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Cannes’ New UK Buyer? Icon Could Resurface With Backing From Prescience

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE AND JOE UTICHI | Monday March 25, 2013 @ 1:01pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Icon UK, Prescience

EXCLUSIVE: There have been seismic shifts in the UK’s indie distribution sector over the past few months, and more are in the cards. In what could be seen as a healthy sign for the industry, we’re hearing that Icon Distribution is set to re-emerge, backed by film fund Prescience, financier of The King’s Speech. The Icon UK Group, owned by Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries, pulled out of the distribution business in 2011 to focus on in-house film finance and production. At the time, it pacted with Lionsgate UK to handle its theatrical titles and recently announced a deal for Icon Entertainment International’s library to be repped by Exclusive Media. We understand that Prescience is close to a deal to acquire what remains of Icon Distribution in the UK, led by Icon executive Ian Dawson. We hear a deal has been in the works for some time and there’s a chance it may not make, but expectations are that the new company could launch in time to be buying at May’s Cannes Film Market.

Related: Lionsgate UK To Distribute Icon Titles, But No News On Library Deal

The timing looks fortuitous given the changing outline of the UK’s distribution landscape. Already this year, eOne’s takeover of Alliance folded in Momentum, eliminating a key buyer. The resultant drop in prices was loudly lamented by sales agents in Berlin. One exec tells us, “If you’re a producer or a sales agent selling to the UK, you used to say you needed to get eOne and Momentum in a bidding war,” and that’s clearly not happening anymore. But another distributor welcomes the rationalization of the market where prices were inflated by having too many distribs competing for the same films. Another tells us, “It’s shaking out the rubbish that’s out there and the projects that are un-financeable.”

Still, an overwhelmingly common refrain is that there is a real opportunity for another distributor to surface. A revived Icon could fill that space. Another name that pops up as a potentially aggressive player is Koch Media, the UK arm of the German giant. It released Arbitrage and Red Dawn earlier this month. Koch, a rival distributor opines, “has a shitload of money to burn through. That’s the first thing you need.” READ MORE »

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Exclusive Media To Represent Icon Entertainment International Library

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday February 26, 2013 @ 3:30am PSTTags: Exclusive Media, Icon UK

In late 2011, the Icon UK Group initiated a strategic restructure to focus on in-house film finance and production. At the time, it pacted with Lionsgate UK to handle distribution of its … Read More »

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Icon UK Group Joins ‘The Butler’; Forest Whitaker And Oprah Winfrey And Intriguing Choices For Presidents

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday May 22, 2012 @ 7:20am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Forest Whitaker, Icon UK, Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, The Butler
Mike Fleming

Oprah Winfrey ButlerForest Whitaker ButlerMatthew McConaughey as JFK, Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and John Cusack as Nixon? As Lee Daniels unveiled The Paperboy … Read More »

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Lionsgate UK To Distribute Icon Titles, But No News On Library Deal

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday November 30, 2011 @ 7:00am PSTTags: Drive, Icon UK, Lionsgate UK, Miramax, Nicolas Winding Refn, Nu Image, Paranormal Activity, Walter Salles

Lionsgate UK today confirmed its new distribution pact with Icon UK, saying it will handle the release of all of the latter’s titles moving forward. The deal is for rights to all films to come, but, for the moment at least, the Icon library is not included. Speculation has been that Lionsgate would take over the library, which includes Precious, Man On Wire, A Single Man, Paranormal Activity and others. Lionsgate UK already handles the home entertainment rights for the Miramax and Nu Image libraries and recently entered a multi-year licensing deal with Netflix ahead of the streaming service’s 2012 UK launch. Icon’s releases in 2011 have included Jodie Foster’s The Beaver and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive. Lionsgate will now handle the release of Winding Refn’s next picture, Only God Forgives, along with Walter Salles’ On The Road, Adam Wingard’s You’re Next and the very English Postman Pat: The Movie. Read More »

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Icon UK Confirms Lionsgate Pact

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday November 29, 2011 @ 8:08am PSTTags: Aviv Giladi, Icon UK, Lionsgate

Icon UK today announced that the company would head in a “new strategic direction” by focusing on acquiring and producing films while forming a distribution partnership with Lionsgate. A hook-up with Lionsgate had been expected, but this is the … Read More »

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Aviv Giladi Named CEO Of Icon UK Group

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday November 23, 2011 @ 4:00am PSTTags: Aviv Giladi, Icon UK

Aviv Giladi is the current Chairman of R.G.E. Group Limited, a privately held media group based in Israel that specializes in a variety of content and production activities, principally … Read More »

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UPDATE: Weinstein Co Making Film Deal With Len Blavatnik/Stewart Till’s Icon UK

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday October 11, 2010 @ 4:26pm PDTTags: Icon UK, Len Blavatnik, Movie Deals, Movies, The Weinstein Co, The Weinstein Co Finance, The Weinstein Co Restructuring

EXCLUSIVE…MONDAY UPDATE & WRITETHRU: I now have the details of that in-the-works deal between Ukrainian-born billionaire industrialist Len Blavatnik and cash-strapped The Weinstein Company. Harvey and Bob Weinstein are social friends with Blavatnik, whose U.S.-based Access Industries was the backer of Stewart Till’s 2009 purchase of Icon UK film and entertainment business from then owners Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey. Now The Weinstein Co and Icon UK will find movies with budgets of $5 million to $10 million, and maybe even $15 million (“if we see something we like,” an insider tells me). Weinsten Co will put up 100% of the P&A for the U.S. market and Icon UK will put up the P&A for foreign. And Weinstein Co will distribute the pics in North America while Icon UK will release in England and Australia. Weinstein Co will pre-sell a few overseas territories but Icon UK  will re-sell most of the international countries. And the two companies will split the profits 50-50. It is The Weinstein Co’s intention to make as many films as it can that fit the criteria. The figure may start out as 1 or 2 the first year because of a revolving credit facility of only $25M which the Weinstein Co hopes could balloon to a fund of $100M. Read More »

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Icon UK Strikes First Output Deal

By TIM ADLER in London | Thursday July 15, 2010 @ 8:44am PDTTags: Canadian Film Distribution, Icon UK, Indie Films, Output Deals, Stewart Till

Canadian_flagExpect more international output deals soon. D Films, the Canadian distributor, initially plans to release between 5 and 6 films a year from the British sales and distribution company. This will rise to between 6-8.

The Icon output deal will cost D … Read More »

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