(FILES) This file photo taken on July 25, 2017 shows French film director Luc Besson as he poses upon arrival for the pre-premiere of the film “Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets” in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris. GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP
French filmmaker Luc Besson’s production studio said Friday that it was considering “different options” to raise cash and cut costs after sinking to record losses.
The announcement comes after the underwhelming box-office take for Besson’s science-fiction spectacular “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” last summer.
Although the film brought in more than $225 million, a poor performance in the huge US market left Besson’s EuropaCorp struggling to make up for its $177 million it cost to produce — an astronomical sum for a French production.
Besson, who is working on a pilot for a proposed US police drama, took back direct control of the studio earlier this month, replacing CEO Marc Shmuger, a veteran of Sony Pictures.
France’s Luc Besson Seeks Cash As Film Studio Stumbles
