Miramax Films
Encyclopedia
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent
and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein. In 1993, the company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company
.
Founded in 1979 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein and headquartered in New York City and Cambridge
, Massachusetts, Miramax was a leading independent film motion picture distribution and production company before it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company
in 1993. The Weinsteins operated Miramax with more creative and financial independence than any other division of Disney, until 2005 when they decided to leave the company and founded The Weinstein Company
. Miramax was sold by Disney to Filmyard Holdings
in 2010, ending Disney's involvement with the studio for the first time in 17 years.
and Bob Weinstein
in Buffalo, New York
in 1979, the company was named by combining the first names of their parents Max and Miriam, and was originally created to distribute independent film
s deemed commercially unfeasible by the major studios.
The company's first major success came when the Weinsteins teamed up with British producer Martin Lewis and acquired the U.S. rights to two concert films Lewis had produced of benefit shows
for human rights
organization Amnesty International
. The Weinsteins worked with Lewis to distill the two films into one film for the US marketplace. The resulting film The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
(US Version) was a successful release for Miramax in the summer of 1982. This release presaged a modus operandi that the company would undertake later in the 1980s of acquiring films from international filmmakers and reworking them to suit US sensibilities.
Among the company's other breakthrough films as distributors in the late 1980s and early 1990s were Scandal; Sex, Lies, and Videotape
; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
; The Crying Game
and Clerks
. The company also made films such as Pulp Fiction
, Flirting with Disaster, Heavenly Creatures
and Shakespeare in Love
.
In addition to those successes, Miramax acquired and/or produced many films that did extraordinarily well financially. The company became one of the leaders of the independent film boom of the 1990s. Miramax produced or distributed seven films with box office grosses totalling more than $100 million; its most successful title, Chicago
, earned more than $300 million worldwide.
The company was also exceptionally successful in securing Academy Award nominations for its releases, many of which resulted in Oscar wins.
In 1992, Miramax began a deal with Paramount Pictures
for VHS and TV distribution of certain Miramax releases. Paramount would also distribute theatrically certain releases that might have commercial appeal (such as Bob Roberts
, though video rights to that film were owned by Live Entertainment – which is now Lions Gate Entertainment
). Paramount still owns video rights to some of these films today, while TV distribution is now with Trifecta Entertainment & Media
.
. Harvey and Bob Weinstein continued to operate Miramax until they left the company on September 30, 2005. During their tenure, the Weinstein brothers ran Miramax independently of other Disney companies. Disney, however, had the final say on what Miramax could release (see Fahrenheit 9/11
, Kids
and Dogma
, for examples). Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division releases Miramax output.
Miramax operated, until 2005, the label Dimension Films
, specializing in genre films and created the Spy Kids
, Scream
and Scary Movie film franchises.
After the acquisition by Disney, the Weinsteins started to have problems with Disney CEO, Michael Eisner
, on creative and financial matters. Eisner was reluctant to give as much creative freedom and financial support for the Weinsteins, who over the years increased the budget for their productions. Disagreements between the two sides came to the point that negotiations to extend the contract with the Weinsteins in Miramax ended in failure.
After extensive negotiations and much media and industry speculation, on March 30, 2005, Disney and the Weinsteins announced that they would not renew their contractual relationship when their existing agreements expired at the end of September 2005. The primary source of dispute was over distribution of Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore. Disney's film studio consortium, Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
assumed control of Miramax, which was projected to have a smaller annual production budget. The Weinsteins started a new film production company called simply The Weinstein Company
, and took the Dimension Films
label with them. The Miramax name remained with the film studio owned by Disney. Production at Miramax was taken over by Daniel Battsek
, who formerly was head of Buena Vista International in the UK
. Battsek refocused Miramax to produce films of high quality but low budget. Maple Pictures
held the rights to distribute Miramax films in Canada from 2008 up until August 10, 2011 when Maple Pictures was acquired by Alliance Films.
On October 3, 2009, Disney announced that the staff of Miramax was to be reduced by 70%, and the number of releases would be reduced by half to just three films per year. The label's marketing, distribution and administrative functions, which had operated independently, would be folded into the parent studio in Burbank. The move became effective in January 2010. On October 30, 2009, Disney announced the resignation of Daniel Battsek
as President of Miramax Films, effective when the transition from the studio in New York to Burbank
was completed. The company merged its operations with Walt Disney Studios on January 28, 2010, shutting down Miramax's separate New York and Los Angeles offices.
Dick Cook
, former Disney Studio Chairman wanted to keep Miramax but resigned, with most likely new Disney Studio Chairman (Rich Ross
) deciding on selling Miramax. Bob Iger said in a conference call that when questioned about possible Miramax sale, "We determined that continuing to invest in new Miramax movies wasn't necessarily a core strategy of ours".
On November 23, 2010, it was reported that Google
was interested in purchasing the digital rights to the Miramax library to improve the premium content offerings on YouTube, and compete with similar services such as Hulu
and Netflix
.
, an investment group. The sale included 700 film titles, as well as books, development projects and the "Miramax" name. Mike Lang
, the former News Corporation
business development executive who was selected as the CEO of Miramax, indicated that the company would focus on their existing library.
After the sale was closed, some movies already developed at Miramax, including The Tempest and Gnomeo & Juliet, were eventually released by Disney under its Touchstone Pictures
banner, and theatrical distribution of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
and The Debt has been shifted to FilmDistrict
and Focus Features
respectively.
On December 16, 2010, Miramax reunited with Bob and Harvey Weinstein, forming a joint venture with the brothers' current studio, The Weinstein Company
, to develop sequels to films from the former studio. Sequels to Rounders, Bad Santa
, and Shakespeare in Love
are among the films being developed under this new deal, while sequels to Bridget Jones’s Diary
, Cop Land
, From Dusk till Dawn
, Swingers
, Clerks
, Shall We Dance?
, and The Amityville Horror
are being billed as "potential" projects. Miramax and TWC also said they will partner on new television shows and special edition home entertainment releases.
On February 11, 2011, Miramax entered a home entertainment agreement with Lions Gate Entertainment
and StudioCanal
to distribute over 550 titles from the Miramax library on DVD and Blu-ray. Lionsgate will handle distribution in the United States, with StudioCanal handling European distribution. Later, on February 17, they struck a deal with Echo Bridge Entertainment to domestically distribute the company's additional 251-title catalog on DVD/Blu-ray.
On March 1, 2011, Miramax renewed its Canadian distribution deal with Alliance Films
, which had always been a distributor of Miramax releases in Canada from 1987 to 2008 and will replace Maple Pictures
(which previously distributed Miramax releases from 2008 to 2011). Alliance will have access to all of the company's library titles once again as well as distribution rights to new Miramax films produced in the next five years.
On March 25, 2011, Miramax entered licensing talks with various digital premium services, including Netflix
, Amazon
, Google
, and Hulu
, for digital distribution of the former company's film library.
On August 2011, Miramax formed a partnership with Facebook
to create a new app
for the latter company's website. Dubbed the "Miramax eXperience," it allows the public to watch clips from the studio's films or rent full movies for 30 "Facebook credits." The films can also be viewed on the iPad
or on Google TV
.
Harvey Weinstein has been criticized for editing films he acquires or develops, such as Asian films like Princess Mononoke
. Weinstein has always insisted that such editing was done in the interest of creating the most financially viable film. "I'm not cutting for fun", Harvey Weinstein said in an interview. "I'm cutting for the shit to work. All my life I served one master: the film. I love movies."
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein. In 1993, the company was acquired 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...
.
Founded in 1979 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein and headquartered in New York City and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts, Miramax was a leading independent film motion picture distribution and production company before it was acquired 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...
in 1993. The Weinsteins operated Miramax with more creative and financial independence than any other division of Disney, until 2005 when they decided to leave the company and founded The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
. Miramax was sold by Disney to Filmyard Holdings
Filmyard Holdings
Filmyard Holdings, LLC is a pure holding company and is the current parent company of Miramax Films. Through this company, Ron Tutor , Tom Barrack , Qatar Investment Authority & The Weinstein Company own the studio...
in 2010, ending Disney's involvement with the studio for the first time in 17 years.
History
Founded by the brothers HarveyHarvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
and Bob Weinstein
Bob Weinstein
Robert "Bob" Weinstein is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.-Career:...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in 1979, the company was named by combining the first names of their parents Max and Miriam, and was originally created to distribute independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
s deemed commercially unfeasible by the major studios.
The company's first major success came when the Weinsteins teamed up with British producer Martin Lewis and acquired the U.S. rights to two concert films Lewis had produced of benefit shows
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. The Weinsteins worked with Lewis to distill the two films into one film for the US marketplace. The resulting film The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the fourth of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field...
(US Version) was a successful release for Miramax in the summer of 1982. This release presaged a modus operandi that the company would undertake later in the 1980s of acquiring films from international filmmakers and reworking them to suit US sensibilities.
Among the company's other breakthrough films as distributors in the late 1980s and early 1990s were Scandal; Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Sex, lies, and videotape
Sex, Lies, and Videotape is a 1989 independent film that brought director Steven Soderbergh to prominence. It tells the story of a man who films women discussing their sexuality, and his impact on the relationship of a troubled married couple....
; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a 1990 Spanish film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, a dark romantic comedy starring Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril. The plot follows a recently released psychiatric patient who kidnaps an actress in order to make her fall in love with him...
; The Crying Game
The Crying Game
The Crying Game is a 1992 psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of the Irish Troubles...
and Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
. The company also made films such as Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, Flirting with Disaster, Heavenly Creatures
Heavenly Creatures
Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife Fran Walsh, about the notorious 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand. Filmed on location in Christchurch, it features Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their screen debuts...
and Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
.
In addition to those successes, Miramax acquired and/or produced many films that did extraordinarily well financially. The company became one of the leaders of the independent film boom of the 1990s. Miramax produced or distributed seven films with box office grosses totalling more than $100 million; its most successful title, Chicago
Chicago (2002 film)
Chicago is a 2002 musical film adapted from the satirical stage musical of the same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz-age Chicago....
, earned more than $300 million worldwide.
The company was also exceptionally successful in securing Academy Award nominations for its releases, many of which resulted in Oscar wins.
In 1992, Miramax began a deal with Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
for VHS and TV distribution of certain Miramax releases. Paramount would also distribute theatrically certain releases that might have commercial appeal (such as Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts is a 1992 film written and directed by Tim Robbins. It is a satirical mockumentary, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election...
, though video rights to that film were owned by Live Entertainment – which is now Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
). Paramount still owns video rights to some of these films today, while TV distribution is now with Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media
Trifecta Entertainment & Media is an American entertainment company founded in 2006. The company's founders previously held jobs as executives at MGM Television. Trifecta is primarily a distribution company and also handles advertising sales in exchange for syndication deals with local television...
.
Disney era
In 1993 Miramax was purchased for $60 million by The Walt Disney CompanyThe 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...
. Harvey and Bob Weinstein continued to operate Miramax until they left the company on September 30, 2005. During their tenure, the Weinstein brothers ran Miramax independently of other Disney companies. Disney, however, had the final say on what Miramax could release (see Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, Kids
Kids (film)
Kids is a 1995 drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Harold Hunter, and Rosario Dawson, all of them in their debut performances...
and Dogma
Dogma (film)
Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,...
, for examples). Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division releases Miramax output.
Miramax operated, until 2005, the label Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
, specializing in genre films and created the Spy Kids
Spy Kids
The Spy Kids series is a series of family action adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of two Cortez children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged...
, Scream
Scream (film series)
Scream is a series of American horror slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures...
and Scary Movie film franchises.
After the acquisition by Disney, the Weinsteins started to have problems with Disney CEO, Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
, on creative and financial matters. Eisner was reluctant to give as much creative freedom and financial support for the Weinsteins, who over the years increased the budget for their productions. Disagreements between the two sides came to the point that negotiations to extend the contract with the Weinsteins in Miramax ended in failure.
After extensive negotiations and much media and industry speculation, on March 30, 2005, Disney and the Weinsteins announced that they would not renew their contractual relationship when their existing agreements expired at the end of September 2005. The primary source of dispute was over distribution of Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore. Disney's film studio consortium, Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group
Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Inc. is a corporation which develops scripts and oversees theatrical production for The Walt Disney Company's production companies and imprints. The Group, one of Hollywood's major film studios, is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California...
assumed control of Miramax, which was projected to have a smaller annual production budget. The Weinsteins started a new film production company called simply The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
, and took the Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
label with them. The Miramax name remained with the film studio owned by Disney. Production at Miramax was taken over by Daniel Battsek
Daniel Battsek
Daniel Battsek is an English film producer and executive, and current President of National Geographic Films. He was President of Miramax Films.-Life and career:...
, who formerly was head of Buena Vista International in the UK
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Battsek refocused Miramax to produce films of high quality but low budget. Maple Pictures
Maple pictures
Maple Pictures Corporation is the distribution arm of Alliance Films. It was formed on April 25, 2005 when Lions Gate Entertainment demerged to two companies -- Lions Gate Entertainment and Maple Pictures...
held the rights to distribute Miramax films in Canada from 2008 up until August 10, 2011 when Maple Pictures was acquired by Alliance Films.
On October 3, 2009, Disney announced that the staff of Miramax was to be reduced by 70%, and the number of releases would be reduced by half to just three films per year. The label's marketing, distribution and administrative functions, which had operated independently, would be folded into the parent studio in Burbank. The move became effective in January 2010. On October 30, 2009, Disney announced the resignation of Daniel Battsek
Daniel Battsek
Daniel Battsek is an English film producer and executive, and current President of National Geographic Films. He was President of Miramax Films.-Life and career:...
as President of Miramax Films, effective when the transition from the studio in New York to Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
was completed. The company merged its operations with Walt Disney Studios on January 28, 2010, shutting down Miramax's separate New York and Los Angeles offices.
Dick Cook
Dick Cook
Richard W. "Dick" Cook is the former Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios. At the time of his separation from the company, he was the only remaining top Disney executive who had worked for the company since before Michael Eisner took charge in 1984...
, former Disney Studio Chairman wanted to keep Miramax but resigned, with most likely new Disney Studio Chairman (Rich Ross
Rich Ross
Rich Ross is an entertainment executive. He is currently Chairman of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group.Ross is originally from Eastchester, New York. His first job in the entertainment industry was as a booking agent at Nickelodeon. Later he was a senior vice president at Disney Channel and...
) deciding on selling Miramax. Bob Iger said in a conference call that when questioned about possible Miramax sale, "We determined that continuing to invest in new Miramax movies wasn't necessarily a core strategy of ours".
On November 23, 2010, it was reported that Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
was interested in purchasing the digital rights to the Miramax library to improve the premium content offerings on YouTube, and compete with similar services such as Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
and Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
.
Post-Disney
On December 3, 2010, Disney closed the sale of Miramax for US $663 million to Filmyard HoldingsFilmyard Holdings
Filmyard Holdings, LLC is a pure holding company and is the current parent company of Miramax Films. Through this company, Ron Tutor , Tom Barrack , Qatar Investment Authority & The Weinstein Company own the studio...
, an investment group. The sale included 700 film titles, as well as books, development projects and the "Miramax" name. Mike Lang
Mike Lang
Mike Lang is the current Chief Executive Officer of Miramax Films.Lang was a former News Corp. executive. In that job he had a hand in acquiring MySpace and starting up Hulu. Lang was a consultant on the deal for Filmyard Holdings to purchase Miramax Films from Walt Disney Company. At closing he...
, the former News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
business development executive who was selected as the CEO of Miramax, indicated that the company would focus on their existing library.
After the sale was closed, some movies already developed at Miramax, including The Tempest and Gnomeo & Juliet, were eventually released by Disney under its 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...
banner, and theatrical distribution of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2011 American horror film written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro, directed by comic book artist Troy Nixey and filmed in Mount Macedon, Victoria and Melbourne, Australia...
and The Debt has been shifted to FilmDistrict
FilmDistrict
FilmDistrict is an American multi-faceted acquisitions, distribution, production, and financing company focusing on wide release, commercial pictures. Founded in September 2010 by Graham King and Timothy Headington’s GK Films, in partnership with Peter Schlessel...
and Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
respectively.
On December 16, 2010, Miramax reunited with Bob and Harvey Weinstein, forming a joint venture with the brothers' current studio, The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
, to develop sequels to films from the former studio. Sequels to Rounders, Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
, and Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
are among the films being developed under this new deal, while sequels to Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
, Cop Land
Cop Land
Cop Land is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It features an ensemble cast including Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.-Plot:...
, From Dusk till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
, Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
, Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
, Shall We Dance?
Shall We Dance? (2004 film)
Shall We Dance? is a 2004 American film. It is a remake of the award-winning Masayuki Suo 1996 Japanese film, Shall We Dance?. The film made its US premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival.-Plot:...
, and The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror (2005 film)
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 horror film directed by Andrew Douglas. It is a remake of the 1979 film of the same name which itself was based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Jay Anson, which documents the alleged experiences of the Lutz family after they moved into a house in Long Island...
are being billed as "potential" projects. Miramax and TWC also said they will partner on new television shows and special edition home entertainment releases.
On February 11, 2011, Miramax entered a home entertainment agreement with Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
and StudioCanal
StudioCanal
StudioCanal is a French-based production and distribution company that owns the third-largest film library in the world...
to distribute over 550 titles from the Miramax library on DVD and Blu-ray. Lionsgate will handle distribution in the United States, with StudioCanal handling European distribution. Later, on February 17, they struck a deal with Echo Bridge Entertainment to domestically distribute the company's additional 251-title catalog on DVD/Blu-ray.
On March 1, 2011, Miramax renewed its Canadian distribution deal with Alliance Films
Alliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
, which had always been a distributor of Miramax releases in Canada from 1987 to 2008 and will replace Maple Pictures
Maple pictures
Maple Pictures Corporation is the distribution arm of Alliance Films. It was formed on April 25, 2005 when Lions Gate Entertainment demerged to two companies -- Lions Gate Entertainment and Maple Pictures...
(which previously distributed Miramax releases from 2008 to 2011). Alliance will have access to all of the company's library titles once again as well as distribution rights to new Miramax films produced in the next five years.
On March 25, 2011, Miramax entered licensing talks with various digital premium services, including Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
, Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, and Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, for digital distribution of the former company's film library.
On August 2011, Miramax formed a partnership with Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to create a new app
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
for the latter company's website. Dubbed the "Miramax eXperience," it allows the public to watch clips from the studio's films or rent full movies for 30 "Facebook credits." The films can also be viewed on the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
or on Google TV
Google TV
Google TV is a Smart TV platform from Google. It was announced on May 20, 2010, at Google’s Google I/O event and was co-developed by Google, Intel, Sony and Logitech...
.
Criticism
The company has been criticized for delaying or withholding release of Asian films to which he acquires the U.S. distribution rights. while trying to bar retailers from legally exporting authentic DVDs of the films.Harvey Weinstein has been criticized for editing films he acquires or develops, such as Asian films like Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster...
. Weinstein has always insisted that such editing was done in the interest of creating the most financially viable film. "I'm not cutting for fun", Harvey Weinstein said in an interview. "I'm cutting for the shit to work. All my life I served one master: the film. I love movies."
Miramax Family
Miramax Family (also known as Miramax Family Films) is the family division of Miramax Films created in 1991 and shut down in 2006. Some films distributed by them are:- My Scene Goes Hollywood: The MovieMy SceneMy Scene is an American series of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2002. Mattel's Barbie character is one of the dolls in the My Scene line, and the My Scene dolls have slim bodies similar to earlier Barbie dolls, but with larger heads...
(2005) - Pokémon: Destiny DeoxysPokémon: Destiny DeoxysPokémon: Destiny Deoxys, originally released in Japan as is the seventh film in the Pokémon series, complementing the seventh season . It is the second film released under Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation in Japan. The original Japanese version was released in theaters on July 17, 2004...
(2005) - Beyblade: Fierce Battle (2005)
- Chestnut: Hero of Central ParkChestnut: Hero Of Central ParkChestnut: Hero of Central Park is a 2004 American family film, starring Makenzie Vega, Abigail Breslin, Christine Tucci, Justin Louis, Tony Alcantar, Irene Olga López, Ethan Phillips, Irene Karas, Barry Bostwick and directed by Robert Vince, about a Great Dane who is adopted by two orphan girls in...
(2004) (DVD only) - The Adventures of Tom Thumb and ThumbelinaThe Adventures of Tom Thumb and ThumbelinaThe Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina is a 2002 direct-to-video animated film directed by Glenn Chaika. Its running time is 74 minutes...
(2002) - The Best of Tokyo PigTokyo PigTokyo Pig, known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime television series. The anime was based on a book titled Fair, then Partly Piggy , written by Shiro Yadama and translated into English by Keith Holeman .Tokyo Pig is about a young boy and the adventures he...
(2002) - In Search of SantaIn Search of SantaIn Search of Santa is a CGI film starring Hilary Duff and older sister Haylie Duff in their first voice roles. It was directed by William R. Kowalchuk and released in 2002.- Cast :*Hilary Duff... Princess Crystal...
(2002) - The Toys Who Saved Christmas (1997)
- Hugo The Movie Star (1996)
- GordyGordyGordy is a 1995 feature film about a piglet who searches for his missing family...
(1995) - Arabian KnightThe Thief and the CobblerThe Thief and the Cobbler is an animated feature film, famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. The film was conceived by Canadian animator Richard Williams, who worked 28 years on the project. Beginning production in 1964, Williams intended The Thief and the Cobbler to be his...
(1995) - The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from FantasiaThe NeverEnding Story IIIThe NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia is a 1994 film and the second sequel to the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story...
(1994) - Tom and Jerry: The MovieTom and Jerry: The MovieTom and Jerry: The Movie is a 1992 American animated musical film directed by Phil Roman, and produced by Film Roman and Turner Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the Tom and Jerry series of theatrical shorts....
(1993) (Moved to Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
) - Freddie as F.R.O.7Freddie as F.R.O.7Freddie as F.R.O.7 is a 1992 British animated film written and directed by Jon Acevski. It is a parody of James Bond. The film was inspired by bedtime stories Acevski told to his son about his favourite toy frog working as a secret agent. -Plot:...
(1992)
Further reading
- Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film by Peter BiskindPeter BiskindPeter Biskind is a journalist, former executive editor of Premiere magazine, and the author of numerous books depicting life in Hollywood, including Seeing Is Believing, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Down and Dirty Pictures, and Gods and Monsters...
(Simon & Schuster, 2004)