ABC Family Picks Up "The Blind Side"

ABC Family is on a theatrical buying spree, picking up network rights to the Sandra Bullock feature "The Blind Side.”

According to Variety: Just a night after Sandra Bullock took home the Academy Award for best actress for "The Blind Side," ABC Family is announcing that it has secured the network TV rights to the movie.

"The Blind Side" pickup also follows on the heels of another high-profile acquisition for ABC Family, the box office hit "Alice in Wonderland."

"The Blind Side" tells the story of Michael Oher, a young athlete taken in by the Tuohy family of Memphis. He would go on to a stellar high school career and now is in the NFL.

The film has grossed a little more than $250 million at the domestic box office--as most theatricals fetch around 10% of gross, that means a pricetag of around $25 million for the cabler.

The deal continues a relationship between ABC Family and Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution, which sold the title to the channel. ABC Family also has the rights to the first six "Harry Potter" features, with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" set to air in late 2011.

This is a great idea for ABC Family because the film is a perfect fit for the network. I thought the film was pretty good (although I think the Best Picture nom was a bit of a stretch) and that the book was fantastic.

Like "Alice in Wonderland," ABC Family will debut "The Blind Side" in 2012.