BOB WEINSTEIN Biography - Bussiness people and enterpreneurs

 
 

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BOB WEINSTEIN

Like his older sibling Harvey, Miramax co-founder Bob Weinstein has an extended   
list of producer credits that reads like a greatest hits list of cinema from the 
1990s and beyond. Unlike his more public-minded sibling, however, brother Bob     
has quietly minded the books of the enduring studio as the manager of Miramax's   
expenditures and revenue -- successfully building the company into one of the     
industry's largest and most powerful independent distributors. Serving as the     
perfect yin to his brother's yang, the harmonious balance of the Weinstein       
dynamic has helped to weather everything from the occasional controversy         
surrounding their films to frequent accusations of intimidation and questionable 
business tactics.                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
Born a year after his older brother, the Queens native's stealthy business tact   
served the duo well when they founded Miramax after purchasing the film The       
Secret Policeman's Ball at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. In the years that       
followed, the Weinsteins' fearless approach to acquiring controversial titles,   
combined with an acute understanding of the mechanics of the entertainment       
industry, found both their influence and selection of titles expanding at an     
unprecedented rate. In 1993, the company was purchased by Disney for 80 million   
dollars, with the understanding that both Bob and Harvey would remain in control 
of Miramax. If more adult-oriented films such as Pulp Fiction (1994) and Scream   
(1996) found distributor Miramax and parent company Disney somewhat at odds from 
time to time, a steady inflow of profits (along with the releases of such benign 
romantic dramas and comedies as Muriel's Wedding [1994 [1998]) found both         
parties flourishing and differences put aside.                                   
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
Things may have been a bit slow going in the mid-'90s, but a revitalization of   
their marketing strategies as the decade moved on found such films as Il Postino 
(1994) and The English Patient (1996) performing successfully at both the box     
office and the Oscars. In 1992, Bob also played a key role in forming Dimension   
Films, a Miramax offshoot that focused on producing such moderately budgeted     
action and horror efforts as From Dusk Till Dawn and Scream (both 1996). Four     
years later, the duo would sign seven-year deals with their parent company that   
ensured they would remain active in Miramax's creative output. With such         
undeniable box-office hits as Chicago (2002), Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003, directed   
by longtime Miramax devotee Quentin Tarantino), and Bad Santa (also 2003) to add 
to the brothers' list of success stories, it appeared as if the company would be 
churning out the hits for some time to come. Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide