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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Shin Bet Documentary ‘The Gatekeepers’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday July 30, 2012 @ 5:29am PDTTags: Sony Pictures Classics
Mike Fleming

Sony Pictures Classics bought all North American rights to the The Gatekeepers, the documentary directed by Dror Moreh (Sharon) in which the title characters–six former heads of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic secret service agency–share insights on their actions and decisions as they set internal security policy for Israel. The film is a co-production between DMP Les Films du Poisson and Cinephil. Moreh produced it with Estelle Fialon and Philippa Kowarsky. The deal comes just after the film premiered at the Jerusalem International Film Festival.

The Shin Bet heads discuss the motivations behind their successes and failures over the years, as they ponder why Israel has been unable to turn its victory in the Six Day War of 1967 into lasting peace and how they controlled all efforts to keep their citizens secure in the wake of continued hostility from their neighbors. The former Shin Bet heads worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had—and continue to have—a profound impact on Israeli policy.

The Sony Pictures Classics partners called the film “an important documentary and a major piece of filmmaking giving fresh and revealing insight into one of the major issues of our time.”

Said Moreh: “I was startled but thrilled when six former heads of the Shin Bet agreed to discuss their careers openly on camera for the very first time. This gave me a unique and intimate opportunity to enter the inner sanctum of Israel’s security decision-makers for almost half a century. Numerous times during the making of this film, I found myself overwhelmed by their stories and testimonies. I kept asking myself how far I would have gone when confronting the same life or death dilemmas. I still do.”

Cinephil Sales’ Philippa Kowarsky repped the film.

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Hot Clip: Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome With Love’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday July 2, 2012 @ 10:46am PDTTags: Sony Pictures Classics, To Rome With Love, Woody Allen

EXCLUSIVE: Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love expands nationwide Friday after a strong platform release two weekends ago. It has grossed $1.3 million at the domestic box office to date for Sony Pictures Classics. Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page … Read More »

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Sony Classics Acquires Pedro Almodovar’s Comedy ‘I’m So Excited’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday June 19, 2012 @ 9:47am PDTTags: I'm So Excited, Pedro Almodovar, Sony Pictures Classics

NEW YORK (June 19, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to Pedro Almodóvar’s new comedy currently titled I’M SO EXCITED from El Deseo. The film, an ensemble comedy written and

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Cannes Winner ‘Amour’ Gets Release Date

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday May 29, 2012 @ 2:47pm PDTTags: Amour, Cannes Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics

Amour Release DateSony Pictures Classics announced that Michael Haneke’s Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Amour will be released in Los Angeles and New York on December 19. The intimate drama about an elderly couple confronting the end … Read More »

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TOLDJA! Sony Pictures Classics Goes For ‘No’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday May 22, 2012 @ 1:31am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Gael Garcia Bernal, No, Sony Pictures Classics

Deadline revealed last night that Sony Pictures Classics was in talks to acquire Pablo Larrain’s No, and now they’ve formalized the deal. Here’s the official announcement:

CANNES (May 22, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all North American rights to Pablo Larraín’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight sensation, NO from financier Participant Media in association with Funny Balloons and Fabula. NO stars Gael García Bernal (Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries), Alfredo Castro, Antónia Zegers, Marcial Tagle, Néstor Cantillana, Jaime Vadell and Pascal Montero. The film is one of the best received films in Cannes with raves from critics following the first screening in Director’s Fortnight.

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Will ‘Paperboy’ Heat Domestic Buying At Cannes? Will SPC Say Yes To ‘No’?

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday May 21, 2012 @ 4:38pm PDTTags: Gael Garcia Bernal, No, Sony Pictures Classics, The Paperboy
Mike Fleming

Gael Garcia Bernal NoSo far, the domestic deals at the Cannes Film Festival have been for the most part sluggish, but that might perk up a bit tomorrow. There’s first showing of the Lee Daniels-directed The Paperboy, which … Read More »

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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, 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 … Read More »

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Cannes Film Festival: Distributors To Watch

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 2:49am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Classics, The Weinstein Co

Buying is already getting underway in Cannes with films acquired on the eve and first day of the market. There is a lot of quality product out there and many distributors with already packed slates are eager not to miss an opportunity. Execs are calling it a buyer’s market, but one important company may be sitting this one out. Here’s a look at some key players in town this year:

The Weinstein Company: Harvey Weinstein often sets the pace of the market here in Cannes. When he spends, everybody else seems to also. If that holds true this year, it will mean vibrant activity on the Croisette. On the eve of this year’s Cannes, The Weinstein Co announced it had picked up Wayne Blair’s The Sapphires, the Australian feel-good film that’s screening in official selection. They’re also close to a deal on hunt for Bin Laden pic Code Name Geronimo. The company has 2 pictures in the competition, Lawless, which it acquired last year (when it was still called The Wettest County In The World), and Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly (which also used to go by a different name, Cogan’s Trade). The timing of the Sapphires announcement is reminiscent of the Weinsteins’ pick-up of The Artist last year. TWC has a packed roster for 2012, but COO David Glasser tells me, “Last year we had a busy slate going into the market and we ended up buying. We’ll buy for this year if the picture is there, but we also have a keen eye for 2013.” Last year, TWC’s deal on The Artist came after the company already had Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master in its pocket, but that didn’t stop pick-ups of The Iron Lady and Lawless. “We’re as aggressive as the product allows us to be,” says Glasser. TWC also has August Osage County with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts and David O Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook coming up.

Related: Cannes 2012: Producers To Watch

Lionsgate: Patrick Wachsberger is looking ahead to 2014. The takeover of Summit by Lionsgate which was announced in January has had the international biz concerned the consolidation would eliminate an important supplier of product as well as an important US partner. Wachsberger tells me at Cannes he doesn’t think “we’re up to a lot and the why of it is we have something like 18 movies to release. So, frankly, we have no need for product. Of course if there’s something really great, we’ll go for it.” The ‘new’ Lionsgate also recently greenlighted a handful of movies that includes sequel RED 2, the Dirty Dancing remake and has Hunger Games follow-up Catching Fire which is finalizing deals in the remaining foreign territories. Wachsberger says that the influx of new sales companies with such a variety of product leads him to wonder where the films are going to go domestically. “There’s not that many companies. We might have great opportunities of picking up movies that we like, but buyers are going to be able to tell distributors they’re going to have to put up their own P&A. For us and the other domestic distributors it’s gonna be fantastic.” He adds that for 2014, “we definitely need product. We’re loaded for 2012 and I don’t think we have any room left for 2013, but you always find room for something great.”

Related: Cannes 2012: Directors To Watch

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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires ‘Love Is All You Need’: Cannes

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday May 16, 2012 @ 7:42am PDTTags: Sony Pictures Classics
Mike Fleming

Love Is All You NeedBREAKING: Sony Pictures Classics acquired all North American rights to the Susanne Bier-directed Love Is All You Need. SPC bought it from Scandinavian sales company TrustNordisk. The film stars Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm and Paprika … Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: Blasé Weekend For Openers; ‘Best New Marigold’ Still Strong

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday May 13, 2012 @ 10:35am PDTTags: Fox Searchlight, Magnolia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

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

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Specialty Box Office: ‘Where Do We Go Now?,’ ‘God Bless America’ And Three More

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday May 10, 2012 @ 11:24pm PDTTags: Magnolia Pictures, MPI Media Group, Roadside Attractions, Sony Pictures Classics

Debate about the role of critics and the demise of local newspapers frequently surfaces among specialty filmmakers and distributors. And for some specialized fare opening this weekend, critics definitely played a big part. Critics and audience reaction prompted Sony Classics to pick up Where Do We Go Now? after initial hesitation. And Roadside Attractions’ theatrical release Tonight You’re Mine appears to have scored some high-powered critical acclaim the distributer is hoping will give the feature a positive push. Also this weekend among specialty offerings, Magnet Releasing bows the thriller God Bless America at sister company Landmark Theatre following a VOD debut. First Run Features’ Nobody Else But You is going for straight theatrical after exhibitors scoffed at a possible VOD component and A Bag Of Hammers also joins this weekend’s limited openers. Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: ‘Marley’, ‘Darling Companion’ Lead Limited Debuts

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday April 22, 2012 @ 12:26pm PDTTags: Darling Companion, Eamonn Bowles, Magnolia Pictures, Marley, Sony Pictures Classics, Sundance Selects

Magnolia Pictures appears to have another strong documentary on its 2012 slate. The distributor bowed Kevin Macdonald’s documentary Marley at 42 locations Friday 4/20 (a coincidental date?) to impressive numbers theatrically, averaging over $6K per site and a taking a weekend gross of more than a quarter million dollars. Magnolia has also spun box office gold with doc Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, which has had a seven-week run, topping out over $1.5 million. Marley was No. 1 “in all but a handful of complexes and usually by multiples over the next highest film,” Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles told Deadline, “which is great news for expanding in the next couple of weeks. In addition, we were the number six film in all iTunes on Friday, which bodes extremely well for the digital and VOD platforms. This looks to be an extremely profitable film for us.” Marley opened as Screen Gems’ Think Like A Man became North America’s number one movie, averaging $16,377 in 2,015 theaters.

The specialty weekend’s per screen average winner, however, goes to Sony Pictures Classics’ debut of Darling Companion, which averaged $11,574 from four locations. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Darling Companion producer Anthony Bregman told Deadline that unlike his previous baby boomer films, this one had to be made as an independent film. In other openers, Sundance Selects’ Goodbye First Love bowed more modestly also at four locations, averaging $5,300, while its sister label IFC Midnight opened The Moth Diaries in two theaters, averaging a sluggish $1,200. Entertainment One’s Jesus Henry Christ launched comparatively stronger, but nevertheless mildly, with an average just over $3K at three locations. Read More »

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Sony Classics Reteams With Michael Haneke, Acquires His ‘Amour’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday April 17, 2012 @ 1:54pm PDTTags: Amour, Michael Haneke, Sony Pictures Classics

Michael Haneke AmourNEW YORK (April 17, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to Michael Haneke’s latest film AMOUR from Films Du Losange. Written and Directed by Haneke, AMOUR stars Jean-Louis Trintignant (Z, THE CONFORMIST), Emmanuelle Riva (HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR), and Isabelle Huppert (THE PIANO TEACHER, 8 WOMEN). Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, and Margaret Ménégoz produced the film with Austrian co-producer Michael Katz.

In the film, Georges (Trintignant) and Anne (Riva) are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter (Huppert), who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.

AMOUR will mark the third film between Haneke and Sony Pictures Classics. The previous titles include CACHÉ and 2009 Palme d’Or winner THE WHITE RIBBON.

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Specialty Box Office: ‘Redemption’ Manages Solid Numbers

By BRIAN BROOKS | Sunday March 25, 2012 @ 12:32pm PDTTags: IFC Films, Paladin, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Sony Pictures Classics

The weekend’s big box office news is of course Lionsgate’s monolithic Hunger Games, but new specialty rollouts managed to have the odds favor them as well, most notably Samuel Goldwyn Films’ October Baby and Sony … Read More »

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Specialty Box Office: ‘The Deep Blue Sea,’ ‘Musical Chairs,’ ‘The Raid: Redemption,’ ’4:44 Last Day On Earth’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Friday March 23, 2012 @ 7:00am PDTTags: IFC Films, Music Box Films, Paladin, Sony Pictures Classics

This weekend’s specialty offerings are comparatively light compared to last week’s openings. A few of this week’s new limited releases are forgoing the typical New York and Los Angeles showings, with Music Box’s The Deep Blue Sea … Read More »

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Woody Allen’s Newly Titled (Again) ‘To Rome With Love’ To Open June 22

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday March 19, 2012 @ 12:41pm PDTTags: Sony Pictures Classics, To Rome With Love, Woody Allen

Sony Pictures Classics Woody AllenNEW YORK (March 19, 2012) — On the heels of releasing the award-winning and commercial hit, Midnight in Paris, Sony Pictures Classics announced that on June 22 it will release Woody Allen’s latest film, the newly titled TO ROME WITH LOVE.

TO ROME WITH LOVE was a name selected as an homage to the eternal city of Rome where the film was shot on location last summer. This will be used for its worldwide release. The film’s former title, Nero Fiddled, while an appropriate and humorous phrase in the U.S., is not a familiar expression overseas and many international territories preferred a more globally understood name.

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Sony Pictures Classics Gets Sundance Pic ‘Smashed’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday March 5, 2012 @ 7:10am PSTTags: 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Smashed, Sony Pictures Classics
Mike Fleming

NEW YORK (March 5, 2012) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all worldwide rights to SMASHED. The film, directed by James Ponsoldt (OFF THE BLACK), is produced by Jonathan Schwartz (Like Crazy) and Andrea Sperling (Like Crazy) of Super Crispy Entertainment, who were honored at Sundance this year with a Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing, as well as Jennifer Cochis. The film is executive produced by Audrey and Zygi Wilf. SPC previously worked with Sperling on the 2005 feature, THE QUIET.

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Sony Classics Takes Worldwide Rights to ‘West Of Memphis’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Wednesday February 29, 2012 @ 3:52pm PSTTags: Peter Jackson, Sony Pictures Classics, Sundance Film Festival, West Of Memphis

The high-profile documentary directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) debuted at the recent Sundance Film Festival. Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson produced the film with first-time producers Damien Echols (a subject of the film) and … Read More »

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Sony Nabs U.S. Rights For ‘The Raid’ Sequel

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday February 2, 2012 @ 5:44pm PSTTags: Sony Pictures Classics, SXSW, The Raid, XYZ Films

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has pre-bought U.S., Latin American and Spanish rights to the upcoming sequel to Indonesian action feature The Raid, which won the Midnight Madness Award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Tentatively titled Berandal for … Read More »

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