Walden Media

Hoping to infuse his struggling movie company with fresh ideas and generate more box-office hits, Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz has brought in a new creative chief at Walden Media. Michael Bostick, formerly a top executive at Imagine Films who most recently headed comedy director Tom Shadyac's production company, will as co-chief executive oversee the development and acquisition of new family films at Walden and adult fare at its sister label, Bristol Bay Productions.

"Hotel Transylvania" will suck the life out of its rivals at the box office this weekend, as the animated monster flick is set to dominate ticket sales.  The 3-D film should easily claim the No. 1 position with a solid debut of around $35 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys -- though Sony Pictures, which is distributing the film, is expecting a softer opening of between $25 million and $30 million. Sony is also releasing "Looper," the sci-fi time-travel film featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis that is set to launch with a robust sum of around $22 million.

Walt Disney Studios has signed a two-year film distribution deal with Walden Media, a subsidiary of Anschutz Co. of Denver. The deal includes two films, the award-winning children's property "Holes" and James Cameron's 3-D underwater exploration adventure "Ghosts of the Abyss." Both are scheduled for release early next year. Walden was founded by Chief Executive Cary Granat, former president of Miramax Films Dimension Label, and Michael Flaherty, an entrepreneur in the education field.

The AEG sale that includes L.A. Live, the Galaxy soccer team and a stake in the Lakers excludes two key entertainment assets: Family film company Walden Media and a controlling stake in theater chain Regal Entertainment Group. The Anschutz Co. and its billionnaire owner are holding onto those. Walden, which has co-financed or produced "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" series, and Regal, the largest movie theater chain in the U.S. with nearly 6,600 screens in 37 states, will be Anschutz's only entertainment holdings once the sale of AEG is complete.

NEW YORK -- Walden Media, which has produced 15 films based on children's books, is getting into the publishing business in conjunction with HarperCollins. The company, which has adapted such HarperCollins titles as "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Charlotte's Web" for the screen, will be launching Walden Pond Press, acquiring and publishing books for children, the companies said Monday.

Walden Media, the producer of family films backed by billionaire Philip Anschutz, is in discussions to hire former Walt Disney Co. executive Nina Jacobson in a senior post amid a restructuring of the company. The moves follow a spotty track record for Walden's films, which, despite the firm's 2005 blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and its ambitions to compete with Disney in family entertainment, have had limited success at the box office.

Walden Media co-Chief Executive Cary Granat is leaving the company, the latest shake-up to hit billionaire Philip Anschutz's entertainment firm. The move came as little surprise. It had been widely known in Hollywood that Walden management had been interviewing potential successors, including former Disney Studios executive Nina Jacobson. In March, the Century City-based company hired ex-Imagine Films President Michael Bostick as its top creative executive.

The AEG sale that includes L.A. Live, the Galaxy soccer team and a stake in the Lakers excludes two key entertainment assets: Family film company Walden Media and a controlling stake in theater chain Regal Entertainment Group. The Anschutz Co. and its billionnaire owner are holding onto those. Walden, which has co-financed or produced "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" series, and Regal, the largest movie theater chain in the U.S. with nearly 6,600 screens in 37 states, will be Anschutz's only entertainment holdings once the sale of AEG is complete.

The American Girl empire is pushing into a new frontier--movie theaters. Walden Media, the independent production company owned by Colorado multibillionaire Philip Anschutz, will team with the makers of American Girl dolls to produce a film about one of the toy line's most popular young heroines, Kit Kittredge.

As Hollywood grapples with the difficult economics of its business, Walt Disney Studios has canceled plans to partner on the next film in the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." A Disney spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that the Burbank studio decided not to exercise its option to co- finance the third movie in the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic children's books because of "budgetary considerations."

Moviegoers will see all sorts of miracles in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," including a painting that springs to life, a star that becomes incarnate, and a book that conjures up spells. The companies behind the latest big-screen adaptation from C.S. Lewis' classic book series hope the film will perform a different kind of miracle: revive a stalled franchise. Producers Walden Media and 20th Century Fox believe that the third "Narnia" picture, which opens Dec. 10, can reclaim the fans who embraced 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" but who were turned off by the darker 2008 sequel "Prince Caspian," whose comparatively poor performance raised serious doubts about the series' future.

"Bandslam" is a pretty good movie given that the odds of it having been a pretty bad movie were steep. On its face, it sounds like the highest-possible fructose corn syrup: Lonely new kid in town, pours his heart out in unanswered letters to David Bowie, becomes manager of teen band fronted by cutest girl on planet. If band wins big Bandslam contest, it's a record deal and fame and so long, high school, it's been good to know ya'. Here's the surprise: "Bandslam" may come from synthetic materials, but the characters are a little more complicated than usual.

As Hollywood grapples with the difficult economics of its business, Walt Disney Studios has canceled plans to partner on the next film in the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." A Disney spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that the Burbank studio decided not to exercise its option to co- finance the third movie in the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic children's books because of "budgetary considerations."

Walden Media co-Chief Executive Cary Granat is leaving the company, the latest shake-up to hit billionaire Philip Anschutz's entertainment firm. The move came as little surprise. It had been widely known in Hollywood that Walden management had been interviewing potential successors, including former Disney Studios executive Nina Jacobson. In March, the Century City-based company hired ex-Imagine Films President Michael Bostick as its top creative executive.

"Things never happen the same way twice," Aslan the all powerful says in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," and although the lion king is referring to the ways of the world, he might be talking about this film as well. The sequel to 2005's hugely popular "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which was the first of C.S. Lewis' seven-volume Narnia series to be filmed by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, "Prince Caspian" is both like its predecessor and different from it. Though it retains a kid-friendly PG rating and is directed with a surer hand by the returning Andrew Adamson, this film is noticeably darker in tone, even beginning with the piercing scream of a woman in childbirth.

NEW YORK -- Walden Media, which has produced 15 films based on children's books, is getting into the publishing business in conjunction with HarperCollins. The company, which has adapted such HarperCollins titles as "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Charlotte's Web" for the screen, will be launching Walden Pond Press, acquiring and publishing books for children, the companies said Monday.

Fox Filmed Entertainment struck a deal Tuesday with billionaire Philip Anschutz's movie company to take aim at the biggest name in family entertainment: Walt Disney Co. News Corp., Fox's parent, hopes to capitalize on the lucrative family film business and plug a hole in its own lineup by teaming with Walden Media, the producer of the 2005 blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

After coming up dry on such costly movie flops as "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Sahara," Hollywood's highest-rolling wildcatter is looking for his first gusher. And once again, Philip Anschutz is risking big.

Hoping to infuse his struggling movie company with fresh ideas and generate more box-office hits, Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz has brought in a new creative chief at Walden Media. Michael Bostick, formerly a top executive at Imagine Films who most recently headed comedy director Tom Shadyac's production company, will as co-chief executive oversee the development and acquisition of new family films at Walden and adult fare at its sister label, Bristol Bay Productions.

Walden Media, the producer of family films backed by billionaire Philip Anschutz, is in discussions to hire former Walt Disney Co. executive Nina Jacobson in a senior post amid a restructuring of the company. The moves follow a spotty track record for Walden's films, which, despite the firm's 2005 blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and its ambitions to compete with Disney in family entertainment, have had limited success at the box office.