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It was not a negotiation. Rather, it was a unique opportunity to establish a relationship with one of the most successful and acclaimed filmmakers of the 21st century.
Last week, studio heads including Universal’s Donna Langley, Sony’s Tom Rothman and Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos made the trip to Christopher Nolan’s resort in the Hollywood Hills.
There, at the same location that Nolan has a full post-production facility and does his editing, executives read the filmmaker’s script for his latest project, which centers on one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, then discussed the conditions. .
By September 14, Nolan had made up his mind, and Universal now finds itself in the enviable position of distributing the next film from the man behind the multibillion-dollar turnover. Black Knight breathtaking trilogy and films including Remembrance, creation and Principle.
The process, conducted in secret at the highest levels of management, offered a glimpse into the current stage – and some might say twilight – of studio relationships with film talent and theatrical exposure, as Hollywood film companies continue to face upheaval in a number of ways.
Nolan has spent most of his filmmaking time since 2002 working with Warner Bros., which at one point built a reputation as “the filmmaker’s studio.” But times and the rise of branded intellectual property have been a game-changer (one could argue that Nolan, with his Batman films, helped him move forward), and his once rock-solid relationship with Warners has frayed. last year with the release of Principle. Nolan, who had mutual approval on release dates, and the studio fought over when to release the film, seeing it push three times before finally opening in September to poor box office and poor reviews. , the first two for the man, while other studios pushed their tentpoles in the following year. The filmmaker then took umbrage when the studio put its 2021 list in a day-to-date release strategy with HBO Max, calling it “the worst streaming service.”
Warners was at the start of discussions on the Oppenheimer movie, but it’s unclear whether its executives made it to Nolan’s Estate. Otherwise, it was definitely the closing and locking the door on a relationship spanning nearly two decades. Warners did not comment.
But when a door closes, a new window (pun intended) opens. To the surprise of several insiders, the ruling class of a company invited to make the trip was that of Apple Studios, the tech giant that is making tremendous strides in movies and series. The company has spared no expense in wooing top talent and is directing films starring Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, and Scarlett Johansson, among others. It was their chance to break through with one of the theatrical experience’s biggest proponents, and they grabbed it.
The project is supposed to be a smaller-scale feature film for Nolan, which in his case meant a production budget of around $ 100 million and equal marketing expenses, according to sources. He asked for full creative control, 20% of the first dollar gross, and a studio blackout period where the company wouldn’t release another movie three weeks before or three weeks after release. And he asked what insiders say is around a 100-day theatrical window. (Some sources said the number was 110 days, with one person saying it was 130 days.) These were, in fact, many of the terms Nolan used to take advantage of at Warners.
Paramount was out of the mix early on. The surprise executive reshuffle at the end of last week that saw Gianopulos – also a booster of the theatrical experience – leave the venerable studio to be replaced by Brian Robbins, eye on streaming award, the rejected as a candidate.
Apple was ready to engage in a theatrical window, but nowhere near what the filmmaker wanted.
Sony desperately wanted him and could point to the immense success, both commercial and critical, he had in supporting Quentin Tarantino’s ode to cinema, Once upon a time in Hollywood. The studio was a contender in the end.
Then there was Universal, whose chef Langley spent years cultivating a friendly relationship with Nolan and who had previously hosted several other brands and talents from Warner, such as Lego and Dan Lin’s Rideback label. The studio could boast a solid theatrical production, even during a pandemic, and innovative exit strategies. Its infrastructure, both in distribution and marketing, is strong right now and, just as important – unlike other companies like MGM on the verge of being swallowed up by Amazon – it is also stable.
“Universal just said ‘Yes’,” said an insider.
Universal, Sony and Apple made no comment.
There are still things to be ironed out and many questions remain. Will the studio really give Nolan a six-week blackout if, say, it wants to schedule a Despicable Me movie, the opposite definition of a historical drama, in the same month as an Oppenheimer movie? And what does the cinema landscape look like for a film that won’t be released until 2023 or 2024? Could a new paradigm exist?
Hollywood studios are operating without a net right now, as they attempt to navigate a box office suppressed thanks to the pandemic, the dominance of established brands and libraries, and executive orders to create streaming services. Talent is often secondary but still essential for drawing eyeballs, regardless of screen size. While some studios are betting on brands (Disney) and some find themselves at a crossroads, Universal is betting on the large game, stacking various DreamWorks Animation, Illumination and Fast Furious titles with singular talents, like M. Night Shyamalan, Jordan Peele and, now, Nolan.
Lesley Goldberg contributed to this report.
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