Banijay has paused all activity in Russia until further notice. The global producer/distributor has “long historically had deals in-place across Russia,” according to a statement this morning, and it runs a production company in the nation: WeiT Media, which was established in 2009. Weit produces a Russian/Estonian version of The Bridge and the likes of Survivor, Wife
Distribution
Disney’s 20th Century Studios Kenneth Branagh movie Death on the Nile saw $1.1M in both Wednesday and Thursday previews, while Universal’s Jennifer Lopez-Owen Wilson romantic comedy posted $525K just from Thursday night shows. Marry Me, which also made itself available on Peacock last night as the third Universal dynamic release with its sister streaming service, was in play
BritBox Tells Story Of Modern British Cinema BritBox has commissioned a documentary telling the story of modern British cinema through exclusive interviews with some of the UK’s biggest filmmakers, produced by Jon Spira and Hank Starss’ Canal Cat Films – the duo’s fifth collaboration. Narrated by comedian Nick Helm, Reel Britannia will feature the likes of
Banijay Benelux Unveils SimpelZodiak MD Banijay Benelux has signed up Justine Huffmeijer as Managing Director of SimpelZodiak, which produces local versions of superbrands Hunted and Temptation Island. Reporting to Banijay Benelux CEO Peter Lubbers, Huffmeijer, who has previously worked for Benelux network RTL, where she also oversaw Temptation Island, will lead on the business operations and creative pipeline
Mediawan takes ‘For The Record’ rights EXCLUSIVE: Canadian distributor Mediawan has taken worldwide distribution and European/LatAm format rights for For The Record, CBC Gem’s shortform comedy from Suits actor Julian De Zotti. Mediawan will take the comedy, which stars De Zotti alongside The Expanses’ Anna Hopkins, on the road following this week’s Mipcom. The show had its international premiere
What does the international box office and cinema landscape look like in an emerging post-pandemic world? That was the gist of an executive roundtable at CineEurope in Barcelona today. Among the key takeaways: the relationship between exhibition and distribution and a need for more collaboration in terms of reaching consumers. With so much content available
UPDATED with NBCUniversal statement. NBCUniversal and YouTube TV have renewed their carriage deal, averting a potential blackout. In a statement, NBCU said it didn’t want to “involve our fans” in a carriage battle, but felt “obligated” to warn them about the looming impasse last week. “We are thrilled to have reached a deal with YouTube
NBCUniversal is warning the more than 3 million subscribers to Google’s streaming bundle YouTube TV that 14 of its networks are just “days away” from going dark. The media company did not specify a deadline, but said the impasse is imminent. Programming like fall primetime premieres and NFL football is at risk, NBCU noted. “NBCUniversal
Here’s something no one saw coming at CinemaCon, unless you could decipher the three-hour block Sony reserved for its presentation: The studio surprised those who braved the mid-pandemic Las Vegas confab tonight with a screening of Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The pic hits theaters on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. In the follow-up to the classic 1984
Sony, which was last seen at CinemaCon in 2018, brought the confab back to post(ish)-pandemic life today. Its President of the Motion Picture Group, Josh Greenstein, took center stage and reiterated the Culver City lot’s “commitment to protecting and preserving the theatrical window.” That drew a great roar from the Caesar’s Palace Colosseum crowd. Despite
The Delta Variant, streaming wars and surging piracy loom large as CinemaCon launches Sunday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the first in-person gathering of theaters owners and Hollywood studios since the pandemic struck 18-months ago. The virus has slashed registered attendees to circa 2,000 from 3,500 pre-pandemic, with a sizeable European contingent entirely shut
EXCLUSIVE: Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, the world’s second-biggest exhibition circuit and owner of Regal Cinemas, says he’s satisfied with this past weekend’s $80M domestic theatrical box office opening for Disney/Marvel’s Black Widow. But he also tells Deadline he remains “convinced” that with an exclusive theatrical window, “we could have brought in maybe $110M, maybe
It’s thrilling to watch Lionsgate make a run at the box office top spot with The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, a grown-up comedy. Not a kiddie fantasy, like Peter Rabbit 2 or Cruella. Not a Covid-era placeholder, like The War With Grandpa, or a streaming event, like Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. But a rough, raucous, R-rated action
On Wednesday morning, studio executives and exhibitors will rally at AMC’s Century City 15 multiplex to cheer the return of movie theaters that had been closed by the pandemic. “The Big Screen Is Back,” they’ll declare. Glad to hear it. That’s great, as far as it goes. But those movers and shakers should probably charter
EXCLUSIVE: Universal executive Xavier Albert, who has been Managing Director for France since 2016, is taking on a dual-market role with the studio and will also become Managing Director for Italy. Albert will take over the MD Italy post from Richard Borg who is retiring in July after 30 years with the Universal Pictures International
Lionsgate has slated Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar for a February 12 release on premium video on demand, the latest concession to a theatrical marketplace upended by Covid-19. The comedy, which was set up nearly two years ago, had originally eyed a 2020 release. It pairs Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who
It was supposed to be a year when the playing field became even. After losing to Disney for four years in a row, with the Burbank studio setting an industry record in 2019 of $13.2 billion global box office, a new major studio was set to become the domestic king. “I think 2020 is going