Strike Talks Suspended: Trade Roughage 11/30/07

By Karina Longworth on November 30, 2007 at 7:52 am

The WGA rejects an AMPTP concession, and United Artists tries to sell themselves as "a start-up."

The writers and the studios have lifted the press blackout on strike talks just long enough to reveal that negotiations have hit a wall, after the studios offered a deal worth “$130 million in additional compensation to scribes over three years,” and the scribes kindly asked them to suck it. In fact, according to Variety, the WGA asked for a four day moratorium to think it over, and then went to the press with a “point-by-point deconstruction of the deal points only hours after adjourning.” Talks are still scheduled to resume on Tuesday, but there are rumors that the AMPTP has about had it with the writers, and may soon switch gears to focus on hammering out a deal with the DGA.
Variety and The Hollywood Reporter breath a collective sigh of relief over the news that yes, there will be stars at Sundance after all.
Lions For Lambs cost $35 million to make, and is expected to barely clear $20 million domestically. Not the best start for Tom Cruise’s revamped United Artists. Cruise’s partner Paula Wagner spins it like this: “You have to look at us as a start-up company. We had zero assets. The cupboard was bare. Now we have one movie in our library, a movie we are very proud of.”
With only one film opening in wide release this weekend, Enchanted is expected to stay on top of the box office.