The studio and its new strategic partner Mister Smith pulled back the curtain on more of their international distribution strategy on Monday (17) after signing a number of multi-year deals in Toronto.
Nordisk Film will release all DreamWorks films in Scandinavia, while Italia Film will release in the Middle East and Constantin will distribute in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – hardly a surprise given that the German powerhouse is a major investor in David Garrett’s (pictured) new sales and financing company Mister Smith.
As announced earlier in the day, the Canadian giant eOne will release the DreamWorks slate in the UK and Benelux hot on the heels of its long-gestating acquisition of Alliance Films.
DreamWorks and Mister Smith will announce more partnerships in the days ahead as they leverage the strength of the international marketplace to raise production funds for the studio.
Mister Smith closed a deal with DreamWorks last month to act as the studio’s sales agent across all of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Disney remains the slate distributor in North America, Latin America, Asia, Russia and Australia while DreamWorks backer Reliance will release in India.
DreamWorks president and COO Jeff Small called the output partners “best of breed”, while Garrett said the swift conclusion of the deals reflected the enthusiasm among international buyers for DreamWorks product.
Constantin executive board member Martin Moszkowicz said he and his colleagues looked forward to working with “the most iconic studio in Hollywood”, echoing similar sentiments from eOne president of filmed entertainment Patrice Theroux, Nordisk Film svp Kenneth Wiberg and Italia Film CEO and major partner Joseph Vincenti.
The first film to go into production on the new slate will be the remake of French-Canadian hit Starbuck to star Vince Vaughn. Shooting is set to begin in October in time for a 2013 release. Twentieth Century Fox co-financed Lincoln and Robopocalypse and will release both films internationally.
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