Studios Push Up Releases to Meet Golden Globe Rule

Studios releasing four films during the last week of December scrambled Tuesday to comply with a newly enforced Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. bylaw or risk having their pictures excluded from Golden Globe consideration.

Phil Berk, the new president of the press association, said it will implement a recently “overlooked” rule requiring that films play for at least a week in Los Angeles before year’s end in order to qualify for the group’s annual TV and movie awards, which have gained clout in the 1990s after decades in which the group’s methodology and integrity had been questioned.

Nominations for the 54th annual event will be announced Dec. 19 and awarded a month later at a star-studded, nationally televised event on NBC.

Jeff Blake, president of Sony Pictures Releasing, said Tuesday that Columbia Pictures’ “The People vs. Larry Flynt” is being pushed up from Dec. 27 to Christmas Day. Castle Rock Picture’s “Some Mother’s Son,” scheduled for Dec. 26, will also be moved ahead. The two will compete for attention and review space with five high-profile star vehicles--”Evita,” “Hamlet,” “Michael,” “Mother” and the “Terms of Endearment” sequel, “The Evening Star.”

“The bottom line is that we have no objection to moving the release dates up to make sure we’ll be considered,” Blake said. “At the end of the day, a two-day move in four theaters isn’t a significant concession.”

Officials at Gramercy Pictures, which has “I’m Not Rappaport” due out Dec. 26 and “The Portrait of a Lady” a day later, said they had not yet decided whether to move their pictures.

“We planned a strategy for so long that we’re very disappointed at this turn of events,” a Gramercy spokesperson said on the condition of anonymity. “If a change was to be made, why not tell us in January and make it relevant to the coming year? We all wish this had never happened.”

While acknowledging that any film opening on Dec. 25 enters an inordinately crowded marketplace, Castle Rock President Martin Shafer said it may be worth it.

“No one has to shuffle their pictures around,” he said. “But since the Globes are televised nationally, they’re great exposure for a picture. The awards are not only a precursor to Oscars but the second-most important film awards ceremony in their own right. Though it’s hard to say if box office is impacted, given the competitiveness of the Oscar race, no one wants to run the risk of complete exclusion.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requires only that a film open by midnight Dec. 31 prior to a one-week run for Oscar consideration.

Industry executives noted that the Golden Globe bylaw had not been enforced in at least five years.

Last year, “12 Monkeys” opened on Dec. 27--yet Brad Pitt walked off with the best supporting actor Golden Globe. Susan Sarandon and Ian McKellen were nominated in the best actress and best actor categories, despite the fact that “Dead Man Walking” and “Richard III” were released after Christmas Day. “Fried Green Tomatoes” (1991), “Lorenzo’s Oil” (1992) and “In the Name of the Father” (1993) also came out during that week, yet earned several nominations each.

“This move is part of an effort to strengthen the credibility of the organization,” Berk said. “Everything has to be 100% above-board. I’m not setting myself up as the moral conscience of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. But in the end, my responsibility is to follow its bylaws.”

Berk denied that his group had thrown the studios a curve. “Giving them a month’s notice was quite reasonable--30 days in advance of the actual openings,” he said. “Besides, they knew of the rule back in February when we sent out the forms.”