REUTERS > Indie firm Magnolia pushes Danish crime trilogy

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Magnolia Pictures has acquired all North American rights to "The Pusher Trilogy," three Danish crime dramas inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

After pioneering the day-and-date, cross-platform release of Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" last month, the indie distributor again will experiment with the theatrical release of the three films, tentatively titled "Pusher," "Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands" and "Pusher III: I'm the Angel of Death."

Magnolia plans a summer rollout in select venues, but "it will be different in each market," Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said. Some theaters might play the feature-length films (which range from 96-105 minutes) back-to-back, while others might play them in separate auditoriums or on consecutive days.

"We don't know yet. It depends on the audiences in each market," said Bowles, who added that no day-and-date release is planned at this time. A Magnolia spokesperson added that the release pattern also will depend on each theater's preferred release strategy.

"These are very accessible films," Bowles said of the trilogy, which depicts overlapping stories and characters in the seedy criminal underbelly of Denmark. "They're very character-driven but also visceral at the same time. They'll appeal to the same audience that's interested in 'The Sopranos."'

The original 1996 film "Pusher," which had a limited domestic theatrical release from First Run Features, is now available on DVD through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Magnolia plans its own home video release of the original and its 2004 and 2005 sequels, most likely as a DVD package.