Home Media Magazine - November 11-17, 2007 - (Page 38) NEWS AFM Attendees Make Deals Continued from page 1 www.homemediamagazine.com Ed Baran, a Los Angeles publicist who represents several independent companies, said he didn’t come away with a negative impression of the event. It was a productive week for his clients, after all. But he did call this year’s AFM “more sedate.” “It’s the least ‘Hollywood’ it’s ever been,” Baran said. Still, for people such as Larry Brahms, head of MTI Home Video, it was old Hollywood where he found his finest gem during the show. “We actually ran into the guy who controls everything in the Roy Rogers estate,” he said. “We managed to pick up the first film where Roy and (third and final wife) Dale Evans met. … Can you imagine the synergy between them in that film?” The film, The Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), highlighted a slate of 15 movies MTI acquired during the show. Brahms said his goal was to find quality European films that saw a theatrical release. “If it takes a strong dub to get these films to market, I want to try it,” he said. MTI also was successful in snapping up: I The Belgian action-adventure film Stormforce, a military story about a maverick army diver who’s brashness puts his teammates at risk; I The Last Adam, an African-American character drama taking place in Alabama that played at the 2007 Pan African Film Festival; I The Planet, a Scottish sci-fi offering about a group of mercenaries forced to fight otherworldly forces on a desolate planet. Other companies that made a splash during AFM: I TLA Releasing acquired the rights to five films from all over the world during AFM, including Thailand’s Bangkok Love Story, France’s I Dreamt Under Water, the United Kingdom’s The Living and the Dead and Socket, and Spain’s Boystown. I Ariztical Entertainment picked up several films, including three major comedy releases, and also made several deals with the TV networks Here! and Logo. The Logo comedy Laughing Matters … The Men, the comedy Suzanne Westenhoefer: A Bottom on Top, and Kate Clinton: 25th Anniversary Tour were among the titles the company nabbed. I The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired international rights to Lionsgate’s The Punisher 2: War Zone and Crank 2: High Voltage. I Peace Arch Entertainment Group closed theatrical distribution agreements for three features and DVD and TV agreements for 18 films and one miniseries at AFM. Peace Arch also reached a DVD distribution agreement with Genius Products Inc. to release Goal II: Living the Dream, and three other films Peace Arch is releasing in theaters: Chapter 27, Delirious and Watching the Detectives. “We are very pleased to be extending our long-standing distribution relationship with Genius, whose top management and fantastic relationships with major retailers make it one of the best DVD distributors in the business,” said John Flock, president and COO of Peace Arch Entertainment Group. JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* Eastern Promises STREET DATE Dragon Wars BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) The Last Legion TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Eastern Promises 12/26 11/20 $17.3 Thriller DVD $29.98, HD DVD $39.98 , Universal. 2007. Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts. A notorious London mobster encounters an innocent woman who has discovered potential evidence against the crime family. Includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and the featurette “Marked for Life.” Dragon Wars 1/8/08 12/6 $10.9 Fantasy DVD $28.95, BD $38.95 Sony Pictures. 2007. Amanda Brooks, Jason Behr, Robert Forster. Reincarnated warriors must resurrect the Good Imoogi to fight the evil Buraki, a giant Korean serpent, whose army of lizards, flying dragons and dinosaurs threatens to destroy Los Angeles and possibly the world. The Last Legion 12/18 Now $5.9 Adventure DVD $28.95 Genius/Weinstein. 2007. Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth, Aishwarya Rai, Thomas Sangster. A warrior and a wizard lead the young heir of the Roman Empire, armed with the sword Excalibur, on a battle across Medieval Europe. Includes deleted scenes, commentary and more. Resurrecting the Champ 2/26/08 1/30/08 $3.2 Drama DVD $27.98 Fox. 2007. Josh Hartnett, Samuel L. Jackson, Kathryn Morris, Teri Hatcher, Alan Alda. A young sports reporter rescues a homeless man, only to discover he is a boxing legend who was believed dead. Includes a making-of featurette and interviews with cast and crew. Molière 1/22/08 12/20 $0.63 Comedy DVD $29.95 Sony Pictures. 2007. Romain Duris, Laura Morante. A film that explores the mysterious lost months between the famed French satirist’s disappearance after imprisonment to his triumphant return to Paris. Includes director commentary and a making-of featurette. Ira & Abby 1/29/08 1/1/08 $0.19 Comedy DVD $26.98 Magnolia. 2007. Jennifer Westfeldt, Judith Light, Jason Alexander, Fred Willard. A hastily married couple falls into a life of affairs, meddling parents and therapy. Mr. Untouchable 1/29/08 1/1/08 $0.08 Documentary DVD $26.98 Magnolia. 2007. The story of one of the most powerful drug kingpins in New York City history follows the life of Harlem’s notorious Nicky Barnes, a junkie who became a multimillionaire during the 1970s. Right at Your Door 1/29/08 1/2/08 $0.07 Thriller DVD $27.98 Lionsgate. 2006. Mary McCormack, Rory Cochrane. After multiple dirty bombs hit Los Angeles, a man is forced to lock his wife outside their home because he fears she has been contaminated. They struggle to survive the aftermath separated by walls. Raising Flagg 1/15/08 12/4 $0.004 Comedy DVD $24.95 CinemaNow to Burn CSS Continued from page 1 Cinema Libre. 2006. Alan Arkin, Lauren Holly, Barbara Dana, Glenne Headly, Austin Pendleton. An elderly handyman takes to his bed after a competition results in community ridicule. He insists he is going to die and his children are summoned to the house for the final rites. Solstice 1/1/08 11/20 DTV Horror DVD $19.95 Most major studio movie DVDs are CSS-protected. Founded in 1999, CinemaNow has content deals with more than 250 licensors, including all the major studios. CinemaNow and rival Movielink in 2006 ushered in the concept of burning Hollywood movies to DVD with separate antipiracy protections. CinemaNow used a proprietary safeguard based on fluxDVD, a German technology used for secure online distribution. Movielink uses Sonic Solutions technology. Regardless, the nascent movie download industry has been slow to generate consumer traction. Blockbuster Inc., which acquired Movielink in August, last month disclosed in a regulatory filing that the download service had lost $10.1 million in the first half of 2007 on revenue of just $1.98 million. Jim Taylor, SVP and GM of Sonic Solutions’ advanced technology group, said the deal with CinemaNow should give the online video distribution industry a shot in the arm. “We are confident that our partnership with CinemaNow will fuel the burn-to-DVD business and provide content owners with a new, valuable distribution platform,” Taylor said. In other news, CinemaNow has partnered with Samsung Electronics to begin offering downloadable content playable on the consumer electronics manufacturer’s P2 portable media player. Genius/Weinstein. 2007. Elizabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore, Amanda Seyfried, Hilarie Burton, Matt O’Leary. While on an annual trip with friends, a young girl learns terrifying secrets about her twin sister, who committed suicide months earlier. Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project 12/18 11/20 DTV Documentary DVD $26.99 Vivendi Visual/Salient. 2007. A biography of Don Rickles; comedians tell how he has influenced their work. Includes appearances by Robin Williams, Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Bob Newhart and Sarah Silverman. White Noise 2 1/8/08 12/4 DTV Thriller DVD $29.98 Universal. 2007. Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff. A man’s family is killed, and after he is saved from a suicide attempt he believes he can identify people about to die. Includes deleted scenes, a making-of featurette and the featurette “Journey Into Madness.” Dragonlance 1/15/08 12/4 DTV Animated DVD $19.99 Paramount. 2007. Voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum. A small band of heroes that includes a wizard, a priestess and a half-elf warrior fights to save the world of Krynn from the evil goddess Takhisis and her army or dragons. Barney Miller: Season Two 1/22/08 12/20 TV Comedy DVD $29.95 Sony Pictures. Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Jack Soo. The three-DVD set includes all 22 episodes from the 1975-76 season of the cop comedy, as well as two bonus minisodes: “Charlie’s Angels: Angels in Chains” and “The Facts of Life: The Growing Pains.” * In order of box office, then prebook date Home Media Magazine November 11–17, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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