EXCLUSIVE: Republic Pictures has snagged two extra films, taking international rights to Saoirse Ronan-starrer Bad Apples and worldwide rights to horror rom-com Heart Eyes.
Paramount revived the historic label in 2023 with a remit to accumulate third-party fare. Paramount’s Chief Content material Licensing Officer, Dan Cohen, can be President of Republic Footage. He shared the information of its newest acquisitions with Deadline and broke down the technique at Republic forward of his keynote on the Monte Carlo TV Competition.
Dangerous Apples is a satirical comedy with thriller parts. Republic Footage acquired the Pulse Movies-produced movie from HanWay Movies. Saoirse Ronan stars as a instructor who by accident locks the titular unhealthy apple – a badly-behaved pupil – in her basement, with comedic and dramatic penalties. Based mostly on Rasmus Lindgren’s novel De Oönskade, Jonatan Etzler directs from Jess O’Kane’s script.
“I actually need movies that I imagine can have some theatrical life internationally,” Cohen says. “And this has Saoirse Ronan, a four-time Oscar nominee and nice actor taking part in the lead in a enjoyable British comedy.”
Republic has world rights excluding the U.S. and Canada on Coronary heart Eyes. The horror rom-com is directed by Josh Ruben and stars Merciless Summer season actress Olivia Holt and Scream star Mason Gooding. They play co-workers in Seattle, placing in additional time on Valentine’s Day. The pair are mistakenly taken for a pair and pursued by a couple-hunting serial killer.
“Spyglass are terrific producers, they know the horror style inside out,” Cohen says. “Olivia Holt is ideal for this type of function and so is Mason Gooding who’s been within the Scream films. I simply checked out it and felt like there might be a Valentine’s Day 2025 the place I can launch this film.”
The brand new Republic
Republic was a storied film label that initially launched within the Thirties and constructed a status for Westerns. The present iteration is a broader banner for films that can turn into a part of the Paramount International Content material Distribution line-up, Cohen explains.
“We had been already buying [before reviving Republic], however we weren’t actually telling a narrative. Now, on the LA Screenings, for instance, we’re capable of play a reel that reveals these aren’t disparate, disconnected acquisitions that in some way got here by the door; we’ve got a viewpoint, we’re bringing you cool indie films, and it’s below Republic Footage.”
By way of quantity, the label will choose up eight-to-12 films a yr. Requested what might be acquired, Cohen says Republic is “keen to do issues that perhaps others don’t need to do genre-wise as a result of then you will get higher tasks.” TV can be a part of the story and Cohen is in Monte Carlo with restricted sequence The Grey Home, which premiered on the principality’s TV Competition with exec producer Morgan Freeman in attendance.
Paramount’s third-party play
In TV, Paramount acquires and sells reveals from producers exterior the CBS and Paramount company household together with, in current occasions, The Nice, From and Poker Face. Third-party distribution means the gross sales group can license to anybody, with out tasks being funneled to its personal companies like Paramount+, or its joint ventures reminiscent of SkyShowtime in Europe.
That’s how Republic shopped the worldwide rights to Bao Nguyen’s “We Are The World” doc The Greatest Night In Pop to Netflix and did a take care of Hulu within the U.S. for Jake Johnson’s movie Self Reliance, which stars Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Andy Samberg.
“They went to different streaming companies as a result of it was the fitting reply for the movies,” Cohen says. “It was good for my enterprise and there was no controversy as a result of they weren’t made for Paramount.” Different titles, in the meantime, do get snaffled by company siblings. William Friedkin’s final movie, Kiefer Sutherland-starrer The Caine Mutiny Court docket-Martial, was picked up by Paramount+ with Showtime within the U.S. and SkyShowtime in Europe.
The Paramount International Content material Distribution gross sales group all over the world feeds Republic intel on what worldwide consumers, and notably TV consumers, need and what they may pay.
“We all know {the marketplace} and what we will monetize and at what stage,” Cohen says. “The Biggest Night time In Pop is a documentary and The Caine Mutiny Court docket-Martial is a movie model of a stage play; these are two issues that you just don’t all the time hear are very business. I met with Billy Friedkin and stated ‘what is going to it price?’ He gave me a quantity and I stated if you happen to can really make it for that, and Kiefer’s in it, it’ll be worthwhile. With The Biggest Night time In Pop, we heard how a lot they wanted to do the movie and stated if you happen to can produce it for that, we’ll purchase it from you.”
TV consumers nonetheless need films
Underpinning the Republic Footage technique is sustained demand for films from TV consumers. Whereas U.S. studios can now not reduce enormous output offers with worldwide consumers for 1000’s of hours of content material, the urge for food for theatrical movies stays wholesome. The offers are nonetheless primarily based on home windows associated to the theatrical launch and efficiency.
“There’s nonetheless a really strong marketplace for pay one [window] and pay two films, and people might be achieved as output offers nonetheless, and we’ll do them for a number of years at a time with a consumer,” Cohen explains. “Films stay a really robust performer in tv, whether or not it’s for the newer streaming companies, conventional paid companies, or free TV.”
Republic’s acquisitions additionally add bulk to the hungry Paramount International Content material Distribution machine’s line-up. CBS Studios makes TV sequence in high-volume. In movie, Paramount Footage has enormous franchises, however the gross sales group can deal with extra titles than it generates.
“Paramount Footage is making nice, large tentpole films – Mission Inconceivable, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, Bob Marley: One Love – they usually actually assist drive our enterprise, they’re good for our shoppers, however the quantity is modest,” Cohen says. “Supplementing [studio chief] Brian Robbins’ large, international movies with some focused and extra indie films makes for an excellent mixture.”
