Will the Sony MGM buy effect NODS restoration?

[Mary]

Saw a story in the New York Times headlines online today that Sony just bought MGM away from Time-Warner.  Just wondering if there will be any better luck convincing Sony to restore/release NODS than there's been with Time-Warner?  Here's the link to the article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/business/media/14studio.html?th

I think you might have to subscribe to the site to read it but it's free.

[Darren Gross]

MGM does not own the Dark Shadows films. Warners does.

MGM only owns MGM films made from 1986 on, plus UA, AIP and other libraries.

Warners owns all Warners & First National titles, all MGM films up to 1986, plus Allied Artists and other titles.

Sony buying MGM puts the films in a better position than they would have been if Time Warner had succeeded in buying MGM.

The problem with Warners has been the enormous film library of higher priority titles (at least to Warners) that they feel should be released before HODS and NODS...If Warners who owns the largest classic film library had acquired the 3,000 or so titles MGM owned, we'd be looking at an even longer waiting window before they turn their attentions to NODS...

I read yesterday's news with a sigh of relief, somewhat.

[Patti Feinberg]

Darren wrote:

all MGM films up to 1986

Darren, does this mean the MGM movies I love aren't owned now by Sony? (Because the way the news sounded, I thought they owned all MGM flicks....)

Thanks,

Patti

[Darren Gross]

Well, if the MGM movies you love were made after 1986 then yes, Sony does own them.

But if we're talking about MGM titles like WIZARD OF OZ, MEET ME IN ST LOUIS, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, GIGI etc..those will remain Warners titles as they have since 1986...

One thing many articles have muddled is that United Artists released the Pink Panther and Bond films, NOT MGM...The current MGM is technically MGM/UA so Sony gets the United Artists library such as the Bond films and Pink Panther etc...

[Mary]

Thanks for clarifying this, Darren!

Sooo, if I'm understanding this correctly (not necessarily that I would ever understand anything correctly! LOL!), this basically means nothing has changed for the DS movies from the position they were in before?  Sigh.

[Darren Gross]

Absolutely right, Mary.

Nothing has changed, at all.

[Mary]

I got excited for nothing -- as usual.  (Ha!)  Oh well.  Thanks anyway, Stuart.