Grey outlines global vision for Paramount

By ADAM DAWTREY

Long considered the most parochial of the Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures has finally acknowledged that there's a big world out there, and it's determined to grab its share.

Chairman-CEO Brad Grey flew into London last week, flanked by worldwide distribution topper Rob Moore, production prexy Brad Weston, Par-based producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and a slew of other execs, for the official launch of Paramount Pictures Intl., the studio's overseas theatrical arm run by Andrew Cripps.

At a swanky reception in the Royal Academy of Arts, Grey proclaimed Par's long-overdue transformation into a studio that now sees foreign as every bit as important as domestic.

Just as Grey played catch-up in the specialty business by hiring John Lesher and Nick Meyer to retool Par's low-key Classics label into the bullish, high-spending Par Vantage, so he has given Cripps a mandate to do what it takes to make up for lost ground in the foreign market.

"Paramount has solidly entered the global arena and will be a dynamic player in the worldwide marketplace, including an aggressive launch into regional production and local acquisitions," Grey declared to the throng of local bigwigs.

That's a big turnaround from the old regime, which used to sell off every foreign territory it could -- much to the frustration of execs at United Intl. Pictures, Par's overseas distribution partnership with Universal. Cripps was president and chief operating officer of UIP until it was dismantled at the end of last year.

The quest for local product will be spearheaded by L.A.-based exec Ellen Pittleman, reporting to Cripps. Currently senior VP of worldwide acquisitions at Par Home Entertainment, her role will be expanded to include theatrical acquisitions and co-production. Cripps also will hire an acquisitions team at his London HQ to work under Pittleman.

Initially, the focus will be on picking up movies for the territories where PPI has its own direct distribution -- the U.K., France, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Cripps plans to launch in Germany, Spain, Italy and Benelux by the end of 2008.

He identifies France and Brazil as prime territories for co-producing local pics -- because of the high share of box office commanded by Gallic movies in France, and the significant amounts of production subsidy available for local movies in Latin America.

Cripps has already struck a first-look deal with MTV Films Europe, which he expects to deliver three to four movies a year, each in different territories.

Grey also has brought a more global perspective into the creative decisions made in Hollywood. Cripps now takes part in greenlight meetings -- "Paramount would never have dreamed of that before," he notes.

Vantage, with its international filmmaker relationships, will be an important partner for PPI. Only last week at Sundance, Vantage picked up worldwide rights excluding Germany and Japan to British movie "Son of Rambow."

It's somehow appropriate that PPI's first release, in Spanish- and English-speaking territories, was Vantage's "Babel," a Mexican film that takes place across three continents and in four languages.

Not that its multinational flavor makes "Babel" an easy prospect for the foreign market. Despite the Hollywood star power of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, it's still an expensive arthouse movie that must cross over to mainstream auds to justify its budget. And in territories where Hollywood movies are routinely dubbed, its polyglot theme can get lost in translation.

In Spain, Par found an effective solution by releasing a subtitled version in the big cities, and another version in the provinces with the English segments dubbed but the Japanese section still subtitled (because of the undubbable deaf-mute character).

With "Babel" and "Dreamgirls" (very American, very black and a musical -- a triple negative in some parts of the world) to handle in their first few weeks, it highlights the breadth of the challenge that Cripps and his team are taking on. It's a challenge the old Paramount often preferred to duck. But for Grey, that's simply no longer an option.