Gibson Talks With U.S. Film Distributor (it's a done deal!)

Yahoo News ^ | October 22nd, 2003 | ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer

[kstewskis]

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson (news) is negotiating with Newmarket Films to distribute his embattled Biblical epic "The Passion of Christ" in the United States.

Gibson's company, Icon Productions, will retain all rights to the film but will pay a percentage of the earnings to Newmarket in exchange for domestic distribution, the trade newspaper Variety reported Wednesday, adding that he will distribute the film himself in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Variety reported that the pact with Newmarket was a done deal, but Gibson's spokesman, Alan Nierob, said that was premature and declined further comment. Newmarket officials also refused to comment.

Larger studios have more publicity resources and access to the largest and best theaters, but Newmarket specializes in promoting complex tales and smaller, personal movies, such as "Memento" and "Real Women Have Curves," in art-house theaters and smaller chains.

Last week, Gibson announced he had changed the name from the original — "The Passion" — because that title was claimed by another movie in the works, a historical romantic fantasy adapted from Jeanette Winterson's novel.

Gibson's film has drawn complaints from Jewish leaders, who say it suggests Jews were responsible for Christ's death. Conservative Catholics who have seen the film have called it a powerful rendering of the hours leading up to Christ's Crucifixion.

The film stars Jim Caviezel (news) as Christ and Monica Bellucci (news) as Mary Magdalene, and the dialogue is in Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic with English subtitles.

[kstewskis]

According to today's Variety this is a done deal!

Share THE PASSION during the holy season of Lenten renewal

This is a ping list for those who wish to share in viewing Mel Gibson's film, The Passion, while observing the traditions of Lent together.

If you want on or off this list, please FReepmail Northern Yankee

If you want to see what areas and countries are supporting the film, and how you can support and promote The Passion of Christ (the official title) to show at a theater near you, please visit this link: Support The Passion of Christ

[kstewskis]

Share THE PASSION during the holy season of Lenten renewal

This is a ping list for those who wish to share in viewing Mel Gibson's film, The Passion, while observing the traditions of Lent together.

If you want on or off this list, please FReepmail Northern Yankee

If you want to see what areas and countries are supporting the film, and how you can support and promote The Passion of Christ (the official title) to show at a theater near you, please visit this link: Support The Passion of Christ

[Psalm118]

How to brutally kill a worthwhile project dead-dead-dead.

Distribution is EVERYTHING in the movie business, and this must be a death blow, at least it seems to me.

Hope I'm wrong.

---

The fool spoken of in Proverb 27:22 (see tagline) is a person devoid of moral principle, or also a scoffer, and even a "destroyer".

He loves his "SELF" and hence he marries his particular folly SO intensely that there's no way to separate his soul from it, not even with a five-iron or a pestle, as a worthy poster privately pointed out.

[ambrose]

Looking forward to it.

Gibson is better off that a big studio isn't distributing... the price would have been too steep (control over the film).

[kstewskis]

Distribution is EVERYTHING in the movie business, and this must be a death blow, at least it seems to me.

Typically it is. But, as the evolution and progression that this whole story has gone through so far...we can always say that God continues to move in mysterious ways....The Holy Spirit sure has been present so far in the making of this film....perhaps He will continue to work through the distribution?

Let's hope so!

[ex-Texan]

*BUMP* !

[chicagolady]

Here is a God doesn't need and help distributing His film BUMP!

[bellas_sister]

Can you add me to your ping list...

Thanx

[kstewskis]

Can you add me to your ping list... Thanx

you got it! ;)

[chicagolady]

PING ME PLEASE!

[kstewskis]

you're in too! :)

[Psalm118]

My concern, beyond the distribution angle, is: if the movie gets released early in '04 I'll be in Malaysia, a country just possibly not too eager to show such a film in the first place.

We already planned a trip to NZ to see wife's nephew, but if the distributor has little or no reach over there, then the only thing left will be a DVD release, I guess.

But I'm on board wrt this entire matter best being left to Holy Providence.

[Psalm118]

"Here is a God doesn't need and help distributing His film"

Okay, too. Except maybe for some errors which I understand are in the film.

One being nails positioning. Hands is definitely _NOT IT_

...WRISTS ARE.

But it may all be minutia if the force of the presentation is to be found elsewhere.

[Dajjal]

God bless Mel and this film.

[kstewskis]

My concern, beyond the distribution angle, is: if the movie gets released early in '04 I'll be in Malaysia, a country just possibly not too eager to show such a film in the first place.

How long will you be there? Hopefully we can pray that this movie stays in theaters throughout the Lenten Season, all the way through Pentacost.

We already planned a trip to NZ to see wife's nephew, but if the distributor has little or no reach over there, then the only thing left will be a DVD release, I guess.

I'm almost certain Icon will be distributing the movie in Australia, and quite possibly NZ...I know they are handling much the overseas distribution (Australia included)...

Check out the link in my initial post, re: Support The Passion of Christ

Although I haven't checked in a couple of days, cruise the site a bit, NZ might be a possibility.

[Mustang]

Wrists....and through the heels. Crucifixion was an excruciating means of death. In order to take the pressure off one's chest to breath, the slowly dying person would attempt to stand on the spikes driven through the heels.

How devasting it must have been.

[AmericaUnited]

How to brutally kill a worthwhile project dead-dead-dead.

You really don't get it. This is going to be an incredible blockbuster. A fool is also someone who has no vision and no faith in God. Do you think this was Mel's idea or God's inspiration? If from God, do you think it will be "dead-dead-dead" ? Answer: No-No-No

[.30Carbine]

Mel Gibson's Passion has a distributor.

[Robert Drobot]

Mel Gibson's Passion has a distributor....it's the Holy Trinity.