Disney studio hopes 'Arthur' marks turning point
Wed 7 July, 2004 04:12
By Peter Henderson
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney is hoping Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer will ride to its rescue today by delivering a hit with his dark spin on the classic tale of "King Arthur".
The stakes for the $100 million (54.3 million pounds) film are high for Disney, which has had trouble winning box office spoils this year and is counting on Bruckheimer to work his magic again for the studio.
In a move to broaden the movie's appeal, "King Arthur" had scenes added at the end to lighten its tone, a late call that director Antoine Fuqua called a "business decision."
Fuqua said that he had planned to make an R-rated movie, but that the end result had been edited so that it could garner a PG-13 rating.
"Arthur" is also the work of Bruckheimer, one of Disney's go-to producers for major movies like "Armageddon" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", last year's $305-million box-office hit.
"The summer is always a nail-biting season for everybody and I think we feel this is very much different from anything else in the marketplace," said Nina Jacobson, president of Disney's Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group.
Overall movie ticket sales were up more than 8 percent for the industry by mid-year. But Disney had taken in just $332 million by June 27, compared with more than $400 million by May, 2003.
That was before the release last year of "Pirates" and Pixar Animation Studios' "Finding Nemo", which both cracked $300 million.
"We've been disappointed with the year we've had so far," Jacobson said, but "I do feel like we are turning the corner. We have 'Arthur,' we have 'The Village', we have "Princess Diaries 2"," Jacobson said.
LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCES
Disney's movie slate this year has been crowded with expensive films that lost money or did modest business, including two, "Hidalgo" and "The Alamo", that had been originally intended for 2003.
"They definitely need to put their mark on this summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It has been kind of an up and down year for them. All will be forgotten if 'King Arthur' does well."
And he said there was room for the movie to do well, since the movie had its own weekend to dominate the box-office between the record-setting release of "Spider-Man 2" and "I, Robot", starring Will Smith.
"Arthur" is based on what little is known, historically, about a Roman commander and cavalry leader of mixed blood named Lucius Artorius Castus, who led the native Britons against invading Saxons as the Roman Empire began to leave the region.
The movie does not feature any big name stars, relying instead on 19-year-old Keira Knightley, who last year shot to fame for mainstream U.S. audiences in Bruckheimer's "Pirates".
King Arthur is played by British actor Clive Owen, who is perhaps best known in the United States for a series of BMW car advertisements. Lancelot is another British actor, Ioan Gruffud, whose highest-profile U.S. work is in the title role of television mini-series, "Horatio Hornblower".
The movie cost Disney between $110 million and $120 million, after rebates for shooting in Britain, a person familiar with the cost said.
But financial analyst Jeff Logsdon of Harris Nesbitt said the film could count on relatively strong business overseas and that chances were it could break even by pulling in around $85 million at the domestic box office.
"Spider-Man 2" grossed $180 million in its first six days.
In terms of profitability for Disney, Logsdon said that "Arthur" could be overshadowed by cheaper movies like "The Village", by director M. Night Shyamalan due out later this year.
"I think 'The Village' is a whole lot more important than 'King Arthur'," he said.
Wed 7 July, 2004 04:12
By Peter Henderson
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney is hoping Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer will ride to its rescue today by delivering a hit with his dark spin on the classic tale of "King Arthur".
The stakes for the $100 million (54.3 million pounds) film are high for Disney, which has had trouble winning box office spoils this year and is counting on Bruckheimer to work his magic again for the studio.
In a move to broaden the movie's appeal, "King Arthur" had scenes added at the end to lighten its tone, a late call that director Antoine Fuqua called a "business decision."
Fuqua said that he had planned to make an R-rated movie, but that the end result had been edited so that it could garner a PG-13 rating.
"Arthur" is also the work of Bruckheimer, one of Disney's go-to producers for major movies like "Armageddon" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", last year's $305-million box-office hit.
"The summer is always a nail-biting season for everybody and I think we feel this is very much different from anything else in the marketplace," said Nina Jacobson, president of Disney's Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group.
Overall movie ticket sales were up more than 8 percent for the industry by mid-year. But Disney had taken in just $332 million by June 27, compared with more than $400 million by May, 2003.
That was before the release last year of "Pirates" and Pixar Animation Studios' "Finding Nemo", which both cracked $300 million.
"We've been disappointed with the year we've had so far," Jacobson said, but "I do feel like we are turning the corner. We have 'Arthur,' we have 'The Village', we have "Princess Diaries 2"," Jacobson said.
LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCES
Disney's movie slate this year has been crowded with expensive films that lost money or did modest business, including two, "Hidalgo" and "The Alamo", that had been originally intended for 2003.
"They definitely need to put their mark on this summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It has been kind of an up and down year for them. All will be forgotten if 'King Arthur' does well."
And he said there was room for the movie to do well, since the movie had its own weekend to dominate the box-office between the record-setting release of "Spider-Man 2" and "I, Robot", starring Will Smith.
"Arthur" is based on what little is known, historically, about a Roman commander and cavalry leader of mixed blood named Lucius Artorius Castus, who led the native Britons against invading Saxons as the Roman Empire began to leave the region.
The movie does not feature any big name stars, relying instead on 19-year-old Keira Knightley, who last year shot to fame for mainstream U.S. audiences in Bruckheimer's "Pirates".
King Arthur is played by British actor Clive Owen, who is perhaps best known in the United States for a series of BMW car advertisements. Lancelot is another British actor, Ioan Gruffud, whose highest-profile U.S. work is in the title role of television mini-series, "Horatio Hornblower".
The movie cost Disney between $110 million and $120 million, after rebates for shooting in Britain, a person familiar with the cost said.
But financial analyst Jeff Logsdon of Harris Nesbitt said the film could count on relatively strong business overseas and that chances were it could break even by pulling in around $85 million at the domestic box office.
"Spider-Man 2" grossed $180 million in its first six days.
In terms of profitability for Disney, Logsdon said that "Arthur" could be overshadowed by cheaper movies like "The Village", by director M. Night Shyamalan due out later this year.
"I think 'The Village' is a whole lot more important than 'King Arthur'," he said.
