The men who helped bring “The Blind Side” to theaters are standing with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
The head of Alcon Entertainment has spoken up in the wake of Michael Oher slamming his “adoptive” parents for finessing him into a conservatorship and getting rich from his life story. As the company that produced the critically acclaimed film, they are slamming Oher’s claims that the Tuohys got rich from the movie deal.
“The notion that the Tuohys were paid millions of dollars by Alcon to the detriment of Michael Oher is false. In fact, Alcon has paid approximately $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohy family and Michael Oher (who, presumably, took commission before passing it through),” Alcon co-heads Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove said in a joint statement.
The 2009 hit brought in about $330 million at the box office, People reports, and has generated millions more since its release. The agreement signed by the Tuohy’s and Oher for the rights to his story did not include additional payouts after the movie’s debut.
Oher is also accusing the couple of hiding how much they’ve made since “The Blind Side” was released and is requesting a thorough review of their finances. With Leigh Anne working as a motivational speaker following the film’s debut, she has brought in $30,000 to $50,000 per speaking engagement, the New York Times claims. Oher believes she has succeeded in this field because of his likeness. He is seeking proper compensation and is asking for an injunction barring the Tuohy’s from using his name in business dealings moving forward.
