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Berney departure to affect “Tree of Life”?
While the international press was buzzing about “Robin Hood” Wednesday, the U.S. press was more intrigued by a behind-the-scenes drama: the departure of Bob Berney from Apparition.
This might seem like inside baseball to Texas audiences, but it isn’t. Before heading to Hollywood, Berney owned and managed the Inwood arthouse theater in Dallas. And his company is handling the upcoming release of Austin director Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life,” filmed in Central Texas.
Berney founded Apparition and has been a key player on the arthouse movie circuit for more than a decade. And it’s not clear how his sudden departure, which was announced as he was en route to Cannes, will affect Malick’s film.
“Tree of Life,” starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, was widely rumored to be headed to Cannes this year, but it apparently was not completed in time, robbing the movie of a high-profile international debut.
Berney’s previous projects include “The Runaways,” the Joan Jett biographical film that grossed about $3.5 million in the States, much less than expected. Other films include “Black Dynamite,” which grossed a mere $242,000, and “The Boondock Saints,” which grossed about $10.3 million.
He was also responsible for “Bright Star” and “Young Victoria,” which did respectable business for costume arthouse flicks. In the U.S., “Bright Star” nabbed about $4.4 million, while “Victoria” grossed $11 million.
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By Arsenije Jovanovic
May 12, 2010 3:25 PM | Link to this
It’s a pity. “Tree of Life” will not be damaged, it’s audience will be the loser.