The Wall Street Journal reported today that upcoming superhero flick, Watchmen is copyrighted by 20th Century Fox — a fact that would under most circumstances not be newsworthy — oh, except that Warner Bros. is the company that actually produced the thing. What’s this hiccup going to mean for WB’s profits?
Not sure if you know this, but in the movies, it’s all about how much money a movie can make. Much of the revenue movies make comes from post-theater distribution: DVDs, Netflix/Blockbuster rentals, et cetera. So when 20th Century Fox claimed it owned a copyright on Watchmen, a judge agreed, meaning WB will have to share some portion of its winnings.
We bet Fox is happy they decided to pass on the film a decade ago — who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? For WB, it’s probably going to be an expensive bath since the project is based on one of the all-time best-selling graphic novels. How did Harvey Weinstein not get in on this?
Aforementioned judge will make a more detailed ruling in the nearish future about what portion of the take will go to Fox. Hollywood may be recession proof, but you know some legal aid just got his ass fired.
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