Magnolia grabs ‘Red Cliff,’ ‘Warlords,’ ‘Banlieue 13: Ultimatum’

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News | Film News | by Mark Pollard

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Magnolia Pictures has picked up North American distribution rights to John Woo’s RED CLIFF and Peter Chan’s WARLORDS (2007), both award-winning historical action epics. They have also acquired producer Luc Besson’s BANLIEUE 13: ULTIMATUM, the free-running sequel to DISTRICT B13.

Magnolia has proven to be one of the more savvy foreign action film importers, managing to actually get their product released in a timely fashion and without mishandling the marketing, making gratuitous cuts or effectively banning original overseas cuts like some other U.S. distribs have done in the past.

RED CLIFF, originally released in two parts in China, was condensed into one 150-minute production as intended for international audiences before it was sold to Magnolia and that is the version that will be screened in theaters simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada. However, the good news is that the two original RED CLIFF films were also acquired and Magnolia’s genre film label Magnet Releasing is planning to make them available on DVD and video on demand (VOD).

Source: Variety

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  • Manuel
    So is Red Cliff on Magnolia going to be in two parts or just one?
  • @Manuel

    From my understanding, both. It looks like Magnolia will release the shorter international cut in theaters and presumably on DVD. The longer, two-part version will also be made available on DVD and VOD. At least, that is the plan according to reports. We'll have to wait and see. It would certainly be the smart choice. Trying to release the uncut version of RED CLIFF in two parts in theaters like KILL BILL would be a commercial failure and not releasing them on DVD would only encourage more people to seek out imports and pirate versions while ignoring the licensed, cut version.
  • Nick Boros
    Not only did they botch the subtitles on "Let the right one in", but they botched the Blu ray of "Eden Log" that just came out this week. It turns out that with "Eden Log" the only way to watch a high definition version of the film is with an english dubbed track. The dubbed audio is in DTS master audio which is nice, but if you want to watch the "French version" (the original version) then you have to look in the extras and it will allow you to do this. If you watch the "French version" it will be in standard definition! That's right, if you pay a $10 premium to get the Blu-ray of this film and want to see it in its unaltered state with the original language and subtitles then you must do it in standard definition and compressed audio (rather than DTS master audio) to go along with it.

    What kind of idiots do they have working there at Magnolia. If they simply cut and pasted the subtitles and french audio to the high definition version of the film then most people would have been happy. Also, if they would have spent the time getting the french audio in DTS master audio rather than worry about a high fidelity dubbed track then everyone would be happy. They are really shooting themselves in the foot with this "six shooter film series".
  • Leeroygreene85
    Dragon Dynasty 'TWC' sounds like they're in trouble. They would've snatch these up but thank goodness we get to see Red Cliff and Warlords on region 1 dvd. We're still waiting for Ip man if TWC doesn't get this I'm pretty sure it's the beginning of the end for them. Hopefully Magnolia will eventually get Ip Man for US dvd distribution.
  • Rhythm-X
    "TWC must be in serious trouble right now"

    It's only a flesh wound.
  • Daniel Zelter
    "Magnolia has proven to be one of the more savvy foreign action film importers, managing to actually get their product released in a timely fashion and without mishandling the marketing, making gratuitous cuts or effectively banning original overseas cuts like some other U.S. distribs have done in the past."

    They still screwed up that DVD of "Let the Right One In", but then I'm surprised that the issue of "dubtitles" only got reached the mainstream because of that film, since that's an industry problem across the board.

    Though you totally ignored the important fact about Magnolia getting the movie, which is that this means that TWC must be in serious trouble right now, if they're not engaging in their usual binge shopping. And frankly, I have to say that I relish the irony of yet another overpriced and uncut 2 1/2 hour Tarantino movie bombing while all the Asian films which actually got released in their full-lengths end up being relatively successes by comparison. Anyway, good luck trying to shake down Sony for whatever imaginary Crouching Tiger money you claim they owe you, Harvey pudgy-hands.
  • STDthaGreat
    Oh man! I was wondering when the hell B13: Ultimatum would hit the states. I enjoyed the first one very much. The hollywood remake is going to suck balls.
  • dac1138
    Warlords will be screened this summer during the New York Asian Film Festival prior to it's U.S. release.
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