Miramax Buys Keys to ‘The Castle’

Miramax Films Chief Harvey Weinstein struck a deal for a reported $6 million Wednesday for rights to “The Castle,” an independent Australian comedy made for about $500,000. Miramax gets rights in North America and all other available foreign territories; Paramount Pictures previously acquired rights in Britain and South Africa.

The film--which has already grossed $8 million and shipped 36,000 videos in Australia--was the subject of a bidding war among Miramax, PolyGram and LIVE Entertainment at this week’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The Walt Disney-owned company should release the picture later this year in U.S. theaters. The film was a joint production of Australia’s Working Dog Productions and Los Angeles-based Village Roadshow Pictures.