The Big Picture

Big Entertainment is getting plump

Multiplication and addition,that’s the name of the game when it comes to Big Entertainment. Last we heard,they had signed seven deals – Nicolas Cage’s Saturn Productions,Jim Carrey’s JC 23 Entertainment,George Clooney’s Smokehouse Productions,Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures,Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions,Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment,and Jay Roach’s Everyman Pictures. Two new additions – Julia Roberts’ Red Om Films and Brett Ratner’s Rat Entertainment. That makes it a big fat nine. Also,Walt Disney Studios has agreed for an exclusive long-term distribution arrangement with Steven Spielberg,and partner Stacey Snider,chief executive officer of DreamWorks,to distribute all upcoming live-action motion pictures produced by DreamWorks under their partnership with Reliance BIG Entertainment. “We are now looking forward to moving into the filmmaking stage over the coming months. We were immediately impressed by both Julia’s and Brett’s enthusiasm for our creative partnership plan,” comments Reliance Big Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna. Meanwhile,BIG Pictures has acquired worldwide marketing and distribution rights of Filmkraft’s Kites. A romantic thriller directed by Anurag Basu,it stars Hrithik Roshan,Barbara Mori,Kangana Ranaut,Nick Brown and Kabir Bedi. Slated for release this year,Kites is reportedly the biggest Indian film to date. In the other part of the country,Big Cinemas,part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and Adlabs Films have announced the opening of two top-of-the-line four-screen cinemas in Greater Noida and Paras Downtown Mall in Zirakpur,Chandigarh. Told ya,it’s getting big and bigger!