The Weinstein Company (
TWC) is an
independent American
film studio founded by
Harvey and
Bob Weinstein in 2005 after the pair left the
Disney-owned
Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979. The brothers retained ownership of the
Dimension Films label of Miramax.
History
Their first releases in 2005 included the dramatic thriller
Derailed (starring
Jennifer Aniston and
Clive Owen), the offbeat comedy-drama
Transamerica (starring
Felicity Huffman) the
computer-animated family film Hoodwinked, the
World War II-era comedy-drama
Mrs. Henderson Presents (starring
Judi Dench and
Bob Hoskins) and the caper comedy
The Matador (starring
Pierce Brosnan and
Greg Kinnear).
In February 2006, TWC announced a distribution pact with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
[www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=4&article=28737] MGM distributed the product domestically in theaters, while TWC will retain long-term ownership of their product.
In July 2006, the Weinsteins and
Robert L. Johnson announced the creation of a joint venture studio titled
Our Stories Films, which will distribute
African-American-oriented films.
[blackenterprise.com - Tracey Edmonds to Lead Our Stories Films]
In late August 2006, it was announced that TWC and co-investors
Hubbard Media Group purchased
Ovation TV, an arts-focused cable channel
[Family, Weinstein Buy Arts Channel - Los Angeles Times].
In November 2006, TWC announced a three-year deal with
Blockbuster Video to give the video renting company exclusive rights for rentals starting on January 1, 2007.
[How The Weinstein Company ruined Home Entertainment - /FILM]. However, under the
First Sale Doctrine of United States copyright law, other rental companies are able to rent copies of the company's movies purchased at retail.
The company is the co-producer, along with Miramax, of the
Lifetime reality series
Project Runway, which for its first five seasons aired on
Bravo.
Some rights to films originally produced by Miramax (under the leadership of the Weinsteins), as well as some films either distributed by or had rights reverted to Miramax now lie with TWC. For example, Genius Products/Weinstein Company Home Entertainment has reissued both released versions of
Cinema Paradiso, originally distributed theatrically and on home video by Miramax.
On May 24, 2007, The Weinstein Company announced the launch of three new direct-to-video labels: The Miriam Collection, Kaleidoscope TWC, and
Dimension Extreme.
[Genius Products]
On September 25, 2008, TWC ended its three-year distribution pact with MGM three months before the December 31 end date. This happened in part because TWC had struck a television output deal with
Showtime, though not through MGM's output deal with them. During the span of their pact, TWC paid for marketing and prints, while MGM received a distribution fee for booking theaters.
[[1]]
In 2009, TWC might have lost the rights to the movie
Sin City 2. The first movie cost only 40 million dollars to make and brought in almost 159 million in box office alone.
[[2]] Weinstein Company lawyer Bert Fields quickly denied this report saying "TWC's rights to produce sequels to Sin City remain intact as they always have been. Any suggestion to the contrary is complete hogwash."
[www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6657&Itemid=99][hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/04/sin-city-2-and.html]
In June
2009, The Weinstein Company announced the hiring of a financial adviser to restructure the finances of the company.
[www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/wsj-the-weinstein-co-hires-financial-advisory-firm-to-restructure-or-refinance/]. Since July, 2009, many layoffs occurred at TWC, and the release dates of some films were pushed back.
[www.deadline.com/hollywood/unhappy-halloween-weinstein-co-layoffs/][www.deadline.com/hollywood/tom-ortenberg-exits-the-weinstein-co/]. On September 14, 2009, TWC terminated its stake in
Genius Products, which served as TWC's home video distributor from 2006 to 2009. Genius however, had announced to exit the home video distribution business and the DVD rights that were distributed by Genius were sold to
Vivendi Entertainment. TWC also struck a deal with Vivendi.
[Weinstein terminates stake in Genius Products-paper, uk.reuters.com] In
January 2010, TWC announced more layoffs at the company after the box office failure of
Nine.
[www.deadline.com/hollywood/weinstein-co-suffers-more-exits-the-411-on-why-nine-was-financial-disaster/] On February 21, 2010, The Weinstein Company made a deal with
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releasing the DVDs through
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group.
[Weinstein Company Seals Sony DVD Deal, deadline.com]
Weinstein films
col-begin
col-2
Weinstein releases
- Derailed (2005)
- The Libertine (2005) (First Film of Releases)
- Transamerica (2005)
- Hoodwinked! (2005) (The studio's first animated film)
- Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
- The Matador (2005)
- Miss Potter (2006)
- Stormbreaker (2006)
- Doogal (2006) (The studio's second animated film)
- Clerks II (2006)
- Pulse (2006)
- Wordplay (2006)
- Shut Up & Sing (2006)
- Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration (2006) (DVD)
- Lassie (2006) (DVD) (theatrically released by Samuel Goldwyn Films)
- Hannibal Rising (2007) (distribution only) (produced by DDLC Dino De Laurentiis Company)
- Sicko (2007, co-distributed with Lionsgate)
- The Hunting Party (2007)
- Thunderpants (2007) (American distribution)
- Dedication (2007)
- Cassandra's Dream (2007) (distribution only, produced by Wild Bunch and Virtual Studios)
- La Misma Luna (2007) (co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures, Creando Films, Fidecine and Potomac Pictures)
- The Elite Squad (2008)
- Rogue (2008)
- Rambo (2008, co-production with Lionsgate)
- Diary of the Dead (2008, as Third Rail Releasing)
- Boy A (2008, distribution only, produced by Cuba Pictures for Channel 4)
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
[Official Site for Zack and Miri Make a Porno]]
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series) (2008)
- The Reader (2008)
- Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
- Fanboys (2009)
- Outlander (2009)
[[3] Outlander @ IMDB]]
- Tekken (2009, with Summit Entertainment)
- Inglourious Basterds (2009, co production with Universal Pictures and A Band Apart)
- Janky Promoters (2009, as Third Rail Releasing)
- Le Concert (2009)
- A Single Man (2009)
- Nine (2009)
col-2
Dimension releases
Titles distributed by MGM
col-end
Other films
Upcoming Films
Weinstein books
Upon leaving Disney, the Weinsteins reached an agreement to bring over Rob Weisbach, the CEO of their publishing imprint,
Miramax Books, to The Weinstein Company. Weisbach would continue to manage all of Miramax Books' existing titles until they were published but would acquire all new titles for Weinstein, while Disney would acquire new titles under their Hyperion imprint.
[Weinstein Books Splits From Miramax | The New York Observer]
Weinstein Books published its first book,
Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, on September 4, 2007.
[Weinstein Books picks up Lam's 'Bloodletting' - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety]
In October 19, 2009, TWC announced a joint venture with Perseus Book Group, whereby Perseus would be responsible for marketing, editing, publishing and distribution of Weinstein Books releases.
[www.deadline.com/hollywood/the-weinstein-company-expands-book-biz/]
