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‘Saturday Night Live’ Season Finale Posts … Fox Searchlight has set a March 1, 2013 platform release for Stoker, from Oldboy director Park Chan-wook. Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman star in the thriller about about a teen who is mourning the death of her father and must deal with an evil mom and an eccentric uncle who shows up unexpectedly. Here’s the pic’s first trailer, in which Kidman looks to be having a blast as the baddie in a movie of baddies:
You are viewing the archive: “Fox Searchlight”
Fox Seeks To Stop ‘Black Swan’ Intern Suit From Expanding
Alex Footman and Eric Glatt should not be allowed to enlarge their class action suit to include all Fox Entertainment Group interns, says Fox Searchlight. In a 24-page memorandum filed Wednesday in New York federal court (read it here), the studio claims that the request the former Black Swan interns’ made last month is speculative and not even plausible. Fox Searchlight did concede that former intern Eden Antalik could serve as a rep for interns in its NYC office. They did not do the same for Kanene Gratts, who served as an intern on (500) Days of Summer back in early 2008 in LA. Fox, who co-produced that film, claims that Gratts is time-barred under California law, which has a four-year statute of limitations. Read More »
Fox Searchlight To Release ‘Hitchcock’ On November 23
BREAKING…The Sacha Gervasi-directed Hitchcock is set for a limited platform release November 23, 2012, meaning Fox Searchlight is placing it at the heart of the movie awards season. Based
on Stephen Rebello’s book Alfred … Read More »
Fox Searchlight Shifts ‘The Sessions’ To October 19th
Fox Searchlight Pictures has moved up the release of The Sessions a week earlier to Friday, October 19 for a limited platform debut. It had been scheduled to open the following Friday. Written and directed by … Read More »
Toronto: Fox Searchlight Brings ‘The Sessions’ To Reignite Awards Talk
Fox Searchlight brought its Sundance pickup and Oscar hopeful, The Sessions, to the Toronto International Film Festival today to kick-start the
film’s October launch. (Now set for October 26 but very possibly moving up a week to the 19th). Last January, the film debuted under the title The Surrogate and immediately sparked early 2012 awards talk, particularly for the performances of John Hawkes and Helen Hunt. It’s a small 
but surprisingly funny and ultimately quite touching film that drew so many big laughs at today’s Elgin Theatre screening the dialogue was drowned out during some scenes, usually those between Hawkes and William H. Macy. There were three standing ovations for the director and principal stars, a very enthusiastic response to be sure.
Fox Searchlight Co-Presidents Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley were there and said after the Sundance sale no cuts were made to the film and none requested by the MPAA in order to get the ‘R’ rating (for some explicit but tastefully shot sexual content).
Gilula notes that with so many movies competing for attention at TIFF it’s tough for a movie that debuted at Sundance or Cannes. Media, he says, just want to spotlight the newest movies even though this one doesn’t even open until next month. At this point it is the mini-major’s only fall/holiday release, and it’s hoping to build strong word of mouth and awards attention. The studio is still trying to determine whether to push Hunt for lead or supporting. (The Oscar winning star of As Good As It Gets could probably slip comfortably into either slot.) Fox Searchlight also have summer releases Beasts Of The Southern Wild and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on their potential awards plate. And there still is the possibility of a last-minute contender coming in December if they decide to rush Hitchcock. Read More »
Fox Intern ‘Black Swan’ Suit Eyes Expansion
A hearing in Manhattan on August 24 could significantly enlarge the class action suit two Black Swan interns brought last year against Fox Searchlight. In an order made public today (read it here), Judge William Pauley III has agreed to a conference next week on Alex Footman and Eric Glatt’s request to amend their suit. “Plaintiffs will seek to broaden the scope of the case to include all interns who participated in Fox Entertainment Group’s (‘FEG’s”) internship program,” wrote their lawyer Rachel Bien in an August 2 memo to the judge. The duo also want to separate the class of interns for their suit into “Corporate Interns,” those who worked through the FEG program, and “Production Interns,” those who worked on films that Fox Searchlight co-produced. To that end the amended suit will add two new plaintiffs, Eden Antalik and Kanene Gratts. The former worked through the FEG program and the latter worked on 2009’s (500) Days of Summer, a Searchlight co-produced film. The legal documents also state that “Ms. Gratts would seek to bring classwide claims under California’s Unfair Competition law for unpaid minimum wages on behalf of Production Interns who worked in California.
Read More »
Fox Searchlight Dates Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Stoker’
Stoker will receive a platform release on March 1, 2013, Fox Searchlight announced. Mia Wasikowsa, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver and Nicole Kidman star in the Park Chan-wook-directed thriller about about a teen who is mourning the … Read More »
Hot Trailer: ‘The Sessions’
Here’s the trailer for the Sundance hit acquired by Fox Searchlight, with John Hawkes as a paralyzed man who is determined to lose his virginity. Helen Hunt and William H. Macy co-star. Screened at Sundance as The Surrogate and based on a true story, the movie written and directed … Read More »
‘Moonrise Kingdom’, ‘Marigold Hotel’ Shine As Openers Fizzle: Specialty Box Office
Among specialty releases, holdovers held the spotlight the first weekend of June. Memorial Day weekend’s record-breaking opener Moonrise Kingdom retained its crown atop the box office in the specialty arena, averaging just over $53K per theater in 16 locations. Focus Features added 13 locations for the Wes Anderson-directed feature, which opened Cannes last month. And on this Diamond Jubilee weekend, Focus is, well, jubilant: “Moonrise continues to generate outstanding results this weekend,” a Focus spokesperson said this morning. “Saturday’s large increase over Friday (42%) reflects theaters adding more seats in response to demand (there were sellouts throughout the day). The estimated $53K theater average defines the film’s powerful box office momentum.”
Related: ‘Moonrise Kingdom Topples Record, ‘Intouchables’ Strong
But the jewel in the crown is still Fox Searchlight‘s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which added 61 locations in its fifth weekend out. Set in India, the film took in $4.6 million over the weekend, landing itself again in the overall box office top 10 with only a 25% decline from last last weekend’s gross, Read More »
‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ Passes $100M
EXCLUSIVE: Fox Searchlight and Participant Media just did with a low-budget film what several major studios can’t right now with high-budget tenpoles: it has an early summer hit. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which is being lauded as ‘The Avengers for grown ups’ passed $100M worldwide despite playing in relatively few theaters. It is the highest grossing specialty film of 2012 and has become the 7th highest grossing film for Fox Searchlight Pictures. Its domestic cume is expected to reach $20.5M this Friday after its platform release on May 4th, and its foreign cume is $81.2M after opening there in February.
The well-reviewed adult film is a success story because of a great pedigree, director, and cast. The comic/romantic/poignant adventure at an unexpected Indian resort for seven UK pensioners is directed by John Madden (Shakespeare In Love) and stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Dev Patel. It’s from a script by Ol Parker and based on the novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach. The producers are Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin of Blueprint Pictures. It held its London world premiere in February and marks the 4th best international grossing film for Fox Searchlight, behind only Black Swan ($224.6M), The Full Monty ($212M), and The Descendants ($93.2M). “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel continues to perform beyond our wildest expectations,” Utley and GIlula said in a statement to Deadline. Participant Media CEO Jim Berk stated, “We are thrilled that this wonderful film is captivating audiences everywhere.” Read More »
Specialty Box Office: ‘Marigold’, ‘Bernie’ Shine As Newcomers Disappoint
Weekend openers in the specialty arena did not impress once again, taking an unfortunate cue from their studio brethren apart from The Avengers juggernaut. Even so, some holdovers including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Bernie undoubtedly received a champagne santé by their execs today at the (very wet) Cannes Film Festival.
Among specialty newbies, Zeitgeist Films’ Elena led the per-theater race, although it opened at just one location, taking in over $9K. Sony Classics‘ Hysteria‘ bowed in five theaters, averaging just over $8K, nabbing the second best of the newcomers. More disappointing were Sundance Selects‘ Polisse, which rolled into three theaters, averaging under $6K, while eOne’s Virginia squeaked out a $1,262 average from five locations.
Pantelion/Lionsgate’s Girl In Progress grossed $460K in its second weekend, down steeply from its debut of $1.35 million in its opener, a gross decline of 67%, while the number of theaters held at 322. Girl averaged $1,429 ($4,193 last week) and has cumed just over $2.1 million. Also in its second weekend, Where Do We Go Now? added nine locations, averaging $2,174 from a $26K gross. In its debut, the film averaged $5,592 from three theaters.
Now in its third weekend, Fox Searchlight’s Best Exotic Marigold Hotel took the No. 6 spot in the overall national box office — pretty impressive considering it’s in only 354 theaters. By comparison, The Hunger Games, which is in seventh place (although it’s been in release awhile) remained in 2,064 theaters. With a weekend gross of $3.25 million, Marigold has now cumed $8.2 million. By comparison, last year’s Midnight In Paris had taken in just under $7 million at the same point in release. “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has started to draw from a wider audience who are interested in a film with interesting characters, a great story, and lots of laughter,” said Frank Rodriguez, Fox Searchlight’s SVP of Distribution. Searchlight will expand the film into 1,100 theaters heading into Memorial Day weekend. Also impressive is Millennium’s Bernie which had a 133% increase in gross over the previous weekend after adding 59 locations. The Richard Linklater-directed feature grossed $511K, averaging $5,380 vs last weekend’s $6,014.
NEW
1. Hysteria (Sony Pictures Classics) NEW [5 Theaters] Weekend $40,829, Average $8,166
2. Polisse (Sundance Selects) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $17,680, Average $5,893
3. Elena (Zeitgeist Films) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $9,393
4. Virginia (Entertainment One) NEW [5 Theaters] Weekend $6,311, Average $1,262
5. American Animal (Screen Media) NEW [1 Theaters] Weekend $6K
Read More »
Fox Searchlight Fetes ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’ In Cannes
Fox Searchlight brought its prize-winning Sundance sensation to Cannes, as anofficial Un
Certain Regard entry (one of just two American films so honored) premiered here on Friday to standing ovations at both its Debussy Theatre screenings. With the Louisiana … Read More »
Specialty Box Office: Blasé Weekend For Openers; ‘Best New Marigold’ Still Strong
Specialty openers did not fare well. Sony Classics lead a rather unspectacular crowd of rollouts, bowing Where Do We Go Now? in a trio of locations, grossing nearly $17K and an average just under $6,000. Magnolia opened a pair of titles with not so good results. Comedy/thriller God Bless America debuted at just over a dozen locations, averaging $2,196 while the distributor’s I Wish appeared in five theaters, averaging a little less than $2,000. Magnolia, however, had good news with its hit doc Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. The film passed the $2 million cumulative mark and is the second highest grossing doc of the year (just under the aggressively hyped Bully).
A pair of second week holdovers fared a bit better in limited release. While The Avengers broke records with the highest second-weekend grosses ever, Fox Searchlight’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel earned a place in the overall box office top 10 with only 178 locations (an additional 151 from its debut). The Dame Judi Dench starter grossed more than $2.6 million, averaging a fantastic $14,888. Searchlight said it will expand Marigold Hotel to an additional 24 markets and add 300 theaters next weekend. A spokesperson said the feature is “playing well to moms,” adding, “It was terrific counter-programming for the adult audience against the two tentpole films in the market place. Clearly, it was a Happy Mother’s Day for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.”
And Sundance Selects First Position added 14 theaters for its second weekend, grossing $91K for a $3,800 average. The film debuted last week at five locations, averaging $10,200.
NEW
God Bless America (Magnolia Pictures) NEW [13 Theaters] Weekend $28,550, Average $2,196
Where Do We Go Now? (Sony Pictures Classics) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $16,776, Average $5,592
I Wish (Magnolia Pictures) Week 14 [5 Theaters] Weekend $9,960, Average $1,992
Otter 501 (Paladin) NEW [3 Theaters] Weekend $5,500, Average $1,833
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts (Long Shot Factory) NEW [2 Theaters] Weekend $3,300, Average $1,650
Fox Searchlight Teams Paula Patton And David Talbert For ‘Baggage Claim’
EXCLUSIVE: Fox Searchlight has set Paula Patton to star in Baggage Claim, a comedy that David Talbert has adapted and will direct from his bestselling 2003 novel. Patton will play flight attendant Montana Moore, who at 35 is the oldest woman in her family not married. With her sister tying the knot, Montana and her fellow flight attendants become determined to put a claim check on a husband in 30 days or 30,000 miles.
The film will shoot in September and it will be Talbert’s second time behind the camera. He wrote and directed First Sunday for Screen Gems, which was based on his play. Talbert is an underrated resource at a time when urban-themed films are in high demand after the success of Think Like A Man. Like Tyler Perry, Talbert developed a following in the black community by writing and touring his plays, the most recent of which was What My Husband Doesn’t Know, which played in 40 cities. He’s been doing that for 20 years and seems poised for a screen breakthrough. Read More »
Specialty Box Office: ‘Marigold’ Blossoms; ‘Bernie’, ‘Headhunters’ 2nd Weekend Solid
And here’s the specialty box office… Congratulations Marvel’s The Avengers, you win. But some people did break away from the mobs to see something different. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel did a fine job launching in 27 theaters, grossing $750K for a $27,789 average. Pretty darned good all things considered, and only a tad shy of last weekend’s $30K per-theater average for Richard Linklater’s Bernie. The people behind it weren’t shy singing its praises. “Bernie! is a potential crossover hit best reviews of [Jack] Black’s career. His audience could show up big,” Cinetic’s John Sloss told us. His company sold the film to Millennium back in July and he’s still looking out for it on a sunny Sunday. “We’re exceptionally pleased with Bernie’s numbers this second week.” Added Millennium Entertainment CEO Bill Lee, “It’s proving to be a true sleeper hit and continues to sell out a significant number of shows. We grossed more this weekend then we did all of last week by adding only three Texas towns. With the film’s unique sensibility and powerhouse performances we know that audiences will continue to discover Bernie as we expand it across country.”
Sundance Selects threw a nice party Friday night for its dance doc First Position — ahem — and some company execs were outside the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Brunin Munroe Theater asking folks what they thought of the film sort of anonymously. Reactions to the movie and they kept looking over to see who might be buying tickets for the next showing (“are they seeing Marley or First?” someone not necessarily from IFC rhetorically asked.) So, it did pretty well, averaging $10,200. Not a shock, the Lincoln Center screenings were pretty packed, downtown not so much but not bad.
Read More »
Specialty Box Office: ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’ ‘First Position,’ ‘Last Call At The Oasis,’ ‘The Perfect Family’
Participant Media has two very different projects with theatrical releases this weekend. The company partnered with producers of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Dame Judi Dench, which Fox Searchlight is taking to theaters in the U.S. ATO Pictures meanwhile collaborated with Participant on its water crisis doc Last Call At The Oasis, which is set for a limited rollout via ATO. Also opening in the specialty arena today are the doc First Position from Sundance Selects and The Perfect Family, starring Kathleen Turner which will has a decidedly more DIY release strategy.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Director John Madden
Writers: Ol Parker (screenplay), Deborah Moggach (novel)
Cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel producer Graham Broadbent and his team optioned novelist Deborah Moggach’s These Foolish Things because the concept of “personal crisis” had an appeal. The film centers on British retirees who travel to what they believe is a plush resort in India, only to find out it is less than expected. “We developed the script in the UK and landed [the final version of the script] from Ol Parker,” Broadbent told Deadline. “We approached Participant and asked if it fit in with their [focus] on social issues and then started talking to Fox Searchlight.” After partnering with Participant and Searchlight, there were some re-writes, but the production team was pleased with the results. They also tapped the experience of their producing partners. “Searchlight has had great experience shooting in India with The Darjeeling Limited and The Namesake,” he said.
Read More »
Hot Trailer: ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’
This year’s Sundance dramatic Grand Prize winner is the story of a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy. Fox Searchlight acquired the movie directed by first-timer Benh Zeitlin and written by Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar. Starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Beasts Of The Southern Wild opens June 27th.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus & James Gandolfini Eye New Nicole Holofcener Film
EXCLUSIVE: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini are in negotiations to star in a new Nicole Holofcener film from Fox Searchlight. The project is … Read More »
Specialty Box Office: ‘Bernie’ Bows Hot; Others Not So Much; Holdovers OK
Millennium Entertainment scored one of the highest limited release debuts of 2012 in terms of per screen average over the weekend with director Richard Linklater‘s latest feature. Starring Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine, … Read More »
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