End Of An Era Miramax President Quits Disney All But Shutters The Label

End Of An Era: Miramax President Quits, Disney All But Shutters The Label

By Russ Fischer/Nov. 2, 2009 7:02 am EST

OK, the real end of the era hit four years ago, when the Weinstein brothers left Miramax, the company they built into an indie juggernaut. The years since then have been an extended coda for Miramax as it soldiered on at Disney. We’ve known for some time that Miramax would be cutting back, and that move was seen as part of the death knell of the indie in general. But Battsek’s exit is a surprise, as Disney had recently said that he would “continue to oversee all aspects of creative, development, production and business and legal affairs.” Corporate climates change fast.

While Miramax wasn’t truly indie since Disney bought into it in 1993,the company the Weinsteins built into the most recognizable face of ‘indie’ film remained a player post-Weinstein. Gone Baby Gone, No Country For Old Men, The Queen, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: all Miramax. Now THR reports that Battsek is exiting and that only about 20 jobs will remain. This all comes after a rough year for the company: Adventureland, Extract, Cheri and The Boys Are Back were all underperformers.