Maggie Klein and Diana Mandelare of Maggie Klein & Company, New York, will handle East Coast sales for Schofield Films, New York….Peter Ziegler of Ziegler Management Group, New York, is now handling East Coast sales for Bruce Dowad Associates, Los Angeles….Chicago-based Marguerite Juliusson has been named Midwest spot rep for director Scott Gillen of Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart. Dawn Rao continues to handle the Midwest for the rest of A Band Apart’s directorial roster….Santa Monica-based Union Editorial has signed Lori Benson and Rich Schafler of Benson/Schafler Artists Management, New York, for representation on the East Coast….Bicoastal Tröllback & Company has retained Stacey & Company, Santa Monica, for West Coast and Texas representation….Orlando Management, Sherman Oaks, Calif., has signed production designer Bryan Jones for exclusive representation….Production designer Gideon Ponte has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA), Beverly Hills, Calif., for representation in commercials, features and music videos….Dave Anderson has joined Fletcher, Chicago, as sales business manager, heading up the company’s Sony Broadcast sales. He will oversee all national high-end HD camera and accessory sales coordinating through Fletcher’s Chicago facility, as well as its agents in Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Portland, Ore.; and Miami….
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff... Read More