File:New Line Cinema.svg | |
Type | Subsidiary of Warner Bros. |
---|---|
Industry | Theatrical distribution, film production, marketing, home video |
Founded | 1967 |
Founder | Robert Shaye Michael Lynne |
Headquarters | 116 N Robertson Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048 |
Key people | Toby Emmerich (President / COO) |
Products | Motion pictures |
Owner | Time Warner |
Parent | Independent (1967–1994) Turner Broadcasting System (1994–1996) Time Warner (1996–2001, 2003–present) AOL Time Warner (2001–2003) Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (2008–present) |
Website | www.newline.com |
New Line Film Productions Inc., often simply referred to as New Line Cinema, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner Bros. in 2008.[1]
File:New Line Cinema.svg | |
Trade name | New Line Cinema |
---|---|
Type | Label |
Industry | Motion pictures |
Founded | 1967New York City, United States) | (
Founder | Robert Shaye |
Headquarters | 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, California, United States |
Key people |
|
Products |
|
Parent | Warner Bros. |
Divisions |
|
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company, later becoming a film studio. It was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in 1994; Turner later merged with Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) in 1996, and New Line was merged with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2008.[4] Currently, its films are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
History[]
New Line Cinema was established in 1967 by the then 27-year-old Robert Shaye as a film distribution company, supplying foreign and art films for college campuses in the United States. Shaye operated New Line's offices out of his apartment at 14th Street and Second Avenue in New York City. One of the company's early successes was its distribution of the 1936 anti-cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness, which became a cult hit on American college campuses in the early 1970s. New Line also released many classic foreign-language films, like Stay As You Are, Immoral Tales and Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (which became the first New Line film to win an Oscar).[5] The studio has also released many of the films of John Waters.
In 1976, New Line secured funding to produce its first full-length feature, Stunts (1977), directed by Mark Lester. Although not considered a critical success, the film performed well commercially on the international market and on television.[6] New Line then produced or co-produced three more films in 1981 and 1983; Alone in the Dark, Xtro and Polyester, directed by John Waters. Polyester was one of the first films to introduce a novelty cinema experience named Odorama, where members of the audience were provided with a set of "scratch and sniff" cards to be scratched and sniffed at specific times during the film, which provided an additional sensory connection to the viewed image.[6]
A Nightmare on Elm Street was produced and released by New Line in 1984. The resulting franchise was New Line's first commercially successful series after a devastating financial slump, leading the company to be nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built". The film was made on a budget of $1.8 million and grossed over $25.5 million at the United States box office. It was the first film to feature the actor Johnny Depp. A year later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released, and grossed $3.3 million in its first three days of release and over $30 million at the domestic box office. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was released in 1987, and grossed more than any previously released independent film and went on to make almost $45 million at the US box office.[7]
In November 1990, New Line purchased a 52% stake in the television production company RHI Entertainment (now Sonar Entertainment), which would later be sold to Hallmark Cards. In May 1991, New Line purchased the home video and foreign rights to 600 films held by Sultan Entertainment Holdings (aka Nelson Entertainment Group). The deal also included an 11-film distribution deal with Turner subsidiary Castle Rock Entertainment. On November 27, 1991, New Line purchased Sultan outright.[8][9]
On January 28, 1994, New Line Cinema was acquired by the Turner Broadcasting System,[10] which then merged with Time Warner in 1996. New Line Cinema was kept as its own separate entity, while fellow Turner-owned studios Hanna-Barbera Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment eventually became units of Warner Bros. In 2007, New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment collaborated on the 2007 film Fracture, as their first joint venture since the mid 1990s before both companies were bought by Turner.
During its time as an entity separate from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema operated several divisions, including theatrical distribution, marketing and home video. It was also a partner in founding a new distribution company named Picturehouse in 2005. Specializing in independent film, Picturehouse was formed by Bob Berney, who left distributor Newmarket Films, New Line, who folded their Fine Line division into Picturehouse, and HBO Films, a division of HBO and a subsidiary of Time Warner, who was interested in getting into the theatrical film business. However, on May 8, 2008, it was announced that Picturehouse would shut down in the fall of said year.[11] Berney later bought the Picturehouse trademarks from Warner Bros. and relaunched the company in 2013.[12]
Divisions of New Line Cinema[]
New Line Cinema operated several divisions, including theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, and was a partner in a new (and relatively short-lived) distribution company called Picturehouse.
Specializing in independent film, Picturehouse was formed by Bob Berney (who left distributor Newmarket Films), New Line (who folded their division Fine Line into this), and HBO Films (a division of HBO and subsidiary of Time Warner), who was interested in getting into the theatrical movie business.
On May 8, 2008 it was announced that Picturehouse would shut down in the fall.[13]
Collaborations with other major studios[]
With becoming a WB division, New Line is starting to make more traditional co-productions with other major studios (where one studio has North American rights, the other international rights).
The first such film was the reboot of Friday the 13th. It is co-produced with Paramount Pictures, the other major distributor of that franchise's films. The US distribution rights are with Warner Bros./New Line, while Paramount Pictures will handle international rights (distributing through either Universal Studios or United International Pictures in some countries, while Paramount Pictures distributes directly in others). This essentially mirrors the distribution setup for the original film, where Paramount Pictures had US rights, and Warner Bros. had international rights. Also on New Line's upcoming slate will be the upcoming film version of The Hobbit. This film is being co-produced with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (New Line's former TV distributor), as a result of various rights issues.
Accounting practices[]
South Canterbury Finance invested $30 million in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, only to have New Line produce accounts showing that the movies did not make a profit, but made "horrendous losses". According to SCF CEO Allan Hubbard: "We found it surprising because it was one of the biggest box office success of all time."[14] (The three films rank 5th, 18th and 25th on the list of Highest Grossing Movies.)
Fifteen actors are suing New Line Cinema claiming that they have never received their 5% of revenue from merchandise sold in relation to the movie, which contains their likeness.[15] Similarly, the Tolkien estate sued New Line, claiming that their contract entitled them to 7.5% of the gross receipts of the $6 billion hit.[16]
Peter Jackson's production company Wingnut Films questioned New Line Cinema's accounting methods, bringing in an outside auditor as allowed by the contract, and eventually sued New Line.[17] New Line executive Robert Shaye took great offense, declared that they would never work with Jackson again.[18]
Saul Zaentz also has an ongoing dispute with New Line Cinema over profits from The Lord of the Rings films. The dispute began shortly after the release of the films. In December 2007 Variety reported that Zaentz was also suing New Line Cinema, alleging that the studio has refused to make records available so that he can confirm his profit-participation statements are accurate.[19]
Distribution[]
Theatrical[]
Canada[]
- Alliance Films (1989–2010)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2010–present)[citation needed]
United Kingdom[]
- Entertainment Film Distributors (1990–2009)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2009–present)[citation needed]
- Icon Productions (The Butterfly Effect (2004) and The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006) only) (handled by Focus Features International)[citation needed]
Australia and New Zealand[]
- Roadshow Entertainment (1997–2009, 2015–present)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2010–present)[citation needed]
- Icon Productions (The Butterfly Effect and The Butterfly Effect 2 only) (handled by Focus Features International)[citation needed]
Japan[]
- Toho (1980s?–2010)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2010–present)[citation needed]
France[]
- Metropolitan Filmexport (1991–2011)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2011–present)[citation needed]
Brazil[]
- PlayArte (1999–2011)[citation needed]
- Warner Bros. (2011–present)[citation needed]
Home video distribution[]
In comparison with other independent motion picture studios[]
Unlike other independent studios such as Orion Pictures, Carolco Pictures, or Cannon Films, New Line Cinema grew and prospered to become one of Hollywood's major film studios, culminating in the hit Lord of the Rings film trilogy that brought commercial success to the studio.
Prior to this, New Line was responsible for genre films and cult classics such as Dark City, the Jim Carrey vehicles The Mask and Dumb & Dumber, the Austin Powers film trilogy, the fantasy Pleasantville, the Final Destination series, the Nightmare on Elm Street series, the Friday films, the films of John Waters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, the highly successful movie adaptation of Mortal Kombat (as well as its ill-fated sequel), the Rush Hour films and the Blade trilogy.
Films[]
Film series[]
Title | Release date | Notes |
---|---|---|
Friday the 13th | 1980–present | co-production with Paramount Pictures |
National Lampoon's Vacation | 1983–2015 | co-production with Warner Bros. |
A Nightmare on Elm Street | 1984–present | |
Critters | 1986–1992 | |
House Party | 1990–2013 | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990–1993 | co-production with Golden Harvest, Mirage Enterprises, and 20th Century Fox |
The Mask | 1994–2005 | co-production with Dark Horse Entertainment |
Dumb and Dumber | 1994–present | co-production with Universal Studios |
Friday | 1995–present | |
Mortal Kombat | 1995–present | |
Austin Powers | 1997–2002 | |
Blade | 1998–2004 | co-production with Marvel Entertainment |
Rush Hour | 1998–present | |
Final Destination | 2000–present | |
The Lord of the Rings | 2001–2003 | co-production with WingNut Films and The Saul Zaentz Company |
The Butterfly Effect | 2003-2011 | co-production with Focus Features |
Elf | 2003-2014 | co-production with Warner Bros. |
Harold & Kumar | 2004–2011 | |
Sex and the City | 2008–2010 | co-production with HBO Films |
Journey to the Center of the Earth | 2008-present | co-production with Warner Bros., Original Film and Walden Media |
Horrible Bosses | 2011–2014 | co-production with Warner Bros. |
The Hobbit | 2012–2014 | co-production with Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and WingNut Films |
The Conjuring | 2013–present | co-production with The Safran Company and Atomic Monster Productions |
Highest-grossing films[]
Rank | Title | Year | Domestic gross | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* | 2003 | $377,845,905 | |
2 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers* | 2002 | $342,551,365 | |
3 | It | 2017 | $327,481,748 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with Vertigo Entertainment, Lin Pictures, KatzSmith Productions and RatPac-Dune Entertainment |
4 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* | 2001 | $315,544,750 | |
5 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | 2012 | $303,003,568 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures |
6 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | 2013 | $258,366,855 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures |
7 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | 2014 | $253,161,689 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures |
8 | Rush Hour 2 | 2001 | $226,164,286 | |
9 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | 2002 | $213,307,889 | |
10 | Wedding Crashers | 2005 | $209,255,921 | |
11 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | 1999 | $206,040,086 | |
12 | Elf | 2003 | $173,398,518 | |
13 | Straight Outta Compton | 2015 | $161,197,785 | Distributed by Universal Pictures; co-production with Legendary Pictures |
14 | San Andreas | 2015 | $155,190,832 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment |
15 | Sex and the City | 2008 | $152,647,258 | Distributed by Warner Bros.; co-production with HBO Films |
16 | We're the Millers | 2013 | $150,394,119 | Distributed by Warner Bros. |
17 | Rush Hour | 1998 | $141,186,864 | |
18 | Rush Hour 3 | 2007 | $140,125,968 | |
19 | The Conjuring | 2013 | $137,400,141 | Distributed by Warner Bros. |
20 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | $135,265,915 | |
21 | Central Intelligence | 2016 | $127,440,871 | Distributed by Warner Bros. |
22 | Dumb and Dumber | 1994 | $127,175,374 | |
23 | Mr. Deeds | 2002 | $126,293,452 | studio credit; Distributed by Columbia Pictures |
24 | The Mask | 1994 | $119,938,730 | |
25 | Hairspray | 2007 | $118,871,849 |
* Includes theatrical reissue(s).
See also[]
- Fine Line Features
- New Line Home Entertainment
- New Line Television
- Picturehouse (with HBO)
References[]
- ↑ Funding Universe
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/0517760D:US-new-line-productions-inc
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Entertainment Executives". WarnerMedia. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "History of New Line Cinema, Inc. – FundingUniverse". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Collins, Keith (August 22, 2004). "A brief history". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117909431.html?categoryid=1757&cs=1.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "New Line Cinema : About Us". Newline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "New Line Cinema : About Us". Newline.com. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Nightmares, Turtles And Profits". Businessweek.com. 1991-09-29. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM INC" (TXT). Sec.gov. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today : Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
- ↑ Hayes, Dade; McNary, Dave (May 8, 2008). "Picturehouse, WIP to close shop". Variety. http://www.variety.com/VR1117985299.html.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike (January 15, 2013). "The Berneys are Back with Picturehouse, and Now They've got Metallica". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Hayes, Dade; McNary, Dave (May 8, 2008). "Picturehouse, WIP to close shop". Variety. http://www.variety.com/VR1117985299.html.
- ↑ Scherer, Karyn (December 13, 2010). "The Hollywood Shell Game". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10693123.
- ↑ "15 actors sue New Line Cinema over 'Lord of the Rings' profits". USA Today. June 6, 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-06-06-rings-suit_N.htm.
- ↑ The Associated Press: Tolkien Estate Sues New Line Cinema, February 12, 2008.
- ↑ "Director sues over Rings profits". BBC News. March 2, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4312463.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ↑ "New Line boss hits out at Peter Jackson". The New Zealand Herald. AFP, NZPA. January 12, 2007. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/movies/news/article.cfm?c_id=200&objectid=10418732. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
- ↑ Shprintz, Janet (December 13, 2007). "Zaentz, New Line in court". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977688.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2567.
External links[]
- New Line Cinema on IMDb (subscription required)
- New Line 40th Anniversary interview with Michael Lynne and Robert Shaye on Charlie R
- New Line Cinema — Special Projects
- New Line Cinema on Twitter
Warner Bros. | ||
---|---|---|
Founders | Jack L. Warner • Harry Warner • Albert Warner • Sam Warner | |
Executives | Kevin Tsujihara (Chairman and CEO) | |
Feature film production | Warner Bros. Pictures • Warner Animation Group • New Line Cinema • Castle Rock Entertainment • Flagship Entertainment (joint venture with CMC) | |
TV production and distribution |
Alloy Entertainment • Telepictures • WB Animation • Warner Bros. Television • Warner Bros. International Television • Warner Bros. International Television Production (WB TV Productions UK • Shed Productions • Eyeworks | |
Broadcast TV | Terrestrial TV | The CW (co-owned with CBS) |
Cable TV | Warner Channel (with HBO Latin America Group and HBO Asia) • WB Channel (with Turner International India) | |
Warner Bros. Interactive |
Avalanche Software • Monolith Productions • NetherRealm Studios • Rocksteady Studios • TT Games (TT Games Publishing • TT Fusion • Traveller's Tales • TT Animation • Playdemic) • Turbine • WB Games Montréal • WB Games New York • WB Games San Francisco | |
Warner Bros. Digital Networks | DramaFever • Machinima, Inc. • Warner Archive Instant | |
DC Entertainment | DC Films • DC Comics (Mad • Vertigo) | |
Home video | Warner Home Video • Warner Archive Collection | |
Public attractions | Warner Bros. Studio Tours | |
Miscellaneous assets | Turner Entertainment Co. • Hanna-Barbera • WaterTower Music • Fandango (30%) |
Time Warner | ||
---|---|---|
Board of directors | William P. Barr • Jeff Bewkes • Robert C. Clark • Mathias Döpfner • Jessica Einhorn • Carlos Gutierrez • Fred Hassan • Paul Wachter • Deborah Wright | |
Other people | Richard Parsons • Steve Ross | |
Miscellaneous | Turner Broadcasting System • Warner Bros. • Home Box Office Inc. • MovieTickets.com |
Platinum Dunes | |
---|---|
Company founders | Michael Bay • Brad Fuller • Andrew Form |
Films | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) • The Amityville Horror (2005) • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) • The Hitcher (2007) • The Unborn (2009) • Friday the 13th (2009) • Horsemen (2009) • A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) • The Purge (2013) • The Purge: Anarchy (2014) • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) • Ouija (2014) • Project Almanac (2015) • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) • The Purge: Election Year (2016) • Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) • A Quiet Place (2018) • The First Purge (2018) • Six Underground (2019) |
Television series | Black Sails (2014–17) • The Last Ship (2014–18) • Billion Dollar Wreck (2016) • Jack Ryan (2018–present) • The Purge (2018–present) |