Film Institutions: The Three Independent Companies

Film Institutions: The Three Independent Companies

Lionsgate Film

Lionsgate Film was founded in 1962, 54 years ago, and was a birth of Lionsgate. Cinépix Film Properties was renamed Lions Gate Films on January 12, 1998. They are known for producing and distributing films which are too controversial for the majority of the American market. There first success was American Psycho, which was given $7 million but has produced a box office of $34.3 million.

In 2004, they distributed the highly popular movie - Saw. It is a psychological horror film which was given a mere $1.2 million to make ($700,000 of which was for shooting) and turned over a revenue of $103.9 million. The 'rough around the edges' approach became the aesthetic of the film, making it ever more famous.

DreamWorks

DreamWorks Animation is a distribution company for film productions and has distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each. They were founded on October 12, 1994 and are currently operating out of offices at Universal Studios.

One of their most famous films was ‘Shrek’ which was released on June 29, 2001 in the UK and holds the position of highest grossing animation film. It was given a budget of $60 million and created a box office of $484.4 million.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was founded in April 1924 and has a memorable lion roaring as its logo. They make films of many genres ranging from comedy to romance and horror. MGM has downgraded itself from being a major studio into a small media company that distributes films.

One of the most well-known MGM films is How to be Single. The film was made with co-production from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, RatPac Entertainment and Flower Films. It stars Rebel Wilson, which helps to attract an audience as she has a good reputation within the film industry. The film was given $38 million to be made and produced $112.3 million in box office.