PolyGram Filmed Entertainment: Difference between revisions

In the early 1980s, PolyGram Video was formed to distribute concert films and featured films acquired from third-parties. To make up the funding, in 1986, PolyGram Video launched "PolyGram Filmed Entertainment" as a subsidiary based in England and became a European competitor to Hollywood. The first film was ''P.I. Private Investigations'' in 1987. In 1989, they set up a film sales subsidiary [[Manifesto Film Sales]]. However, they didn't enter full US distribution or use a logo until 1992. Prior to that, PolyGram often used other US distributors for some of their films such as [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] (''Wild at Heart'' and ''Fear, Anxiety & Depression'') and [[New Line Cinema]] (''Drop Dead Fred'', ''Fools of Fortune'' and ''Chicago Joe and the Showgirl''). Between 1990 and 1995, PolyGram would acquire several production companies such as [[Working Title Films]], [[Propaganda Films]], [[Interscope Communications]], [[Island Pictures]] and [[ITC Entertainment Group|ITC Entertainment]], among others. They also formed 2 other labels as well: [[Gramercy Pictures]] in 1992 (which was launched as a joint venture between PolyGram and [[Universal Pictures]]. It also acted as an art house label for Universal and a US distributor for PolyGram) and [[Rogue Pictures]] in 1997 (which was launched as a low budget label for PolyGram). In 1998, PolyGram was acquired by Seagram & Sons, and operated until 2000, when it was shut down and folded into [[Universal Studios]]. In 1999, Seagram & Sons sold most of the pre-March 31, 1996 library to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and it was incorporated into their [[Orion Pictures]] library. Currently, most of the pre-March 31, 1996 PolyGram film library, including most films from Island Pictures, the entire [[Atlantic Releasing Corporation]] library (through Island), and the [[Epic Productions|Epic]] library (which PolyGram had acquired in 1997), is owned by MGM while Universal owns the rights to some pre-March 31, 1996 films (''Backbeat'', ''Before the Rain'', ''Hate'' (also known as ''La Haine''), ''The Jacksons: An American Dream'', ''Drop Dead Fred'' (in the UK only) and ''Cold Blooded'') and the rest of PolyGram's films until its disestablishment. The rights to the PolyGram name itself have since transferred to the [[Universal Music Group]], separate from the film studio since 2004.