Alcon Entertainment Defends ‘The Blind Side’ Amidst Salacious Accusations
After a week of intense accusations between the subjects of ‘The Blind Side,’ the production company that financed the film, Alcon Entertainment, has finally spoken up. On Thursday, co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson released a lengthy statement defending the movie’s authenticity and countering Michael Oher’s claims that the Tuohy family profited greatly at his expense.
According to Kosove and Johnson, since the film’s release in 2009, Alcon Entertainment has paid approximately $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohys and Oher. They emphasized that the deal was “consistent with the marketplace” at that time and did not include substantial payouts in the event of the film’s success. This statement aimed to debunk the notion that the Tuohys earned millions at Oher’s expense, which they claimed was false.
Last week, an attorney for the Tuohy family estimated that each member, including Oher, had received around $100,000 from the movie. Alcon Entertainment’s numbers aligned closely with this estimate, considering the talent agency would have taken their commission before passing the money to the family.
Oher, however, has alleged that the Tuohys earned millions while he received nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” He recently filed a petition in a Tennessee court, claiming he was never officially adopted and was misled into agreeing to a conservatorship. Oher seeks full disclosure of the family’s earnings from the movie and compensation he believes he is owed.
The real-life story of Oher’s supposed adoption by the affluent Tuohy family served as the inspiration for ‘The Blind Side.’ The film achieved tremendous success, grossing over $300 million and earning Sandra Bullock her first Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy.
The Tuohys’ attorneys responded to Oher’s lawsuit, dismissing it as a “shakedown” to extract money from a family that took him in and cared for him as a son. According to Steve Farese Sr., the Tuohy family attorney, Oher has been estranged from the Tuohys for approximately ten years and has recently become more confrontational and threatening.
The ongoing rift between Oher and the Tuohys has shattered the illusion of a perfect story, similar to the Hollywood version. Nonetheless, Kosove and Johnson expressed their displeasure at how Oher’s lawsuit has given critics and journalists an opportunity to dissect the movie fourteen years later. They maintained that ‘The Blind Side’ remains authentic, regardless of the familial conflicts that have arisen since its release.