The Weinstein Company has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Once writer/director John Carney’s new film Can a Song Save Your Life?. The pic premiered last night at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and instantly became a crowd favorite. Mark Ruffalo stars as a washed up A&R man who discovers a young singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley) soon after being fired, and the two set out to change each other’s fortunes for the better. I had the pleasure of seeing the film earlier today at TIFF and it’s an incredibly sweet and fun pic that has the potential to be a real crowd-pleaser. The soundtrack is fantastic, and Carney finds a fascinating way to both incorporate music and celebrate the beauty of New York City. The pic is rounded out by swell turns from Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, and the surprisingly effective Adam Levine.
TWC paid a hefty $7 million for the film after a bidding war broke out, and they have committed $20 million in P&A (prints and advertising). It’s unclear whether the studio will release the film this year or next, and while it’s not really an awards movie I could see it doing really well with the holiday crowd. Hit the jump for the press release, and look for Matt’s full review on Collider soon.
Here’s the press release:
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY ACQUIRES US RIGHTS FOR EXCLUSIVE MEDIA’S
“CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE?”
Toronto, Canada – September 8, 2013
· The Weinstein Company has acquired the US rights to John Carney’s romantic film “Can A Song Save Your Life?”
· The studio paid $7 million MG with a $20 million P&A commitment.
· Film produced by Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust and Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman.
· The deal was negotiated by CAA and UTA who are handling US rights to the film, WME who represent Canada and International territories with Exclusive Media, and Marc Schipper, Exclusive Media’s Chief Operating Officer with David Glasser, Dan Guando, Negeen Yazdi, Robert Walak and Michal Steinberg for TWC.
· "This movie has been an absolute joy to work on and we are thrilled to have the absolute perfect distributor in The Weinstein Company join us on the journey," commented producer Tobin Armbrust.
· Commented TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein: "John Carney's sensitive and brilliant direction creates a movie for our times. Through beautiful performances from Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo, James Corden and Adam Levine he creates a tapestry of humor and heartbreak, echoed by the incredible use of music. It's a romantic comedy, it's a musical and a family film in its own way for this generation. We loved it!"
· John Carney (“Once”) is writer and director.
· The film stars Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Catherine Keener.
· Sycamore Pictures co-financed the film with Exclusive Media. Sycamore Pictures will be a co-presenter of the film, and Sycamore’s Ben Nearn and Tom Rice serve as Executive Producers.
· Executive producers are also Exclusive Media’s Nigel Sinclair and Guy East, Judd Apatow, and Molly Smith of Black Label Media.
· “Can A Song Save Your Life?” is a The Weinstein Company and Exclusive Media presentation in association with Black Label Media, and also in association with Sycamore Pictures.
· Logline: Seduced by dreams of making it in the big city, Gretta (Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend (Levine) move to New York to pursue their passion for music. She’s heartbroken when he dumps her for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, leaving her all on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) stumbles upon her singing during an open mic night and is immediately captivated by her raw talent and inspiring authenticity - they may be each other’s last chance to turn their lives around.
· Tobin Armbrust is President of Worldwide Productions and Acquisitions of Exclusive Media. His recent credits include the box office hit “The Woman in Black” starring Daniel Radcliffe and executive producing Ron Howard’s epic “Rush,” set for its theatrical release on September 20th through Universal Pictures.
· Anthony Bregman’s production credits include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotlight Mind,” “Our Idiot Brother” and “The Oranges.”