 | |
| Industry | Film production Film distribution Post-production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977; 48 years ago (1977) |
| Founder | Jake Eberts |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Website | goldcrestfilms |
Goldcrest Films is an independent British distribution, production, post production, and finance company. Operating from London and New York, Goldcrest is a privately owned integrated filmed entertainment company.
Goldcrest Films oversees the production, distribution and marketing of films produced by Goldcrest and third-party acquisition in addition to monetising Goldcrest's library of over 100 titles. Goldcrest Films recent slate includesSlumber,Come and Find Me,[1]Stonewall (directed byRoland Emmerich),[2] BBC'sEARTH: One Amazing Day (directed byPeter Webber),[3] andJoe Dante'sLabirintus.[4]
Goldcrest was founded as Goldcrest Films International byJake Eberts in January 1977 as afeature film enterprise.[5][6] As of 1981, the UK National Coal Board Pension Fund was a major stakeholder in this company.[6]
The company enjoyed commercial success in the 1980s and the 1990s with films such asChariots of Fire (1981),Gandhi (1982),Local Hero (1983),The Killing Fields (1984),Hope and Glory (1987),All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989),A Room With a View (1985), the television seriesRobin of Sherwood (1984–86) and the live-action/animated musical comedy filmRock-a-Doodle (1991). The company also benefited from the new investment ofChannel 4 in film production. The company won twoAcademy Awards for Best Picture, forChariots of Fire in 1981,[7][8] andGandhi in 1982.[9][10]
After these initial successes the company backed more expensive productions with established Hollywood stars that often ran over schedule and budget culminating inRevolution (1985),The Mission (1986) andAbsolute Beginners (1986) that all underperformed at the box office, despiteThe Mission winning thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival.[11]
On June 11, 1985, Goldcrest Films had set up a deal with Japanese financerNippon Herald to finance pictures for up to $2 million.[12] The company ran into financial difficulties, and eventually seeking bids from UK firms in 1987, which included George Walker, andHemdale, who had a successful film reputation, were offering bids from the studio, but they turned down each time.[13] After attempted takers, Masterman, which was jointly owned byBrent Walker and Ensign Trust would be shown as a possible buyer for the Goldcrest holdings, of which they outbid various offers from other companies, which included a joint bid ofGranada Television, theITV franchisee, and home video and feature film distributorVirgin Vision, which has been touted among other firms.[14]
Pearson Longman establishedGoldcrest Films and Television in 1981, led by the founder of Goldcrest Films, John Eberts, and chaired by James Lee, chief executive of Pearson Longman.[6] At inception, the new concern owned 40% of Goldcrest Films.[6]
Goldcrest Post Production opened in Soho, London in 1982 and in West Village, New York in 2000. Recent expansion and investment has culminated in the opening of central London's largest purpose builtDolby ATMOS Premier sound mixing theatre at Goldcrest's Dean Street, Soho premises. Offering full picture and sound post production services to both the Film and Television industry, Goldcrest Post Production credits includeJason Bourne,Carol,American Honey,Morgan,The Danish Girl.
Goldcrest Films' financing arms, Goldcrest Pictures and Goldcrest Capital Partners, structure transactions in the media sector. From 2006 to 2008 — the first two years of operation — the companies provided services on 18 films, includingTwilight,Tropic Thunder,Knowing,Eagle Eye,Revolutionary Road andAngus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Goldcrest Capital also raises funds and provides services on UK independent feature films. The first two films of this new initiative were Andrea Arnold'sWuthering Heights - produced byDouglas Rae and Robert Bernstein ofEcosse Films and Kevin Loader and co-financed with theUK Film Council,Film4 andScreen Yorkshire - andPhyllida Lloyd’s biopic ofMargaret Thatcher,The Iron Lady. This starredMeryl Streep and was produced byDamian Jones forPathé,Film4 and theUK Film Council with the participation ofCanal+ and Cine Cinema.
| Film | Year | Budget | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chariots of Fire | 1981 | $5.5 million | $59 million |
| Escape from New York | $6 million | $50 million | |
| Gandhi | 1982 | $22 million | $52.8 million(US only) |
| An Unsuitable Job for a Woman | N/A | N/A | |
| The Plague Dogs | 1983 | ||
| Secrets | |||
| Local Hero | $5.9 million | ||
| The Ploughman's Lunch | N/A | ||
| Runners | |||
| The Dresser | $5.3 million | ||
| Another Country | 1984 | N/A | |
| Cal | |||
| The Killing Fields | $14.4 million | $34.7 million | |
| Nemo | N/A | N/A | |
| Dance with a Stranger | 1985 | $2.3 million | |
| Smooth Talk | $16,785 | ||
| Revolution | $28 million | $346,761 | |
| Mr. Love | £486,000 | $4,264 | |
| The Frog Prince | 1986 | $1.5 million | N/A |
| Winter Flight | N/A | $2,729 | |
| Absolute Beginners | £8.4 million | $1 million | |
| The Mission | $24.5 million | $17.2 million | |
| Knights & Emeralds | £1.1 million | N/A | |
| White Mischief | 1987 | $5.3 million | $3.1 million |
| Matewan | $4 million | $1.7 million | |
| Hope and Glory | $3 million | $10 million | |
| Black Rainbow | 1989 | $7 million | N/A |
| All Dogs Go to Heaven | $13.8 million | $27.1 million | |
| Rock-a-Doodle | 1991 | $18 million | $11.7 million |
| Space Truckers | 1996 | $25 million | $1,614,266 |
| Driftwood | 1997 | N/A | N/A |
| Clockwatchers | $537,948 | ||
| Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis | £46,244 | ||
| Elvis and Anabelle | 2007 | N/A | |
| Cass | 2008 | ||
| The Iron Lady | 2011 | $13 million | $114.9 million |
| Earth: One Amazing Day | 2017 |
| Title | Year | Series |
|---|---|---|
| P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang | 1982 | First Love |
| Forever Young | 1983 | First Love |
| Those Glory Glory Days | First Love | |
| Arthur's Hallowed Ground | ||
| Tottie: The Story of a Doll's House | 1984 | |
| Concealed Enemies | ||
| Sharma and Beyond | First Love | |
| Robin of Sherwood | 1984–86 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
