The rights to the "Terminator" feature film franchise are up for grabs. The Financial Times reported that Halcyon, the production company behind "Terminator Salvation" will auction off the rights this November "in a deal that will test Hollywood intellectual property valuations at a time when film industry profits are under pressure from falling DVD sales." Since "Terminator" is a rare example of a blockbuster film franchise not controlled by a big studio, the sale has reportedly drawn interest from every major studio as well as several financial buyers, which include Summit Entertainment, Media Rights Capital and Platinum Equity. Sony Pictures, who distributed "Salvation" around the world, is said to be the leading contender.
The rights are being sold by Halcyon after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a dispute with Pacificor, a Santa Barbara-based hedge fund that lent Halcyon funds to buy the rights to the popular film series. While the auction does not cover earlier "Terminator" films, the winning bidder will get the rights to make new films, TV series and other spin-offs.
The last "Terminator" movie to hit big screen was "Terminator Salvation". Coming from director McG and starred by Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, the action thriller was released on May 21 in the U.S. and lost the opening weekend box office battle to "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian". Still, it went on to collect $371.4 million worldwide.
source: aceshowbiz.com
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