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Jeremy Kay
Feb 18, 2023
Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey, the low budget slasher sensation that riffs on A. A. Milne’s beloved children’s property and has sunk its teeth into the US and Mexican box office, will roll out across the world following a raft of deals announced at EFM.
Altitude acquired UK rights and Los Angeles-based sales and production company Premiere Entertainment Group has closed deals with Plaion for Germany and Italy, Umbrella for Australia and New Zealand, Eagle Films for Middle East, New Select for Japan, and Njuta Films for Scandinavia.
All the releases are understood to involve theatrical components. PEG has also finalised sales into Latin America (Cinemex), South Korea (First Run), Poland/Eastern Europe (Unicorn Media), Spain and Portugal (Vértice), Benelux (Movie Company), and Russia/CIS (New People).
Deals have closed in Turkey (BG Film), Pakistan (Cine Entertainment), Taiwan (AV-Jet), Hong Kong (VII Pillars), Thailand (Hollywood Thailand), Philippines (Viva), Mongolia (Filmbridge), Israel (Forum Film), and India and airlines (PictureWorks).
UK filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield directed Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey last year, 95 years after the copyright on Milne’s 1926 tome ‘Winnie-The-Pooh’ lapsed in the US on January 1 2022 and entered the public domain, leaving it ripe for interpretation.
Reportedly made for less than $100,000, the story follows Pooh and Piglet as they turn feral and embark on a murderous rampage when Christopher Robin goes off to college.
The film opened in the US last week via specialist distributor Fathom Events and has amassed more than $1m. It has done the same in Mexico through Cinemex. ITN is planning a digital and physical US release later this year.PEG’s EFM slate includes Indonesian superhero blockbuster Sri Asih, murder mystery What Remains with Kellan Lutz and Anne Heche, and TIFF thriller Nightalk.