Relativity Media

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jatuckma

by Jason Tuckman

Photo courtesy of logos.wikia.com. (1)

Relativity Media

Contact Information: (2)

Address: 9242 Beverly Blvd., Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone Number: 310-724-7700

URL: http://www.relativitymedia.com

Twitter: @Relativity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/relativity

An Overview of Relativity Media:

Focusing on the content creation and distribution of television, film, sports, music, fashion, and digital, Relativity Media was founded in 2004 by CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. (3) Relativity Media seeks to integrate different aspects of its content throughout all of its mediums, providing the best entertainment for its customers. Relativity Media Studios, the largest division of the company, has produced over 200 films such as “Don Jon”, “Out of the Furnace“, “Movie 43“, and “The Pursuit of Happyness“. The company has made more than $17 billion in box office revenue and has earned 60 Oscar nominations. (4)

Key Executives:

CEO: Ryan Kavanaugh

President: Tucker Tooley

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Happy Walters

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Gregory Shamo

Photos and Info. Courtesy of http://www.relativitymedia.com/About.aspx (5)

Financials:

According to Ryan Kavanaugh, this year Relativity Media plans to make $1 billion in box office revenue, although the company is privately held and there is no official public documentation of revenue. (6) Kavanaugh believes in tight budgets that don’t necessarily need to be hits to make a profit. (7) This strategy is called the “Monte Carlo” approach, which is mainly used on Wall Street. This approach uses information about a possible movie and analyzes whether or not it will make a profit. Considering actors, budget, genre, and release time, Relativity Media is able to figure out which possible movies will be hits, and which ones will be flops. (8) Therefore, the company is able to use small budgets to make small profits, which add up over time to make Relativity Media successful. Currently, Relativity Media is privately held but is planning on going public in the next year once enough equity is raised. (9)

Current Movies:

Relativity Media has released nine films this year, four of which are still in theaters. The films still in theaters are “The November Man”, “Beyond the Lights”, and “The Best of Me”. “Hector and the Search for Happiness”, an action comedy staring Simon Pegg, was released in select theaters during the month of September. (10)

“Hector and the Search for Happiness”

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Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (11)

Directed by Peter Chelsom, “Hector and the Search for Happiness” tells the story of a psychiatrist who feels guilty that his patients aren’t getting happier, leading him on a quest to understand the true meaning of happiness. (12) The movie was only released to 183 theaters and made $938,954 in revenue. (13) It garnered negative reviews, receiving only 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The November Man”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (14)

Directed by Roger Donaldson, and staring Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, and Olga Kurylenko, “The November Man” is an action thriller about a retired spy who must come out of retirement for a personal mission. It is based off the novel “There are No Spies”, by Bill Granger. (15) So far, it has made $32 million dollars globally in box office revenue. It’s budget is disclosed, and came in sixth for its opening weekend in late August, way behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. (16) It received negative reviews, with only 34% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Best of Me”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (17)

Based off the Nicholas Sparks novel, “The Best of Me” is a drama/romance film that tells the story of two high school sweethearts that, after 20 years, are drawn back to their hometown after the death of a friend. They rekindle their high school love, but realize that there are problems after being apart for so long. The movie is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, and Luke Bracey. (18) Ranked fifth in its opening weekend, “The Best of Me” has made just under $33 million in global box office revenue, $25 million domestically. (19) It also received an underwhelming 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. In late October, B4U, a Bollywood Film and TV company invested $100 million in Relativity Media to make a version of “The Best of Me” for audiences in India. (20)

“Beyond the Lights”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (21)

Watch the trailer here. Courtesy of youtube.com

Relativity Media’s most recent film, “Beyond the Lights” opened on November 14, 2014. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and staring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, and Minnie Driver, “Beyond the Lights” tells the story of a young popstar who falls in love with a cop who is striving to become a prominent politician. Fame tests their relationship as they struggle to find peace in the madness that surrounds their lives. (22) The film has made $6.2 million in box office revenue during its opening weekend, and currently has $12 million in total domestic revenue, with a reported budget of $7 million, and received 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. (23)

On August 12, 2014, Relativity Media hired Matt Alvarez as EVP of Production and President of Relativity Studio’s newly formed multicultural division. Alvarez produced hits such as “Ride Along”, the “Barbershop” franchise, and Relativity’s recent movie, “Beyond the Lights”. He will focus on growing the studio’s slate with more diverse filmmakers. (24)

Recent News:

On October 2nd, Relativity Media announced that One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management is set to purchase Elliot Management’s stake in Relativity Media, along with Ryan Kavanaugh himself. The purchase is led by Ryan Kavanaugh, One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management’s founder, Steven Mnuchin, along with some other unnamed private investors. (25) This investment shift may hint at secret preparations for Relativity’s IPO release in the next year. Kavanaugh will still be the largest individual shareholder of the company and no specific financials were released. (26) Steven Mnucin is no stranger to Hollywood. He is known for helping to finance “Gravity” and “Avatar”.

Photo courtesy of blumhouse.com (27)

On November 4th, Relativity acquired the rights to distribute “Lazarus”, a horror film, in the U.S. This movie comes from Jason Blum’s production company, Blumhouse, and is set to be released on February 20th, 2015. The movie stars Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters, and Donald Glover. Blumhouse is known for box office hits such as the “Paranormal Activity” franchise as well as recent success, “Ouija”. “Lazarus” is about a group of medical students who discover a way to bring dead patients back to life. (28)

In Development:

“Not Without Hope”

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Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (29)

Based on the best selling memoir by Nick Schuyler, “Not Without Hope” tells the true story of four NFL players who go on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico that turns deadly when the ship capsizes, forcing the friends to cling to the the capsized boat while a storm rages around them. (30) This gruesome tale of friendship will star Dwayne Johnson and has recently begun script adaptation by Nicholas Mariani. (31)

“Demon House”

Lee Daniels, Director. Photo courtesy of thereelnetwork.net (32)

Directed by Lee Daniels, this movie will tell the story of Latoya Ammons and her family, whom have been possessed by demonic spirits for the past two years. Turn Left Productions, with owners Jackson Nguyen and Todd Crites will finance, produce, and distribute the film along with Relativity Media and producer Bruce Cohen. (33) This will be an interesting change for Lee Daniels, known for “The Butler”, who is now taking a turn at making a thriller.

Sources:

(1) Relativity Media Logo From 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(2) Relativity Media Contact Information From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(3) Founded From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(4) Relativity Media About From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(5) Relativity Media Executives From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(6) Relativity Media Profitability From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(7) Tight Budgets Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(8) Monte Carlo Approach Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(9) IPO Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(10) 2014 Films From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(11) Hector and the Search for Happiness Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(12) Hector and the Search for Happiness Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(13) Hector and the Search for Happiness Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(14) The November Man Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(15) The November Man Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(16) The November Man Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(17) The Best of Me Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(18) The Best of Me Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(19) The Best of Me Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(20) The Best of Me Bollywood From 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(21) Beyond the Lights Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(22) Beyond the Lights Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(23) Beyond the Lights Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(24) Matt Alvarez From 12 August 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(25) Relativity Media Purchase From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(26) IPO Holdings From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(27) Blumhouse Productions Logo Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(28) Lazarus From 4 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(29) Not Without Hope Book Cover Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(30) Not Without Hope Synopsis Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(31) Not Without Hope Development From 10 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(32) Lee Daniels Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(33) Demon House Development From 12 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

Relativity Media

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Erin Morris

By Erin Morris

Courtesy of Relativity Media

RELATIVITY MEDIA
9242 Beverly Blvd. Suite 300
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Telephone: 310.724.7700
Website: http://www.relativitymedia.com/

KEY EXECUTIVES

Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO and Founder [1]

[1]

Tucker Tooley, President [1]

[1]

Happy Walters, Co-Chief Operating Officer [1]

[1]

Gregory Shamo, Co-Chief Operating Officer [1]

[1]

HISTORY

Ryan Kavanaugh and Lynwood Spinks, former venture capitalists and business consultants, founded Relativity Media in 2004. The film studio originally began as a middleman agent, making deals with other studios and then arranging financial support with banks. However, in 2009, Relativity acquired Rogue Pictures from Universal, and since has been involved in developing, creating, and distributing films its own films. Over the last decade, the studio has produced, distributed or structured financing for roughly 200 films, earning over $20 billion worldwide and garnering a total of 73 Oscar® nominations for motion pictures such as The Social Network and The Fighter. [1]

FINANCIALS

Relativity Media is not a publically traded company, and as such, specific quarterly information is not available. However, box office and studio market share information is readily accessible.

Relativity ranks 9^th among film distributors for the year with a 2.3% market share as of November 20^th, 2013. The studio also finished 9^th in 2012, but with a 1.9% market share. However, with other studios gearing up for Oscar season and Relativity having just one upcoming release, both the market share and ranking might go down. [2] [3]

The studio has grossed $217,267,120 in 2013 thus far, with $104,312,782 of it earned by its four fall releases: The Family, Don Jon, Romeo and Juliet, and Free Birds. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]

RECENT RELEASES

Don Jon

[5]

Longtime actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt made his writing and directorial debut with Don Jon, the story of a charming New Jersey man who struggles with finding true intimacy because of his porn addiction. Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza also starred in the critically acclaimed controversial film. [5]

Don Jon, which was originally produced by Voltage Pictures for $6 million, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where Relativity acquired the rights for $4 million. [8]

The film began its theatrical run on September 27th in 2,400 theaters with a $9 million opening weekend. Don Jon went onto gross over $24 million. [5]

Upon first glance, the numbers look astounding for Relativity – a $24 million gross on a $6 million production budget. However, when Relativity acquired the rights to Don Jon at Sundance, the studio pledged to a $27 million marketing budget. [8]

Relativity distribution chief Kyle Davies still maintained that they were pleased with the film’s performance, citing the film’s strong reviews as a success and that the studio wants “to be in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt business.” [8]

Romeo and Juliet

[9]

Relativity also acquired the rights to Romeo and Juliet, little known Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlei’s 2013 adaptation of the Shakespeare classic. Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Julian Fellowes, creator of BBC darling Downtown Abbey, wrote the screenplay. Hailee Steinfeld, who rose to fame in 2010 when she received an Oscar nomination at 14 years old for her performance in True Grit, and Douglas Booth portrayed the titular star crossed lovers. Damian Lewis of Homeland fame played Lord Capulet, Stellan Skarsgård acted as Prince of Verona, and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti portrayed Friar Laurence. [6] [9] [10]

Oddly, given the star power attached to the project, Relativity gave Romeo and Juliet a limited release. It opened in just 461 theaters on October 11^th, 2013 and earned $520,116 during its opening weekend and a mere $1,143,238 to date. [6]

The film received mixed reviews from critics, who called the modern adaption – which kept the traditional Verona setting but not the Shakespearean language – muddled, dull, and dumbed-down. [11]

FUTURE RELEASES

Out of the Furnace

[12]

Relativity’s remaining release for year is Out of the Furnace, a drama starring Christian Bale that will be released December 6^th, 2013. The star-studded cast also includes the likes of Oscar nominees Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, and Zoe Saldana of Avatar and Star Trek fame. [12]

The film focuses on Bale who plays a blue-collar man that seeks justice when his younger brother – a war veteran that got involved in a dangerous crime ring – disappears and the police fail to search for him. [12]

Directed by the critically acclaimed writer and director of Crazy Heart Scott Cooper, the film has already gained Oscar buzz for Bale, who won the statue back in 2010 for The Fighter, and Affleck, who was nominated once in 2007 for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. [13]

Given the film’s early December release date, falling between the big Thanksgiving and Christmas opening weekends, Out of the Furnace will not directly go up against any other major films and faces little competition at the box office.

A trailer for the film can be viewed here.

IN THE NEWS

From the Theater to the Classroom

[14]

Relativity didn’t appear to believe in Romeo and Juliet enough to advertise heavily or give it a wide release, but the studio did use the film to market their latest venture: the Relativity School.

Relativity will become the first major motion picture studio to invest in forming a school for filmmaking and performing arts. Pending the State of California’s approval, Relativity will begin accepting applications in March of 2014 and class will begin four months later. [14]

On October 4^th, 2013, Relativity previewed Romeo and Juliet at the New York’s All-American High School Film Festival to promote its college. The studio also offered the festival’s young filmmakers – and prospective students – a meet and greet with Relativity President Tucker Tooley. [15]

The school, located in Downtown Los Angeles, will offer degrees in Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Associate of Fine Arts in fields such as Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship in Media, and Film Production. Relativity has called the school a place where “higher education meets Hollywood” due to industry insiders creating the curriculum and it being located on a working studio lot. [14]

From the Big Screen to the Small Screen

[17]

Relativity has branched out not only into education but also television. On October 6^th, 2013 it was announced that the National Geographic Channel will produce a scripted TV series based on the Relativity film Act of Valor. Act of Valor, a war film about an elite team of US Navy SEALs, garnered the studio over $80 million after its February 2012 release. [16] [17]

CEO Ryan Kavanaugh cited the 2010 Relativity-distributed Nev Shulman documentary Catfish – which later spawned a popular MTV reality series by the same name – as inspiration for the business venture. Production for the Act of Valor series will start in early 2014. It will be the first scripted show for both National Geographic and Relativity. [16]

[19]

Act of Valor isn’t the only Relativity movie that’s being given the TV treatment. It was announced on October 6^th that the Bradley Cooper flick Limitless will have a spin-off series as well. The star-studded thriller brought in over $160 million after it premiered in March 2011. Cooper will serve as an executive producer on the series. [18] [19]

SOURCES

[1] About Relativity Media – Company History and Executive Biographies and Images. RT 11/13/13

[2] Box Office Mojo Relativity Media Results for 2013. RT 11/15/13

[3] Box Office Mojo Relativity Media Results for 2012. RT 11/15/13

[4] The Family Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13

[5] Don Jon Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13

[6] Romeo and Juliet Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13

[7] Free Birds Box Office Results. RT 11/15/13

[8] Hollywood Reporter Article on Don Jon’s Production and Marketing Budgets. RT 11/15/20

[9] Relativity’s About Romeo and Juliet. RT 11/15/20

[10] IMDB for Julian Fellowes. RT 11/15/20

[11] Rotten Tomatoes Reviews of Romeo and Juliet. RT. 11/15/20

[12] Relativity’s About Out of the Furnace. RT. 11/18/20

[13] Article Oscar Buzz for Out of the Furnace. RT. 11/18/20

[14] About the Relativity School. RT. 11/18/20

[15] Article about the Romeo and Juliet screening at high school film festival. RT. 11/18/20

[16] Deadline Article on Act of Valor TV series. RT. 11/19/20

[17] Act of Valor Box Office Results. RT. 11/19/20

[18] Deadline Article on Limitless TV series. RT. 11/19/20

[19] Limitless Box Office Results. RT. 11/19/20

Relativity Media

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Trevor Bulger

By Trevor Bulger

[1] Courtesy of GeekForE.

Relativity Media engages in full-scale film and television production and distribution, music publishing, sports management and digital media. Relativity Media has produced, distributed, or financed over 200 films and generated more $22 billion in box office revenue worldwide. The company partners with and invests in other media-related companies, including a recent partnership with Major League Gaming (MLG). [2] Currently, their film Free Birds is in theaters.

Executives:

Ryan Kavanaugh Tucker Tooley Happy Walters Gregory Shamo Robbie Brenner
CEO President Co-COO Co-COO Pres., Production

Ryan Kavanaugh is both the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Relativity Media. He is a producer, and has been producer or executive producer of many of Relativity Media’s recent movies, including Out of the Furnace and The Family.

Tucker Tooley, as president of Relativity since 2007, oversees its daily operations, as well as marketing and distribution. He was also producer of We’re The Millers, released in summer 2013.

Happy Walters, since 2012, has served as Co-Chief Operating Officer for Relativity. He helps determine the direction that Relativity Media will go in future seasons and handles day-to-day operations.

Gregory Shamo oversees the corporate, business, and legal affairs of Relativity Media, as well as assisting the day-to-day operations of the company. He has helped lead several of the major deals that Relativity Media has made, including the distribution agreement they have made with Twentieth Century Fox.

Robbie Brenner, the President of Production, leads the production team in filmmaking. She has overseen a large number of the films produced by Relativity Media, and led the acquisition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Don Jon. [3]

Recent Releases:

Don Jon Official Trailer
Don Jon, directed by and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is a comedy about Jon, a rather stereotypical stud who can get a different girl every weekend, and Barbara, a girl raised on Disney looking to find her Prince Charming. It focuses around their attempt to find intimacy despite their differences and the fantasies of the culture of the time. [4]

Don Jon opened on 27 September, and made a domestic gross of over $24 million, on a production budget of only $6 million, reaching #5 in the weekend box office on its opening weekend. [5]

Free Birds Official Trailer
Free Birds, directed by Jimmy Hayward and excellently premiering in the month of November, is a buddy comedy about a pair of turkeys who want nothing to do with each other, but must team up in order to change history and remove turkeys from the holiday menu. [6]

Free Birds is currently in its fourth week, having opened on 1 November. It has already grossed over $42 million out of its $55 million budget, and has remained in the Top 5 weekend box office for all three weekends. [7]

Financial Information for Relativity Media is unavailable, as it is not a publicly traded company.

The Shift:

Relativity Media has largely focused on financial backing of projects created by other groups or studios, but that is changing. The company spent months exchanging one financial backer for a full consortium of investors, and with the closure of this shift, the company is ramping up production on a large variety of coming projects as it becomes a full-fledged studio capable of releasing 10 to 15 movies per year. [8]

Among the upcoming projects is the adaptation of the memoir Not Without Hope, which will be financed, produced, and distributed by Relativity Media. Dwayne Johnson is planned to star in the film, which is based on a story of four friends who were tragically stranded at sea, struggling to survive while hoping for help to come. [9]

Another upcoming project, to be released on 6 December, is Out of the Furnace, a gritty drama produced by Scott Cooper, about a blue collar man whose brother is pulled into a crime ring. When his brother disappears, he takes matters into his own hands to find justice for his brother. [10]

Partnership with Major League Gaming:

MLG and Relativity Media have partnered to begin producing original content about professional gamers. Though professional gaming is somewhat of a niche market, it is expanding, and quite a few people follow it closely, many saying that professional gamers deserve as much respect as professional athletes. They plan to produce content to better paint a picture of these players and the audiences to non-gamers, hoping that some of these gamers may even eventually become attached to brands in the same way that many athletes today are. It has been pointed out that both companies target similar demographic audiences, with most of their products targeting men much more than women. [2]

Sources:

[1] Geek for E: Relativity Media Logo Accessed on 19 Nov 2013

[2] All Things D: MLG Partners with Relativity Media Accessed on 19 Nov 2013

[3] Relativity Media: Executive Bios Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[4] Relativity Media: Don Jon Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[5] Box Office Mojo: Don Jon Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[6] Relativity Media: Free Birds Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[7] Box Office Mojo: Free Birds Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[8] The Wrap: Robbie Brenner Interview Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[9] Variety: Dwayne Johnson Accessed on 20 Nov 2013

[10] Relativity Media: Out of the Furnace Accessed on 20 Nov 2013