Whenever Apocalypto gets released, it may not be Disney/Touchstone booking the theatres. Fox 411’s Roger Friedman is quoting “sources” in his 12.9 story that says that Disney/ Touchstone is “shopping” Mel Gibson‘s movie Apocalypto — i.e., looking to dump it because it was a tough sell in the first place, and now it’s even tougher and they don’t want the headache. And I’m hearing also that the film is in play. An L.A. marketing source tells me “no one” except Disney wanted Apocalpto when it was first offered so the enthusiasm levels of a new distributor would be open to question.
I made some calls this morning and spoke to a distribution executive in the position to know, and he/she acknowledged that Friedman’s story has merit. I have calls out to other distributors who may or may not share something, but the most likely suitors would be Bob Berney’s Picturehouse (Berney’s Newmarket distribbed The Passion of the Christ) or Lionsgate.
A few days ago I wrote about the possibility of Touchstone delaying the release date into March of April of ’07 — dumping Apocalypto altogether is obviously another equation. If Disney’s Dick Cook is indeed shopping it around, he’s doing so because (a) Gibson has signed off on this or (b) Disney corporate doesn’t like the anti-Semitic taint attached to the Gibson name, etc.