Toronto Leftovers: Trade Roughage 09/17/07

By Karina Longworth on September 17, 2007 at 4:53 am

Plus: Another batch of YouTubers are called up to the majors.

With The Brave One’s $14 million, first-place opening weekend, we learn that audiences would rather see Jodie Foster as a mother than as a vigilante. Meanwhile, both Eastern Promises and Across the Universe managed smashing per-screen averages in limited release.
David Cronenberg’s Russian mob movie was a hit with Toronto audiences, too: it picked up the audience prize for best film at the Toronto Film Festival over the weekend, edging out runners-up Juno and Body of War.
In Toronto acquisitions news, IFC picked up Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg, and in what is being billed as the Festival’s biggest sale, First Look Studios purchased the Aaron Eckhart/Jessica Alba comedy Bill for at least $3 million.
Southland Tales and Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly is launching Darko Entertainment, a production company designed “to back modestly budgeted, director-driven films.” Their first venture will be Dirty Girl, a co-production with Christine Vachon’s Killer Films.
MTV Films and Old School director Todd Phillips are producing a feature around YouTube sensation Million Dollar Strong (aka Mike O’Connell and Ken Jeong). O’Connell is writing the screenplay with Peter Kline.