Box Office Bodyslams WWE Right Out of Theatrical Distribution
After presenting the universe with such wondrous pieces of cinema as See No Evil, The Marine and The Condemned, the theatrical distribution division of WWE Films is closing its doors (maybe) forever. (One can only assume that the contract between WWE and Lionsgate was a three-flick arrangement, with the distributor politely declining a contract extension.) But don't get too blue, schlock fans. They'll still be making movies. Those flicks will just be going directly to video is all ... kinda like they should have done with See No Evil, The Marine and The Condemned.WWE Films CEO Linda McMahon (any relation to Vince, I wonder?) says "We are now able to move more into direct-to-video production, and that will be the next focus." "Able"? More like "required." But then the Hollywood Reporter article goes on to say "McMahon noted that the WWE is in talks with a major studio on a potential deal for theatrical distribution on a first-look basis." Which means ... what? That WWE Films might latch on to a studio kinda like Nickelodeon did with Paramount? I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
According to McMahon, all three WWE flicks will "make money or at least break even," which isn't exactly the business model you want for a production company. She also suspects that the R rating on The Condemned may have contributed to its limp arrival at the box office. Um, yes. It's the R rating that did The Condemned in. Not the plot or the script or the concept or the (lack of) cast or the fact that it stars wrestlers. Nothing like an R rating to keep the action fans away from your movie. Ms. McMahon predicts that The Condemned will "perform well" once it hits video. Which probably explains why they'll be bypassing the multiplexes on future projects.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-05-2007 @ 10:29PM
Norman Gerre said...
Linda is Vince's wife. It's not necessarily a bad business model, either, since "breaking even" will include salaries etc. There are quite likely other benefits to the company, not least that it's got to be good for morale amongst the wrestlers who hope to make it as big as The Rock has.
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5-15-2007 @ 5:02PM
Chris said...
There was no three-picture deal with Lionsgate. THE MARINE was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. The company is close to formally announcing an overall deal with Fox for at least two other theatrical releases as well as some direct-to-video releases. This was announced by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon last week during the company's annual shareholder's meeting.
The company has a decent business model. They don't even go into production on a film until a distributor is attached. Plus, both SEE NO EVIL and THE MARINE have already turned a profit.
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