(continued)
 Joseph E. Roth Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios |
Miramax's 1999
slate includes Killing Mrs. Tingle, a dark comedy about a high
school valedictorian and her spiteful teacher, written and directed by
Kevin Williamson, creator of the Scream series and TV's Dawson's
Creek; Princess Mononoke, an animated folktale directed by Hayao
Miyazaki, whom some call "the Walt Disney of Japan," and featuring
the voices of Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver and Claire Danes, and The
Talented Mr. Ripley, a tale of suspense and tragedy set in 1950's
Italy co-produced with Paramount Pictures and directed by Anthony Minghella,
who won an Oscar for The English Patient.
Buena Vista International was on target to equal last year's industry-leading box office numbers as 1998 drew to a close, becoming the only film distribution company ever to hit the $1-billion mark at the box office four years in a row.
Armageddon was the biggest international hit of the year for BVI, exceeding $230 million in box-office gross even before entering the important Japanese market. Hercules and Air Force One were also overseas hits, generating combined grosses of nearly $300 million. Also adding to BVI's record-breaking year were Flubber, George of the Jungle, Six Days, Seven Nights, Face/Off and Mulan, which had grossed $63 million internationally before being released in Europe.estic and
the action-adventure saga The 13th Warrior.
feature, was embraced by both domestic and
international audiences.
By fall, Instinct, Runaway Bride, Bringing Out the Dead and End of Days will be in theaters around the globe. TarzanŽ opens in Latin America in July, in Asia in October and in Europe over the holiday season.
In 1998, for the 10th straight year, Buena Vista Home Entertainment maintained its position as the industry leader in worldwide home entertainment while continuing to break its own records in both the sell-through and rental markets.
In the sell-through market, BVHE benefited from the growing consumer demand for made-for-video movies, a category it pioneered in 1994. The group launched Beauty & the Beast: Belle's Enchanted Christmas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, which together shipped more than 15 million units — a record for this category in a single fiscal year. Then, in October, BVHE released the sequel to the most successful animated film of all time — The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
BVHE continues to hold 17 of the top 25 spots on the U.S. all-time best-selling videos list. In 1998, key worldwide sell-through initiatives included successful re-releases of The Little Mermaid (North America), Lady and the Tramp (North America, the UK, Italy), Peter Pan (Spain) and Cinderella (Europe). In Japan, BVHE released the country's number-one-selling videocasette of all time, Princess Mononoke, which sold more than four million units.
BVHE's success went beyond animation, as George of the Jungle and Flubber became two of the top sell-through videos of 1998. In 1999, BVHE expects 101 Dalmatians to become another popular overseas live-action release.
In the rental market, BVHE expanded its innovative revenue-sharing program, which entails the sharing of rental revenues between retailers and the studio, resulting in greater availability of popular titles. Under this new structure, Good Will Hunting was launched and went on to become one of the industry's most successful rental titles ever. Later in the year, Scream 2 also moved near the top of the list, giving BVHE ten of the top 25 rental titles of all time.
| Disney movies go
digital with new releases in the DVD format. |
 |
BVHE also introduced its offerings to the DVD market, including the simultaneous VHS/DVD release of George of the Jungle and top-sellers The Rock and Scream.
