Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) was an American independent global
film distributor
A film distributor is a person responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same as, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film.
The distributor may set ...
based in
Los Angeles, California
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, ...
. The company acquired and distributed feature films, television series and specialty programming.
History
Millennium Entertainment was 60% owned by production company
Nu Image.
Exclusive Media Group owned 20% and Prentice Capital owned the remaining stock.
[Millennium On The Block; Salem Partners To Handle Sale Of Distribution Unit.](_blank)
''Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' (April 22, 2013). Following its formation in 2010, the company marked its first noteworthy theatrical release in 2011 with ''
Trust'', starring Academy Award nominees
Clive Owen
Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...
,
Catherine Keener
Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academ ...
, and
Viola Davis
Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...
. Alchemy owns and operates
a film library consisting of over 1,000 titles, including ''Paris'', ''Je’TAime'', ''
Transsiberian'', and ''
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans'', as well as the recent titles ''
Elephant White'', starring
Djimon Hounsou
Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as C ...
and
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Bacon made his featu ...
; ''
Shadows and Lies'', starring
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...
; and ''Blitz'', starring
Jason Statham.
Television series released by Alchemy include ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...
'', ''
Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...
'', and ''
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...
''.
First Look Studios
First Look Studios, Inc. was an American independent film and home video distributor based in Los Angeles, California. The company specialized in the acquisition and direct distribution of, and worldwide license and sale of distribution rights t ...
originally released all eight seasons of ''The Cosby Show'', ''A Different World'', and other shows on DVD, but they eventually filed bankruptcy in 2010.
Millennium Entertainment acquired all of First Look Studios’ assets, and continued to release them in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
, and other
U.S. Territories
Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions and dependent territories overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indian reservations in th ...
. In April 2013, it was announced that Millennium Entertainment would be sold, and an investment company, Salem Partners, would assist in the sale.
In August 2014 the company's library and distribution assets had been sold to a consortium consisting of its current management and Virgo Investment Group. The new owners renamed the company Alchemy in January 2015, finally cutting ties to its former sister company
Millennium Films.
In July 2015 Alchemy acquired the film distribution assets of ANconnect and the digital film and television distributor Anderson Digital, both divisions of Anderson Media Corporation. The transaction will result in the addition of 40 new employees to the existent 70 and expand the company's catalogue to over 1,300 films and 3,000 TV episodes. In December 2015 Bill Lee exited the company as CEO.
Bankruptcy
In February 2016 Alchemy laid off 40 employees, equaling 40% of the company's entire staff. due to liquidity issues. The company began selling off previously acquired films including ''
The Lobster'', ''
Free Fire'', ''
Mia Madre'', ''
31'' and ''
Evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
''. ''The Lobster'' and ''Free Fire'' were purchased by
A24, while ''Mia Madre'' was sold to
Music Box Films, ''31'' to
Saban Films
Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment company based in 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 ...
and ''Evolution'' to
IFC Midnight. The last of their acquisitions, ''
Zeroville'', wasn't released until 2019.
Alchemy filed for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...
on June 30, 2016. All employees were released following the bankruptcy.
Alchemy's remaining film library is currently owned by
FilmRise
FilmRise is an American media company, headquartered in New York City, that operates a film and television studio and a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) network. As of November 2024, the FilmRise app has reported more than 31.5 milli ...
.
Releases
TV series
* ''
Bethenny Ever After''
* ''
Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...
''
* ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...
''
* ''
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...
''
* ''
Flipping Out
''Flipping Out'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Bravo on July 31, 2007, and ended on November 20, 2018. The show is centered on designer Jeff Lewis in Los Angeles, California, his executive assistant Jenni Pulos, his ...
''
* ''
Guy's Big Bite''
* ''
Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...
''
* ''
The Invisible Man
''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...
''
* ''
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
* ''
McMillan & Wife
''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976 to 1977) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, ...
''
* ''
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
''Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles'' (previously ''Million Dollar Listing'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo on August 29, 2006. The series chronicles the professional and personal l ...
''
* ''
The Millionaire Matchmaker''
* ''
Pregnant In Heels''
* ''
The Rachel Zoe Project
''The Rachel Zoe Project'' is an American reality television series starring celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. The series premiered on September 9, 2008 on the Bravo television network.
The show was confirmed by Bravo for a second season on Decemb ...
''
* ''
Tabatha Takes Over''
* ''
Unsolved Mysteries''
Animated
* ''
Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table''
* ''
Back To The Jurassic''
* ''
Dinky Dog''
* ''
Drak Pack''
* ''
Khumba''
* ''
Wing Commander Academy
''Wing Commander Academy'' is a 1996 United States, American animated television series produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, along with a team led by Larry Latham. The show was based on the Wing Commander (franchise), Wing Commander franchise and ...
''
Films
* ''Alpha Males Experiment''
* ''
Are You Here''
* ''
The Babymakers''
* ''
Bernie''
* ''
Blitz''
* ''
Buck Wild''
* ''
Control''
* ''
Dead Awake''
* ''
Dead Sushi''
* ''
The Elephant in the Living Room''
* ''
Elephant White''
* ''
Elsa & Fred''
* ''
Faces in the Crowd''
* ''Fake''
* ''
High Road''
* ''
Hisss''
* ''
The Iceman ''
* ''
Intruders''
* ''
Laddaland''
* ''
Life of a King
''Life of a King'' is a 2013 American drama film directed by Jake Goldberger. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, and LisaGay Hamilton.
Plot
The film tells the true story of Eugene Brown ( Cuba Gooding Jr.), an ex-convict who st ...
''
* ''Linklater''
* ''The Liquidator''
* ''Little Birds''
* ''
A Little Bit of Heaven''
* ''
Love
Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
''
* ''
Moonwalkers''
* ''The Nocturnal''
* ''
Persecuted''
* ''Playing Dirty''
* ''
Puncture
Puncture, punctured or puncturing may refer to:
* a flat tyre in British English (US English "flat tire" or just "flat")
* a penetrating wound caused by pointy objects as nails or needles
* Lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap
* Puncture ( ...
''
* ''
Rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department
** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...
''
* ''
Red Lights''
* ''
Rob the Mob''
* ''
The Runner''
* ''
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving.
Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
''
* ''
Shadows and Lies''
* ''
Skin Traffik''
* ''
So Undercover''
* ''Spiders''
* ''
Stolen''
* ''
Straight A's
''Straight A's'' is a 2013 American romantic comedy film directed by James Cox (director), James Cox, produced by Jamie Adamic, and starring Anna Paquin, Ryan Phillippe and Luke Wilson. The film was released on January 13, 2013, in Brazil and on Ma ...
''
* ''
Strangerland''
* ''
Stuck in Love''
* ''
Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
* one who survives
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
''
* ''
The Taking of Deborah Logan''
* ''Trespass''
* ''
Trust''
* ''The Ultimate Yogi''
* ''
Upside Down''
* ''The Wedding Weekend''
* ''
Welcome to Me
''Welcome to Me'' is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Shira Piven and written by Eliot Laurence. The film stars Kristen Wiig as Alice Klieg, a lottery winner with borderline personality disorder who uses her newfound wealth to write ...
''
* ''
What Maisie Knew''
* ''It's Alive''
Distributed lines
*
UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship
* Video Asia
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Alchemy LLC websiteYouTube.com: Millennium Entertainment channel
Film distributors of the United States
Home video companies of the United States
Defunct film and television production companies of the United States
Entertainment companies based in California
Companies based in Los Angeles
Entertainment companies established in 2010
Mass media companies established in 2010
Mass media companies disestablished in 2016
2010 establishments in California
2016 disestablishments in California
Companies that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2016
Companies that have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Privately held companies based in California
Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles