Fox film unit Searchlight looks to regain its shine

Fox Searchlight is one of the premiere specialty labels in Hollywood, releasing successful movies such as "Little Miss Sunshine," "Sideways" and the pop-culture juggernaut "Juno."

But lately Searchlight has been in the dark.

The unit of News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, known for picking quirky films that resonate with the public, has released only a handful this year, far fewer than in the recent past. Two pictures it had high hopes for flopped. Others performed adequately but hardly with distinction.

In another miscue, a separate division set up by Searchlight chief Peter Rice to make thrillers and comedies aimed at teens has yet to catch on after nearly two years. In January, the label, Fox Atomic, folded its marketing operation and laid off nearly two dozen employees.

It has been an unusual stumble for Rice, the British executive who has run Searchlight for nine years. Rice, who prefers a low profile in a town where executives often seek as much publicity for themselves as they do for their movies, declined requests for an interview.

Now Searchlight hopes to finally emerge from the shadows Wednesday when it opens "Slumdog Millionaire," a film from director Danny Boyle about an 18-year-old Mumbai orphan who has a shot at winning the jackpot on India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Then in December, Searchlight will release Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler," a redemption tale about a washed-up pro wrestler played by Mickey Rourke.

Once hot corners of Hollywood because of the prestige they conferred on their corporate parents, specialty film labels such as Searchlight have had a rough time lately.

A glut of films, combined with high overhead and marketing costs, has forced several studios to shut or reduce the size of their specialty labels. Time Warner Inc. closed two divisions, Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse, that focused on smaller movies. Viacom Inc. curtailed Paramount Vantage, laying off dozens of employees. And struggling Weinstein Co., citing a crowded marketplace, has pushed back the release of several films to next year.

As a result of this retrenchment, Searchlight will be operating in a considerably less crowded field.

"Searchlight is like what Miramax was in the '90s," said "Juno" director Jason Reitman, referring to the maverick independent studio founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. "They're great at identifying the right films and not letting them go."