Weinstein Company Finally Has a Blockbuster

The Weinstein Company, which has been struggling with one failed release after another since it was founded in 2005, finally has a blockbuster on its hands. And it's the most unlikely blockbuster of the season: "The King's Speech."

Who would have expected a British costume drama set in the 1930s to reach $100 million at the U.S. box office? If it wins the Oscar for Best Picture, which seems increasingly likely, it could go as high as $175 million. That's just in the United States. The global take could be double that.

How does an art-house distributor make that happen? I think it's pure luck. No one would have predicted that this movie would take off like it has. I couldn't be happier for the Weinstein brothers, who have been investing for several years in great films that inexplicably went nowhere at the box office. After years of hard work and no doubt excruciating extensions of credit, they finally get a money-maker. Pay some bills, gentlemen, and buy yourselves something nice. You more than deserve it. Thank you for nurturing American film culture so generously as you do. This cinephile is forever in your debt.