April 2, 1954; 71 years ago (1954-04-02) (original) October 7, 2020; 5 years ago (2020-10-07) (relaunch; under the American International Pictures label)
American International Pictures, LLC[1] (AIP orAmerican International Productions) is an Americanfilm production company owned byAmazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production anddistribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition byFilmways in 1979.
It was formed on April 2, 1954, asAmerican Releasing Corporation (ARC) by formerRealart Pictures Inc. sales managerJames H. Nicholson and entertainment lawyerSamuel Z. Arkoff[2] and their first release was the 1953 UK documentary filmOperation Malaya. It was dedicated to releasing low-budget films packaged asdouble features, primarily of interest to theteenagers of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
The company eventually became a part ofOrion Pictures, which in turn, became a division of Amazon MGM Studios. On October 7, 2020, four decades after the original closure,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer revived AIP as a label for acquired films for digital and theatrical releases, with MGM overseeing across streaming platforms andUnited Artists Releasing handling theatrical distribution in North America until 2023 when Amazon MGM Studios took over.
I realized that movie-going was becoming a habit of young people. Older people stayed home and watched TV. But the tribal habits of our culture dictated that young people go out on dates, so they would always go to the movies. And so we began making movies for them.
When many of ARC/AIP's first releases failed to earn a profit, Arkoff quizzed film exhibitors who told him of the value of the teenage market as adults were watching television.[5][6] AIP stopped making Westerns with Arkoff explaining: "To compete with television westerns you have to have color, big stars and $2,000,000".[7]: 126
AIP was the first company to usefocus groups,[8] polling American teenagers about what they would like to see and using their responses to determine titles, stars, and story content. AIP would question their exhibitors (who often provided 20% of AIP's financing[7]: 35 ) what they thought of the success of a title, then would have a writer create a script for it.[7]: 156 A sequence of tasks in a typical production involved creating a great title, getting an artist such as Albert Kallis who supervised all AIP artwork from 1955 to 1973[9] to create a dynamic, eye-catching poster, then raising the cash, and finally writing and casting the film.
According to Filmink, "AIP ran on basic principles: keep overheads down (i.e. no permanent studio space), keep all costs down, use fading stars (eg Ray Milland) or its own up-and-coming names (eg John Ashley), use cheap directors, go for genre (horror, sci fi, action, peplum), follow the trends, abandon the trends when audience enthusiasm lessens, give audiences something they can’t get from a regular studio picture, build your own franchises."[10]
Samuel Z. Arkoff related his tried-and-true "ARKOFF formula" for producing a successful low-budget movie years later, during a 1980s talk show appearance. His ideas for a movie included:
Action (exciting, entertaining drama)
Revolution (novel or controversial themes and ideas)
Killing (a modicum of violence)
Oratory (notable dialogue and speeches)
Fantasy (acted-out fantasies common to the audience)
Later, the AIP publicity department devised a strategy called "the Peter Pan Syndrome":
a) a younger child will watch anything an older child will watch; b) an older child will not watch anything a younger child will watch; c) a girl will watch anything a boy will watch; d) a boy will not watch anything a girl will watch; therefore: to catch your greatest audience you zero in on the 19-year-old male.[11]
They were interested in distributing a car chase movie produced byRoger Corman for his Palo Alto Productions,The Fast and the Furious (1955). Corman had received offers from other companies for the film, but ARC offered to advance money to enable Corman to make two other films. Corman agreed,The Fast and the Furious performed well at the box office and the company was launched.[citation needed]
Corman's next two films for the company were a Western,Five Guns West (1955), which Corman directed, and a science fiction film,The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955). The title from the latter had come from Nicholson.
ARC got Corman to direct another Western and science fiction double billApache Woman (1955) andDay the World Ended (1955). Both scripts were written by Arkoff's brother-in-lawLou Rusoff, who would become the company's leading writer in its early days.Apache Woman was produced by Alex Gordon, an associate of Arkoff's,Day was produced by Corman. Both were made by Golden State Productions, ARC's production arm.[12][13]
Normally, B movies were made for the second part of a bill and received a flat rate. As television was encroaching on the B movie market, Nicholson and Arkoff felt it would be more profitable to make two low budget films and distribute them together on adouble feature. Nicholson came up with a title for a film to supportDay the World Ended,The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955), but lacked the money to make both films. They split the costs with Dan and Jack Milner, film editors who wanted to get into production. The resulting double bill was very successful at the box office.[12]
Gordon also producedThe Oklahoma Woman (1955), a Western by Corman, made through Sunset Productions. It was put on a double feature withFemale Jungle (1955), afilm noir.
Other films released under the ARC banner include a British documentaryOperation Malaya (1955) and Corman'sGunslinger (1956).
Arkoff and Nicholson had always wanted to name their company "American International Pictures", but the name was unavailable. When the name became available, they changed over.
There were three main production arms at AIP in the late 1950s: Roger Corman, Alex Gordon & Lou Rusoff, and Herman Cohen. Arkoff and Nicholson would buy films from other filmmakers as well, and import films from outside America.
Corman continued to be an important member of AIP (though he also worked for Allied Artists and his own Filmgroup company during this period). He had a big hit for the company with the science fiction filmIt Conquered the World (1956) from a script by Rusoff that was rewritten byCharles B. Griffith.
The other key producer for AIP was Alex Gordon who mostly made films though his Golden State Productions outfit, usually written byLou Rusoff. He madeGirls in Prison (1956), with directorEdward L. Cahn who would become one of AIP's most prolific directors. AIP released it on a double bill withHot Rod Girl (1956).
AIP developed a mutual relationship with Britain'sAnglo-Amalgamated who would distribute AIP's product in the UK. In return, AIP would distribute their films in the U.S., such asThe Tommy Steele Story (1957) andCat Girl (1957).[15]
AIP became a victim of its own success when other companies started copying its double feature strategy. Costs were rising and were not compensated by increased box office grosses. AIP shut down most of their production arms and focused on distributing films from Italy, while they decided what to do next.
In October 1959 AIP announced it had secured finance from Colonial Bank (who had financed three of their films to date) for ten films over the next 12 months. The remaining 14 to 20 projects planned were paid by Pathe Laboratories. The ten films wereDiary of a High School Bride,Drag Race,The Haunted House of Usher,End of the World,World Without Women,Bombs Away,Blood Hill,Take Me To Your Leader,She andEve and the Dragon. Not all of these would be made.[16]
In the late 1950s, AIP kept their company afloat by importing films from Italy. These includedSheba and the Gladiator (1959),Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) andBlack Sunday (1960); the latter film proved to be one of the company's early successes.
The original idea, usually credited[who?] to Corman and Lou Rusoff, was to take Poe's story "The Fall of the House of Usher", which had both a high name-recognition value and the merit of being in thepublic domain, and thusroyalty-free, and expand it into a feature film. Corman convinced the studio to give him a larger budget than the typical AIP film so he could film the movie in widescreen and color, and use it to create lavish sets as well.[17]
The success ofHouse of Usher led AIP to finance further films based on Poe's stories. The sets and special effects were often reused in subsequent movies (for example, the burning roof of the Usher mansion reappears in most of the other films asstock footage), making the series quite cost-effective. All the films in the series were directed by Roger Corman, and they all starred Price exceptThe Premature Burial, which featuredRay Milland in the lead. It was originally produced for another studio, but AIP acquired the rights to it.[17]
As the series progressed, Corman made attempts to change the formula. Later films added more humor to the stories, especiallyThe Raven, which takes Poe's poem as an inspiration and develops it into an all-out farce starring Price,Boris Karloff andPeter Lorre; Karloff had starred in a 1935 film with the same title. Corman also adaptedH. P. Lovecraft's short novelThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward in an attempt to get away from Poe, but AIP changed the title to that of an obscure Poe poem,The Haunted Palace, and marketed it as yet another movie in the series. The last two films in the series,The Masque of the Red Death andThe Tomb of Ligeia, were filmed in England with an unusually long schedule for Corman and AIP.
Although Corman and Rusoff are generally credited with coming up with the idea for the Poe series, in an interview on theAnchor Bay DVD ofMario Bava'sBlack Sabbath,Mark Damon claims that he first suggested the idea to Corman. Damon also says that Corman let him directThe Pit and the Pendulum uncredited. Corman's commentary forPit mentions nothing of this and all existing production stills of the film show Corman directing.
During the early 1960s, AIP produced a series of horror films inspired by the Poe cycle. Of eight films, seven feature stories that are actually based on the works of Poe.
Seven of the films, with the exception ofThe Premature Burial, featuredVincent Price as the star. Occasionally, Corman's 1963 filmThe Terror (produced immediately afterThe Raven) is recognized as being part of the Corman-Poe cycle, although the film's story and title are not based on any literary work of Poe.
Some Poe films announced by AIP but not made includeThe Gold Bug,The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade, andThe Angel of the Odd.[18]
Before that they were on poverty row. Our better position will enable us to obtain more important writers, perhaps more important producers as well. We're a privately owned company at the moment but perhaps within two or three years we will become a public company.[19]
In the UK, AIP struck up a film making partnership withNat Cohen andStuart Levy'sAnglo-Amalgamated. Anglo eventually released over 140 AIP-made or owned movies in the UK, mainly on double bills. The arrangement also saw Anglo Amalgamated's British-made films distributed in the US by AIP. AIP's co-productions with Anglo includedCat Girl,Circus of Horrors andThe Masque of the Red Death. AIP also had co-production arrangements withTigon British Film Productions,Hammer Film Productions andAmicus Productions. Amongst the movies made under these arrangements wereWitchfinder General,The Vampire Lovers andScream and Scream Again. AIP maintained a production office in London until 1973 before it was closed down. Nevertheless, the company remained active in making and financing British films, includingHennessy andThe People that Time Forgot. They were also, briefly, involved in setting up two Hammer projects-Vampirella andTo the Devil a Daughter (AIP distributed the latter on its initial US run.)
On a trip to Italy, Arkoff metFulvio Lucisano, an Italian screenwriter and producer who eventually headed Italian International Film,[citation needed] which co-produced 25 films in Italy for AIP.[22] Due to importing completed productions from other foreign countries being cheaper and simpler than producing their own in-house studio films in America, AIP had released manygiallo,peplum,Eurospy andMacaroni Combatwar films featuring many American stars and Italian stars such as thecomedy team ofFranco and Ciccio. However, AIP released only twoSpaghetti Westerns (Massacre Time retitledThe Brute and the Beast andGod Forgives... I Don't!), perhaps recalling their failure with Westerns in the 1950s. Many of these films were edited, rewritten with different (dubbed English) dialogue, usually by Arkoff's nephewTed Rusoff, and sometimes re-scored by Les Baxter.
The studio also released edited and English-dubbed versions of severalEastern Bloc science fiction films that had the dialogue rewritten for the American market and in some cases had additional scenes filmed with American and British actors. These include the Soviet filmPlaneta Bur (Planet of Storms) which was released by AIP in two different English-dubbed versions, asVoyage to the Prehistoric Planet andVoyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women and the highly regarded 1963 Czech science fiction filmIkarie XB-1, which was re-titledVoyage to the End of the Universe.
In 1964, AIP became one of the last film studios to start its own television production company,American International Productions Television (a.k.a.American-International Television orAIP-TV).[24] AIP-TV at first released many of their 1950s films to American television stations, then filmed unsuccessfultelevision pilots forBeach Party andSergeant Deadhead. The company then made several color sci-fi/horrortelevision films byLarry Buchanan that were remakes of black-and-white AIP films, and sold packages of many English-dubbed European, Japanese and Mexican films (the last type were produced byK. Gordon Murray) and foreign-made live-action and animated TV series (includingPrince Planet). The best known animated series AIP-TV distributed wasSinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt.
In order to allay the fears of cinema owners who feared current releases would soon end up being shown on television, AIP issued a statement retroactive to 1963 that the company would not release any of their films to television until five years after cinema release, unless the film had not made back its original negative costs.[25] AIP-TV also filmed specials for promotion of AIP films, such asThe Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot (1965, ABC) andAn Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1972, syndication), both withVincent Price.
In 1978, AIP-TV distributed the pop music seriesTwiggy's Jukebox. For several years around this time, AIP-TV also distributed several British TV series, includingThe Avengers, to U.S. stations.
AIP started their own record label,American International Records, in 1959[26] to release music used in their films. There were a number of soundtrack albums as well.[27]
AIP Records was once distributed byMGM Records,[28] the record label owned by AIP's successor-in-interest MGM.
In 1969, AIP went public to raise extra capital, issuing 300,000 shares.[29][30]
In 1970, they entered into an agreement withCommonwealth United Entertainment to issue their films.[31] In 1971 they released 31 films, their greatest number to date, and were seen as one of the most stable companies in Hollywood.[32] Despite their exploitation roots, they did not concentrate on R- or X-rated filmmaking during this period.[33]
In 1972, James H. Nicholson resigned from AIP to set up his own production company working out of20th Century Fox, called Academy Pictures Corporation; its only two releases wereThe Legend of Hell House andDirty Mary, Crazy Larry.[34][35] AIP bought out over 100,000 of Nicholson's shares.[36] He died shortly thereafter of a cancerous brain tumor.[37]
Around this timeRoger Corman stopped making films for AIP, focusing on his company,New World Pictures. According toFilmink "Corman leaving AIP coincided with Nicholson and Arkoff splitting up – they were like two parents who decide to get divorced when their eldest child finally moves out of home."[38]
Arkoff continued on at AIP as president until the end of the decade. Heads of production during the 1970s includedLarry Gordon (from January 1972 until early 1974)[39] andJere Henshaw (from 1977 until the demise of the company).
By the early 1970s, AIP felt the horror movie cycle was in decline and so switched to other genres, such as kung fu and gangsters.[40] Notably, they produced some of that decade'sblaxploitation films, likeBlacula andFoxy Brown. In a throwback to the old "studio days", the company is credited with makingPam Grier a household name, as the majority of her early '70s films were made under contract to American International.
James Nicholson's first wife Sylvia was still a major shareholder of the company. She sued AIP for mismanagement, but this was resolved in 1978 when AIP bought out her shares.[42]
By the late 1970s, filmmaking costs continued to rise, AIP's tactic of moving into bigger budgeted quality pictures was not paying off at the box office, and Arkoff began to think of merging the company. "We've been theWoolworths of the movie business, but Woolworths is being out priced", said Arkoff.[43] Talks began withFilmways, Incorporated. Negotiations stalled for a while,[44] but resumed a number of months later.[45] In 1979, prompted by the failure ofMeteor at the box office. AIP was sold to Filmways for $30 million and became a subsidiary production unit thereof, renamed Filmways Pictures in 1980.[46][47]
Arkoff was unhappy with the direction of the company and resigned to set up his own production company, receiving a pay out worth $1.4 million.[48][49]
AIP-TV was absorbed as the wholly owned program syndication arm of Filmways Television. Filmways was later bought by Orion Pictures Company in 1982 and Filmways was later renamedOrion Pictures Corporation, but retained the distribution arm. This allowed Orion to establish its own distribution, after utilizingWarner Bros. for distribution. Warner Bros. still has distribution rights to Orion films which were originally distributed by this company. Today, a majority of the AIP library is owned byAmazon MGM Studios (via Orion Pictures). The American International name is still a registered trademark owned by Amazon MGM Studios' Orion Pictures unit.[50][51]
On October 7, 2020, it was announced that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer relaunched AIP as a label for films that the studio will acquire for digital and limited theatrical releases. An MGM executive, Eric Hohl, was accepted as a president of the studio. MGM will oversee AIP's new films across all streaming platforms and the theatrical releases of them will be handled by its joint distribution ventureUnited Artists Releasing. The first film from the relaunched AIP wasBreaking News in Yuba County, directed byTate Taylor and starringAllison Janney, which was released on February 12, 2021.[52]
On May 17, 2021, technology companyAmazon entered negotiations to acquire MGM and even made a bid for about $9 billion. The negotiations are made withAnchorage Capital Kevin Ulrich.[53][54] On May 26, 2021, it was officially announced that MGM will be acquired by Amazon for $8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approvals and other routine closing conditions; with the studio continuing to operate as a label under the new parent company, which includes AIP and its titles.[citation needed] The merger was finalized on March 17, 2022.[55] On March 4, 2023, Amazon shut down UAR's operations and folded them into MGM.[56] In May 2023,Amazon Studios createdAmazon MGM Studios Distribution, an internationalfilm and television distribution unit for both MGM and Amazon projects, which will include new projects and acquisitions from AIP.[57]
Initially planned for AIP release, but sold off to independent distributor The International Picture Show; rights to the film would eventually come back full circle to MGM
^Kleiner, Dick (1979). "Is Sam Arkoff last of the tycoons?".The Ann Arbor News. p. 16.
^Scheuer, Philip K. (September 17, 1958). "Shocker Pioneers Tell How to Make Monsters: Want to Make a Monster? Experts Tell How It's Done".Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
^Bean, Robin and Austen, DavidU.S.A. Confidential p. 215Films and Filming November 1968 quoted in p. 157 Doherty, ThomasTeenagers and Teenpics Unwin-Hyman 1988
^abScheuer, Philip K. (September 21, 1958). "Shocker Pioneers Tell How to Make Monsters: Want to Make a Monster? Experts Tell How It's Done".Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
^pp.219-220 Palmer, RandyPaul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist McFarland, January 1, 1997
^abScheuer, Philip K. (July 12, 1963). "Grand Guignol Set at Vine St. Cabaret: Huston 'Sells' Kipling Yarn; Sinatra, AIP Think Young".Los Angeles Times. p. D11.
^abScheuer, Philip K. (January 2, 1964). "AIP Millions for Poe, Beach Parties: 'Flowers' Oscar Hopeful; Burton Buys, May Direct".Los Angeles Times. p. C11.
^"Hollywood To Make A Big Silent Film".The Times. London. March 3, 1965. p. 15 – viaThe Times Digital Archive.
^Dorothy Kilgallen (June 11, 1964). "Howard Hughes, Aide Part Company".The Washington Post. p. E22.
^"American International Pictures' Profit Steady: Company Says Results for Third Fiscal Quarter Were About the Same as for Year-Ago Period".The Wall Street Journal. October 12, 1971. p. 37.
^"American International Pictures".The Wall Street Journal. May 9, 1973. p. 19.
^Getze, John (February 20, 1974). "Horror or Horrid Films, AIP Quickies Score at Box Office: FILMS".Los Angeles Times. p. d10.(Turn on hit highlighting for speaking browsers)
^"Stockholder Meeting Briefs".The Wall Street Journal. June 26, 1973. p. 35.
^"American International Will Be 'Happy' if Net Matches Fiscal 1975's".The Wall Street Journal. October 27, 1975. p. 18.
^Bry, Barbara (January 5, 1979). "AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL EPIC: CHINESE BOOK U.S. FILM 'FUTUREWORLD'".Los Angeles Times. p. d16.
