CBS Films Inc. was an American film production and distribution company founded in 2007 as a subsidiary of
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing and television production. It was split from Viacom on December 31, 2005, alongside an entirely new Viacom; both ...
and was considered a
mini-major studio up until 2019.
CBS Films originally was planned to distribute, develop and produce four to six $50 million budget films a year.
After October 11, 2019, CBS Films was re-configured to be a production company for
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
s to be carried by CBS All Access (now
Paramount+
Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
).
Background
The
CBS network had formed a previous CBS Films, Inc. as its syndication arm in 1952, which was later renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, then later
Viacom two years later, but due to
fin-syn law being upheld in 1972, CBS was forced to spin off the company. CBS made a brief move into film production in 1967, creating
Cinema Center Films and closed in 1972 as an unprofitable unit. In 1979 CBS launched a new theatrical films division, which was officially named
CBS Theatrical Films the following year. While this was in operation, CBS entered into a joint venture with
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
and
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
called
Tri-Star Pictures. CBS eventually dropped out of the venture in 1985, and CBS Theatrical Films came to an end that same year. In 2000, CBS was bought by Viacom, which also owned
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
.
Company history
In March 2007, following the 2005 split from Viacom which retained Paramount, CBS Corporation launched CBS Films with the hiring of
Bruce Tobey as head of business affairs, legal, finance and video distribution.
Amy Baer was hired in September 2007 as president and CEO for CBS Films.
With CBS retaining ownership of
Showtime and
Viacom deciding to launch
Epix in 2009 with Paramount films, this division was created to make content for the channel.
[ On November 17, 2009, CBS signed with ]Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
for a three-year deal for international distribution.
The studio's launch seemed to well timed to its executives with the closure or restructuring of many film studios including the formerly prominent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(MGM), Miramax Films
Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...
and Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros. Entertainment. Established on August 7, 2003, its first release was 2004's '' Before Sunset,'' the sequel to the 1995 film ''Before Sunrise.' ...
. Also CBS was able to well market its films with all its parent corporation's advertising channels from broadcast to billboards.
The studio released its first film, '' Extraordinary Measures'', on January 22, 2010.[ CBS Films released its second film, a romantic comedy '']The Back-up Plan
''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson and Linda Lavin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael ...
'', in April 2010. Opening over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, ''Faster'', its third film and the Dwayne Johnson action flick, was weak at the box office with a $12 million start. In August, the company purchased distribution rights for the first time for the remake movie, ''The Mechanic''. CBS moved to replace Bruce Tobey, chief operations officer, with Wolfgang Hammer in November 2010.[
After releasing five films and only one gross over $30 million, CBS Films decided to change direction and become an acquirer of films rather than a producer in March 2011. Baer was released after the ended of her contract in October, with a trio of senior executives left to head up the division.
On April 23, 2012, CBS Films named Hammer and Terry Press Co-presidents. Press, who had been consulting for the studio since 2010, oversees creative, distribution, marketing and physical production. Hammer will oversees all business, finance, legal affairs and acquisitions, including financed, co-financed and completed projects for the division. Hammer moved CBS Films into becoming a major film acquisition mover thus allowing internal projects to development more. CBS's highest profile purchase was $4 million for '' Inside Llewyn Davis'' which won Cannes' Grand Prix and nominations for two Academy and 3 Golden Globe awards.]
On July 22, 2014, Hammer moved from being co-president to being a consultant for digital.[ In 2015, ]Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to:
Gates
*Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece
*Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey
*Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
took over CBS Films' U.S. distribution and global sales functions. In 2017, Deadline.com reported CBS Films would finance ''Jane the Virgin
''Jane the Virgin'' is an American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The series premiered October 13, 2014, on The CW and concluded on July 31, 2019. It is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan te ...
'' actor Justin Baldoni's first directing/producing effort based on an original script by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis.
On January 12, 2019, it was reported that CBS Films would release four theatrical films in 2019, then be folded into the main CBS Entertainment Group, switching its focus to creating original film content for CBS All Access
Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily ...
. ''Jexi'' was CBS Films' final theatrical release on October 11, 2019. The ViacomCBS merger
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
, which closed on December 4, 2019, returned Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
to being a sister company of CBS, making a theatrical subsidiary for the network superfluous.
Filmography
See also
* Cinema Center Films
* CBS Theatrical Films
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cbs Films
Defunct film and television production companies of the United States
Defunct American film studios
Former CBS Corporation subsidiaries
American companies established in 2007
Film distributors of the United States
Entertainment companies established in 2007
Mass media companies established in 2007
American companies disestablished in 2019
Entertainment companies disestablished in 2019
Mass media companies disestablished in 2019