They Look, but They Don’t Bite

Robert Altman may be stumping a homage to jazz in his latest “Kansas City,” but with the luck he’s had in finding a distributor, he might as well be singing the blues.

Altman, who had just come off two consecutive box-office disappointments (“Short Cuts” in 1993 and “Ready to Wear” in 1994), decided to tap French production and film sales company Ciby 2000 for $21 million to finance production of the picture. He would then seek distribution only after the Prohibition-era gangster movie had wrapped.

Nice idea, tough execution. Altman wrapped the picture months ago; since then he’s been hustling “Kansas City” all over town.

Fine Line Features, a sister company to New Line Cinema, is reportedly in negotiations with Ciby to acquire those rights for about $4 million to $5 million. Fine Line, New Line and Miramax have all released Altman films in the past.

At one point, Miramax looked at the picture but passed. Some sources speculated that Miramax snubbed Altman because he had sued the company (it is still pending), alleging that it hadn’t paid his full fee on “Ready to Wear” (a claim the company has disputed). Miramax Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein has said the suit was never an issue, that he likes Altman and that lawsuits are just part of doing business.

Still, Miramax balked at Ciby’s asking price of $5 million to $6 million for U.S. distribution rights. While Ciby said most of the rights for other territories have been sold, the United States is the biggest market and a film’s success here generally sets the pace for box-office results in other territories.

Sources say Miramax liked the concept of “Kansas City,” but not the outcome. The film, which stars Miranda Richardson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Harry Belafonte, is about two women and the gangster world of Kansas City set in the jazz age.

Altman, who is from Kansas City, has been screening the film in New York and L.A. for select audiences, hoping to stir up interest. Sources said they thought the film would have been released by now; Ciby and Altman, through a representative, declined to comment on the delay.

Wendy Palmer, chief executive of Ciby sales, said the film would not be screened for the public before Cannes in May. She declined to confirm speculation that “Kansas City” would open the annual film festival, where Altman is always a favorite.