The year was solid for Miramax’s many divisions, including Miramax and Dimension Films, Miramax Home Entertainment, Miramax Television and Miramax Books. Miramax dominated the 2003 Academy Awards, receiving a record-breaking 40 nominations and winning nine Oscars overall. Academy Award-winning Best Picture Chicago became the highest grossing film in Miramax’s history, Gangs of New York was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and Dimension’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over demonstrated once again the strength of this family film franchise.

Chicago, which won a total of six Oscars, went on to gross more than $170 million in domestic box office receipts and $310 million worldwide.

During a summer in which many sequels did not meet expectations, Dimension’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over proved particularly successful. The third installment in this family adventure trilogy exceeded the opening weekend gross of its two predecessors, becoming the second film in the series to pass $100 million.

Miramax Books had another tremendous year, marked by several titles making The New York Times best-seller list, including Leap of Faith by Queen Noor of Jordan, Artemis Fowl III: The Eternity Code, and Semi-Homemade Cooking by Sandra Lee.

In fall 2003, Miramax Books published Madam Secretary, a memoir by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as well as best-selling novelist Martin Amis’ first novel in nearly six years, Yellow Dog. Future Miramax Books publications include memoirs from NBA superstar Yao Ming, lessons on fathers and sons by television journalist Tim Russert, and Karenna Gore Schiff’s book about unsung heroines of the 20th century.

Miramax’s theatrical releases in late 2003 included Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated Kill Bill Vol. 1, starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen, and Cold Mountain, starring Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger and Jude Law, and directed and written by Academy Award-winner Anthony Minghella. In 2003, Dimension released Scary Movie 3, which achieved the most successful three-day opening ever for a Miramax or Dimension film and, like the first two highly successful installments of the franchise, went on to surpass the $100 million mark at the domestic box office.

In 2004, Miramax plans to release Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2; Ella Enchanted, starring Anne Hathaway; J.M. Barrie’s Neverland, starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet and Dustin Hoffman; and An Unfinished Life, starring Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez, and directed by Lasse Hallström. Dimension’s 2004 releases include Mindhunters, starring Val Kilmer, LL Cool J and Christian Slater; and Cursed, directed by Wes Craven and starring Christina Ricci, Shannon Elizabeth and Mandy Moore.

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