Indie film has been taking a lot of hits over the last couple of years. As we all know too well, small art house flicks just don’t make the big bucks, even relative to their tiny budgets. Consequently, specialty studios have been forced to either downsize or close their doors completely. Recently, Disney announced that they would be letting go of about 50 people at their Miramax subsidiary, leaving only 20 employees at the small studio. As it turns out, they won’t be the only ones leaving.
According to THR, Daniel Battsek, President of Miramax, has decided to step down from his position. Just a month ago, Disney announced that although they would be downsizing Miramax dramatically, Battsek would remain in charge of everyday operations. But Battsek seems to have other plans. In a statement to his employees, he says: "After further reflection and discussion about the change in direction for Miramax, Rich Ross and I have agreed that I will step down."
Considering this guy headed the studio during the days that it released such gems as No Country for Old Men, Doubt, and Gone Baby Gone, there's good reason be pretty bummed about this decision. Even though Miramax will continue to release two or three movies a year (compared to their usual seven or eight), it’s hard to know what kind of movies those two or three will be. They could be melodramatic Oscar bait flicks shipped out at the end of the year along with massive award campaigns, or maybe we'll lucky and actually get quality.
