{"id":492953,"date":"2025-10-12T06:49:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T06:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/492953\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T06:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T06:49:11","slug":"park-circus-to-handle-warner-classics-in-france-unveils-lumiere-slate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/492953\/","title":{"rendered":"Park Circus to Handle Warner Classics in France, Unveils Lumi\u00e8re Slate\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tU.K.-based repertory powerhouse Park Circus<\/a> has secured French distribution of Warner Bros.\u2019 classic film library, CEO Doug Davis confirmed to\u00a0Variety\u00a0ahead of the International Classic Film Market<\/a> (MIFC) in Lyon.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe will be distributing the Warner Brothers classic film library theatrically in France \u2013 this is a brand new territory for us in our Warner Bros partnership. We\u2019re very honored to be the custodian of these heritage libraries,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe arrangement brings the French market into alignment with Park Circus\u2019 existing Warner partnerships in the U.K. and other territories and underlines the growing confidence major studios are placing in the company.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Park Circus has long worked with the Lumi\u00e8re Film Festival<\/a> \u2013 an eight-day celebration of cinema old and new \u2013 and its MIFF, the world\u2019s biggest market dedicated to heritage film, this edition marks the first time Park Circus is officially partnering with the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Davis, the timing felt right. \u201cI think it\u2019s a combination of the festival and the March\u00e9 going from strength to strength \u2013 more delegates, more guests of honor. Our mission in life is to bring classic films back to the big screen, primarily where they belong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Lumi\u00e8re, Park Circus has unveiled a 24-title lineup, including Michael Mann<\/a> titles \u201cHeat\u201d and \u201cThief,\u201d tied to the director\u2019s Lumi\u00e8re Prize tribute this year, along with Sean Penn\u2019s \u201cInto the Wild,\u201d screening in connection with his appearance as guest of honor at the festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than a dozen titles are films by Martin Ritt, ranging from\u00a0 \u201cThe Spy Who Came in From the Cold\u201d and \u201cParis Blues\u201d to \u201cMurphy\u2019s Romance\u201d and \u201cNuts,\u201d as part of Lumi\u00e8re\u2019s celebration of the iconic Hollywood director.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHeat,\u201d which marks its 30th anniversary, will close the festival with a new 4K restoration. \u201cThief,\u201d also presented in a 4K restored version, is the director\u2019s cut of the film, supervised and approved by Mann. \u201cInto the Wild,\u201d though not a restoration, will be screened in a new copy with French subtitles financed by Park Circus, allowing it to circulate through French-speaking territories after the festival.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe mix of prestige restorations from major studios and rediscovered titles illustrates the scale of opportunity in the heritage market, which extends well beyond festivals and repertory venues: during the pandemic, and later amid the Hollywood strikes, multiplexes turned to classic titles to fill screens, sparking a surge in demand that, according to Davis, has not faded.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI can happily report that it has not gone away. The multiplexes are quite delighted with the way the classics are performing,\u201d he said, noting that the revival attracts not just older audiences but also younger viewers, thanks in part to savvy trailer-based promotion across social media platforms like Letterboxd.<\/p>\n

\n\tDavis also cited a recent 4K re-release of Stanley Kubrick\u2019s \u201cBarry Lyndon\u201d as an example of how fan-generated content can go viral on platforms like TikTok: \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like vinyl records: There\u2019s a social and cultural cachet now to watching old movies and being first to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs heritage titles continue to find fresh audiences in multiplexes, Park Circus sees its mission as both cultural and commercial. \u201cAs a business, our mission [to grow the audience for the theatrical experience of classic films] is prudent, responsible growth. As a partner to exhibition, it\u2019s helping them attract, retain and delight new audiences. Our growth will continue with existing partners, convincing new partners to try classics, and expanding globally,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe MIFC runs alongside the Lumi\u00e8re Film Festival in Lyon over Oct. 14-17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.K.-based repertory powerhouse Park Circus has secured French distribution of Warner Bros.\u2019 classic film library, CEO Doug Davis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":492954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[162383,2000,299,36,162384,162385,162386],"class_list":{"0":"post-492953","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-classic-film-market","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-france","12":"tag-lumiu00e8re-film-festival","13":"tag-michael-mann","14":"tag-park-circus"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115359866441202623","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}