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The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent
film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
and
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 ...
company, which was founded in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
by
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surname) * Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II * Bob t ...
and
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America as well as in the United States. However, the firing of Harvey Weinstein following allegations of sexual harassment and rape against him, as well as financial troubles that followed, led to the company's decline. The studio eventually declared bankruptcy in February 2018, with independent studio
Lantern Entertainment Lantern Entertainment, LLC is an American independent film and television production company founded by Lantern Capital Partners on July 16, 2018. The studio was formed from the acquired assets of The Weinstein Company (TWC) in a bankruptcy au ...
acquiring a majority of its film library and assets. Co-founder and chief executive Bob Weinstein previously owned a small stake in the company. The company dismissed joint founder and chief executive Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, after more than 100 women accused him of sexual harassment, abuse, assault, and rape. On February 26, 2018, the Weinstein Company announced in a statement that it would declare
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
following the collapse of a buyout deal with an investor group led by
Maria Contreras-Sweet Maria Contreras-Sweet (born 1955) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. She was the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmérica ...
. However, the TWC board and the investor group confirmed on March 1, 2018, that they had reached a deal in which TWC would sell all of its assets for US$500 million. On March 6, 2018, the acquisition deal collapsed again after the studio had an extra debt of US$50 million revealed. The company filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
on March 19, 2018.The company filed for
liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
, and on May 1, 2018,
Lantern Capital Lantern Entertainment, LLC is an American independent film and television production company founded by Lantern Capital Partners on July 16, 2018. The studio was formed from the acquired assets of The Weinstein Company (TWC) in a bankruptcy au ...
emerged as the winner of the studio's bankruptcy auction and liquidation sale.


History


Early years

The Weinstein Company was founded on March 10, 2005, and officially launched that October. following the departure of Harvey and
Bob Weinstein Robert Weinstein (born October 18, 1954) is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother, H ...
from
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, ...
, which they had co-founded in 1979, and sold to
the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
on June 30, 1993. The Weinsteins retained ownership of the
Dimension Films Dimension Films was an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American " mini-majors" (i.e., small to m ...
label. Their first releases in 2005 included the dramatic thriller '' Derailed'' (starring
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...
,
Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Awards, César Award and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Awards, European Film Award and a Screen Ac ...
and
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 ...
), the offbeat comedy-drama '' Transamerica'' (starring
Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lynette Scavo in the ABC comedy-drama ''Desperate Housewives'' and her role as Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transgender woman, in the film ''Trans ...
) the animated family film ''
Hoodwinked Hoodwink, Hoodwinked, or Hoodwinkers may refer to: Films * '' Hoodwink (1981 film)'', 1981 Australian film * '' Hoodwinked!'', 2005 American action-comedy film ** ''Hoodwinked'' (soundtrack), from the film * '' Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil'', 20 ...
'', the World War II–era comedy-drama ''
Mrs Henderson Presents ''Mrs Henderson Presents'' is a 2005 biographical musical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Martin Sherman. It stars Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, and Will Young (in his acting debut). It tells the true story ...
'' (starring
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
and
Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough pl ...
), and the caper comedy ''
The Matador ''The Matador'' is a 2005 black comedy crime film written and directed by Richard Shepard, and starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. The film was released on DVD on July 4, 2006, and on HD DVD on December 19, 2006. Brosnan received praise an ...
'' (starring
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
and
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor and former talk show host. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, ...
). In February 2006, TWC announced a distribution pact with
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). MGM distributed the product domestically in theatres, while TWC retained long-term ownership of their product. On July 13, 2006, the Weinsteins and
Robert L. Johnson Robert Louis Johnson (born April 8, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor. He is the co-founder of BET, which was acquired by Viacom in 2001. He also founded RLJ Companies, a holding compa ...
announced the creation of a joint venture studio titled Our Stories Films, which distributed
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
-oriented films. On November 17, 2006, TWC announced a three-year deal with
Blockbuster Video Blockbuster may refer to: Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a former video rental chain * Blockbuster (Bend, Oregon), remaining store Arts and entertainment * Blockbuster (entertainment) a very successful movie * Blockbuster (DC Comics ...
to give Blockbuster exclusive rights for rentals starting on January 1, 2007. However, under the
First Sale Doctrine The first-sale doctrine (also sometimes referred to as the "right of first sale" or the "first sale rule") is a legal concept that limits the rights of an intellectual property owner to control resale of products embodying its intellectual prope ...
of United States copyright law, other rental companies are able to rent copies of the company's movies purchased at retail. TWC is the co-producer, along with Miramax, of the Lifetime reality series ''
Project Runway ''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design. It was created by Eli Holzman and was hosted by Heidi Klum from 2004 to 2017. It has a varied airi ...
'', which for its first five seasons aired on
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...
. The series won a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
in 2007. On May 23, 2007, TWC announced the launch of three new direct-to-video labels: the Miriam Collection, Kaleidoscope TWC, and Dimension Extreme. On February 8, 2008, TWC launched a distributor, Third Rail Releasing, that released films aimed mainly at the home video market. On September 25, 2008, TWC ended its three-year distribution pact with MGM three months before the December 31 end date. This happened in part because TWC had struck a television output deal with
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
, though not through MGM's output deal with them. During the span of their pact, TWC paid for marketing and prints, while MGM received a distribution fee for booking theatres.


Financial restructuring

On June 5, 2009, TWC announced the hiring of a financial adviser to restructure the finances of the company. After July 2009, many layoffs occurred at TWC, and the release dates of some films were pushed back. On September 14, 2009, TWC sold its stake in
Genius Products Genius Products (formerly known as Genius Entertainment) was a home entertainment company based in Santa Monica, California, United States. The ''Baby Genius'' line was one of a number of "smart toys" that came out in response to a study book ab ...
, which served as TWC's home video distributor from 2006 to 2009. Genius, however, had announced to exit the home video distribution business and the DVD rights that were distributed by Genius were sold to
Vivendi Entertainment Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (formerly known as Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Visual Entertainment and Visual Entertainment) was a film, television, DVD and digital distribution company that operated in the United States and Canada. It was also a ...
. TWC also struck a deal with Vivendi.Chakradhar Adusumilli
"Weinstein terminates stake in Genius Products-paper"
, 'Reuters'' uk.reuters.com Sep 15, 2009.
The same year, it won a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
for '' The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. On January 13, 2010, TWC announced more layoffs at the company after the box office failure of ''
Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
''. On February 21, 2010, TWC made a deal with
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
releasing the DVDs through
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) is a specialty film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The company specializes in acquiring and producing films for a wide variety of distribution platforms. History The group became a stand-al ...
.Weinstein Company Seals Sony DVD Deal
, deadline.com
Bob and Harvey Weinstein attempted to buy back Miramax Films from Disney in 2010, but the attempt was unsuccessful. An ownership interest in TWC's library, at that point consisting of 200 titles, was sold off to
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
and Assured Guaranty in 2010. The sale freed TWC from bankruptcy, and Goldman Sachs' stake in the library was purchased by
AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York City. The company owns and operates the AMC cable channel, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. It also owns the art ho ...
in 2015. According to ''
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 ...
'': "The library will revert to the Weinstein Company itself when the remaining debt has been paid off by the films in question." On January 4, 2011, TWC agreed to acquire a 25% stake in
Starz Media Starz Distribution, formerly IDT Entertainment from 2003 to 2006 and Starz Media from 2006 to 2013, is an American television production, distribution, and syndication company and the distribution arm of Starz Inc., a subsidiary of Starz Ente ...
. Because of this, Starz Media subsidiary
Anchor Bay Entertainment The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre ...
became the home video distributor for all TWC films.Weinsteins Buy 25% Stake In Starz Media
, deadline.com
On February 3, 2011, the Weinsteins extracted a $75 million
consolation prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
from their former parent company, Disney, thus improving their filmmaking careers. As a result, Disney handed over its 50% stake in ''Project Runway'', and reduced its share in four jointly owned films, including ''
Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon ...
'' and ''
Spy Kids ''Spy Kids'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of spy action comedy films created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows children siblings, who discover that their respective parents are spies and become involved in an espionag ...
'', from 50% to 5%. On February 27, 2011, TWC-distributed film ''
The King's Speech ''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ther ...
'' brought to the company their first Academy Award for Best Picture at the
83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, be ...
, after the brothers' last Best Picture Oscar winner ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
'' had won in 2002 when Bob and Harvey Weinstein were at Miramax Films, controlled by then corporate owner Disney. Their previous Best Picture nominees for TWC were 2008's ''
The Reader ''The Reader'' () is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in 1995. The story is a parable dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations have had comprehending the Holocaust; Ruth Franklin writes th ...
'' and 2009's ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'', the latter film a co-production with
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
and
A Band Apart A Band Apart Films LLC was an American independent film production company founded by Quentin Tarantino, Michael Bodnarchek, and Lawrence Bender in 1991, before its liquidation in 2006. Its name is a play on the French New Wave classic film, '' B ...
. On March 25, 2011, the company formed a video game division named TWC Games.Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat.
The English Patient The Video Game Artsy Film Makers at The Weinstein Co Form Video Game Division
". March 25, 2011.
TWC Games formed a strategic consultancy with Beefy Media, a video game production company, to foster relationships with publishers and create high-quality games. On February 26, 2012, after TWC's purchase of the rights to release
Michel Hazanavicius Michel Hazanavicius ( ; born 29 March 1967) is a French film director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. He is best known for his 2011 film, ''The Artist (film), The Artist'', which won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 84th Academy Aw ...
' '' The Artist'' in the United States, which won the prestigious Best Actor Award at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
for
Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...
, ''The Artist'' won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This was the second consecutive Oscar for Best Picture awarded to the Weinstein Company. The last independent mini-major to win back-to-back Oscars for Best Picture was
Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...
for their films '' Dances with Wolves'' in 1990 and '' The Silence of the Lambs'' in 1991. In August 2012 Mark Gooder, then CEO of the
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 ...
-
Bruce Davey Bruce Davey is an Australian film producer. A partner in Icon Entertainment alongside Mel Gibson, Sydney-born Davey has produced many films including '' Apocalypto'', '' The Passion of the Christ'', '' Push'', and ''Braveheart'' for which he ...
company
Icon Productions Icon Productions, also formerly referred to as Icon Entertainment International, is a production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey. Icon Productions LLC's headquarters were ...
, was appointed president of acquisitions and Australian operations for TWC. In this role he would be responsible for bringing in projects from scripts through finished films, and as part of the role would attend film markets and festivals. TWC distributed films on multiple formats (including
video-on-demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...
) through its Radius-TWC brand. On September 13, 2013, Bob and Harvey Weinstein launched the TWC-Dimension label to distribute projects of mutual interest They first released the TWC-Dimension label on
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
on January 16, 2015. On November 4, 2013, TWC announced they had picked up U.S. distribution rights to the British drama series ''
Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...
'' from
Endemol Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...
. On December 16, 2013, Miramax and TWC entered a 20-year joint-venture agreement to develop and produce films, television series, and stage shows. The deal would allow the Weinsteins to exploit the 700-film Miramax library. Sequels to ''
Rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...
'' and ''
Shakespeare in Love ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 period romantic comedy film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, B ...
'' were among the films being developed under this new deal, and series based on ''
Good Will Hunting ''Good Will Hunting'' is a 1997 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver. The film tells the story of janitor Will Hunt ...
'' and '' Flirting with Disaster'' were being planned as well. Other developments included a
Noah Hawley Noah Hawley (born 1967) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, author, and singer. He is best known for creating and writing the FX series '' Fargo'' (2014–present) and '' Legion'' (2017–2019). He also worked on the series '' Bones ...
-written film titled ''
The Alibi ''The Alibi'' is a 2006 American film directed by Kurt Mattila and Matt Checkowski and written by Noah Hawley. It stars Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn, and Selma Blair. The film was shown at 2006 CineVegas. The film was released to DVD on Decemb ...
'', and an adaptation of Liz Jensen's novel ''
The 9th Life of Louis Drax ''The 9th Life of Louis Drax'' is a 2016 supernatural thriller film directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Jamie Dornan, Sarah Gadon, Aiden Longworth, Oliver Platt, Molly Parker, Julian Wadham, Jane McGregor, Barbara Hershey, and Aaron Paul. It w ...
'', that late filmmakers
Anthony Minghella Anthony Minghella (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), ...
and
Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...
intended to make. Miramax would put up the financing and handle international sales while the Weinstein Company would develop the projects and distribute the titles domestically. On May 7, 2014, TWC announced a multi-year, multi-picture co-financing deal with Worldview Entertainment. However, Worldview only invested in the period drama ''
Tulip Fever ''Tulip Fever'' is a 2017 historical romantic drama film directed by Justin Chadwick and written by Deborah Moggach and Tom Stoppard, adapted from Moggach's 1999 novel of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Alicia Vikander, Da ...
'' due to the departure of CEO
Christopher Woodrow Christopher Woodrow is an American entrepreneur, financier, and movie producer. He is the founder and chairman of Media Capital Technologies. Woodrow has financed and produced over 45 feature films, including '' Birdman'', which won four Oscars, i ...
. In April 2015, the Weinstein Company was closing in on a deal to sell its television division to British network ITV for $950 million, but the deal was grounded in May. That same year, the company announced that around 40–50 layoffs would occur due to the box office failure of the comedy-drama '' Burnt'' among other factors. Shortly after, TWC announced they would no longer release the normal 18 films per year; instead, the company would release 8–10 films per year and would make fewer acquisitions at film festivals. On July 31, 2015, TWC COO and president David Glasser briefly left the company amid a string of company exits, but then in September, he rejoined the company and planned to stay as its COO and president until 2018. Harvey Weinstein also openly expressed interest in reacquiring Miramax and merging the film and television libraries of both companies when the latter went up for sale in July. On February 23, 2016, TWC decided to put its film library of 520 titles as well as a majority stake in its television division up for sale, and later signed investment banks
Moelis & Company Moelis & Company is a global investment bank that provides financial advisory services to corporations, governments, and financial sponsors. The firm advises on strategic decisions such as mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and restruc ...
and Thomas Dey's ACF Investment Bank to handle the television sale (which was resumed nine months after the failed talks with ITV) by looking for strategic investors. Meanwhile, in March, Miramax had been acquired by
BeIN Media Group beIN Media Group ( /ˈbiːɪn/; Arabic: مجموعة بي إن الإعلامية, ''Majmū‘at Bī’in al-I‘lāmiyyah'') is a Qatari state-owned global sport and entertainment network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. beIN distributes entertai ...
, but in a later July interview, however, Weinstein said that he was still interested in merging TWC with Miramax and combining the two companies' libraries in order to build a larger film library, even after the BeIN acquisition. On June 21, 2016, James L. Dolan exited TWC's board of directors and was replaced by hedge fund billionaire and
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
co-owner
Marc Lasry Marc Lasry (born September 23, 1959) is a Moroccan American billionaire businessman and private equity manager. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Avenue Capital Group. He was a co-owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks bask ...
. Later, on August 1, Opus Bank's media and entertainment banking division funded a $400 million
credit facility A line of credit is a credit facility extended by a bank or other financial institution to a government, business or individual customer that enables the customer to draw on the facility when the customer needs funds. A financial institution ma ...
into TWC. On August 18, 2017, TWC launched Mizchief, a film label dedicated to producing animated films. When Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of TWC, was explaining the origin of the name of Mizchief, he said that it was based on how one of his kids pronounced the word, "Mischief". The only film to be released under the label was the French-Canadian animated film '' Leap!'', released on August 25, 2017.


Sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein

On October 5, 2017, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that dozens of women, including more than 60 women in the film industry, had accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape. On October 6, three of the company's nine members of the board of directors (including Lasry) resigned after the allegations were published. Harvey Weinstein also announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence. On October 7, Paul Tudor Jones became the fourth member of the company's board of directors to resign. On October 8, TWC announced that Weinstein had been fired. Soon after, TWC executives announced that Harvey Weinstein will not receive credit on upcoming releases, and it may consider renaming the company. On October 12, board of directors member Richard Koenigsberg, who was one of the four signatories of a board of directors statement defending Weinstein, resigned from the company as well.


Sale efforts, bankruptcy and liquidation

Bob Weinstein stated on October 13 that media reports that his brother's sexual misconduct scandal had forced the company to explore either a sale or shutting down operations were inaccurate. Bob released an emailed statement claiming "our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company and it is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown of the company" and that "business is continuing as usual as the company moves ahead." This was contradicted by TWC president and COO David Glasser and a spokesman for company investor Goldman Sachs. Glasser and the other two remaining members of the company's board of directors also did not join Bob in signing this statement either. On October 17, ''
The Mist Mist is a weather phenomenon similar to fog. Mist, MIST or The Mist may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fiction * ''Mist'' (novel), a 1914 novel by Spanish author Miguel de Unamuno * ''The Mist'' (novella), a 1980 horror novella by Ameri ...
'' producer Amanda Segel accused Bob Weinstein of sexual harassment. His lawyer Bert Fields has denied the accusations. Bert Fields and colleague Charles Shephard petitioned a court to leave a rights dispute in which Greenberg Glusker Fields was representing the Weinstein Company due to unpaid bills on December 14, 2017. The firm underscored that it is not involved in the ongoing sexual scandals. "TWC has failed to pay Greenberg Glusker for its legal services in this matter and has stated that it will be unable to pay for its services as the cases icprogresses," writes Shephard in a Wednesday filing. The attorneys also note that TWC has been a Greenberg Glusker client for a long time. So, when the firm was asked to handle this matter, it agreed – even though, at that time, TWC already owed the firm substantial money for prior services. "Because of the manner in which plaintiff was pursuing the case, because of the size of Greenberg Glusker's receivable, and because of some new and significant issues unrelated to this litigation which had arisen and with which TWC was required to deal (issues that have received a lot of national press and issues which do not involve Greenberg Glusker in any way, and in which Greenberg Glusker played no role whatsoever), Greenberg Glusker became concerned about being paid for its services," states the filing. Bob Weinstein told Greenberg Glusker TWC would make a substantial payment on November 20, but it never came, according to the filing, and TWC executive vice president Sarah Sobel later told the firm TWC wouldn't be able to pay. Bert Fields and several other attorneys at the Greenberg Glusker Fields law firm represented the Weinstein Company from 2005 to December 2017. Reuters reported on October 16, 2017 that TWC had entered talks with private equity firm
Colony Capital DigitalBridge Group, Inc. is a global digital infrastructure investment firm. The company owns, invests in and operates businesses such as cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Digita ...
for the sale of its assets. On November 7, 2017, Colony Capital pulled out of acquiring the Weinstein Company. Other persons and companies that had expressed interest in acquiring TWC included rapper
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
,
Yucaipa Companies The Yucaipa Companies, LLC is an American private equity firm founded in 1986 by Ronald Burkle. It specializes in a private equity and venture capital, with a focus on middle-market companies, growth capital, industry consolidation, leveraged ...
,
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
,
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 ...
(the current home video distributor of TWC and
Miramax 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, ...
which ended up buying a 20% stake of Spyglass Media Group in July 2021 including the Weinstein Company films),
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 ...
(the former U.S theatrical distributor of TWC),
A&E Networks A&E Television Networks, LLC, doing business as A+E Global Media (formerly A+E Networks) is an American multinational broadcasting company owned and operated as a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company th ...
,
Administrator of the Small Business Administration The administrator of the Small Business Administration is the head of the Small Business Administration of the United States. The administrator is responsible for managing and the day-to-day operations of the agency. The administrator is nominat ...
Maria Contreras-Sweet Maria Contreras-Sweet (born 1955) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. She was the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmérica ...
, Killer Content,
Shamrock Holdings Shamrock Holdings, Inc., or Shamrock, is a private equity firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family's investment firm; the Disney family remains its sole investor. Shamrock is a private corporation, and is fully owned by the estate of Roy E. Disn ...
, Vine Alternative Investments,
Anchorage Capital Group Anchorage Capital Group (or simply Anchorage) is an American investment management firm based in New York City. The firm is known as one of the world's most prominent vulture funds, which are funds that invest in distressed securities. Backgr ...
,
MSD Capital DFO Management, LLC (formerly MSD Capital) is an American family office that manages the capital of Michael Dell and his family. The firm, which is based in New York City and has offices in Santa Monica and West Palm Beach, was formed in 1998. ...
,
beIN Media Group beIN Media Group ( /ˈbiːɪn/; Arabic: مجموعة بي إن الإعلامية, ''Majmū‘at Bī’in al-I‘lāmiyyah'') is a Qatari state-owned global sport and entertainment network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. beIN distributes entertai ...
(the current owner of Miramax),
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 ...
, and Versa. Contreras-Sweet had proposed turning TWC into a studio run by women, while Killer Content would donate the studio's profits to assault victims. If anyone acquired the Weinstein Company, the studio would change its name, and Bob Weinstein agreed to leave the company; he was expected to retain the
Dimension Films Dimension Films was an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American " mini-majors" (i.e., small to m ...
label. All the interested parties had to submit their first-round bids by December 20, 2017. On January 4, 2018, the Weinstein Company narrowed its bids down to six parties, with a sales price of below $500 million. The studio's owners would not receive any cash from the sale. As of November 8, 2017, the Weinstein Company had a debt load of $520 million, including $220 million from its film and television credit facilities, $150 million from production loans, $50 million in corporate debt and $100 million owed to performers. The studio expected to find a buyer without declaring for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, against the expectations of most of the interested parties. After it appeared that talks collapsed, the company announced it would file for bankruptcy. However, after continued negotiations in which New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman Eric Tradd Schneiderman (born December 31, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 65th attorney general of New York from 2011 until his resignation in May 2018. Schneiderman, a member of the Democratic Party, spent ten year ...
played a role, the TWC board reached a deal in which TWC sold all of its assets for $500 million; after the sales were finalized, the company was renamed and got a new board of directors of which a majority were women. However, after an additional $50 million in debt was revealed, the deal collapsed again. In order to raise funds, TWC has sold the rights to three of its films, ''
Paddington 2 ''Paddington 2'' is a 2017 live-action animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby, based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (to whom the film is also dedicated, Bond having died th ...
'', ''
In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of thr ...
'', and '' The Six Billion Dollar Man'', to
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...
. On January 19, 2018, TWC indefinitely postponed the releases of some of their films and upcoming projects (e.g. '' The War with Grandpa'', ''
The Upside ''The Upside'' is a 2017 American comedy drama film directed by Neil Burger, written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film ''The Intouchables'', which was itself inspired by the lives of Abdel Sallou and Philippe Pozzo di Bor ...
'', ''
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
'', and '' Scream'').
STX Entertainment STX Entertainment is an American independent entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth managing partner Bill McGlashan, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projec ...
later acquired the distribution rights to ''The Upside'', while ''Scream'' was sold to
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 ...
and ''Mary Magdalene'' was sold to
IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...
. As of February 2018, several companies had sued TWC, including
American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
($1.4 million), chocolatier
Lindt & Sprüngli Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, doing business as Lindt, is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company founded in 1845 and known for its chocolate truffles and chocolate bars, among other sweets. It is based in Kilchberg, Zürich, K ...
($133,333), and Canadian film distributor
Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
($7.2 million for ''
Paddington 2 ''Paddington 2'' is a 2017 live-action animated comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Farnaby, based on the stories of Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond (to whom the film is also dedicated, Bond having died th ...
''), On March 20, 2018, shortly after the studio filed for Chapter 11 protection, the Bankruptcy Court in Delaware published a 394-page list of creditors owed money from TWC; including the estate of rock musician
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
, film director
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
, and former First Daughter of the United States
Malia Obama The family of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, is a prominent American family active in law, education, activism and politics. Obama's immediate family circle was the first family of the United States from 2009 to 2017 du ...
. Several Russian studios, including
Central Partnership Central Partnership () is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014. History Central Partnership started as a TV content distributor in 1995–2000. ...
, Paradiz and Volga, and
Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born 25 June 1961) is a Kazakh-born Russian film director, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic '' Night Watch'' (2004) and the action thriller '' Wanted' ...
's Bazelevs Company, were also owed money from the studio. On January 7, 2019, Lantern Entertainment said that it was not responsible for TWC's unpaid debts. On March 19, 2018, the Weinstein Company announced that it had declared bankruptcy, and is considering a $310 million stalking horse offer with
Lantern Capital Lantern Entertainment, LLC is an American independent film and television production company founded by Lantern Capital Partners on July 16, 2018. The studio was formed from the acquired assets of The Weinstein Company (TWC) in a bankruptcy au ...
. The company's bankruptcy auction began on May 4, 2018. Twenty-three bidders had expressed interest in buying certain assets from the studio. On April 27, Miramax and Lantern emerged as the frontrunners in the company's bankruptcy sale. On June 22, 2018, Lantern lowered its acquisition price to $287 million. On July 9, 2018, several actors, directors, producers and writers protested Lantern's acquisition, asking a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge not to approve the purchase price for TWC's assets without first extracting a guarantee of payment to the creditors who are still owed money by the studio. On July 16, 2018, the bankruptcy judge agreed to convert the bankruptcy into a
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 ...
with an appointed
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...
to oversee
liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
, and TWC's assets were sold to the Dallas-based equity firm Lantern Capital Partners for $289 million. A newly formed studio,
Lantern Entertainment Lantern Entertainment, LLC is an American independent film and television production company founded by Lantern Capital Partners on July 16, 2018. The studio was formed from the acquired assets of The Weinstein Company (TWC) in a bankruptcy au ...
, assumed the rights to TWC's 277-film library. Co-presidents Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic took charge of a company that dropped to 50 employees from 170 due to departures and layoffs. A trio of film experts were expected to help the co-presidents hire an experienced film CEO. As of July 11, 2018,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
terminated its output contract with the Weinstein Company and would no longer accept deliveries or make payments to the studio. This affected the release schedule for the third season of the
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
series '' Scream'' (produced by Dimension Television, and billed as a
Netflix Original Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, documentaries and films. Netflix's original produ ...
internationally). On June 24, 2019, it was announced that the rebooted ''Scream'' series would be moving to
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
ahead of the premiere of the third season. The third season premiered on July 8, 2019. Two other Weinstein series; ''
Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...
'' and '' Spy Kids: Mission Critical''; remained available for streaming. In February 2019, Lantern was reported to be reaching a settlement with
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, regarding several films that Lantern did not acquire (including ''
Scream 4 ''Scream 4'' (stylized as ''SCRE4M'') is a 2011 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is the sequel to ''Scream 3'' (2000) and ...
'' and ''
The Matador ''The Matador'' is a 2005 black comedy crime film written and directed by Richard Shepard, and starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. The film was released on DVD on July 4, 2006, and on HD DVD on December 19, 2006. Brosnan received praise an ...
''). On July 15, 2019, Spyglass settled two major claims, including $11 million for
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
regarding the television series ''Scream'' and the film ''Sin City 2'' (which Lantern did not acquire).


Civil rights investigation

On October 23, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched a civil rights investigation into whether the Weinstein Company violated state civil rights and New York City human rights laws in its handling of sexual harassment complaints and other types of discrimination against employees. The attorney general's Civil Rights Bureau sent the company a subpoena seeking a long list of documents, including any documents and communications related to private out-of-court settlements struck with accusers. A group of Weinstein Company employees published a public statement in ''The New Yorker'' asking to be released from their signed nondisclosure agreements, which prohibit them from speaking out about their time at the company. In their statement, they wrote, "We all knew that we were working for a man with an infamous temper. We did not know we were working for a serial sexual predator." They asked the company to lift their NDAs so they could "speak openly, and get to the origins of what happened here, and how." On February 11, 2018, Schneiderman filed a civil rights lawsuit against the company, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, just shortly before an anticipated announcement that the company would be purchased by an investor group led by
Maria Contreras-Sweet Maria Contreras-Sweet (born 1955) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. She was the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmérica ...
. In the lawsuit, the company and both Weinsteins were accused of violating civil rights and gender discrimination laws, stating that it had "repeatedly and persistently treated female employees less well than male-employees through gender-based hostile workplace harassment, quid pro quo harassment, and discrimination" by maintaining "a group of female employees whose primary job it was to accompany HW (sic) to events and to facilitate HW's sexual conquests". In addition, the lawsuit includes information that the company's Chief Operating Officer communicated with the Human Resources Director about complaints where settlements and non-disclosure agreements were needed, with the H.R. Director not being involved in any investigation or resolution process "on more than one occasion", and details on verbal abuse and threats by Harvey Weinstein that he would (in substance) kill employees, directly or indirectly via claims that he "had connections to the Secret Service who could solve problems for him". In filing the lawsuit, Schneiderman sought to force the company to address several points: to give up non-disclosure agreements with past employees, provide better protection for employees "who would be reporting to some of the same managers" since most of the existing senior managers would remain in place, including David Glasser, current COO of the company, and insufficient funds to compensate alleged victims that would file suits. The investment group has allocated $50 million in the deal for compensation, which is in addition to the company's insurance policies. Other non-disclosure agreements were in effect between the company and the investment group, which prevented members of the group from talking to the Attorney General until February 10, though Bob Weinstein denied this. People "close to the sale" derided the timing of the filing "as an effort to score political points and grab media attention", and could lead to the sale falling through, forcing the company into bankruptcy and delaying compensation for victims. The investment group is said to meet with the Attorney General's office within a few days, with the decision whether to continue or abandon the bid for the company on hold until then. On February 16, 2018, the Weinstein Company fired President and COO David Glasser "for cause". Glasser filed a counter-suit on February 20 against the company and remaining board members, stating that no reasons other than "for cause" were given for the firing, which was described as "nothing more than a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from the very people who were empowered to halt Harvey Weinstein's abusive behavior".


Lantern Entertainment

Following the sale of all assets to Lantern Capital subsidiary, Lantern Entertainment, on July 16, 2018, the Weinstein Company was completely shut down along with its website; its last film was the
historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
''
The Current War ''The Current War'' is a 2017 historical drama film inspired by the 19th-century competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery system would be used in the United States (often referred to as the " ...
'' on October 25, 2019 in the United States. On November 13, 2018, Lantern acquired full control of three
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
films, ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'', ''
Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' ( ) is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Tarantino's A Band Apart and Columbia Pictures, it stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry W ...
'' and ''
The Hateful Eight ''The Hateful Eight'' is a 2015 American western thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce De ...
'', originally released by the Weinstein Company, for $6.1 million. On July 31, 2018, Lantern Entertainment signed a distribution deal 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 ...
for the Weinstein Company's library. On March 13, 2019,
Gary Barber Gary Barber (born 1957) is a South African and American film producer. Barber was the chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also co-founder of Spyglass Media Group. Biography Barber was born to a Jewish family in Johannesburg, South ...
and Lantern Entertainment revived
Spyglass Media Group Spyglass Media Group, LLC is an American independent film and television production and finance company based in Los Angeles, California. The company was founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum on August 21, 1998 as Spyglass Entertainment an ...
with other investors, including
WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC (Trade name, doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational corporation, multinational mass media and show business, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 ...
/
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
's
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
; Lantern made a majority investment, including licensing their film library, to Spyglass. On March 20, 2020, a federal judge ruled that Spyglass was not responsible for any of TWC's outgoing royalties. On July 15, 2021, Spyglass sold most of TWC's catalogue and distribution rights to
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 ...
, as part of an acquisition deal in which Lionsgate also purchased a 18.9% equity stake in Spyglass and signed a first-look television deal with the studio.


Radius-TWC

Radius-TWC (or simply Radius; stylized as RADiUS-TWC) is a dormant film label to TWC's division for distribution of multi-platform video-on-demand and theatrical productions. It was launched in 2012, and specialized in niche and independent films rather than those aimed at mainstream audiences. , Radius had released about 35 films, including: * ''
20 Feet from Stardom ''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film ...
'' * ''
A Lego Brickumentary ''A Lego Brickumentary'' (also known as ''Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary'') is a 2014 Danish-American documentary film directed by Kief Davidson and Daniel Junge, focused on the Danish construction toy Lego. The film was released on July 3 ...
'' * ''
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' is a 2006 American slasher film directed by Jonathan Levine and starring Amber Heard, Michael Welch, Whitney Able, and Anson Mount. The plot centers on a group of popular high schoolers who invite an attractiv ...
'' * ''
Bachelorette ''Bachelorette'' (/ˌbætʃələˈrɛt/) is a term used in American English for a Single person, single, unmarried woman. The term is derived from the word ''bachelor'', and is often used by journalists, editors of popular magazines, and some ...
'' * ''
Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
'' * ''
Citizenfour ''Citizenfour'' is a 2014 documentary film directed by Laura Poitras, concerning Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal. The film had its US premiere on October 10, 2014, at the New York Film Festival and its UK premiere on October 17, 2014, a ...
'' * '' Fed Up'' * ''
Horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...
'' * ''
It Follows ''It Follows'' is a 2014 horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. It stars Maika Monroe as a young woman who is pursued by a seemingly supernatural entity. Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and L ...
'' * ''
The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States an ...
'' * '' Lovelace'' * ''
Man of Tai Chi ''Man of Tai Chi'' is a 2013 martial arts film directed by Keanu Reeves in his directorial debut. It also stars Reeves, Tiger Chen, Iko Uwais, Karen Mok and Simon Yam. The film is multilingual, featuring dialogue in Mandarin, English and Cantones ...
'' * ''
Only God Forgives ''Only God Forgives'' is a 2013 action film written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and stars Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm. It was shot on location in Bangkok, Thailand, and as with the director's earlier f ...
'' * ''
Snowpiercer ''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The f ...
''


Weinstein Books

A successor of
Miramax Books Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoir ...
founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2001, the imprint was founded in 2009 as Weinstein Books, a joint publishing venture between the Weinstein Company and the
Perseus Books Group Perseus Books Group was an American publishing company founded in year 1996 by investor Frank Pearl. Perseus acquired the trade publishing division of Addison-Wesley (including the Merloyd Lawrence imprint) in 1997. In 2005, Perseus acquired ...
, published a range of general interest fiction, both literary and commercial, along with media-driven non-fiction and young adult titles. Since 2012, Weinstein Books was under the creative management of Publishing Director Georgina Levitt and Editorial Director Amanda Murray. Publicity Director Kathleen Schmidt joined Weinstein Books in 2013. Weinstein Books worked in collaboration with the Weinstein Company to create book tie-ins to films such as ''
My Week With Marilyn ''My Week with Marilyn'' is a 2011 biographical drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. Based ...
'', ''
Bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggressively dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perc ...
'' by Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Lee and '' One Chance'' by Paul Potts. On October 12, 2017, in response to the allegations,
Hachette Book Group Hachette Book Group, Inc. (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagard ...
(which had purchased Perseus's publishing arm in April 2016) announced the imprint would immediately be shuttered, with its titles and authors moving directly to Hachette Books.


International distributors

* Canada: **
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 ...
(2005–2008) **
Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...
(2008–2013) **
Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
(2013–2018) * United Kingdom: **
Momentum Pictures Momentum Pictures was a film distributor owned by Entertainment One, a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Prior to 2013, it was a brand of Canadian distributor Alliance Films used for its releases in the United Kingdom, and was one of the leading ...
(now
Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
) (2006–2011) **
Optimum Releasing StudioCanal Limited, doing business as StudioCanal UK (formerly known as Optimum Releasing), is a British film distribution division and the official British branch of the French film & television production and distribution company StudioCanal ...
(now known as
StudioCanal UK StudioCanal Limited, trade name, doing business as StudioCanal UK (formerly known as Optimum Releasing), is a British film distribution division and the official British branch of the French film & television production and distribution company ...
) (2007–2017 for some films) **
Entertainment Film Distributors Entertainment Film Distributors Limited is a British distributor of independent films in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded by Michael L. Green and is currently run by his son Nigel Green. The company has released many BAFTA and Osca ...
(2008–2018) (main contractor) ** Icon Entertainment International (2007–2009) **
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 ...
(2006–2008) ** Warner Bros. UK (''
TMNT ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained i ...
'' and ''
The Nut Job ''The Nut Job'' is a 2014 animated comedy film directed by Peter Lepeniotis, who also wrote the film with Lorne Cameron. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Stephen Lang, Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesi ...
/ The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature'' only) * Australia and New Zealand:
Roadshow Entertainment Roadshow Entertainment (formerly known as Roadshow Home Video from 1982–1993) is an Australian home video, production and distribution company that is a division of Village Roadshow (formerly Roadshow Home Video and Roadshow Entertainment) th ...
(2006–2018) * Russia: Forum Film (2010–2018);
Central Partnership Central Partnership () is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014. History Central Partnership started as a TV content distributor in 1995–2000. ...
/A Company (2007–2018) * Middle East: Italia Film (2009–2018) * Israel: Forum Film (2009–2018) * France:
SND Films Métropole Télévision SA, commonly known as Groupe M6 (), is a French media holding company. It was formed around the commercial television channel M6, launched in March 1987 by the CLT ( RTL Télévision) and La Lyonnaise des Eaux. In addi ...
;
StudioCanal StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., and Canal+ Production and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film & television production and distribution company which is a ...
;
Metropolitan Filmexport Metropolitan Filmexport is a French film distribution company founded by brothers Samuel and Victor Hadida, along with their father David, in 1978. It distributes films in France, alongside Lionsgate Canada in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, ...
* Indonesia: SinemArt; Multivision Plus * Spain: Diamond Films (2016–2018);
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 ...
(2005–2008),
Alliance Films Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP; and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec; or simply Alliance) was a Canadian motion picture distributi ...
(2008–2013),
Entertainment One Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series. The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
(2013–2016); DeAPlaneta (2006–2016), Tripictures (2006–2016),
Filmax Filmax International is a Spanish motion picture production company and film distributor based in Barcelona, and one of Spain's largest integrated film and television groups. It produced the ''REC'' horror series, and owns the Nirvana Films and ...
(2006–2016), Wide Pictures (2008–2011), Warner Bros. Pictures España (''
TMNT ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained i ...
'', ''
Vicky Cristina Barcelona ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' is a 2008 romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film stars Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson in lead roles. The plot centers on two American women, V ...
'' and ''
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
'' only),
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
(2006–2015),
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 ...
(2011)


Filmography


Highest-grossing films


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein Company 2005 establishments in New York City 2018 disestablishments in New York (state) American companies established in 2005 American companies disestablished in 2018 Companies based in Manhattan Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 Defunct film and television production companies of the United States Film distributors of the United States Harvey Weinstein International sales agents Lantern Entertainment Lionsgate Studios Mass media companies based in New York City Mass media companies established in 2005 Mass media companies disestablished in 2018 Non-theatrical film production companies American independent film studios