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‘Avengers’: $400M In 14 Days Sets New Domestic Speed Record; #6 All Time Highest Grossing Film

By NIKKI FINKE | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 8:22am PDTTags: Box Office, Disney, Marvel, The Avengers

Marvel’s The Avengers on Thursday set a new domestic speed record, reaching the $400M box office threshold in 14 days. Worldwide, it has passed Toy Story 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest to become the #6 highest-grossing film of all time and the highest grossing Disney release ever. Internationally it is the #9 highest-grossing film of all time.

The Avengers’ cumulative performance to date: International box office $668.7M and Domestic $402M for Global $1,070.7M.

Additional highlights to date:

· Fastest film to reach $350M (10 days), $300M (9 days), $250M (6 days), $200M (3 days), $150M (3 days) and $100M (2 days) at domestic box office.

· Disney’s fifth release to cross the billion dollar global box office threshold.

· Biggest domestic opening of all time ($207.4M).

· Biggest domestic second weekend of all time ($103M).

· Highest-grossing domestic film of 2012, passing The Hunger Games in just 12 days of release, and is now the 12th highest grossing domestic release of all-time.

· Highest domestic Saturday tally ($69.5M).

· Highest domestic Sunday tally ($57M).

· Second-highest domestic single-day tally ($80.8M).

Related: ‘Battleship’ Weak In ‘Avengers’ U.S. Wake: ‘The Dictator’ Even Weaker Domestic Start; Sacha Could Lose To ‘What To Expect’

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YRF’s Uday Chopra To Finance Nicole Kidman-Starrer ‘Grace Of Monaco’

By MIKE FLEMING | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 7:46am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Grace Of Monaco, Nicole Kidman, Uday Chopra, YRF Entertainment
Mike Fleming

Nicole Kidman Grace Of MonacoEXCLUSIVE: YRF Entertainment CEO Uday Chopra has joined with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam and his Stone Angels to produce and finance Grace Of Monaco, the Olivier Dahan-directed film that will star Nicole Kidman. The film begins production in the fall and Inferno is selling foreign rights in Cannes. YRF’s Jonathan Reiman becomes exec producer with Arash Amel, who wrote the script. In the film, the former actress Grace Kelly (Kidman) asserts herself as the Princess of Monaco when she brokers peace between her adopted country and France, maneuvering a political minefield to do it. YRF Entertainment is the Beverly Hills-based production and financing company that is a subsidiary of Indian studio Yash Raj Films, and its focus is English-language films with global appeal.

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Cannes Swirls With Talk Of Convergence Between Distributors eOne And Alliance

By MIKE FLEMING AND NANCY TARTAGLIONE | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 7:43am PDTTags: Alliance Films, Cannes Film Festival, Entertainment One

eOne AllianceWith the pace of dealmaking slow so far at the Cannes Film Festival, the most intriguing word spreading on the Croisette is that Entertainment One is in discussions to acquire Alliance. We’ve even heard word that Alliance and Entertainment One will not be making offers on the same films here on territories where there is overlap — namely in Canada and the UK. In January, Alliance’s owners, Goldman Sachs and Investissement Quebec, put the Toronto-based company up for sale. Under Canadian law, the buyer has to be Canadian or have a Canadian partner since foreign groups can’t have controlling ownership of local media companies. Entertainment One says it doesn’t comment on acquisition speculation, and Alliance isn’t talking either.

Related: Interview Brad Pitt Or Kristen Stewart At Cannes? If You’re Canadian, It Will Cost You

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Lionsgate Extends Deal With Scandinavian Distributor Nordisk: Cannes

By MIKE FLEMING | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 7:40am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Lionsgate, Nordisk
Mike Fleming

CANNES, FRANCE, and SANTA MONICA, CA –May 18, 2012 – Following on the heels of Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) recent acquisition of Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate and Nordisk Film have concluded a new multiyear output agreement in which feature films from both Lionsgate and Summit will be distributed by Nordisk in Scandinavia. The agreement extends Nordisk’s existing output arrangement with Summit to encompass the entire Lionsgate family of feature films and was announced today at the Cannes Film Festival by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman and Peter Philipsen, General Manager of independent Films at Nordisk Film.

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MPI Acquires North American On ‘Sleep Tight’: Cannes

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 5:56am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, MPI, Sleep Tight

Cannes, France (May 18, 2012) – MPI Media Group today announced it has acquired all North American rights to SLEEP TIGHT, a psychological thriller that has drawn huge audiences and won numerous awards in Spain. Featuring “one of the most charismatic villains in the recent cinema” (Fotogramas), director Jaume Balaguero’s movie will be released theatrically in the fall of 2012 through MPI’s genre arm, Dark Sky Films. The theatrical release will be followed VOD and DVD availability.

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The Weinstein Co Acquires French Culinary Comedy ‘Haute Cuisine’: Cannes

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE AND MIKE FLEMING | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 4:30am PDTTags: Haute Cuisine, The Weinstein Co, Wild Bunch

EXCLUSIVE: Continuing its steady pace of pick-ups, The Weinstein Co has acquired French comedy Haute Cuisine from Wild Bunch. The Christian Vincent-directed pic is based on the true story of Danièle Delpeuch who was the private cook to late French President, François Mitterrand. Catherine Frot stars with French novelist Jean D’Ormesson in his first feature role. The story follows a renowned chef from Perigord who is appointed by the president as his personal cook. D’Ormesson’s chief of state falls in love with her cooking and despite resentment from the rest of the staff, the spirited chef establishes herself. But, the halls of the Elysée Palace are littered with traps. The film was co-scripted by Of Gods And Men‘s Etienne Comar and the director. Comar produced via his Armada Films Production with Philippe Rousselet for Vendome.

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Bruno Wu To Finance John Woo-Produced Remake Of ‘The Killer’: Cannes

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 3:25am PDTTags: Bruno Wu, John Woo, The Killer

(Cannes) May 18, 2012 –– Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Film Studios (SSFS) has agreed to finance John Woo and Terence Chang’s Lion Rock Productions ‘THE KILLER’, the English language retelling of John Woo’s iconic 1989 action film. John H. Lee (A MOMENT TO REMEMBER, 71: INTO THE FIRE) will direct the script by Josh Campbell (ONE SQUARE MILE). Sarah Yan Li, China’s most promising rising star, will co-star in the thriller. Additionally, Li is a top graduate from China Central Academy of Performing Arts, China’s top performing art academy, and was recently selected as the spokesperson of China’s leading automaker Brilliance Automobile. Li is repped by CAA.

Lion Rock’s John Woo and Terence Chang will produce alongside Lion Rock’s Lori Tilkin, who will executive produce. Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars will finance the film which begins filming Q4 2012 in Toronto. Seven Stars’ CEO Fred Milstein closed the deal prior to Cannes.

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Elizabeth Banks To Star In Alan Ball’s ‘What’s The Matter With Margie’: Cannes

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 1:20am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Elizabeth Banks, Myriad Pictures, What's The Matter With Margie?

Elizabeth Banks What's The Matter With MargieElizabeth Banks has been cast in the title role of writer-producer Alan Ball’s new dark comedy What’s The Matter With Margie? Myriad Pictures announced today. Banks plays a downtrodden office worker who after years of abuseWhat's The Matter With Margie Myriad Pictures finally snaps and resorts to murdering her tormenters. Daniel Minahan (True Blood, Series 7: The Contenders) will direct from Ball’s original screenplay, and Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, The Savages) and Ball will produce. Myriad has acquired all rights outside the U.S. and Canada and is pre-selling in Cannes. The film is scheduled to start shooting in early 2013 in Los Angeles. UTA Independent Film Group packaged the film and is arranging financing. SVP Business Affairs David Ducar negotiated for Myriad. UTA IFG repped the filmmaker and producers and will sell U.S. and Canadian rights.

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Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska Cast In Adaptation Of Highsmith’s ‘Carol’: Cannes

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday May 18, 2012 @ 12:30am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Carol, Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska, Number 9 Films

Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska are heading the cast of the new adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s Carol (aka The Price of Salt). It’s directed by John Crowley (Intermission, Boy A) and Phyllis Nagy (Mrs Harris) has written the adaptation based on the novella by Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr Ripley). The film will be produced by Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley from Number 9 Films, and co-developed and co-financed by Film4. Filming starts February 2013 in London and New York. Carol is about the complex relationship between two very different women in 1950s New York. One, a girl in her 20s working in a department store who dreams of a more fulfilling life, and the other, a wife trapped in a loveless, moneyed marriage. HanWay will be handling international sales at Cannes.

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Stereo D Appoints Mike Gunter COO

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 11:58pm PDTTags: Mike Gunter, Stereo D, William Sherak

Theatrical 2D-to-3D converger Stereo D has named Mike Gunter as Chief Operating Officer. Stereo D is a subsidiary of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. Reporting to company President William Sherak, Gunter will oversee operating and administrative functions including Finance, Business Affairs, M&A, Human Resources, and management of company facilities in Burbank and in Pune, India. Gunter also will share oversight of Stereo D’s IT operations with EVP and Chief Creative Officer Aaron Parry. Prior to joining Stereo D, Gunter served as CFO and EVP Finance for Deluxe Entertainment Services Group and led Deluxe’s acquisition of Stereo Din May 2011. Stereo D collaborated with Marvel on conversion of The Avengers. James Cameron and producer Jon Landau also used Stereo D for the 3D conversion of Titanic.

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Cannes Roundup: Robert Altman Doc, Universal-Screen Corp, Schwarzenegger, ‘Squatters’, ‘Me And Mrs. Jones’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 11:17pm PDTTags: Altman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cannes Film Festival, Epix, Robert Altman, Ron Mann, Squatters, Ten

Robert Altman Documentary
Sphinx Productions, the premium cable service Epix, Astral’s The Movie Network, Submarine Entertainment and Dakota Group Ltd. are partnering on Altman, a feature documentary about the late Robert Altman to be directed and produced by filmmaker Ron Mann. Altman will feature interviews with actors, his collaborators and family members, along with archival footage of Altman himself and clips from his groundbreaking films that include MASH, McCabe And Mrs. Miller, A Wedding, Nashville, The Long Goodbye, The Player, Short Cuts, Gosford Park and A Prairie Home Companion among many others. Consultants include Altman’s widow Kathryn Reed Altman and producer Matthew Seig. Submarine Entertainment will be presenting the project to buyers at the 2012 Cannes Film Market. Completion slated mid-2013.

Arnold Schwarzenegger In ‘Ten’
Canadian distributor VVS Films has acquired the thriller Ten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by David Ayer. Deal was negotiated between Ernie and Harry Grivakis of VVS Films and Bill Block and John Friedberg of QED. In addition to Ten, VVS Films’ slate includes Ayer’s End Of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña; Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage with Richard Gere, Tim Roth and Susan Sarandon; William Friedkin’s Killer Joe with Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple; Gabriele Muccino’s Playing The Field with Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel and Catherine Zeta Jones; John Luessenhop’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D; and Nicolas Lopez’ Aftershock with Eli Roth and Selena Gomez.

Universal International-Screen Corp Deal
A first-look distribution deal covering Australasia between James M. Vernon’s Screen Corp and Universal Pictures International Australia may signal an upswing in production from the veteran producer who has enlisted two experienced executives, former Warner Bros. International President Wayne Duband and Alan Finney, former chief of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia, to serve on his project assessment committee. The deal gives UPI Australia the option to acquire an unspecified number of films per year, budgeted at between $A5M-$45M, providing P&A financing and at times, minimum guarantees. Read More »

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KFI’s John And Ken, Clear Channel Denounced For “Hate Profiteering”

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 11:01pm PDTTags: Clear Channel, John And Ken, KFI

The day before Clear Channel‘s shareholder meeting in San Antonio, Texas, the National Hispanic Media Coalition delivered over 16,000 signatures to the company’s board of directors demanding that Clear Channel remove John Kobylt and Kenneth Chiampou from KFI AM in Los Angeles. Despite having what NHMC calls a “zero tolerance” policy that prohibits discrimination, the organization says Clear Channel Radio exhibits a pattern of hateful rhetoric, particularly on The John and Ken Show. The coalition accuses Clear Channel of a “pattern of hate profiteering, and particularly its blatant disregard for the atmosphere of hate and intolerance that John and Ken are breeding in the Los Angeles area.” A letter accompanying the signatures says the company fails to abide by its own policy and allows Kobylt and Chiampou “to repeatedly release the private contact information of private figures, leading to hundreds of death threats and harassing phone calls from Clear Channel listeners.” According to the letter, the pair’s targets include skilled workers who happen to be “people of color and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community”. The letter says more than 30 companies have pulled advertising from The John And Ken Show. Clear Channel and its Premiere Networks faced a similar controversy when advertisers were spooked by public outcry over comments Rush Limbaugh made about a law student seeking health insurance coverage of contraceptives.

Related: LA City Council Members Want To End Racist And Sexist Speech On … Read More »

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TNT & Lifetime Looking At Cancelled CBS Drama ‘Unforgettable’: Will It Live On?

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 6:53pm PDTTags: CBS, Lifetime, TNT, Unforgettable
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: The cancellation of CBS’ freshman drama Unforgettable was one of the closest calls this upfront season. Now the procedural starring Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh is exploring a move to cable. I’ve learned that producers Sony Pictures TV and CBS TV Studios have had preliminary conversations with TNT and Lifetime about potentially picking up the series. Unforgettable, which centers on Carrie Wells (Montgomery), a New York detective with the ability to visually remember everything, would make sense for both TNT and Lifetime. TNT has had a lot of success with female-lead cop procedurals with The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. Lifetime has tried hard to launch one with two recent series, The Protector and Against The Wall, both of which were cancelled after one season. Turner has been the most open to rescuing broadcast series with NBC’s Southland going to TNT and most recently Cougar Town moving to TBS.

When asked what went wrong for Unforgettable to warrant the cancellation after a relatively solid first-season run, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said the question is not “what went wrong with Unforgettable but what went right with the new pilots.” Unforgettable averaged 12 million viewers and a 2.5 among adults 18-49.

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VIDEO: Conan & Dave Talk About Jay

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 6:16pm PDTTags: Conan O'Brien, Late Show with David Letterman

Conan O’Brien talks about his departure from The Tonight Show in his first appearance in 13 years on Late Show With David Letterman, tonight:

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Women Dominate Early Competition Films As Marion Cotillard Hits The Festival For The First Time: Cannes

By PETE HAMMOND | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 6:10pm PDTTags: Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sony Pictures Classics, Tom Bernard, Women In Film
Pete Hammond

Controversy? What controversy? Some journalists and bloggers, including at least one who isn’t even here, are saying there is a controversy in Cannes this year over the fact that no women directors are represented in the official selection. That may be true — there were four last year — but anyone who has sat through the first four competition films as I have must realize that, so far at least, women are the dominating factor in all of them. And from what I have been tipped about the remaining films it is just the beginning. Women may not be behind the camera this year but they are very prominent in front of it. They are also prominent on the jury making up nearly half. When asked about the lack of women directors this year, Oscar winning juror Andrea Arnold said she would never want one of her movies considered for a berth just because it was directed by a woman. Nevertheless women are a very visible force in the films seen to date. And there is the image of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe on the festival’s poster everywhere you go here.

In Wednesday night’s opener Moonrise Kingdom, young newcomer Kara Hayward practically carries the movie (with co-star Jared Gilman) which also features female heavyweights Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. In the Egyptian film After The Battle that premiered in Thursday’s late slot, women dominated the action as the film deals … Read More »

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Doug Liman Reacts To ‘I Just Want My Pants Back’ Cancellation: “I’m Not Done Fighting’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 5:43pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, I Just Want My Pants Back
Nellie Andreeva

A day after MTV‘s surprising cancellation of freshman comedy I Just Want My Pants Back, the series’ driving force, executive producer/director Doug Liman says the news still hasn’t sunk in because no one at the show saw it coming. “They were so bullish on the show. MTV’s (head of programming) David Janollari told me that for an executive, this kind of shows come only a few times in a career. This was a month ago.”

Related: MTV Cancels ‘I Just Want My Pants Back; Comedy Series Looks For New Home

Liman said that his team was already working on Season 2 when the cancellation news came. “When the head of the network tells tells you how passionate he is and that he is bringing back the show, and when the studio tells you how profitable the show is, you start to work on next season.”

“I’m no stranger to disappointment,” he added, pointing out how the Sundance film festival passed on his cult 1996 movie Swingers. He also noted that he’s worked on shows that didn’t work and has accepted their demise. But Pants was different. “It’s really upsetting, not only because of how hard we worked but because of the way the series was received — it was one of MTV’s best reviewed shows ever. It also had solid ratings given its 11 PM slot. When a show works like this you don’t cancel it, it makes no sense.” Read More »

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Fox Makes ‘Playdate’ With ‘Hop’ Helmer Tim Hill

By MIKE FLEMING | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 5:29pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Big Deals Film, Nicky Weinstock, Playdate, Tim Hill
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Fox is making a deal to acquire Playdate, a pitch that Tim Hill and Dave Johnson will write, as a directing vehicle for Hill, who directe Hop and Alvin and the Chipmunks. The plot of the family film is being kept under wraps, but the title is somewhat self explanatory. The film will be produced by Nicky Weinstock through his Fox-based Invention Films. Hill’s repped by Gersh and Principato-Young, and Johnson by Principato-Young.

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Disney Sets Jesse Wigutow To Script ‘Peter And The Starcatchers’

By MIKE FLEMING | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 5:21pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Disney, Jesse Wigutow, Peter And The Starcatchers
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Disney has hired writer Jesse Wigutow to adapt the best-selling children’s novel, Peter and the Starcatchers, the 2004 book published by Disney’s Hyperion which gives the backstory for the iconic Peter Pan character.

Co-authored by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson, the book has become a hot property, with the current Broadway adaptation having just nabbed nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. Peter and the Starcatchers is the first in a series of books by the authors, giving franchise potential to the project.

Wigutow’s adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller Osterman Weekend is in development with Brian Kirk directing at Summit, The Crow with F. Javier Gutierrez attached to direct at Relativity Media, and the Steve McQueen biopic at Cross Creek.

Wigutow is repped by UTA, attorney Warren Dern, and Benderspink.

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‘Dirt’ Director Seeks To Find Lost Jungle City in New Doc

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 4:35pm PDTTags: Bill Benenson, Ciudad Blanca, Dirt! The Movie, Documentaries, PBS, Steve Elkins, Sundance Film Festival

Bill Benenson has teamed with cinematographer Steve Elkins for a documentary about the search for a legendary lost city in Honduras. The Dirt! The Movie filmmaker and the Emmy-winning Elkins will co-direct and co-produce the documentary. Venture Technologies Investment Group founder Gary Spire will executive produce. Shot over two decades in the Central American country, the doc also utilizes recently developed aerial laser imaging to survey the vast Mosquitia jungle region. The LiDAR tech was able to see through the thick rain forest growth. The result, Benenson tells Deadline, reveals “hidden manmade structures” and “lost remains” in the area rumored to once have been the home of the fabled city of Ciudad Blanca. The legend of the Mosquito Coast river valley’s White City, so named for its supposed white rock buildings, has grown over the centuries since conquistador Hernan Cortes first heard of it in 1526. Benenson’s feature film Dirt! The Movie, narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, was a 2009 Sundance Film Festival Selection. The film had its TV premiere on Earth Day 2010 on PBS’s Independent Lens. The film recently played at the Beijing International Film Festival as one of only two chosen American documentaries.

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