Snd is set to host market premieres for Patrice Leconte’s period detective film “Maigret,” as well as high concept comedies “Employee of the Month” and “The Bodins” at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, a showcase of French content hosted this week in Paris.
“Maigret,” based on Georges Simenon’s literary masterpiece, will star Gérard Depardieu (“Cyrano de Bergerac”) as detective Maigret, who investigates the death of a young girl in 1953. During his inquiry, Maigret crosses paths with Betty, a young offender who reminds him of the dead girl. The movie will be released by Snd on April 6.
“We’ve pre-sold ‘Maigret’ across 90% of Europe, it’s really a highlight on our slate due to the strength of the franchise, director and cast – Gerard Depardieu is outstanding in this role,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Employee of the Month” will be directed by French comedian Jerome...
“Maigret,” based on Georges Simenon’s literary masterpiece, will star Gérard Depardieu (“Cyrano de Bergerac”) as detective Maigret, who investigates the death of a young girl in 1953. During his inquiry, Maigret crosses paths with Betty, a young offender who reminds him of the dead girl. The movie will be released by Snd on April 6.
“We’ve pre-sold ‘Maigret’ across 90% of Europe, it’s really a highlight on our slate due to the strength of the franchise, director and cast – Gerard Depardieu is outstanding in this role,” said Ramy Nahas, head of international sales at Snd.
“Employee of the Month” will be directed by French comedian Jerome...
- 1/10/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
While France has a deeply entrenched cinema tradition, drama series have been gaining tremendous ground within the country’s cultural landscape within the past few years, with some of the country’s biggest producers, stars and filmmakers venturing into ambitious television projects. The 3-month-old merger of UniFrance and TV France Intl., the country’s film and audiovisual promotion organizations, into a single entity is probably the best illustration of this blended world.
The growing presence of global streaming services, especially Netflix, in the TV space has played a key role in bolstering a talent drain, catapulting French stars, such as Omar Sy with the Gaumont-produced show “Lupin,” to international recognition. Although Sy broke through a decade ago with the smash hit French comedy “Intouchables,” “Lupin” allowed him to reach many more viewers around the world. Another example is Tahar Rahim, who became known around the world after starring in...
The growing presence of global streaming services, especially Netflix, in the TV space has played a key role in bolstering a talent drain, catapulting French stars, such as Omar Sy with the Gaumont-produced show “Lupin,” to international recognition. Although Sy broke through a decade ago with the smash hit French comedy “Intouchables,” “Lupin” allowed him to reach many more viewers around the world. Another example is Tahar Rahim, who became known around the world after starring in...
- 10/8/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Pathe is relocating Guillaume Canet’s live-action movie “Asterix & Obelix” to France, instead of China where it was initially planned to shoot last year, and couldn’t do so due to the pandemic. Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined the cast.
Now titled “Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom,” the movie is budgeted at 60 million Euros and marks the next installment of the blockbuster French comic book franchise. The pic is being produced by the French banners Les Enfants Terribles and Tresor Films, with Pathe co-producing and handling French distribution rights and international sales.
Pathe has already enlisted a flurry of buyers, including Netflix for several undisclosed territories, Leonine in Germany, Unicorn for CSI and Baltics, Blitz for ex Yugoslavia, Kinoswiat for Poland, and Rosebud 21 for Greece. Pathe will distribute in France and Switzerland.
The shoot will start April 12 with a stellar cast. Alongside Ibrahimovic, the cast includes Marion Cotillard,...
Now titled “Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom,” the movie is budgeted at 60 million Euros and marks the next installment of the blockbuster French comic book franchise. The pic is being produced by the French banners Les Enfants Terribles and Tresor Films, with Pathe co-producing and handling French distribution rights and international sales.
Pathe has already enlisted a flurry of buyers, including Netflix for several undisclosed territories, Leonine in Germany, Unicorn for CSI and Baltics, Blitz for ex Yugoslavia, Kinoswiat for Poland, and Rosebud 21 for Greece. Pathe will distribute in France and Switzerland.
The shoot will start April 12 with a stellar cast. Alongside Ibrahimovic, the cast includes Marion Cotillard,...
- 4/8/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Audrey Lamy and François Cluzet topline the new film by the director of Invisibles; the Odyssée Pictures production will be sold by Charades. On 5 January, Louis-Julien Petit kicked off the shoot for The Kitchen Brigade, his fifth feature, following titles such as Invisibles (1.34 million admissions in 2019 and some particularly impressive international sales), Carole Matthieu (2016) and Discount (2015). The cast includes Audrey Lamy, François Cluzet, Chantal Neuwirth (nominated for the 2004 Molière Award for Best Actress and giving some great performances on the big screen in...
The director also stars in the film, alongside Virginie Efira, Laetitia Casta, Mathieu Kassovitz, Nathalie Baye, Patrick Chesnais and Gilles Cohen. A Trésor Films production sold by Pathé. Final stretch for the shoot of Lui by Guillaume Canet, his 7th feature film as a director after Anything You Say, Tell No One, Little White Lies, Blood Ties (out of competition in Cannes in 2013), Rock’n Roll and Little White Lies 2.The cast includes the director himself (seen recently in La Belle Époque and In the Name of the Land), Belgian actress Virginie Efira (currently in French cinemas in Night Shift,...
‘Black Water: Abyss.’
Studiocanal’s road rage thriller Unhinged was the top choice again for cinemagoers in its second weekend while R&r Films’ Black Water: Abyss, director Andrew Traucki’s sequel to his 2007 cult-horror Black Water, opened on limited screens in Oz and the US.
Starved of new, wide releases, the market had to rely on holdovers as well as two French specialty films, Palace’s We’ll End Up Together and Umbrella Entertainment’s Deerskin.
The top 20 titles generated $2.1 million, 4 per cent up on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Directed by Derrick Borte and starring Russell Crowe and Caren Pistorius, Unhinged rang up $701,000 on 193 screens, easing by a mere 12 per cent, upping the total to $1.7 million.
In second spot, Roadshow’s The Secret: Dare to Dream actually lifted its takings by 15 per cent to $259,000 in its second frame on 212. Director Andy Tennant’s adaptation of Rhonda Byrne...
Studiocanal’s road rage thriller Unhinged was the top choice again for cinemagoers in its second weekend while R&r Films’ Black Water: Abyss, director Andrew Traucki’s sequel to his 2007 cult-horror Black Water, opened on limited screens in Oz and the US.
Starved of new, wide releases, the market had to rely on holdovers as well as two French specialty films, Palace’s We’ll End Up Together and Umbrella Entertainment’s Deerskin.
The top 20 titles generated $2.1 million, 4 per cent up on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Directed by Derrick Borte and starring Russell Crowe and Caren Pistorius, Unhinged rang up $701,000 on 193 screens, easing by a mere 12 per cent, upping the total to $1.7 million.
In second spot, Roadshow’s The Secret: Dare to Dream actually lifted its takings by 15 per cent to $259,000 in its second frame on 212. Director Andy Tennant’s adaptation of Rhonda Byrne...
- 8/10/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Even as Netflix and other platforms continued to gain ground, France’s theatrical box office broke a 50-year record with 213 million ticket sales, showing that movie-going and streaming can co-exist. Admissions increased by 6%, and the French B.O. clocked in at about €1.4 billion ($1.57 billion), a slight increase on 2018.
Hollywood titles ruled the roost, breaking a 10-year record by accounting for 59% of all theatrical admissions in France in 2019, with 125 million tickets sold. Disney alone took a 23.4% market share, with “The Lion King” topping the list of highest-grossing films and five other titles – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Frozen 2,” “Toy Story 4,” “Captain Marvel” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which is still in theaters – ranking in the top 10.
Overall, nine of the top 10 films came from U.S. studios. Besides the Disney tentpoles, they included Warner Bros.’ “Joker,” Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Hollywood titles ruled the roost, breaking a 10-year record by accounting for 59% of all theatrical admissions in France in 2019, with 125 million tickets sold. Disney alone took a 23.4% market share, with “The Lion King” topping the list of highest-grossing films and five other titles – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Frozen 2,” “Toy Story 4,” “Captain Marvel” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which is still in theaters – ranking in the top 10.
Overall, nine of the top 10 films came from U.S. studios. Besides the Disney tentpoles, they included Warner Bros.’ “Joker,” Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home.
- 12/31/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Producers Guild of America has revealed the graduates from their 15th annual Power of Diversity Master Workshop. 14 producers representing eleven projects in TV, film, and documentary have completed the eight-week workshop, led by PGA member Chairs Sasheen R. Artis and Matt Johnson.
The workshop, which is free and open to members and non-members of the PGA, aims to boost producers of underrepresented communities and trains them on skills that are paramount to a producer’s success, from pitching, to film financing, to distribution, with the help of an all-star roster of speakers and teachers. The Power of Diversity Master Workshop is free and open to members and non-members of the PGA.
For the duration of the Workshop, the Power of Diversity Master Workshop participants worked with 22 PGA member mentors to develop their pitch and prepare their projects for the marketplace.
The graduates from the 2019 Power of Diversity Master Workshop...
The workshop, which is free and open to members and non-members of the PGA, aims to boost producers of underrepresented communities and trains them on skills that are paramount to a producer’s success, from pitching, to film financing, to distribution, with the help of an all-star roster of speakers and teachers. The Power of Diversity Master Workshop is free and open to members and non-members of the PGA.
For the duration of the Workshop, the Power of Diversity Master Workshop participants worked with 22 PGA member mentors to develop their pitch and prepare their projects for the marketplace.
The graduates from the 2019 Power of Diversity Master Workshop...
- 8/14/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
’Vine has expressed interest in a potential stake in the capital of the company.’
Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp has confirmed French media reports on Sunday (14) that it is in talks with New York-based asset management company Vine Alternative Investments, for the latter to take a stake in the debt-ridden company.
EuropaCorp did not comment on whether talks with Pathé, first reported in late May, had stalled.
The Paris-based company put out a statement on Sunday evening in response to a report earlier in the day in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that it had dropped rescue plan talks with...
Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp has confirmed French media reports on Sunday (14) that it is in talks with New York-based asset management company Vine Alternative Investments, for the latter to take a stake in the debt-ridden company.
EuropaCorp did not comment on whether talks with Pathé, first reported in late May, had stalled.
The Paris-based company put out a statement on Sunday evening in response to a report earlier in the day in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that it had dropped rescue plan talks with...
- 7/14/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Without a marquee English-language title to boost overall performance, French films in 2018 saw a precipitous drop in overseas admissions, totaling 40M versus 2017’s 82.5M. That 52% tumble is matched by a 51% slide in receipts to 237M euros, export body Unifrance reported today in Paris.
In its findings, Unifrance said it was clear that 2018 “was a disappointing year overall, with certain films performing below forecasts.” These annual ups and downs have become somewhat commonplace owing to the production cycle and the fact that animation and French movies produced in English skew performance in particular years.
Over the past few, such films as Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, Leap! Le Petit Prince, Taken 3, The Transporter Refueled and Lucy have been the strongest earners outside the Hexagon. Many of those have in common that they hail from Luc Besson’s now beleaguered EuropaCorp, which, despite the struggles it is facing,...
In its findings, Unifrance said it was clear that 2018 “was a disappointing year overall, with certain films performing below forecasts.” These annual ups and downs have become somewhat commonplace owing to the production cycle and the fact that animation and French movies produced in English skew performance in particular years.
Over the past few, such films as Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, Leap! Le Petit Prince, Taken 3, The Transporter Refueled and Lucy have been the strongest earners outside the Hexagon. Many of those have in common that they hail from Luc Besson’s now beleaguered EuropaCorp, which, despite the struggles it is facing,...
- 1/17/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
In a year marked by civil unrest, strikes and the World Cup, France’s box office dropped by 3% to €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2018, according to Comscore France.
The number of theatrical admissions went down even further, by 4.3%, to 200.47 million tickets sold, but France remains Europe’s biggest nation of moviegoers, ahead of the U.K. (176 million tickets), Spain (92 million), Germany (90 million) and Italy (79 million), according to the Cnc, France’s National Film Board.
Several factors contributed to the decline in French cinema attendance, including heat waves, strikes, World Cup soccer – which had audiences glued to their TVs in the summer – and, more recently, the “Yellow Jackets” protests against the government, the National Exhibitors Assn. said in its analysis of the box office results.
Although Hollywood had six titles in the top 10 – “Incredibles 2,” which was No. 1, plus “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Black Panther,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald...
The number of theatrical admissions went down even further, by 4.3%, to 200.47 million tickets sold, but France remains Europe’s biggest nation of moviegoers, ahead of the U.K. (176 million tickets), Spain (92 million), Germany (90 million) and Italy (79 million), according to the Cnc, France’s National Film Board.
Several factors contributed to the decline in French cinema attendance, including heat waves, strikes, World Cup soccer – which had audiences glued to their TVs in the summer – and, more recently, the “Yellow Jackets” protests against the government, the National Exhibitors Assn. said in its analysis of the box office results.
Although Hollywood had six titles in the top 10 – “Incredibles 2,” which was No. 1, plus “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Black Panther,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald...
- 1/4/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Radical restructuring plan has yet to stem losses as content pipeline runs dry.
French filmmaker and producer Luc Besson’s embattled film company EuropaCorp has posted a $101m (€88.9m) loss for the first half of the 2018-19 financial year, as it struggles to bring debts worth some $280m (€236m) under control.
The results come on the back of a turbulent three weeks for the company and its founder, after French media reported a fresh round of sexual misconduct accusations against Besson, following those of Belgian actress Sand Van Roy, who filed a police complaint against the filmmaker in May. Besson denies all allegations.
French filmmaker and producer Luc Besson’s embattled film company EuropaCorp has posted a $101m (€88.9m) loss for the first half of the 2018-19 financial year, as it struggles to bring debts worth some $280m (€236m) under control.
The results come on the back of a turbulent three weeks for the company and its founder, after French media reported a fresh round of sexual misconduct accusations against Besson, following those of Belgian actress Sand Van Roy, who filed a police complaint against the filmmaker in May. Besson denies all allegations.
- 12/14/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp is in advanced discussions to sell its vast post-production facility, Digital Factory, to Chinese research and engineering studio Southbay, Variety has learned.
Southbay specializes in 3D conversion, VFX and post-production for film and TV, and has offices in Los Angeles and in Hangzhou and Shaoxing in China. EuropaCorp is one of Southbay’s clients, along with The Walt Disney Company, Marvel, Warner Bros., Paramount and Dreamworks, among others.
Southbay has worked on various films directed and/or produced by Besson, notably “Valerian: City of a Thousand Planets,” “Lucy,” “Transporter Refueled,” “Taken 3” and “The Warrior’s Gate.” The company’s recent credits also include “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2,” “King Arthur,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.”
The move to sell off Digital Factory comes as EuropaCorp tries to recover from a series of disappointing performances at the box office and to ease its massive debt burden,...
Southbay specializes in 3D conversion, VFX and post-production for film and TV, and has offices in Los Angeles and in Hangzhou and Shaoxing in China. EuropaCorp is one of Southbay’s clients, along with The Walt Disney Company, Marvel, Warner Bros., Paramount and Dreamworks, among others.
Southbay has worked on various films directed and/or produced by Besson, notably “Valerian: City of a Thousand Planets,” “Lucy,” “Transporter Refueled,” “Taken 3” and “The Warrior’s Gate.” The company’s recent credits also include “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2,” “King Arthur,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.”
The move to sell off Digital Factory comes as EuropaCorp tries to recover from a series of disappointing performances at the box office and to ease its massive debt burden,...
- 12/13/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Luc Besson’s financially ailing EuropaCorp has signed a distribution deal with Pathé, which will handle the French release of three EuropaCorp movies per year over the next three years.
The first two films to be released by Pathé in France under the deal are Besson’s (“Valerian”) thriller “Anna,” with Helen Mirren, and Guillaume Canet’s “Nous Finirons Ensemble,” the sequel to “Little White Lies,” which was France’s highest-grossing local film in 2010.
EuropaCorp said the two companies would collaborate on the distribution of films produced or co-produced by EuropaCorp.
Pathé is a solid partner. The company currently ranks as France’s most successful independent distribution outfit, boasting this year’s top two local movies, “The Magic Tuche” and “La ch’tite famille.”
Besson said in a statement that the company was “delighted by the agreement,” and looks forward to “sharing [its] know-how and enthousiasm with Pathé.”
EuropaCorp is folding...
The first two films to be released by Pathé in France under the deal are Besson’s (“Valerian”) thriller “Anna,” with Helen Mirren, and Guillaume Canet’s “Nous Finirons Ensemble,” the sequel to “Little White Lies,” which was France’s highest-grossing local film in 2010.
EuropaCorp said the two companies would collaborate on the distribution of films produced or co-produced by EuropaCorp.
Pathé is a solid partner. The company currently ranks as France’s most successful independent distribution outfit, boasting this year’s top two local movies, “The Magic Tuche” and “La ch’tite famille.”
Besson said in a statement that the company was “delighted by the agreement,” and looks forward to “sharing [its] know-how and enthousiasm with Pathé.”
EuropaCorp is folding...
- 12/7/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In a drastic measure to cut its overhead, Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp is about to shut down its in-house distribution business.
In the last few months, the French company has pink-slipped several key employees, including longtime executive Philippe Kaempf, head of distribution and operations. Kaempf, who’s been at EuropaCorp for more than 13 years, is expected to continue working for the company as a consultant, according to a company source.
EuropaCorp, which is listed on the Paris stock exchange, is now exploring several options such as collaborating with another company to co-distribute in France, selling its films’ French distribution rights to other banners, and working with freelance staff and consultants to market and distribute movies under the EuropaCorp banner.
The company has two films due for release in 2019, but both have been delayed as it tries to figure out a game plan. Guillaume Canet’s “Nous Finirons Ensemble” – the sequel to “Little White Lies,...
In the last few months, the French company has pink-slipped several key employees, including longtime executive Philippe Kaempf, head of distribution and operations. Kaempf, who’s been at EuropaCorp for more than 13 years, is expected to continue working for the company as a consultant, according to a company source.
EuropaCorp, which is listed on the Paris stock exchange, is now exploring several options such as collaborating with another company to co-distribute in France, selling its films’ French distribution rights to other banners, and working with freelance staff and consultants to market and distribute movies under the EuropaCorp banner.
The company has two films due for release in 2019, but both have been delayed as it tries to figure out a game plan. Guillaume Canet’s “Nous Finirons Ensemble” – the sequel to “Little White Lies,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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