SONY Cuts Back on Production; Even Fewer Adult Movies Coming

[AndyDursin]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... 0519.story

Though it still plans to bet big on movies with global blockbuster potential like the second “Amazing Spider-Man” and next year’s “White House Down” from “2012” director Roland Emmerich, Sony is not willing to invest as much as it did in the past on movies aimed at more sophisticated audiences.

“We want to keep playing in the field of commercial movies for adults by being a little more creative about how we finance them,” Belgrad explained.

Sony executives recently told Oscar winner George Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov that they couldn’t fully finance their World War II thriller “Monuments Men” at a planned budget of between $70 million and $80 million. 20th Century Fox has agreed to pay for half the movie and split the potential profits or losses.

[Paul MacLean]

I really miss Orion Pictures, and their commitment to medium-budget productions aimed at audiences over 17 years of age. Moreover they never interfered with the filmmakers (that's the big difference between them and Harvey Weinstein), which is why so many talented directors and stars worked for them.

[AndyDursin]

Agreed on Orion. Sadly it's a whole different marketplace these days -- and more evidence that adult fare has migrated to television (specifically cable) as opposed to the big screen.

Pretty soon I imagine most films are going to be $200 million blockbusters...we'll still have Oscar contenders...but they won't be as numerous. That mix of adult oriented films, especially during the fall season, that we would routinely see decades ago are long gone. I used to love September because it meant older viewers could go out to the movies again. With the rare exception of something like "Argo," that time has come and gone