The three comedy films have been picked up by major distributors with the price as low as $3.5 million to $10 million.
- Jan 23, 2008
AceShowbiz - Ending the slow purchasing at Sundance, the three independent drama comedies "Choke", "Henry Poole is Here" and "Hamlet 2" marked the first three major acquisitions made at the film festival. Variety reported that on Tuesday, January 22, the deal for the three films has been closed as the three films have been picked up by major distributors.
The rights of "Choke" starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston has been bought by the company behind the success of "Juno", "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Napoleon Dynamite", Fox Searchlight. Reportedly, the film adapted from Chuck Palahniuk's novel has been valued for about $5 million. Meanwhile, the Overture Films which distributed "Mad Money" got their hands on Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell's "Henry Poole" for $3.5 million.
Further, for the rights of the high-school satire "Hamlet 2", it was reported that Focus Features has to pay off an estimated $10 million. The film which stars Steve Coogan centers on a drama teacher who tries to save his high-school's theater department by staging a controversial sequel to Shakespeare's play. According to Hollywood Reporter, the price paid for the film is one of the biggest sales in the history of Sundance.
