Latest news with #CitizenKane
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
11 movie props sold for eye-watering prices from Titanic to Star Wars
Items from movies including Castaway, Star Wars, The Spy Who Loved Me and ET have gone under the hammer for eye watering amounts of money. The Mirror looks at some of the memorabilia that has gone for megabucks Movie memorabilia is clearly big business, with Citizen Kane's Rosebud sled selling this week for an eye-watering $14.75 million (£11m). In the 1941 movie starring Orson Welles, and regarded as one of the greatest in film history, Rosebud represented the happy times Kane had playing in the snow as a child and ultimately the idealized past that he yearned for throughout his life. The buyer is unknown, but the seller was the director Joe Dante, who was given the item in 1984 while working on Explorers on the Paramount lot, previously home to RKO Pictures. Dante, describes the 1941 film prop as 'a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.' Rosebud isn't the valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold, though. Last year, a pair of ruby slippers from 1939's The Wizard of Oz were snapped up for a cool $32.5m (£24.2m). But why do film artefacts make a mint? Auctioneer Addison Gelpey says: 'The reason movie memorabilia is such a money spinner is twofold. One is that buyers are big fans of the films and are collectors - or they want to make money on them because the movies are watched by so many people that the value will go up over time. These are iconic films, so you have a fabulous investment. It is not only a piece of that film, you have a piece of film history.' Here are some other film favourites to have gone under the hammer: The Maltese Falcon statuette from The Maltese Falcon (1941) starring Humphrey Bogart sold for $4.1 million (£2.5m) in 2013. Tom Hanks' best friend Wilson the volleyball from the 2000 desert island film Cast Away sold for $308,000 (£230k) at a 2021 Prop Store auction in London. The 'wet shirt' costume worn by Colin Firth's Mr Darcy in the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride & Prejudice fetched $25,000 (£20k) in 2024. Darth Vader's fibreglass mask from The Empire Strikes Back sold for $900,000 (£698k) in 2019. Harrison Ford's bullwhip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) fetched $525,000 (£417k) at auction in 2024. Several years earlier, the famous fedora hat worn by Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark was sold for $524,000 (£456k) in 2018 via Prop Store in London. The white three-piece suit that John Travolta's Tony Manero wears in Saturday Night Fever (1997) sold for $260,000 (£208k) in 2023. The mechatronic for the movie ET The Extra Terrestrial (1982) sold for $2.56 million (£2m) in 2022. Terminator's liquid-metal T-1000 enemy cyborg - a full-scale T-800 endoskeleton, from Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) sold for $488,750 (£236k) in 2007. The Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) sold for $997,000 (£610k) in 2013 to none other than the world's richest man Elon Musk. The lifesaving wooden panel from Titanic (1997) which saved Kate Winslet's character Rose's life - while poor Jack ( Leonardo DiCaprio) perished, sold for a $718,750 (£571k) in 2024.
Japan Today
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Indiana Jones whip snaps up $525,000 at auction after 'Citizen Kane' sled goes for $14.75 million
FILE - This image shows a whip wielded by Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." (Heritage Auctions via AP, File) By ANDREW DALTON A whip wielded by Harrison Ford in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' that once belonged to Princess Diana has sold at auction for $525,000. Thursday's sale came a day after the Rosebud sled from 'Citizen Kane' went for a staggering $14.75 million, making it one of the priciest props in movie history. They were part of the Summer Entertainment Auction being held all week by Heritage Auctions. Heritage says the overall take has made it the second-highest grossing entertainment auction of all time, and there's still a day to go. Yet to be up for bids are Macaulay Culkin's knit snow cap from 'Home Alone,' a Kurt Russell revolver from 'Wyatt Earp,' a pair of 'Hattori Hanzo' prop swords from 'Kill Bill Vol. 1" and a first edition set of Harry Potter novels signed by J.K. Rowling. The whip sold Thursday was used during the Holy Grail trials that Ford's character goes through at the climax of 1989's 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' Ford gave it to then-Prince Charles at the film's UK premiere. It was given as a gift to Princess Diana, who gave it to the current owner, who was not identified. The buyer also was not identified. 'The bullwhip is the iconic symbol of an iconic character of cinema history, Indiana Jones, and has been a highlight of this auction," Joe Maddalena, Heritage's executive vice president, said in a statement to The Associated Press. The $525,000 price includes the 'buyers premium' attached to all auction items for the house that sells it. Heritage said the nearly $15 million bid for the Rosebud sled puts it second only to the $32.5 million that Judy Garland's ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' fetched in December. Neither of those buyers were identified either. The sled was sold by longtime owner Joe Dante, director of films including 'Gremlins.' 'Rosebud' is the last word spoken by the title character in director Orson Welles' 1941 film 'Citizen Kane,' and the hunt for its meaning provides the film's plot. Many critics have regarded it as the best film ever made. Long thought lost, the sled is one of three of the prop known to have survived. Dante stumbled on it when he was filming on the former RKO Pictures lot in 1984. He wasn't a collector, but knew the value of the sled and quietly preserved it for decades, putting it as an Easter egg into four of his own films. Dante's friend and mentor Steven Spielberg paid $60,500 for another of the sleds in 1982, and anonymous buyer paid $233,000 for the third in 1996. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Famous ‘Rosebud' sled from ‘Citizen Kane' sells for US$14.75 million
This image shows the Rosebud sled from the film 'Citizen Kane." (Heritage Auctions via AP) 'Rosebud,' the famed wooden sled at the heart of Orson Welles' classic 1941 movie 'Citizen Kane,' has sold at auction for US$14.75 million. This was a 'remarkable' price for the 'iconic prop,' Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said in a statement published Wednesday. Prior to the sale, the sled underwent scientific testing to confirm its authenticity, the auction house said. 'It bears signs of production use, including original paint, wear, and removed rails likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives,' the statement added. 'Citizen Kane' tells the story of media mogul Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles himself, and a reporter's quest to uncover the significance of his dying word, 'Rosebud.' 'With its red paint, stenciled lettering and unmistakable aura, this sled embodies the very symbol of Kane's lost innocence and one of cinema's most enduring mysteries,' Heritage Auctions said. Of the handful of sleds used in the making of Welles' masterpiece, only three were known to have survived. Previous examples sold to Steven Spielberg for US$60,500 in 1982 and an anonymous buyer for US$233,000 in 1996, according to the auction house. This particular example had been owned by movie director Joe Dante since 1984. It was thought to have been lost but Dante 'stumbled upon' it while filming on the former RKO lot. He quietly preserved it and even included it in some of his own movies. 'I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades,' Dante, whose films include 'Gremlins' and 'Innerspace,' said in the statement. 'To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It's a testament to the enduring power of storytelling,' he said. The sale was part of Heritage Auctions' latest entertainment event, which executive vice president Joe Maddalena said was the 'most important' the auction house had ever held. Also among the pieces of Hollywood history on offer were the granite stone tablets from Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical epic 'The Ten Commandments' and Indiana Jones' bullwhip from 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend,' Maddalena said in the statement. 'We're honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come.'
CNN
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Famous ‘Rosebud' sled from ‘Citizen Kane' sells for $14.75 million
'Rosebud,' the famed wooden sled at the heart of Orson Welles' classic 1941 movie 'Citizen Kane,' has sold at auction for $14.75 million. This was a 'remarkable' price for the 'iconic prop,' Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said in a statement published Wednesday. Prior to the sale, the sled underwent scientific testing to confirm its authenticity, the auction house said. 'It bears signs of production use, including original paint, wear, and removed rails likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives,' the statement added. 'Citizen Kane' tells the story of media mogul Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles himself, and a reporter's quest to uncover the significance of his dying word, 'Rosebud.' 'With its red paint, stenciled lettering and unmistakable aura, this sled embodies the very symbol of Kane's lost innocence and one of cinema's most enduring mysteries,' Heritage Auctions said. Of the handful of sleds used in the making of Welles' masterpiece, only three were known to have survived. Previous examples sold to Steven Spielberg for $60,500 in 1982 and an anonymous buyer for $233,000 in 1996, according to the auction house. This particular example had been owned by movie director Joe Dante since 1984. It was thought to have been lost but Dante 'stumbled upon' it while filming on the former RKO lot. He quietly preserved it and even included it in some of his own movies. 'I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades,' Dante, whose films include 'Gremlins' and 'Innerspace,' said in the statement. 'To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It's a testament to the enduring power of storytelling,' he said. The sale was part of Heritage Auctions' latest entertainment event, which executive vice president Joe Maddalena said was the 'most important' the auction house had ever held. Also among the pieces of Hollywood history on offer were the granite stone tablets from Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical epic 'The Ten Commandments' and Indiana Jones' bullwhip from 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend,' Maddalena said in the statement. 'We're honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come.'
CNN
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Famous ‘Rosebud' sled from ‘Citizen Kane' sells for $14.75 million
'Rosebud,' the famed wooden sled at the heart of Orson Welles' classic 1941 movie 'Citizen Kane,' has sold at auction for $14.75 million. This was a 'remarkable' price for the 'iconic prop,' Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said in a statement published Wednesday. Prior to the sale, the sled underwent scientific testing to confirm its authenticity, the auction house said. 'It bears signs of production use, including original paint, wear, and removed rails likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives,' the statement added. 'Citizen Kane' tells the story of media mogul Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles himself, and a reporter's quest to uncover the significance of his dying word, 'Rosebud.' 'With its red paint, stenciled lettering and unmistakable aura, this sled embodies the very symbol of Kane's lost innocence and one of cinema's most enduring mysteries,' Heritage Auctions said. Of the handful of sleds used in the making of Welles' masterpiece, only three were known to have survived. Previous examples sold to Steven Spielberg for $60,500 in 1982 and an anonymous buyer for $233,000 in 1996, according to the auction house. This particular example had been owned by movie director Joe Dante since 1984. It was thought to have been lost but Dante 'stumbled upon' it while filming on the former RKO lot. He quietly preserved it and even included it in some of his own movies. 'I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades,' Dante, whose films include 'Gremlins' and 'Innerspace,' said in the statement. 'To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It's a testament to the enduring power of storytelling,' he said. The sale was part of Heritage Auctions' latest entertainment event, which executive vice president Joe Maddalena said was the 'most important' the auction house had ever held. Also among the pieces of Hollywood history on offer were the granite stone tablets from Cecil B. DeMille's Biblical epic 'The Ten Commandments' and Indiana Jones' bullwhip from 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend,' Maddalena said in the statement. 'We're honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come.'
