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Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jun 24, 2016 11:05:51 GMT -6
variety.com/2016/film/news/matthew-mcconaughey-sea-of-trees-a24-1201803127/ Matthew McConaughey’s ‘The Sea of Trees’ Moves to A24 A24 is taking over distribution of the suicide-themed drama “The Sea of Trees” from Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate. The film, starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts, had been picked up by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate before its debut in competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film was booed at its premiere. Gus Van Sant directed the movie, in which McConaughey portrays an American who travels to Japan’s “Suicide Forest” with the intention of taking his own life after the death of his wife, played by Watts, and decides to help a Japanese man (Ken Watanabe) who is lost. Roadside Attractions had not given the film a release date. A24 took a similar step in February when it picked up U.S. rights to Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy “The Lobster,” which had been purchased by Alchemy at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Alchemy was hit by financial problems earlier this year. A24 has seen nearly $7 million in domestic grosses for “The Lobster” since its May 13 release. Ken Kao’s Waypoint Entertainment fully financed and produced “The Sea of Trees.” Producers are Kao, Gill Netter, Kevin Halloran, F. Gary Gray, Brian Dobbins and Allen Fischer. CAA and WME brokered the original deal for “The Sea of Trees” with Roadside and Lionsgate, and the move to A24.
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Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Aug 26, 2016 21:05:38 GMT -6
www.indiewire.com/2016/08/a24-gus-van-sant-the-sea-of-trees-1201720139/Why A24 Picked Up Gus Van Sant’s Critical Dud ‘The Sea of Trees’ The drama starring Matthew McConaughey hits both theaters and video-on-demand on August 26. Few films in recent history have gotten off to as rough a start as Gus Van Sant’s “The Sea of Trees.” The drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts was loudly booed following its premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it scored a 0.6 out of 4.0 on Screen’s festival jury rankings, the lowest score in 12 years. IndieWire’s chief film critic Eric Kohn called the movie a “stunning misfire” and Van Sant’s worst film. Based on a spec script from Chris Sparling (“Buried”), the movie follows a suicidal widower (McConaughey) whose plan to end his life in the forest near Mount Fuji is derailed when he encounters a Japanese businessman lost in the same woods and close to death. “The Sea of Trees’” disastrous introduction to the world last summer made it all the more surprising when leading distributor A24 acquired the domestic rights to the movie in June from its original distributors Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate, which had picked up the film days before its Cannes premiere. A24 is releasing the movie theatrically in Los Angeles and New York and simultaneously on video-on-demand on Friday. The company declined to comment for this story. Why is A24 betting on a title that earned a 20 out of 100 on Metacritic? The distributor known for its savvy marketing had been a fan of the project prior to its Cannes premiere, according to the film’s producer, Ken Kao. “They’re undaunted by what happened at Cannes,” he told IndieWire in a recent interview, adding that few companies today would get on board for a project that was virtually pronounced dead on arrival at Cannes. “It takes a specific touch to be able to rebound from that.” But there’s another possibility behind the company’s motivation: Despite the film’s critical reception, the combination of a star like McConaughey and an iconic director like Van Sant — who won Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 2003 for “Elephant” — could help A24 turn a profit from VOD rentals. Unlike box office grosses, companies don’t report VOD revenue, so the platform’s commercial potential is hard to gauge. “I myself — and I assume A24 — believe that there is a real audience for this film,” Kao said. “If at all possible I would always prefer to watch a movie on the big screen, but I’m also aware that our times are changing and clearly there is an incredible business and revenue stream coming through [VOD] now.” While the VOD market can help keep a film in the black if it doesn’t make its money back theatrically, there are no guarantees for “The Sea of Trees,” which had a reported $25 million budget. “That one may be one that they’re going to regret picking up,” said one independent film executive who asked not to be identified. “Only certain movies will work on VOD.” It’s worth noting that A24 found commercial success recently with “The Lobster,” another Cannes 2015 title the company picked up from its original distributor, Alchemy. But unlike “The Sea of Trees,” “The Lobster” garnered high praise from critics, earning a Metascore of 82. The film has grossed more than $9 million at the domestic box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Still, Kao remains hopeful that “The Sea of Trees” will outperform expectations in the hands of A24. “There’s a real human message that a lot of people respond to when they sit and watch it,” he said. “My hope is that — all the talk about box office aside — there is some type of personal enriching experience for people. At the end of the day, there are some life affirming messages in there.”
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