‘Sweeny Todd’ Won’t Show in 49 Theaters in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota, Iowa

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:02:59 -0700

If you live in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota or Iowa, you won’t be able to pay to see Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen in “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at your local Marcus Theatres cinema.

Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman in “Sweeny
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.
Photo credit: IMDb
In a bizarre turn of events, Marcus Theaters – the seventh-largest circuit in the U.S.– on Tuesday told Paramount Pictures it won’t book the film in any of its 49 theaters because the studio’s asking price is too high, according to Variety. Variety also reported:

It’s rare for an exhibitor and studio to end up in such a situation.

“Unfortunately, as a result of the negotiations with Paramount reaching an impasse, Marcus Theatres will not be showing ‘Sweeny Todd’ in any of its locations,” Marcus prexy Bruce J. Olson said in a statement.

Olson added: “This decision was reluctantly reached because the price requested by Paramount to show the film in Marcus Theatres was too expensive in the opinion of our film buyers.”

A spokesman for Marcus Theatres said he believes the move marks the first time the circuit has decided not to show a movie because of a studio’s asking price. Marcus declined to say how much of a split [Paramount] sought.

Generally speaking, the split is higher in favor of the studio at the beginning of a movie’s run.

Paramount has planned to release “Sweeny Todd” in about 1,200 theaters nationwide. The film opens on Friday.