Disney's Miramax closes

[MrBern]

http://screencrave.com/2010-01-28/miramax-films-closes-its-doors/

It’s been announced that the New York and Los Angeles offices of Miramax will close their doors causing 80 people to lose their jobs. When it was founded 31 years ago by the Weinsteins it was a leading distribution company that produced some of the most cutting edge films of the time.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100128/FREE/100129870#

http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/rip-miramax-13606

 

[LizzieMaine]

Not a surprise -- over the last couple of years they've been the most difficult distributor in the business from an exhibition point of view, and they seem to have gone out of their way to make it impossible to book their product. Real successful business model there, boys.

 

[Lady Day]

Aw, thats too bad. I really liked some of the films they put out. In recent years its been dreck. But I always thought of them as the 'grittier' side of Disney.

LD

 

[Matt Deckard]

Production pics up overseas.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Didn't Miramax (before they hooked up with Disney) start out as a porn producer or distributor?

 

[MrBern]

Didn't Miramax (before they hooked up with Disney) start out as a porn producer or distributor?

Nope. Independent films.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miramax_Films


BTW, another article on this studio's closing. Makes an interesting observation that its influence was such that Miramax' Shakespeare in Love took the Oscar from Spielberg's SavingPrivateRyan.
http://gawker.com/5458719/the-day-the-indies-died-miramax-closes-its-doors

Is this the miramax swansong:

 

[Atomic Age]

Not a surprise -- over the last couple of years they've been the most difficult distributor in the business from an exhibition point of view, and they seem to have gone out of their way to make it impossible to book their product. Real successful business model there, boys.

Well to be fair, Bob and Harvey Weinstein left Miramax to form The Weinstein Company in 2005.

Disney has been running the company directly for the last 5 years and intentionally phasing it out of business.

Doug

 

[MrBern]

dead again

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/bid-by-weinstein-brothers-to-reacquire-miramax-films-falls-short/?hp

Bid by Weinstein Brothers to Reacquire Miramax Films Falls Short

 

[Lincsong]

No big loss. Someone else will pick up where they left off. [huh]

 

[Chas]

Disney's business plan appears to be pretty "Mickey Mouse".

Now, come on....I can't believe I'm the first to come up with that....