Cinergi Pictures
Encyclopedia
Cinergi Pictures Entertainment Inc. was a small independent production company that was founded by Andrew G. Vajna, after he had sold his interest in his first production company, Carolco International Pictures in 1989, which he had started with his partner Mario F. Kassar in 1975.
In 1982 Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with the highly successful First Blood
, starring Sylvester Stallone
. Rambo: First Blood Part II
was released in 1985, generating more than $300 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable films in the history of filmmaking.
Vajna and Kassar were executive producers on such films as Alan Parker's Angel Heart
, Rambo III
, and Johnny Handsome
. Other projects included Music Box
, Total Recall
, Air America
, Mountains of the Moon
, Narrow Margin
, and Jacob's Ladder
.
Vajna's strategy was to develop long-term relationships with certain talent and to produce a steady supply of two to four event motion pictures per year. Upon forming Cinergi, Vajna established an alliance with The Walt Disney Company
for distribution of Cinergi motion pictures in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
Cinergi's first production, Medicine Man
starring Oscar-winner Sean Connery
, was followed by Tombstone
and Renaissance Man, starring Danny DeVito
. In 1994 Cinergi released Color of Night
starring Bruce Willis
, Jane March
, and Lesley Ann Warren
- all of those films flopped in the box office.
In 1995, Cinergi released Die Hard with a Vengeance starring Bruce Willis
, Jeremy Irons
, and Samuel L. Jackson
. To date, the film has grossed over $300 million worldwide.
Judge Dredd
starring Sylvester Stallone
, and The Scarlet Letter
with Demi Moore
, were followed by the release of Oliver Stone
's epic Nixon
, starring Anthony Hopkins
.
Cinergi's Shadow Conspiracy
, starring Charlie Sheen
, Donald Sutherland
, and Linda Hamilton
was released in 1997. The last film released was An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
.
, Massachusetts, a picturesque resort area in the Berkshire hills.
This full-service studio has complete effects direction and previsualization capabilities. A full time staff provides art and design, computer graphics, digital compositing, character animation, modelmaking, physical effects, and motion control and live action photography.
MASS.ILLUSION employs some of the finest visual-effects artists and technicians in the industry and serves clientele in the feature film, commercial, and special venue fields.
In 1995, during its first year of business, MASS.ILLUSION completed the effects for Die Hard with a Vengeance and Judge Dredd. Recent productions include the exciting aerial sequence for Eraser, as well as visual effects production and consultation on The First Wives Club, The Evening Star, Evita, Shadow Conspiracy, Event Horizon, Starship Troopers, and Great Expectations.
The company's founder and visual effects director is Academy Award-winner Joel Hynek. His extensive film credits include, in addition to the above, Zelig, Lethal Weapon, Commando, Ladyhawke, Weird Science, New York Stories, The World According to Garp, Predator (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), and its sequel Predator 2. Hynek has been the recipient of numerous awards, including two Clio citations, an Academy Award for Scientific and Engineering Design, and a British Academy Award for Special Effects.
Three years earlier, Kassar's Carolco Pictures
had also collapsed; Vajna and Kassar eventually became partners again in 2002 to form C2 Pictures
.
In 2003, Vajna bought a videogame company, Games Unlimited, and revived Cinergi as Cinergi Interactive, which ran until 2007.
Many of its films were distributed by The Walt Disney Company
through Touchstone Pictures
and Hollywood Pictures
. Outside of the U.S., Cinergi handled distribution, which they farmed out to film distributors worldwide. This excludes the U.S. rights to Die Hard with a Vengeance, a co-production with 20th Century Fox
(and which Disney distributed in most international territories).
Cinergi biography
Andrew G. Vajna, a Hungarian native, launched his career in the entertainment industry with his purchase of motion picture theaters in the Far East. Later, he founded Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong before forming Carolco with Mario Kassar in 1976. In less than four years, Carolco became one of the top three foreign sales organizations in motion pictures.In 1982 Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with the highly successful First Blood
First Blood
First Blood is a 1982 action thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam War veteran, with Sheriff Will Teasle as his nemesis and Colonel Samuel Trautman as his former commander and only ally...
, starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
. Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 action film. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone, who reprises his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo...
was released in 1985, generating more than $300 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable films in the history of filmmaking.
Vajna and Kassar were executive producers on such films as Alan Parker's Angel Heart
Angel Heart
Angel Heart is a 1987 North American/British mystery-thriller film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, and Lisa Bonet...
, Rambo III
Rambo III
Rambo III is an American Action film released on May 25, 1988. It is the third film in the Rambo series following First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part II...
, and Johnny Handsome
Johnny Handsome
Johnny Handsome is an 1989 American crime-drama film directed by Walter Hill and starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin and Morgan Freeman. The film was written by Ken Friedman, from the novel by John Godey. The music for the film was written, produced and performed by Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner...
. Other projects included Music Box
Music Box (film)
Music Box is a 1989 film that tells the story of a Hungarian-American immigrant who is accused of having been a war criminal. The plot revolves around his daughter, an attorney, who defends him, and her struggle to uncover the truth....
, Total Recall
Total Recall
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...
, Air America
Air America (film)
Air America is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots, during the Vietnam War, flying missions in Laos...
, Mountains of the Moon
Mountains of the Moon (film)
Mountains of the Moon is a 1990 theatrical film depicting the 1857-58 journey of Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke in their expedition to central Africa — the project that culminated in Speke's discovery of the source of the Nile River. The expedition led to a bitter rivalry between the...
, Narrow Margin
Narrow Margin
Narrow Margin is a 1990 film directed by Peter Hyams and released by TriStar Pictures, loosely based on the 1952 film noir, The Narrow Margin.-Plot:...
, and Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder (film)
Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 American psychological thriller/horror film directed by Adrian Lyne, based on a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin.-Plot:Jacob Singer is a U.S. soldier deployed in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War...
.
Vajna's strategy was to develop long-term relationships with certain talent and to produce a steady supply of two to four event motion pictures per year. Upon forming Cinergi, Vajna established an alliance with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
for distribution of Cinergi motion pictures in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
Cinergi's first production, Medicine Man
Medicine Man (film)
Medicine Man is a 1992 American film directed by John McTiernan. The film stars Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It also features a noteworthy score by composer Jerry Goldsmith.- Plot :...
starring Oscar-winner Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
, was followed by Tombstone
Tombstone (film)
Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
and Renaissance Man, starring Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
. In 1994 Cinergi released Color of Night
Color of Night
Color of Night is a 1994 American erotic mystery thriller film produced by Cinergi Pictures and released in the United States by Hollywood Pictures. Directed by Richard Rush, the film stars Bruce Willis, Jane March, Ruben Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, and Scott Bakula...
starring Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Jane March
Jane March
Jane March is an English film actress and former print model.-Life and career:March was born Jane March Horwood in Edgware, London, England. Her father, Bernard Horwood, is a secondary school teacher of English and Spanish ancestry. Her mother, Jean, is Vietnamese and Chinese...
, and Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
- all of those films flopped in the box office.
In 1995, Cinergi released Die Hard with a Vengeance starring Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
. To date, the film has grossed over $300 million worldwide.
Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd (film)
Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, and The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter (1995 film)
The Scarlet Letter is a 1995 American film adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name. It was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Demi Moore, Gary Oldman, and Robert Duvall. This version was "freely adapted" from Hawthorne and deviated from the original story. Universally panned by...
with Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
, were followed by the release of Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's epic Nixon
Nixon (film)
Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
, starring Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
.
Cinergi's Shadow Conspiracy
Shadow Conspiracy
Shadow Conspiracy is a 1997 political thriller film starring Charlie Sheen, Donald Sutherland and Linda Hamilton. Sam Waterston, famous for his role as a district attorney in Law & Order, appears in the film as the president of the United States. It is the final film directed by George P...
, starring Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
, Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
, and Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
was released in 1997. The last film released was An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was made in 1997 and released in 1998. It was regarded as one of the worst films of all time, and scooped five awards at the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. The film had an estimated budget of $10,000,000 and grossed at least $52,850...
.
Mass-Illusion
MASS.ILLUSION, a subsidiary of Cinergi, is a state-of-the-art visual effects facility located in LenoxLenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
, Massachusetts, a picturesque resort area in the Berkshire hills.
This full-service studio has complete effects direction and previsualization capabilities. A full time staff provides art and design, computer graphics, digital compositing, character animation, modelmaking, physical effects, and motion control and live action photography.
MASS.ILLUSION employs some of the finest visual-effects artists and technicians in the industry and serves clientele in the feature film, commercial, and special venue fields.
In 1995, during its first year of business, MASS.ILLUSION completed the effects for Die Hard with a Vengeance and Judge Dredd. Recent productions include the exciting aerial sequence for Eraser, as well as visual effects production and consultation on The First Wives Club, The Evening Star, Evita, Shadow Conspiracy, Event Horizon, Starship Troopers, and Great Expectations.
The company's founder and visual effects director is Academy Award-winner Joel Hynek. His extensive film credits include, in addition to the above, Zelig, Lethal Weapon, Commando, Ladyhawke, Weird Science, New York Stories, The World According to Garp, Predator (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), and its sequel Predator 2. Hynek has been the recipient of numerous awards, including two Clio citations, an Academy Award for Scientific and Engineering Design, and a British Academy Award for Special Effects.
Cinergi's closing
The box office and budgets for their films began to fall in late 1996, and Cinergi Pictures eventually closed in 1998. The multi-year distribution agreement with Disney was canceled in April 1997 and Disney acquired most of the film rights.Three years earlier, Kassar's Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc., Carolco International N.V., or Anabasis Investments was an American independent film production company that, within a decade, went from producing such blockbuster successes as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the first three movies of the Rambo series to being bankrupted by...
had also collapsed; Vajna and Kassar eventually became partners again in 2002 to form C2 Pictures
C2 Pictures
C2 Pictures is a film company started in 2002 by Carolco Pictures co-founders Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar. The company's first production was I Spy...
.
In 2003, Vajna bought a videogame company, Games Unlimited, and revived Cinergi as Cinergi Interactive, which ran until 2007.
Many of its films were distributed by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
through Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
and Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
. Outside of the U.S., Cinergi handled distribution, which they farmed out to film distributors worldwide. This excludes the U.S. rights to Die Hard with a Vengeance, a co-production with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
(and which Disney distributed in most international territories).
Filmography
- Medicine ManMedicine Man (film)Medicine Man is a 1992 American film directed by John McTiernan. The film stars Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It also features a noteworthy score by composer Jerry Goldsmith.- Plot :...
(1992) - Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros. (film)Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 American action film directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Based on the Super Mario Bros.video game and its entire franchise, the film features Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Samantha Mathis. It tells the story of the Mario brothers, Mario and...
(1993) - TombstoneTombstone (film)Tombstone is a 1993 American action film set in the Old West directed by George P. Cosmatos, along with uncredited directorial efforts by actor Kurt Russell and writer Kevin Jarre. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jarre....
(1993) - Renaissance Man (1994)
- Color of NightColor of NightColor of Night is a 1994 American erotic mystery thriller film produced by Cinergi Pictures and released in the United States by Hollywood Pictures. Directed by Richard Rush, the film stars Bruce Willis, Jane March, Ruben Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, and Scott Bakula...
(1994) - Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
- Judge DreddJudge Dredd (film)Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
(1995) - Jam Rock (1995)
- The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter (1995 film)The Scarlet Letter is a 1995 American film adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name. It was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Demi Moore, Gary Oldman, and Robert Duvall. This version was "freely adapted" from Hawthorne and deviated from the original story. Universally panned by...
(1995) - NixonNixon (film)Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
(1995) - Up Close & PersonalUp Close & PersonalUp Close & Personal is an American romantic drama film directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Robert Redford as a news director and Michelle Pfeiffer as his protegée, with Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna and Kate Nelligan in supporting roles....
(1996) - EvitaEvita (film)Evita is the 1996 film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name based on the life of Eva Perón. It was directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone. It starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce...
(1996) - Shadow ConspiracyShadow ConspiracyShadow Conspiracy is a 1997 political thriller film starring Charlie Sheen, Donald Sutherland and Linda Hamilton. Sam Waterston, famous for his role as a district attorney in Law & Order, appears in the film as the president of the United States. It is the final film directed by George P...
(1997) - Deep RisingDeep RisingDeep Rising is a 1998 action horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It was distributed by Hollywood Pictures and Cinergi Pictures, and was released in the United States on January 30, 1998.-Plot:...
(1998) - An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood BurnAn Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood BurnAn Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was made in 1997 and released in 1998. It was regarded as one of the worst films of all time, and scooped five awards at the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. The film had an estimated budget of $10,000,000 and grossed at least $52,850...
(1998)