Spurlock
Samuel Goldwyn Films and former UTA agent Howard Cohen's neophyte distrib banner Roadside Attractions have partnered to acquire one of the most buzzed-about titles to premiere at Sundance: Morgan Spurlock's tongue-in-cheek expose of the American fast-food epidemic, "Super Size Me."
The two companies pacted to buy domestic homevideo and theatrical rights to the feature, which has been the subject of intense acquisition interest since it bowed at Sundance in the documentary competition, winning the jury's directing award.
Exploring the reasons so many Americans suffer from obesity, Spurlock placed himself on a radical diet, eating and drinking exclusively from the McDonald's menu for 30 days and examining the physical and emotional effects of that regime on his previously healthy metabolism. In addition, the filmmaker traveled across the U.S., interviewing fast-food pundits and regular McDonald's diners.
Pic was produced by Spurlock for the Con, with J.R. Morley and Heather Winters as exec producers.
While some distribs circling the deal expressed concerns about possible legal action from McDonald's, sources close to the deal said the real anxiety was sparked by the threat of lost revenues from advertising and commercial tie-ins to specialty players within larger corporate families.
Cultural phenomenon
Key daytime and latenight talkshows already have expressed interest in the film as a result of its Sundance attention, suggesting that "Super Size Me" has the potential to become a cultural phenomenon.
"We were hungry for a deal, and Roadside and Goldwyn delivered everything we were looking for," Spurlock said. "I'm elated that urban and suburban America will be able to see this film, and after viewing it, I think they'll begin to question their everyday dietary habits."
"It is very difficult to create a film that is hilarious and so relevant," said Samuel Goldwyn Films president Meyer Gottlieb. "Morgan Spurlock pulled this off by the mouthful."
Believed to have closed in the $500,000-$600,000 range, the deal was negotiated by Cinetic Media with Cohen and Goldwyn VP of acquisitions Tom Quinn. During Sundance, Cinetic closed a separate deal with cabler A&E for broadcast rights, which also reportedly fetched a mid-six figure pricetag.
"We think this has a strong chance to be a defining film for this exciting new distributor," said John Sloss of Cinetic, who is working on deals for international territories.
Roadside/Goldwyn will distribute the doc in theaters this spring, marking the first release from the company, formed by Cohen and producer Eric d'Arbeloff.
"My partner and I are thrilled to be launching our company along with Goldwyn on this truly amazing film," Cohen said. "Morgan is the kind of fearless independent voice that brought us into the business."
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