4 months ago
Since its constitution successful 2019, Leonine Studios has go 1 of Germany’s starring movie distributors.
Forged by nan merger of 2 companies, Concorde Film and Universum Film, nan distribution powerhouse releases between20 and 25 films a year, including astir 5 in-house productions aliases co-productions, says Bernhard zu Castell, Leonine Studios’ main distribution officer.
“Our purpose is to connection a slate of arena movies that is an optimal blend of genres for each target groups and each our partners successful nan highest imaginable quality,” adds zu Castell, who antecedently headed Universum Film. “This strategy was cardinal successful establishing ourselves arsenic a reliable supplier and licensor for each contented platforms.”
The institution past twelvemonth enjoyed its biggest deed yet pinch “School of Magical Animals 2,” a fast-growing franchise that Leonine besides co-produces. The movie sold much than 2.8 cardinal admissions (3 cardinal counting Austria), making it 2022’s astir successful German merchandise and nan 5th highest-grossing movie of nan twelvemonth by admissions. It besides became nan astir successful German family movie of nan past 10 years successful Germany and Austria, zu Castell points out.
The film’s occurrence helped make Leonine nan starring home supplier aft Disney, Universal, Warner, Paramount and Sony.
The first instalment successful nan “School of Magical Animals” franchise likewise became nan astir successful movie of 2021 (with astir 1.8 cardinal admissions). Describing it arsenic “broad family intermezo that was embraced by nan German-speaking audience,” zu Castell says it was nan first movie that really brought audiences backmost to theaters pursuing nan pandemic.
“School of Magical Animals” was released successful nan U.S. successful March via Blue Fox Entertainment. Part 3 is presently successful accumulation and group for merchandise connected Oct. 3, 2024, pinch nan 4th instalment scheduled to deed theaters connected Oct. 2 nan pursuing year.
The first “School of Magical Animals” remains Leonine’s 2nd astir successful movie since nan company’s establishment. Its apical 5 biggest movies besides see “John Wick: Chapter 4” (1.5 cardinal admissions), “Knives Out” (1.2 cardinal admissions) and “John Wick: Chapter 3,” pinch astir 1.2 cardinal admissions.
“John Wick: Chapter 4” Courtey of Leonine Studios
Leonine is enjoying different stellar twelvemonth acknowledgment successful ample portion to nan latest “John Wick” pic. It besides saw a awesome container agency bump pinch its re-release of “Everything Everywhere All astatine Once” aft it swept this year’s Oscars. The movie sold 22,000 admissions complete March 18-19 for its champion play container agency since its April 2022 release, bringing its full admissions successful Germany to astir 340,000.
“Everything Everywhere All astatine Once” had a awesome impact, zu Castell notes. “The movie drew a wholly caller assemblage to theaters that craves unconventional storytelling.”
Among this year’s divers lineup are specified forthcoming titles arsenic “Beau Is Afraid,” which opens connected May 11; French container agency deed “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” which hits section theaters connected May 18; in-house co-production “Lassie – A New Adventure” (July 27); “The Expendables 4” (Sept. 21) and, opening Sept. 28, family dramedy “Weekend Rebels.”
An in-house accumulation from subsidiary Wiedemann & Berg Film co-produced pinch Leonine Studios and directed by Marc Rothemund, “Weekend Rebels” follows a begetter (Florian David Fitz) who promises to thief his young autistic boy find a favourite shot team.
Leonine’s different large titles this twelvemonth see “The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which opens Nov. 16, and, hitting theaters connected Dec. 21, nan highly anticipated popular set biopic “Girl You Know It’s True.”
Produced by Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film and written and directed by Simon Verhoeven, “Girl You Know It’s True” is nan communicative of Milli Vanilli, nan infamous German-French R&B duo of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan formed by German grounds shaper Frank Farian successful nan 1980s.
Leonine is seeing a revival of its unrecorded Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, which suffered during nan COVID crisis. Audiences person slow returned, however. The past unrecorded broadcast of “Der Rosenkavalier” past period reached No. 4 successful nan container agency charts.
While Leonine sewage disconnected to a reliable commencement pinch nan advent of nan pandemic, nan institution saw a location intermezo business roar during nan play and nan section remains strong.
“We are actively distributing merchandise successful EST and TVOD connected each disposable platforms, but besides beingness products are still doing good successful Germany,” zu Castell says. “We licence SVOD-rights to our partners aliases utilization these authorities connected our ain SVOD-channels, Home of Horror, Arthouse CNMA, Filmtastic, Filmlegenden and Cinema of Hearts.”
In 2022 Leonine had 226 integer location intermezo releases and 322 beingness location intermezo releases. The institution besides manages location intermezo distribution arsenic an aggregator for a assortment of partners and distributors successful Germany that profit from its marketplace starring position, zu Castell adds.
In addition, Leonine has multi-year licence deals pinch Sky Deutschland and Amazon Prime Video.
Leonine’s world income business, meanwhile, is presently focused chiefly connected TV productions.
The institution is building up its slate pinch a blend of in-house productions, specified arsenic Odeon Fiction’s spy bid “Bonn” and six-part thriller “The Seed” arsenic good arsenic shows from different territories, among them AGC’s Australian play “Troppo” and Blue Ice Pictures’ Canadian title “SurrealEstate.”
