'Leatherheads' is headed to FX as part of a 15-picture deal with Universal.
'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,' starring Brendan Fraser, is headed to FX as part of a 15-picture deal with Universal.
In what NBC Universal calls "a groundbreaking deal," cabler FX will pony up more than $100 million to buy 15 Universal theatrical movies, the bulk of which are prebuys of titles to be released throughout the year, including "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."
Frances Manfredi, executive VP and general sales manager of NBC U Domestic TV Distribution, said FX made "a preemptive bid" as part of its "aggressive film acquisitions strategy."
Chuck Saftler, exec veep of FX, said he has embarked on a forceful movie strategy because fresh primetime theatricals are big draws in the coveted 18-49 demo. Although FX finished 11th in total viewers last year among ad-supported cable networks, it wound up fifth overall in adults 18-49.
It's impossible to put a precise license fee on the Universal/FX deal because the final number is directly tied to each picture's domestic box office performance. FX will pay an average of 11% of the gross U.S. revenue of the movies for a four-year license term, which takes effect about 18 months after the pictures make their debut on HBO in the exclusive pay TV window.
FX will allow Universal to sell a run or two of the titles to a broadcast network within FX's four-year window. Universal has given FX free video-on-demand rights to the movies for a portion of its license term.
Other titles in the package include "Wanted," a thriller starring Angelina Jolie as an assassin; "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," directed by Guillermo Del Toro; "Death Race," with Jason Statham; Judd Apatow comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"; "The Express," a biopic about the first black athlete to win the Heisman Trophy; "Changeling," a drama with Jolie helmed by Clint Eastwood; and "Leatherheads," directed by and starring George Clooney; comedy "Baby Mama," starring Tina Fey, and the Liv Tyler thriller "The Strangers."
The U pic package also includes a few titles already in theaters: Focus Features' "In Bruges," Rogue Pictures' "Doomsday," "Eastern Promises," "Jarhead" and "Definitely, Maybe."
"This deal is a tremendous vote of confidence in Universal Pictures," said U Pictures vice chairman Rick Finkelstein.
FX often schedules the premiere of a big-budget theatrical as lead-in to the debut of the first episode of a new scripted original series on the network. FX has a number of high-visibility primetime series including "Nip/Tuck," "Rescue Me," "Damages," "Dirt" and "The Riches."
The Universal deal is just the latest in a series of prebuys of theatricals by cable networks that has swept the industry in the last three months. Earlier this year, the Turner networks bought a whole slate of Warner Bros. movies, including "10,000 B.C.," the "Batman" sequel "The Dark Knight," "Get Smart" and "Speed Racer." (
Daily Variety, Feb. 28)
USA has locked up "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Sex and the City: The Movie," among others, and FX earlier engineered a five-picture prebuy from Columbia, highlighted by two Judd Apatow movies: "Step Brothers," with Will Ferrell, and "Pineapple Express."
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com