
  Prod. budget: $3.5M
  Domestic BO: 48M
  Int’l BO: $212M
  Global BO: $258M

  SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
  Prod. Budget: $15M
  Domestic BO: $141M
  Int’l BO: $237M
  Global BO: $378M

  28 DAYS LATER
  Prod. Budget: $8M
  Domestic BO: $45M
  Int’l BO: $38M
  Global BO: $83M

  THE KING’S SPEECH
  Prod. Budget: $15M
  Domestic BO: $137M
  Int’l BO: $247M
  Global BO: $384M

  BILLY ELLIOT
  Prod. Budget: $5M
  Domestic BO: $22M
  Int’l BO: $87M
  Global BO: $109M

  THE CRYING GAME
  Prod. Budget: $4M
  Domestic BO: $62M

  I’m not saying that ATTACK THE BLOCK (budgeted at $8M GBP = $16M USD) will be the next FULL MONTY or KING’S SPEECH or even 28 DAYS LATER, but Screen Gems spends/knows how to market the hell out of genre pics to all-but buy opening weekend gross, so this seems to be a pretty smart aquisition with lots of upside potential, both theatrical/home video/ancillary markets – if they can deal with the Cockney accent.

  But yep, maybe they just bought it so they do the bigger-budget Sony US remake? (Sorta like they turned Spanish REC into QUARANTINE, etc.)

  Comment by Buffalo Gal — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 4:51pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • Turns up at Buffalo Gal’s place with flowers, chocolates, dinner invitation, hopes not to get Maced.

    Comment by Ripsnorter — Saturday April 9, 2011 @ 12:24pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • I think doing a remake is more comparable to Screen Gems’ Death at a Funeral.

    Comment by ILDC — Sunday April 10, 2011 @ 12:18am EDT  Reply to this post

• Didn’t catch it at SXSW but I don’t think it’s a great trailer that will appeal to American audiences.

  Comment by DR — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 8:42pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • It’s the UK trailer, Screen Gems will make their own.

    Comment by Joey — Wednesday April 6, 2011 @ 9:14pm EDT  Reply to this post

• This looks great. But I’ll need a translator.

  Comment by Rico — Thursday April 7, 2011 @ 12:47am EDT  Reply to this post

• Not surprised the trlr wasn’t liked by Americans. It didn’t hold your hand through the story or employ a big budget music track to ‘put you in the right frame of mind’. Instead it treated you like adults, which is surely better than pandering to the lowest common denominator which pretty much every US trlr has to do. Well testing told them so…..

  Comment by In The Know — Thursday April 7, 2011 @ 4:52am EDT  Reply to this post

• Equating “Attack Of The Block” to any other Brit import is akin to comparing “Scott Pilgrim” to “Avatar”. This one has “flop” written all over it.

  Comment by The Voice Of Realism — Thursday April 7, 2011 @ 5:40am EDT  Reply to this post

• I think they should have given it to TriStar, based on the success of District 9.

  Comment by ILDC — Sunday April 10, 2011 @ 12:26am EDT  Reply to this post