UPDATE: More On Weinstein Co Meltdown

First, I’m amused that others are so behind in their reporting: I posted days ago that Harvey Weinstein successfully talked Quentin Tarantino into agreeing to cut down Inglourious Basterds. Actually, Tarantino himself was stung by the very mixed reviews coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, so he and his people knew the film needed more work.  Now I have more to add about the The Weinstein Company’s meltdown. Yet another TWC film is getting lost in the shuffle — Hurricane Season with Forest Whitaker in his first starring role since winning the Best Actor Oscar, Taraji Hensen the recent Oscar nominee and white hot), and Lil’ Wayne who’s one of the biggest musicians in the country right now. Tim Story (Barbershop) directed the movie which tested at a 92 in Inglewood a few months ago. (Not that tests mean anything. So many bombs test big that it’s a completely meaningless tool.)

Well, now The Weinstein Co people are saying they can’t open Hurricane Season until they see how Halloween 2 does. Mind you not Inglourious Basterds which opens August 21st, but the Halloween horror franchise which the indie owns 100% and whose reboot sequel is slated for release a week later on August 28th. That’s now where they hope to make their money. Then again, remember that the only way Harvey could make Miramax high-brow was because Bob made low-brow Dimension into a cash cow. So now TWC has also re-scheduled Shanghai, a $50+ milllion production once set for release on September 4th, to the distant future. TWC may push off Youth In Revolt, currently scheduled for October 30th. And TWC had scheduled All Good Things for July 24th as its first pic out since February. But now TWC will be pushing that film to the 4th quarter. (“For reasons having nothing to do with the Weinsteins”, a source connected to the pic told me after the Weinsteins placed a call to him.) So now TWC looks like it’s “hoarding” cash to be able to release both Inglourious Basterds and Halloween 2.

1. Weinstein Co Money Woes: Will ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Be Affected?
2. The Weinstein Company To Restructure