Sundance 2012: FilmDistrict Grabs 'Safety Not Guaranteed'

The film, starring Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson, bowed Jan. 22 at the Library Center Theatre.

7:31 PM PST 1/29/2012 by Daniel Miller, Jay A. Fernandez

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After several days of bidding, Safety Not Guaranteed has sold to FilmDistrict. A source said it was a seven-figure deal for U.S. rights.

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The film will receive a significant theatrical release, the source said.

Other distributors that had expressed interest in acquiring the film included The Weinstein Co., Fox Searchlight, Focus Features and LD Distribution.

The film from director Colin Trevorrow and screenwriter Derek Connolly bowed Jan. 22 at the Library Center Theatre. Alliance has acquired Canadian rights.

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Safety Not Guaranteed screened in Sundance's U.S. Dramatic Competition section. It stars Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass (also an executive producer), Jake Johnson and Karan Soni. The romantic comedy centers on three magazine employees who are sent to investigate a personal advertisement placed in the newspaper. The bizarre ad involves a man seeking a partner for time travel.

ICM reps Trevorrow, Connolly and Duplass and packaged the film. The agency joined with Cinetic to represent the filmmakers in the sale.

Magnolia Pictures picked up North American rights to the horror film V/H/S for north of $1 million early Thursday morning. On Wednesday, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn Films grabbed North American rights to Robot & Frank for slightly more than $2 million; IFC Films purchased North American rights to Josh Radnor's Liberal Arts for seven figures; and Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions closed a deal to pick up U.S. rights to Arbitrage for a day-and-date theatrical-VOD release, much as they did for the 2011 Sundance thriller Margin Call. The sale price was just north of $2 million.

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Other recent sales include Red Lights to Millennium Entertainment (U.S. rights, just under $4 million); Celeste and Jesse Forever to Sony Pictures Classics (North American, Latin American, Eastern European rights, around $2 million); For a Good Time, Call… to Focus Features (worldwide rights, $2 million); and Beasts of the Southern Wild to Fox Searchlight, which also grabbed worldwide rights to The Surrogate for just under $6 million Monday.

Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com; Jay.Fernandez@THR.com

Twitter: @DanielNMiller; @Writer730