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'Friday The 13th' producer sues studio over alleged profits row

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Friday The 13th producer Sean Cunningham is suing Warner Bros. and Paramount in a row over profits.

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As noted in The Hollywood Reporter, Cunningham has filed a lawsuit claiming the studios have “systematically miscounted” contingent compensation from a part of the Friday The 13th franchise.

The film has grossed over $129 million (£94 million) according to the complaint. However, Cunningham alleges that audits reveal improper deductions of fees and bonuses and have used “Hollywood Accounting”.

NME has reached out to Paramount and Warner Bros. for comment.

Friday the 13th
A good movie marathon needs a long-running franchise – ‘Friday The 13th’ anyone? Credit: Alamy

Elsewhere in the complaint, further issues alleged undervalued licenses and undervaluing of revenue from things like merchandising and TV income, for example.

On the defendants, the suit alleges that they “withheld documents would reveal that the Pictures’s distribution was structured to inequitably advance the interest of Defendants and [favoured] third parties.”







According to copyright, trademark & entertainment attorney Larry Zerner, the claim relates only to the 2009 reboot of the film. Writing on social media, Zerner said: “The lawsuit ONLY concerns profits of the 2009 F13 Reboot. None of the other films are part of the suit.”

He added: “The lawsuit alleges that the Defendants basically used “Hollywood Accounting” to cheat Sean out of the profits he was supposed to get from the Reboot.

“This is a fairly common lawsuit in Hollywood and will probably result in the Defendants paying Sean some money in the future.”

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