Shout! Factory & Pathe International Co-Op For Christophe Gans’ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, and Pathé International have entered into an exclusive film deal to distribute epic fantasy adventure BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE) in the United States. Directed by Christophe Gans (Silent Hill, The Brotherhood of the Wolf), this visually opulent major motion picture stars Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Ocean’s 13) and Léa Seydoux (Spectre, The Grand Budapest Hotel) with André Dussollier (A Very Long Engagement, Amélie). Produced by Eskwad and Pathé, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE) premiered at Berlin International Film Festival to great audience enthusiasm and already a box-office success in much of the world. The announcement was made today by Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; and Muriel Sauzay, EVP of Pathé International.
Shout! Factory and Pathé International Enter Film Distribution Deal
SHOUT! FACTORY SECURES U.S. RIGHTS TO
HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHE GANS
“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE),
STARRING VINCENT CASSEL AND LÉA SEYDOUX WITH ANDRÉ DUSSOLLIER
Shout! Factory has secured all U.S. distribution rights to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE), including theatrical, video on-demand, digital, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform releases. Shout! Factory plans a strategic rollout of this movie in theaters, across all major entertainment platforms and in all packaged media (Blu-ray/DVD).
“We are incredibly excited about this new relationship with Pathé, an internationally renowned studio recognized for its fantastic movie productions. This stunning film delivers a vibrant, captivating cinematic adventure. The remarkable talent behind and in front of the camera is sure to win the hearts and minds of movie fans,” said Melissa Boag, Senior Vice President of Kids & Family Entertainment at Shout! Factory. “We look forward to building a broad audience across all major distribution platforms.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering up with Shout! Factory for the first time and are confident they will do a sterling job with the film’s release in the US. This modern take on a classic tale, shot with state-of-the-art technology and under the imaginative vision of Christophe Gans deserves to reach as wide an audience as possible,” said Muriel Sauzay, Executive Vice-President, International Sales, at Pathé.
Movie synopsis
1810. After the wreck of his ships, a financially-ruined merchant (André Dussollier) exiles himself in the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle (Léa Seydoux), his youngest daughter, a joyful girl full of grace. One day, during an arduous journey, the merchant stumbles across the magical domain of the Beast (Vincent Cassel), who sentences him to death for stealing a rose.
Feeling responsible for the terrible fate which has befallen her family, Belle decides to sacrifice herself and take her father’s place. At the Beast’s castle, it is not death that awaits Belle, but a strange life in which fantastical moments mingle with gaiety and melancholy. Every night, at dinner, Belle and the Beast sit down together.
They learn about each other, taming one another like two strangers who are total opposites. When she has to repulse his amorous advances, Belle tries to pierce the mysteries of the Beast and his domain. And when night falls, the Beast’s past is revealed to her bit by bit in her dreams. It is a tragic story, which tells her that this solitary and fearsome being was once a majestic prince. Armed with her courage, ignoring every danger, and opening her heart, Belle manages to release the Beast from his curse. And in doing so, she discovers true love.
Richard Grandpierre and Jérôme Seydoux present BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE), a Christophe Gans Film. The film stars Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux with André Dussollier, Eduardo Noriega, Myriam Charleins, Audrey Lamy, Sara Giraudeau, Jonathan Demurger, Nicolas Gob, Louka Meliava and Yvonne Catterfeld.
A production of Eskwad, Pathé, TF1 Films Productions, Studio Babelsberg and 120 Films, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE) is directed by Christophe Gans; screenplay by Gans and Sandra Vo-Anh; produced by Richard Grandpierre and Jérôme Seydoux; executive producer, Frederic Doniguian; co-producers, Romain Le Grand, Henning Molfenter, Christoph Fisser and Charlie Woebcken.
Cliff MacMillan handled this film acquisition for Shout! Factory. The film deal was negotiated by Shout Factory’s David McIntosh and Muriel Sauzay (EVP – International Sales, Pathé).
Nice! I actually have been holding of buying that B&B import copy, because it’s only available with forced subtitles. Now I can rest easy. Here’s hoping we get more top tier French entertainment from this merger.