Author: SD

Jay Hunt, AppleTV+ European creative director, praised the US streamer for “investing literally millions and millions of pounds in British creativity” in first public speech as chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).  “When you have American investment in this country, people get anxious about what that’s going to look like,” she said, during an industry talk at the BFI London FIlm Festival.  She pointed towards AppleTV+ series including See-Saw’s Slow Horses, which the BBC turned down, and London-set thriller Criminal Record as “achingly British in terms of their tonality, and they have without exception travelled with audiences around the world. “That’s…

Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner say there is “a real opportunity” in the sub-$15m budget feature film space, but that “films need to cost less money, and they need to be bolder in that space.” Speaking in their Screen Talk at the 68th BFI London Film Festival, Bevan cited – without naming – a film Working Title has just made up in Manchester “that completely falls into that – one of the most energetic and fun movies we’ve done.” Working Title shot Alicia MacDonald’s romantic comedy CC: Emily, starring Spike Fearn and Angourie Rice, in Manchester this…

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Oct 11-13) Total gross to date Week  1. Transformers One (Paramount) £1.6m £1.6m 1  2. Joker: Folie à Deux  (Warner Bros) £1.4m £8.7m 2  3. Terrifier 3 (Signature) £1m £1m 1  4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £769,143 £23.9m 6  5. The Outrun  (Studiocanal) £359,911 £359,911 1 GBP to USD conversion rate: 1.31 Paramount animation Transformers One dethroned Joker: Folie À Deux at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, as the Warner Bros blockbuster suffered a significant 75% drop. Transformers One opened to £1.6m in 583 sites…

Steve McQueen said he prefers a collaborative style of filmmaking, saying that “being a director is not about being an arsehole”. “Once you have a situation where everyone’s together – I’ll take a good idea from anybody,” said UK filmmaker McQueen, at a Screen Talk ahead of the world premiere of his new film Blitz, opening the 68th BFI London Film Festival this evening (Wednesday, October 9). “A director is not about being an arsehole. A director is about listening and feeling and smelling and tasting…There are too many arseholes, trust me,” said the director, who did not name names. …

Ventana Sur organisers have unveiled 12 projects selected to participate in this year’s market, which for the first time is taking place in Montevideo, Uruguay from December 2-6. Nine of the chosen projects seeking additional funding and new partners for their first or second features originate from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay, and three are European with ties to Latin America. Two of the European projects bring Spanish production involvement, and one, Tropical Malaise (Malestar Tropical), represents Switzerland and participated in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum in San Sebastián last month. Five already have European co-productions, notably with France…

UPDATE: Joker: Folie à Deux earned $37m in its North American debut, considerably lower than the $40m estimate provided by Warner Bros on Sunday. Studio executives will be highly disappointed by the underwhelming number one debut given the reported $200m price tag and the box office heroics of its 2019 predecessor. Todd Phillips’ musical drama sequel earned muted reviews straight out of the gate at its world premiere in Venice one month ago and carries a D CinemaScore, the lowest for a superhero film. Even last year’s much-maligned The Marvels from Marvel Studios scored a “B” and opened on $46.1m. The R-rated…

Worldwide box office September 20-22 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l)  Cume (int’l) Territories  1.  Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros)  $43.2m  $329.8m  $17.2m  $103m  77  2.  Transformers One (Paramount)  $39m  $39m  $14m  $14m  51  3.   Speak No Evil (Universal)  $13.2m  $42.4m  $7.3m  $20.9m  78  4.   Veteran 2: I, The Executioner (various)  $8.6m  $23.8m  $8.6m  $23.8m  1  5.   Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney)  $7.3m  $1.3bn  $3.4m  $689.4m  53  6.   The Wild Robot (Universal)  $6.9m  $6.9m  $6.9m  $6.9m  8  7.   The Substance (Mubi)  $5.7m  $5.8m  $2.6m  $2.7m  31  8.  …

In a move that builds on Tom Ortenberg’s credentials as a provocative champion of contentious material, Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired US rights to Magazine Dreams – a film many thought might never see the light of day after star Jonathan Majors was convicted of domestic violence. Briarcliff plans a theatrical release for Elijah Bynum’s acclaimed drama about a troubled, aspiring bodybuilder in the first quarter of 2025. CEO Ortenberg declared on Wednesday, “Jonathan Majors’ transcendent performance as Killian Maddox will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most compelling and transformative roles in recent cinema history.” Searchlight Pictures initially acquired worldwide…

Ireland is set to receive an 8% uplift in its film tax incentive, aimed at supporting local feature films with Irish creative talent that are budgeted up to €20m (£16.7m). The 8% uplift has been introduced to address the significant challenges faced by smaller feature film projects. It is subject to European Union state aid approval. The current tax incentive allows film and TV productions to claim a 32% tax break on eligible expenditure up to €125m, providing the production company is an Irish resident or trading through an Irish branch or agency. The tax incentive applies to all eligible expenditure…

Production on the Peaky Blinders film starring Cillian Murphy is underway in the UK. Filming is set to take place at Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham and around the West Midlands, according to Steven Knight. The project is being made for Netflix, with Tom Harper directing from a screenplay by Knight, who created the original BBC series. Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby, while further cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Barry Keoghan, and Tim Roth. Knight and Murphy are producing alongside Patrick Holland and Guy Heeley. The feature is being made in association with BBC Film with executive producers including Tom Harper, David Kosse,…