BoPaul Media to Rep RKO Library in Asia

LOS ANGELES: The film library of RKO Pictures, which includes the cinema classic Citizen Kane, has come under the representation of BoPaul Media Worldwide (BMW) for buyers in Asia.

BMW will be showcasing the 720-title catalogue in Cannes. The films include the original King Kong, Bringing Up Baby, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the original Mighty Joe Young. BMW is offering Asian television rights in perpetuity and video rights until 2024, while the rest of the world has been licensed in perpetuity. Of the 720 films, only ten reside in public domain; all others are copyright protected well into this century.

“I feel most fortunate to have this library—the last of the great studio catalogues—to license in the world’s fastest-growing, most populated television and Internet region,” said Paul Rich, the owner and CEO of BMW. “With Victory’s 40-film catalogue, including the original Wild Geese, and BoPaul’s own library that includes Hellraiser IV: Bloodline; plus Arrow Films’ recent vintage films such as Mrs. Caldicott’s Cabbage War with Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), BoPaul Media’s portfolio now numbers close to 900 titles.”