 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment logo, used from 1997 until 1999 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Predecessor | Casablanca Records and Filmworks |
| Founded | 1975; 50 years ago (1975) |
| Founder | Peter Guber |
| Defunct | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) |
| Fate | Acquired bySeagram and folded intoUniversal Pictures |
| Successors | Studio: PolyGram Entertainment Library: Amazon MGM Studios (pre-April 1996 films with exceptions) Universal Pictures (post-March 1996 films with exceptions and some pre-April 1996 films) ITV Studios (ITC Entertainment library with exceptions) |
| Parent |
|
| Divisions | PolyGram Film Distribution PolyGram Television PolyGram Video PolyGram Visual Programming |
| Subsidiaries | Gramercy Pictures Working Title Films Propaganda Films Interscope Communications ITC Entertainment |
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (formerly known asFilmworks,Casablanca Record & Filmworks,PolyGram Films andPolyGram Pictures or simplyPFE) was a filmproduction company founded in 1975 as an American film studio, which became a European competitor toHollywood within two decades, but was eventually sold toSeagram in 1998 and was folded intoUniversal Pictures in 1999. Among its most successful and well known films wereThe Deep (1977),Midnight Express (1978),An American Werewolf in London (1981),Flashdance (1983),Batman (1989),Candyman (1992),Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994),The Usual Suspects (1995),Dead Man Walking (1995),Fargo (1996),Trainspotting (1996),The Game (1997),The Big Lebowski (1998) andNotting Hill (1999).
| 1909 | Independent Moving Pictures founded |
|---|---|
| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded afterIMP merged with smaller studios |
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (laterUniversal Television) |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands toComcast |
| 1975 | Filmworks is founded |
| 1976 | Filmworks becomes Casablanca Record & Filmworks |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (laterUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) is established |
| 1983 | PolyGram Pictures closes |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1986 | General Electric re-purchases its former subsidiaryRCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake inA&E |
| 1987 | PolyGram Movies is founded |
| 1989 | NBC relaunchesTempo Television asCNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens PolyGram Movies is renamedPolyGram Filmed Entertainment Sky Television andBritish Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (laterUniversal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Pictures andDreamWorks Animation are founded |
| 1995 | Seagram acquires Universal through its acquisition of MCA NBC andMicrosoft replaceAmerica's Talking withMSNBC |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures PolyGram Video is renamed USA Home Entertainment Universal Studios Florida expands to becomeUniversal Orlando Resort |
| 2000 | Seagram is sold toVivendi and merged withStudioCanal to become Vivendi Universal Entertainment |
| 2001 | Grand opening ofUniversal Studios Japan Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquiresTelemundo andBravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquiresAT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal intoNBCUniversal |
| 2005 | Comcast sets up a joint-venture withPBS,Sesame Workshop &HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast &Time Warner Cable jointly acquireAdelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2011 | Vivendi divests interest in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | NBCUniversal divests itsA&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2015 | Amblin Partners is founded |
| 2016 | NBCU acquiresDreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | NBCU acquires a minority stake inAmblin Partners Sprout relaunches asUniversal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky from21st Century Fox |
| 2020 | NBCU launchesPeacock |
| 2026 | Versant spins off fromNBCUniversal |
In 1975,Peter Guber formed its own production company FilmWorks, then in 1976, it became Casablanca Record & FilmWorks after a merger withCasablanca Records, whichPolyGram got a 50% by 1977, and by 1980, PolyGram took the other 50% stake in the company and renamed the film unit as PolyGram Pictures.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, PolyGram continued to invest in a diversified film unit with the purchases of individual production companies. In 1995, PolyGram purchasedITC Entertainment for $156 million.
In May 1998, PolyGram was sold toSeagram, which, at the time, owned bothUniversal Pictures andUniversal Music Group (UMG), for $10 billion. Seagram however, was only interested in PolyGram's music division and immediately sold off some of PolyGram's film and television assets: The pre-March 1996 PFE library (includingthe Epic library) was sold toMGM for $250 million, the ITC Entertainment library was sold toCarlton Communications for £91 million, and PolyGram's US distribution operation was sold toUSA Network.
After many of its assets were sold, the remains of PolyGram's film division were folded into Universal Pictures. When the newly formed entertainment division of Seagram faced financial difficulties, it was sold toVivendi, andMCA became known asUniversal Studios, as Seagram ceased to exist.
Vivendi remained the majority owner of the UMG until 2021, when it sold most of its stake. MGM owns the rights to most of the pre-April 1996 library, and the remaining post-March 1996 film and television library is owned byNBCUniversal.
On February 11, 2017, Universal Music Group established a film and television division and named itPolyGram Entertainment, thus fully resurrecting the "PolyGram" name in the process.[1]
In 1975,Peter Guber quitColumbia Pictures to start outFilmWorks with a producing deal. A year later, during the production ofThe Deep, it was merged withCasablanca Records to formCasablanca Record & FilmWorks.[2] The company would enjoy success withThe Deep andMidnight Express. The music companyPolyGram (owned byDutch-basedPhilips andGermany'sSiemens) bought out its share of Casablanca Record & FilmWorks in 1977. Two years later, in 1979, Casablanca Record & Filmworks left Columbia Pictures to joinUniversal Pictures, and gave Casablanca Record & Filmworks creative control over the pictures.[3] A year later, PolyGram took on its stake of the company and it was renamed toPolyGram Pictures in 1980.[4] PolyGram reserved the finances and Guber would run asCEO. Guber would form a partnership withBarbra Streisand's hairdresserJon Peters, who co-produced his client'sA Star Is Born remake. Peters would produce PolyGram's films, and eventually become a stockholder with Guber.[5] He had intended to work withBoardwalk Records, but he was forced to join PolyGram Pictures instead.[6][3]
The first film under the Universal/PolyGram alliance wasKing of the Mountain (1981), which was a box-office flop. More money-losers followed. Ancillary markets such ashome video andpay television were not yet established, and broadcast television networks were paying less for licenses to films. PolyGram's European investors were not happy; they had lost about $80 million on its film division. Not long after, Siemens parted with Philips. Guber and Peters left PolyGram Pictures in 1982, taking their plans for a newBatman movie with them, along with a few other projects. The duo eventually found a home atWarner Bros. A part of their exit proceedings, PolyGram would still own 7.5% of profits from some of its projects, including the 1989Batman film.[5] Also in 1980, PolyGram launched a syndicated television division, PolyGram Television, to be headed by formerColumbia Pictures Television syndication executive Norman Horowitz,[7] both the film and television units eventually closed down by 1983 after a string of first-run syndication strip flops.[8]
In the early 1980s, PolyGram Video was launched. PolyGram Video, headed by Michael Kuhn and David Hockman, was created to distribute concert films and feature films acquired from third-parties, as well as long-form music videos and stand-up comedy videos from the likes ofRoy Chubby Brown,Jethro andBernard Manning. In 1986, a joint venture with Heron Communications,Channel 5 Video, began operation.[9] Channel 5 Video later began to obtain the rights to titles from Heron's U.S. children's arm,Hi-Tops Video.[10] Kuhn and Hockman were able to parlay PolyGram Video's success into financing feature films. The first film produced by PolyGram's new film division wasP.I. Private Investigations in 1987.[11] During the late 1980s and early 1990s, PolyGram continued to invest in a diversified film unit with the purchases of individual production companies.[12] In 1989, PolyGram launched Manifesto Film Sales to handle the licensing of films outside North America.[13] In 1991, PolyGram's Michael Kuhn became the head of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment,[12] with US$200 million pumped in with the intention of developing a European film studio that could produce and distribute films internationally on a scale to match themajor Hollywood studios.
Following the style of its music business, the company produced films through a number of creatively semi-autonomous 'labels', such asWorking Title Films in the United Kingdom andPropaganda Films andInterscope Communications in theUnited States; it also built up its own network of distribution companies.[14][15]
Film production within PolyGram differed from traditional Hollywood studios, in that power to make ('green light') a film was not centralised in the hands of a small number of executives, but instead was decided by negotiations between producers, management and marketing. Kuhn claimed that "movies sort of green lit themselves."
In 1993, PolyGram purchased Vision Video Ltd (which was previously the video arm ofVirgin Group) fromGeneral Electric Capital for $5.6 million.[16]
PolyGram Video took over the distribution ofManga Entertainment's titles in Australia and New Zealand in late 1996 after Siren Entertainment's license to the Manga Video catalog expired, but PolyGram lost the license to the Manga Video catalog in 1998 afterMadman Entertainment took over the licenses. This was due to Manga Entertainment being moved from Island Records to Palm Pictures.
PolyGram also built up a sizable film and television library that could be profitable. In 1995, the company purchasedITC Entertainment for $156 million.[17] Through this purchase, PolyGram acquired 350 feature films, several thousand hours of television programming, and gained further access into the television market.[12] That same year, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment acquired a 75% majority stake in British home video distributorAbbey Home Entertainment. In 1997, PFE agreed to purchase theEpic film library, which included a thousand feature films from a variety of companies, fromCrédit Lyonnais for $225 million.[18] PolyGram also attempted purchasingMGM[19] andThe Samuel Goldwyn Company's library,[20] but to no avail. In July 1998, PolyGram was in talks to sell their stake in Abbey Home Entertainment back to Ian and Anne Miles, letting AHE trade independently again. On December 7, 1997, PolyGram andWarner Bros. reached a deal to co-finance films produced byCastle Rock Entertainment.[21]
PFE's film distribution arm was based in theUnited Kingdom, and invested heavily in British film making — some credit it with reviving the British film industry in the 1990s. Despite a successful production history, new Philips CEOCor Boonstra began to draw back Philips' media operations, excepting their stake in PolyGram, in 1997.[22] At the time, Philips was seen as a bloated conglomerate riddled with problems; Boonstra initially denied that PolyGram would be sold.[23] However, by early 1998, Boonstra's attitude had shifted and various bidders began to make themselves known, as Philips began to pursue a manufacturing-only business model.[24] At the same time, PolyGram had been suffering from their own internal issues, chiefly a series of loss-making films and a lack of major pop music hits.[25] In hindsight, analysts have also pointed to another reason for Boonstra's sale of the assets, namely Philips manufacturing blank CDs, asmusic piracy subsequently impacted the music industry hugely in the years afterwards.[26]
Philips ultimately decided to sell PolyGram to the beverageconglomerateSeagram in 1998 (Seagram had chosen PolyGram over EMI because of PolyGram's better management);[27][28] only interested in PolyGram's music operations, Seagram, which at the time controlledUniversal Pictures, looked forward to divesting in PFE. After being dissatisfied with offers to buy the studio (including a joint venture betweenCanal+ andArtisan Entertainment), Seagram opted to sell off individual assets and folded whatever remained into Universal.[29] In October 1998,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) paid $235–250 million to acquire 1,300 films released before March 31, 1996, from PolyGram, however, the deal did not include the ITC library or the film The Last Seduction 2, which in 1999, were sold toCarlton Communications (now known asITV Studios) for $150 million.[30][31][32] Some of PFE's North American distribution assets, including PolyGram Video's US and Canada operations were sold toUSA Networks.[33] Universal would inherit the remaining titles, which included a third of the pre-April 1996 films, one-third of the post-April 1996 films, as well as PolyGram Television's library, and PolyGram Video's international operations. Universal would then set up their own international arm from the ashes of PFE's international division on February 9, 1999 that included theatrical and video distribution; pulling out ofCIC Video and nearly pulling out ofUnited International Pictures.[34][35] After the box office failure ofMickey Blue Eyes, a title inherited from PolyGram that ended up becoming one of the few titles that were self-distributed by Universal internationally until 2007, all the theatrical assets of Universal Pictures International were folded into United International Pictures, which continued to exist until 2006.[36]
In 1992, PolyGram partnered withUniversal Pictures to create ajoint venture calledGramercy Pictures. Gramercy primarily distributed PolyGram films in the United States, and it doubled as a specialty label for Universal. In 1993, the company also had another distribution deal withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer to fund and distribute its films.[39] In January 1996, PolyGram bought out Universal's 50% stake[40] and in 1997,PolyGram Films was founded to release PFE's mainstream titles in the United States, while Gramercy became a low-budget/art-house sublabel.[41][42] PolyGram Films' first release wasThe Game.[42][40] When PolyGram was acquired by Universal in 1999, the company merged Gramercy withOctober Films, which included its subsidiaryRogue Pictures[43] to create USA Films, which eventually becameFocus Features. Gramercy was revived in 2015 as a label of Focus Features,[44] but shut down and went dormant the next year.
Among the films directly produced by PFE were:
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17 June 1977 | The Deep | co-production withColumbia Pictures andEMI Films |
| 19 May 1978 | Thank God It's Friday | co-production withColumbia Pictures andMotown Productions |
| 6 October 1978 | Midnight Express | co-production withColumbia Pictures |
| 9 February 1979 | Agatha | co-production withFirst Artists andWarner Bros. |
| Release date | Title | Notes | U.S. distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 1990 | Chicago Joe and the Showgirl | co-production withWorking Title Films | New Line Cinema |
| 17 August 1990 | Wild at Heart | The Samuel Goldwyn Company | |
| 14 September 1990 | Fools of Fortune | New Line Cinema | |
| 24 May 1991 | Drop Dead Fred | ||
| 21 August 1991 | Barton Fink | international distribution only; produced byCircle Films | 20th Century Fox |
| 17 January 1992 | A Gnome Named Gnorm | co-production with Trilogy Entertainment Group andInterscope Communications | Vestron Pictures |
| 27 March 1992 | Ruby | co-production withPropaganda Films | Triumph Films |
| 15 May 1992 | Rubin & Ed[b] | co-production withWorking Title Films | IRS Media |
| 19 June 1992 | Batman Returns | studio credit only; produced byWarner Bros. Pictures,DC Comics,Tim Burton Productions andDe Novi Pictures | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 7 August 1992 | London Kills Me | co-production withWorking Title Films | Fine Line Features (throughNew Line Cinema) |
| 4 September 1992 | Bob Roberts | Paramount Pictures Miramax Films (theatrical) LIVE Entertainment (home video) | |
| 16 October 1992 | Candyman | co-production withPropaganda Films | TriStar Pictures |
| 23 April 1993 | Map of the Human Heart | co-production withWorking Title Films | Miramax Films |
| 14 May 1993 | Posse[c] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 20 August 1993 | The Ballad of Little Jo[d] | Fine Line Features (throughNew Line Cinema) | |
| 3 September 1993 | Kalifornia[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 8 October 1993 | The Young Americans[d] | co-production withWorking Title Films | LIVE Entertainment |
| 5 November 1993 | A Home of Our Own[c] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 7 January 1994 | The Air Up There | co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 4 February 1994 | Romeo Is Bleeding[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films Most 1994–95 PolyGram films currently owned by MGM unless mentioned otherwise | Gramercy Pictures |
| 9 March 1994 | Four Weddings and a Funeral[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films andChannel Four Films | |
| 11 March 1994 | The Hudsucker Proxy[d] | international distribution only; co-production withWarner Bros. Pictures,Working Title Films andSilver Pictures | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 8 April 1994 | Holy Matrimony[d] | international distribution only; co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| Red Rock West[d] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Roxie Releasing (theatrical) Columbia TriStar Home Video (home video) | |
| 15 April 1994 | Backbeat[d] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 6 May 1994 | Dream Lover[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | |
| 18 May 1994 | Final Combination[c] | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment | |
| 15 July 1994 | A Pig's Tale[d] | ||
| 10 August 1994 | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert[c] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 23 September 1994 | Terminal Velocity | co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 28 September 1994 | Jason's Lyric[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 16 December 1994 | Nell[c] | international distribution outside Latin America only; produced byEgg Pictures | 20th Century Fox |
| 20 January 1995 | S.F.W.[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 10 February 1995 | Shallow Grave[e] | North American, U.K., Irish, French and Benelux distribution only; produced byChannel Four International and Figment Films | |
| 24 February 1995 | Before the Rain[d] | ||
| 3 March 1995 | Roommates | co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 17 March 1995 | Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 21 April 1995 | The Basketball Diaries[f] | co-production withIsland Pictures | New Line Cinema |
| 3 May 1995 | Panther[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 5 May 1995 | French Kiss[c] | international distribution only; co-production withWorking Title Films | 20th Century Fox |
| 16 June 1995 | Batman Forever | studio credit only; produced byWarner Bros. Pictures,DC Comics andTim Burton Productions | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 30 June 1995 | Innocent Lies[c] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 28 July 1995 | Operation Dumbo Drop | co-production withWalt Disney Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 16 August 1995 | The Usual Suspects[c] | North American, U.K., Irish, French and Benelux distribution only; co-production withSpelling Films International, Blue Parrot Productions andBad Hat Harry Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 8 September 1995 | The Tie That Binds[c] | international distribution only; co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 15 September 1995 | Coldblooded[d] | co-production withMotion Picture Corporation of America andPropaganda Films | IRS Media |
| 22 September 1995 | Canadian Bacon[c] | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 29 September 1995 | Moonlight and Valentino[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films | |
| 3 November 1995 | Home for the Holidays[c] | home media, pay television and international theatrical distribution outside South America only; co-production with Egg Pictures | Paramount Pictures |
| 10 November 1995 | Carrington[c] | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 1 December 1995 | Two Much[c] | international distribution only; co-production withTouchstone Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 29 December 1995 | Dead Man Walking[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 29 December 1995 | Mr. Holland's Opus[c] | international distribution only; co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 9 February 1996 | Loch Ness[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 23 February 1996 | La Haine[g] | North American distribution only; co-acquisition withGramercy Pictures andEgg Pictures only; produced byLe Studio Canal+ andArte France Cinéma Most films released since this point are owned byUniversal Pictures[45] | |
| 8 March 1996 | Fargo[c] | co-production withWorking Title Films Inducted into theNational Film Registry in 2006 | |
| 22 March 1996 | Jack and Sarah[c] | co-production withGranada Productions andLe Studio Canal+ | |
| Land and Freedom | North American co-distribution withGramercy Pictures andWorking Title Films | ||
| 3 May 1996 | Barb Wire | co-production withPropaganda Films | |
| 10 May 1996 | Boys[c] | international distribution only; co-production withTouchstone Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 31 May 1996 | Eddie[c] | international distribution only; co-production withHollywood Pictures andIsland Pictures[46] Last film in the pre-April 1996 library owned byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| The Arrival | studio credit only; produced byLIVE Entertainment, Steelework Films andInterscope Communications | Orion Pictures | |
| 17 July 1996 | Walking and Talking | international distribution only; co-production withChannel Four Films,Zenith Productions,Pandora Film, Mikado Films (France), Electric, TEAM Communications Group andGood Machine | Miramax Films |
| Kazaam | international distribution only; co-production withTouchstone Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | |
| 19 July 1996 | Trainspotting[h] | distribution in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and the Benelux only; produced byChannel Four Films | Miramax Films |
| 18 October 1996 | Sleepers | international distribution only; co-production withWarner Bros. Pictures andPropaganda Films | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Jude | Gramercy Pictures | ||
| 25 October 1996 | The Associate | international distribution only; co-production withHollywood Pictures andInterscope Communications | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 24 December 1996 | The Portrait of a Lady | co-production withPropaganda Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 10 January 1997 | The Relic | international distribution outside Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan only; produced byCloud Nine Entertainment andPacific Western Productions | Paramount Pictures |
| 29 January 1997 | Gridlock'd | co-production withInterscope Communications | Gramercy Pictures |
| 14 February 1997 | When We Were Kings[i] | distribution only | |
| 7 March 1997 | The Eighth Day | co-production withWorking Title Films | |
| 11 April 1997 | Keys to Tulsa[j] | co-production withITC Entertainment | |
| 9 May 1997 | Twin Town | ||
| 20 June 1997 | Batman & Robin | studio credit only; produced byWarner Bros. Pictures andDC Comics | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 6 August 1997 | Def Jam's How to Be a Player | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 24 August 1997 | Snow White: A Tale of Terror | co-production withInterscope Communications | Showtime |
| 12 September 1997 | The Game | co-production withPropaganda Films | PolyGram Films |
| 19 September 1997 | Going All the Way | co-production withLakeshore Entertainment | Gramercy Pictures |
| 26 September 1997 | A Thousand Acres | international distribution only; co-production withTouchstone Pictures,Beacon Pictures andPropaganda Films | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| 3 October 1997 | The Matchmaker | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 24 October 1997 | A Life Less Ordinary | distribution in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and the Benelux only; produced by Figment Films andChannel Four Films | 20th Century Fox |
| 7 November 1997 | Bean | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 5 December 1997 | The Borrowers | PolyGram Films | |
| 16 January 1998 | Hard Rain | international distribution outside France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Japan only; produced byMutual Film Company | Paramount Pictures |
| 23 January 1998 | Spice World | distribution in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and the Benelux only; co-production with Fragile Films andIcon Entertainment International | Columbia Pictures (throughSony Pictures Releasing) |
| The Gingerbread Man | co-production withIsland Pictures and Enchanter Entertainment | PolyGram Films | |
| 18 February 1998 | I Want You | co-production withRevolution Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 26 February 1998 | Dead Letter Office | Australian film | Southern Star Entertainment |
| 6 March 1998 | The Big Lebowski | co-production withWorking Title Films Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2014 | Gramercy Pictures |
| 3 April 1998 | No Looking Back | North American co-distribution withGramercy Pictures only; produced by Marlboro Road Gang,Good Machine and South Fork Pictures | |
| The Proposition | co-production withInterscope Communications | PolyGram Films | |
| Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie | co-production withLyrick Studios | ||
| 1 May 1998 | Go Now | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 29 May 1998 | The Last Days of Disco | North American, Australian and New Zealand distribution only; produced byCastle Rock Entertainment | |
| 12 June 1998 | The Land Girls[k] | North American co-distribution withGramercy Pictures only; produced byIntermedia Films | |
| 14 August 1998 | Return to Paradise | co-production withPropaganda Films and Tetragram | PolyGram Films |
| 21 August 1998 | Your Friends & Neighbors | Gramercy Pictures | |
| 25 September 1998 | Clay Pigeons[k] | North American co-distribution withGramercy Pictures only; produced byIntermedia Films | |
| 2 October 1998 | What Dreams May Come | co-production withInterscope Communications | PolyGram Films |
| 13 November 1998 | Thursday | co-production withPropaganda Films | Legacy Releasing |
| 22 November 1998 | Elizabeth | co-production withWorking Title Films andChannel Four Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 25 November 1998 | Very Bad Things | North American, U.K. and Irish distribution only; co-production withInterscope Communications andInitial Entertainment Group | PolyGram Films |
| 22 January 1999 | The Hi-Lo Country | co-production withWorking Title Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| February 1999 | Choke | co-production withPropaganda Films | PolyGram Visual Programming |
| 5 March 1999 | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels[l] | distribution in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and the Benelux only;[47] produced byThe Steve Tisch Company,SKA Films andHandMade Films | Gramercy Pictures |
| 1 April 1999 | Millionaire Dogs | co-production withOstdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg, EIV Entertainment Invest GmbH & Company KG,Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen and Benchmark Entertainment | Pop Twist Entertainment |
| 28 May 1999 | Notting Hill | co-production withWorking Title Films | Universal Pictures |
| 9 July 1999 | Arlington Road | select international distribution only; produced byLakeshore Entertainment | Screen Gems (throughSony Pictures Releasing) |
| 20 August 1999 | Mickey Blue Eyes | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution outside Latin America, Scandinavia, Turkey and Asia excluding Japan only; produced byCastle Rock Entertainment and Simian Films | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 1 October 1999 | Plunkett & Macleane | international distribution only; co-production withWorking Title Films | USA Films |
| 29 October 1999 | Being John Malkovich | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; produced byPropaganda Films and Single Cell Pictures | |
| 10 December 1999 | The Green Mile | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution outside Latin America, Scandinavia, Turkey and Asia excluding Japan only; produced byCastle Rock Entertainment and Darkwoods Productions | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 25 December 1999 | Angela's Ashes | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; co-production withParamount Pictures,David Brown Productions,Scott Rudin Productions and Dirty Hands Productions | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date | Title | Notes | U.S. distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2000 | Pitch Black | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; co-production withInterscope Communications | USA Films |
| 24 March 2000 | Waking the Dead | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; co-production withEgg Pictures | |
| 14 April 2000 | Where the Money Is | as Universal Pictures International; North American distribution only; produced byIntermedia Films, Pacifica Film Distribution andScott Free Productions | |
| 28 July 2000 | Wonderland | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; co-production withBBC Films, Kismet Film Company andRevolution Films | |
| 4 August 2000 | Mad About Mambo | as Universal Pictures International; international distribution only; co-production withPhoenix Pictures |
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