Magnolia takes 'Donkey Punch'

Film premiered at Sundance

By PATRICK FRATER

Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to British thriller “Donkey Punch,” which preemed last month in Sundance. Deal was struck with indie seller Lumina Films.

Helmed by first-time director Olly Blackburn, pic charts the deadly decline in relations among a group of nightclubbers on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean.

Magnolia bought the title for its Magnet Releasing label and will take it out later this year. Optimum Releasing has the pic for Blighty and will release in the summer.

Screenplay was penned by Blackburn and David Bloom, with Angus Lamont, Robin Gutch and Mark Herbert of Film4 offshoot Warp-X producing, alongside the U.K. Film Council, EM Media, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum. Exec producers are Peter Carlton, Lizzie Francke, Hugo Heppell and Will Clarke.

Magnet, a recently launched genre and Asian movie division of the Wagner/Cuban Cos. is also lining up to release “Big Man Japan” (Dainipponjin) by Hitoshi Matsumoto; “The Signal”; Chilean action epics “Kiltro” and “Mirageman”; French sci-fi/horror film “Eden Log”; Tony Stone’s heavy metal Viking epic, “Severed Ways”; Hong Kong action omnibus “Triangle”; Jeremy Saulnier’s hip slasher pic “Murder Party”; Olivier Assayas’ “Boarding Gate”; and Mark Hartley’s Oz industry expose “Not Quite Hollywood.”