Lord of the Rings director sues over claims his company shortchanged
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Peter Jackson’s production company has sued New Line Cinema, claiming it was shortchanged on profits from the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Wingnut Films alleges in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that New Line and subsidiary Katja Motion Pictures failed to properly calculate revenue, including revenue from DVD sales, from 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify an amount sought in damages but claims the movie grossed more than $314 million US in box office receipts in the United States and more than $556 million overseas, plus revenue from video and merchandise sales.
The lawsuit accuses the studio of giving affiliates favourable licensing deals. It seeks a court injunction against New Line from reaching deals related to the film with affiliates “without first seeking the most competitive and beneficial deals from unaffiliated third parties in a free and open market.”
Categories