'The Lobster' Moves to A24 Amid Alchemy Struggles (Exclusive)
The film, which stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, was one of the buzziest titles in Cannes. A24 has swooped in and picked up U.S. rights to Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster, just ahead of a March 11 release that had been scheduled by Alchemy, which originally acquired the film in May at the Cannes Film Festival. But, amid mounting speculation that Alchemy is facing financial pressures, a new deal was struck, which was made easier by the fact that distributors were assembled in Berlin for the European Film Market, where the Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz starrer made a late-market stir. The Lobster was one of the buzziest titles at Cannes thanks to its unique storyline and rave reviews. It is set in a dystopian near-future in which single people who fail to find a proper mate are transformed into the animal of their choice. But its move to A24 is a troubling sign for Alchemy, formerly known as Millennium Entertainment, which relaunched as Alchemy in January 2015. Following its rechristening, the company became an aggressive buyer on the festival circuit. But the company’s track record has been dismal. Of the six films it has released since April, only one has crossed the $1 million mark at the domestic box office: Meet the Patels,