Orion Pictures: Difference between revisions

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===Background===  

'''Orion Pictures''' (legal name '''Orion Releasing LLC''') was formed as the "Orion Pictures Company" in March 1978 as a joint venture between [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] and three former executives of [[United Artists]]: Arthur B. Krim, Eric Pleskow and Robert S. Benjamin. When the studio was formed, they produced films that would be released by Warner Bros. In 1982, Orion bought Filmways, Inc., after Orion was unhappy with distribution agreements with Warner Bros. In June 1982, [[Filmways Pictures]] was reincorporated as "Orion Pictures Corporation". In 1983, Orion introduced [[Orion Classics]] as an art-house division.

On May 22, 1986, Metromedia purchased a minor stake in the studio and later purchased 67% of the studio on May 20, 1988. In the late 1980s, Orion began to struggle financially and would declare bankruptcy on December 11, 1991. In 1996, Orion Pictures under Metromedia acquired [[Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment]]. On April 11, 1997, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. acquired Metromedia's film studios (Orion, Goldwyn and the [[Motion Picture Corporation of America]]) and the deal was closed in July. A year later, Orion was folded into [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and the Motion Picture Corporation of America separated from MGM to become independent. Orion survived as an in-name-only unit of MGM during that time frame.

In 2013, MGM relaunched the Orion Pictures brand for use on genre films, which will run theatrical and multi platform campaigns, and became a standalone division with the same purpose in late 2017. In 2020, the division was relaunched again, this time with a new focus on BIPOC and other underserved audiences.

Currently, most of Orion's post-1982 films are owned by MGM (with Orion retaining the copyright). Warner Bros. continues to own all pre-1982 films, select films that they released afterwards (although MGM/Orion does own two Orion films they released after the initial deal, ''A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy'' and ''Zelig'') and films produced by The Saul Zaentz Company, [[StudioCanal]] owns ''First Blood'' through producer [[Carolco Pictures]], [[HBO Films]] owns North American distribution rights to ''Three Amigos'' (MGM retains TV and foreign rights, however), [[Paramount Pictures]] owns North American distribution rights to ''The Addams Family'' and [[Lionsgate Films]] owns films produced by [[Artisan Entertainment|LIVE Entertainment]]. Films produced by [[Nelson Entertainment]] and [[Hemdale Film Corporation]] were originally distributed by Orion and became owned by MGM (with Orion holding the copyright) after MGM purchased the pre-March 31, 1996 [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment|PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]] library.