NOTES:All
studio-head, admin, network head, or TV producer
status has been ignored. This is based solely the
subjective opinions of the columnists, RandomFX
and MC48. There is no formula involved.
| 1.
Bishop |
| Although
his release schedule has slowed down
since the early days, Bishop is still no
slouch with 'Splinter Cell 3' opening to
a solid (for Bishop standards) $37.6
million. With 'Nada Va Con Jueves' still
coming up this month, Bishop should
continue to hold on to the top spot.
Despite this, there have been some
warning signs. Bishop has been diagnosed
with a virus lately, which has forced him
to temporarily relieve his control of
21st Century Cat. Furthermore, he has
hired a co-writer for his treasured Days
Saga in Lemmy, calling into question if
Bishop is finally slowing down. How long
will Bishop remain on the top of the
list? Only time will tell. Keep reading
The Hollywood Pit to find out. |
| 2.
Random FX |
| Fresh
off the art house hit, '24 Hours Ago,'
Random followed it up with the Film
Festival-winning independent release,
'Terminal Fear.' While underperforming a
bit in theatres, there's no denying that
the low-budget film is still pulling in
the cash. With 'Judge Dredd' unofficially
delayed, Random's next release is still
unknown, but have no doubt that he'll be
back to his sci-fi blockbuster form in no
time. Also helping cement his status is
the fact that he still has two films in
theatres making his successes, not only
formidable, but relatively recent. |
| 3.
mc48 |
| mc48
has enjoyed great critical and financial
success with his latest picture,
'Justice.' This brutal and compelling
piece once again displayed mc's great
skill as a producer, and also represented
another facet to his work (he's
previously done comedy and drama). For
the future, rumour has it, MC will be
focusing on HTGTV, but rest assured he'll
be coming back to theatres next year...
but with what, who knows. |
| 4.
Newman |
| Rocketing
up the charts with his highly-successful
'Was' is Newman. A very low-key player in
the community, Newman lets his films
speak for himself. 'Was' looks to be his
third $100 million-eclipsing film and its
a critical success, to boot. With a 'Dark
Shadows' adaptation in the works, Newman
looks to be continuing his hot streak in
the future. |
| 5.
Marty |
| With
'XO' still in theatres and inching closer
to the $100 million mark, Marty holds
relatively steady. Although his next
project is still far off in July, with
Marty's reputation, there's no doubt that
anticipation and critical expectations
will be very high, a clear testament to
the respect Marty's earned from the HTG
community. |
| 6.
Sureshot |
| Sureshot
moves down the list with his film 'For
Napoli' being unofficially delayed (it
was never officially placed on the
calendar). Despite this, his upcoming
line-up is just too big to ignore, with
the Rune films, a Sin City Bishop
collaboration, and his
long-in-development war epic, For Napoli,
in the works. One question mark with him,
however, is the status of the James Bond
franchise. With its lease running out
very soon, it has yet to be announced
whether Sureshot has the intention (or
the cash) renew it. It'll be interesting
to see where Sureshot goes from here. |
| 7.
DominatinMVP |
| Eerily
similar to Sureshot's charting fall, Dom
remains on the list despite his
much-anticipated 'Grim Fandango' being
delayed indefinitely. With his undeniable
history of hits, as well as with the
aforementioned video game adaptation and
his upcoming 'Fahrenheit 451' in the
works, Dom still has a very solid
profile. If there's one weakness in Dom's
reputation it's his tendency to delay
films. Hopefully for him, he'll keep his
projects on-track, especially with the
eager producers nipping at his heels. |
| 8.
Lucas |
| With a
plethora of delays from well-respected
producers (Random, Sureshot, Dom, Zero,
et. al.), it's a refreshing change to see
a consistently profitable and prolific
producer (other than Bishop). With two
films scheduled in the next three months,
as well as a reputation of being
reliable, have no doubt that Lucas will
be holding on (if not, rising) to his
spot on the list for quite a while. |
| 9.
Kessler |
| While
'Hellblazer' wasn't the all-out
blockbuster hit it was expected to be,
it's still making a decent haul in the
theatres and has an outside chance in
crossing the century mark. Even if it
doesn't, Kessler's first two films are
still a powerful one-two punch and he's
got 'Daredevil: The Devil You Know' up
his sleeve in January. Only time will
tell if his next film (along with his
five other 'Hellblazer' adaptations) will
solidify his status as a Power Player. |
| 10.
Marlowe |
| Make no
mistake about it, 'The Last Movie Ever
Made' is a blockbuster. With a haul of
$111 million after only five weeks,
Marlowe's pockets are only going to grow.
'Last Movie' is Marlowe's second $100
million film, after last year's holiday
hit, 'Magi.' The only two things that are
keeping Marlowe low on the list is that
he hasn't announced any future films, as
well as the fact that he hasn't received
the critical kudos most of these other
producers have. Who knows, though? Maybe
he'll have his praise once 'Last Movie'
receives some reviews. |
Notable
Mentions:
Zero
'Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy' opened BIG, but is not quite
enough to send Zero into top ten. While he has a
number of films in the works, The Hollywood Pit
refuses to buy into them until this notorious
deadline-hugger actually releases them.
Mattricks
Once again,
Mattricks finds himself on the outside looking
in. Not helping his status is his tragic
involvement in a street fight that lead to him
being stabbed. Not only does this put his
upcoming films in danger of being delayed, but
poses questions to his arthouse studio, as well.
MBroderick
Mark
Broderick produced somewhat of a surprise hit in
the fall's 'Crocodile Five.' A critical and cult
favourite, it has the distinction of being the
highest grossing art house film (although '24
Hours Ago' is poised to change that). However,
his entry into the top ten hinges on the success
on his sophomore film the yet-untitled,
mysterious comedy project. If it achieves the
same success as his debut, expect Broderick to
make his way into the list.
|
PAGE
7
|
|
NOTES:All
studio-head, admin, network head, or TV producer
status has been ignored. This is based solely the
subjective opinions of the columnists, RandomFX
and MC48. There is no formula involved.
| 1.
United Filmworks Inc. |
| This
has been a somewhat eventful week for
UFI, with the studio's co-founder,
BlackSmith, deciding to 'retire' from the
game in order to move onto bigger and
better things. The question now is, how
will MC cope? Pretty damn well, I'd
hazard a guess. Okay, so the departure of
BS has left the studio's mega-bucks
franchises, 'Indiana Jones' and '
Jurassic Park' in limbo, but I believe MC
has the savvy to maintain this studio's
dominance. He has 5 strong movies in
theatres to help boost the coffers, and
'Dreaming Large' has a weekend to itself.
Only time will tell if MC will have to
call Dr. Jones... |
| 2.
21st Century Cat Pictures |
| Finally Bryan has got this
studio going in the direction he wants
it. A mix of hard-bitten crime movies and
off-kilter comedies and resulted in 21st
CC making quiet substantial sums of money
at the theatres. In fact they have one
more than UFI in there. However, the
thing that could hold back 21st CC's rise
to the top of the pile is its next
release... or rather, how long it will
take to come out. 'Grim Fandango' could
have been the movie to do it, but
unfortunately it has been blighted by
production problems. January is an empty
month for Bryan's studio. My advice: fill
it fast. |
| 3.
Flip Brothers |
| By the
skin of their teeth. this was a hard one
to call and it relies heavily up the
success of their next movie, '2 For 1' -
a picture from a debutant producer.
However, 'Judge Dredd' is this studio's
major picture. Having been tentatively
pencilled in for a Christmas release, FB
will now have to wait until the new year
to see which direction their studio is
going... |
| 4.
Supersoul Cinematic |
| This is
a studio on the ascendancy. Sureshot may
only just be starting out, but already
he's had great success with 'Hitchhiker'
s' mammoth opening. Looking further ahead
there are very promising projects to be
found in 'Daredevil' and 'Forza Napoli,'
as well as the re-release of 'Manhattan
is My Beat.' The only way is up for this
studio. |
| 5.
Bulletproof Pictures |
| I
refuse to be doom and gloom about this
studio's prospects. Okay, so Mattrick's
has been involved in a terrible incident,
but the guy is tough and he'll be back
soon, and just in time to feed off the BO
that hits like 'Crocodile Five' and '24
Hours Ago' have reaped for him. With
plenty of movies coming out soon, expect
this studio to be battling its way up the
list in no time. |
| 6.
Miracle Pictures |
| A 100m+
making movie and still only at the bottom
of the list? It's all very well having
the money, but it's virtually meaningless
unless you have movies to re-invest it
in. Marlowe knows he should be higher up
the list and with any luck he'll actually
gamble on a few projects. A studio still
in danger of being left behind. |
COMING
SOON FROM THE FLIP BROTHERS
Ritchie
Steven Presents...
OF LOVE AND SHADOWS
|
PAGE 8
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