Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation, was an independent film production and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics * Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974.

History

Their initial releases were mostly geared to arthouse audiences, with an especially large number of Australian productions, as well as two Brazilian productions, '' Eu Te Amo'' (1981) and '' Lady on the Bus'' (1978), that introduced American audiences to actress

Sonia Braga Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Sonia ...

. They shifted their focus to small-budgeted independent films in the early 1980s, beginning with the surprise success of ''

Valley Girl A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, fr ...

'' (1983), directed by

Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...

. ''

Night of the Comet ''Night of the Comet'' is a 1984 American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Thom Eberhardt. It stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney as survivors of a comet that has turned most people into ei ...

'', released in 1984, would be their first film to open on over 1000 screens. By 1984, the company had signed an agreement with CBS/Fox Video, whereas a "conceptual partnership" that launched the Atlantic Video label, and among of the launch titles set up by Atlantic Video were ''

Alphabet City Alphabet City is a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter names. It is bounded by Houston St ...

'', ''

Roadhouse 66 ''Roadhouse 66'' is a 1984 film directed by John Mark Robinson and starring Willem Dafoe. The film is set entirely in Kingman, Arizona, and Oatman, Arizona, two towns on historic U.S. Route 66. Plot A young adult from New York is on his way t ...

'', ''

'' and ''

Vamping ''Vamping'' is a 1984 American drama film about a down-on-his-luck saxophonist who agrees to help rob the home of a rich widow, then unexpectedly falls for the woman. Shots of the movie were filmed in Buffalo, New York, including inside the old ...

''. Atlantic International was also launched and license overseas rights to various films territory by territory. In 1985, they began a relationship with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

whereby the studio provided them money for larger-scale theatrical releases in exchange for home video and television rights to their films. The company made its big break with the success of ''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...

'', which then spawned a franchise that year. In 1985, Atlantic Releasing Corporation started the Clubhouse Pictures label, which was designed to release films for a family audience, which set up the Clubhouse Pictures Family Network of theaters. On July 30, 1986, Jonathan Dana was hired by Atlantic Entertainment Group to supervise all Atlantic activities, via divisions Atlantic Releasing Corporation, Atlantic Television, Clubhouse Pictures and Atlantic International, and decided to "systemize" the top management to accommodate its growth to be a mini-major film studio. In November 1987, Atlantic Entertainment teamed up with Zenith Productions for a $20 million, three-picture agreement, following the success of ''

Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...

'', which the two companies ever formed a relationship that the relationship was more subtle than a 50/50 agreement, but essentially was an equal partnership, and the two companies would hold proportionate equity in all three pictures worldwide and the first wave of pictures was a production called ''Patty'', as well as ''

For Queen and Country ''For Queen and Country'' is a 1988 crime drama film co-written and directed by Martin Stellman and starring Denzel Washington in Panavision. Washington stars as Reuben James, a Black British former paratrooper, who joined the British Army to esc ...

'' and ''

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase ''The Wolves of Willoughby Chase'' is a children's novel by Joan Aiken, first published in 1962. Set in an alternative history of England, it tells of the adventures of cousins Bonnie and Sylvia and their friend Simon the goose-boy as they thw ...

'', a co-production between the Czech and the U.S., and Atlantic would handle worldwide rights for the former, and had North American rights to the latter two, and foreign sales would be handled by Zenith's Sales Company. In January 1989, Atlantic made a new deal with Kartes Video Communications for home video rights to the movies previously covered in the Paramount deal. The library was bought by

Island Pictures Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

, which took over soliciting the films to home video. Island themselves suffered financial losses soon after, defaulting to

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th cent ...

, and both the Atlantic and Island libraries were absorbed into the bank's large " Epic" catalogue of films inherited from studios that had borrowed and defaulted to the financial institution.

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (formerly known as PolyGram Films and PolyGram Pictures or simply PFE) was a British film studio founded in 1979 which became a European competitor to Hollywood, but was eventually sold to Seagram Company Ltd. in 1 ...

purchased the large catalogue from Crédit Lyonnais in 1997; a year later, when PolyGram themselves were acquired by

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, Universal sold PolyGram's pre-1996 library to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

in October 1998. For a number of years,

had television and video distribution rights to Atlantic's library, some from their previous deal with the company, and others inherited when Viacom, who had purchased television rights to many earlier Atlantic releases, merged with Paramount. MGM via

now distributes most of the library as a result of purchasing the pre-1996 portion of PolyGram's library.

Filmography

Some of the company's most notable films include: * ''

The Murri Affair ''The Murri Affair'' ( it, Fatti di gente perbene; french: La grande bourgeoise) is a 1974 historical drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini, starring Giancarlo Giannini and Catherine Deneuve. It is based on real events of a notorious 1902 murder ...

'' (1974) * ''

He Is My Brother ''He Is My Brother'' is a 1975 American drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk. Plot Two boys become shipwrecked on an island and find themselves locked in a struggle with lepers and colonists. Cast * Bobby Sherman as Jeff Remington * Kathy P ...

'' (1975) * ''

Caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...

'' (1976) * ''In Search of Bigfoot'' (1976) * ''

Max Havelaar ''Max Havelaar; or, The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company'' ( nl, Max Havelaar; of, De koffi-veilingen der Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappy) is an 1860 novel by Multatuli (the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker), which played a key rol ...

(1976) * ''

Something to Hide ''Something to Hide'' (in the U.S. also reissued as ''Shattered''), is a 1972 British thriller film, written and directed by Alastair Reid, based on a 1963 novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. The film stars Peter Finch, Shelley Winters, Colin Blakel ...

'' (1976) * ''Bonjour Amour'' (1977) * ''The Day the Music Died'' (1977) * ''

Madame Rosa ''Madame Rosa'' (french: La vie devant soi) is a 1977 French drama film directed by Moshé Mizrahi, adapted from the 1975 novel ''The Life Before Us'' by Romain Gary. It stars Simone Signoret and Samy Ben-Youb, and tells the story of an elderly ...

'' (1977) * '' Lady on the Bus'' (1978) * ''

Boarding School A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Getting of Wisdom ''The Getting of Wisdom'' is a novel by Australian novelist Henry Handel Richardson. It was first published in 1910, and has almost always been in print ever since. Plot introduction Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book ''I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Odd Job ''The Odd Job'' is a 1978 British comedy film starring Monty Python member Graham Chapman. It tells the story of a man named Arthur Harris (Chapman) who is recently abandoned by his wife. He becomes so depressed that he hires an "odd job man" ...

'' (1978) * ''Once in Paris...'' (1978) * ''Bahia'' (1979) * ''

Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of br ...

'' (1979) * ''

Womanlight ''Womanlight'' (french: Clair de femme) is a 1979 film by Costa-Gavras based on the 1977 novel '' Clair de femme'' by Romain Gary.Razón y fe: Revista hispano-americana de cultura 1979 En la actualidad Costa— Gavras trabaja en el rodaje de su nu ...

'' (1979) * '' The Attic'' (1980) * ''Below the Belt'' (1980) * ''I Sent a Letter to My Love'' (1980) * ''

Rude Boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...

'' (1980) * '' Eu Te Amo'' (1981) * ''

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

'' (1981) * '' Peter-No-Tail'' (1981) * ''

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols incl ...

'' (1982) * ''

Breach of Contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...

'' (1982) * ''

By Design ''By Design'' is a 1982 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Claude Jutra and starring Sara Botsford and Patty Duke."Jutra's contentious By Design a fight that fails". ''The Globe and Mail'', August 23, 1982. The film was produced by B.D.F. Prod ...

'' (1982) * ''

The Loveless ''The Loveless'' (originally titled ''Breakdown'') is a 1981 American outlaw biker film, outlaw biker drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery (producer), Monty Montgomery, the List of di ...

'' (1982) * ''

Norman Loves Rose ''Norman Loves Rose'' is a 1982 Australian comedy film.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p330 Plot summary A 13-year-old Jewish boy (Norman) develops an obsession for ...

'' (1982) * ''

Smash Palace ''Smash Palace'' is a New Zealand feature film that premiered at Cannes in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver (played by Bruno Lawrence) who inadvertently contributes to the end of ...

'' (1982) * '' Waltz Across Texas'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * ''

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute ''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (french: La Flûte à six schtroumpfs, lit. ''The Flute of Six Smurfs'') is a 1976 Belgian animated film starring the Smurfs, directed by their creator, Peyo. Although the film premiered in 1976 in Belgium, i ...

'' (1983) * '' Kamla'' (1984) * '' Talk to Me'' (1984) * ''

'' (1984) * ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

'' (1984) * ''

City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate li ...

'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) * '' He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword'' (1985) * ''

Here Come the Littles ''Here Come the Littles'' is a 1985 animated fantasy film produced in France by DIC Enterprises, Inc. and distributed by Atlantic Releasing. It was directed by Bernard Deyriès and adapted by Woody Kling from John Peterson's series of books, ' ...

'' (1985) * '' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin'' (1985) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

'' (1985, produced by Handmade Films) * ''

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known f ...

'' (1986) * '' Extremities'' (1986) * ''

The Fringe Dwellers ''The Fringe Dwellers'' is a 1986 film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1961 novel '' The Fringe Dwellers'' by Western Australian author Nene Gare.Nene Gare, The Fringe Dwellers, Sun Books, Melbourne, 1966 (first published by Heinemann, ...

'' (1986) * ''

The Men's Club ''The Men's Club'' is a 1986 American drama film directed by Peter Medak, based on the novel of the same name by Leonard Michaels. It stars Roy Scheider, Harvey Keitel, Frank Langella, Treat Williams, David Dukes and Richard Jordan. It is no ...

'' (1986) * ''

Modern Girls ''Modern Girls'' is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Jerry Kramer, starring Virginia Madsen, Daphne Zuniga and Cynthia Gibb. Plot summary Three women in their early 20s, Margo, Kelly, and Cece, are roommates living in Los Angeles worki ...

'' (1986) * ''

Nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

'' (1986) * '' Nutcracker: The Motion Picture'' (1986) * ''Stephen King's World of Horror'' (1986) (TV) * '' Stoogemania'' (1986)

Clubhouse Pictures

The company also had a division called "Clubhouse Pictures" to release family films. Films and television series released under this label include: * '' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' (March 1, 1985) * '' Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!'' (January 17, 1986) (reissue of the 1964 film) * '' Heathcliff: The Movie'' (January 17, 1986) * ''

The Adventures of the American Rabbit ''The Adventures of the American Rabbit'' (released in the UK as simply ''The American Rabbit'') is a 1986 animated film directed by Fred Wolf and Nobutaka Nishizawa. It was released by Clubhouse Pictures. Plot The story begins just after the ...

'' (February 14, 1986) * ''

Peter-No-Tail in Americat ''Peter-No-Tail in Americat'' ( sv, Pelle Svanslös i Amerikatt) is a 1985 Swedish animation based on stories about the tail-less cat '' Pelle Svanslös'' by Gösta Knutsson. The cartoon is a sequel to the 1981 cartoon '' Peter-No-Tail'', and is k ...

'' (February 19, 1986) * '' GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' (March 21, 1986) * ''

'' (September 13, 1986 – November 7, 1987) (later produced by Atlantic/ Kushner-Locke) A RALLY FOR G RATINGS CLUBHOUSE GETSBANDWAGON ROLLING FOR FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT - Orlando Sentinel
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References

{{Authority control Film distributors of the United States Defunct companies of the United States Entertainment companies established in 1974 Entertainment companies disestablished in 1989 1974 establishments in Alaska American companies established in 1974 American companies disestablished in 1989