Watchmen Legal Dispute Resolved, Expensively

The ongoing legal dispute between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox over distribution rights to this March’s Watchmen has, according to Variety, been settled. Warner Bros. retains the right to open the sprawling superhero film that it produced on March 6, as planned, while Fox will emerge with an upfront cash payment that sources peg between $5 million and $10 million, coverage of millions of dollars in legal fees incurred during the case and, more importantly, a gross participation in the film that scales between 5 and 8.5 percent, depending on Watchmen’s worldwide revenues. Fox also participates as a gross player in any sequels and spin-offs, sources said. Ca-ching! Not a bad payout for a film they never had any significant interest in producing.