Thompson on Hollywood

EXCLUSIVE CLIPS: 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Sets Brit Seniors in India

Video

Fox Searchlight is cheered indeed by the unexpected global performance of "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," starring a cast of high-end Brits, from Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith to Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. John Madden ("Doubt") brings a rag tag band of retirees together in a broken-down hotel in India.

By Anne Thompson
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May 4, 2012 7:23 PM
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'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel': From Pleasant Surprise to Box Office Phenomenon UPDATED

Box Office

The year’s first British movie hit in the UK has shifted from being a pleasant surprise to a box office phenomenon. The question is whether its adult appeal will translate when Fox Searchlight opens the film stateside on May 4.

By David Gritten
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May 2, 2012 1:34 PM
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First Look: Fox Searchlight Unveils 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' Poster

News

You'll be hearing a lot about this Sundance jury-prize-winner film as the year progresses, as it winds its way through Cannes and other festivals, into release and Oscar contention. Here's the new poster.

By Anne Thompson
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April 27, 2012 8:10 PM
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Indie Theaters Face Digital Mayhem

Blogs

That sound you’ve been hearing over the last month that resembles the opening strains of the soundtrack from Jaws is a collective moan from true independent distributors and the mission-driven exhibitors who play their films. The catalyst for this distress was The Fox Searchlight Letter.

By Ira Deutchman
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March 6, 2012 11:08 AM
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Indies React to Tugg, Which Lets You Choose What Will Play at Your Movie Theater, Adds 'Tree of Life' and 'Bullhead' to Roster

News

New startup Tugg, launched Wednesday, lets audiences choose what will screen at their local multiplex. We polled several indie exhibitors and distribs for feedback (below).

By Anne Thompson and Maggie Lange
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February 23, 2012 2:38 PM
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Sundance 2012 Buyers Guide: A Primer

Festivals

Every year the Sundance acquisition landscape changes as buyers come and go.

By Anne Thompson and Tom Brueggemann
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January 20, 2012 11:21 AM
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Golden Globes Party Whirl: Plotting Assaults on "The Punisher," In the Clinch with Mr. Big

Awards

After my stint in the backstage press room at the Golden Globes, I headed into the night for a round of Beverly Hilton parties. First I crossed the forlorn red carpet to the tented Fox party in the parking lot.

By Anne Thompson
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January 16, 2012 6:27 PM
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2011 Sundance Film Fest Theatrical Acquisitions Underperform – Set Low Expectations for 2012

Festivals

What does "Our Idiot Brother" have in common with "The Kids Are All Right," "Precious," "Sunshine Cleaning," "Once," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "March of the Penguins”? Like those other titles (distributed between 2005-2011), it was the highest-grossing film in theaters among those acquired at the Sundance Film Festival (SFF) the year it premiered.

By Tom Brueggemann
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January 16, 2012 4:20 PM
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Fox Searchlight Pushes Back 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

News

Fox Searchlight keeps pushing back "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," which like "Slumdog Millionaire," stars Dev Patel and is set in India. But that's where the comparisons end. Directed by John Madden ("The Debt"), the romantic ensemble about older Brits who settle in India to stretch out their meager retirement funds will now open in select theaters in the US on May 4, 2012. Based on the Novel "These Foolish Things" by Deborah Moggach and produced by Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin, the movie stars Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith.

By Anne Thompson
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January 2, 2012 7:08 PM
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The Challenger to The Artist is The Descendants

Awards

As Academy members get their ballots this week, if one movie can challenge "The Artist" in the race for the Best Picture Oscar, it's "The Descendants." For one thing, with $33 million in the till after the Christmas holidays, where it landed in the top ten, it's a box office hit in a way that "The Artist" is not.