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68-454: United Artists ( UA ) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios . In its original operating period, UA was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin , D.W. Griffith , Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as a venture premised on allowing actors to control their own financial and artistic interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios. After numerous ownership and structural changes and revamps, United Artists

136-552: A 20 percent stake in the common shares of the joint venture, with the remaining 20 percent of common shares held by lawyer and advisor William Gibbs McAdoo . The idea for the venture originated with Fairbanks, Chaplin, Pickford and cowboy star William S. Hart a year earlier. Already Hollywood veterans, the four stars talked of forming their own company to better control their own work. They were spurred on by established Hollywood producers and distributors who were tightening their control over actor salaries and creative decisions,

204-585: A Comedy Series for Brosnahan. United Artists Releasing's Women Talking earned a nomination for Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards and won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay . In 2023, Orion Pictures ' American Fiction earned Amazon MGM Studios its first win for the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival following the studio's rebrand. The film went on to receive five nominations at

272-570: A UA release except that Selznick wanted Clark Gable , who was under contract to MGM, to play Rhett Butler . Also that year, Fairbanks died. UA became embroiled in lawsuits with Selznick over his distribution of some films through RKO. Selznick considered UA's operation sloppy, and left to start his own distribution arm. In the 1940s, United Artists was losing money because of poorly received pictures. Cinema attendance continued to decline as television became more popular. The company sold its Mexican releasing division to Crédito Cinematográfico Mexicano,

340-543: A buyout led by Sony Pictures . In 2015, Transparent was the first show produced by Amazon Studios to win a major award and the first show produced by a streaming media service to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (a.k.a. "Golden Globe for Best Series"). In 2017, for Manchester by the Sea , Amazon Studios became the first streaming media service to be nominated for

408-553: A century later. Other successful projects backed in this period included the Pink Panther series, which began in 1964, and Spaghetti Westerns , which made a star of Clint Eastwood in the films of A Fistful of Dollars , For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly . In 1964, the French subsidiary, Les Productions Artistes Associés, released its first production That Man from Rio . In 1965, UA released

476-717: A deal with the studio to produce films and TV shows. Amazon MGM Studios Productions from this studio, as of September 2023, are primarily distributed through movie theaters under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) label and Amazon's own streaming media service, Amazon Prime Video . Alongside Amazon Prime Video, the company constitutes one half of Amazon's membership in the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which it joined on October 1, 2024. Scripts for television and films used to be submitted online to Amazon and read by staff; however,

544-413: A first look on films the latter company intends to produce for theatrical and streaming releases, including a film adaptation of the musical Fun Home . In July 2024, the company announced the revival of United Artists after more than a decade of dormancy as a label, entering a multi-year partnership with Scott Stuber , former Chief of Film at Netflix and Vice Chairman at Universal Pictures . Under

612-471: A free download. It contained a survey allowing Amazon to collect feedback to determine whether or not it was worthwhile to make the comic into a film. Amazon Studios had received more than 10,000 feature screenplay submissions as of September 2012 and 2,700 television pilots as of March 2013; 23 films and 26 television series were in active development as of March 2013. In late 2016, it reorganized its film division into Prime Movies. On July 27, 2017, it

680-473: A local company. In 1941, Pickford, Chaplin, Disney, Orson Welles , Goldwyn, Selznick, Alexander Korda, and Wanger—many of whom were members of United Artists—formed the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers (SIMPP). Later members included Hunt Stromberg , William Cagney , Sol Lesser , and Hal Roach . The Society aimed to advance the interests of independent producers in an industry controlled by

748-608: A new company with Darryl F. Zanuck , called Twentieth Century Pictures , which soon provided four pictures a year, forming half of UA's schedule. Schenck formed a separate partnership with Pickford and Chaplin to buy and build theaters under the United Artists name. They began international operations, first in Canada, and then in Mexico. By the end of the 1930s, United Artists was represented in over 40 countries. When he

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816-460: A process that evolved into the studio system . With the addition of Griffith, planning began, but Hart bowed out before anything was formalized. When he heard about their scheme, Richard A. Rowland , head of Metro Pictures , apparently said, "The inmates are taking over the asylum." The four partners, with advice from McAdoo (son-in-law and former Treasury Secretary of then-President Woodrow Wilson ), formed their distribution company. Hiram Abrams

884-444: A profitable rental library, including Associated Artists Productions , owners of Warner Bros. pre-1950 features, shorts and cartoons and 231 Popeye cartoon shorts purchased from Paramount Pictures in 1958, becoming United Artists Associated , its distribution division. In 1963, UA released two Stanley Kramer films, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and A Child Is Waiting . In 1964, UA introduced U.S. film audiences to

952-479: A substantial success, Moulin Rouge (1952). As well as The African Queen UA also had success with High Noon in their first year, earning a profit of $ 313,000 compared to a loss of $ 871,000 the previous year. Other clients followed, among them Stanley Kramer , Otto Preminger , Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions , and actors newly freed from studio contracts and seeking to produce or direct their own films. With

1020-404: A telegram for a foreign country asking him to come at once to its capital. At the train station he is met by a mysterious stranger and told he will be summoned when the time is right. A rebellion is brewing and the plotters seek to capture him, but Bill eludes them. The King (Southern) gathers his court around him while the rabble, headed by the traitorous Minister of War, storm the castle. Bill dons

1088-516: A ten-figure deal with 87North Productions . In November 2022, it was announced that Jennifer Salke, in addition to Amazon Studios, will be given full control of MGM's film and television divisions, with Brearton stepping down as COO to become the Vice President of PVS Corporate Strategy for MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television. In December 2022, Intrepid Pictures signed a multi-year overall television deal with Amazon Studios. The studio

1156-399: A wild idea: let them take over United Artists for ten years. If UA was profitable in one of the next three years, they would have the option to acquire half the company by the end of the ten years and take full control. Fox Film Corporation president Spyros Skouras extended United Artists a $ 3 million loan through Krim and Benjamin's efforts. In taking over UA, Krim and Benjamin created

1224-440: Is at the front of the crowd, wearing a thick mustache and a cloth cap. He can also be seen on the staircase as the men race up the stairs to Bill Brooks's room. As described in a film magazine , Bill (Fairbanks), whose hair raising antics have made him the talk of New York City, decides to leave the metropolis after a new district attorney starts cracking down on minor offenses, and visits Mexico in search of adventure. He receives

1292-503: Is one of the largest employers in Culver City with roughly 2,700 staffing their headquarters and production facilities. In January 2023, Critical Role Productions signed a multi-year overall television and first-look film deal with Amazon Studios. In March 2023, it was announced in response to the decision to release Air into theaters worldwide instead of Prime Video, that Amazon had shut down United Artists Releasing and folded

1360-456: The 1971 screen version of Fiddler on the Roof . However, the 1972 film version of Man of La Mancha was a failure. New talent was encouraged, including Woody Allen , Robert Altman , Sylvester Stallone , Saul Zaentz , Miloš Forman , and Brian De Palma . With UA being the distributor for Woody Allen's Bananas (1971), it started as the distributor for a series of Woody Allen films. With

1428-589: The 96th Academy Awards ; including Best Picture, and won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His Majesty, the American His Majesty, the American is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Douglas Fairbanks . It was the first film produced for distribution by United Artists . It was released in the U.K. as One of the Blood . Prints exist in

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1496-836: The Academy Award for Best Picture ; the film was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards , winning two: Best Actor for Casey Affleck and Best Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan . The film The Salesman (2016) won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film ; it was directed by Asghar Farhadi and distributed in the US by Amazon Studios. In 2018, the period comedy-drama television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , starring Rachel Brosnahan , won two Golden Globe Awards ( Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Brosnahan) and five Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in

1564-479: The Mirisch brothers , Billy Wilder , Joseph E. Levine and others. In 1961, United Artists released West Side Story , which won ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture ). In 1960, UA purchased Ziv Television Programs . UA's television division was responsible for shows such as Gilligan's Island , The Fugitive , Outer Limits , and The Patty Duke Show . The television unit had begun to build up

1632-864: The Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2023, Sitting in Bars with Cake , which was released on Prime Video on September 8, 2023, and A Million Miles Away which was released on Prime Video on September 15, 2023, all 3 films were released through the MGM banner. On October 4, 2023, Pablo Iacoviello, the studio's director of monetization for local originals, announced at the TV forum Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid that Amazon Studios would merge with MGM Holdings and would be renamed to Amazon MGM Studios itself to reflect this. This would also result in

1700-720: The 1980s. As part of the deal, UA acquired MGM's music publishing operation, Robbins, Feist, Miller. In 1975, Harry Saltzman sold UA his 50 percent stake in Danjaq , the holding-company for the Bond films. UA released One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975, which won the Best Picture Academy Award and was UA's highest-grossing film, with a gross of $ 163 million. UA followed with the next two years' Best Picture Oscar winners, Rocky and Annie Hall , becoming

1768-421: The American , written by and starring Fairbanks, was a success. Funding for movies was limited. Without selling stock to the public like other studios, all United had for finance was weekly prepayment installments from theater owners for upcoming movies. As a result, production was slow, and the company distributed an average of only five films a year in its first five years. By 1924, Griffith had dropped out, and

1836-589: The Beatles by releasing A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965). At the same time, it backed two expatriate North Americans in Britain, who had acquired screen rights to Ian Fleming 's James Bond novels. For $ 1 million, UA backed Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli 's Dr. No in 1963 and launched the James Bond franchise . The franchise outlived UA's time as a major studio, continuing half

1904-560: The James Bond, Pink Panther, and Woody Allen films, UA had a series of films based on well known characters in the 1970s. In 1973, United Artists took over the sales and distribution of MGM 's films in Anglo-America . Cinema International Corporation assumed international distribution rights for MGM's films and carried on to United International Pictures (made from CIC and UA's International assets being owned by partner MGM) in

1972-645: The United Artists brand as United Artists Digital Studios for the Stargate Origins web series as part of its Stargate franchise , but retired the name after 2019 and instead used its eponymous brand for subsequent releases. A local joint distribution venture between MGM and Annapurna Pictures launched on October 31, 2017 was rebranded as United Artists Releasing on February 5, 2019, in honor of its 100th anniversary. However, Amazon , MGM's now-parent company, folded UAR into MGM on March 4, 2023, citing "newfound theatrical release opportunities" following

2040-601: The United Kingdom and France. In April 2018, Amazon Studios announced that they would no longer accept open submissions of screenplays to limit the filmmakers they work with to those whom the studio has established working relationships with and turn away up-and-comers from pitching their projects, deeming them as "unsolicited material" and "not notable and talented enough to work with them." In May 2021, Amazon (parent company of Amazon Studios) entered negotiations to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). On May 26, 2021, it

2108-512: The anticipated George Stevens' production of The Greatest Story Ever Told and was at the time, the most expensive film which was budgeted at $ 20 million. Max Von Sydow, in the role of Jesus Christ, led an all-star cast which included Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Martin Landau, Dorothy McGuire, Sal Mineo, Ina Balin, Joanna Dunham, David McCallum, Nehemiah Persoff, Donald Pleasence, José Ferrer and Ed Wynn. The film did not make back its budget and

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2176-699: The box-office opening success of Creed III . In July 2024, Amazon MGM Studios announced the company's revival, entering a multi-year first look deal with film producer Scott Stuber , who will also be involved with all releases under the freshly revived banner. In 1918, Charlie Chaplin could not get his parent company First National Pictures to increase his production budget despite being one of their top producers. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks had their own contracts, with First National and Famous Players–Lasky respectively, but these were due to run out with no clear offers forthcoming. Sydney Chaplin, brother and business manager for Charlie, deduced something

2244-408: The company was facing a crisis. Veteran producer Joseph Schenck was hired as president. He had produced pictures for a decade, and brought commitments for films starring his wife, Norma Talmadge , his sister-in-law, Constance Talmadge , and his brother-in-law, Buster Keaton . Contracts were signed with independent producers, including Samuel Goldwyn , and Howard Hughes . In 1933, Schenck organized

2312-406: The company. The company made Marty which won 1955's Palme d'Or and Best Picture Oscar. 12 Angry Men (1957) which according to Krim before home video, was being seen on TV 24 hours a day, 365 days a year some place in the world. By 1958, UA was making annual profits of $ 3 million a year. United Artists went public in 1957 with a $ 17 million stock and debenture offering. The company

2380-503: The deal, Stuber will produce films under his newly formed production company for United Artists, with Stuber involved with all projects released by the freshly revived banner. In September 2024, it was announced that Amazon MGM and Prime Video would join the MPA as its seventh member starting October 1, the second non-studio to do so after Netflix in 2019; this would also mark a return to the MPA for MGM after it lost membership in 2005 following

2448-604: The distributor's operations into MGM, making Creed III the first film to be distributed by the latter studio itself under Amazon's ownership. Also in March, Joe Quesada signed an exclusive first-look deal with Amazon Studios, and the studio also signed a multi-year first-look film deal with Imagine Entertainment . In May 2023, Amazon Studios created Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, an international film and television distribution unit for Amazon and MGM projects. The distributor's first films were Saltburn , which premiered at

2516-455: The dynamics of the business changed, these "producing partners" drifted away. Samuel Goldwyn Productions and Disney went to RKO and Wanger to Universal Pictures . In the late 1930s, UA turned a profit. Goldwyn was providing most of the output for distribution. He sued United several times for disputed compensation leading him to leave. MGM's 1939 hit Gone with the Wind was supposed to be

2584-603: The film The Stolen Child with 20th Century Studios . In July 2015, Amazon announced it had acquired Spike Lee 's new film, Chi-Raq , as its first Amazon Original Movie. In 2010 Amazon Studios started allowing people to submit screenplays, which Amazon Studios and its customers would vote on. The top scriptwriters were told that they would earn cash prizes. This was named as "the scientific studio" by Jeff Bezos . This program stopped eight years later as submitted scripts were of low quality. Amazon Studios also released its only comic-book series, Blackburn Burrow , in 2012 as

2652-403: The film holdings of Cohen Media Group (Raymond Rohauer collection) [a 35mm positive]; in the film holdings of EmGee Film Library [a 16mm reduction positive]; and in private film collections [a 16mm reduction positives]. This was one of Boris Karloff's earliest acting jobs in the movie industry. He can be spotted in the scene where Sarzeau's men storm the inn where Bill Brooks is staying. Karloff

2720-432: The film making business, and put United Artists on the market. Kirk Kerkorian 's Tracinda Corp. purchased the company in 1981. Tracinda also owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1981, United Artists Classics, which formerly re-released library titles, was turned into a first-run art film distributor by Nathaniel T. Kwit, Jr. Tom Bernard was hired as the division director, as well as handling theatrical sales, and Ira Deutchman

2788-482: The first studio to win the award for three years running and also to become the studio with the most Best Picture winners at that time, with 11. However, Transamerica was not pleased with UA's releases such as Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango in Paris that were rated X by the Motion Picture Association of America . In these instances, Transamerica demanded the byline "A Transamerica Company" be removed on

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2856-528: The first studio without an actual "studio". Primarily acting as bankers, they offered money to independent producers. UA leased space at the Pickford/Fairbanks Studio but did not own a studio lot. Thus UA did not have the overhead, the maintenance, or the expensive production staff at other studios. Among their first clients were Sam Spiegel and John Huston , whose Horizon Productions gave UA one major hit, The African Queen (1951) and

2924-408: The formation of Orion Pictures , with backing from Warner Bros . The departures concerned several Hollywood figures enough that they took out an ad in a trade paper warning Transamerica that it had made a fatal mistake in letting them go. Later that year, it entered into a partnership with Lorimar Productions , whereas United Artists would distribute Lorimar's feature films theatrically, while Lorimar

2992-458: The group ceased operations. Needing a turnaround, Pickford and Chaplin hired Paul V. McNutt in 1950, a former governor of Indiana, as chairman and Frank L. McNamee as president. McNutt did not have the skill to solve UA's financial problems and the pair was replaced after only a few months. On February 15, 1951, lawyers-turned-producers Arthur B. Krim (of Eagle-Lion Films ), Robert Benjamin and Matty Fox approached Pickford and Chaplin with

3060-539: The group was consolidated into one entity as United Artists Records and in 1979, EMI acquired the division which included Blue Note Records . In 1959, after failing to sell several pilots, United Artists offered its first ever television series, The Troubleshooters , and later released its first sitcom, The Dennis O'Keefe Show . In the 1960s, mainstream studios fell into decline and some were acquired or diversified. UA prospered while winning 11 Academy Awards, including five for Best Picture, adding relationships with

3128-443: The instability in the film industry due to theater divestment, the business was considered risky. In 1955, movie attendance reached its lowest level since 1923. Chaplin sold his 25 percent share during this crisis to Krim and Benjamin for $ 1.1 million, followed a year later by Pickford who sold her share for $ 3 million. In the late 1950s, United Artists produced two modest films that became financial and critical successes for

3196-683: The label was briefly rechristened in 1984 as MGM/UA Classics before it ceased operating in the late 1980s. The merged studios became known as the MGM/UA Entertainment Company and in 1982 began launching new subsidiaries: the MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group , MGM/UA Classics and MGM/UA Television Group . Kerkorian also bid for the remaining, outstanding public stock, but dropped his bid, facing lawsuits and vocal opposition. In 1981, Fred Silverman and George Reeves via InterMedia Entertainment struck

3264-463: The long-term success of our business, while relentlessly focusing on what we know matters most to our customers," according to Mike Hopkins. In March 2024, beginning with the Prime Video release of the remake of Road House , Amazon MGM Studios kicked off the centennial anniversary celebration of the founding of MGM with a "100 Years" logo variant appearing on all films produced and released by

3332-772: The on-screen 2016 animated Amazon Studios logo designed by Monster Creative being retired, with all film productions going forward, as of September 2023, opening with the 2021 MGM Leo the Lion logo designed by Baked Studios. In December 2023, Amazon MGM Studios secured a deal with Games Workshop , the creator of Warhammer 40,000 , to adapt its characters and stories for film and television. The agreement, involving British actor Henry Cavill as an executive producer and actor, enables Amazon MGM to produce Warhammer 40,000 themed movies and TV shows. In January 2024, Amazon announced hundreds of layoffs across Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video and Twitch in order to "prioritize our investments for

3400-584: The prints and in all advertising. At one point, the parent company expressed its desire to phase out the UA name and replace it with Transamerica Films. Krim tried to convince Transamerica to spin off United Artists, but he and Transamerica's chairman could not come to an agreement. Finally in 1978, following a dispute with Transamerica chief John R. Beckett over administrative expenses, UA's top executives, including chairman Krim, president Eric Pleskow , Benjamin and other key officers walked out. Within days they announced

3468-515: The resignation of Albeck, who was replaced by Norbert Auerbach. United Artists recorded a major loss for the year due almost entirely to the box-office failure of Heaven's Gate . It destroyed UA's reputation with Transamerica and the greater Hollywood community. However, it may have saved the United Artists name; UA's final head before the sale, Steven Bach , wrote in his book Final Cut that there had been talk about renaming United Artists to Transamerica Pictures. In 1980, Transamerica decided to exit

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3536-607: The studio system. SIMPP fought to end what were considered to be anti-competitive practices by the seven major film studios—Loew's (MGM), Columbia Pictures , Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures , RKO Radio Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros./First National —that controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures. In 1942, SIMPP filed an antitrust suit against Paramount's United Detroit Theatres . The complaint accused Paramount of conspiracy to control first-and subsequent-run theaters in Detroit. This

3604-417: The studio throughout the year. In April 2024, Amazon MGM, in collaboration with Fandango at Home , Rotten Tomatoes and iTunes , offered customers a "100 Essential Movies" bundle of 100 films from the MGM library as part of the studio's centennial for a limited time. That same month, they signed a three-year first-look deal with Jake Gyllenhaal 's Nine Stories Productions banner, for which they will have

3672-596: The website states they no longer accept submissions. Amazon aimed to review submitted scripts within 90 days (although the process may be longer). If a project was chosen for development, the writer was paid $ 10,000. If a developed script was selected for distribution as a full-budget movie, the creator was paid $ 200,000; if it was selected for distribution as a full-budget series, the creator was paid $ 55,000 as well as "up to 5 percent of Amazon's net receipts from toy and t-shirt licensing, and other royalties and bonuses." In 2008, Amazon expanded into film production , producing

3740-529: Was acquired by media conglomerate Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981 for a reported $ 350 million ($ 1.2 billion today). On September 22, 2014, MGM acquired a controlling interest in One Three Media and Lightworkers Media and merged them to revive the television production unit of United Artists as United Artists Media Group (UAMG). MGM itself acquired UAMG on December 14, 2015, and folded it into their own television division . MGM briefly revived

3808-541: Was also listed among the "Top 10 Films of the Year" by the National Board of Review . On the basis of its film and television hits, in 1967, Transamerica Corporation purchased 98 percent of UA's stock. Transamerica selected David and Arnold Picker to lead its studio. UA debuted a new logo incorporating the parent company's striped T emblem and the tagline "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation". This wording

3876-432: Was announced that the studio would be acquired by Amazon for $ 8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approval, continuing to operate as a label alongside Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video . Amazon will continue to partner with United Artists Releasing (MGM and Annapurna Pictures ' joint distribution venture), which will continue to operate and release MGM titles theatrically "on a case-by-case basis." In August 2021, it

3944-669: Was announced that, starting with the December 2017 release Wonder Wheel , Amazon Studios would be its own self-distributing company. Previously, Amazon Studios had relied on multiple external studios to distribute their projects. The company also acquired global TV rights to The Lord of the Rings for $ 250 million. However, Amazon still has external distribution clients outside of the United States, such as Elevation Pictures in Canada, as well as Warner Bros. and StudioCanal in

4012-478: Was averaging 50 films a year. In 1958, UA acquired Ilya Lopert 's Lopert Pictures Corporation , which released foreign films that attracted criticism or had censorship problems. In 1957, UA created United Artists Records Corporation and United Artists Music Corporation after an unsuccessful attempt to buy a record company. In 1968, UA Records merged with Liberty Records , along with its many subsidiary labels such as Imperial Records and Dolton Records . In 1972,

4080-420: Was denied an ownership share in 1935, Schenck resigned. He set up 20th Century Pictures ' merger with Fox Film Corporation to form 20th Century Fox . Al Lichtman succeeded Schenck as company president. Other independent producers distributed through United Artists in the 1930s including Walt Disney Productions , Alexander Korda , Hal Roach , David O. Selznick , and Walter Wanger . As the years passed, and

4148-413: Was going wrong, and contacted Pickford and Fairbanks. Together they hired a private detective, who discovered a plan to merge all production companies and to lock in "exhibition companies" to a series of five-year contracts. Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith incorporated United Artists as a joint venture company on February 5, 1919. Each held a 25 percent stake in the preferred shares and

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4216-488: Was hired as head of marketing. Later the division added Michael Barker and Donna Gigliotti . Deutchman left to form Cinecom , and Barker and Bernard formed Orion Classics and Sony Pictures Classics . The label mostly released foreign and independent films such as Cutter's Way , Ticket to Heaven and The Grey Fox , and occasional first-run reissues from the UA library, such as director's cuts of Head Over Heels . When Barker and Bernard left to form Orion Classics,

4284-509: Was its first managing director, and the company established its headquarters at 729 Seventh Avenue in New York City. The original terms called for each star to produce five pictures a year. By the time the company was operational in 1921, feature films were becoming more expensive and polished, and running times had settled at around ninety minutes (eight reels). The original goal was thus abandoned. UA's first production, His Majesty,

4352-656: Was later shortened to "A Transamerica Company". The following year, in 1968, United Artists Associated was reincorporated as United Artists Television Distribution. In 1970, UA lost $ 35 million, and the Pickers were pushed aside for the return of Krim and Benjamin. UA released another Best Picture Oscar winner in 1967, In the Heat of the Night and a nominee for Best Picture, The Graduate , an Embassy production that UA distributed overseas. Other successful pictures included

4420-453: Was planning to produce television series and miniseries adaptations from UA's feature film library. Transamerica inserted Andy Albeck as UA's president. United had its most successful year with four hits in 1979: Rocky II , Manhattan , Moonraker , and The Black Stallion . The new leadership agreed to back Heaven's Gate , a project of director Michael Cimino , which vastly overran its budget and cost $ 44 million. This led to

4488-548: Was released to mixed critical receptions. But it has since been acclaimed as a classic by audiences around the world for being admirably inspired in its attempt to be faithful to the four books of the New Testament in the Holy Bible as well as the book of the same name by Fulton Oursler and the radio program which ran from 1947 to 1956. The Greatest Story Ever Told received five Academy Award nominations in 1965 and

4556-462: Was reported that Steven Prinz signed an overall TV deal and a first-look deal with the studio. In September 2021, it was reported that Brian Otaño had signed a deal with Amazon Studios. Also in September, Eddie Murphy had signed a first-look film deal with Amazon Studios. In January 2022, Westbrook signed a multi-year first-look deal with Amazon Studios. That same month, Amazon Studios signed

4624-410: Was the first antitrust suit brought by producers against exhibitors that alleged monopoly and restraint of trade. In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court Paramount Decision ordered the major Hollywood movie studios to sell their theater chains and to end certain anti-competitive practices. This court ruling ended the studio system. By 1958, SIMPP had achieved many of the goals that led to its creation, and

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