In an installment of this column last month (12/15), we promoted the first annual Downhill Derby, a soapbox derby race created to raise funds for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles. The event, which took place on Jan. 7, was a major success made possible by assorted participants from the spotmaking community.
The derby was the brainchild of Josh Canova, owner/executive producer of Detour Films, Venice, Calif. According to Canova, a little more than $44,000 was raised for The Boys and Girls Clubs, with some 1,500 people in attendance throughout the course of the day. The event even received local TV news coverage from the ABC, CBS and Fox channels.
Proceeds were raised largely through sponsorships of cars and participating in the race. Taking first place in the derby was director Jeff Zwart of @radical.media who drove under the pseudonym “The Royal Speed Bomb.” Finishing second was GARTNER and affiliated shops tight, Outsider and The Viral Factory in a car driven by Sully Carter, the 10-year-old son of GARTNER executive producer and AICP/West president Rich Carter. AICP/West was a major supporter of the event. Third place winner was a car sponsored by edit house Cutters and driven by editor Nadia Hennrich.
Garnering the best design award was @radical for its “Cuban Cigar” auto, aptly named because the driver and handler both showed up dressed like Fidel Castro and the car looked like it had smoke coming out of it as it raced downhill.
But the big winner was The Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles, with funds to be distributed to all 28 Southland clubs. The clubs provide a safe haven for kids primarily after school, enabling them to channel their energies into art and music programs as well as leadership initiatives, helping the youngsters to make better sense of where their skills and talents lie.
Canova’s assessment of the event bears repeating. As he articulated in last month’s column, “We are helping a worthy cause. We researched organizations that help under-served and underprivileged kids and found The Boys and Girls Clubs to be efficiently run with funds and resources going directly to programs that support and nurture youngsters. It’s a chance for the industry to simply give back to the community we live and work in.”
The companies who sponsored cars included: @radical.media; Bob Industries; Chelsea Pictures; Detour, Argyle Brothers; Payday/Need Financial; The Camera House; Cutters; Jigsaw; Musikvergneugen; GARTNER; Cut + Run; Machine Head; Location Creations; Zoic Studios; and Zwart (a.k.a. The Royal Speed Bomb).
Canova expects the Downhill Derby to be an annual fund-raiser. The event steering committee for the successful first go around consisted of Canova, Linda Rahn of the Boys and Girls Clubs/L.A. Alliance, Robert Yniguez, race director of the All American Soapbox Derby, AICP’s Steve Caplan, Rich Carter of GARTNER, Anne Kurtzman of davidandgoliath, Jennifer Smieja of Wieden+Kennedy, Ali Hileman of Mirror Films, Sue Crain of Argyle Brothers, Mel Mathis of The Camera House and Christie Cash of Cut+Run.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More