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Enjoy your Thanksgiving and the waxing of winter.
By the way, if you actually are out there reading this, drop me a line at marc at mootmagic dot com to let me know.
What does this mean for "Shrek 2," well, a place in the top ten best-selling DVD's and as much if not more revenue than the box office take (with a larger percentage of that falling into the studio's pocket). Once again illustrating for the masses the enormous contribution of DVD dollars to the bottom line, and the only thing supporting immense cost inflation in production and advertising.
In fact, this was such momentous news that it was also covered in E! Online with even a little more insight than Variety, pointing out the value this adds to market perception of the recently IPO'd Dreamworks Ani and the political implications of releasing on the same weekend Pixar's $70 million dollar opener "The Incredibles" opened (see article).
"A Very Long Engagement," Jean-Pierre Jeunet's followup to "Amélie" and also starring Audrey Tautou, opened last week in France to strong audience demand.
What is particularly interesting about this situation is observed by The Guardian:
"[The film, which] Mr Jeunet has repeatedly pointed out, is set in France, was filmed in France, is spoken in French and kept some 600 French technicians, 80 French actors and 1,500 French extras employed for more than two years."However, the production company 2003 Productions is 34% owned by Warners France, which is owned in turn by Warner Brothers. And that is why the matter sits in front of a Paris court: it is a Hollywood production in French clothing.
Frankly, the only thing it exemplifies is the French desire for "culture" over employment. And a desire to uphold the attractiveness of countries like Romania, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech, South Africa, England and Canada. Hell, go shoot in Wales and grab some local coin as well.
Well, it's both. And the media loves to paint the second picture vividly, while stroking the egos and stock prices of the public entertainment conglomerates. Although the business of media is clearly a business, that tends to be more on the distribution and marketing side of the aisle. On the creative content side, there is not always rhyme or reason as to the whims of monetary infusion.
With greater amounts of "independent" fare being produced and marketed in the States, and more higher level talent filling the roles, this is the product that foreign buyers are looking too.
Avi Lerner, co-chairman of Nu Image, a Los Angeles film sales company sums it up: "Nowadays, if the film doesn't look like it's getting a studio release in America, you are in huge trouble."
Read one of the many to cover the end of the reign of a "pioneering" woman -- there must be better adjectives out there to describe her success -- LA Times, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Of course, the most pressing question is that of musical chairs -- who steps in? -- and Variety is handicapping the horse race.