Sara Iversen has joined Alkemy X’s NY team as VP of business development. She formerly served as head of sales/EP at BANG Music + Audio Post. Alkemy X is a creative content company offering strategy, ideation, live action, branded content, design, high-end VFX, and post services. The teams at Alkemy, with offices in Philadelphia and NYC, work cross-discipline in commercials, network creative, integrated marketing, social/digital series, longform TV, and features….ICM Partners is now representing cinematographer Ryan Carmody for commercials and feature films exclusively….DP Philippe Rousselot has wrapped principal photography on the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for director David Yates and is now available for commercial work via Marie Perry and Pattie Sueoka at The Gersh Agency…..DP Noah Greenberg, whose credits include director Robert D. Siegel’s Cruise, has signed with Dattner Dispoto and Associates (DDA) for representation as have editor Andrew Dickler (Netflix’s Mascots) and line producer Michael D. Jones (Cabin Fever from IFC Midnight)….DDA has also booked DP Maryse Alberti to lens the David Frankel-directed feature Collateral Beauty (New Line Cinema), DP Jon Joffin on the Syfy network TV show Aftermath, production designer Jason Fijal on the Adult Swim show Dream Corp., editor David Leonard on the AMC series Broke (Lionsgate TV), costume designer Caroline Cranstoun on the TV Land show Impastor, and costume designer Mary Claire Hannan on the feature The Etruscan Smile (directors Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun)…..iZotope, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.-based makers of tools for audio production, has added John Bigay as chief marketing officer. Bigay will lead the strategic development and execution of global marketing, e-commerce, and education initiatives to accelerate company growth….
“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