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News briefs: F/X picks up Trek, Dead deal closed, Terminator DVD
F/X has picked up TV rights to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek in what's said to be a standard four-year movie license under which the network will pay Paramount as much as $24 million for the film, Variety reported.
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Submarine has closed deals worldwide for I Sell the Dead, the 2009 Slamdance Award-winning horror film directed by Glenn McQuaid and starring Larry Fessenden, Dominic Monaghan, Ron Perlman and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm, Alias); in the movie, 18th-century justice finally catches up with two of the craftiest grave robbers in town, who tell a priest about their outlandish adventures.
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C.H.U.D., citing anonymous sources, reports that a battle is brewing to hire a director for the Conan reboot: Nu-Image/Millennium favors V for Vendetta's James McTeigue, while Lionsgate favors Brotherhood of the Wolf's Christophe Gans or Descent's Neil Marshall.
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Paramount has finally settled on June 5 as its Mexican release date for Star Trek, in the latest flu-driven reshuffle of the summer calendar, Variety reported.
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Michael Madsen, Rachel Hunter and Jennifer Tisdale are starring in Nictophobia, a horror thriller being directed by Doug Elford-Argent and produced by David Frank Fletcher Jr., according to The Hollywood Reporter; the story follows a murderer (Madsen) who terrorizes a trio of people who, in real-estate parlance, flip properties.
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Terminator Salvation director McG told Collider.com that the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release will have around half an hour to 40 minutes of deleted scenes, including ones of John Connor (Christian Bale) giving Sarah Connor-esque speeches, Moon Bloodgood topless and an alternate ending.
By Thomas at 9:18 AM ON 05/12/09
Between opening weekend and the F/X deal, looks as though Trek is only another good weekend away from break-even. After that it's pure gravy.
By Captain Zacary R Wildstar Captain SSD Dexterous at 6:31 PM ON 05/13/09
any good doctor will tell you gravy isn't good for you.
By bigb2977 at 6:06 AM ON 05/14/09
so i wonder what this means a new series i hope mabey, mabey not ?
By Son of a Maui Portagee at 10:35 PM ON 05/14/09
bigb2977,
Too early to tell.
Abrams had a budget of $140 million but there were cost overruns that forced him to abandon filming in Iceland and building an engine room set. Let's say it cost $150 million. Then Paramount wanted to goose the world-wide take so they invested another $150 million in world-wide promotion.
That means it will have to best $300 million to be considered a success by Paramount. Sci Fi Wire's quoted a source that the take'll be only $200 million.
Of course merchandising and disc sales could lead the way out to a profit. But generally disc sales are tanking.
So far it hasn't bested WOLVERINE'S take. Paramount wanted this Trek to be their wholly owned IRON MAN but it's failed to track those MARVELous numbers even with Trek's slightly inflated raw ticket price numbers uncorrected.
Clearly Paramount bumped the 2008 release date because they thought they had a potential Summer blockbuster. It is going where no trek has gone before but it may have been over-estimated.
If the merchandising is cleaver enough they'll definitely break even. But it's a fair estimate that it'll take another $150 million for the XII sequel to be made.
Les at CBS hates Trek so probably no tv series there. The CW can't even afford a successful comedy like REAPER so I doubt there. NBC would probably like a chance to reclaim some lost Trek gravy but with Leno on M-F where would they put it?
That leaves ABC and FOX.
This weekend will be the key. If it surpasses WOLVERINE'S last weekend take then it may have legs to make it to the profit finish line,
Counter indicators:
1. Usually if a movie is regarded as a blockbuster by its studio, said studio will pull the saturation tv ads and let it coast on its own word-of-mouth steam. I'm still seeing tv ads.
2. Trek news coverage by Sci Fi Wire, itself, has lost luster and Trek stories no longer make its web site's "front page".
By Son of a Maui Portagee at 9:12 PM ON 05/16/09
ANGELS bested TREK at the B.O.
There's probably not enough future summer B.O. pie to divy up enough for this Trek to make back its nut - Oh Oh.
And Hanks' movie is definitely going to play better overseas too.
The law of diminishing returns has already begun and it's only going to get worse each new weekend when new releases shave off more of Trek's potential B.O.
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Son of a Maui Portagee:
ANGELS bested TREK at the B.O. There's probably not enough future summer B.O. pie to divy up enough for this Trek...More »