Global movie industry dives into 'Deep Blue' with new distribution deals

BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media have signed a deal with Optimum Releasing, one of the UK's leading independent film distributors of international films, which sees Optimum acquire distribution rights in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar for the extraordinary feature-length ocean documentary, ‘Deep Blue’.
Optimum Releasing will release the film early summer 2004 in approximately 30 cinemas.
Other deals were also signed last week at the Berlin Film Festival. Hopscotch will distribute Deep Blue in Australia and New Zealand; Cineart will do the same in Belgium; A-Films has taken Deep Blue for the Netherlands; Odeon is releasing it in Greece; and Shani Films is the distributor in Israel.
Nikolaus Weil, Chief Operating Officer of Greenlight Media, said: "We knew that there's a market and a growing audience for this kind of niche film. But the openings in major markets such as Germany clearly have gone beyond our most optimistic expectations. I am confident that audiences in other territories will appreciate this unique filmic experience as well."
Will Clarke, Managing Director, Optimum Releasing, added: "We're absolutely delighted to acquire this stunning film which makes for an amazing cinematic experience. We look forward to positioning the film as one of the must see events of 2004."
The success of Deep Blue in Europe continues to grow, with box office figures in Germany up 8% week on week with admissions standing at 225,000. When the movie opened in Germany it achieved massive audiences during it's opening weekend, beating acclaimed Hollywood films such as ‘Lost In Translation’, ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Freaky Friday’. By doing so, the movie received a 'Bogey' - the German Box Office Award given to features with a strong box office opening.
France also had a promising opening weekend, coming fourth in box office ratings, and gained over 240,000 admissions in its first week of release.
Rupert Gavin, Chief Executive BBC Worldwide, concluded: "We are very excited to have so many more deals for the movie around the globe. The growing international interest in this breathtaking documentary illustrates Deep Blue has universal appeal, and we are elated that such a wide audience is able to enjoy the experience."
(GB)