The_Hollywood_Reporter__February_07_2018

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WHAT’S AT STAKE IN CATCHING OSCAR Forget about the talent: It’s the execs running the specialty labels who’ll really be sweating this year at the Dolby Theatre By Stephen Galloway and Gregg Kilday The Oscars won’t just determine the future of individual winners and losers this year. They could also have a real impact on the future of specialty-film distributors. After stealing the luster from studios when it comes to the awards, they’re now fighting for their lives in a radically changing media landscape, with streaming giants Netflix and Amazon threatening to gobble up the talent they’ve relied on to make a splash in awards season. Such studio subsidiaries as Fox Searchlight, Universal’s Focus Features and Sony Pictures Classics were set up in the 1990s with three goals: (1) develop the kind of filmmakers who could then be assigned bigger-budget films; (2) win back some of the box-office gold that had been siphoned away by indie challengers like Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax Films, which defined the game in the ’90s; and (3) add a touch of class to an otherwise crass business. None of these factors matters much today. With directors like Colin Trevorrow going straight from shoestring releases (Safety Not Guaranteed) to blockbusters (Jurassic World), the specialty divisions no longer function as breeding grounds for filmmakers; with corporations such as Disney aiming bigger and bigger in terms of theme parks and merchandising, as well as box office, there’s little need for the paltry sums most Oscar winners bring; and with the studios led by corporate players increasingly removed from the day-to-day filmmaking process, Oscar’s sheen has become all but irrelevant to the bottom line. Under pressure for their survival, the specialty labels need every bit of help they can get, and so do their art house rivals. Each is playing for high stakes: FOX SEARCHLIGHT With the two frontrunners for best picture (The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Searchlight, led by longtime heads Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley, has proved its uncanny eye for promising material. But will that matter once Disney absorbs Fox? In terms of box office, no. Shape has earned $55 million worldwide and Billboards $75 million, but those hits have to be balanced against such flops as Battle of the Sexes, with its $12.6 million to date. On the other hand, Disney’s planned streaming service will need high-visibility content, and Oscar wins (along with the box-office boost they bring) could provide a healthy rationale for not just retaining Searchlight but bolstering its resources. FOCUS FEATURES Two years ago, after experimenting with genre movies with middling success, Focus underwent a course correction under then-new chairman Peter Kujawski, who promised to return Focus to its prestigelabel roots. It bounced back this season with Darkest Hour ($46.4 million at the domestic box office, more than $100 million overall). An Oscar for Gary Oldman could add further lucre and counterbalance the financial disappointment of The Beguiled and The Book of Henry. SONY PICTURES CLASSICS Amid the ups and downs of their rivals, the veteran duo of Tom Bernard and Michael Barker has maintained a remarkably consistent course, relying on shrewd acquisitions rather than sinking money in pricey productions. They enter the Oscars with six nominations: four for Call Me by Your Name and two for foreign-language nominees Loveless and A Fantastic Woman. With parent Sony Pictures Entertainment looking like a prime target for acquisition by an internet giant, especially after Kaz Hirai’s departure as CEO, they’ll need to prove that their modest returns have added dividends. ANNAPURNA Megan Ellison’s stand-alone indie, which has gone from financing films to distributing them, had a box-office dud in Detroit (a non-contender this awards season). But even though it declined to finance Phantom Thread itself, it produced the film for Focus. Should the movie prove an unlikely best picture or best actor winner, that would burnish the credentials of the self-financed company and perhaps help it lure still more A-list talent away from burgeoning Amazon and Netflix. A24 Post-Moonlight, the producer-distributor, founded by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges, is seeking to maintain momentum as the hippest indie label around with awards for Lady Bird. It might need them given that The Florida Project was shut out of the best picture race and The Disaster Artist’s James Franco was snubbed amid an avalanche of allegations about his past. NEON Launched early last year by Tom Quinn and Tim League, the company is eager to prove itself as the hot new kid on the block and, along with 30West, is betting on I, Tonya, which has earned more than $20 million and multiple awards for Allison Janney. Having gone on an acquisition spree at Sundance — its $10 million buy of Assassination Nation was the fest’s biggest deal — Neon could do with an Oscar victory to prove it’s in the same class as its more established rivals. Illustration by Læmeur THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 44 FEBRUARY 7, 2018
CREATE WITH CANADA. LET’S MAKE SOMETHING BIG TOGETHER Creating with Canada means bringing your big ideas to life while benefitting from some of the most innovative professional resources in the world. RECENT COPRODUCTIONS WITH CANADA The Death and Life of John F. Donovan Xavier Dolan Canada / United Kingdom Credit: Shayne Laverdière OSCAR ® NOMINEE FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM The Breadwinner Nora Twomey Canada/Ireland/Luxemburg Developed and written in Canada. Produced by Aircraft Productions. Screenplay by Anita Doron Screen story by Deborah Ellis, based on her award-winning book. Ballerina Eric Summer/ Eric Warin Canada / France The Hummingbird Project Kim Nguyen Canada / Belgium Credit: Sébastien Raymond SEE BIG. Discover coproductions in development and meet your next partner! RDVCANADA.CA
Page 1 and 2: February 7, 2018 Oscars IN THE HOME
Page 3 and 4: EMBRACE STRENGTH
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Page 7 and 8: CONGRATULATIONS TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
Page 10 and 11: Matthew Belloni EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Page 12 and 13: Lynne Segall EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDE
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Page 17 and 18: ACADEMY AWARD ® INCLUDING NOMINATI
Page 20: The Report Behind the Headlines Box
Page 23 and 24: FOX SEARCHLIGHT WARMLY CONGRATULATE
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Page 47: CANADA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. Rendezvo
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Page 57 and 58: PROMOTION The Academy Awards is ent
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Page 63 and 64: 1 WOOSTER: NANCY CAMPBELL/COURTESY
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Page 67 and 68: The Best Veggie Bowls in Berlin The
Page 69 and 70: THE DOOMED HOLLYWOOD He’s a burno
Page 71 and 72: hugging me, telling me how much he
Page 73 and 74: as she told stories of domestic abu
Page 75 and 76: The Breadwinner 1 I n creating Parv
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Page 79 and 80: PANTHER: COURTESY OF MARVEL STUDIOS
Page 81 and 82: Backlot Innovators, Events, Honors
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Page 87 and 88: PROMOTION TODAY IN ENTERTAINMENT NE
Page 89 and 90: PROMOTION THE SUNDANCE TV ORIGINAL

The_Hollywood_Reporter__February_07_2018

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