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 Cats
and Dogs Beat Rush Hour 2
at UK Box Office
Cats and Dogs tops the UK box office charts after grossing
£3.7 million during its opening three days, according to the Guardian.
The children's film beat out Rush Hour 2, starring Jackie Chan
and Chris Tucker, which had a record-breaking opening in the States
($67.4m) but took a £2.1 million second-place in the UK. Cats and
Dogs features animatronic and real animals, as well as the voices
of big names such as Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Alec Baldwin,
and Susan Sarandon.
Anja & Viktor
Smash Danish BO
Danish filmmaker Charlotte Sachs Bostrup's romantic comedy Anja
& Viktor has smashed local box office records over its opening
weekend, according to Screen Daily. After opening on Friday, Anja
& Viktor took in nearly $1 million with 157,305 admissions domestically,
beating the previous opening weekend record held by Disney's The
Lion King (124, 721 admissions). Anja & Victor is an independent
follow-up to Love At First Hiccough, a BO hit based on a local
bestseller, which managed only 54,639 admissions its first weekend
but went on to obtain more than 500,000.
Thai Films Boost International Sales
The international rights for Suriyothai, a royal epic film
directed and written by Thai Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol, will be
handled by Bangkok-based GMT Entertainment, according to Screen Daily.
Suriyothai, to be released domestically August 17, had a production
budget of more than $20 million (the most expensive Thai film ever
made) and is expected to break every BO record in Thailand. Suriyothai
will be released by Mongkol Films, Thailand's biggest independent
distributor and exhibitor, whose new slate of films will also be handled
by GMT. The much-needed sales company will be representing Thai as
well as other Asian films in the international marketplace at a time
when international interest and appreciation for Asian films is rapidly
growing. GMT head Gerald Dibbayawan commented, "There are some very
talented movie makers in Asia. There is a need to give them a voice
on the international stage, and that is what GMT Entertainment is
all about."
 Frank
Pierson New Academy President
The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors
elected Tuesday night Frank R. Pierson as president, per Academy News.
Pierson, Academy Award winner and past president of the Writers Guild,
has served eight years as a governor representing the writers branch
of the organization, and was the vice president of the Academy last
year. His original screenplay Dog Day Afternoon won him an
Oscar. "I accept the presidency with great humility," Pierson told
the board.
Virgin Expands in Japan
Two new Virgin Multiplex Cinemas are set to open in Japan, one in
Tokyo this December, the other in Ebina next spring, as part of an
expansion plan to reach 18 sites by 2004, according to Screen Daily.
Due to a slowing Japanese economy, the multiplex business is increasingly
competitive, particularly between Warner Mycal, UCI, local giant Toho,
and Virgin, which currently operates five multiplexes with a total
of 53 screens in Japan. Despite the summer BO successes of A.I.,
Pearl
Harbor, and Spirited Away, Japan's audience has steadily
declined after a 1998 peak with 145 million admissions. The Japanese
filmgoers typically pay the world's highest ticket price of $14 (Y1,800).
U.K. Digital Shorts get Funding
The U.K. Film Council's New Cinema Fund agreed Wednesday to launch
a U.K. digital short film initiative in conjunction with Film Four
Lab, marking the second short film funding round from the Fund in
less than a week, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The New Cinema
Fund and Film Four Lab, both which aim at supporting new talent, each
plan to invest £250,000 ($355,000) a year, to be distributed among
four major short film programs.
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