By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

FOCUS FEATURES AND LAIKA PACT FOR DISTRIBUTION DEAL ON THREE NEW MOVIES

Posted Friday, October 3rd, 2014 - Comments Off on FOCUS FEATURES AND LAIKA PACT FOR DISTRIBUTION DEAL ON THREE NEW MOVIES
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LAIKA and Focus Features, the two companies behind the hit animated feature The Boxtrolls, will continue their partnership on LAIKA’s next three projects. Focus CEO Peter Schlessel and LAIKA President and CEO Travis Knight made the announcement today.

As with the three movies that the companies have partnered on previously, Focus will distribute the next three movies domestically, and Universal Pictures International will release them overseas.

Focus opened The Boxtrolls nationwide last weekend to a $17.3 million gross, marking the biggest debut yet for a LAIKA movie. The Boxtrolls follows the successful and acclaimed Focus and LAIKA animated filmsCoraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012), each of which grossed over $100 million worldwide. Coralineearned Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Academy Award® nominations for Best Animated Feature Film; and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI) with an AFI Award. ParaNorman was cited as best animated feature film by more critics’ groups than any other 2012 animated feature; and earned BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Academy Award® nominations for Best Animated Feature Film.

The Boxtrolls has also been released in 16 international territories to date, including the United Kingdom, where it was #1 at the box office for two weeks in a row; and Australia, where after just over two weeks it has already grossed more than either Coraline or ParaNorman did during their entire runs.

Mr. Schlessel commented, “I am very pleased to continue our relationship with our friends at LAIKA. Travis and his company have elevated the art of animated films and we are proud to be part of their success.”

“Focus and LAIKA are kindred spirits,” said Mr. Knight. “Over eight years and three films we’ve forged an incredible bond over a shared love for, and commitment to, bold, distinctive, and enduring stories. Peter and his superlative team have created a welcoming home for original voices and enriching, challenging filmmaking. They’re the bravest studio in the world. We look forward to many ongoing cinematic adventures with our Focus/Universal family. The best is yet to come.”

About LAIKA

Fueled by the vision of its owner, Nike co-founder and Chairman Philip H. Knight, and its President and CEO Travis Knight, LAIKA (www.laika.com) is a feature film animation company located just outside Portland, Oregon. LAIKA’s first two films, Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012), were nominated for AcademyAwards® and BAFTA Awards.

 

About Focus Features

Focus Features (www.focusfeatures.com) makes, acquires, and releases movies from rising and established talent and filmmakers. The company is moving forward with a diverse slate of wide releases appealing to a range of moviegoers. Staying true to the company’s roots, the slate will also include several specialty films each year.

In addition to The Boxtrolls, current and upcoming releases from Focus include the true-life dramatic thriller Kill the Messenger, starring Jeremy Renner; the romantic drama The Theory of Everything, directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh and starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen and Jane Hawking;Black Sea, the suspenseful adventure thriller starring Jude Law for director Kevin Macdonald; the romantic drama A Little Chaos, directed by Alan Rickman and starring Kate Winslet; Tarsem Singh’s Selfless, starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley; Leigh Whannell’s Insidious: Chapter 3, the newest chapter in the terrifying horror series; Sinister 2, directed by Ciaran Foy; Juan Antonio Bayona’s visually spectacular drama A Monster Calls, starring Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, and Liam Neeson; and Stephen Hopkins’ Race, starring Jeremy Irons, Jason Sudeikis, and Stephan James as the legendary athletic superstar Jesse Owens.

Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

 

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