Icon Productions, also formerly referred to as Icon Entertainment International, is a

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 in August 1989 by actor/director

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey. Icon Productions LLC's headquarters were established in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, before opening branches in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, and in the UK, and expanding into the business of

film distribution Film distribution, also called film exhibition or film distribution and exhibition, is the process of making a film available for viewing to an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marketin ...

. In 2008–2009, the company's UK operations were sold to Access Industries, and Icon Film Distribution UK was sold to Kaleidoscope Film Distribution UK in March 2018. , the parent company Dendy Icon Group in Australia, still held by Gibson and Davey, owns Icon Productions, Icon Film Distribution, Dendy Cinemas, and Icon Film Finance. There is also an Icon Productions office in Santa Monica, run by Vicki Christianson.

History

1990s–early 2000s

Icon started when Gibson was having trouble in financing his film ''Hamlet''. Gibson and Davey co-founded Icon Productions in August 1989 in order to fund the film. Gibson has explained that the company's name was chosen because icon means "image" in Greek, and that the inspiration came from a book on Russian icons in his den. The logo's artwork originally features a sketch of Michael the Archangel in 1993, but now features a small crop of the mother's left eye from the Theotokos of Vladimir

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

, an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

icon of Mary, mother of God. Unlike most other independents, Icon financed most of its development and packaging costs internally, mainly by Gibson, allowing it to retain creative control of projects through production. In late 1996, New Zealand producer Timothy White became founding head of a co-production venture between Fox and Gibson, called Fox-Icon, based at

Fox Studios Australia Disney Studios Australia (formerly known as Fox Studios Australia) is a Film, motion picture and television production facility in Sydney that has operated as part of The Walt Disney Company since 2019. Occupying the site of the former Sydney ...

. The company failed to produce a single film, shutting down in December 1999. In August 1999, the UK division signed a home video with

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

. In 2000, Icon established a

company for in Sydney, Australia, headed by Mark Gooder. A UK subsidiary for distribution was also established. Gooder moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

) in 2006 to manage production, acquisition, and distribution operations there. After the financial success of ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...

'' (2004), there was frequent mention of the ability of Icon to function as a mini-studio. However, Davey downplayed those expectations, saying, "The last thing we want is to become a studio. We don't want to become that top-heavy. We want to be independent and passionate. We don't want to lose the magic". Icon Productions owned a library of over 250 film titles.

2008–2009 changes

At the beginning of 2008, Icon was co-financing and co-selling the thriller '' Push'', with

Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment, LLC (formerly the Summit Group, Summit Export Group, Summit Entertainment Group Inc., Summit Entertainment Limited, Summit Films Limited, and Summit Entertainment N.V.) is an American film production label of Lionsgate Film ...

. It also had stakes in '' The Black Balloon'', an Australian drama starring

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

, and the horror comedy ''

Infestation Infestation is the state of being invaded or overrun by pests or parasites. It can also refer to the actual organisms living on or within a host. Terminology In general, the term "infestation" refers to parasitic diseases caused by animals su ...

''. In January 2008, Mark Gooder, then president of acquisitions and development, overseeing Icon Productions, Icon Entertainment International as well as the distribution companies in Australia and the UK, was appointed CEO in place of Davey. Gooder also became board member, along with COO and CFO Vicki Christianson. Davey's role as CEO of Icon Productions ended on 1 January 2008, but he continued as chairman of the board. Gooder managed Icon Productions' international sales and the UK distribution company from Los Angeles, at the same time running Icon in Australia. In February 2008, it was reported that screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald was suing Mel Gibson, along with Vicki Christianson, Icon Productions, Icon Distribution, Marquis Films, and Airborne Productions, for defrauding him of millions of dollars, as well as incorrectly taking co-writing credit for the screenplay of ''Passion of the Christ''. In May 2009, Gibson agreed to an undisclosed settlement with Fitzgerald. Details of the settlement, agreed at

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the California Superior Courts of California, Superior Court located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The Sup ...

, were not released. In February 2008, Icon entered the exhibition business for the first time by purchasing Dendy Cinemas, Australia's largest independent film distributor and art house cinema chain. In September 2008, Davey and Gibson started negotiations for the sale of the Icon international sales and film distribution arms along with the Majestic library. UK operations were sold to US-based industrial group Access Industries (founded by Leonard Blavatnik), with former

UK Film Council The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and ...

chairman

Stewart Till Stewart Till, CBE (born 1951) was the chairman and chief executive of United International Pictures from 2002 to 2006. He is a graduate of the University of Bath. Till was deputy managing director of British Sky Broadcasting's movie channels an ...

as new

CEO 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 ...

and equity holder in the business. The new company would continue to use the Icon name and would have a three-year first-look deal with Icon Productions to handle the international rights to its productions. The sale was completed in November 2009. The deal included Icon's international sales company, the distribution operation based in the UK, and the Majestic Films & Television library, but not the

operation Icon Productions LLC, which Gibson still owned outright with Davey, who relocated to Australia, the distribution operation based in Australia and the Dendy Cinemas operation were also not part of the acquisition deal.

2010–present

In November 2011, Icon announced it was closing its UK distribution wing to focus on financing and producing films, with

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 ...

taking over distribution and was said to be in talks to buy its back catalogue. In late 2012, Icon Entertainment International re-acquired a majority of the

Producers Sales Organization Producers Sales Organization (PSO; also known as PSO Productions, Inc.) was an independent motion picture production and sales company founded in 1977. Initiated by Mark Damon, an actor-turned-producer, PSO mostly handled foreign sales of independ ...

library from

. In 2013, it was announced that Icon UK could get backing from film fund Prescience. Earlier, the unit hired Exclusive Media (later AMBI Group) to represent its library. In September 2013, Icon Film Distribution UK was purchased by investment company New Sparta. In August 2012 Mark Gooder left Icon, after being appointed president of acquisitions and Australian operations for

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

. In September 2017, after a string of box office bombs back in 2016, Icon Film Distribution UK was put up for sale by New Sparta. In March 2018, New Sparta sold Icon Film Distribution UK to Kaleidoscope Film Distribution. In 2017 Icon Productions LLC in the US sued the producer of their film '' The Professor and the Madman'' for breach of contract, but on 19 June 2018, Judge Ruth Kwan of the

did not allow this, saying that there was not enough evidence.

Current operations

US

The 2025 film '' Flight Risk'', a thriller starring

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

, is a co-production between Icon and Davis Entertainment Company. Gibson directed and co-produced the film along with Davey, John Davis, and John Fox. the business registration of Icon Productions LLC in California shows its founding date as 29 May 1997. It lists an individual agent, Vicki Christianson, at 808 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 400, Santa Monica, Ca 90401.

Australia

The 2008–2009 transaction did not include the Australian distribution company and cinemas, which remained as Icon Film Distribution as of February 2019. The Australian arm became one of the leading independent distributors in Australia. , the Australian website states that the Dendy Icon Group, comprising Icon Productions, Icon Film Distribution, Dendy Cinemas, and Icon Film Finance, "focuses on quality feature films and alternative content within the Australian and New Zealand markets". The group is still owned by Gibson and Davey.

Films

* ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (1990) * '' Forever Young'' (1992) * '' Airborne'' (1993) * ''

The Man Without a Face ''The Man Without a Face'' is a 1993 American drama film starring and directed by Mel Gibson, in his feature film directorial debut. The film is based on Isabelle Holland's 1972 novel of the same name. Gibson's direction received positive rev ...

'' (1993) * ''

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6 or 7 July 1812 in Teplitz (then in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic). The unsent letter is writ ...

'' (1994) * '' Maverick'' (1994) * ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...

'' (1995) (co-production with

The Ladd Company The Ladd Company was an American film production company founded by Alan Ladd Jr., Jay Kanter, and Gareth Wigan on August 18, 1979. In 1979, the three founders were executives with 20th Century Fox; Ladd was the president. They announced thei ...

) * '' Dad and Dave: On Our Selection'' (1995) * ''

One Eight Seven ''One Eight Seven'' (also known as ''187'') is a 1997 American crime drama thriller film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was the first top-billed starring role for Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a Los Angeles teacher caught with gang trouble in ...

'' (1997) * ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, Анна Каренина, p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Tolstoy called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial in ...

'' (1997) * '' FairyTale: A True Story'' (1997) * '' Felicia's Journey'' (1999) * ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' (1999) * '' Payback'' (1999) * '' Ordinary Decent Criminal'' (2000) * '' Bless the Child'' (2000) * '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000) * ''

The Magic Pudding ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (2000) * ''

The Million Dollar Hotel ''The Million Dollar Hotel'' is a 2000 drama film based on a concept story by Bono and Nicholas Klein, directed by Wim Wenders, and starring Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, and Mel Gibson. The film features music by U2 and various musicians that ...

'' (2000) * '' The Miracle Maker'' (2000) (as Icon Entertainment International) * ''

Thomas and the Magic Railroad ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle; the cast includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Didi Conn, Russell Mean ...

'' (2000; UK) * '' The Little Vampire'' (2000) (UK and Ireland distribution only) * ''

The Legend of Bagger Vance ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' is a 2000 American sports fantasy drama film directed by Robert Redford, and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron. The screenplay by Jeremy Leven is based on Steven Pressfield's 1995 book '' The Lege ...

'' (2000) (distribution in the Benelux, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Russia only; as Icon Entertainment International) * ''

What Women Want ''What Women Want'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, and Diane Drake, directed by Nancy Meyers, and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The film was released on December 15, 2000 by ...

'' (2000) * '' Ghost World'' (2001) * '' Sweet Sixteen'' (2002) * ''

We Were Soldiers ''We Were Soldiers'' is a 2002 American war film written and directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson. Based on the book '' We Were Soldiers Once… and Young'' (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. ...

'' (2002) * ''

The Singing Detective ''The Singing Detective'' is a six-part BBC television serial drama, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon and directed by Jon Amiel. Its six episodes are "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It". ...

'' (2003) * ''

Paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2004; dir. Gibson) * '' Seraphim Falls'' (2006) * '' Apocalypto'' (2006) * ''

Black Sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

'' (2006) * '' Butterfly on a Wheel'' (2007) * '' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'' (2007) (UK and Ireland distribution only) * '' The Black Balloon'' (2008) (as Icon Entertainment International; "presents") * '' Dragon Hunters'' (2008) (as Icon Entertainment International; UK and Ireland home video only) * ''

Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In t ...

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * '' Mary and Max'' (2009) * ''

Nowhere Boy ''Nowhere Boy'' is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. ''Nowhere ...

'' (2009) * '' Push'' (2009) * ''

Black Dynamite ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-s ...

'' (2009) * ''

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

'' (2009) (as Icon Entertainment International) * '' Buried'' (2010) * ''

Edge of Darkness ''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 50 to 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and pol ...

'' (2010) * '' The Way'' (2010) * ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...

'' (2011) * '' Get the Gringo'' (2012) * '' Upside Down'' (2012) (UK and Ireland home video distribution only) * ''

You're Next ''You're Next'' is a 2011 American slasher film directed and edited by Adam Wingard, written by Simon Barrett and starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A. J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Sarah Myers, Amy Seimetz, Barbara Crampton a ...

'' (2013) (international distribution only) * '' Postman Pat: The Movie'' (2014) * '' Stonehearst Asylum'' (2014) * '' Mr. Holmes'' (2015) * '' The Neon Demon'' (2016) * '' The Nice Guys'' (2016) (UK and Ireland distribution only) * '' Road Games'' (2016) (UK and Ireland distribution only) * '' City of Tiny Lights'' (2016) (UK and Ireland distribution only) * '' Handsome Devil'' (2016) * ''

Hacksaw Ridge ''Hacksaw Ridge'' is a 2016 epic biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, based on the 2004 documentary '' The Conscientious Objector'' directed by Terry Benedict. Set in World War II, A ...

'' (2016; dir. Gibson) * '' Finding Fatimah'' (2017) * '' The Jungle Bunch'' (2017) * ''

Hotel Mumbai ''Hotel Mumbai'' is a 2018 Independent film, independent action thriller film directed by Anthony Maras and co-written by Maras and John Collee. An Indian-Australian-American Co-production (media), co-production, it is inspired by the 2009 docu ...

'' (2018) (Australian and New Zealand distribution only) * '' The Professor and the Madman'' (2019) * '' Nowhere Special'' (2020) * '' Hive'' (2021) * '' To Olivia'' (2021) * '' Hellboy: The Crooked Man'' (2024) (UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand distribution only) * '' Flight Risk'' (2025; dir. Gibson)

Television

* '' Invincible'' (2001 film, TBS) – in association with

Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Los ...

and Qian Yang International * ''

Clubhouse Clubhouse may refer to: Locations * The meetinghouse of: ** A club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal ** In the United States, a country club ** In the United Kingdom, a gentlemen's club * A ...

'' (2004 series,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

) – in association with

Spelling Television Spelling Television Inc. was an American television production company that went through several name changes. It was originally called Aaron Spelling Productions, then Spelling Entertainment Inc. and eventually part of Spelling Entertainment Gr ...

* '' Complete Savages'' (2004 series, ABC) – in association with Nothing Can Go Wrong Now Productions and

NBC Universal Television Studio Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the networ ...

* ''

Evel Knievel Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel (), was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted List of Evel Knievel career jumps, more than 75 ramp-to-ra ...

'' (2004 film,

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

) – in association with Jaffe/Braunstein Films and ApolloProScreen Filmproduktion * '' Kevin Hill'' (2004 series,

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

) – in association with O'Taye Productions and

Touchstone Television The second incarnation of Touchstone Television, formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios, was an American television production company and a subsidiary of the Disney Television Studios, a subsidiary of the Disney Media Networks business s ...

* '' Carrier'' (2008 series,

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

) – with Carrier Project

References

External links

* (Australia) * (Australia) * (Australia) {{Mel Gibson 1989 establishments in California American companies established in 1989 American independent film studios Companies based in Los Angeles Film distributors of the United States Entertainment companies based in California International sales agents Mass media companies established in 1989 Mel Gibson