EuropaCorp S.A. (stylised in opening logo as EUROPA CORP. until 2022) is a French

motion picture 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, since ...

company headquartered in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and one of a few full-service independent studios that both produce and distribute feature films. It specializes in

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

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 varia ...

home entertainment A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

, VOD,

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

, partnerships and licenses,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

, publishing and exhibition. EuropaCorp's integrated financial model generates revenues from a wide range of sources, with films from many genres and a strong presence in the international markets. Over 14 years, EuropaCorp has produced and co-produced over 80 films and is now distributing over 500 titles after the integration of the RoissyFilms Catalogue. The studio is mainly known for its expertise in the production of English-language films. It developed and produced the successful '' Taken'' trilogy and the '' Transporter'' series. It began producing TV series in 2010 through ''EuropaCorp Television'' which had already adapted EuropaCorp's popular ''Taxi'' film franchise. Since 2018, the company has faced tumultuous times following accusations of rape and sexual assault against its chairman and majority owner

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

History

The company was created by Luc Besson in 1992 under the name Leeloo Productions, but it only fully began producing and co-producing feature films many years later, with the release of ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' and '' The Dancer''. The company was renamed EuropaCorp in 2000. Luc Besson had also created a smaller production company called ''Les Films du Dauphin'' in 1990 that has existed outside of Leeloo Productions / EuropaCorp. Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, old associate of Besson from Gaumont, the production company behind many earlier Besson's directed films, joined EuropaCorp in 2000. He had worked with Besson since 1985 first as a Distribution Director and from 1997 as a Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Gaumont. He became known as the right-hand man of Besson at EuropaCorp. He left the company in 2011 over disagreements with Besson. In July 2007, EuropaCorp successfully managed its

IPO An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

Euronext Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a European bourse that provides trading and post-trade services for a range of financial instruments. Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrant ...

Paris. In May 2008, the CSA, French authority for media regulation, selected the EuropaCorp TV project in its invitation to apply for a mobile TV channel in France. In 2013, Lisa Ellzey, hitherto producer for

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 ...

and

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 ...

, was appointed as executive vice president of U.S. Motion Picture Production of EuropaCorp. In 2018, Besson was accused of rape by an actress who wishes to remain anonymous. EuropaCorp stocks dropped 17% to just €2.31 ($2.70) after the rape allegation. Later the same year, EuropaCorp sold its French television division to

Mediawan Mediawan S.A. is a French media conglomerate and audiovisual international production & distribution group. It was founded on December 15, 2015, by Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and Pierre-Antoine Capton under the legal form of a special-purpose a ...

and renamed into Storia Television. EuropaCorp also agreed to sell the Roissy Films library to Gaumont. Five more women made similar statements against Besson. In May 2019, EuropaCorp was granted a six-month debt waiver from a French commercial court and placed under court protection. A week later the studio filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. Its stock value had fallen to €0.67. It had no films in production. In December 2019, the company was $182 million in debt and it had been in long bailout negotiations with Vine Alternative Investments. In February 2020, the American investment fund "Vine Alternative Investments" acquired 60.15% of the French group, and an American fund, Falcon Strategic Partners IV acquired 6.25%.

Structure

In 2007, EuropaCorp was owned at 62% by Luc Besson through his company Frontline and at 8.06% by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam; 23% was public. Besson was appointed the chairman of EuropaCorp's

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. Jean-Julien Baronnet was the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of EuropaCorp until November 2008. Christophe Lambert was CEO from 2010 to 2016. Marc Shmuger was appointed as CEO in 2016. In February 2024, EuropaCorp named as CEO Jean-Marc Lacarrère which took office in March of 2024. Digital Factory is related to EuropaCorp via Luc Besson. The handling of post-production sound is performed chiefly at its Normandy site, while the visual effects are done in Paris. In September 2022, EuropaCorp sold Digital Factory to Groupe Atlantis. In September 2016, it was announced that Chinese film company

Fundamental Films Fundamental Films is a Chinese film production company and film distributor, distributor based in Shanghai and founded in 2008. In September 2016 it was announced the company had acquired a stake of 27.9% in French film company EuropaCorp, becoming ...

had acquired a stake of 27.9% in EuropaCorp, becoming the second-largest shareholder in the company. In June 2017, EuropaCorp signed a music publishing deal with

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...

. And later that month, the studio posted a loss of 120 million euros (US$135 million).

International dimension

EuropaCorp has produced the world box-office hits '' Taken'' ($224 million at world box-office), ''

Arthur and the Invisibles ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' () is a 2006 English-language French live-action/animated fantasy film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is based on the first two books of the ''Arthur'' children's books series, ''Arthur and ...

'' ($107 million), ''

Transporter 3 ''Transporter 3'' (French: ''Le Transporteur 3'') is a 2008 English-language French action film directed by Olivier Megaton. It is the final installment in the original trilogy of the '' Transporter'' franchise, but not the last movie, since it ...

'' ($106 million) and ''

Hitman Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

'' ($100 million). Two EuropaCorp productions have been topping the US box-office: ''

Transporter 2 ''Transporter 2'' (French: ''Le Transporteur 2'') is a 2005 English-language French action film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen. It is the sequel to ''The Transporter'' (2002) and the second installment ...

'' by summer 2005 and '' Taken'' at spring 2009. Many international film stars have appeared in EuropaCorp productions:

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He received his breakthrough with the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files franchise, earning Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...

Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

Jason Statham Jason Statham ( ; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying tough, gritty, or violent characters in various action thriller films, and has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2 ...

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in a ...

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Freddie Highmore Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' Arthur and the Invisibles ...

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

, and others. Consequently, the films are usually shot in English. EuropaCorp Japan, a subsidiary of EuropaCorp based in Tokyo, has for core business the distribution of feature films in Japan. It is a

joint-venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

with three Japanese companies:

Asmik Ace , formerly , is a Japanese film production and distribution company. In the past, the company has distributed video games. It was formed in 1997 through a merger between the Asmik Corporation and Ace Entertainment, both in Japan. The name Asmi ...

Sumitomo Corporation is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group. It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...

and

Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to: *Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group **Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker **Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...

. Fox Pathé Europa (a joint venture between

20th Century Home Entertainment 20th Century Home Entertainment (previously known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. and also known as 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment) was a home video distribution arm that distributes films produced by 20th Century Stud ...

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

and EuropaCorp) formerly distributed EuropaCorp's titles on home media in France until 2020, when ESC Distribution took over. In 2012, EuropaCorp struck a three-year output deal with Chinese film distributor

for 15 feature films. Fundamental Films agreed to co-produce three of these films. In May 2015, the company announced an output deal with Polish film distributor

Kino Swiat Kino means cinema in many European languages. Kino may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasters * KINO, a radio station in Arizona, U.S. * Kino FM (98.0 FM – Moscow), a Russian music radio station * KinoTV, now Ruutu+ Leffat ...

"Cité du Cinéma", French movie studios

EuropaCorp relocated to the

Cité du Cinéma The Cité du Cinéma () or Studios of Paris is a film studio complex originally supported and founded by the film director and producer Luc Besson, located in Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris, in a renovated power plant, commissione ...

in 2012. This movie studio complex, located in Saint-Denis in the close outskirts of

, at build out will have a total of nine film stages, with another 12,000 square metres of space devoted to technical units and 2200 square metres for screening and reception rooms. The cinema, photography and sound engineering school ENS Louis-Lumière was relocated to the complex in 2012. EuropaCorp signed a lease with the Nef Lumière, owner of the tertiary complex, for space for its permanent staff and the film crews, with extra space for potential new activities. This tertiary complex is financed by both the Caisse des Dépôt and Vinci. EuropaCorp is a minority shareholder in the company operating the studios, joining Euro Media Group, Quinta Communications and Frontline. The Euro Media Group, which owns several film studios throughout Europe, will provide management of daily operations of these studios of

Films

Storia Television

Storia Television is a French television production company that specialises in creating television series and one-offs for the French and the international market. It was Europacorp's former television division. On April 16 2010, Europacorp acquired television production company Cipango. In January 2018, Mediawan announced that it had acquired the French television production division EuropaCorp Television from Europacorp and had renamed it into Storia Television expanding Mediawan's drama portfolio and becoming the biggest producer of television fiction content and expanded their international content however the American arm of Europacorp Television was excluded.

Television series

* '' XIII: The Series'' (2011–2012) * '' No Limit'' (2012–2015) * '' Transporter: The Series'' (2012–2014) * '' Flight of the Storks'' (2012) * ''Nom de code: Rose'' (2012) * '' Taken: The Series'' (2017–2018)

Awards and nominations

* 2009: ''

In the Beginning In the Beginning may refer to: Biblical phrase * "In the beginning" (phrase), a phrase in the Bible verses of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 Books * ''In the Beginning'' (novel), a novel by Chaim Potok * ''In the Beginning'' (Peter Gossage book) * ...

'' directed by

Xavier Giannoli Xavier Giannoli (born 7 March 1972) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. In 2010, he was named a Chevalier in the ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres''. Filmography Short film Feature film Producer * '' Demonlover'' (2002) * '' ...

competed as France's Official Selection in the Cannes Film Festival. * 2009: '' I Love You Phillip Morris'', in which Glenn Ficarra and

John Requa John Requa (born January 1, 1967) is an American screenwriter (with Glenn Ficarra) of '' Cats & Dogs'', '' Bad Santa'' and the 2005 remake '' Bad News Bears''. Requa and Ficarra directed Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in their screenplay '' I L ...

directed the film stars

and

, competed for the Camera d’Or during the Director’s Fortnight. * 2009: '' Taken'', directed by

Pierre Morel Pierre Morel (born 12 May 1964) is a French film director and cinematographer. His work includes ''District 13'', ''From Paris with Love (film), From Paris with Love'', and ''Taken (film), Taken.'' Career After spending his formative years in ...

, was nominated at the Teen Choice Award for the Action Adventure Movie Award. The movie and its soundtrack composer Nathaniel Mechaly in particular, won the BMI Film Music Award. * 2009: ''Human Zoo'', directed by

Rie Rasmussen Rie Rasmussen ( /riː/ ''REE''; born 14 February 1978) is a Danish actress, director, writer, photographer and former model. She is best known for her acting roles in the films ''Femme Fatale'' (2002) and '' Angel-A'' (2005). Early life and ed ...

, competed at the 59th Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section, as well as at the film festivals in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. * 2007: ''

'', directed by

Xavier Gens Xavier Gens (; born on ) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Career Gens directed three short films in his native language, ''BTK – Born to Kast'' (2000), ''Au petit matin'' (2005) and ''Sable noir'' (2006), before being hire ...

, won the Golden Trailer Award 2008 for Best Motion/Title Graphics. * 2007: ''

'', directed by

, won the NRJ Ciné Award 2007 for Best Dubbing; the film was also nominated at the Young Artist Award for Best International Family Feature Film and Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Actor with

. * 2006: '' The Chinese Botanist's Daughters'', directed by

Dai Sijie Dai Sijie (born 2 March 1954) is a Chinese French author and filmmaker. Early life Dai was born in Putian, Fujian, in 1954. His parents, Professor Dai Baoding and Professor Hu Xiaoyu, were professors of medical sciences at West China Un ...

, won in 2006 the Best Artistic Contribution and People’s Choice Awards at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada ''The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'' (also known as ''Three Burials'') is a 2005 neo-Western film directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It also stars Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, Dwight Yoakam, a ...

'', by

, was nominated for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

, and Tommy Lee Jones won the Best Actor Award while

Guillermo Arriaga Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (; born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican novelist, screenwriter, director and producer. Self-defined as "a hunter who works as a writer," he is best known for his Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and BAFTA Award ...

won the Best Script Award. The movie was given a place of honor at the Satellite Awards 2005 and the Independent Spirit Awards 2005. It also won the "Grand Prix" at the Flanders International Film Festival and the Bronze Wrangler at the Western Heritage Awards.