Davis Entertainment (also known as Davis Entertainment Company) is an American independent
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
and
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
production company
A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...
, founded by
John Davis in 1984.
Davis's three divisions–feature film, independent film, and television–develop and produce film and television projects for the major studios, independent distributors, networks and cable broadcasters. The company itself has enjoyed a long-standing first-look production deal at
20th Century Studios
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
, although it also produces projects for all studios and mini-majors.
History
The company was founded in 1984 by filmmaker
John Davis and it was incorporated in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
on December 2, 1985. The company was officially established on May 21, 1986, in order to produce mid-to-high budget action films that were financed entirely by a studio, starting with ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'', a co-production with
Lawrence Gordon Productions and
Silver Pictures
Silver Pictures is an American film production company founded by Cinema of the United States, Hollywood producer Joel Silver in 1980.
For many years, during the mid-1980s, the production company was based at 20th Century-Fox, but the productio ...
, and a series of other films that were planned for release by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
. It was decided that it would be done independently with co-investors, and it would help anticipate the expansion of telefilms and sitcoms.
On February 18, 1987, Davis Entertainment partnered with
Mark L. Lester of his Mark Lester Films company in order to handle the development of action-adventure films which were produced by the company, directed by Mark L. Lester, and it was independently financed by the two companies. The films that were made by the Lester/Davis alliance had ranked in the $5–10 million range, and would expect the co-venture to handle the production of two films before the yearend.
In 1994, it launched its first foray into interactive games, and launched Catapult Entertainment, Inc. to produce its interactive video games. That same year, Davis Entertainment Company signed a production deal with
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
to develop feature films.
In 1995, Davis Entertainment launched its art-house division Davis Entertainment Classics, which was subsequently renamed Davis Entertainment Filmworks in 2002. In 1998, Davis Entertainment struck a deal with
20th Century Fox Television
20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...
to produce television shows for its networks, both broadcast and cable.
In 2007, Michael Dorman joined its television division. At the same time, they signed a development pact with Fox Television Studios to produce series for television.
In 2011, John Fox, a former employee of 20th Century Fox, joined the company.
In 2013, it signed a deal with
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...
to develop television shows for platforms, broadcast, cable and streaming.
Filmography
Theatrical films
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Upcoming
Direct-to-video films
1990s
2000s
Television/Streaming movies
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Television series
2010s
2020s
Upcoming
Highest-grossing films
References
Further reading
*
External links
Box office grosses for Davis Entertainment releases(The Numbers)
{{Authority control
Mass media companies established in 1984
Film production companies of the United States
Television production companies of the United States
American independent film studios
Companies based in Nevada