Rowley Samuel (l) and Gay Guthrey of SamuelGuthrey
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Brooklyn and Los Angeles-based production company Greenpoint Pictures has added SamuelGuthrey to its sales team, handling representation in the Midwest and Texas. SamuelGuthrey is comprised of Gay Guthrey and Rowley Samuel. Guthrey, formerly of Gay Guthrey and Associates, has been representing talent in the Midwest and Texas for more than 20 yrs. Samuel has spent 20 years in commercial and TV production, from partner in a London production company to head of production at a Chicago agency. Greenpoint Pictures’ roster of director talent includes directors Ghost + Cow, Nina Meredith, The Hudson Dusters, E.J. Mcleavey-Fisher and Renee Mao….
Costume designer Jennifer Rade has joined Innovative Artists for representation in commercials. She has worked with brands such as Apple, Crocs, Target, Adidas, and Craftsman….
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.
