Horror icon Eli Roth is set to serve another twisted treat to global audiences as his latest spine-chiller, “Ice Cream Man,” racks up a flurry of international sales following its market debut in Cannes.
The film, backed by Media Capital Technologies (MCT) and Roth’s newly launched horror label The Horror Section, has closed new distribution deals with Spentzos Film (Greece), SUN (Latin America and Spain), Selim Ramia (Middle East), Mis.Label (Scandinavia), United King Films (Israel), PLAION (Italy), Praesens-Film AG (Switzerland), Pioneer Films (Philippines), Bir Film (Turkey), Vertical (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria), Blitz Film and Video Distribution (former Yugoslavia), AQS (Czech Republic and Slovakia) and ACME Film (Baltics).
These follow last week’s major acquisition by StudioCanal’s Sixth Dimension, which scooped up rights in the U.K., Germany, France, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.
“I’m so excited for ‘Ice Cream Man’ to take the world by storm,” said Roth of the latest batch of acquisitions. “WME Independent and the entire team at MCT did an amazing job positioning the film as my next big franchise, and I can already hear audiences screaming worldwide. I scream. You scream. We all will scream for the ‘Ice Cream Man.’ It’s going to get sticky.”
The film’s plot remains mostly under wraps, but early loglines tease a fighting tale set in a deceptively idyllic summer town that spirals into madness when children begin receiving sinister “treats” from a mysterious ice cream vendor. Filming is slated to begin this summer in Canada. Roth has previously referred to the project as “my most terrifying and insane film to date.”
From Cannes, MCT principals Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh said, “It has been an exciting week for ‘Ice Cream Man’ as the instant interest in this film speaks to what we knew to be true, that this is the start of the next great horror franchise. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to experience the film and become part of the fandom.”
Founded as a specialty finance company, MCT focuses on premium content investments, providing capital to major studios, indies and IP holders. Its backers include a range of institutional investors, among them MassMutual.
In March, Roth joined forces with MCT to launch The Horror Section, a 360-degree genre-focused content company. The Horror Section plans to build a global horror brand spanning film, television, games, podcasts and live experiences. MCT supports the venture across project financing, corporate strategy, and daily operations.
WME Independent is handling international sales of “Ice Cream Man,” and introduced the film to buyers at Cannes. Roth is represented by WME. MCT is repped by CAA.
