A Hollywood production company is not lovin’ the fact that a strikingly similar film was released by The Weinstein Company just a week after “The Founder,” which tells the story of the man who put McDonald’s on the map.
Speedee Distribution poured $25 million into co-financing “The Founder” with the Weinsteins, according to a new Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit over the competing releases.
The first drama, about struggling businessman Ray Kroc’s acquisition of the fast food giant, was released on Jan. 20. Despite an agreement to wait over a week to put out any other true-story motion picture, The Weinstein Company released “Gold” — about another struggling businessman, this one on his journey to discover gold in the Indonesia jungle — on Jan. 27, according to court papers.
Both flicks are based on true stories, star A-list leading male actors — Michael Keaton in “The Founder” and Matthew McConaughey in “Gold” — and involve men manipulating their way to wealth, the suit says.
They had earlier limited theatrical releases in December to qualify for consideration in the Academy Awards.
“‘The Founder’ and ‘Gold’ both appeal to the same audience,” Speedee Distribution says in the suit.
“The two films have been marketed to potential moviegoers in the same way on TV, print and online, conveying an effective binary choice to the viewer: to see one movie or the other,” the suit says.
It includes an example of ads in the New York Times for the movie on opposite facing pages.
Manhattan-based Speedee Distribution is suing for $15 million, the amount it says it spent on advertising for “The Founder.”
Reps for the Weinsteins did not immediately return a request for comment.
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