Movies
Financier Could Block ‘Polaroid’s Netflix Release
Although never officially announced, Netflix acquired Dimension Films’ Polaroid from Lantern Entertainment, the company who purchased The Weinstein Company and most of their assets. Now, an article on Variety reports that the film’s financier is attempting to block its sale.
First Republic Bank, which put up the financing for the film, is seeking to block Lantern from selling it. In a motion in Delaware bankruptcy court on Tuesday, the bank alleged that Lantern never actually acquired the rights to the film, and that proceeds from the sale should go to pay off the bank’s $5.3 million loan balance.
“Lantern is literally trying to sell First Republic’s collateral without owning it,” the bank’s lawyers allege.
You can read all the details here. First Republic wants a hearing on the matter on Nov. 6.
The Lars Klevberg-directed Polaroid follows high school loner Bird Fitcher, who has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious vintage Polaroid camera she stumbles upon. But it doesn’t take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end.
The pic was written by Blair Butler (Hell Fest) and stars Kathryn Prescott, Tyler Young, Grace Zabriskie and Mitch Pileggi.
Roy Lee produces through his Vertigo Entertainment label with Chris Bender also producing.
Originally, TWC dated this film for a Thanksgiving launch last year on Oct. 4, the day before the New York Times expose ran on Harvey Weinstein. Theatrical marketing materials were literally made for Polaroid with posters showing up in theater lobbies. By Oct. 31, TWC had pulled the film off the schedule indefinitely.
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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