 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | August 2014; 10 years ago (2014-08) |
| Founder | Andrew Karpen |
| Headquarters | New York City,New York, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Services | Film distribution |
Number of employees | 35 (June 2025)[2] |
| Divisions | Decal (withNeon)[3] |
| Website | www |
Bleecker Street Media LLC is an Americanindependent film company that specializes in film distribution. The company is based in New York City and named after 65Bleecker Street, the street address of founderAndrew Karpen's prior companyFocus Features.[2] Founded in 2014, the studio was established with the goal to distribute "smart house" films that combine the entertainment of studio blockbusters with the artistic indie allure.
Bleecker Street was formed in August 2014 by CEOAndrew Karpen, who was the former co-CEO ofFocus Features. It was launched with backing fromManoj Bhargava.[4] With the announcement of the company's formation, Bleecker had indicated an exclusive U.S. distribution output deal withShivani Rawat's ShivHans Pictures, effective immediately. Initial plans have the distributor releasing three to five pictures in 2015 and expanding from there.[5] Karpen hired four former Focus Feature employees as presidents in September 2014.[1] At the September 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Bleecker Street made its first film deal forPawn Sacrifice's North American rights.[6] In the years following, Bleecker Street received Oscar Nominations for their filmsTrumbo (2015) andCaptain Fantastic (2016).
Bleecker Street focused on primarily theatrical releases and quickly established itself as a player on the indie-film scene with their titles such as Steven Soderbergh'sLogan Lucky andEye in the Sky, the biggest arthouse release of 2016 starring Helen Mirren. Also starring Helen Mirren in the lead role, Bleecker Street distributedGolda in 2023, receiving another Oscar nomination.
In March 2025, the company acquired distribution rights to bothThis is Spinal Tap and the film's then-in-production sequel,Spinal Tap II: The End Continues through a deal with producer and co-rightsholderCastle Rock Entertainment, setting a July "41st Anniversary" theatrical re-release for the originalSpinal Tap and setting a September theatrical release for the sequel.[7]
In January 2015 atSundance Film Festival, Bleecker Street made its first acquisition of worldwide rights with the purchase ofBrett Haley'sI'll See You In My Dreams[8] At the same time, the company signed a multi-year home entertainment distribution deal withUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment, now distributed by Studio Distribution Services, LLC., a joint venture between UPHE andWarner Bros. Home Entertainment.[9] Later in the month, the company signed a multi-year Canadian distribution deal withElevation Pictures starting withDanny Collins.[10] Bleecker Street followed that up with an exclusive multi-year licensing agreement withAmazon Prime.[11]
In 2019, Bleecker Street partnered withHulu on a new output deal granting Hulu exclusive SVOD rights to all upcoming Bleecker Street theatrical films. The first film to hit the streaming service in Fall 2019 wasHotel Mumbai.[12]
In 2021, Bleecker Street partnered withNeon to launch the joint home entertainment distribution company DECAL.[13]DECAL is a standalone full-service operation that handles distribution deals on the home entertainment rights to both NEON and Bleecker Street's curated slate of features. The first film to be distributed through DECAL in Winter 2021 was Bleecker Street's filmSupernova.
In February 2022 it was announced thatShowtime Networks and Bleecker Street had struck an exclusive three-year output deal for the distributor's movies. It replaces Bleecker Street's previous output agreement with Hulu. Under the agreement, effective March, Showtime will carry Bleecker Street movies on air, on demand and via its streaming services within five months of their initial release. The agreement spans up to 12 films per year, all of which will be released theatrically by Bleecker Street.[14]
Bleecker Street announced their first exclusive shortLook at me to be launched on Bleecker Street's app in early 2023, joining a collection of shorts by filmmaking partners including Joe Penna (Arctic), Riley Stearns (The Art of Self-Defense), Gavin Hood (Eye in the Sky), and Alex Huston-Fischer (Save Yourselves!).[15]
It was announced on September 9, 2022, that Bleecker Street has signed an exclusive output deal with Canadian distributor LevelFilm.[16]LevelFilm will handle the Canadian distribution to Bleecker Street's films where they control the North American or worldwide rights. The first movie that will be released under the new joint venture is Catherine Hardwicke's action comedyMafia Mamma, which stars Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci and is set for a nationwide release in 2023.
On October 27, 2022, Bleecker Street announced that they would team up with Showtime to release a feature-length documentary2nd Chance from Oscar nominated filmmakerRamin Bahrani. Bahrani's debut is an exploration of the life and legacy of Richard Davis, the inventor of the modern-day bulletproof vest who shot himself 192 times to prove his product worked. The film opened in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 2, expanding to additional cities December 9. Showtime then premiered the film on air, on streaming and on demand for all Showtime subscribers in spring 2023.
In September 2023, the company announced a joint acquisition deal with Elysian Film Group andAnonymous Content to acquire British and Irish distribution rights toHayao Miyazaki'sThe Boy and the Heron from sales agentGoodfellas. This acquisition marked the first UK and Irish acquisition from the company, as well as their first animated acquisition.[17]