Mission possible: Reviving movie studio [Misleading Headline Alert]

Associated Press ^ | November 26, 2007 | Gary Gentile

[Zakeet]

LOS ANGELES - For a studio with a hallowed past, the star power of Tom Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner at the helm, and a $500 million bankroll, United Artists seemed supercharged for a comeback.

But the studio is off to a shaky start.

Its first film, the somber political tale "Lions for Lambs" from director Robert Redford and starring Cruise, Redford and Meryl Streep, opened poorly at the box office and may not recoup its $35 million investment.

Its third film, the Vietnam war story "Pinkville," from director Oliver Stone, has been delayed because of the current strike by TV and film writers.

That leaves a lot riding on next June's "Valkyrie," a Bryan Singer film starring Cruise as a Nazi officer involved in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

"The first film won't make or break them," said Harold Vogel, author of "Entertainment Industry Economics." "The success of a studio is dependent on a portfolio of films, not just one."

So far, no one is calling the new United Artists a flop. Cruise and Wagner, one of Hollywood's most successful producing teams, still have time to prove whether they can replicate that success as heads of their own studio.

The pair are also trying to prove that a lean studio operation run by artists and not tied to a media conglomerate can still make it in today's competitive marketplace.

[Zakeet]

This article contains quite a bit of good material describing the problems with the liberal Hollywierd mind. For example:

Wagner said the company took a modest financial risk with Lions for Lambs but "the symbolic benefits were invaluable."

The film is losing at the box office, but according to Wagner, "This is the perfect first film for United Artists ... it was never expected to be a blockbuster or reign at the box office ... it challenged moviegoers with an unusual structure and subject matter ... I think it has the potential to be an important film."

Or in other words, the loons are out to make a political statement to further their warped agenda no matter how much it hurts their investors.

[sweet_diane]

I will make a predition that Lions for Lambs wins ALL the awards :)

[keat]

So it’s like the Air-America of movie studios?

[Slapshot68]

“So it’s like the Air-America of movie studios?”

Pretty much. The movie industry is how liberals get their “facts.”

See: Inconvenient Truth and Farenheit 911.

[snowrip]

... it was never expected to be a blockbuster or reign at the box office

...by anyone with half a brain. Does this idiot expect us to swallow the outright lie that even though they knew it would lose money, Hollywood still made the film anyway?

Films that rally around a seditious, blame-America-first mentality have always been flops... which is why NONE of the trailers for this movie gave even the tiniest glimpse into the film's actual subject matter.

[Greg F]

Bialystock: There are two rules to being a producer. Rule Number One: Never put your own money into the show.

Bloom: And what is rule number two?

Bialystock: NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY INTO THE SHOW!

[Lexington Green]

Treason doth never prosper..

[RichInOC]

Is “Valkyrie” going to include Stauffenberg getting executed? I mean, really, never underestimate the potential audience demand to see Tom Cruise get put up before a firing squad.