Tag Archives: The Family
Posted on November 4, 2013 by Erin Morris
By Erin Morris
Courtesy of Relativity Media
9242 Beverly Blvd. Suite 300
Website: http://www.relativitymedia.com/
Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO and Founder [1]
Tucker Tooley, President [1]
Happy Walters, Co-Chief Operating Officer [1]
Gregory Shamo, Co-Chief Operating Officer [1]
Ryan Kavanaugh and Lynwood Spinks, former venture capitalists and business consultants, founded Relativity Media in 2004. The film studio originally began as a middleman agent, making deals with other studios and then arranging financial support with banks. However, in 2009, Relativity acquired Rogue Pictures from Universal, and since has been involved in developing, creating, and distributing films its own films. Over the last decade, the studio has produced, distributed or structured financing for roughly 200 films, earning over $20 billion worldwide and garnering a total of 73 Oscar® nominations for motion pictures such as The Social Network and The Fighter. [1]
Relativity Media is not a publically traded company, and as such, specific quarterly information is not available. However, box office and studio market share information is readily accessible.
Relativity ranks 9th among film distributors for the year with a 2.3% market share as of November 20th, 2013. The studio also finished 9th in 2012, but with a 1.9% market share. However, with other studios gearing up for Oscar season and Relativity having just one upcoming release, both the market share and ranking might go down. [2] [3]
The studio has grossed $217,267,120 in 2013 thus far, with $104,312,782 of it earned by its four fall releases: The Family, Don Jon, Romeo and Juliet, and Free Birds. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Longtime actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt made his writing and directorial debut with Don Jon, the story of a charming New Jersey man who struggles with finding true intimacy because of his porn addiction. Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza also starred in the critically acclaimed controversial film. [5]
Don Jon, which was originally produced by Voltage Pictures for $6 million, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where Relativity acquired the rights for $4 million. [8]
The film began its theatrical run on September 27th in 2,400 theaters with a $9 million opening weekend. Don Jon went onto gross over $24 million. [5]
Upon first glance, the numbers look astounding for Relativity – a $24 million gross on a $6 million production budget. However, when Relativity acquired the rights to Don Jon at Sundance, the studio pledged to a $27 million marketing budget. [8]
Relativity distribution chief Kyle Davies still maintained that they were pleased with the film's performance, citing the film's strong reviews as a success and that the studio wants "to be in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt business." [8]
Relativity also acquired the rights to Romeo and Juliet, little known Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlei's 2013 adaptation of the Shakespeare classic. Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Julian Fellowes, creator of BBC darling Downtown Abbey, wrote the screenplay. Hailee Steinfeld, who rose to fame in 2010 when she received an Oscar nomination at 14 years old for her performance in True Grit, and Douglas Booth portrayed the titular star crossed lovers. Damian Lewis of Homeland fame played Lord Capulet, Stellan Skarsgård acted as Prince of Verona, and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti portrayed Friar Laurence. [6] [9] [10]
Oddly, given the star power attached to the project, Relativity gave Romeo and Juliet a limited release. It opened in just 461 theaters on October 11th, 2013 and earned $520,116 during its opening weekend and a mere $1,143,238 to date. [6]
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who called the modern adaption – which kept the traditional Verona setting but not the Shakespearean language – muddled, dull, and dumbed-down. [11]
Relativity's remaining release for year is Out of the Furnace, a drama starring Christian Bale that will be released December 6th, 2013. The star-studded cast also includes the likes of Oscar nominees Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, and Zoe Saldana of Avatar and Star Trek fame. [12]
The film focuses on Bale who plays a blue-collar man that seeks justice when his younger brother – a war veteran that got involved in a dangerous crime ring – disappears and the police fail to search for him. [12]
Directed by the critically acclaimed writer and director of Crazy Heart Scott Cooper, the film has already gained Oscar buzz for Bale, who won the statue back in 2010 for The Fighter, and Affleck, who was nominated once in 2007 for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. [13]
Given the film's early December release date, falling between the big Thanksgiving and Christmas opening weekends, Out of the Furnace will not directly go up against any other major films and faces little competition at the box office.
A trailer for the film can be viewed here.
From the Theater to the Classroom
Relativity didn't appear to believe in Romeo and Juliet enough to advertise heavily or give it a wide release, but the studio did use the film to market their latest venture: the Relativity School.
Relativity will become the first major motion picture studio to invest in forming a school for filmmaking and performing arts. Pending the State of California's approval, Relativity will begin accepting applications in March of 2014 and class will begin four months later. [14]
On October 4th, 2013, Relativity previewed Romeo and Juliet at the New York's All-American High School Film Festival to promote its college. The studio also offered the festival's young filmmakers – and prospective students – a meet and greet with Relativity President Tucker Tooley. [15]
The school, located in Downtown Los Angeles, will offer degrees in Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Associate of Fine Arts in fields such as Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship in Media, and Film Production. Relativity has called the school a place where "higher education meets Hollywood" due to industry insiders creating the curriculum and it being located on a working studio lot. [14]
From the Big Screen to the Small Screen
Relativity has branched out not only into education but also television. On October 6th, 2013 it was announced that the National Geographic Channel will produce a scripted TV series based on the Relativity film Act of Valor. Act of Valor, a war film about an elite team of US Navy SEALs, garnered the studio over $80 million after its February 2012 release. [16] [17]
CEO Ryan Kavanaugh cited the 2010 Relativity-distributed Nev Shulman documentary Catfish – which later spawned a popular MTV reality series by the same name – as inspiration for the business venture. Production for the Act of Valor series will start in early 2014. It will be the first scripted show for both National Geographic and Relativity. [16]
Act of Valor isn't the only Relativity movie that's being given the TV treatment. It was announced on October 6th that the Bradley Cooper flick Limitless will have a spin-off series as well. The star-studded thriller brought in over $160 million after it premiered in March 2011. Cooper will serve as an executive producer on the series. [18] [19]
[1] About Relativity Media – Company History and Executive Biographies and Images. RT 11/13/13
[2] Box Office Mojo Relativity Media Results for 2013. RT 11/15/13
[4] The Family Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13
[5] Don Jon Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13
[6] Romeo and Juliet Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13
[7] Free Birds Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13
[8] Hollywood Reporter Article on Don Jon's Production and Marketing Budgets. RT 11/15/20
[9] Relativity's About Romeo and Juliet. RT 11/15/20
[10] IMDB for Julian Fellowes. RT 11/15/20
[11] Rotten Tomatoes Reviews of Romeo and Juliet. RT. 11/15/20
[12] Relativity's About Out of the Furnace. RT. 11/18/20
[13] Article Oscar Buzz for Out of the Furnace. RT. 11/18/20
[14] About the Relativity School. RT. 11/18/20
[15] Article about the Romeo and Juliet screening at high school film festival. RT. 11/18/20
[16] Deadline Article on Act of Valor TV series. RT. 11/19/20
[17] Act of Valor Box Office Results. RT. 11/19/20
[18] Deadline Article on Limitless TV series. RT. 11/19/20
[19] Limitless Box Office Results. RT. 11/19/20
Posted in Film Companies, TRF235 Fall 2013	| Tagged Act of Valor, bradley cooper, Christian Bale, Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Limitless, National Geographic, Relativity Media, Relativity School, Romeo and Juliet, Ryan Kavanaugh, The Family
Posted on October 30, 2013 by Trevor Bulger
By Trevor Bulger
[1] Courtesy of GeekForE.
Relativity Media engages in full-scale film and television production and distribution, music publishing, sports management and digital media. Relativity Media has produced, distributed, or financed over 200 films and generated more $22 billion in box office revenue worldwide. The company partners with and invests in other media-related companies, including a recent partnership with Major League Gaming (MLG). [2] Currently, their film Free Birds is in theaters.
Executives:
Ryan Kavanaugh Tucker Tooley Happy Walters Gregory Shamo Robbie Brenner
CEO President Co-COO Co-COO Pres., Production
Ryan Kavanaugh is both the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Relativity Media. He is a producer, and has been producer or executive producer of many of Relativity Media's recent movies, including Out of the Furnace and The Family.
Tucker Tooley, as president of Relativity since 2007, oversees its daily operations, as well as marketing and distribution. He was also producer of We're The Millers, released in summer 2013.
Happy Walters, since 2012, has served as Co-Chief Operating Officer for Relativity. He helps determine the direction that Relativity Media will go in future seasons and handles day-to-day operations.
Gregory Shamo oversees the corporate, business, and legal affairs of Relativity Media, as well as assisting the day-to-day operations of the company. He has helped lead several of the major deals that Relativity Media has made, including the distribution agreement they have made with Twentieth Century Fox.
Robbie Brenner, the President of Production, leads the production team in filmmaking. She has overseen a large number of the films produced by Relativity Media, and led the acquisition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon. [3]
Recent Releases:
Don Jon Official Trailer
Don Jon, directed by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is a comedy about Jon, a rather stereotypical stud who can get a different girl every weekend, and Barbara, a girl raised on Disney looking to find her Prince Charming. It focuses around their attempt to find intimacy despite their differences and the fantasies of the culture of the time. [4]
Don Jon opened on 27 September, and made a domestic gross of over $24 million, on a production budget of only $6 million, reaching #5 in the weekend box office on its opening weekend. [5]
Free Birds Official Trailer
Free Birds, directed by Jimmy Hayward and excellently premiering in the month of November, is a buddy comedy about a pair of turkeys who want nothing to do with each other, but must team up in order to change history and remove turkeys from the holiday menu. [6]
Free Birds is currently in its fourth week, having opened on 1 November. It has already grossed over $42 million out of its $55 million budget, and has remained in the Top 5 weekend box office for all three weekends. [7]
Financial Information for Relativity Media is unavailable, as it is not a publicly traded company.
The Shift:
Relativity Media has largely focused on financial backing of projects created by other groups or studios, but that is changing. The company spent months exchanging one financial backer for a full consortium of investors, and with the closure of this shift, the company is ramping up production on a large variety of coming projects as it becomes a full-fledged studio capable of releasing 10 to 15 movies per year. [8]
Among the upcoming projects is the adaptation of the memoir Not Without Hope, which will be financed, produced, and distributed by Relativity Media. Dwayne Johnson is planned to star in the film, which is based on a story of four friends who were tragically stranded at sea, struggling to survive while hoping for help to come. [9]
Another upcoming project, to be released on 6 December, is Out of the Furnace, a gritty drama produced by Scott Cooper, about a blue collar man whose brother is pulled into a crime ring. When his brother disappears, he takes matters into his own hands to find justice for his brother. [10]
Partnership with Major League Gaming:
MLG and Relativity Media have partnered to begin producing original content about professional gamers. Though professional gaming is somewhat of a niche market, it is expanding, and quite a few people follow it closely, many saying that professional gamers deserve as much respect as professional athletes. They plan to produce content to better paint a picture of these players and the audiences to non-gamers, hoping that some of these gamers may even eventually become attached to brands in the same way that many athletes today are. It has been pointed out that both companies target similar demographic audiences, with most of their products targeting men much more than women. [2]
[1] Geek for E: Relativity Media Logo Accessed on 19 Nov 2013
[2] All Things D: MLG Partners with Relativity Media Accessed on 19 Nov 2013
[3] Relativity Media: Executive Bios Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[4] Relativity Media: Don Jon Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[5] Box Office Mojo: Don Jon Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[6] Relativity Media: Free Birds Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[7] Box Office Mojo: Free Birds Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[8] The Wrap: Robbie Brenner Interview Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[9] Variety: Dwayne Johnson Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
[10] Relativity Media: Out of the Furnace Accessed on 20 Nov 2013
Posted in Film Companies, TRF235 Fall 2013	| Tagged Don Jon, Dwayne Johnson, Free Birds, Gregory Shamo, Happy Walters, Jimmy Hayward, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Major League Gaming, Not Without Hope, Out of the Furnace, Relativity, Robbie Brenner, Ryan Kavanaugh, The Family, Tucker Tooley, We're the Millers