Category Archives: Film Production Industry

Spyglass Entertainment

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SPYGLASS ENTERTAINMENT

by Hadley Rosenbaum

Spyglass_Entertainment

Courtesy of Spyglass

245 N Beverly Dr

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Tel: 1 310 443 5800

Fax: 1 310 443 5912

 

History/Overview

Spyglass Entertainment, LLC is an American Film and Television production company that was co-founded by Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber in 1998. European media giants, Kirch Group in Germany, and Mediaset in Italy, were the founders of Spyglass and agreed to invest for 5 years in the films that were produced in the studio. The deal was estimated to be worth $250 million (1). This deal was backed by The Walt Disney Company, and they aimed to produce around 3 to 5 movies a year through “a combination of studio money, global alliances with international distributors and media companies, and backed by a large financial institution”(2). Cerberus Capital Management currently owns the company.

Key Figures (3)

gary-barber-roger-birnbaum-mgm-ceo-gi

CO-Founders of Spyglass Entertainment

Gary Barber- Co-Chairman

Courtesy of Spyglass Entertainment

Courtesy of Spyglass Entertainment

Gary Barber is the co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment along with his partner Roger Birnbaum. He has produced and executive produced a handful of films and he has run many entertainment businesses, including production, music, foreign distribution etc. He is a true mastermind of the entertainment business. Before Spyglass, Barber was the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Creek, which is another American production studio. Even before Morgan Creek, Barber was the President of Vestron International Group, which focused on home video distribution. Barber received his college degrees fro the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Mr. Barber was named Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. in December 2010, but he continues to serve as Co-Chairman of the Board of Spyglass.

Roger Birnbaum- Co-Chairman

Roger Birnbaum is the co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment along with his partner Gary Barber. Birnbaum started his career as Vice President of Arista Records and A&M Records before starting his career in the film industry. Before he co-founded Spyglass Entertainment, Birnbaum co-founded Caravan Pictures, where he helped to produce

Courtesy of Spyglass Entertainment

Courtesy of Spyglass Entertainment

many box office hits like “Rush Hour,” “Inspector Gadget,” “ “The Three Musketeers,” “Angels in the Outfield” and “While You Were Sleeping.” Even before working at Caravan, Birnbaum was the President of Worldwide Production and Executive Vice President of Twentieth Century Fox, where he helped produce a multitude of great films, like“Home Alone,” “Sleeping with the Enemy,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Die Hard 2” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” among others.  Lastly, prior to that, Birnbaum was President of Production for United Artists, where he helped to develop and produce the Oscar winning film “Rain Man.”

Jose Gutierrez

Jose is the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive officer. He takes care of everything financially- related to Spyglass entertainment- banking and financial reporting, day-to-day activities, etc.

Success (3) (7)

Spyglass films have made a huge source of revenue in the box office, grossing over $5 billion worldwide to this day. Spyglass started its success with The Sixth Sense Spyglass was launched with the phenomenal box office success “The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, the-sixth-sensewhich grossed over $661 million and achieved six Academy Award nominations.  It also had another 32 wins and 37 nominations across the board (7). Other successes include Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carrey, BruceAlmighty_posterwhich grossed over $485 million in worldwide box office and is considered one of the blockbuster comedies of all time, and Memoirs of a Geisha, Read book online free 1-711721based on the best-selling novel, which earned Spyglass three Oscar wins out of six nominations, bringing the company a total, to date, of 34 nominations.

 

 

MGM 

A lot of the movies Spyglass Entertainment helped produce were in collaboration with other production companies, and have slowly stopped producing movies in their studio. This is because in 2010, Spyglass purchased Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., which lifted the

MGM Logo

MGM Logo

company out of bankruptcy. Spyglass Entertainment and its investor Carl Ichan wrote off around $5 billion in debts in exchange for the studio. I was announced that Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum would become co-chairmen and chief executive officers of the studio (4).

Metro- Goldwyn-Meyer Studio owns one of the largest modern collections of feature films in the world, including 4,100 theatrically released feature film titles and approximately 10,800 television episodes. Films in the MGM Library have won over 200 Academy Awards, including 15 Best Picture Awards (5). This iconic company has so many operating units, including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries (6).

Right Here, Right Now (8)

Spyglass Entertainment now serves as more of a distribution company of the movies they already have, and they have scaled back a lot on their movie production because of the merge. There are still some movies in production, just not 20 year.

One movie in production right now is Hercules: The Thracian Wars, which is set to start filming this upcoming may, and the release date is set for July 25th, 2014. The movie is based off of a comic book, and has Dwayne Johnson playing Hercules. It will basically be a comic book-action- spinoff.

Spyglass has a few movies right now currently in development. One is called The Undomestic Goddess, which is a comedy about an American attorney who loses her job and finds work as a housemaid in England. This is based off of a book, and has no set date to begin production.

Another movie in development for Spyglass is called The Game, which is going to be an action/comedy about a man who hires a professional seduction expert to help him become the world’s best pick-up artist. Brian Koppelman and David Levien are attached to the movie as the directors/writers, and this movie is based off of a novel.

One last movie Spyglass has signed on to co-produce is called The Brood, which is an adaption of a 1970’s horror television show, which is now being remade into a movie by Breck Eisner.

 References

(1)  http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/35507765.html?dids=35507765:35507765&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT

(2) http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/33285845.html?dids=33285845:33285845&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+21%2C+1998&author=CLAUDIA+ELLER&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Company+Town%3B+THE+BIZ%3B+Spyglass+Offers+Disney+Lower-Risk+Deals&pqatl=google

(3) http://www.spyglassentertainment.com

(4) http://www.globaltimes.cn/business/world/2010-12/603275.html

(5) http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/CopyMGM.pdf

(6) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mgm-restructuring-plan-becomes-effective-112209709.html

(7) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/

(8) http://pro.imdb.com/company/co0031181/

 

Universal Pictures

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by Moon Park

Universal Pictures logo [1]

Address: 100 Universal City Plaza Universal Studios, CA. 91608

Contact Information: 818.777.1000

Major Media Company: Comcast

Parent Company: NBC Universal

Key Executives:

Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer

Adam Fogelson, Chairman

Jimmy Horowitz, President

Rick Finkelstein, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer

James Schamus, Chief Executive Officer (Ronald Meyer)

Profile: Universal Studios Inc. also known as Universal Pictures is an American motion picture and television studio which is located in Universal City in California. Universal Pictures is owned my Comcast and is a subsidiary of NBC Universal. It is one of the six major studios in the United States and one of the longest existing motion picture studios as well. Its main purpose is to develop, produce, and market entertainment[2]. Along with making movies, Universal also has theme parks located in Hollywood, California and Orlando, Florida[3]. Through its international production group, the studio teams up with the international studios to make blockbuster movie. They also make wide commercial and special releases in not so familiar regions. For almost a century now, Universal Pictures made diverse films such as classics: Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park series, and Mamma Mia!. It also made franchise movies such as: Meet the Parents, Fast and Furious, Back to the Future, and the Bourne Series. Not only did they make high grossing movies, they also made quality movies which won them the Academy Awards such as: King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, The Pianist, and many more[4] . Over the years of movie making, Universal Pictures grossed over $25 billion all time (movies before 1982 has not been recorded)[5]. On the course of making movies, Universal is very successful and is on the top of the list when it comes to studios.

Universal Pictures History: Carl Laemmle was the man to start Universal Pictures. While he was planning to start a clothing shop in Chicago in 1905, he came across people waiting in line for a nickelodeon. At that moment Laemmle decided to change his job, and opened his first theater The White Front Theater. From then on, Laemmle started to make more branches of theaters with partners and started making money. Carl Laemmle met Robert Cochrane and expanded their theaters. They made the Laemmle Film Service, which became the largest movie distributor of the country in the early 1900s. After having problems with the motion pictures, Laemmle and Cochrane made their own movies. In 1912 the Universal Film Manufacturing Company was formed and this led to Universal Pictures’ 100th anniversary in 2012 [6].

Where the company is headed today: Most good film today push towards the holidays or before it so that it could be a contender for an award ceremony held in early times of the year. Films such as: Zero Dark Thirty and Les Miserables were nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The movie Ted also did great in the box office to end Universal’s 2012 [7].

January 2013 : On January 6, Universal renewed its domestic domestic output deal with HBO with a long term extension. This is the tenth year they are working with HBO and has been successful [8]. The epic film Jurassic Park, which was made in 1993, is scheduled to be released in IMAX and 3D on April [9]. Universal Pictures signed with Nintendo’s marketing director and assistant general manager, Dawn Paine to be their vice president of marketing mostly in overseas. In addition he is responsible for the publicity of Universal’s home entertainment business [10].

February 2013: Universal showed their new release: Fast and Furious 6 on the day of Superbowl. The movie is expected to be seen everywhere on theaters May 24 [11]. The character Ted(from the movie Ted) came out with its co-star Mark Wahlburg in the 85th Oscars. Seth McFarlane who created and played Ted hosted the show and asked Universal Pictures to pay for the appearance due to technical issues [12]. In addition, Les Miserables’ Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress and many were nominated for both Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.

March 2013: Universal Pictures were fighting for legal rights with a porn producer, who adapted a pornography adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey. Universal won the rights in the end, which turned out for Smash Pictures to pay Universal for their doing [13]. Marc Abraham and Eric Newman of Strike Entertainment (an Universal Pictures co-company) decided to dissolve the company and step away from Universal after a 15 year run [14]. StudioCanal has launched legal actions against Universal, who was their former partners. StudioCanal claims that Universal’s violation was “fiduciary and contractual obligations.” They also claim that Universal hid some payments and did not report incomes. [15].

April 2013: Jurassic Park premiered on April 5th and is made $18 million in its opening weekend where budget was just at the $10 million mark [16] . From January-April, Universal Pictures came in at number one in the studio market share with its distribution. They marked 13.1% and grossed over $300 million with five movies, two of them being released in 2013 [17].

What is coming next for Universal: Universal Pictures are pushing for roughly twelve more movies to come out for 2013. Summer movies are: Fast and Furious 6, Kick Ass 2, The Purge, Despicable Me 2, R.I.P.D, etc… [18].

Financial Reports: For the fourth quarter report of Universal Pictures in 2012, they increased 9% from 1.3 to 1.4 compared with 2011 fourth quarter financial report from films such as, Les Miserables Ted, This is 40, and Bourne Legacy. Their Operating Cash Flow decreased 4.7% from $89 million to $84. For the year, they ended $5.2 billion, which was a 12.4 increase from their 2011 revenue $4.7 billion [19]Comcast Corporation (the owner of Universal) announced on March that they will release their 2013 first quarter financial report on May 1, 2013 [20].

Competition: Competition for Universal Pictures are as followed: Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures. They are known as the Major Big Six Film studios in the United States.

Universal Pictures Affiliated Groups:

  •     Bravo Media
  •     CNBC
  •     E!
  •     Esquire Network
  •     Fandango
  •     Focus Features
  •     Golf Channel
  •     International Television
  •     MSNBC
  •     mun2
  •     NBC Entertainment
  •     NBC News
  •     NBC Owned Television Stations
  •     NBC Sports Group
  •     NBCUniversal
  •     NBCUniversal Cable and New Media Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Digital Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Television Networks Distribution
  •     Oxygen Media
  •     Sprout
  •     Style Media
  •     Syfy
  •     Telemundo
  •     Universal Parks & Resorts
  •     Universal Pictures
  •     Universal Television
  •     USA Network

Sources:

1. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myfilmviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/universal-pictures-100th-anniversary-logo1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myfilmviews.com/2012/02/16/the-story-behind-the-universal-pictures-logo/&h=811&w=1500&sz=891&tbnid=azNGy7FcyZtUPM:&tbnh=65&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__8V1u5F0D3KgGXBGBzwXIMnzueIM=&docid=XETkV1Rks8ResM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hkRiUa_mH-nh4AO5h4DQCg&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ&dur=1874

2. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

3. http://www.universalstudios.com/

4. http://www.nbcuni.com/film/universal-pictures/

5. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?page=7&yr=&view=company&view2=allmovies&studio=universal.htm&p=.htm

6. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/universal-studios-inc-history/

7. http://www.movieinsider.com/c13/universal-pictures/

8. http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/universal-pictures-extends-domestic-output-deal-with-hbo/

9. http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/jurassic-park-imax-3d-release-april-5/

10. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

11. http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/fast-and-furious-6-trailer-extended-universal-pictures/

12. http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/oscars-2013-ted-appearance-mark-wahlberg/

13. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/settlement-reached-in-universals-fifty-shades-of-grey-porn-adaptation-suit/

14. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/producing-partners-marc-abraham-and-eric-newman-dissolve-strike-entertainment/

15. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

16. http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

17. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/

18. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=distributor&id=universal.htm

19. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/pa-comcast-idUSnBw4kmz68a+100+BSW20130212

20. http://www.cmcsk.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=750147

Warner Brothers

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The Warner Brothers - Jack, Sam, Harry, and Albert

Warner Brothers Entertainment 

What is Warner Brothers?

 Warner Brothers Entrainment is an entrainment company and global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of every form of entrainment.  Warner Brothers is the largest global entertainment company today and a subsidiary of Time Warner Cable, located in Burbank, California and New York. Warner Brothers consists of several subsidiary companies such as Warner Brothers Studios, Warner Brothers Pictures, Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, Television, Animation, Home Video, New Line Cinema, The WB.com, DC Entertainment, and owns half of the CW Television Network.

Warner Brothers library, which is one of the largest and most impressive in the world, consists of more than 61,000 hours of programming, with 6,500 feature films and 3,000 animated television series. Warner Brothers Entertainment produces material in every field of the entertainment industry- from feature films to television, home entertainment, DVD, animation, product and brand licensing and interactive entertainment.

Moreover, Warner Brothers more specifically obtains different divisions such as Warner Home Video, Warner Digital Distribution, Motion Pictures, Television, and DC Entertainment.

 Warner Brothers Home Entertainment brings together all of Warner Brothers businesses’ and delivers the content to homes of the consumers. Warner Brothers Home Entertainment pays attention to distributing content to consumers through as many channels, platforms, and devices as possible. While consumers witness the entertainment industry move forward in the current digitally transforming age, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment helps to maintain their leading role in the entertainment business.

Since 1997, 277 million DVD players have been sold in the United States, demonstrating the importance of home video and shows how it is such a vital part of the entertainment industry. Warner Brothers Home Video is the largest home entertainment studio, with distribution in 90 international areas. In 2011, Warner Home Video obtained the top market share position in new release, theatrical, TV, DVD, family, and animation, of 21.9%.

Warner Brothers Digital Distribution controls the electronic distribution of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group’s content through Video-On-Demand, Pay-Per-View, Video-On-Demand, satellite, and mobile channels.

Warner Brothers Motion Pictures acts as a marketer, producer, and distributer of a vast amount of motion pictures.  Warner Brothers Motion Pictures grossed $4.7 billion at the box office for 11 consecutive years, something that no studio has done, and produce and distribute 18-22 films per year. 

Warner Brothers Television Group is one of the leading providers of network programming and act as one of the leading producers of cable. There are two units of Warner Brothers TV Group-Warner Brothers Domestic Television and Warner Brothers International Television Distribution which both serve television content to television globally. WBTG provides and expands Warner Brothers’ television business through offering primetime, cable and animated TV shows. Moreover, WBTG always offers at least two series on every network. Warner Brothers Television Group is creating new ways to give consumers TV for the expanding TV world. Finally, WBTVG has a broadcasting division: The CW Television Network which targets the 18-34 audiences offering popular shows such as Americas Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and 90210.

DC Entertainment was founded in 1934 and integrates content across Warner Brothers and Time Warner.  DC is a comic publisher that publishes comic books, graphic novels, and magazines. DC Entertainment serves, as a creative division in which is not just limited to film, but also television, consumer products, home entertainment, and video games. DC Entertainment founded the most iconic super heroes such as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and The Flash.

Key Executives

Screen Shot 2013-04-03 at 12.30.14 PM

Barry M. Meyer

Chairman, Warner Bros.

Served nearly 14 years as Studio’s Chairman

Screen Shot 2013-04-03 at 12.30.21 PM

Kevin Tsujihara

Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros.

“Nineteen-year studio veteran”

 

Screen Shot 2013-04-03 at 12.30.29 PM

Susan Nahley Fleishman

Executive Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affiars, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Joined Warner Brothers Entertainment in 2005

 

 

 

  Warner Brothers History

Warner Brothers Entertainment began when the four brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack incorporated their movie company in 1927. However, in 1903, the brothers traveled as exhibitors with their portable projector. THe first film they showed was Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery. By 1908, the Warner Brothers had obtained 200 film titles, were distributing movies, and moved to California to establish a small production studio in Culver City, California.

The Warner Brothers first full-scale picture was My Four Years in Germany, and grossed 1.5 million, which was huge for that day and age. Later on during that year, the innovative and brilliant brothers purchased land at 5842 Sunset Boulevard and the Warner Bros. Studios was brought to the world. However, during this time, Warner Brothers did not obtain company owned theaters and the company had a hard time while competing for major success in Hollywood.

In 1928, the Warner Brothers purchased an essential part of their company- The Stanley Company of America’s theater chain and a studio in Burbank, which still remains their studio today.

In 1955, the Warner Brothers Television company began, having two huge first hits, Cheyenne and Maverick, which started them off successfully. Gaining much profit, The Warner Brothers released films such as Ocean’s Eleven, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Wild Bunch. During this year, both Harry Warner and Albert Warner passed away, selling Warner Brothers to Elliot and Ken Hyman.

In 2012, The Warner Brothers Pictures Group had a total gross of 4.3 billion at the global box office and has gone beyond $4 billion globally for four years straight.

What’s Warner Brothers Doing Today? 

Warner Brothers feature films that are in theatres or coming out soon consist of 42, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The Great Gatsby, Hangover Part 2, Beautiful Creatures, The Conjuring, The Gangster Squad, and Pacific Rim.  Finally, Time Warner recently announced that Kevin Tsujijara as the new CEO of Warner Brothers, succeeding Mr. Meyer who will still be chairman through 2013.

Warner Brothers Television consists of many popular TV shows on air currently such as The Voice, Extra, and The Ellen Degeneres Show. Recently, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced the new documentary “Neccesary Evil: Villians of DC Comics”. Moreover, Warner Brothers Pictures announced the start of the production for “Godzilla”.

Contact Warner Brothers

Web:

Adress: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91522

Phone:

(818) 954-3000

Sources

http://www.warnerbros.com

http://www.yelp.com/biz/warner-brothers-studios-burbank

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros.

http://golosangeles.about.com/od/losangelestours/ss/Warner-Bros_2.htm

Lionsgate Entertainment

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Taylor Kowalski

lionsgate logo

Courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment [1]

Company Contact Information

Los Angeles Address:

Lionsgate Corporate

2700 Colorado Ave.

Santa Monica, CA 90404

(310)-449-9200

[1]

Executives

Jon Feltheimer, CEO since March 2000.

Michael Burns, Vice Chairman since March 2000.

Steve Beeks, President since February 2004

Joe Drake, Preisdent of the Motion Picture Group since August 2007

Jim Keegan, Chief Financial Officer since April 2002

[1]

Company Overview

Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation is a leading multimedia entertainment company that maintains a presence in film and television production and distribution, home and family entertainment, digital distribution, as well as international distribution and new channel platforms.  Committed to low overhead, entrepreneurial business models, cost discipline, and niche focus, Lionsgate has recently seen the success of their 12-year growth strategy, which led to Lionsgate becoming a major name in the world marketplace. [6]

Lionsgate Film’s list of successful films includes The Hunger Games, The Saw Saga, and a long list of Tyler Perry’s films. In addition, Lionsgate Television’s current programming includes successes such as FX’s Anger Management, AMC’s Mad Men, ABC’s Nashville, and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie.

Other Lionsgate holdings and subsidiaries include Lionsgate Music and Publishing, Tigergate, Mandate Pictures, Maple Pictures, Kix, Epix, Thrill, TVGuide.com, FEARnet.com, Debmar-Mercury, Elevation Sales, and Break.com.

Brief History

Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation was founded by Frank Giustra in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.  A majority of the funding for its founding was put forth by Yorktown Securities, a bank with stake in Frank Giustra’s mining assets.  [2]

To further itself in the industry, Lionsgate acquired other small production houses, purchasing Cinepix Film Properties, which was then dubbed Lionsgate Films, as well as North Shore Studios, then renamed to be Lionsgate Studios.  After more purchases, the Lionsgate Media subsidiary was founded to produce content for television.  [2]

After Feltheimer became CEO, Lionsgate Entertainment acquired Trimark Pictures for approximately $50 million in June of 2000.  Lionsgate also purchased Artisan Entertainment in 2003.   They went on to purchase Rebus Film Distribution of the United Kingdom in October 2005, which became Lionsgate UK on February 23rd, 2006.  Also in 2006, Lionsgate sold Lionsgate Studios to Bosa Development Corporation.  In June of 2007, Lionsgate Music and Publishing was founded. [2]

In 2009, Lionsgate acquired the TV Guide Network. [3]

In January of 2012, Lionsgate acquired Summit Entertainment, the producers of The Twilight Saga, which helped Lionsgate cross the $1 billion dollar threshold for the first time.  This success is also attributed to the release of The Hunger Games. [1]

images

Courtesy of The Hunger Games [16]

Competitors

DreamWorks Studios

Imagine Entertainment

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Incorporated

[18]

Finances

As the fiscal year ended March 31st, 2013, the annual financial reports for Lionsgate have not been released yet.

Their first-quarter financial report for 2013 reported revenue of $471.8 million, with a price of $.33 per share with the first quarter of fiscal 2013 ending June 30, 2012. [4]

The second-quarter earnings release reports revenue of $707.0 million with a price of $.56 per share with the second quarter of fiscal 2013 ending September 30, 2012. [4]

The third-quarter earnings release reports revenue of $743.6 million with a price of $.28 per share with the third quarter of fiscal 2013 ending December 31, 2012. [4]

View Available Financial Reports

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 12.01.12 AM

Courtesy of Yahoo Finance [5]

At the closing of April 5th, Lionsgate’s stock had gone up .74 of a point, a 3.29% increase.

With blockbuster films such as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire being released in 2013, Lionsgate is likely to have a comparable year to that of 2012, during which the release of franchised movies, including The Twilight Saga and The Hunger Games, led to more than $2.5 billion being made at the worldwide box office in 2012. [6]

Recent News

dredd

Courtesy of IMDB [14]

January 22, 2013– Lionsgate’s comic-based film DREDD achieved a DVD and Blu-Ray release that made it the best-selling new release title of the year.  DREDD also became the top film download of the week, beating out all other films in digital sales as well.  This feat adds to Lionsgate’s list of films that have made up for a lacking box office performance through DVD and Blu-Ray sales, helping Lionsgate be the industry leader in DVD-to-box office conversion. [7]

Official DREDD Trailer

February 12 and 13, 2013– Media Investor Gordon Crawford joined Lionsgate’s board of directors, increasing the size of the board to 13 members.  In addition, Wayne Levin signed a long-term agreement to act as Lionsgate’s General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer. [8] [9]

March 5, 2013– Andrew Kramer was named Chief Operating Officer of International Distribution. [10]

BD-2-wallpapers-breaking-dawn-part-2-32962100-1680-1050

Courtesy of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 [15]

March 5, 2013– Lionsgate reported that Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 sold 3.85 million DVD’s and Blu-Rays in its first weekend of release.  This news is more significant due to the fact that 27% of the sales were Blu-Ray copies, up from the 22% seen for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which further indicates the growing acceptance of the Blu-Ray format.  Similarly, 20% more transactions were electronic, such as Video On Demand, for this film. [11]

Official Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Trailer

March 21, 2013– Lionsgate and the new digital entertainment service M-GO announced that they are partnering to bring Lionsgate’s library of films and television programs, such as The Hunger Games, Twilight, Madea, and Mad Men, to the digital service for customers to purchase or rent. [12]

TVGuideNEWlarge

Courtesy of TV Guide [15]

March 26, 2013– CBS Corporation and Lionsgate officially partner in a 50/50 ownership of the TV Guide Network as well as TVGuide.com, a cable channel that reaches 80 million households. [3]

Future

Though Lionsgate may not have as profitable of a fiscal year in 2013 and 2014 due to The Twilight Saga wrapping up and no longer overlapping The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as well as the rest of the trilogy are sure to be box office successes for Lionsgate.

Other upcoming films for Lionsgate include The Big Wedding, We the Peeples, You’re Next, I, Frankenstein, and Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas.  Lionsgate is also planning to add to the Texas Chainsaw 3D franchise. [13]

Official We The Peeples Trailer

Official You’re Next Trailer

Official Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas Trailer

In addition, Summit Entertainment’s upcoming 2013 slate includes Now You See Me, Red 2, The Tomb, and Ender’s Game.

Sources

1. Lionsgate Official Website  http://www.lionsgate.com

2. Lionsgate History http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/lions-gate-entertainment-corporation-history/

3. Lionsgate and CBS for TV Guide Network http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-eyes-sale-tv-guide-282649

4. Lionsgate Quarterly Earnings http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=quarterlyEarnings

5. Yahoo Finance Report http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=LGF

6. Lionsgate Company Overview http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-homeprofile

7. DREDD Press Release http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1776610&highlight=

8. Gordon Crawford Press Release  http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1784145&highlight=

9. Wayne Levin Press Release  http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1784588&highlight=

10. Andrew Kramer Press Release  http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1792410&highlight=

11. Twilight Press Release  http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1792214&highlight=

12. M-GO Press Release  http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1798829&highlight=

13. Lionsgate Films http://www.lionsgate.com/?section=film

14. DREDD on IMDb  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/

15. Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Photo Page  http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com

16. The Hunger Games Official Website  http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/index.html

17. TV Guide Network  http://www.tvguide.com

18. Yahoo Finance, Lionsgate Competitors  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=LGF+Competitors

The Weinstein Company

Posted on by 
by Maggie Applegate
This photo is courtesy of Google Images

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Address: 345 Hudson Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10014

Telephone: (646) 862-3400 [1]

A Brief Overview

This photo is courtesy of Google Images

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

In October of 2005, The Weinstein Company, was launched by Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein. The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a privately owned multimedia production and distribution company. These famous brothers are known for founding Miramax Films in 1979. Although Miramax was previously owned by Disney, TWC retained partial ownership as part of a joint venture with an investor group called Filmyard Holding. The company also encompasses Dimension Films, which was founded by Bob Weinstein in 1993. Despite the company’s young age, it has released films that have gained both commercial and critical success. TWC won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2011 with The King’s Speech and then again in 2012 for The Artist. [2] [3] [4]

Social Media Outlets

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Key Executives [1]

  • Rob Weisbach – President and Chief Executive Officer
  • Harvey Weinstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman
  • Bob Weinstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman
  • David Glasser – Chief Operating Officer
  • Dylan Sellers – President of Production and Acquisitions
  • Meryl Poster – President of Television

 The 85th Annual Academy Awards

This photo is courtesy of USAtoday.net

This photo is courtesy of USAtoday.net

On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the 85th Academy Award Nominees. The Weinstein Company was pleased that two of their releases from 2012, Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook were both nominated for Best Picture. Although The Master was not nominated for Best Picture, Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams were all nominated for their acting. TWC was lucky enough to receive nominations in all the major categories. Other nominees included:

  • Bradley Cooper – Leading Actor  for Silver Linings Playbook
  • Jennifer Lawrence – Leading Actress for Silver Linings Playbook
  • Robert De Niro – Supporting Actor for Silver Linings Playbook
  • Christoph Waltz – Supporting Actor for Django Unchained
  • Jacki Weaver – Supporting Actress for Silver Linings Playbook

David O. Russell was nominated for Best Director for Silver Linings Playbook as well as for Best Adapted Screenplay whereas Quentin Tarantino did not receive a directing nod, but was nominated for the original screenplay of Django Unchained. [5] [6]

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, was released in theaters on December 25, 2012. The film centers around a man named Pat (Cooper) who suffers from a mental health disorder. After spending time in a psychiatric ward, Pat returns home to live with his parents, played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver. As Pat strives to cope with his illness as well as the aftermath of his divorce, he is introduced to the vivacious Tiffany (played by Lawrence). The two come to discover that they are just what the other needs in order to pick up and move forward with their lives.  [7]

Although Django Unchained was a nominee for Best Picture, Silver Linings Playbook was looked at as more of a contender for taking home the most sought after award in Hollywood. Harvey Weinstein began to push “the only horse” he had left in the race as The Oscars approached. [8]

 The Oscars ceremony was on Sunday, February 24, 2013, and as it turns out neither Silver Linings Playbook nor Django Unchained took home the big award of Best Picture as they were beat out by Ben Affleck’s Argo. However, both films ended up taking home big Best Actressawards. Jennifer Lawrence received the Best Actress award. Despite what Weinstein may have expected, Django took home more awards than Silver Linings as Christoph Waltz nabbed his second Academy Award, as did Quentin Tarantino. The Master proved to be the biggest disappointment for TWC, as it did not bring home a single award. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Financials

The results of The Academy Awards surely helped The Weinstein Company at the box office. Silver Linings Playbook did significantly well for The Weinstein Company as it has grossed a total of $226,209,283 worldwide. However Django Unchained once again outdid the company’s rom-com, as the twisted Tarantino film generated $416,545,000 worldwide. Despite The Master‘s critical acclaim, it has only generated $28,258,060 of worldwide revenue. According to IndieWire, The Weinstein Company has grossed a domestic total of $282.4 million so far this year. That is nearly thirty million more than the company generated in the entire year of 2012. [15] [16] [17] [18]

This photo is courtesy of boxofficemojo.com as of April 8, 2013.

This photo is courtesy of boxofficemojo.com as of April 8, 2013.

Now Playing

Quartet, Dark Skies, Escape From Planet Earth, and The Sapphires have all been released in the past three months and already they are performing fairly well for the company. Quartet is directed by Dustin Hoffman and is a small film that was released in accordance with BBC Films.  Dark Skies is a low budget horror film and The Sapphires is an Australian comedy. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

This photo is courtesy of Google Images.

Of these four new releases, Escape From Planet Earth had the largest budget and is the only animated film. As of April 7, 2013, the film had made over $54 million in domestic sales alone, surpassing its production budget. [24]

Coming Soon

This photo is courtesy of Deadline.com.

This photo is courtesy of Deadline.com.

Although The Oscars was an important day for the company’s 2012 releases, it was also an important day for future releases. According to Deadline, Harvey Weinstein closed two large business deals on Oscar Sunday, obtaining the distribution rights of Grace of Monaco and Salinger. Grace of Monaco is set to be released on December 27, 2013. It is a biopic following the life of Grace Kelly and will star Academy Award winner, Nicole Kidman. TWC has acquired the domestic rights to the film. Salinger is a documentary about the life of famous author, J.D. Salinger. The film will spotlight Phillip Seymour Hoffman (previously feature in a TWC production) and will be released September 6, 2013. [25] [26] [27]

After the nominations that The Weinstein Company had this Oscar season, it should be of no surprise that Deadline recently released information that the company is closing a deal to distribute a film starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, both of whom received

This photo is courtesy of imdb.com.

This photo is courtesy of imdb.com.

2013 Academy Award Nominations. The film is entitled Big Eyes and will be directed by Tim Burton. Because the film is set to begin production this summer, it may not be until 2014 that viewers can expect to see the film in theaters. The Weinstein Company appears to have no intention of slowing down, an impressive feat for a company that hasn’t even been around for a decade. [28]

 

 

References

1. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=21943957

2. http://weinsteinco.com

3. http://weinsteinco.com/about-us/

4. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/30/business/la-fi-ct-miramax-20100730

5. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/oscars-nominations-2013_n_2435207.html

6. http://www.themasterfilm.com/

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5_FhLaaQQ

8. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/21/harvey-weinstein-oscars-2013

9. http://oscar.go.com/

10. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/24/entertainment/la-et-mn-oscars-2013-academy-awards-20130224

11. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscar-winners-2013-full-list/story?id=18570339#.UWJdvxnNf8h

12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDU7zLAd2-U

13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2YFFzwtno

14. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/awards

15. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=silverliningsplaybook.htm

16. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=djangounchained.htm

17. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=themaster.htm

18. http://www.indiewire.com/article/box-office-quarterly-the-winners-and-losers-of-an-underwhelming-2013-so-far

19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSEnh8Hi62E

20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQs3SwCQ15U

21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1NhAUsyslk

22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ljho1cyEfg

23. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkskies.htm

24. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=escapefromplanetearth.htm

25. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/toldja-the-weinstein-company-finds-oscar-candidate-in-grace-of-monaco-december-27-limited-release-set/

26. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2095649/

27. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596753/

28. http://www.deadline.com/tag/the-weinstein-company/

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

Posted on by

by Carly Konsker

The Walt Disney Company

Profile

The Walt Disney Company, including all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, is known across America and world wide as a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. This massive corporation contains five main business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive Media. [1]

History

On October 16, 1923, Walt and Roy Disney founded The Walt Disney Company, which was originally named The Disney Brothers Studio. The company got its start by producing Alice Comedies, which lasted for four years. They continued with their love of cartoons, and in 1928 the most famous Disney icon was created, Mickey Mouse. Disney won its first Academy Award for Best Cartoon in 1932. Fiver years later, the company shocked the world by developing their first full-length feature film in 1937. [2, 3, 4]

Courtsey of http://d23.disney.go.com/ Walt and Roy proudly displaying their first Oscar with the world's most famous mouse.

Walt and Roy proudly displaying their first Oscar with the world’s most famous mouse. [5]

Walt Disney, the visionary behind the Disney empire, dies at age 66 on December 15, 1966. After his younger brother’s death, Roy Disney took it upon himself to control the financing and construction of Walt Disney World, his brother’s last wish. Since the beginning, Roy was always in charge of the business side of the Disney company, while Walt was the creative genius behind the fantasies. On December 20, 1971, Roy O. Disney passed, three months after the opening of Walt Disney World. [2, 4]

Today, The Walt Disney Company continues to thrive while sticking to their roots of turning dreams into reality. Disney reinforces their past by keeping the Disney legacy alive, but the company also creates new content with ground-breaking technology.

Current Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company is Robert A. Iger. [6]
Courtesy of http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/

Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios [7]

 Alan_Horn

Financials

Walt Disney Studios/Walt Disney Pictures

Walt-Disney-Screencaps-The-Walt-Disney-Logo-walt-disney-characters-31865565-2560-1440

The Walt Disney Studios includes the creation, production, promotion, sales, acquisition, and national and international distribution of live-action and animated motion pictures, home entertainment releases, music and soundtrack recordings, and live stage plays. The Walt Disney Studios is the home to Marvel, Touchstone Pictures, Disney•Pixar, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Live-Action), Disneynature, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Live-Action)

On July 19, 1950, Disney released its first life-action feature film, Treasure Island. Since then, filmmakers have created some of the most successful live-action family films including the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Alice in Wonderland, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Many of these films, as well as movies in other divisions, are distributed under the brand name, Buena Vista. [10]

Courtesy of www.boxofficemojo.com

Courtesy of www.boxofficemojo.com

Recent News:

  • On March 14, 2013, Disney and Showtime announced the extension of their output deal, which allows DreamWorks Studios’ films that are theatrically released by Disney to be available to Showtime subscribers through 2018. [8, 9]
  • As of April 7, 2013, Oz the Great and Powerful has topped the US Box Office with an estimated gross of $212,767,000. [11]
  • In 2015, Disney looks forward to releasing Star Wars: Episode VII, the first film produced since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. in October 2012. The film will be directed by J.J. Abrams, who is famous for directing the hit television series Lost. “Standalone movies” featuring Star Wars characters are in the works. [12, 13]

Future Releases: The Lone Ranger (July 3, 2013), The Delivery Man (October 4, 2013)

Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios Logo

Marvel Entertainment is a completely-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios, founded in 1996, is a successful facet of Marvel Entertainment that creates, develops, and produces life-action films based on the characters and story-lines from the iconic marvel comic book empire. [14]

Iron Man 3 Trailer

ironman3

The success of their film franchise will continue to grow with the upcoming releases of Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013, The Avengers 2, Thor: The Dark World, and the studio has already started production has on the sequel to Captain America. Marvel’s The Avengers was not only the highest grossing movie of this past year, but it was also the 5th highest grossing feature film of all time. [14, 15, 16]

 Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios was founded in 1923. The studio’s first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, became the highest grossing film of its time. Disney paved the way for a new type of family entertainment. Some of their masterpieces include the Disney Fairies films, Tangled, Bolt, and The Lion King. [16]

Future Release: Planes (August 09, 2013) featuring the voices of Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, and Cedric the Entertainer. [17]

Pixar Animation Studios

pixar-logo_withmovies

Pixar Animation studios was founded in 1986 when Steve Jobs bought the Computer Graphics Division of Lucasfilms from George Lucas and started an independent company, Pixar. [18] Pixar has built a name for itself through some of the most successful movies in animation. For example, all the Toy Story films, Finding Nemo, WALL•E, and all Cars movies. [18]

Disney-Pixar-Logo

Starting in 1991, Disney and Pixar have continuously signed deals over the years to make and distribute animated films together. The Walt Disney Company officially agreed to acquire Pixar Animation Studios in a $7.4 Billion stock deal on January 24, 2006. This deal allowed Disney to revert back to its traditional animation roots, and gave Steve Job’s, the former CEO of Pixar, tremendous power in Hollywood by becoming the largest individual shareholder of Disney. [19]

FindingDory_HEROOn April 1, 2013, Pixar announced the title sequel to the 2003 Academy Award winning film for best animated feature, Finding Nemo. The upcoming film, Finding Dory, will be released on November 25, 2015, thanksgiving weekend. Ellen DeGeneres will once again be the voice behind the film’s leading character Dory, who learns about the meaning of family as she is reunited with her loved ones in the film. [20, 21]

Touchstone Pictures

Touchstone-Pictures-Movie-Studio-Logo-Wallpaper

Touchstone Pictures is one of several film labels of The Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company. This American film production studio was created in 1984 in order for Disney to have a brand that released more adult-oriented material. Touchstone Pictures is also the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed since their agreement finalized 2009. [22]

Touchstone’s first film released was the 1984 comedy, Splash. Since then, over 200 films have been released from Touchstone Pictures including Pretty Woman, Father of the Bride, Step Up, and The Proposal. [23]

Lincoln (2012), distributed under Touchstone Pictures, was nominated for 12 Oscars at the 85th annual Academy Awards. Lincoln received the most nominations among those released in 2012, and it won the award for Best Production Design and Best Actor. [24]

Future Release: The Fifth Estate (November 15, 2013) [25]

 

Sources:

  1. The Walt Disney Company Corporate http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/
  2. Timeline of The Walt Disney Company http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history
  3. History of The Walt Disney Studios http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/waltdisney.htm
  4. History of Disney – Excerpt From The Walt Disney Company Archives http://waltdisneystudios.com/static/The%20History%20of%20TWDS.pdf
  5. Walt and Roy Disney Photo http://d23.disney.go.com/
  6. Bob Iger CEO of The Walt Disney Company http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/leadership/board-directors/robert-iger
  7. Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/1015
  8. Disney and Showtime DreamWorks Deal Extended http://variety.com/2013/film/news/disney-to-keep-its-dreamworks-films-at-showtime-1200194681/
  9. Showtime and Disney Renew DreamWorks Contract http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/showtime-dreamworks-studios-contract-extension/
  10. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (live-action) http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/74
  11. Oz the Great and Powerful Tops US Box Office http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=oz.htm
  12. Disney Acquires Lucasfilm – Press Release http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd
  13. CEO Bob Iger Discusses Star Wards in CNBC Interview http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/disney-to-release-additional-films-based-on-star-wars-characters/#more-422357
  14. Marvel – Walt Disney Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/246
  15. Marvel’s The Avengers http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avengers11.htm
  16. Walt Disney Animation Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/76
  17. Disney’s Planes Press Release http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1288
  18. Pixar Animation Studios History http://www.pixar.com/about/Our-Story
  19. Disney Agrees to Acquire Pixar http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/business/25disney.html?_r=1&
  20. Finding Dory Announced http://variety.com/2013/film/news/pixar-finds-title-release-date-for-finding-nemo-sequel-1200331933/
  21. Finding Dory Press Release http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1293
  22. Walt Disney Studios Corporate http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-companies/studio-entertainment
  23. Touchstone Pictures http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/264
  24. Lincoln (2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_Lincoln_(2012_film)
  25. Production Begins on DreamWorks’ WikiLeaks Project “The Fifth Estate” http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1250

 

 

 

Universal Pictures

Posted on by 
by Kayla Bressi

 Universal Pictures

Universal Logo

http://www.nbcuni.com
http://www.universalpictures.com

 A Brief History:

Universal Studios Inc, or Universal Pictures, is one of 6 major movie studios. It is owned by Comcast and is a division of NBC Universal. Some of their most notable films include E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Meet the Fockers, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Jaws. [1]

In addition to theatrical film, Universal Pictures has also produced direct to DVD and classic films, as well as the broadway hits Wicked and Billy Elliot: The Musical. [3]

 

Key Executives

Brian Roberts

Brian Roberts is the chairman and CEO for Comcast Corporations. His company is the majority owner of NBC Universal.  [2]

 

Eddie Cunningham

Eddie Cunningham, president of Universal Pictures International Entertainment, joined the company in 1994. He currently overseas distribution in international countries and looks for opportunities for international business opportunities. [2]

 

Jimmy Horowitz

Jimmy Horowitz is the president of Universal Pictures. He has worked for the studio for 18 years, and has helped oversea and lead Universal Stage Productions to success.[2]

 

 

Cindy GardnerCindy Gardner is the Senior Vice President of Internal Communications and NBC Universal & Corporate Affairs. Cindy overseas corporate media relations, philanthropy, and organizes special events. [2]

 

 

 Recent Releases

Jurassic Park 3D PosterJurassic Park 3D
Release Date- April 5th, 2013
http://www.jurassicpark.com

While the original debut in 1993 saw blockbuster results, there are mixed reviews on whether or not a 3D version of Jurassic Park was necessary.

Since the 3D release was set around the time of the movie’s 20th anniversary, some have said it seems like a celebration. Alicia Loots from Hollywood.com says, “a 3D re-release feels like an interesting way to pay homage to a film that was way ahead of its time technologically.” [4] However, some seem to disagree, calling it a “gimmick.”

Many fans asked a popular youtube channel, “Screen Junkies” to make a spoof regarding the conversion of this classic blockbuster into 3D.

 

Originally opening with $47 million in 1993, Jurassic Park made $7 million on Friday and is expected to make $18 million over the weekend. These results put it behind Evil Dead, which made close to $11.5 million. According to CinemaBlend.com, “The huge blockbuster opening this weekend was made 20 years ago, and the horror film is a remake of a classic from the 80s, but the box office is humming as if both of them were brand new.” [5] With a production budget of only $10 million, Jurassic Park 3D should prove to be profittable for Universal Pictures. [6]

 

Identity ThiefIdentity Thief
Release Date- February 8th, 2013
http://www.identitythiefmovie.com

Identity Thief, featuring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, was the #1 film during its opening weekend, racking in $34.5 million.  [7]

As of April 7th, Identity Thief had an estimated domestic total of $131,254,000 and a worldwide total of $157,054,000. It is also currently rotten, with only a 20% approval rating on RottenTomatos.com. It is set to release on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 4th, 2013.

 

 

Les Miserables
Release Date: Dec 25, 2012
http://www.lesmiserablesfilm.com

Les Miserables all-star cast helped put this movie in the top of Universal Picture’s most recent accomplishments in film. With famous actors and actresses, including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried, and Helena Bonham Carter, Les Miserables started out strong. On opening day, Les Miserables made $18.1 million, putting it in first place for a musical on opening day. [8]Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman in Les Mis

In an interesting move, the actors of Les Miserables sang live during filming, instead of along to a pre-recorded rendition. Some support this, however according to Sandy Schaeffer on Screenrant.com, theatre die-hards tend to prefer “dedicated singers, rather than performers who are actors first and singers second.” [9]

Les Miserables was nominated for 8 Oscars, and won 3 of them: Actress in a Supporting Role, Makeup and Hairstyling, and for Sound Mixing. [10] It has a domestic total of $148,809,770, and a worldwide total of  $435,809,770, meaning this film had more foreign success. [11] It also currently has a fresh rating of 70% on RottenTomatoes.

Despicable Me 2
Release Date: July 3rd, 2013
http://despicableme.com

Fan Art of Despicable Me

Following the success of Despicable Me, which gathered a worldwide total of $543,113,985, ( Putting it at #6 on Universal Picture’s top grossing films), Universal Pictures decided to create a sequel that is set to release this summer.

On the official movie website for Despicable Me 2, you can find a collection of pictures, items, and gifs from loyal fans and other websites, such as Tumblr.

 

 

 

Universal Pictures Despicablimp

To promote the film, Universal Pictures has launched a large “Despicablimp.” TheDespicablimp will cross over the United States 3 times, set to make its first appearance at the Nickelodeon’s  Kid’s Choice Awards in March. [12]
Fans are able to visit the “Despicablimp Command Center.” They can share sightings on twitter, instagram, and flickr using the hashtag #despicablimp. Fans can also enter a sweepstakes for a trip to the premiere, and a ride in the Despicablimp. There is an interactive map that allows fans to see fan sightings as well as future tour stops. [13]

 

Important Future Releases:

Jurassic Park 4

Universal Pictures recently named Colin Trevorrow to direct the future Jurassic Park 4.  Trevorrow has previously directed “Safety Not Guaranteed” and two other films. [14] 

 

In Other News:

Backed by Universal Pictures, Prima Cinema is offering a box that will allow viewers to watch theatrical releases at home. For a price, ($35,000), you can get a box in your home that allows the newly-released films to play on your television. There is also an additional cost of $500 per movie. So far, Universal Pictures is the only film studio to offer its titles, including Les Miserables, Jurassic Park 3D, and Identity Thief. The worry that this might affect theatre sales is lessened by Prima’s hefty price tag. Prima also insures that the home viewing of these theatrical releases will not be viewed by more than 25 people in a single home theatre. [15]

 

 

 

 

[1] Top Universal Films- http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?studio=universal.htm

[2] NBC Universal Corporate Site- http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/

[3] NBC Universal Pictures History- http://www.nbcuni.com/film/universal-pictures/

[4] Jurassic Park Poster Reavealed- http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/43830315/jurassic-park-3d-the-bigger-the-dinosaur-the-better-poster?page=all

[5] Katey Rich on Friday’s Box Office- http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Both-Evil-Dead-Jurassic-Park-3D-Bring-Big-Friday-Box-Office-36808.html

[6] Jurassic Park 3D Financial Figures- http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jurassicpark3d.htm

[7] Identity Thief Opening Weekend- http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-11/-identity-thief-is-weekend-s-no-1-film-34-5-million.html

[8] Opening Day for Les Mis-http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3593&p=.htm

[9] Live Music Performances in Les Mis- http://screenrant.com/les-miserables-music-songs-featurette/

[10] Oscar Nominees – http://oscar.go.com/nominees

[11] Les Mis Box Office Info- http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lesmiserables2012.htm

[12] The Despicablimp- http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-pictures-and-illumination-entertainments-despicable-me-2-despicablimp-takes-flight-on-march-23-199574591.html

[13] Despicablimp Website- http://www.despicablimp.com

[14]  Jurassic Park 4 Director- http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/universal_pictures_names_jurassic_park_4_director/

[15] Prima Cinema- http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2013/04/05/universal-films-available-in-home.html

 

CBS Films

Posted on by 
by Nicholas Ferreiro
CBS Films logo

CBS Films logo [1]

CBS Films, is a film studio company that handles many areas of development, including film production, distribution, financing and marketing. It is owned by CBS Corp. and was founded by Les Moonves in 2007. Since its creation, CBS Films has released ten films, including “The Woman in Black,” “The Back-Up Plan,” and “The Mechanic” [2][3][4].

 

Executives

Terry Press, Co-President

Terry Press, Co-President of CBS Films

Terry Press, Co-President of CBS Films [5]

Terry Press was named Co-President of CBS Films in April 2012. As Co-President, she oversees creative aspects of the company including initial development, marketing, production and distribution. Before joining the company, Press worked at 7570 Marketing Inc. where she worked as a marketing consultant on many CBS Films [5]. She also had success working as a consultant on both “The Social Network” and “The Hunger Games” [6].

Wolfgang Hammer, Co-President

Wolfgang Hammer, Co-President of CBS Films

Wolfgang Hammer, Co-President of CBS Films [7]

Wolfgang Hammer was also named Co-President of CBS Films in April 2012, in conjunction with Terry Press. As Co-President, Hammer uses his “savy” negotiating skills in acquisitions and also oversees the company’s business, finance and legal affairs [6]. Before working at CBS Films, Hammer was Executive Vice President at Lionsgate [7].

Finance

CBS Corp. reported record numbers for the fourth quarter of 2012. Since the fourth quarter of 2011, revenue rose 2% ($3.7 billion), operating income rose 12% ($726 million) and adjusted EPS rose 14% ($0.64). Les Moonves, CEO of CBS Corp., has even higher expectations for next year [8].

Both of CBS Films’ most recent films, “Seven Psychopaths” (October 2012) and “The Last Exorcism Part II” (March 2013), earned back their respective production budgets. “The Last Exorcism Part II” actually brought in over three times its original production budget ($15 million made versus $5 million budget) [9].

New Releases

The Last Exorcism Part II

CBS Films released its horror-film, “The Last Exorcism Part II,” on March 1st, 2013. It took in over $7.7 million on its first weekend (2,700 theaters) and grossed over $15 million in its remaining five weeks [10]. Despite earning back its production budget, the film was poorly received, having just a 13% critic rating and 35% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes [11].

Trailer for “The Last Exorcism Part II”

Awards

“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” was nominated for three Golden Globes, including best musical or comedy, best actor in a musical or comedy and best actress in a musical or comedy [12]. However, the film lost in all three categories [13].

On January 9th, 2013, it was announced that Colin Farrell was nominated in the Irish Film & Television Academy Awards for his role in CBS FIlms’ “Seven Psychopaths” [14]. He has since lost to Jack Reynor [15].

Upcoming Releases 

The Kings of Summer

Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias in "The Kings of Summer"

Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias in “The Kings of Summer”[16]

On January 22nd, 2013, CBS Films acquired the domestic rights to the coming-of-age comedy “Toy’s House.” The movie premiered at Sundance, where it received great reviews, prompting CBS Films’ move to make a deal. It has since been retitled as “The Kings of Summer,” and is slated for a May 31st release date. The film is directed by Jordan Vogt-Robert, written by Chris Galleta, and stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Bosso, Moises Arias and Nick Offerman. “The Kings of Summer” focuses on a group of friends who attempt to move into the woods and live off the land, and is being compared to “Stand By Me,” “Superbad,” and “The Goonies” [16][17].

Trailer for “The Kings of Summer”

Last Vegas

Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Robert DeNiro and Michel Douglas in "Last Vegas" [***]

Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Robert DeNiro and Michel Douglas in “Last Vegas” [18]

On February 6th, 2013, CBS Films set a new release date for their new buddy-comedy, “Last Vegas.” The film was originally slated for December 20th, an attempt to play into the Christmas movie market, but has since changed to November 1st. It is directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Dan Fogelman, and produced by Laurence Mark and former CEO and president of CBS Films, Amy Baer [18]. The film was produced by CBS Films and had been in talks since before September, 2011 [19].”Last Vegas” stars Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Kline and Michael Douglas, and focuses on a group of old friends who throw a bachelor part in Las Vegas [18]. There is no trailer available for this film yet.

The To Do List

Scene from "The To Do List" [***]

Scene from “The To Do List” [20]

“The To Do List,” starring Aubrey Plaza, is set to be released on August 16th, 2013. It had previously been set for February 2013 [20].

Trailer for “The To Do List”

Gambit

Promotional poster for "Gambit" [***]

Promotional poster for “Gambit” [21]

“Gambit,” a Coen Brothers comedy starring Colin Firth, will be released sometime in late 2013 [22]. The film has already been released in Ireland [23].

Trailer for “Gambit”

7500

Theatrical poster for "7500" [***]

Theatrical poster for “7500” [24]

The horror-thriller “7500” is set to be released sometime in 2013. It was originally slated for release in August 2012 [25].

Trailer for “7500”

Acquisitions

Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaacs in "Inside Llewyn Davis" [***]

Oscar Isaac in “Inside Llewyn Davis” [26]

On February 19th, it was announced that CBS Films had acquired the domestic rights to distribute the new Coen Brothers film, “Inside Llewyn Davis” for around $4 million. Studio Canal financed the movie itself and is holding onto some foreign distribution rights. The film  centers around the Greenwich Village music scene in the 1960s and stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman and Justin Timberlake, among others.  There has been no release date set for CBS Films’ newest acquisition [26].

Trailer for “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Production

On January 24th, CBS Films announced it will be developing “Olivia Twisted,” a debut screenplay from stuntman Brian Roberts. “Twisted” is a fictional adaptation on the classic novel, “Oliver Twist,” and revolves Olivia, a member of a metropolitan teenage gang at war with a rival gang. Michael De Luca and Alyssa Phillips are set to produce the film [27].

Sources

[1] http://aroundthenetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CBS-Films-Logo-wide3.jpg

[2] http://www.cbsfilms.com/about_us/

[3] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/04/wolfgang-hammer-and-terry-press-named-heads-of-cbs-films.html

[4] http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/11/business/la-fi-ct-cbsfilms11-2010jan11

[5] http://www.cbsfilms.com/principals/terry_press

[6] http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/04/wolfgang-hammer-and-terry-press-named-heads-of-cbs-films.html

[7] http://www.cbsfilms.com/principals/wolfgang_hammer

[8] http://investors.cbscorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99462&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1785372&highlight=

[9] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=allmovies&view=company&studio=cbsfilms.htm

[10] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lastexorcism2.htm

[11] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_exorcism_part_ii_2013/

[12] http://www.cbsfilms.com/news/cbs_films_salmon_fishing_in_the_yemen_scores_three_golden_globe_nominations

[13] http://www.goldenglobes.org/2012/12/nominations-2013/

[14] http://www.cbsfilms.com/news/seven_psychopaths_scores_multiple_irish_film_and_tv_academy_award_nominatio

[15] http://ifta.ie/winners/index.html

[16] http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/greym__130123024752.jpg

[17] http://www.deadline.com/tag/toy-house/

[18] http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/first-photo-last-vegas-robert-de-niro-michael-douglas-cbs-films/

[19] http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/jon-turteltaub-in-talks-to-direct-last-vegas/

[20] http://collider.com/popeye-hotel-transylvania-2-release-date/211652/

[21] http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/images/2012/10/Gambit-UK-Poster.jpg

[22] http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/cbs-films-move-seven-psychopaths-up-to-october-12th-delay-gambit-to-winter-2013-20120803

[23] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404978/

[24] http://welcomefrnds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/7500-movie.jpg

[25] http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/cbs-films-shifts-dates-for-gambit-7500/

[26] http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/inside-llewyn-davis-cbs-films-acquisition-coen-brothers/

[27] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/olivia-twisted-picked-up-by-415147

Columbia/TriStar Pictures

Posted on by 
Bailey Garno

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/index.html

CONTACT:

Tristar Pictures

10202 West Washington Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232

The TriStar Building

United States

Phone: 310-280-7700

Columbia Pictures

Originally formed as Columbia Pictures Corporation by Jack Cohn, Harry Cohn, and Joe Brandt, Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures has evolved into one of the most accredited motion picture libraries worldwide.  The group is a division within Sony Pictures Entertainment, and encompasses Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, and Screen Gems. [1]

Columbia/TriStar operations are situated in six other countries worldwide: Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico functions in Mexico City; Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia functions in Hong Kong; Columbia Pictures Producciones Espanolas functions in Madrid; and additional divisions are in the United Kingdom, Brazil and Japan. [2]

 

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM: [3]

Michael Lynton

 

Michael Lynton – CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc.; Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment

 

Amy Pascal

 

Amy Pascal – Co Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Chairman, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Entertainment Group

 

The Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group is a highly valued operation within Sony Corporation of America (SCA).  Distributing around 22 films a year in the United States alone, Columbia TriStar includes a production studio, film labels, and global motion picture production operations.  The film company is consistently producing the most popular pictures at the box office.

 

RECENT RELEASES:

0001_call_poster

 

The Call (2013): “The Call” stars Halle Berry as a 911 operator destined to meet the killer of her past.  Directed by Brad Anderson, this story will have you on the edge of your seat.

Release Date: March 15, 2013

Production Budget: $13 million

Opening Weekend: $17,118,745 [4]

 

binladen_poster

 

Zero Dark Thirty (2012): Director Kathryn Bigelow’s historical drama/thriller chronicles the hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden in this Oscar-winning film  starring Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke.

Production Budget: $40 million

Release Date: December 19, 2012

Opening Weekend: $417,150 (limited); $24,428,936 (wide)19, 2012 (limited); January 11, 2013 (wide) [5]

bond23_poster

 

Skyfall (2012): Daniel Craig stars once again as 007, otherwise known as James Bond, in this action flick directed by Sam Mendes.

Release Date: November 9, 2012

Production Budget: $200 million

Opening Weekend: $88,364,714 [6]

evildead2013_poster

 

Evil Dead (2013): Frede Alvarez has, according to critics, directed the scariest movie of all time.  A remake of the original 1981 film, “The Evil Dead,” this horror film stars Jane Levy.

Release Date: April 5, 2013

Production Budget: $17 million

Opening Weekend: $26,000,000 [7]

The films mentioned above are Sony/Columbia’s highest grossing films in 2013; however, “The Call” and “Evil Dead” are the only films released by the studio this year to date (April 7).  There were seven films (three additional films not seen above) that have grossed from Sony/Columbia this year.  A breakdown of the studios’ first quarter grossing this year will reveal that the January-March quarter was at its lowest since 2000, with a -60.2% drop in grossing compared to last years numbers. [8]

For a better look at the studio’s statistics, follow the link here.

 

Future Releases:

After Earth: Set 1,000 years into the future after the demise of planet Earth, this sci-fi action film starring Jaden Smith and his father Will Smith will take audiences on a journey.  After crashing onto the destroyed and unrecognizable planet, the characters must fight to stay alive and recover their rescue beacon.  This film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan and has not yet been rated.  Scheduled release date: June 7, 2013.  Click here for a peek at this exhilarating story of survival. [9] AE3

 

This is the End: A hilarious depiction of real celebrities reacting to the apocalypse.  While attending James Franco’s house party, a group of unlikely celebrities come together–and are torn apart–in the wake of the end of the world.  Directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, “This is the End” presents an impressive and hilarious cast for audiences.  Schedule release date: June 14, 2013.  Click here to find the trailer. [10]

This is the End

 

White House Down: Starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, this action/drama will remind audiences of the recent release, “Olympus Has Fallen.”  While touring the White House, Tatum must save his daughter and the President as the capital falls to armed invaders.  Director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter James Vanderbilt will have audiences on the edge of their seat.  Scheduled release date: June 28, 2013.  Click here to see a preview of the trailer. [11] 1183878 - WHITE HOUSE DOWNAdditional future releases for the year include Grown Ups 2, The Smurfs 2, Elysium, The Moral Instruments: City of Bones, One Direction: This is Us, Battle of the Year, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, Captain Phillips, Carrie (2013), David O. Russell Untitled, and Monuments Men.

 

Recent News:

On March 28th this year, Sony Pictures announced on Twitter (@SonyPictures) that the company has launched a new beta site for easy viewing on your desktop, mobile device or tablet.  Perusing this new launch, users will visibly see an update compared to the older site, which is still currently functioning.  Content is same across both sites; however, the recent revamp was done for accessibility in response to the rapidly growing use of smart phones and other portable devices.  Following the trend of this transition, this has certainly been a wise business move for the entertainment company. [12]

 

Sony Picture’s co-chairman, Amy Pascal, was honored in late March at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian gala event.  Pascal received the organization’s Icon Award as an avid advocate for gay and lesbians in Hollywood.  Pascal’s speech focused on continuing to include lesbians and gays in Hollywood, but not in the stereotypical roles that the past may have assigned them too.  After commenting on how influential Sidney Poitier and Will Smith’s roles as black man have become, Pascal says, “Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to wait another 40 years for a character to save the world who just happens to be gay?” [13]

 

Sony Pictures Entertainment had a successful 2013 awards season!  At the 2013 Oscars, SPE took home 7 awards including: Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Waltz in Django Unchained); Best Foreign Film (Armour); Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained); Best Original Song (“Skyfall” in Skyfall); Best Documentary (Searching for Sugarman); and Best Sound Editing (a tie!–between Hallberg & Landers for Skyfall, and Ottoson for Zero Dark Thirty).  Congratulations to all winners and nominees! [14]

 

Sony Pictures studio blog released an article on February 26th this year announcing Screen Gems and Rainforest Films were honored with the Cinema Vangaurd Award at the 2013 African American Film Critics Association Special Achievements Awards ceremonies. Screen Gems received recognition for its continued support of positive portrayals of African Americans around the world [15]

 

Works Cited:

[1] “Sony Pictures Timeline.” Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum. N.p., 2006. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.                                            http://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/studio/timeline

[2] “Divisions | Sony Pictures.” Divisions | Sony Pictures. Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc., 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[3] “Senior Management Team.” Sony Pictures. Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc., 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[4] “The Call (2013) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[5] “Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[6] “Skyfall (2012) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[7] “Evil Dead (2013) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[8] “Box Office by Studio | Sony/Columbia.” Box Office Mojo. IMDB, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[9] “After Earth.” IMDb. IMDb.com, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[10] “This Is the End.” IMDb. IMDb.com, 22 July 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[11] “White House Down.” IMDb. IMDb.com, 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[12] SonyPictures. (2013a, March 28). Visit the new SonyPictures.com and our hottest titles on your desktop, tablet or mobile device! pic.twitter.com/tUfxBa2AHD [Twitter post] Retrieved from https://twitter.com/SonyPictures

[13 ] Brittany. “Amy Pascal Receives Icon Award.” Sony Pictures. Social Central Moderator, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[14] “Sony Pictures at the Oscars.” Sony Pictures. Social Central Moderator. N.p., 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

[15] “Screen Gems and Rainforest Films Honored by African American Film Critics Association.” Sony Pictures. Social Central Moderator. N.p., 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.                                                                 http://www.specentral.com/2013/02/screen-gems-and-rainforest-films-honored-by-african-american-film-critics-association.php

CBS Films

Posted on by 
by Anjela Latcheva
57555_441137312300_7091372_o

Official Logo of CBS Films

11800 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, California 90025

Telephone: (310) 575-7000

www.cbsfilms.com

About

CBS films is an American studio that handles the development, financing, marketing and production of motion pictures [1]. CBS films is a division of the CBS Corporation. Established in 2007, CBS Films has released nine motion pictures to date. CBS Films also plans to release about four to six movies a year including a variety of genres that will be distributed globally as well as in the United States.

Background

CBS Films originally shortly made an appearance in 1979 under the name CBS Theatrical Films. When CBS Corporation launched the new theatrical films division it was in a joint venture with Columbia Pictures and HBO called Tri-Star Pictures. CBS eventually dropped out of the venture in 1985 and CBS Theatrical Films ended its existence.

However, CBS was bought by Viacom in 2000, which also owned Paramount Pictures at that time. In March 2007, when Viacom and Paramount announced their split, CBS Corporation decided to launch CBS Films. This division was originally created to make content for CBS’s cable movie channel.

CBS Corporation then signed with SONY Pictures for a three year deal where they agreed to distribute internationally. The studio released its first film Extraordinary Measures on January 22, 2012. CBS then released its second film, the romantic comedy The Back Up Plan was released in April 2010. The divisions third release was a movie opening for the Thanksgiving Day weekend, Faster, featuring Dwayne Johnson made $12 million at the box office to start.

After the release of five films and grossing over $30 million, CBS Films’ revenue was lower than expected. CBS decided to freeze their film production for now and decided to plan on acquiring films at film festivals such as the Sundance festival. Management also changed in April 2012 which is predicted to provide interesting changes for CBS FIlms.

The pay-cable rights to the new CBS Films’ titles are held by CBS’s premium cable network SHOWTIME. SONY Pictures also has international theatrical rights as well as home entertainment distribution rights for the many CBS Films titles [1].

CBS Films: The Principles 

Wolfgang-Hammer

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Wolfgang Hammer

Co-President of CBS Films. He manages business, finance, legal affairs, and acquisitions for CBS Films [1]. Before working at CBS FIlms, Hammer was Executive Vice President of the Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate. He studied at the University of Vienna Law school and earned his master’s at Stanford University.

TP2

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Terry Press

Co-President of CBS Films. She oversees creative, distribution, marketing and physical production for CBS Films [1].

97309_D0029b

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Steven Friedlander

Executive Vice President, Theatrical Distribution for CBS Films. He manages the domestic theatrical acquisitions and distribution [1].

DSC_1316c

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Ried Sullivan

Chief Financial Officer for CBS Films.

Toulon_Rik_2007_Color

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Rik Toulon

Executive Vice President and General Counsel of CBS Films. He manages all legal activities for the company and performs certain business functions in connection with the company’s distribution, finance, acquisition, key vendor and strategic alliance arrangements [1].

Maria-Faillace

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

Maria Faillace

The Executive Vice President of Production for CBS Films. She manages production for the divisions home grown titles [1].

SOCIAL MEDIA

Like Their Page!- Facebook

Tweet CBS Films – Twitter

Check out Latest News –Tumblr

Past Releases

Screen Shot 2013-04-07 at 11.52.25 PM

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Extraordinary Measures – Co-produced with Double Feature Films. Gross: $15,134,168

22431_242012707300_6572862_n

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

The Back-Up Plan -Co-produced with Escape Artists. Gross: $77,477,008

163201_487053912300_2753887_n

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: Faster – Co-produced with Tri-Star Pictures. Gross: $35,542,923

164505_487058397300_128579_n

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: The Mechanic – Co-produced with Millennium Films. Gross: $51,070,807

beastly-movie

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Beastly -Gross: $28,834,009

00001159

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: The Woman in Black – Co-produced with Alliance Films. Gross: $127,730,736

550061_10150621231262301_504637485_n

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – Co-produced with Lionsgate. Gross: $34,564,651. Nominated for three golden globe awards including best picture [5]! Acquiring this film was a huge step for CBS Films, starring Emily Blunt alongside Oscar Nominee Kristen Scott Thomas this film was popular amongst many.

547811_10150812163582301_299372985_n

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

 Official Website: The Words – Co-produced with Animus Films. Gross: $13,231,461

Screen Shot 2013-04-07 at 11.52.01 PM

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: Seven Psychopaths – Co-produced with Blueprint Pictures. Gross: $23,492,318. Voted best Ensemble Cast by The Boston Society of FIlm Critics [5] !

Screen Shot 2013-04-07 at 11.51.44 PM

Courtesy of CBS FIlms

Official Website: The Last Exorcism: Part II

Future Releases

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 12.09.50 AM

The Kings of Summer

The official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. This coming of age comedy, previously known as Toy’s House, will be in theaters May 31st 2013. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Robert and written by Chris Galletta, this film follows three friends as they decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land [4]. Watch the trailer here!

7500-movie

7500

From the director of The Grudge, this Sci-Fi thriller is about a group of passengers that encounter what appears to be a supernatural force while on a transpacific flight. Directed by Takashi Shimizu, Flight 7500 was originally scheduled to be released in August 2012 but has been delayed until sometime in 2013. 7500’s cast includes Ryan Kwanten, Jerry Ferrara, and Amy Smart [4]. Watch the trailer here!

The-To-Do-List

The-To-Do-List

Directed and written by Maggie Carey, this comedic film is about a girl’s list of things to accomplish before hitting college campus in the fall. The film follows her experience and exploits the pressure to become more sexually experienced during high school. The To-Do list cast includes Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse from Superbad, and Connie Britton from ABC’s Nashville [4]. Watch the trailer here!

last-vegas

Last Vegas

Another comedy schedules to be released in December 2013, this film is about three friends in their mid thirties who decide to take a break from their day-to-day lives and throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single bud. An amazing famous cast including Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, and Jerry Ferrara [4].

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 12.22.06 AM

courtesy of entertainment weekly

Inside Llewyn Davis

CBS Films announced that it has acquired the US rights to Inside Llewyn Davis which is written and directed by academy award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. The film follows an aspiring singer-songwriter as he navigates in the 1960’s folk-music scene in New York City. Cast includes Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and John Goodman. Sneak Peak of the trailer below!

Inside Llewyn Davis trailer

What’s Next for CBS Films?

Being that CBS Films is a relatively young and upcoming division, it has been doing extraordinary well at the box office. I predict we will be seeing more of CBS Films since CBS Films recently announced that they had acquired the rights to the movie Inside Llewyn Davis, this just might be an enormous breakthrough for CBS Films. The movie’s directors have made it to the festival in previous years and have actually had some success.  There is word from a previous screening during February that now created tremendous hype for Inside Llewyn Davis which has already been suspected as a possible candidate for the Cannes Films Festival competition. The Cannes Film Festival is still the most prestigious and definitely the most important event in our cinematic calendar, which kicks off May 15th 2013 [3].

Contact [6]

Grey Munford

Vice President of Communication, CBS Films

(310) 575-7435

E-mail: Grey.Munford@cbs.com

SOURCES

[1] www.cbsfilms.com – Official website of CBS Films

[2] www.cbscorporation.com – Official website of CBS Corporation

[3] http://insidemovies.ew.com – Entertainment Weekly, Inside Movies, Announcement about new CBS film acquisition

[4] www.imdb.com – Movie and film information

[5]http://www.cbsfilms.com/news/seven_psychopaths_voted_best_ensemble_cast_by_the_boston_society_of_film_cr – Recent News on CBS Films

[6] http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-films/ – Lastest press on CBS Films