“Solomon Kane,” may yet face additional hurdles in reaching U.S. theater screens in the immediate future. Variety is suggesting a very bleak distribution environment for recently completed independent films. The article reports that with the first half of the year completed, it is hard not to notice the nearly complete lack of specialty film pickups by studios.
Even Fox Searchlight, one of the few remaining studio specialty divisions, has been somewhat quiet. Since picking up ”The Wrestler” at Toronto last fall, the label has made just one fest purchase: ”Adam,” a small indie drama that played in Sundance’s competition in January.
The consolidation of the indie and specialty-division landscape is alarming to filmmakers and sales agents, but Searchlight isn’t happy about it, either.
“We don’t want to be the last man standing with the entire burden of specialized cinema resting on our shoulders,” Searchlight’s acquisitions head Tony Safford confided as he headed out for his late-June vacation. “Without New Line and (Paramount) Vantage really being in the game, and without Warner Independent, suddenly there are 20-30 films that aren’t being distributed. Maybe half shouldn’t have been distributed, but half should have.”
John Sloss, who is repping domestic sales on two Cannes fest entries still looking for homes – Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” and Alejandro Amenabar’s “Agora” — said the specialty biz may be facing a sea change.
“I’ve been an optimist and a defender of the core elements of indie distribution, but it’s hard to explain the lack of presence of specialized distributors in the market,” Sloss said.
Sobering words indeed for those awaiting the release of the completed “Kane” film. The dismal situation reported by Variety certainly clouds the hopes for an autumn distribution date in the U.S. that would coincide with the previously announced dates in Europe. For now, Solomon Kane fans can only wait with crossed fingers as events play out in the coming weeks.