Tag Archives: Tom Hanks

DreamWorks Studios

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by Alex Westfall
-Courtesy of wholemovieinfo.com

Courtesy of wholemovieinfo.com (a)

DreamWorks Studios
100 Universal City Plaza Dr., Bldg. 5121
Universal City, CA 91608
P: (818) 733-9300
http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/

Key Executives

-Steven Spielberg, Principle Partner (b)

Steven Spielberg, Principle Partner (b)

Michael Wright, CEO (c)

Michael Wright, Chief Executive Officer (c)

Lyndsay Harding, CFO (d)

Lyndsay Harding, Chief Financial Officer (d)

-Jeff Small, President & COO (e)

Jeff Small, President & Chief Operating Officer (e)

Company Overview

DreamWorks Studios is an American film company originally founded in 1994 by partners Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. In its early years, the studio worked with several different film companies such as Universal, Sony, and 20th Century Fox. These collaborations saw much success by cranking out multiple critically acclaimed films such as the Academy Award winning American Beauty, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind. In 2005, Viacom, the parent company of Paramount Pictures, purchased DreamWorks for $1.6 billion. However, in 2008, DreamWorks decided it would end its deal with Paramount and signed on to a partnership with Indian investment firm Reliance ADA Group to produce its films. In addition to working with Reliance, DreamWorks also maintains a deal with the Walt Disney Company, who markets and distributes its films. [1] [2]

Financials

Because DreamWorks Studios is a private company, specific financial information is not exactly attainable. However, by analyzing the budgets and revenue from the studio’s recent films, one can have a good idea about how the company is doing. At the time of it’s deal with Reliance, it was a known fact that DreamWorks had quite the amount of debt, and the $600 million invested by the firm arguably saved the film company from going under. With the creation of it’s subsequent movies, DreamWorks was once again beginning to see success. In 2014, the studio released two films- Need for Speed and the One Hundred Foot Journey.

With a budget of $66 million, Need for Speed ended up bringing in $203.3 million in revenue- thanks to it being highly popular in foreign markets such as China and Russia. Clearly by making back more than three times it’s budget, the movie can be hailed as a

Need for Speed movie poster, courtesy of wikipedia.org

“Need for Speed” movie poster, courtesy of industrialcolor.com (f)

financial success for the studio. Despite garnering negative reviews, Need for Speed most likely drew all of its audience due to the internationally popular video game it was based off of. The movie’s action packed plot and showcase of fast cars was definitely aimed at a male audience ranging from 15-35, which is the exact demographic that plays the video game around the world. Seeing as the game has this existing wide audience, it makes sense that they flocked to see the film and brought in so much revenue.

Sticking with the trend, the One Hundred Foot Journey made a total of $88.8 million- which is

Hundred Foot Journey poster, courtesy of imdb.com (h)

“The Hundred Foot Journey” poster, courtesy of imdb.com (g)

four times it’s budget of $22 million. This success was most likely garnered by the film’s feel-good plot that is about something everyone can relate to- food. Additionally, it was produced by Oprah Winfrey and her company Harpo Productions. Seeing as Winfrey is so popular already (especially with women ages 25-64), she was probably able to draw in an even larger audience for the film by promoting it on her show, television network, etc.

Financially successful films such as these two are what has helped DreamWorks Studios escape from it’s initial early 2010s box office blunders such as Cowboys & Aliens and Fright Night– which just barely made back their budgets. [3] [4] [5] [6]


What’s Happening Now

As of Fall 2014, DreamWorks Studios has seen some huge changes with studio management and personnel. After seven years of acting as Chief Executive Officer and

Michael Wright, courtesy of online.wsj.com (g)
Michael Wright, courtesy of online.wsj.com (h)

Co-Principal Partner to Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider left the company and was replaced by Michael Wright. Wright, who was formerly Head of Programming for TNT,TBS, and TCM, will begin his position as the new CEO starting on January 1st, 2015. He will report directly to Spielberg and will be in charge of all the creative aspects for the film side of the business. Although some are a bit weary that Wright’s television background will not translate well to the motion picture industry, Spielberg himself believes quite the contrary:

“He has a keen understanding of storytelling and how to deliver those stories in every shape and size, regardless of platform. I am delighted to welcome him.”

One thing is for sure, Wright’s background with edgier shows for TNT such as Major Crimes and the Last Ship is a likely indicator of what is in store for DreamWorks: more thrilling and grittier, adult-type content. Hopefully this new type of material will prove to even further revive the studio and bring in even more revenue.

Along with Wright, DreamWorks has also hired a new CFO- Lyndsay Harding from Evergreen Studios. Prior to working in the media and entertainment industry, Harding worked on Wall Street dealing with mergers and acquisitions for Goldman Sachs, and then in private equity for JPMorgan Chase. Her high business acumen will surely prove useful to the studio, as she will be able to tighten up budgets and continue decreasing debt. [7] [8]

For the Future

Within the next two years, DreamWorks is only planning on releasing two films: St. James Place and the BFG. Both films are currently in the early stages of production and are slated for releases in October 2015 and July 2016, respectively.

Hanks and Spielberg on set of St. James Place

Hanks and Spielberg on set of St. James Place, courtesy of brooklyndaily.com (i)

St. James Place will be directed by Spielberg with a screenplay written by Matt Charman- revised by the famed Joel and Ethan Coen. It is a cold war era spy thriller, based on the 1960 U-2 Incident, and will star Tom Hanks, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda. Based on this lineup, the film appears as though it will do well, seeing as the brands that are often attached to Spielberg, the Coen brothers, and Tom Hanks are positive and successful. The sole fact that their names are headlining will be enough to draw in a large audience of adults 17-60, even if the movie itself turns out to be sub-par.

In addition to St. James Place, DreamWorks is also working on the BFG, a film that will

The BFG novel, courtesy of barnesandnoble.com (j)

The BFG novel, courtesy of barnesandnoble.com (j)

be based on the popular children’s book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The story follows a young girl and a friendly giant who go on a journey to vanquish evil giants who are threatening the human world. As of October, Mark Rylance, a three time Tony Award winner, has been cast to play the titular character. Because the book and its author are already so popular, the film will be sure to draw in mass audiences of children and their families. Its summer release is also a prime time, seeing as children will be out of school and more able to see the film in theaters. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Sources

[1] DreamWorks Studios – History, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

[2] DreamWorks Studios – FAQ, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

[3] Reliance Big in Talks with Spielberg’s DreamWorks, business-standard.com, RT: 11/29/14

[4] Box Office Mojo- Need for Speed, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 11/29/14

[5] Videogame ‘Need for Speed’ to be Turned into ‘Fast & Furious’-Style Franchise, indiewire.com, RT: 11/29/14

[6] Box Office Mojo- One Hundred Foot Journey, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 11/29/14

[7] Michael Wright to Replace Stacey Snider at DreamWorks as CEO, variety.com, RT: 11/29/14

[8] DreamWorks Taps Lyndsay Harding as CFO, variety.com, RT: 11/29/14

[9] Four Cast in Steven Spielberg’s Untitled Cold War Spy Thriller, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

[10] Novice Screenwriter on Selling His First Script to Steven Spielberg, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 11/29/14

[11] Steven Spielberg’s The BFG to be Released in 2016, telegraph.co.uk, RT: 11/29/14

[12] Mark Rylance Starring as ‘The BFG’ for Steve Spielberg, variety.com, RT: 11/29/14

Multimedia Sources

(a) DreamWorks Studios Logo, wholemovieinfo.com, RT: 11/29/14

(b) Steven Spielberg Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

(c) Michael Wright Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

(d) Lyndsey Harding Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/2914

(e) Jeff Small Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/29/14

(f) Need for Speed movie poster, industrialcolor.com, RT: 11/29/14

(g) the Hundred Foot Journey movie poster, imdb.com, RT: 11/29/14
(h) Michael Wright, wsj.com, RT: 11/29/14
(i) St. James Set, brooklyndaily.com, RT: 11/29/14

(j) the BFG, barnesandnoble.com, RT: 11/29/14

Columbia Pictures

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by Javier Vélez

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Logo

Courtesy of fortune.com (a)

Contact Information: (b)

Address: 10202 W. Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

Phone: 310-244-4000

http://www.sonypictures.com/

 Key Executives: (c)

Doug Belgrad [6]

Doug Belgrad (President)

image retrieved from the Hollywood Reporter

Hannah Minghella (President of Production)

 

 About Columbia Pictures:

Rita Hayworth       Courtesy of: Fanpop.com

The production studio known today as Columbia Pictures was founded in 1918 by Joe Brandt and brothers Jack and Harry Cohn. Originally named Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales, the company became Columbia Pictures in 1924. During the Hollywood Golden Age, Columbia had many stars of the era under contract, such as Rita Hayworth and William Holden, and became a major player in the movie business thanks to the productions of director Frank Capra.(d) In 1982, the company was bought by Coca-Cola, and in 1989 Sony purchased it for $3.4 billion.(e) Columbia Pictures is currently the film production and distribution division of Sony Picture’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a Sony subsidiary.(f) The most recent movement at the executive level occurred on July 16, 2014, when Doug Belgrad was promoted to president of the Sony Motion Picture Group. (g)                    

Financials:

Columbia Pictures, and its parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment, are privately traded.(h) The company has had notable releases in the last few years, including box office successes such as Skyfall and the Spider-Man franchise. From its 853 films produced or distributed for Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures releases have grossed $31,650,056,784, an average of $37 million per film.(i) In 2014, Columbia Pictures has held a 13.0% market share as of November 23.(j)

The Amazing Spider-Man                 Courtesy of Boxofficemojo.com

Columbia Pictures Success:

At the 2014 Oscars, films distributed by Columbia Pictures received 16 nominations. American Hustle received 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Director.  It won two Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress and David O. Russell & Eric Warren Singer for Best Original Screenplay. (k)

American Hustle poster                                                                 Courtesy of: Forbes.com

The other Columbia release that received Oscar Nominations was Captain Phillips. Of the six nominations received, the most noteworthy were for Best Picture and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for first-time actor Barkhad Abdi. The film did not win any Academy Awards.

The stars of Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi             Courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

 Columbia Pictures Presents:

Columbia Pictures has produced and/or distributed 17 films in 2014. Between superhero films, action films, and comedies, among others, the studio has released some of the most well-received films of the year by audiences.

During the summer, Columbia Pictures produced the sequel to 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx. The movie was released on May 2, 2014 in 4,324 theaters, grossing $110,700,722 in its first week. It went on to have a successful run in theaters, grossing over $200 million domestically and over $505 million in foreign markets, for a worldwide gross of $708, 983, 323 against a budget of $200 million. (l) In China, the movie was released in 11,002 theaters, a record amount of screens. (m) The film was not as big a hit with critics, receiving mixed reviews. (n)

Teaser Poster for The Amazing Spider-Man 2                           Courtesy of: Boxofficemojo.com

Another high-profile release in the summer of 2014 was 22 Jump Street, the sequel to 2012’s critical and commercial hit, 21 Jump Street. The movie, which pokes fun at conventional sequels, starred the buddy cop team of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as they move on from high school to college.

It was released on June 13, 2014, and went on to gross $191 million domestically, making up its $50 million budget. Internationally, the film made $131 million, for a total worldwide gross of $331 million. It was also well-received by critics, obtaining a 84% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (o) (p)

Now Playing:

The Equalizer poster                  Courtesy of: IMDB.com

After the summer blockbuster season, Columbia Pictures has released two films that have been well-received by audiences. The first is “The Equalizer”, an action film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington as a retired government official who must save an innocent girl from Russian gangsters. The film was released on September 26, 2014. (q) It is adapted from a TV series of the same name that aired on CBS from 1985 to 1989. (r) This is Fuqua’s and Denzel’s first film together since Training Day, for which Denzel won an Academy Award for Best Actor. The film opened its box office run with a $45 million gross its first week, opening in first place. It went on to gross $99 million domestically and $90 million in international sales, for a worldwide gross of around $190 million against a budget of $55 million. (s) The film received mixed-to-positive reviews. (t)

The other film Columbia has released in the fall is “Fury”, a World War II tank movie starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, and Logan Lerman, written and directed by David Ayer. The movie deals with a tank unit behind enemy lines during the latter stages of the war and presents, with unflinching reality, the brutalities of war. (u) The film was released on October 17, 2014 and opened in first place at the box office with a $33 million gross its first week. “Fury” is still in theaters, and as of November 28, 2014 has grossed approximately $81 million domestically and $74 million globally, good for a total gross of $155 million against a budget of $68 million. For the week of November 21-27, the film’s sixth week, “Fury” was still in the top 10 highest grossing films of the week. (v) (w) The film has been well-received by critics, holding a 78% “Certified Fresh” Rotten Tomatoes rating. (x)

Future:

Annie (2014) poster           Courtesy of: IMDB.com

Columbia Pictures plans to take advantage of the holiday season, distributing two films. The first is a modern re-telling of the musical “Annie”,produced by Jay-Z and starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. The movie will be released on December 19, 2014. The comedy-musical will look to appeal to a broad audience. (y)

Another film being distributed in December by Columbia Pictures is the comedy “The Interview”. The controversial film (z) stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a TV presenter and his producer, respectively, who are sent to North Korea to kill Kim Jong-un. The film will be released on December 25, 2014, and will look to appeal to mature audiences on Christmas Day. (aa)

Movies to be distributed and/or produced by Columbia Pictures in the following years include a Neill Blomkamp film titled Chappie, an Angry Birds movie, and spin-offs of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. (bb) Also in production is the next installment in the Bond franchise, with the working title of Bond 24. The film will once again be helmed by “Skyfall” director Sam Mendes and will star Daniel Craig as the titular 007 agent and Christoph Waltz as a Bond villain. It is yet to be seen how production of these and other Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures films will be altered by the November 24, 2014  hacks on their worldwide computer networks. Recent releases like “Fury” and soon-to-be-released features like “Annie” were leaked by this attack. (cc) (dd) 

 Sources:

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

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by [Li Ma]

Walt Disney Pictures Opening Logo

Touchstone Pictures Opening Logo

A Brief History:

Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and owned by The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 1928 with the name as Walt Disney Productions; in the year of 1983, the name was changed to Walt Disney Pictures. It is the main production company for animated and live-action feature films based at the Walt Disney Studios. One of the most recognizable films of Walt Disney Pictures is Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1937), as it is the first full-length traditional animated feature in motion picture history; Walt Disney Pictures has also produced numerous popular and award-winning films such as Cinderella (1950), Peter Pan (1953), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Lion King (1994), Toy Story (1995), Mulan (1998), Finding Nemo (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), Cars (2006), High School Musical III (2008), Alice in Wonderland 3D (2010), and so on.

Go to the official website of Walt Disney Pictures, please click here. [1]

Touchstone Pictures

Touchtone Pictures was established in 1984 as Touchstone Films; two years later, it received its new name as Touchstone Pictures. It is also an animated and live-action film banner of Walt Disney Studios. Most of its releases are typically for adults rather than for children. Since 2011, Touchstone Pictures banner has been assigned a 30-pictures distribution deal with DreamWorks Studios to distribute DreamWorks’ films over next five years. The most notable films that produced by Touchstone Pictures are Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Dead Poets Society (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), Sister Act (1992), Con Air (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Insider (1999), Rushmore (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and so on.

Go to the official website of Touchstone Pictures, please click here. [2]

 

Recent News:

July

July 8, 2012

The Avengers (2012)

According to the Deadline News, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has passed $ 1 billion domestic box office and become the first studio that reached the milestone of 2012.  This great achievement was attributed to the movie The Avengers, which was distributed by Disney; it helped Disney gain a huge amount of domestic box office with $ 611.1 million. This time, Disney has broken the 2010 studio record of 210 days to reach the $ 1 billion box office by using only 188 days to reach the goal. It is also the 16th time that Disney has achieved this in the last 19 years. (Deadline, 2012) [3]

July 18, 2012

Disney will distribute Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln domestically through its Touchstone label; this movie was announced to be released on Nov. 9th and expanded on Nov.16th.

Lincoln (2012)

“Lincoln, starring Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, is a likely awards contender and will hit theaters just as awards season begins to heat up in earnest.” (Hollywood Reporter, 2012)

Lincoln is also expected to be one of the movies that have most box office in the year of 2012. [4]

October

October 18, 2012

According to Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hanks recently visited the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco to have a three-week research for the role of the famous mogul in his new Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks.

Tom Hanks (left) and Walt Disney (Right)

This film is about the struggle between the author, who wrote the beloved novel in 1934, and Walt Disney who made a promise to his daughters in the 1940s to turn the book into a movie. However, from the very beginning of pre-production through to its successful release in 1964, Disney and Travers disagreed over script, tone and casting; Travers even complained that her character, which was depicted by Julie Andrews in her Hollywood debut, was too pretty and too nice; not even the overwhelming success of the movie would change the author’s mind.

“It’s like a trip to Disneyland itself, and it’s the third happiest place on the planet, behind Disneyland and Disneyworld.” (Hanks, T. 2012)

Walt Disney Pictures will release this film on December 20th, 2013. [5]

October 30, 2012

The Walt Disney Company announced to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd., owned by George Lucas who is the chairman and founder of Lucasfilm, with a cash and stock transaction of $ 4.05 billion.

“Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.” (Press Release, 2012)

Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, and George Lucas, chairman and founder, Lucasfilm sign the agreement for The Walt Disney Company to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

Disney also announced it would Continue its marketing strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world. In other words, besides Walt Disney Pictures’ efforts on the production of the 7th episode of Star Wars, which is targeted for release in 2015, the rest of subsidiaries and affiliates of The Walt Disney Company will also contribute on its promotion. [6]

According to Robert A. Iger, the chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company,

“This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including ‘Star Wars,’ one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.” (Robert, 2012) [7]

 

October 31, 2012

“Star Wars” films

According to Hollywood Reporter, Disney is buying Lucasfilm and producing three new “Star Wars” films.

These upcoming episodes are expected to have brand new concepts and plots with a notable visual improvement compared with the previous ones. As a result, 15 directors, such as J. J. Abrams, Jon Favreai, and Joe Johnston, were nominated as the potential directors for the new Star Wars films. [8]

November

November 30, 2012

Mel Shaw, an artist and writer who contributed to Disney animation classics as Bambi, Fantasia and The Lion King, died on November  22ndat 97.

Mel Shaw (1914-2012)

He was recruited by Walt Disney, the founder of Disney Studio, and then joined and worked in his team. Shaw started his animation career by creating title cards at the end of the silent-film era for Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Title and Art Studio. In the early 1930s, he helped Orson Welles create a storyboard for a version of The Little Prince that was never produced. In 1974, Walt Disney Studios asked Shaw to return to help mentor the next generation of animators. His last project for Disney was The Lion King (1994). Mel Shaw then was named a Disney Legend in the year of 1994. [9]

December

December 3, 2012

During the 17th annual Satellite Awards on Monday, ten movies have been nominated as best motion picture by the International Press Academy, an organization that is composed of entertainment journalists for both domestic and foreign outlets.

The movie Lincoln, which is distributed by Touchstone Pictures domestically, has been nominated eight Satellite Awards, including best actor, best actor in a supporting role, best motion picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best original score, best cinematography, and best art direction & production design. [10]

 

Upcoming Movies:

Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)

Oz: The Great And Powerful (March 8, 2013)

Lone Ranger (July 3, 2013)

The Little Mermaid in 3D (September 13, 2013)

Thor: The Dark Worlds (November 8, 2013)

Frozen (November 27, 2013)

Saving Mr. Banks (December 20, 2013)

The Muppets Sequel (2013)

Maleficent (March 14, 2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)

Bears (April 18, 2014)

The Good Dinosaur (May 30, 2014)

Telsa (2014)

Phineas and Ferb (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Star Wars: Episode VII (2015)

The Avengers 2 (May 1, 2015)

Ant-Man (November 6, 2015)

Finding Nemo 2 (2016)

Star Wars: Episode VIII (2017)

 

References:

[1] Walt Disney Pictures: http://movies.disney.com/

[2] Touchstone Pictures:  http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/264

[3] Finke, N.  (2012, July 8). Disney passing $1B domestic box office. Deadline. Retrieved from http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/disney-passing-1b-domestic-box-office/

[4] McClintock, P. (2012, July 18). Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielbergs-lincoln-dated-early-351152

[5] Riefe, J. (2012, October 18). Tom Hanks on becoming Walt Disney for ‘Saving Mr. Banks’. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-becoming-walt-disney-380011

[6] Anonymous. (2012, October 30). Disney to acquire Lucasfilm for $4 billion. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/10/disney-to-acquire-lucasfilms-for-4-billion/

[7] Anonymous. (2012, Oct 30).  Disney to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd..The Walt Disney Company Press Release. Retrieved from http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd

[8] Zakarin, J. (2012, October 31). 15 potential directors for the new ‘Star Wars’ films. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-star-wars-movies-director-384731

[9] Barnes, M. (2012, November 30). Legendary Disney animator Mel Shaw dies at 97. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-animator-mel-shaw-bambi-396272

[10] Kilday, G. (2012, December 3). Satellite Awards nominates 10 films for best motion picture. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/satellite-awards-nominates-10-films-396865