EXCLUSIVE: Derval Whelan, who previously worked at Searchlight Pictures for 14 years until 2021, is returning to the Disney specialty label as their Head of Distribution. She takes over for former Head of Distribution Frank Rodriguez, who Deadline told you departed for Amazon MGM to be their General Sales Manager. Whelan will be responsible for
Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures’ The Banshees Of Inisherin opened to an estimated $181,000 and a raring per screen average of $45,250, beating Tár’s impressive $40,000. Both opened in four locations and now rank no. 2 and no. 3 for an indie per-theater gross this year after A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. That film’s in a class
Brett Morgen’s kaleidoscopic ode to David Bowie landed at no 10 in North America this weekend, singing up $1.225 million on 170 screens – exclusively Imax (159 U.S. locations, 11 in Canada). The $7,207 PSA for the Neon distributed Moonage Daydream – expanding to about 600 screens next week — was the best of the
A steady flow of specialty films starts this weekend with the return of a key player to cinemas and a broader arthouse slate that will expand steadily into awards season. This is still a weird theatrical landscape but independent distributors and theater owners have agreed for months that there’s no recovery without a brisker pace
EXCLUSIVE: New York-based Bleecker Street has hired Derval Whelan as its new President of Distribution. She replaces Jack Foley, who exited his post at President of Distribution last year. A highly respected industry vet in exhibition and distribution circles, Foley was at Bleecker Street since its launch and worked with CEO Andrew Karpen for several
Searchlight Pictures, ever the believer in theatrical, has dated four releases for 2021. Their Sundance horror pickup The Night House will turn its lights on July 16. The David Bruckner directed titles which Searchlight shelled out a reported $12M for last January follows a widow (Rebecca Hall) who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband’s disturbing secrets.
As theaters shutter and big studio films postpone wide theatrical releases, indie and arthouse films are trying their best to navigate the waters of the coronavirus outbreak. Like big banner titles, many indie films that were set to release this weekend are opting to delay their debuts, while a handful are opting for a digital