 | |
| Formerly | WWE Films (2002–2008) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | July 31, 2002; 23 years ago (July 31, 2002) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ben Zierten (VP, Unscripted Production and Development) |
| Parent | WWE |
| Subsidiaries | WWE Studios Originals WWE Studios Finance WWE Films Development[1] |
| Website | WWE Studios |
WWE Studios Inc. (formerly known asWWE Films) is an American film studio owned by theprofessional wrestling promotionWWE, a division ofTKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary ofEndeavor Group Holdings. Founded on July 31, 2002, WWE Studios movies frequently mix well-known actors and actresses in lead roles with WWE wrestlers, and teams with existing production and distribution companies resulting in lower cost for both parties.
Before the formation of WWE Studios, the WWF had produced the 1989 filmNo Holds Barred featuringHulk Hogan under the Shane Distribution Company banner, a precursor to today's company. WWE Studios released the film on DVD in 2012.[2]
WWE Studios was formed in 2002 as WWE Films,[3] and was seen as "a natural extension of the entertainment business" that they already featured in the weeklyRaw andSmackDown television programs.[4] Joel Simon was named as President of the WWE Films and Jed Blaugrund as vice president.[3][5]
WWE announced the first three film projects in January 2005;The Condemned, starringSteve Austin,The Marine, starringJohn Cena, andGoodnight, later retitled asSee No Evil, starringKane.[6][7] Both of these independent film projects were genre films that cost $20 million.[8]
In 2008, the name was changed to WWE Studios.[9][10] On February 25, 2008, WWE had signed a deal with20th Century Fox Home Entertainment that Fox received to WWE that they would get one theatrical film and four straight-to-DVD movies.[11] The move was designed to expand into production of scripted television series and films for networks.[12]
In February 2009, WWE Studios announced the first film which would not feature a WWE wrestler as the lead, withThat's What I Am starringEd Harris as a schoolteacher accused of fondling kids.[13] In December 2009, it was announced thatPatricia Clarkson andDanny Glover would star in the WWE Studios andSamuel Goldwyn Films co-production ofLegendary along with WWE wrestlerJohn Cena.[14][15] Around the same time, the film announced production had been completed on another co-production with Samuel Goldwyn Films, the comedyKnucklehead, which starred WWE wrestlerBig Show.[16][17] Further projects were announced in 2010 with WWE wrestlers in lead roles, withThe Chaperone starringTriple H,[18][19] which was released in February 2011,[20] andBending the Rules starringEdge,[21][22] which was released in March 2012.[23][24] These initial releases were largely unsuccessful financially.[25]
In February 2012, WWE Studios agreed to a new three-film deal with20th Century Fox Home Entertainment to produce, finance and market threestraight-to-DVD titles,[26] includingThe Marine 3: Homefront starringThe Miz, having previously worked with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on the previous films in the franchise,The Marine andThe Marine 2. The deal also included the release of12 Rounds 2: Reloaded starringRandy Orton, having together previously released12 Rounds starring John Cena.[27] Also that year, WWE Studios had signed a deal withLionsgate in order to work on upcoming projects, most notably aLeprechaun project via a two-picture deal between the two studios.[28]
In April 2012, WWE Studios partnered withWarner Bros. Entertainment France and producerThomas Langmann to distribute French filmLes Reines Du Ring in the United States and Canada,[29][30] as well as the rights to remake the film, which was announced in 2014.[31][32]
WWE Studios also producedNo One Lives with Pathe Pictures, starring Luke Evans and WWE wrestlerBrodus Clay, and acquired the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival cult hitThe Day, starring Shawn Ashmore and Dominic Monaghan. WWE Studios has also acquiredInterrogation, a suspense thriller by Adam Rodin.[33] WWE Studios then secured the rights toBermuda, afound footage horror spec script by Bobby Lee Darby and Nathan Brookes, set in theBermuda Triangle.[34] WWE Studios further announced a partnership with producer Edward R. Pressman and Jason Blum's Blum-Hanson-Allen films to developCruisin' for a Brusin', an action comedy to be written and directed byAdam Bhala Lough.[35] WWE Studios andWarner Bros. co-produced aScooby-Doo animated feature that found Scooby and the gang solving a mystery atWrestleMania, which also starred an ensemble of WWE Superstars.The movie released on March 25, 2014.[36] On May 29, 2013, it was announced that WWE studios and Warner Bros would again team up to co-produce aFlintstones animated movie to be released in early 2015.[37]
WWE Studios most successful film to date is the 2013 releaseThe Call, starringHalle Berry andAbigail Breslin, which made close to $70 million at the box office,[38] despite a comparatively small budget of just $13m.[39][40] The film opened at the US box office at No. 2 with 17 million in its first weekend.[38] It was further reported that WWE was looking at a potential sequel following the success ofThe Call.[41]
In 2013, WWE Studios andHyde Park Entertainment announced a deal to work together on the film adaptation of the 1980s television seriesThe Fall Guy. The film will starDwayne Johnson, who made his name as The Rock in WWE from 1996 to 2004 before becoming an actor, in his second WWE Studios production, with the first beingThe Scorpion King.[42][43][44][45] In August 2014, a second collaboration between WWE Studios and Hyde Park was announced, withKen Jeong,David Hasselhoff andWWE Hall of FamerHulk Hogan signed to star in a comedyKilling Hasselhoff.[46][47]
In February 2014, WWE announced the sequel to the 1996 filmJingle All the Way, to starLarry the Cable Guy and WWE wrestlerSantino Marella.[48][49]
In May 2014, it was announced that WWE had extended their partnership withLionsgate Entertainment to release a further six films together,[50][51] with the first two announced asVendetta, starringThe Big Show[52] and12 Rounds 3: Lockdown starringDean Ambrose.[53][54] These group of six films have been referred as theAction Six-Pack Series.[55]
In November 2014, WWE announced a new partnership deal withWarner Bros. Home Entertainment.[56] In March 2015, they announced a partnership with newly foundedGene Simmons production companyErebus Pictures and[57] in April 2015, WWE Studios teamed with British companyRichwater Films to co-produce and co-finance action-thrillersEliminators andRampage.[58]
In November 2017, WWE announced that WWE Studios will expand its mandate to include scripted, non-scripted, family, and animated television and digital content.[59]
In February 2019, it was reported that WWE Studios andNetflix came to an agreement that would see WWE Studios produce new family-friendly movies for Netflix's platform.[60]
In July 2019, it was announced that WWE Studios will be producing its first television show,Fight Like A Girl, forQuibi.[61] It would later be moved toThe Roku Channel following the closure of Quibi.[62]
In March 2021, theGame Show Network revealed at their upfront; they signed a deal with WWE Studios to develop shows hosted by WWE talent.[63]
In March 2022,A&E Network and WWE expanded their agreement for more episodes ofBiography: WWE Legends andWWE's Most Wanted Treasures. It was also announced a new series calledWWE Rivals. The deal between the company calls for additional content to be announced at a later date.[64]
| Year | Title | US release date | WWE Superstar(s) featured | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Scorpion King | April 19, 2002 | The Rock | Universal Pictures | Released asWWF Entertainment |
| 2003 | The Rundown | September 26, 2003 | The Rock | Universal Pictures | First theatrical film released asWWE Films |
| 2004 | Walking Tall | April 2, 2004 | The Rock | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| 2006 | See No Evil | May 19, 2006 | Kane | Lionsgate | |
| The Marine | October 13, 2006 | John Cena | 20th Century Fox | ||
| 2007 | The Condemned | April 27, 2007 | Steve Austin | Lionsgate | Last theatrical film released asWWE Films |
| 2008 | Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia | September 19, 2008 | Mr. Kennedy | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video |
| 2009 | 12 Rounds | March 27, 2009 | John Cena | 20th Century Fox | First theatrical film released asWWE Studios |
| The Marine 2 | June 19, 2009 | Ted DiBiase Jr. | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| 2010 | Legendary | September 10, 2010 | John Cena | Samuel Goldwyn Films | |
| Knucklehead | October 22, 2010 | Big Show | Samuel Goldwyn Films | ||
| 2011 | The Chaperone | February 18, 2011 | Paul "Triple H" Levesque | Samuel Goldwyn Films | |
| That's What I Am | April 29, 2011 | Randy Orton | Samuel Goldwyn Films | ||
| Inside Out | September 9, 2011 | Paul "Triple H" Levesque | Samuel Goldwyn Films | ||
| The Reunion | October 21, 2011 | John Cena | Samuel Goldwyn Films | ||
| 2012 | Bending the Rules | March 9, 2012 | Edge | Entertainment One | |
| The Day | August 29, 2012 | Anchor Bay Films WWE Studios | Distribution only | ||
| Barricade | September 25, 2012 | WWE Studios | |||
| The Marine 3: Homefront | November 14, 2012 | The Miz | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| 2013 | Dead Man Down | March 8, 2013 | Wade Barrett | FilmDistrict | |
| The Call | March 15, 2013 | David Otunga | TriStar Pictures | ||
| No One Lives | May 10, 2013 | Brodus Clay | Anchor Bay Films | ||
| Queens of the Ring(Les reines du ring) | July 3, 2013 (France) July 25, 2014 (US) | Various cameos[a] | Image Entertainment | Theatrical Film (US) | |
| 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded | March 1, 2013 | Randy Orton | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| Christmas Bounty | November 26, 2013 | The Miz | Warner Bros. | TV movie | |
| 2014 | Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery | March 25, 2014 | Various voices[b] | Straight-to-video, animated | |
| Oculus | April 11, 2014 | Relativity Media | |||
| Road to Paloma | July 11, 2014 | Anchor Bay Entertainment WWE Studios | Distribution only | ||
| Leprechaun: Origins | August 22, 2014 | Hornswoggle | Lionsgate | ||
| See No Evil 2 | May 23, 2014 | Kane | Straight-to-video | ||
| Jingle All the Way 2 | June 27, 2014 | Santino Marella | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| 2015 | Vendetta | June 12, 2015 | Big Show | Lionsgate | Straight-to-video, 1st installment in theAction Six-Pack series |
| The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! | March 10, 2015 | Various voices[c] | Warner Bros. | Straight-to-video, animated | |
| The Marine 4: Moving Target | April 21, 2015 | The Miz Summer Rae | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown | September 11, 2015 | Dean Ambrose | Lionsgate | Straight-to-video, 2nd installment in theAction Six-Pack series | |
| The Condemned 2 | November 6, 2015 | Randy Orton | Straight-to-video | ||
| Santa's Little Helper | November 17, 2015 | The Miz Paige Maryse Ouellet | 20th Century Fox | Straight-to-video | |
| 2016 | Countdown | November 30, 2016 | Dolph Ziggler Kane Various cameos[d] | Lionsgate | Straight-to-video |
| Term Life | April 29, 2016 | Focus World | Limited release | ||
| Interrogation | July 1, 2016 | Edge Lana | Lionsgate | 3rd installment in theAction Six-Pack series | |
| Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon | July 26, 2016 (Digital HD) August 6, 2016 (Home video) | Various voices[e] | Warner Bros. | Straight-to-video, animated | |
| Incarnate | December 2, 2016 | Mark Henry | BH Tilt | ||
| Eliminators | June 24, 2016 | Wade Barrett | Universal Pictures | ||
| 2017 | Surf's Up 2: WaveMania | January 16, 2017 | Various voices[f] | Sony Pictures Animation | Straight-to-video, animated |
| The Resurrection of Gavin Stone | January 20, 2017 | Shawn Michaels | BH Tilt | ||
| The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! | February 28, 2017 (Digital HD) March 14, 2017 (Home video) | Various voices[g] | Warner Bros. | Straight-to-video, animated | |
| Sleight | April 28, 2017 | Universal Pictures | Distribution only | ||
| Pure Country: Pure Heart | August 1, 2017 | Shawn Michaels | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment | Straight-to-video | |
| Armed Response | August 4, 2017 | Seth Rollins | Erebus Pictures | Straight-to-video | |
| Birth of the Dragon | August 25, 2017 | BH Tilt | |||
| Killing Hasselhoff | August 29, 2017 | The Iron Sheik Hulk Hogan | Image Nation | Straight-to-video | |
| The Marine 5: Battleground | December 14, 2017 (Digital HD) March 28, 2017 (Home Video) | The Miz Maryse Ouellet Heath Slater Curtis Axel Bo Dallas Naomi | Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions | Straight-to-video | |
| 2018 | The Marine 6: Close Quarters | November 13, 2018 | The Miz Becky Lynch Shawn Michaels | Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions | Straight-to-video |
| Blood Brother | November 30, 2018 | R-Truth | CodeBlack Films | ||
| 2019 | Fighting with My Family | February 14, 2019 | The Rock Big Show Sheamus The Miz Zelina Vega | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer(viaMirror Releasing) (United States) Lionsgate(United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) Universal Pictures(elsewhere) | |
| 2020 | Buddy Games | November 24, 2020 | Sheamus | Saban Films | |
| The Main Event | April 10, 2020 | Sheamus The Miz Kofi Kingston Beth Phoenix Mauro Ranallo Babatunde Aiyegbusi Keith Lee Mia Yim Otis Renee Young Corey Graves | Netflix | ||
| 2021 | Escape the Undertaker | October 5, 2021 | The Undertaker Kofi Kingston Big E Xavier Woods | Netflix | [65] |
| Rumble | December 15, 2021 | Becky Lynch Roman Reigns | Paramount Pictures Paramount Animation Walden Media Reel FX Animation Studios |
| Year | Title | US release date | WWE Superstar(s) featured | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | André the Giant[66] | April 10, 2018 | Various Hall of Famers and Legends | HBO | Co-produced with HBO Sports, JMH Films, and Ringer Films |
| Miz & Mrs. | July 24, 2018 – July 25, 2022 | The Miz Maryse Mizanin | USA Network | Co-produced withBunim/Murray Productions | |
| 2020 | The Big Show Show[67] | April 6, 2020 – December 9, 2020 | Big Show | Netflix | Co-produced with Z+M Industrial Films and Northrock 6 |
| Fight Like a Girl[61] | April 13, 2020 | Alexa Bliss Becky Lynch Brie Bella Charlotte Flair Natalya Nia Jax Nikki Bella Sasha Banks Sonya Deville Stephanie McMahon | Quibi(original) The Roku Channel(acquisition following the closure Quibi) | ||
| 2021 | Biography: WWE Legends[68] | April 18, 2021 – present | Numerous Legends and Hall of Famers | A&E Network | |
| WWE's Most Wanted Treasures[69] | April 18, 2021 – present | Stephanie McMahon Paul "Triple H" Levesque AJ Francis Numerous Legends and Hall of Famers | A&E Network | ||
| 2022 | Corey & Carmella | February 28, 2022 | Corey Graves Carmella | YouTube | [70] |
| WWE Evil[71] | March 24, 2022 | Various WWE Superstars | Peacock | ||
| WWE Rivals[72] | July 10, 2022 – present | Various WWE Superstars, Legends, and Hall of Famers | A&E Network | ||
| WWE Smack Talk[73] | July 10, 2022 – September 4, 2022 | Booker T Jackie Redmond | A&E Network | ||
| 2024 | Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez[74] | February 2, 2024 | Montez Ford Bianca Belair | Hulu | Co-produced withHulu |
| WWE: Next Gen[75] | April 1, 2024 | John Cena | The Roku Channel | Co-produced with A. Smith & Co. Productions and Hard Nocks South Productions | |
| Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal[76] | April 1, 2024 | Various WWE Superstars, Legends, and Hall of Famers | Peacock | ||
| 2025 | WWE LFG | February 16, 2025 – present | Various Hall of Famers and Legends | A&E Network | |
| Everything on the Menu With Braun Strowman | October 24, 2025 – present | Braun Strowman | USA Network | Executive producer:Triple H |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
