DreamWorks gets almost all the attention, but there's another major new Hollywood movie company debuting this month - and it beat DreamWorks to theaters.
"The Game," the first movie released by PolyGram Films, arrived in theaters Sept. 12, a full two weeks before this weekend's premiere of DreamWorks' debut film, "The Peacemaker," a drama with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman looking for a nuclear weapon.Pairing Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, "The Game" is a $70 million thriller about a bored millionaire whose life is turned upside down by a bizarre birthday gift from his agitated brother.
Both DreamWorks and PolyGram are coming into the market at a time when new movie companies are performing about as well as the Mir space station.
Hollywood's bankruptcy files are filled with startup production and distribution companies that tried - and failed - to challenge the seven major studios.
Among the most recent washouts were Savoy Pictures ("Steal Big, Steal Little") and the Weintraub Entertainment Group ("Troop Beverly Hills").
"It's not going to be easy for them," says Hal Vogel, an entertainment industry analyst with Cowen and Co. "But they have approached this cautiously. `The Game,' from what I hear, is a good movie. But you can't build a distribution entity on a single film. You need a constant stream of product and a lot of capital."
PolyGram Films is a part of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, in turn a part of Holland's sprawling entertainment conglomerate PolyGram NV.
PolyGram and its sister companies have produced or distributed such movies as "Jumanji," "Sleepers," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Mr. Holland's Opus."
Gramercy Pictures, part of the PolyGram family, specializes in art films; PolyGram Films will focus on star-driven concept films - hoping to distribute up to 12 a year by 1998.
" `The Game' is the type of movie PolyGram Films was created to release," says Peter Graves, president of marketing for PolyGram Films.
"PolyGram Films was designed to compete with the major distributors, effectively competing on the same plane as the Warners, Disneys and Sonys of the world," he said.
"What makes PolyGram better suited for this (than the failed upstarts)? It's a part of a $6-billion-a-year company. So obviously the financial resources are incredibly broad," said Graves.
The PolyGram Films slate includes "The Gingerbread Man," a Robert Altman courtroom drama from the original John Grisham screenplay; "What Dreams May Come," starring Robin Williams in a science fiction story; "The Borrowers," adapted from the Mary Norton children's books; "Barney's Great Adventure," a movie about the purple dinosaur; and "The Best Man," a wedding comedy starring Nathan Lane.
"The Game" opened in the No. 1 box-office spot, and audiences appear to be fascinated by the premise, though some moviegoers may be perplexed by the ending. Rarely has somebody who tries committing suicide ended up having such a lovely surprise birthday party.
PolyGram's second release, "The Gingerbread Man," stars Kenneth Branagh, Daryl Hannah, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall and newcomer Embeth Davidtz. It features the interesting combination of Altman ("The Player") and Grisham ("The Client").
Interesting, and apparently troubled: PolyGram executives didn't approve Altman's cut of the movie and brought in a new editor. The film has now been pulled from its planned Oct. 3 release date.