FX picks up pack of Columbia pics
Deal includes two Apatow titles, '21,' 'Night'
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The three other movies in the deal that haven't hit theaters yet are "Vantage Point," with Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox; "21," with Kevin Spacey; and "The International," with Clive Owen.
The package also includes three current movies: "Untraceable," with Diane Lane, and two released late last year: "Walk Hard" and "We Own the Night." Both Sony and FX declined comment on the deal.
The license fee that FX ends up paying will be determined by the domestic box office performance of the movies. FX will pay a percentage of the B.O. that typically hovers between 10% and 12%, with a cap to protect the network if the movie becomes a blockbuster hit.
Industry observers say it's been rare in recent years for a cable network to buy as many as five pictures in advance of their premiere in the multiplexes. Usually the networks prefer to wait until they see how well the movie does in its first week at the box office so they can gauge how much to bid for the title.
But Sony had a number of cable-network bids for these titles, leading FX to get out in front with a pre-emptive bid
Because FX doesn't buy reruns of off-network hours, it relies on theatrical movies more than its main competitors TNT and USA. FX has previously bought the right to such titles as "The Simpsons Movie," "Spider-Man 3," "Wild Hogs," "Live Free or Die Hard," "Superbad" and "Ghost Rider" for use as high-octane lead-ins to its scripted original series such as "Nip/Tuck," "Rescue Me" and "Damages."
Fresh theatricals have also attracted younger viewers to FX. For the last two weeks in primetime, FX was the third highest-rated ad-supported cable network among people 18 to 49.
FX will take title to the Sony pics within about 28 months of their debut in the theaters, following their exclusive pay-TV run on Starz.
