T-minus 3 hours and counting...
Okay, so Miramax isn't exactly dying, but the company that we are all accustomed to is. Late last year, with Disney’s announcement that Chairman Michael Eisner was leaving and that Robert Iger would be taking over, they also announced that Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s contracts would not be renewed. From all sources this was a mutual agreement. Ever since Disney refused the Weinsteins to release Fahrenheit 911, it was pretty much set in stone that the brothers were leaving the company. Negotiations ensued, and here is the outcome:
Disney will keep the name Miramax and it’s film library (over 1,000). This has to be a tough one for Bob and Harvey, they named the company after their parents- Max and Miriam.
The Weinsteins would remain in control of Miramax until Sept 30, 2005. At which time they would only be consulted in a freelance form. Several actors, including Johnny Depp, have said that they will lobby hard for the brothers to come in and market his upcoming film The Libertine which was started by the brothers. As of press time it appears that Harvey will be working with Disney for the marketing and promotions phase of the film.
The Weinsteins will keep the Dimension Films label.
The Weinsteins will take the following films with them: The Matador, Derailed, Scary Movie 4, Breaking and Entering, Feast, The Passion of the Clerks and Sicko. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have also pledged allegeince to the brothers: Grind House, Inglorious Bastards and Sin City 2.
I for one wish Bob and Harvey the best of luck (not that they need it). They have secured almost $1 billion in startup money, so they are off to a good start. The Weinsteins revolutionized the independent film world. Granted they didn’t actually write or direct any groundbreaking films, but they made sure people saw them. I would recommend reading Down & Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind. The book chronicles the rise of Miramax Films, October Films and the Sundance Film Festival. A great, great read. Boo-yah.
posted by Nick Evert at 9:17 PM
3 Comments:
These are the guys that brought us Clerks, Swingers, Pulp Fiction, El Mariachi, Sin City and Gangs of New York, just to name a few. Quite a contribution to independent film, I'd say.
Although it's rumored that unless you're one of his Golden Boys (Tarantino or Rodriguez) Harvey can be pretty tough to work with, but you gotta admit that he (along with Bob, I suppose) played a crucial role in bringing independent film to the forefront. Hell, IceBreaker wouldn't even have a chance of getting distribution if it wasn't for Miramax's track record of distributing successful indy films.
Because of the work the Weinsteins did at Miramax, we have a legitimate shot of getting a distribution deal once our film hits the festival circuit. Still a long shot, of course, but not nearly as difficult as it would've been had Miramax not proven that quality films can exist from outside the Hollywood studio system.
Now we just gotta secure that money. And after we do, I'll be looking forward to seeing IceBreaker distributed by Dimension Films.
Agreed.
You're going to have to do better (a lot better) than "if you think war is hell, try dating". Another popular cliche is "don't quit your day job".
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