Alliance Atlantis Communications and Miramax Films have extended their long-term output distribution agreement through to Dec. 31, 2006.

The deal covers all rights and media in Canada for all motion pictures from Miramax and Dimension Films. Financial terms were not disclosed.

‘I’m glad to have renewed our long-standing agreement with Alliance Atlantis,’ said Bob Weinstein, Miramax co-chairman, in a prepared statement. ‘Canadian filmgoers are of great importance to us and, year after year, Alliance Atlantis has done a great job in servicing them.’

‘It’s great to have extended our distribution agreement,’ comments Michael MacMillan, AAC’s chairman and CEO.

Highly anticipated Miramax releases in ’03 include Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over; Scary Movie 3; Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, starring Uma Thurman and Lucy Lui; the romantic comedy Jersey Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez; the Danny DeVito-helmed comedy Duplex; and the Anthony Minghella historical drama Cold Mountain, starring Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger.

Among distribs, Miramax was again the big winner at the Academy Awards. Chicago, winner of six Oscars including best picture, has earned $16 million at the Canadian box office. Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York has pulled in $10 million.

The previous agreement between the Toronto-based distributor and Miramax, a unit of Walt Disney Company, was signed in March ’99 and covered releases for the projected period 2002 to 2005.

Jeff Sackman, president and CEO of THINKFilm in Toronto, confirms that previous to this month’s renewal between AAC and Miramax, THINKFilm had been in talks with Miramax seeking its business, but the two parties were unable to strike an agreement.

Last December, AAC and New Line Cinema, an AOL Time Warner company, extended their output agreement for New Line and Fineline Features motion picture product in Canada to Dec. 31, 2005.

Victor Loewy, CEO of Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution, negotiated the extension with three Miramax executives, COO Rick Sands, CFO Ross Landsbaum and EVP finance Irwin Reiter.

AAMPD, Odeon Films and Vivafilm in Montreal combined for a total theatrical take of $207 million and a top-ranking 20.48% market share in Canada in calendar ’02.

-www.allianceatlantis.com