February 5, 1919; 106 years ago (1919-02-05) inHollywood, Los Angeles,California, United States (original; as United Artists Corporation) July 26, 2024; 15 months ago (2024-07-26) (relaunch; under the United Artists label)
After numerous ownership and structural changes and revamps, United Artists was acquired bymedia conglomerateMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981 for a reported $350 million ($1.2 billion today).[2] On September 22, 2014, MGM acquired a controlling interest inOne Three Media andLightworkers Media and merged them to revive the television production unit of United Artists asUnited Artists Media Group (UAMG). MGM itself acquired UAMG on December 14, 2015, and folded it intotheir own television division.[3]
MGM briefly revived the United Artists brand asUnited Artists Digital Studios for theStargate Origins web series as part ofitsStargate franchise, but retired the name after 2019 and instead used its eponymous brand for subsequent releases.
A local joint distribution venture between MGM andAnnapurna Pictures launched on October 31, 2017[4] was rebranded asUnited Artists Releasing on February 5, 2019, in honor of its 100th anniversary.[5][6] However,Amazon, MGM's now-parent company, folded UAR into MGM on March 4, 2023, citing "newfound theatrical release opportunities" following the box-office opening success ofCreed III.[7]
On July 26, 2024,Amazon MGM Studios announced the company's revival, entering a multi-year first look deal with film producerScott Stuber, who will also be involved with all releases under the freshly revived production company.
History
United Artists' first logo, used until the company's sale to Transamerica in 1967
In 1918,Charlie Chaplin could not get his parent companyFirst National Pictures to increase his production budget despite being one of their top producers.Mary Pickford andDouglas Fairbanks had their own contracts, with First National andFamous 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 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.[8]
Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks, andD. W. Griffith incorporated United Artists as a joint venture company on February 5, 1919. Each held a 25% stake in thepreferred shares and a 20% stake in thecommon shares of the joint venture, with the remaining 20% of common shares held by lawyer and advisorWilliam Gibbs McAdoo.[9] The idea for the venture originated with Fairbanks, Chaplin, Pickford and cowboy starWilliam 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, a process that evolved into thestudio 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 ofMetro Pictures, apparently said, "The inmates are taking over the asylum."[10] The four partners, with advice from McAdoo (son-in-law and formerTreasury Secretary of then-PresidentWoodrow Wilson), formed their distribution company.Hiram Abrams was its first managing director, and the company established its headquarters at 729 Seventh Avenue in New York City.[8]
List of UA stockholders in 1920
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.
Griffith,Pickford,Chaplin (seated), andFairbanks at the signing of the contract establishing the United Artists motion-picture studio in 1919. Lawyers Albert Banzhaf (left) and Dennis F. O'Brien (right) stand in the background.
UA's first production,His Majesty, 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.[11][unreliable source?]
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.
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 hitGone with the Wind was supposed to be a UA release except that Selznick wantedClark Gable, who was under contract to MGM, to playRhett Butler. Also that year, Fairbanks died.[11]
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.[11]
In the 1940s, United Artists was losing money because of poorly received pictures.[citation needed] Cinema attendance continued to decline as television became more popular.[11] The company sold its Mexican releasing division to Crédito Cinematográfico Mexicano, a local company.
Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers (1940s and 1950s)
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 includedHunt Stromberg,William Cagney,Sol Lesser, andHal Roach.
The Society aimed to advance the interests of independent producers in an industry controlled by 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, andWarner Bros./First National—that controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures.
In 1942, SIMPP filed an antitrust suit against Paramount'sUnited Detroit Theatres. The complaint accused Paramount of conspiracy to control first-and subsequent-run theaters in Detroit. This was the first antitrust suit brought by producers against exhibitors that alleged monopoly and restraint of trade. In 1948, theU.S. Supreme CourtParamount Decision ordered the major Hollywoodmovie 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 the group ceased operations.
Krim and Benjamin
Needing a turnaround, Pickford and Chaplin hiredPaul V. McNutt in 1950,[13] a former governor of Indiana, as chairman andFrank 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.[11]
On February 15, 1951, lawyers-turned-producersArthur B. Krim (ofEagle-Lion Films),Robert Benjamin and Matty Fox[13] approached Pickford and Chaplin with an 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.[13] 20th Century-Fox presidentSpyros Skouras extended United Artists a $3 million loan through Krim and Benjamin's efforts.[11][14]
In taking over UA, Krim and Benjamin created 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 wereSam Spiegel andJohn Huston, whose Horizon Productions gave UA one major hit,The African Queen (1951) and a substantial success,Moulin Rouge (1952). BesidesThe African Queen UA also had success withHigh Noon in their first year, earning a profit of $313,000 compared to a loss of $871,000 the previous year.[13][11] Other clients followed, among themStanley Kramer,Otto Preminger,Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions, and actors newly freed from studio contracts and seeking to produce or direct their own films.
With 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% 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.[11]
In the late 1950s, United Artists produced two modest films that became financial and critical successes for the company. The company madeMarty which won 1955's Palme d'Or and Best Picture Oscar, and12 Angry Men (1957), which according to Krim before home video, was being seen on television 24 hours a day, 365 days a year some place in the world.[14] By 1958, UA was making annual profits of $3 million a year.[13]
Public company
United Artists went public in 1957 with a $17 million stock anddebenture offering. The company was averaging 50 films a year.[11] In 1958, UA acquiredIlya Lopert'sLopert Pictures Corporation, which released foreign films that attracted criticism or had censorship problems.[15]
In 1957, UA createdUnited Artists Records Corporation and United Artists Music Corporation after an unsuccessful attempt to buy a record company.[16] In 1968, UA Records merged withLiberty Records, along with its many subsidiary labels such asImperial Records andDolton Records. In 1972, the group was consolidated into one entity as United Artists Records and in 1979,EMI acquired the division which includedBlue Note Records.[17]
In 1959, after failing to sell several pilots, United Artists offered its first ever television series,The Troubleshooters,[18] 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,[11] adding relationships with theMirisch brothers,Billy Wilder,Joseph E. Levine and others. In 1961, United Artists releasedWest Side Story, which won tenAcademy Awards (includingBest Picture).
In 1964, the French subsidiary, Les Productions Artistes Associés, released its first productionThat Man from Rio.
In 1965, UA released the anticipated George Stevens' production ofThe 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 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 byFulton Oursler and theradio program which ran from 1947 to 1956.The Greatest Story Ever Told received five Academy Award nominations in 1965 and was also listed among the "Top 10 Films of the Year" by theNational Board of Review.
Transamerica subsidiary
United Artists' second logo, used during the company's sale to Transamerica from 1967 until 1982
On the basis of its film and television hits, in 1967,Transamerica Corporation purchased 98% of UA's stock. Transamerica selectedDavid andArnold Picker to lead its studio.[11] UA debuted a new logo incorporating the parent company's striped T emblem and the tagline "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation". This wording 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.[11]
UA released another Best Picture Oscar winner in 1967,In the Heat of the Night and a nominee for Best Picture,The Graduate, anEmbassy production that UA distributed overseas.
In 1973, United Artists took over the sales and distribution ofMGM's films inAnglo-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 the 1980s. As part of the deal, UA acquired MGM's music publishing operation, Robbins, Feist, Miller.[23]
In 1975, Harry Saltzman sold UA his 50% stake inDanjaq, the holding-company for the Bond films.
UA agreed to releaseOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975, after many other studios turned it down. ProducerMichael Douglas later said "United Artists, respectfully, was like your last choice in those days but they made us a decent deal".[24] The film won the Best Picture Academy Award and was UA's highest-grossing film, with a gross of $163 million.[25] UA followed with the next two years' Best Picture Oscar winners,Rocky andAnnie Hall,[24] becoming 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.[11][26]
However, Transamerica was not pleased with UA's releases such asMidnight Cowboy andLast Tango in Paris that wererated X by theMotion Picture Association of America. In these instances, Transamerica demanded the byline "A Transamerica Company" be removed on 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.[27] Finally in 1978, following a dispute with Transamerica chiefJohn R. Beckett[11] over administrative expenses,[citation needed] UA's top executives, including chairman Krim, presidentEric Pleskow, Benjamin and other key officers walked out. Within days they announced the formation ofOrion Pictures,[11] with backing fromWarner 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.[citation needed] Later that year, it entered into a partnership withLorimar Productions, whereas United Artists would distribute Lorimar's feature films theatrically, while Lorimar was planning to produce television series and miniseries adaptations from UA's feature film library.[28]
The new leadership agreed to backHeaven's Gate, a project of directorMichael Cimino, which vastly overran its budget and cost $44 million. This led to the resignation of Albeck, who was replaced by Norbert Auerbach.[11] United Artists recorded a major loss for the year due almost entirely to the box-office failure ofHeaven's Gate.[29] 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 bookFinal Cut that there had been talk about renaming United Artists to Transamerica Pictures.
In 1980, Transamerica decided to exit the film making business, and put United Artists on the market.Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. purchased the company in 1981.[30][31] Tracinda also owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[32]
United Artists Classics
In 1981, United Artists Classics, which formerly re-released library titles, was turned into a first-runart film distributor by Nathaniel T. Kwit, Jr.Tom Bernard was hired as the division director, as well as handling theatrical sales, andIra Deutchman[33][34] was hired as head of marketing. Later the division addedMichael Barker andDonna Gigliotti. Deutchman left to formCinecom, and Barker and Bernard formedOrion Classics andSony Pictures Classics. The label mostly released foreign and independent films such asCutter's Way,Ticket to Heaven andThe Grey Fox, and occasional first-run reissues from the UA library, such as director's cuts ofHead Over Heels. When Barker and Bernard left to form Orion Classics, the label was briefly rechristened in 1984 as MGM/UA Classics before it ceased operating in the late 1980s.[35]
Logo used from 1982 to 1987
MGM/UA Entertainment Company
The merged studios became known as the MGM/UA Entertainment Company and in 1982 began launching new subsidiaries: theMGM/UA Home Entertainment Group, MGM/UA Classics andMGM/UA Television Group. Kerkorian also bid for the remaining, outstanding public stock, but dropped his bid, facing lawsuits and vocal opposition.[11]
In 1981,Fred Silverman and George Reeves via InterMedia Entertainment struck a deal with the studio to produce films and television shows.[36][37]
After the purchase,David Begelman's duties were transferred from MGM to MGM/UA. Under Begelman, MGM/UA produced unsuccessful films and he was fired in July 1982. Of the 11 films he put into production, by the time of his termination onlyPoltergeist proved to be a hit.[38]
As part of the consolidation, in 1983, MGM closed United Artists' long time headquarters at 729 Seventh Avenue in New York City.[39] MGM/UA sold the former UA music publishing division toCBS Songs in 1983.[40]
WarGames andOctopussy made substantial profits for the new MGM/UA in 1983, but were not sufficient for Kerkorian. It did not help that WarGames was briefly caught in a legal dispute withEMI Films concerning the film's funding and international rights.[41] A 1985-restructuring led to independent MGM and UA production units with the combined studio leaders each placed in charge of a single unit. Speculation from analysts was that one of the studios, most likely UA, would be sold to fund the other's (MGM) stock buy-back to take that studio private. However, soon afterwards, one unit's chief was fired and the remaining executive,Alan Ladd, Jr., took charge of both.[11]
Turner
On August 7, 1985,Ted Turner announced that hisTurner Broadcasting System would buy MGM/UA. As film licensing to television became more complicated, Turner saw the value of acquiring MGM's film library for his superstationWTBS.[42] Under the terms of the deal, Turner would immediately sell United Artists back to Kerkorian.[32]
In anticipation, Kerkorian installed film producerJerry Weintraub as the chairman and chief executive of United Artists Corporation in November 1985; formerABC executiveAnthony Thomopoulos was recruited as UA's president.[43][44] Weintraub's tenure at UA was brief; he left the studio in April 1986, replaced by formerLorimar executiveLee Rich.[45] In anticipation, during the split, SLM Production Group moved its distribution deal to United Artists, after having left MGM/UA temporarily for 20th Century Fox.[46]
On March 25, 1986, Turner finalized his acquisition of MGM/UA in a cash-stock deal for $1.5 billion and renamed it MGM Entertainment Co.[42][47][48][49][50][51] Kerkorian then repurchased most of United Artists' assets for roughly $480 million.[47][48] As a result of this transaction, the original United Artists ceased to exist. Kerkorian, for all intents and purposes, created an entirely new company implementing the inherited assets; thus, the present day UA is not the legal successor to the original incarnation, though it shares similar assets.[52] United Artists announced plans to launch its new headquarters onBeverly Hills, which was set to take effect on November 1, 1985, shortly before the Turner deal was finalized.[53] On April 23, 1986, United Artists andHoyts, the Australian cinema chain and distribution company, signed a three-picture deal to co-produce films.[54]
MGM/UA Communications Company
Logo used from 1987 to 1994.
Due to financial community concerns over his debt load, Ted Turner was forced to sell MGM's production and distribution assets to United Artists for $300 million on August 26, 1986.[47][48][55][56] The MGM lot and lab facilities were sold toLorimar-Telepictures.[55] Turner kept the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television library, along with theAssociated Artists Productions library, and the RKO Pictures films that United Artists had previously purchased.[55] On August 21, 1986, United Artists announced its re-entry into film production;Baby Boom andReal Men were the first new films to commence production, with a slate of 26 films to follow in development.[57]
United Artists was renamedMGM/UA Communications Company and organized into three main units: one television production and two film units. David Gerber headed up the television unit with Anthony Thomopoulous at United Artists, and Alan Ladd, Jr. at MGM. Despite a resurgence at the box office in 1987 withSpaceballs,The Living Daylights, andMoonstruck, MGM/UA lost $88 million.[11] That November,Hoyts and United Artists decided to end their co-production partnership.[58]
In April 1988, Kerkorian's 82 percent of MGM/UA was up for sale; MGM and UA were split by July. Eventually, 25 percent of MGM was offered toBurt Sugarman, and producersJon Peters andPeter Guber, but the plan later fell through. Rich, Ladd, Thomopoulous and other executives grew tired of Kerkorian's antics and began to leave.[11] By summer 1988, the mass exodus of executives started to affect productions, with many film cancellations. The 1989 sale of MGM/UA to the Australian companyQintex/Australian Television Network (owners of the Hal Roach library, which both MGM and United Artists had distributed in the 1930s) also fell through, due to the company's bankruptcy later that year; Ted Turner attempted to buy the assets again but failed.[59] UA was essentially dormant after 1990 and released no films for several years.
The 1990s
In November 1990, Italian financierGiancarlo Parretti purchased MGM/UA. He'd previously purchasedCannon Films and renamed it Pathé Communications, anticipating a successful purchase ofPathé, the famed French film company. But his attempt failed – largely from the French government looking into Parretti's shady past – and instead he merged MGM/UA with his former company, resulting inMGM-Pathé Communications Co. During the transaction, Parretti overstated his own financial condition and obtained a loan under false pretenses; this was a harbinger of the chaos the studio fell into under his ownership. Debts went unpaid, forcing the delay of several films, as Parretti looted the company, fired most of the financial staff and feuded with Alan Ladd Jr. over control. To prevent any further damage (and in part to prevent their own financial misdeeds from coming to light),Crédit Lyonnais, Parretti's primary lender, foreclosed on the studio in 1992.[60][61][31] This resulted in Parretti defaulting on his loans and subsequently being convicted of securities fraud. On July 2, 1992, MGM-Pathé Communications was again namedMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. In an effort to make MGM/UA saleable, Credit Lyonnais ramped up production and convincedJohn Calley to run UA. Under his supervision, Calley revived thePink Panther andJames Bond franchises and highlighted UA's past by giving the widest release ever to a film with an NC-17 rating,Showgirls. Credit Lyonnais sold MGM in 1996, again to Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda, leading to Calley's departure.[31]
In 1999, filmmakerFrancis Ford Coppola attempted to buy UA from Kerkorian who rejected the offer. Coppola signed a production deal with the studio instead.[27]
The 2000s to the 2020s
Logo used from 2000 to 2010.
In June 1999, MGM announced that it would restructure United Artists as an arthouse film producer/distributor, while the existing mainstream film production and staff of the company would be consolidated under MGM itself. Both MGM and UA commonly competed against one another in the independent film market, and the restructuring would allow UA to solely focus its attention on competing withDisney'sMiramax Films division. G2 Films, the renamedSamuel Goldwyn Company, was renamed as United Artists International but retained the same management and staff.[62] The distributorship, branding, and copyrights for two of UA's main franchises (Pink Panther, andRocky) were moved to MGM, although select MGM releases (notably the James Bond franchise co-held withDanjaq, LLC and theAmityville Horror remake) carry a United Artists copyright. The first arthouse film to bear the UA name wasThings You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her.
In July 2000, MGM announced that it would shut down United Artists International and release all future UA films overseas under its new distribution deal with20th Century Fox that was due to begin in November of that year. MGM stated that the closure had been planned as early as December 1999, stating that lucrative international TV output deals had affected the box office results for UA's recent films internationally. The mainstream North American division was unaffected by the changes.[63]
In March 2006, MGM announced that it would return again as a domestic distribution company. Striking distribution deals withThe Weinstein Company (TWC),Lakeshore Entertainment, Bauer Martinez Entertainment, and other independent studios, MGM distributed films from these companies. MGM continued funding and co-producing projects released in conjunction with Sony'sColumbia TriStar Motion Picture Group on a limited basis and producedtent-poles for its own distribution company, MGM Distribution.
Sony had a minority stake in MGM, but otherwise MGM and UA operated under the direction of Stephen Cooper (CEO and minority owner of MGM).
United Artists Entertainment
On November 2, 2006, MGM announced thatTom Cruise and his long-time production partnerPaula Wagner were resurrecting UA.[66][67] This announcement came after the duo were released from a fourteen-year production relationship atViacom-owned Paramount Pictures. Cruise, Wagner andMGM Studios created United Artists Entertainment LLC and the producer/actor and his partner owned a 30% stake in the studio,[68] with the approval by MGM's consortium of owners. The deal gave them control over production and development. Wagner was named CEO, and was allotted an annual slate of four films with varying budget ranges, while Cruise served as a producer for the revamped studio and the occasional star.
On August 14, 2008, MGM announced that Wagner would leave UA to produce films independently.[70] Her output as head of UA was two films, both starring Cruise,Lions for Lambs[71] andValkyrie.[72] Wagner's departure led to speculation that a UA overhaul was imminent.[70]
Since then, UA has served as a co-producer with MGM for two releases: the 2009 remake ofFame andHot Tub Time Machine—these are the last original films to date to bear the UA banner.
A 2011 financial report revealed that MGM reacquired its 100% stake in United Artists.[68] MGM stated that it might continue to make new films under the UA brand.[68] Currently, however, UA itself functions in-name-only, although it occasionally re-releases (via MGM) most of its films theatrically under the UA banner.
United Artists Media Group and United Artists Digital Studios
On September 22, 2014, MGM acquired a 55% interest in One Three Media and Lightworkers Media, both operated by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey and partly owned byHearst Entertainment. The two companies were consolidated into a new television company, United Artists Media Group (UAMG), a revival of the UA brand. Burnett became UAMG's CEO and Downey became president of Lightworkers Media, the UAMG family and faith division. UAMG became the distributing studio for Mark Burnett Productions programming such asSurvivor. UAMG was to form anover-the-top faith-based channel.[31][73]
On December 14, 2015, MGM announced that it had acquired the remaining 45% stake of UAMG it did not already own and folded UAMG into its own television division. Hearst, Downey and Burnett received stakes in MGM collectively valued at $233 million. Additionally, Burnett was promoted to president for MGM Television, replacing the outgoingRoma Khanna. The planned over-the-top faith service (later to be branded as a combined OTT/digital subchannel service known as Light TV, now theTheGrio) became a separate entity owned by MGM, Burnett, Downey and Hearst.[3]
In July 2024, it was reported thatScott Stuber was nearing a deal to revive the United Artists label under Amazon MGM Studios for the first time in over a decade. Amazon confirmed the news shortly after in a press release, announcing that Stuber had entered a multi-year first look deal with the company. Under this deal, Stuber will produce films for the newly revived banner under his own company either for a theatrical release or streaming release throughAmazon Prime Video. Stuber will also be involved with every film released under the United Artists banner.[75]
A majority of UA's post-1952 library is now owned by MGM, while the pre-1952 films (with few exceptions) were either sold to other companies such asNational Telefilm Associates (now a part of theMelange/Republic Pictures holdings owned by Paramount Skydance, withParamount Pictures handling their distribution) or are in thepublic domain. However, throughout the studio's history, UA acted more as a distributor than a film studio, crediting the copyright to the production company responsible. This explains why certain UA releases, such asHigh Noon (1952) andThe Final Countdown (1980), are still under copyright but not owned by MGM.[original research?] The MGM titles which UA distributed from 1973 to 1982 are now owned by Turner (underWarner Bros.).
UA films on video
UA originally leased the home video rights to its films toMagnetic Video, the first home video company. Fox purchased Magnetic in 1981 and renamed it20th Century-Fox Video that year. In 1982, 20th Century-Fox Video merged withCBS Video Enterprises (which earlier split fromMGM/CBS Home Video after MGM merged with UA) giving birth toCBS/Fox Video. Although MGM owned UA around this time, UA's licensing deal with CBS/Fox (which also included sublabels Key Video and Playhouse Video) was still in effect. However, the newly renamedMGM/UA Home Video started releasing some UA product, including UA films originally released in the mid-80s. Prior to MGM's purchase, UA licensed foreign video rights to Warner Bros. throughWarner Home Video, in a deal that was set to expire in 1991.[76] In 1986, the pre-1950 WB and the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television libraries were purchased by Ted Turner after his short-lived ownership of MGM/UA, and as a result CBS/Fox lost home video rights to the pre-1950 WB films to MGM/UA Home Video, which licensed them from Turner. When the deal with CBS/Fox (inherited from Magnetic Video) expired in 1989, the UA released films were released through MGM/UA Home Video.
Before the Magnetic Video and Warner Home Video deals in 1980, United Artists had exclusive rental contracts with a small video label calledVidAmerica in the US, and another small label called Intervision Video in the UK.[77][78][79] for the home video release of 20 titles from the UA library (e.g.The Great Escape,Some Like It Hot, andHair, along with a few pre-1950 WB titles).
United Artists Releasing, LLC (UAR) was a localfilm distributionjoint venture between MGM and Annapurna Pictures founded by former MGM CEOGary Barber and Annapurna founderMegan Ellison on 31 October 2017,[4] it rebranded asUnited Artists Releasing on 5 February 2019 to commemorate 100 years since the founding ofUnited Artists,[5] it operated within with offices of the headquarters of the respective companies inWest Hollywood andLos Angeles inCalifornia and offered alternative services to themajor film studios andstreaming media companies[5] with 10–14 films released annually.[6]
On 26 May 2021,online shopping andtechnology companyAmazon acquired MGM Holdings, the parent company of MGM, for $8.45 billion[86] which was completed on 17 March 2022[87] and consequentially placed United Artists Releasing under the control ofAmazon Studios. Amazon then folded United Artists Releasing into MGM on 4 March 2023 in a push towards cinematic/theatrical film distribution alongside their staple media releases on their video on demand serviceAmazon Prime Video following the box-office success ofCreed III.[7]
^WB retained a pair of features from 1949 that they merely distributed, and all short subjects released on or after September 1, 1948, in addition to all cartoons released in August 1948.
^"UA To Headquarter In Beverly Hills".Variety. October 16, 1985. p. 5.
^Galbraith, Jane (April 23, 1986). "UA, Oz's Hoyts Ink Coproduction Accord".Variety. p. 7.
^abcFabrikant, Geraldine (June 7, 1986)."Turner To Sell Mgm Assets".The New York Times.Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2015.
^Galbraith, Jane (August 27, 1986). "Following A Year In Upheaval, UA Is Ready to Resume Production".Variety. p. 4.
^"Hoyts & United Artists Pull Plug On Deal To Coproduce Features".Variety. November 5, 1986. p. 29.
^Fabrikant, Geraldine (November 29, 1989)."Turner Buying MGM/UA".The New York Times.Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. RetrievedOctober 2, 2014.
^Shippy, Dick (September 13, 1968)."WUAB (43) Joins The TV Family".Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. D3.Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"United Artists gets ch. 43 Lorain, Ohio"(PDF).Broadcasting. Vol. 70, no. 10. March 7, 1966. p. 61.Archived(PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
^Hart, Raymond P. (October 10, 1978)."Channel 61 plans a return".The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 7-B.Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 15, 2022 – via GenealogyBank.
