Shout! Factory Acquires North American Rights To Ido Fluk's Acclaimed Dramatic Feature "The Ticket" Starring Dan Stevens

Shout Factory, a multi-platform media company, has acquired North American distribution rights to THE TICKET, a captivating tale of desire and perception, directed by Ido Fluk and written by Fluk and Sharon Mashihi. The film was produced by Lawrence Inglee, Oren Moverman, William L. Walton, Matthew Malek and A Blackbird Production in association with Rush River Entertainment, Cave Pictures and Initiate Productions. THE TICKET stars Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, the upcoming Beauty and the Beast directed by Bill Condon, and FX and Marvel Television’s upcoming new series, Legion), Malin Akerman (Billions, Watchmen), Oliver Platt (Chicago Med, Fargo) and Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire, Argo). The film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival to press acclaim and great audience enthusiasm. The announcement was made today by Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; and writer-director Ido Fluk.

Shout! Factory has secured all North American distribution rights to THE TICKET, including theatrical, video on-demand, digital, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform releases in U.S. and Canada.  Shout! Factory plans a strategic rollout of this movie across multiple entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical launch in 2017 through Shout! Factory Films.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by WME Entertainment and Preferred Content with Jordan Fields of Shout Factory.  The announcement comes on the heels of Sony Pictures Classics acquiring rights to Richard Gere’s Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer, also starring Stevens and produced by Moverman and Inglee.

“We’re excited to be a part of Shout! Factory’s new push into the theatrical space with meaningful, envelope-pushing films.” Said Ido Fluk. “In Shout! we’ve found a real home and new partners who are as passionate about the film as the people who made it.” Fluk is repped by Amotz Zakaiat Echo Lake Entertainment and Lucy Stille at APA.

“THE TICKET is a visually distinctive, deeply affecting story about ambition, values and how we respond to the twists and turns of life.  This is one of those quiet gems that haunts you for some time, and it features mesmerizing performances, particularly from Dan Stevens.  We’re eager to share our passion for it with North American audiences across a variety of platforms,” said Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Factory.

In THE TICKET, a blind man, James (Dan Stevens) inexplicably regains his vision, and becomes possessed by a drive to make a better life for himself. However, his new improvements—a nicer home, a higher paying job, tailored suits, luxury car—leave little room for the people who were part of his old, simpler life: his plain wife (Malin Akerman) and close friend Bob (Oliver Platt).  As his relationships buckle under the strain of his snowballing ambition, it becomes uncertain if James can ever return from darkness. Fluk paints a visual world that reflects the mesmerizing effect that newfound sight has on James; the vibrant backgrounds and the sun-drenched rooms are captivating in their beauty.  His dreamy and subjective style combines with an astute sense of character to craft a tale of desire, perception, and what it really means to be blind.