Miramax President Out, NYC Offices Closed

Four years after inheriting the reins at Miramax Films from the departed Harvey Weinstein, Daniel Battsek is out at the Disney-owned minimajor. Uglier still, the esteemed studio's New York offices will shutter permanently, and what operations remain will be consolidated in Los Angeles. That's quite the turnaround from Disney's previous announcement it would simply scale back Miramax's titles to about three per year. Battsek's tenure included multiple (if costly) Oscar triumphs including Tsotsi, The Queen and No Country For Old Men, but the studio's flagging fortunes in '09 and Disney's belt-tightening were ultimately too much for the exec to surmount. Best wishes to him and his New York colleagues, and a moment of silence for a great label brought to rest. [DHD]