Genre pix get brand aid
Weinsteins add Tarantino touch to 'Protector'
The Weinstein Co. announced last week that longtime pal Quentin Tarantino will present its upcoming martial arts pic "The Protector," which opens Sept. 8 in the U.S.
TWC thinks "A Quentin Tarantino Presentation" counts plenty at the box office. In the genre game, Tarantino is still the man.
Other films Tarantino has presented for TWC include Hong Kong chop- socky "Iron Monkey," which made $14 million in the U.S., seven times its budget, and Chinese martial-arts pic "Hero," which opened at No. 1 and grossed $53.5 million.
Exactly what does a presenter do? Sometimes more, sometimes less.
Mostly, it's about pedigree. In the case of Eli Roth's "Hostel," also a Tarantino presentation, Tarantino and Roth cooked up parts of the original storyline together. "Hostel" was released by Lionsgate, and the studio made sure Tarantino was at the preem party, where he happily wielded a chain saw.
TWC is also looking to expand the Tarantino touch further. He's collaborating on the company's new martial-arts genre label Dragon Dynasty, helping with brand development.
