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I wanted to get this in the Gotham record, even though it happened yesterday. Sony Pictures Classics partners Michael Barker and Tom Bernard picked up North American distribution rights to Woody Allen's new film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. The London-set picture stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts, and SPC will release it this fall.
Barker and Bernard released Allan's last film, Whatever Works, and 1999’s Sweet and Lowdown. The new film was financed by Spain-based Mediapro, which is also funding his next film, a Paris-based untitled comedy that has Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard starring with Rachel McAdams.
"I know my films are in good hands with them," Allen said of Barker and Bernard, who brought their tuxes to Hollywood this week, as distributors of Best Picture nominee An Education.
EXCLUSIVE: The focus on Harvey Weinstein recently has been his heavy-handed Oscar 
DVD distribution has been a conundrum for the Weinsteins, who once took a majority stake in distributor Genius Products and released through that company until they divested last year. The Sony deal is envisioned as long-term, but it is being meted out in packages of 9 to 10 films. True, the titles in the first group of films didn't burn up the box office. The 1st batch consists of Nine, the 
One by one, Hollywood studios are reluctantly doing business with Red Box and starting partnerships. (Fox and Universal still have lawsuits pending... Paramount and others have made deals.) The latest is Warner Bros whose Home Entertainment Group and Redbox today announced a new multi-year distribution agreement that will make new release DVD and Blu-ray titles available after a 28-day window. The agreement marks the end of the lawsuit that Redbox filed against Warner Home Video last August.
Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group, said in a statement today that “the 28-day window enables us to get the most from the sales potential of our titles and maximize VOD usage.” The new arrangement provides Redbox with reduced product costs, sufficient quantities of product and optimal stock levels four weeks after street date as well as extends Redbox's access to Blu-ray titles, which Redbox is currently testing in select markets. Warner Home Video and Redbox will be implementing delayed availability during the month of March and will reach a 4-week window by March 23 with the release of The Blind Side. The new agreement will run through January 31, 2012. Redbox has also agreed to destroy Warner Home Video content following its lifespan in kiosks. 
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, and LONDON, ENGLAND, February 11, 2010 –Universal Pictures today announced the studio is re-organizing its international production efforts under Christian Grass. Grass, who currently serves as co-CEO of Focus Features International (FFI), will become President of International Production and Acquisitions for Universal Pictures International (UPI). This change streamlines Universal’s global production and distribution operations, and in recognition of the international production group’s contributions to the growth of UPI. Grass and his team will report to David Kosse, who recently assumed an expanded role as President, International for Universal Pictures. Grass led the international production group for Universal since October 2007. The majority of films developed by the international production group were released through UPI in their local markets. Commercial hits included Inglourious Basterds, Serge Gainsbourg (vie héroïque), and Black Lightning. Focus Features CEO James Schamus and President Andrew Karpen will continue to run the Universal Pictures-owned Focus Features and Focus Features International (FFI) with President of International Sales and Distribution Alison Thompson. Focus Features and Grass’s team under UPI will continue to collaborate on projects with Focus Features International’s sales arm and Focus’ domestic distribution team.
Universal Pictures has bought domestic distribution rights to that movie I first told you about on January 11th that reteams Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Larry Crowne is the Playtone and Vendome Pictures title which Hanks will direct, which he hasn't done since That Thing You Do. Tom also wrote the screenplay with Nia Vardalos. (He hatched the idea in 2006 under the 
title of Talk of the Town, he got a first draft from Nia Vardalos. Their relationship goes back to Playtone producing the big screen adaptation of her one-woman show My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and she and Hanks have been collaborating on the Larry Crowne script since.) The film is scheduled to begin production April in Los Angeles. Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce for Playtone, with Philippe Rousselet executive producing for Vendome Pictures. 
The deal for domestic distribution rights was brokered by CAA, which represents Playtone. Summit International is handling sales of the foreign rights at the Berlin International Film Festival. Hanks and Roberts last reteamed in Charlie Wilson’s War, directed by Mike Nichols and adapted from George Crile’s book, which grossed $67 million domestic in 2007 for Universal, ... 
EXCLUSIVE: In the latest in a string of Sundance distribution deals, the relationship comedy The Freebie was acquired by Phase 4 Films. Price was low to mid-6-figures for North American rights and a summer release, sources said. Four companies chased it before the deal closed late Sunday. Katie Aselton wrote and directed the film. She also stars with Dax Shepard as a young couple whose marriage has grown stale after seven years. Looking to shake things up, they agree each can have a one-night stand with a stranger. Adele Romanski produced and Aselton was executive producer with her husband, Mark Duplass. He also had a Sundance debut of his film Cyrus, the Scott Free-produced Fox Searchlight comedy he directed with his brother, Jay Duplass. Phase 4's Berry Meyerowitz and acquisitions exec Larry Greenberg made the deal. It was the third Sundance transaction for Submarine’s Josh Braun, who teamed with CAA to sell the docu The Tillman Story to The Weinstein Company, and made a deal with Roadside Attractions for Winter’s Bone, right before that film won the Grand Jury Prize for Drama. Submarine is also near a deal for the docu Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Submarine's Jason Janego assisted. 
There's yet another Sundance deal: Roadside attractions paid in the low- to mid-6 figures for North American distribution rights to writer/director Debra Granik's Winter's Bone. Roadside paid in the low- to mid-six figures for what's expected to be a summer theatrical release. 
LONDON -- I’ve learned that Stephen Moore, TV managing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Canada, has been made redundant. He’d been in the job for less than a year. Moore was in charge of distributing Disney/ABC/ESPN programming to 240 territories worldwide. Shows included such ubiquitous Disney hits as Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Ugly Betty. Disney has confirmed Moore is being made redundant. It has no plans to replace him with somebody else overseeing foreign TV distribution. Instead, it’s putting greater emphasis on each territory taking responsibility for itself. 
With Sundance buyers so cautious, how can sellers get them excited enough to step up and make a distribution deal? For Hesher, the answer was showing the film to a paying crowd of regular moviegoers. After the pic received a rousing reception at last night's screening away from the festival at the Broadway Centre Cinemas in Salt Lake City, Newmarket captured U.S. distribution rights after an all-night bargaining session. Several other distributors were in the mix, insiders said. In the deal negotiated by WME Global’s Mark Ankner and CAA, Newmarket’s Chris Ball and John Crye paid a low 7-figure price and an “aggressive” P&A commitment. 
(January 27, 2010 – Burbank, CA) – Camela Galano has been named to the newly created position of President, Warner Bros. International Film Acquisitions, it was announced today by Richard Fox, Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Galano will be responsible for acquiring the rights (across all media – theatrical, home entertainment, television and digital) to non-Warner Bros.-produced English-language films for release. She will work closely with distribution executives in the studios various distribution business units as well as in-country executives to maximize exhibition opportunities and best exploit the films across all windows. Galano will continue to be based in Burbank and report to Fox. Having spent 20-plus years at New Line Cinema, Galano most recently served as President, New Line International Releasing, where she oversaw and managed the release of New Line films in over 120 international territories for Warner Bros. Pictures International (New Line previously sold off international rights to its films in many overseas territories).
Some are saying this is unexpected. But I suspect it's more fallout from that 2008 legal feud between John Malone and Barry Diller. That's because Malone's Liberty Media today announced plans to begin a partial tender offer to buy up to 34.5 million shares of Diller's Live Nation Entertainment common stock at a cash price of $12 a share. Liberty through its subsidiaries already owns 14.6% of Live Nation because of a previous stake in Ticketmaster, and yesterday Live Nation and Ticketmaster officially closed their merger. Barry Diller will serve as chairman of the board of Live Nation Entertainment. But remember that a Delaware court ruled against Malone in his effort to block Diller from splitting InterActiveCorp into multiple companies. During that trial, Malone whined a lot about Diller's arrogantly self-serving management style. Now I bet Malone wants a do-over to play shareholder activist and scrutinize Diller's every move.
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