Blumhouse/Atomic Monster Merger

[AlexanderMBush]

NYT has publicly reported that Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are now in the advanced talks to merge the two companies; for the intent of boosting their efforts to curate more works, and to boost their partnerships with Universal Pictures.

 

[Darko]

I’m very curious to see how this goes. I’m hoping this is nothing but a good thing in the long term.

 

[rageofthegods]

Thats an *insane* combo. Uni filched WB's horror pipeline right out from under them.

If I were New Line I'd be dreading the call from the boss asking how I lost this.

EDIT: not to be hyperbolic or draw hacky analogies but is anyone else getting Dreamworks Dream Team vibes from this? You got maybe the most famous horror producer and minter of franchises out there joining forces with the most financially successful horror filmmaker working today (ideally for the analogy you'd also have Jordan Peele in there but he has a deal with the same studio anyway). Really, really curious and excited to see how this plays out.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Thats an *insane* combo. Uni filched WB's horror pipeline right out from under them.

If I were New Line I'd be dreading the call from the boss asking how I lost this.

EDIT: not to be hyperbolic or draw hacky analogies but is anyone else getting Dreamworks Dream Team vibes from this? You got maybe the most famous horror producer and minter of franchises out there joining forces with the most financially successful horror filmmaker working today (ideally for the analogy you'd also have Jordan Peele in there but he has a deal with the same studio anyway). Really, really curious and excited to see how this plays out.

Honestly it really is.

With Blumhouse it's Blum and Whannell, Atomic it's Wan, and with Universal Pics it's Peele. It's a massive quartet of horror, and a reunion for both Whannell, Blum, and Wan.

 

[Clive]

Big win for Universal, huge loss for Warner Bros, overall loss for filmmakers/writers/the industry, as it's one fewer dependable avenue into a studio/prod company to pitch to.

 

[jseal777]

I hate mergers and consolidation and wish we had stricter laws to prevent things like Disney happening, but this one is exciting...

 

[belloq87]

Interesting that this is happening at the same time Walter Hamada has also left Warner Bros. to head-up a dedicated horror division at Paramount.

 

[MrBlonde]

I hate mergers and consolidation and wish we had stricter laws to prevent things like Disney happening, but this one is exciting...

I'm not too worried about this one, like you said Disney, as this one isn't at the most massive scale in terms of IP.

This feels like a sweep the leg against WB's portfolio, and given how much turmoil there's been, I feel like this is yet another loss blunder.

It sounds like the focus was to get beyond just movies. I wonder what they have in mind.

 

[shiekra38]

NYT has publicly reported that Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are now in the advanced talks to merge the two companies; for the intent of boosting their efforts to curate more works, and to boost their partnerships with Universal Pictures.

Holy cow, major news, this could be a very good thing

 

[Jerroddragon]

WB just....dying over here.

Like they have DC but man they seem to be just losing content left and right

 

[quinnmac000]

Jeff Shell Touts Universal’s “Impregnable Position” If Blumhouse & Atomic Monster Merge

But Jeff Shell Monday declined to confirm the deal between the two master horror producers.

deadline.com

 

[Jerroddragon]

So I saw that the IPs stay with WB.....so are they just buying producers, writers and directors?

 

[quinnmac000]

So I saw that the IPs stay with WB.....so are they just buying producers, writers and directors?

Jason Blumhouse has stated he isn't an idea guy but he can spot a good idea. James Wan is a idea guy but doesn't always do well on execution. Combining them together with Universal also getting a share means Universal gets a great producer who makes great movies at lower budgets, an idea guy who will use the producer to execute his ideas, and a pipeline for new films in their lineup. Its a win win.

Also outside the Conjuring, he really didn't make anything that WB didn't already own looking at the released stuff everything else was already established IPs under WB.

 

[Clive]

Jason Blumhouse has stated he isn't an idea guy but he can spot a good idea. James Wan is a idea guy but doesn't always do well on execution. Combining them together with Universal also getting a share means Universal gets a great producer who makes great movies at lower budgets, an idea guy who will use the producer to execute his ideas, and a pipeline for new films in their lineup. Its a win win.

Also outside the Conjuring, he really didn't make anything that WB didn't already own looking at the released stuff everything else was already established IPs under WB.

This. He's buying a machine that reliably produces hits. Blumhouse also has a good batting average, but it's tough to scale without losing quality. By purchasing a wing of executive, development, and administrative talent, you can conceivably produce twice the number of quality films in the same period of time.

Again, all in theory.

 

[rageofthegods]

So I saw that the IPs stay with WB.....so are they just buying producers, writers and directors?

Wan did a lot at Warners as a director but as a producer it's kind of been a disappointment outside of Conjuring tbh. Lots of stuff purchased and developed, often from talented directors who got noticed from shorts or international films, but very little made outside of Conjuring and Lights Out. Their slate ramped up a little at the end with stuff like Salem's Lot and Train to New York finally entering production, but overall it seems like Warners fumbled the bag.

Hopefully at Uni he gets to make more.