Latest news with #EfeCakarel
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mubi CEO on Pushing Into Production and That Huge Cannes Haul
Arthouse streamer and distributor Mubi is planning to work on not more than 12 movies annually but is already up to 15 movies this year after a hot streak picking up a slew of Cannes Film Festival buzz titles – and the Venice Film Festival has not even started yet, CEO and founder Efe Cakarel told SXSW London on Friday in an energetic appearance that had the crowd engaged late in a busy week. Cakarel shared his love of the cinema-going experience early in his appearance, saying, 'I really focus on theatrical,' and 'I am very committed to these films getting as wide a release in cinemas as possible.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Canal+ to Distribute Netflix in Francophone Africa in Landmark Pact Enzo Staiola, Child Star in Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves,' Dies at 85 Wes Anderson Shares How Indian Cinema Legend Satyajit Ray Shaped His Aesthetic Last year, Mubi released The Substance globally, he highlighted. 'It turns out distribution is not rocket science,' Cakarel concluded, adding that the firm is launching theatrical in Italy next. Mubi was on a streak at Cannes, picking up rights in select markets to competition titles The Secret Agent from writer and director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier's latest feature, Mascha Schilinski's Sound of Falling (In Die Sonne Schauen), and Lynne Ramsay's Jennifer Lawrence-Robert Pattinson starrer Die My Love. The latter deal came with a $24 million price tag, the biggest known and announced during the festival. He joked that his team is 'freaking out' after Mubi's strong Cannes run – in a good way. Production is also a big new area for the company after Mubi debuted its first production at Cannes, namely Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind. 'We want to produce more' great films and series, he shared. Mubi is, for example, a co-producer on the new Jim Jarmusch movie, Father Mother Sister Brother, which stars Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat. Cakarel mentioned on Friday that it is set to screen at Venice. Cakarel also shared on Friday that Mubi was 'profitable' by 2020. With 60 percent first-quarter 2020 subscriber growth amid the COVID pandemic, the company experienced strong cash flow growth, which allowed Mubi to invest and grow further. The company's headcount has also grown to 400 people in 15 countries, he explained. The company has increasingly picked up movies not only for streaming but also for theatrical distribution. Mubi chief content officer Jason Ropell highlighted the role of streaming in the indie film space last year, saying: 'The streaming component of the ecosystem has actually broadened the audience for multiple kinds of film, including independent film. There's a generation of viewers, of customers, of cinephiles that have been exposed to films, which they would not have but for that technology, for the access to streaming.'Last year, Mubi acquired The Substance at Cannes, prepping the title for what would go on to be an Oscar run for Coralie Fargeat's body horror thriller. SXSW London runs through June 7. Penske Media, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter, is the majority stakeholder of SXSW. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Media Capital Technologies Backing Financier Head Gear in New Partnership (EXCLUSIVE)
Media Capital Technologies (MCT) has signed a deal to provide 'significant investment capital' for Head Gear. As part of the agreement, Head Gear will use the capital to deploy senior-secured loans across film, television, music, and video games. It will invest alongside global asset manager Allianz Global Investors and Compton Ross, Head Gear's longstanding capital partners. More from Variety Trans Love Story 'Lala & Poppy' From Veteran Producer Bobby Bedi Heads to Cannes Film Market (EXCLUSIVE) Is Mubi Really Worth $1 Billion? Inside Efe Cakarel's Plan to Make the Global Streamer Cooler Than A24 Juno Mak on His Star-Driven Cannes Midnight Screenings Drama 'Sons of the Neon Night': 'My Aim Was to Create a Unique World With Its Own Rules' 'We've had the privilege of knowing Phil for nearly two decades. In an industry often marked by volatility and short-lived ventures, he has built a remarkably enduring company with an ironclad reputation as one of the most trusted names in production financing. That is a testament to his vision and leadership,' says MCT Principals Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh. 'We're excited to partner with Head Gear and look forward to what we can achieve together.' 'Chris and I began as mavericks, working in parallel to each other,' says Head Gear Founder and CEO Phil Hunt. 'I've admired his tenacity over the decades, and now I get to work with him and the incredible team he has built.' MCT is a specialty finance company focused on strategic investments in premium content. The company provides capital to media and entertainment businesses, including movie studios, independent production entities, and intellectual property rights-holders. A range of institutional investors, including MassMutual, support the company and its investment activities. MCT is Lionsgate's primary slate co-financing partner. Recent films it has backed include 'Saw X,' 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,' 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' and 'Flight Risk. Upcoming titles include the John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina,' 'The Long Walk,' and 'The Housemaid.' Head Gear is a financier and producer of over 550 titles, investing more than half a billion dollars across diverse genres and budget ranges in film, television, and gaming. Most recently, Head Gear financed Ali Abbasi's 'The Apprentice,' which stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. The company also supported 'How to Have Sex' by Molly Manning Walker, which won the top prize at the 2023 Un Certain Regard, and 'Talk to Me,' which became A24's highest-grossing horror release in North America. MCT is represented by CAA. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mubi Deep Dive: Founder Efe Cakarel & Content Boss Jason Ropell Lift The Lid On Rapid Growth & Next Steps…But What Does The Industry Think?
This is Mubi's time. With studio specialty divisions almost a relic of the past and international and independent cinema soaring on the awards stage, the arthouse mini-studio founded by Efe Cakarel is cutting a growing swathe across the film landscape. Mubi is back on the Cannes Croisette with three films in Competition and another in Un Certain Regard. Director Luca Guadagnino, a previous collaborator, is one of the company's many fans in high places: 'Mubi is a great and passionate company,' he says. 'They will grow a lot as a business.' More from Deadline Maya Hawke & Rhys Ifans Set For Aisling Walsh's Lucia Joyce Biopic As The Veterans Boards Sales - Cannes Fred Cavayé Talks 'The Fugitive'-Style 'Les Misérables' Adaptation As Studiocanal Launches Sales - Cannes Market AfroCannes 2025 To Explore Afro-Futurism & African Innovation In Film Eye-catching growth has certainly been a hallmark of the company's last few years. Former investment banker and MIT graduate Cakarel founded the London-based company — then known as The Auteurs — back in 2007. These days, the headcount stands at more than 400 globally across 14 offices. And Cakarel believes that Mubi can become 'many times its current size' in coming years. 'We're confident that our growth potential remains vast because the global audience for specialty films is both substantial and underserved,' he says. 'Unlike mass-market platforms, we don't need to spend billions annually on mainstream content.' The theatrical and SVOD company, which now has direct distribution operations in North America, the U.K., Latin America, Germany and Benelux, scored its first Oscar nominations this year with breakout hit The Substance and Danish drama The Girl with the Needle. The former garnered the company's first Academy win. After making a splashy eight-figure acquisition of Coralie Fargeat's body horror, acquiring it from Universal ahead of last year's Cannes Film Festival, the movie has gone on to rake in a company record $84 million at the global box office. 'The unique element of our model is the global scale and capabilities that we've built in a market that has traditionally been serviced by boutique components of major studios or regional players,' explains Jason Ropell, the former Amazon film chief who has been Mubi's chief content officer since 2020. Mubi's mission has remained unabashedly arthouse and some have doubted the company's long-term commercial viability given that core value. But investment keeps rolling in — we understand that between 2021-2024, private equity backing comfortably exceeded $100 million. There have been reports in recent days of further big investment to come. Ambitions are sky-high at the company, which aims to be a regular in the Best Picture conversation. The audacious play for The Substance wasn't the first time the voracious festival buyer had bid eight-figures for a movie, and it likely won't be the last. 'There will be some big swings coming up,' confirms Ropell. Significant recent deals include North American rights for Paul Mescal Cannes Competition pic The History of Sound, multiple markets on Cannes movies Sentimental Value and My Father's Shadow, worldwide rights to Paolo Sorrentino's next film La Grazia, about the final days of a fictional Italian Presidency, and multiple markets on Joe Wright's Mussolini: Son of the Century. It also has inked a three-year co-production, financing and distribution pact with Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli's Our Films. Previous high-profile multi-territory buys include Queer, Perfect Days, Fallen Leaves, Decision to Leave, Aftersun, The Worst Person in the World and Priscilla. After acquiring German blue-chip sales firm The Match Factory in 2022 and Benelux distributor Cineart in 2024, Mubi has also begun producing its own movies. Michael Weber's connections as longtime boss at The Match Factory have helped paved the way. Among these, are Kelly Reichardt's Cannes entry The Mastermind, its first full-finance picture, and co-pros including Jim Jarmusch's Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, starring Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett, and Karim Aïnouz's Rosebush Pruning. The company is also investing in bricks and mortar. Mubi's first cinema is being built in Mexico, and there are rumors of a planned cinema in LA. There is also a publishing arm, cinema-going app and three podcasts. Mubi is fiercely guarded about its subscriber numbers, but internal sources say that gross margins are 'a lot higher' than those of bigger streamers. The company reportedly has 16 million registered users. Cakarel says data dumps aren't on the horizon, however. Chinese billionaire Zhang Xin recently joined the board of directors after her outfit Closer Media made a 'significant' investment in the company. Previous investors have included Silver Lake Management executives, Working Title co-chief Eric Fellner and a host of city and venture capital firms. Italy, France and Brazil are among the countries being eyed for the next wave of growth for theatrical distribution, organically or through corporate acquisition. The company has also explored, and continues to explore, large corporate acquisitions in U.S. (deals we hear that would dwarf the Match Factory acquisition). So, what does the industry make of Mubi? One French sales executive said: 'Mubi provides much-needed oxygen in the theatrical arthouse space, especially in the Anglo-Saxon territories.' Another European seller told us: 'They are a serious option for international arthouse today and Arianna's arrival [longtime IFC exec Arianna Bocco has joined as SVP of Global Distribution] seems to indicate that they have a clear ambition to be a global leader in the space.' One German vet commented: 'I'm mixed on Mubi. It's important that a platform like them exists even if most people in the street still wouldn't know them. I can't figure out how they make money because the movies don't often make a lot at the box office. But it's great that they invest in arthouse, which is crying out for support.' A packaging agent added: 'The industry needs this company. They're good people. They aren't overspending, but they are shrewd and taking advantage of the moment.' Their ambition and speed of growth remains a source of speculation, with one industry vet noting, 'The only danger is how much they've accelerated. Is there too much on their plate? Can it be sustained?' But Cakarel counters with this: 'We understand the economics of specialty film intimately and have built our business model to sustainably support ambitious projects. Our biggest challenge, and simultaneously our greatest opportunity, is scaling sustainably without compromising our distinct identity.' Part of that identity has been backing first and second-time filmmakers. Will that sustain as the company's ambitions grow? 'We want to continue to invest in that sector, but at rational and sustainable amounts,' says Ropell. 'There's a fear from our early partners that they that they'll be abandoned at some point. But that's not happening. There's no evidence to suggest that we're going to abandon the space that helped us build this company. The DNA remains the same. It's more that we're adding things. The addition of The Substance and other films of that size does not diminish commitment to the films that are not of that size.' Will they be able to provide the marketing support each film needs given the burgeoning size of the slate? 'It's a promise we want to fulfil,' says Ropell. 'We're scaling our workforce, and scaling the level of capital which we have access to, to ensure that we do that. But despite best efforts, it's not entirely up to us. Our goal is to try to give every film the best possible opportunity to find an audience, but the marketplace is changing, particularly the theatrical marketplace, and sometimes the reception that a film gets is not directly related to the amount of effort that goes into finding an audience.' Another frequent question from the industry is whether Mubi itself could be sold after so much fattening. Ropell dismisses the notion of a sale on the horizon. 'Efe and myself have a desire to continue to run this company for a good amount of time. Investors look for return on their investment, and that may entail a liquidity event at some point in the future, but it's certainly not part of our short to medium term thinking. This is a passion project that we intend to continue. It's not a cynical commercial enterprise. We couldn't garner the type of investment we've had thus far if it were only from vanity or philanthropic investors.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media Sign in to access your portfolio
