Tag: Theaters

Gravitas Ventures Acquires N.A. Rights to Thriller ‘The Unseen’

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to the supernatural thriller The Unseen and will release the film June 30 in theaters and on demand.

Neurodiverse multihyphenate Jennifer A. Goodman (“Better Call Saul,” “Conrad”) wrote, starred in, and produced the film under her banner Lakefront Pictures alongside co-founder Ryan Atkins who also oversaw post-production.

Directed by Vincent Shade, the film also stars R.J. Mitte (“Breaking Bad”), Christian Stolte (“Chicago Fire”), William Mark McCullough (“The Walking Dead”), Sue Cremin (“FBI”), Candice Rose (“Stranger Things”), Kimberly Michelle Vaughn (“Empire”), Ava Bianchi and Rebekah Kennedy (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”).

In The Unseen, a law student (Mitte) finds himself losing his mind in a twisted web of murder and deceit brought on by a dark force from his past.

“As a person on the autism spectrum who has struggled throughout my life, I am honored to be able to bring this film to a large audience, supporting people whose voices may go unheard through my work and to open up peoples’ perspectives to a whole universe of creativity,” said Goodman in a statement.

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“What fascinates me in The Unseen is the corrosive nature of secrets,” said Shade in a statement. “We explore this through the tortured turmoil within our protagonist Tommy, portrayed with layered depth by RJ Mitte, and as all our characters uncover dangerous truths. I am truly honored to work with such a dedicated cast and crew, who together as a team, were able to bring that excitement to the screen.”

“Gravitas is excited to bring The Unseen to North American audiences in theaters and on Video on Demand Platforms this summer,” said Mackenzie Maguire, Gravitas Ventures acquisitions coordinator, in a statement. “R.J. Mitte delivers a thrilling performance in this exciting and captivating film, only elevated by Goodman’s fantastic script.”

Survey: More Than Half of Those 18-44 Have Subscribed to a Streaming Service to See a Specific Movie Premiere

More than half (54%) of 18 to 44 year olds said they have subscribed to a streaming service to see a specific movie that premiered on that service, according to a survey from Publisher’s Clearing House and Evan Shapiro of EShap.tv.

The survey queried 16,650 adults over 18.

When factoring in the older crowd (those over the age of 44), 40% of those surveyed said they have subscribed to a streaming service to see a specific movie premiere.

Meanwhile, less than a third of those surveyed (32%) said they prefer to see movies in theaters, with 27% saying they preferred to stream movies with no ads and more than a third (38%) preferring to stream or watch movies via premium TV with no ads.

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Meanwhile, the survey also found that only 32% those all ages in the survey said they prefer to watch movies in theaters.

Dove-Approved Family Film ‘Future TX’ Due in Theaters March 10, Via On Demand April 18 From Level 33

Level 33 Entertainment will release the Dove-approved (for 12-plus), family sci-fi adventure Future TX in theaters exclusively in Arizona, California, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia starting March 10 and via on demand April 18. 

An original high concept adventure — described as taking inspiration from the classic British sci-fi sensibility of “Doctor Who” and “Back to the Future” — taps into the question that a lot of kids have: Is my future already determined?

In the film, when a couple of tweens get their first cell phones, the phones ring at the same time. A mystery man (caller display “Future TX”) says he’s from the future and needs the kids’ help.

Future TX is written, directed and produced by Tim Clague and Danny Stack, the team known for family films and the kids’ TV series “Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?,” and features British comedy star Griff Rhys Jones, who takes on a dual role in the film, playing twins, one a crazy scientist, the other the scheming villain.

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Rounding out the cast are Doug Cockle (voice of the “Witcher” games), Nicole Faraday (Kill Kane, Top Dog), Christos Lawton (The Terror, “Downton Abbey”), Catriona Knox (“Black Mirror”), Arran Kemp and Adele Congreve.

 

Theatrical screenings are at:

Harkins Theatres Chino Hills 18  
Crossroads Entertainment Center 
3070 Chino Ave. 
Chino Hills, CA 91709

Harkins Theatres Chandler Fashion 20 
3159 W Chandler Blvd.
Chandler, AZ 85226

Marcus ARNOLD 14
1912 Richardson Road 
Arnold, MO 63010

Marcus MAJESTIC- OMAHA 19
14304 W Maple Road
Omaha, NE 68164

Marcus CROSSWOODS 17
200 Hutchinson Ave. 
Columbus, OH 43235

Rocky Top 10 Cinema 
1251 Interstate Drive
Crossville, TN 38555

Sunchase Cinema 8  
215 Sunchase Blvd.
Farmville, VA 23901

Weekend Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ Takes on ‘M3GAN,’ Lifelike Doll With Issues

Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ theatrical juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water shows little sign of diminishing appeal among moviegoers, having topped $1.5 billion in global revenue this week. The sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 original Avatar is a lock to finish atop another weekend box office — with a reported $36 million in projected ticket sales to see the virtual world of Pandora through Jan. 8.

An interesting sidebar is the under-the-radar moviegoer interest in Universal Pictures/Blumhouse’s latest smaller-budget comedy horror film M3GAN, about a murderous American Girl-type doll gone bad. Very bad. The movie quietly generated more than $2.7 million in Jan. 5 sneak previews, and is projected to sell $24 million worth of tickets over the weekend. Starring Allison Williams (Get Out!) as the aunt to a 9-year-old girl who lost her parents in a car crash, Williams is also a toy engineer by day, eager to share her Model 3 generative android doll with her grieving niece.

Let the bonding begin.

Meanwhile, box office returnees include Universal Pictures’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($8 million), Disney’s soon-to-stream Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($2.8 million), the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody ($2.4 million), and Sony Pictures’ Tom Hanks old-timer flick A Man Called Otto ($2 million).

AMC Theatres Ups Q3 Fiscal Revenue, Widens Loss

AMC Entertainment Holdings Nov. 8 reported a third-quarter (ended Sept. 30) net loss of $226.9 million, which was up slightly from a loss of $224.2 million during the prior-year period. Revenue increased 27% to $968.4 million, from $763.2 million a year ago. Through nine months of the fiscal year, revenue topped $2.9 billion, up 115% from revenue of $763.2 million a year earlier.

CEO Adam Aron attributed the muddled Q3 results to a “particularly soft” industry-wide box office in the quarter.

“But encouragingly, our overall per-patron metrics for both admissions
revenue and food and beverage spending remain well above pre-pandemic levels, growing a sizable 12.0% and 30.0%, respectively, compared to the third quarter of 2019,” Aron said in a statement.

The executive, like much of Hollywood, has high hopes for the fourth quarter theatrical releases of Disney/Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which has posted advanced ticket sales surpassing expectations, as well as Strange World and Avatar: The Way of Water, among other films.

Indeed, Black Panther advance ticket sales have reportedly topped $45 million.

As the exhibition business continues to struggle, Aron said the world’s largest chain would continue to explore incremental business opportunities, which include selling branded popcorn at retail and the recently announced Zoom Rooms at AMC, affording groups the ability to connect with other large groups across the country.

“We expect to make more business development announcements in the coming weeks and months, which along with an improving movie theater sector, positions AMC Entertainment to create value for all our stakeholders,” Aron said.

AFM Panel: Future of Indie Film Distribution Bright, But More Complicated

The future of independent film distribution is bright, but it’s more complicated than in the past, said panelists Nov. 3 at the American Film Market in Los Angeles.

Theatrical distribution of independent films has taken a hit, especially in the wake of the pandemic, but the opportunities in digital distribution are expansive if you’ve got good content, said speakers on the “Forecasting the Future for Independent Film” panel.

“It might be that the theatrical portion is less, but the overall the pie is getting bigger,” said Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the executive board of Constantin Film.

“Theatrical is going to change,” said David Fannon, EVP of distribution at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, and president of Screen Media Ventures. “Everything is changing right now. It’s going to be different. Content is going be different — where it’s going to be viewed. But you know when television first came out, that was the death knell to movies, and it wasn’t. Home video was the death knell, and it wasn’t. DVD. Digital. And it hasn’t been. The only damaging thing to movies has been COVID. And that’s the one thing none of us really could expect or plan against. And we’re trying to recover from that. Now people have gotten used to watching things in their homes. The TVs are getting much bigger. It’s changing the viewing experience. But the communal experience to watch a movie and going to a theater, that will not die. It’s still going to be a part of the fabric of our lives.”

“I think indie films will continue to be in theaters,” agreed Ashley Stern, president, Picture Perfect Federation/Federation Entertainment of America. “I think that window may shrink a bit.”

Her company is open to different distribution models, she said.

“We at our company are very open to finding the right home for every single movie,” she said.

Digital distribution, especially ad-supported streaming, has not been fully tapped globally, Fannon said.

“I think Europe and the rest of the world still haven’t really taken on the AVOD opportunity yet,” he said. “I think that’s going to be a real boon to independent filmmakers, the opportunity that AVOD presents.”

While it provides a greatly expanded platform for content, streaming requires indie filmmakers to step up content quality, panelists said.

“There’s going to be an unlimited need for content, but it’s got to be good,” Fannon said. “It’s got to be good content. I hate to say this, but I’ve been a con man for a good part of my career. I used to say, just give me good artwork and a good trailer and I’ve got a movie and I could sell it. But in this new world that’s not going to cut it so much. I need the consumer to stay. I need them to watch it and enjoy it. I need the Rotten Tomatoes score to be high. There’s a lot of other things that are going on that we didn’t have to worry about before. DVD was just, let’s get a good cover together. Put the artwork on the cover and you’re gonna rent DVDs. That’s all you needed. Give me a couple of names in the cast. It was easy. Now it’s going to be hard because you’ve really got to look for quality content.”

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The type of content is changing with streaming as well, with opportunities for longer-form, miniseries-type storytelling offering “the freedom to tell a real story, to go beyond the limits of a 90-minute movie,” he said.

“You’ve got a little more flexibility to really tell the story properly, so I think it’s an abundance of opportunity,” he said.

Panelists said data on content is still hard to get from streaming platforms.

They offer general data trends “but no specifics,” Stern said.

“They’re sharing some more data than they used to,” Moszkowicz said, but he said he thinks data is “overrated.”

“If you talk to people at the streamers and you know them one on one, they will tell you that metrics are way overrated,” he said.

Josh Duhamel Crime Drama ‘Bandit’ Available on Demand and in Theaters

The Redbox Original Film Bandit, starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert and Med Gibson, is available now in theaters and on demand from Quiver Distribution.

The crime drama is directed by Allan Ungar and written by Kraig Wenman, and is based on Robert Knuckle’s best-selling novel The Flying Bandit, the real-life story of Gilbert Galvan Jr., who lived under the name Robert Whiteman when he was dubbed the Flying Bandit in 1987.

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In the film it’s 1985, and Gilbert Galvan Jr (Duhamel), a charming career criminal, escapes from a U.S. prison in Michigan and crosses the border into Canada where he assumes the identity Robert Whiteman. After falling in love with Andrea (Elisha Cuthbert), a caring social worker he can’t provide for, he turns to robbing banks and discovers that he’s exceptionally good at it. Under the guise of a security analyst, Robert begins flying around the country robbing multiple cities in a day, eventually catching the attention of national news outlets that dub him The Flying Bandit. Addicted to the rush and money that provides his double life, Robert eventually turns to loanshark and reputed gangster Tommy Kay (Mel Gibson) for bigger opportunities. But with Robert’s notoriety growing in record time, he is put into the direct sights of a ruthless detective (Nestor Carbonell) who will stop at nothing to bring him down.

 

‘Haunted Trail’ Traveling to On Demand Sept. 27 From Level 33

The horror film Haunted Trail will be released in theaters Sept. 9 and via on demand Sept. 27 from Level 33 Entertainment.

In the film, directed by Robin Givens and Raven Magwood, a group of college friends visit a local haunted trail. After many screams and a few nervous laughs, an actual killer approaches the group. Scared out of their minds, the friends run through the trail, trying their best to get to the end without being killed. After much of the group is slaughtered, the remaining friends make a horrific discovery about who the killer really is.

The film stars comedians Desi Banks and Reggie Couz, along with Marquise C. Brown, Brook Sill, Magwood, Matt William Knowles, Anna Perdun and Grace Perdun.

 

Gravitas Ventures Nabs North American Rights to Horror Film ‘The Inhabitant’

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to distribute the horror film The Inhabitant.

Gravitas will release the film in more than 100 theaters Oct. 7. Los Angeles-based sales company Highland Film Group is handling international rights with sales being launched at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Directed by Jerren Lauder (Stay Out of the Attic) and written by Kevin Bachar, the film stars Odessa A’zion, Leslie Bibb, Dermot Mulroney and Lizze Broadway.

The film follows Tara (A’zion), who is like any other teenage girl, just surviving high school, yet her father Ben (Mulroney) and mother Emily (Bibb) seem strangely distant. Amidst a nearby spree of gruesome axe murders, Tara has sightings of terrifying entities, forcing her to question her own sanity and shocking ancestry. After a visit to her aunt in a mental asylum and a night in Lizzie Borden’s actual home, Tara realizes she is inextricably tied to the horrifying curse that has plagued her bloodline for almost a century. As victims pile up and the police close in, Tara is left with no choice but to face her own demons.

“An extraordinary cast and passionate filmmakers came together for Kevin’s chilling script and sparks flew,” producer Leone Marucci said in a statement. “Then our goal was to partner with distributors who were as excited about the film as we were. We found that in Gravitas Ventures and Highland Film Group.”

“This creative team has crafted an incredible horror movie with The Inhabitant, which is not only effective and scary, but constantly engaging and entertaining,” Brett Rogalsky, manager of acquisitions at Gravitas Ventures, said in a statement. “Movies like this are the kind that stay with you long after the credits roll.”

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“We are thrilled to be partnering with the outstanding team at Gravitas Ventures on The Inhabitant,” Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser said in a statement.

“With an overriding theme of female empowerment coupled with a thoroughly modern approach, The Inhabitant will definitely appeal to the younger generation. This is an intense horror film full of suspense and intrigue and is a great addition to our TIFF slate,” added Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier.

Well Go Picks Up North American Rights to ‘The Loneliest Boy in the World’

Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the coming-of-age horror comedy The Loneliest Boy in the World.

The film will be released in theaters Oct. 14 before landing on VOD platforms Oct. 18.

In the modern fairytale — except with zombies — when the sheltered and unsocialized Oliver is tasked with making new friends after the sudden and devastating death of his mother, he discovers that his newly acquired friends have mysteriously come to life overnight, launching them all into a series of misadventures as they try to keep their secret safe from neighbors, classmates and social workers alike. 

The film features Screen International “Star of Tomorrow” Max Harwood, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Susan Wokoma, Evan Ross, Tallulah Haddon, Hammed Animashaun, Jacob Sartorius, Ben Miller, Alex Murphy, Nicola Roberts and Ashley Benson. 
 
“I feel very privileged to bring this wonderful story to the screen, particularly alongside such an incredible cast,” director Martin Owen said in a statement. “Each actor brought their own quirky, nuanced style to the table, and it would be impossible to overstate the stylistic impact every single person made on the finished product. I am beyond excited for audiences to join in the fun of this heartfelt, wacky, zombie-infused 80s fairytale.” 

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“The Loneliest Boy in the World is imbued with dark humor and clever, macabre irony, but at its core, it is simultaneously sweet and nostalgic, a true testament to the value of friends who help you carve out your place in the world even in the midst of some really tragic circumstances,” Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO of Well Go USA, said in a statement. “The film exquisitely pulls off the sort of Burtonesque, gothic-suburbia aesthetic and charm that audiences are so hungry for every October, and the story been brought to life (so to speak) by a truly unbeatable cast.”

The Loneliest Boy in the World was written by Piers Ashworth and produced by Matt Williams, Pat Wintersgill, Piers Ashworth, Ryan Hamilton and Karl Hall. The deal was negotiated by Doris Pfardrescher on behalf of Well Go USA and the filmmakers. Voltage Pictures is handling international sales and distribution.