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| Euronext Paris: ALECP Euronext Growth | |
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Saint-Denis,Île-de-France, France |
Number of locations | 2 (2016) |
Key people |
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| Revenue |  €35.3 million (2021) |
| €16.7 million (2021) | |
| Owners | Vine Alternative Investments (59.65%) Frontline (12.67%) |
| Divisions |
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| Website | www |
EuropaCorp S.A. (stylised in opening logo asEUROPA CORP. until 2022) is a Frenchmotion picture company headquartered inSaint-Denis, a northern suburb ofParis, and one of a few full-service independent studios that both produce and distribute feature films. It specializes inproduction,distribution,home entertainment,VOD,sales, partnerships and licenses,recording, publishing and exhibition. EuropaCorp's integrated financial model generates revenues from a wide range of sources, with films from many genres and a strong presence in the international markets.
Over 14 years, EuropaCorp has produced and co-produced over 80 films and is now distributing over 500 titles after the integration of the RoissyFilms Catalogue. The studio is mainly known for its expertise in the production of English-language films.[2] It developed and produced the successfulTaken trilogy and theTransporter series.[3] It began producing TV series in 2010 throughEuropaCorp Television which had already adapted EuropaCorp's popularTaxi film franchise.
Since 2018, the company has faced tumultuous times following accusations of rape and sexual assault against its chairman and majority ownerLuc Besson, accusations of rape which were definitively dismissed in 2023 with the dismissal of the French Court of Cassation.[4][5]
The company was created by Luc Besson in 1992 under the nameLeeloo Productions, but it only fully began producing and co-producing feature films many years later, with the release ofTaxi andThe Dancer. The company was renamed EuropaCorp in 2000.[6] Luc Besson had also created a smaller production company calledLes Films du Dauphin in 1990 that has existed outside of Leeloo Productions / EuropaCorp.[7] Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, old associate of Besson fromGaumont, the production company behind many earlier Besson's directed films, joined EuropaCorp in 2000. He had worked with Besson since 1985 first as a Distribution Director and from 1997 as a Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Gaumont. He became known as the right-hand man of Besson at EuropaCorp. He left the company in 2011 over disagreements with Besson.[8]
In July 2007, EuropaCorp successfully managed itsIPO onEuronext Paris.[9] In May 2008, theCSA, French authority for media regulation, selected the EuropaCorp TV project in its invitation to apply for a mobile TV channel in France.[citation needed] In 2013, Lisa Ellzey, hitherto producer forLionsgate and20th Century Fox, was appointed as executive vice president of U.S. Motion Picture Production of EuropaCorp.[10]
In 2018, Besson was accused of rape by an actress who wishes to remain anonymous.[11] EuropaCorp stocks dropped 17% to just €2.31 ($2.70) after the rape allegation.[12] Later the same year, EuropaCorp sold its French television division toMediawan and renamed into Storia Television. EuropaCorp also agreed to sell the Roissy Films library toGaumont.[13] Five more women made similar statements against Besson.[14]
In May 2019, EuropaCorp was granted a six-month debt waiver from a French commercial court and placed under court protection.[15][16] A week later the studio filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States.[17] Its stock value had fallen to €0.67. It had no films in production.[16] In December 2019, the company was $182 million in debt and it had been in long bailout negotiations with Vine Alternative Investments.[18]
In February 2020, the American investment fund "Vine Alternative Investments" acquired 60.15% of the French group, and an American fund, Falcon Strategic Partners IV acquired 6.25%.[19]
In 2007, EuropaCorp was owned at 62% by Luc Besson through his company Frontline and at 8.06% by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam; 23% was public.[9][20]
Besson was appointed the chairman of EuropaCorp'sboard of directors. Jean-Julien Baronnet was thechief executive officer of EuropaCorp until November 2008. Christophe Lambert was CEO from 2010 to 2016.[21] Marc Shmuger was appointed as CEO in 2016.[22] In February 2024, EuropaCorp named as CEO Jean-Marc Lacarrère which took office in March of 2024.
Digital Factory is related to EuropaCorp via Luc Besson.[23] The handling of post-production sound is performed chiefly at its Normandy site, while the visual effects are done in Paris. In September 2022, EuropaCorp sold Digital Factory to Groupe Atlantis.[24]
In September 2016, it was announced that Chinese film companyFundamental Films had acquired a stake of 27.9% in EuropaCorp, becoming the second-largest shareholder in the company.[25]
In June 2017, EuropaCorp signed a music publishing deal withSony/ATV Music Publishing.[26] And later that month, the studio posted a loss of 120 million euros (US$135 million).[27]
EuropaCorp has produced the world box-office hitsTaken ($224 million at world box-office),Arthur and the Invisibles ($107 million),Transporter 3 ($106 million) andHitman ($100 million). Two EuropaCorp productions have been topping the US box-office:Transporter 2 by summer 2005 andTaken at spring 2009.
Many international film stars have appeared in EuropaCorp productions:Jim Carrey,Penélope Cruz,Robert De Niro,David Duchovny,Morgan Freeman,Salma Hayek,Tommy Lee Jones,Jet Li,John Malkovich,Jason Statham,Brittany Murphy,Liam Neeson,Madonna,Freddie Highmore,Ewan McGregor,Lou Reed, and others. Consequently, the films are usually shot in English.[28]
EuropaCorp Japan, a subsidiary of EuropaCorp based in Tokyo, has for core business the distribution of feature films in Japan. It is ajoint-venture with three Japanese companies:Asmik Ace,Sumitomo Corporation andKadokawa.
Fox Pathé Europa (a joint venture between20th Century Home Entertainment,Pathé and EuropaCorp) formerly distributed EuropaCorp's titles on home media in France until 2020, when ESC Distribution took over.
In 2012, EuropaCorp struck a three-year output deal with Chinese film distributorFundamental Films for 15 feature films. Fundamental Films agreed to co-produce three of these films.[29][30]
In May 2015, the company announced an output deal with Polish film distributorKino Swiat.[31]
EuropaCorp relocated to theCité du Cinéma in 2012. This movie studio complex, located inSaint-Denis in the close outskirts ofParis, at build out will have a total of nine film stages,[2] with another 12,000 square metres of space devoted to technical units and 2200 square metres for screening and reception rooms.[2][32]
The cinema, photography and sound engineering schoolENS Louis-Lumière was relocated to the complex in 2012.
EuropaCorp signed a lease with the Nef Lumière, owner of the tertiary complex, for space for its permanent staff and the film crews, with extra space for potential new activities. This tertiary complex is financed by both theCaisse des Dépôt andVinci.
EuropaCorp is a minority shareholder in the company operating the studios, joining Euro Media Group, Quinta Communications and Frontline. The Euro Media Group, which owns several film studios throughout Europe, will provide management of daily operations of these studios ofParis.
Storia Television is a French television production company that specialises in creating television series and one-offs for the French and the international market. It was Europacorp's former television division.
On April 16 2010, Europacorp acquired television production company Cipango.
In January 2018, Mediawan announced that it had acquired the French television production division EuropaCorp Television from Europacorp and had renamed it into Storia Television expanding Mediawan's drama portfolio and becoming the biggest producer of television fiction content and expanded their international content however the American arm of Europacorp Television was excluded.[34][35][36][37]
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi Brooklyn | 2014 | TF1 NBC (United States) | Co-production with Gary Scott Thompson Productions Based on the movieTaxi byLuc Besson |
| Arthur and the Minimoys[38] | 2017–2018 | Canal J, Gulli & Tiji OUFtivi (Belgium) Disney Channel Germany (Germany) Radio-Canada (Canada) | Co-production withStudio 100 Animation Based onthe movie of the same name byLuc Besson |
| The Crimson Rivers | 2018 | France 2 | co-production with Maze Pictures |
| Infidèle[39] | 2019–2020 | TF1 La Une (Belgium) | Also known asUnfaithful co-production withBBC Studios France and Be-Films |
5.1.5 Company history and major events in the development of the company and Group
Created by Luc Besson in 1992 under the name Leeloo Productions, the Company really began producing and co-producing feature films in 1999, with the release the following year of Taxi 2 and The Dancer.
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