Digital release of a slate of European films on Apple’s iTunes VOD & EST platform in the US
Founded in 2010, digital distribution and marketing company Under The Milky Way (UMW) announced today the digital release of a slate of European films on Apple’s iTunes VOD & EST platform in the US effective June 15th, 2011. UMW’s current plan is to release around 10 titles every month starting with foreign theatrical titles by French based Major Pathé International throughout summer and fall. UMW is currently in discussion with several other rights holders to distribute quality pictures with mainstream appeal never seen before in the US and firm up its 2011 and 2012 release schedule.
Upon the realization that less than a hundred European movies found traditional distribution in the US every year, UMW decided to commit to increase that number through its relationship with iTunes as well as its proximity to European producers and rights holders with six continental offices covering a dozen countries. UMW is also in discussion with several other major digital platforms in the US - whether SVOD, VOD or EST based - in order to maximize the channels of distribution of its expanding catalogue to better serve the needs of foreign film lovers.
Their summer line-up includes European Box office hits such as Welcome to the Sticks ($250 B.O. worldwide) soon to be re-made for the US market by Will Smith, L.O.L. which US remake starring Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore and Ashley Greene will open wide in October 2011, Adrian Lyne’s take on Nabokov’s cult classic Lolita starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Griffith, Jean Dujardin (2011 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor for The Artist) starrer 99 Francs ($9.99) based on Frederic Beigbeder’s cult best seller. 2010’s biggest French Box Office hit comedy Nothing to Declare starring Dany Boon and Benoit Poelvoorde, and Amen by legendary controversial director Costa-Gavras.
Under The Milky Way (UMW) is a service company dedicated to the digital distribution and marketing of feature films and audiovisual programmes. Its main activity is to act as a rights aggregator and ensure the operational, editorial, marketing and financial interfaces between the rights-holders and the VoD platforms.
Through its various local representatives, UMW develops its aggregator activity on an international level to allow local and international productions to be present on the most important VoD platforms and to manage, through its local presences, adapted commercial and marketing campaigns in coordination with VoD platforms.
UMW International started in 2010 in Paris under the guidance of former StudioCanal executive Jerome Chung and former Universciné founder Pierre-Alexandre Labelle. Local UMW’s representations as of June 2011: France, Italy, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Benelux, Spain, United States, and Canada. To be established in 2011: Scandinavia...