 Logo used since 2011 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary (Société par actions simplifiée) |
| Industry | Filmmaking Film distribution |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | 7 September 1984; 41 years ago (1984-09-07) |
| Founder | Pierre Lescure |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Maxime Saada (Chairman) Anna Marsh (CEO) |
| Parent | Canal+ |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | www |
StudioCanal S.A.S.,[1] also known asStudioCanal International andCanal+ Production and formerly known asLe Studio Canal+,Canal Plus,Canal+ Distribution andCanal+ D.A., is a Frenchfilm andtelevision production anddistribution company and a subsidiary ofCanal+ S.A.
As of September 2025[update], the company has 13 production companies in Europe and the United States, and holds around 9,000 titles in its film library.
On 1 January 1987, Canal+ Productions was founded as a cinema film co-production subsidiary of the cable channelCanal+. The subscription channel was co-founded byAndré Rousselet[2] andPierre Lescure in 1984.[3][4] This was to reduce Canal+'s dependence on the American major studios by building its own library that the pay-TV channel could use on their own channels and internationally.[2]
By December 1990, Canal+ Productions rebranded to Le Studio Canal+, and released its first film,The Double Life of Veronique, byKrzysztof Kieslowski.[4] By the early 1990s, it became apparent that Canal+ was a major contributor to theFrench film industry, with its obligation to spend 10% of its income on French-made films, as well as being Europe's largest buyer of American film rights.[2] Canal+ also made investments in other companies. In 1991 it bought a five percent stake in the independent American studioCarolco Pictures.[2] However, in 1992, Le Studio Canal+ suffered financial difficulties afterCarolco Pictures entered a corporate restructure.[citation needed]
StudioCanal's most notable productions from its early years includeTerminator 2: Judgment Day,JFK,Basic Instinct,Cliffhanger,Under Siege,Free Willy, and the originalStargate movie. In those days, it was known as either Le Studio Canal+ or simply Canal+.[citation needed]
Other films the company financed includeU-571,Bully, andBridget Jones's Diary. StudioCanal also funded the last third ofDavid Lynch's filmMulholland Drive.[5] StudioCanal also financed French-language films, such asBrotherhood of the Wolf (which became the sixth-highest-grossing French-language film of all time in the United States) andIntimate Strangers. Films such asTerminator 2: Judgment Day which grossed US$519 million,Basic Instinct which grossed US$352 million andThe Tourist which grossed US$278 million worldwide, have been big box-office hits for StudioCanal.[6][7][8]
In January 1996, Le Studio Canal+ made a $56 million bid for the library of the American independent film studioCarolco Pictures.20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios), which had originally agreed to buy the library for $50 million, had dropped their bid to $47.5 million and ultimately dropped out of contention, making this acquisition Canal+'s first foray into library acquisitions.[9][10]
Le Studio Canal+'s original plan was to build a pan-European distribution network. They made their first known acquisition into a foreign market in 1997 when they bought a 20% minority stake in German film distribution companyTobis Film, marking their first entry into the German movie distribution market; they would later increase their stake to 60% in February 2000, renaming the company Tobis StudioCanal.[11][12]
On 1 December 1998, all of Canal+ film, television, music, video production activities, etc., were grouped into a new entity, Canal+ Image, which was rebranded StudioCanal in 2000.[4]
In December 2000, StudioCanal partnered with Italian public broadcasting companyRAI through the latter's divisionRai Cinema to launch a joint venture distribution company in Italy, marking StudioCanal's first entry into the Italian film production and distribution market; the joint venture film distribution company's name was later revealed to be01 Distribution one year later in May 2001.[13][14] However, in June 2003, StudioCanal announced it had relinquished their 50% stake to RAI, giving the latter full control of 01 Distribution.[15][16]
In July 2001, StudioCanal entered the Spanish film industry by acquiring a 45% stake in Sogepaq from Spanish pay television companySogecable (Vivendi Universal owned 21% of Sogecable at the time) for $36.2 million, also giving the former a 73% controlling stake in its Spanish subsidiary StudioCanal España and a minority stake in the joint ventureWarner Sogefilms.[17][18][19] The following month, StudioCanal acquired a 52% stake in French television production powerhouse Expand.[20]
In May 2002, StudioCanal expanded their Italian operations by setting up an in-house production outfit based in Rome named StudioCanal Urania, aiming to produce up to three films annually.[21]
In late-September 2002, StudioCanal announced that they andBAC Majestic had parted ways. Terms of the deal included the sale of their joint ventureMars Distribution to StudioCanal, while BAC Distribution would revert to BAC Majestic.[22][23]
In July 2003, StudioCanal partnered with French animation studioAlphanium (now Gaumont Animation) and had jointly established the home entertainment subsidiary entitled Alphanim Video to distribute Alphanim's catalogue on home media.[24]
Staff departures and its parent Vivendi Universal's debt forced StudioCanal to gradually sell off their interests in these companies:
Three years later, StudioCanal re-entered the international market by acquiring British film distributorOptimum Releasing in May 2006 as their first expansion into the United Kingdom, releasing their British film and television catalogue, including theEMI Films library, through the newly acquired company.[31] A year later in 2007, Optimum Home Entertainment andLionsgate UK acquired Elevation Sales, a home entertainment sales and distribution company.[32][33]
In August 2007, StudioCanal partnered withNBC Universal's international home entertainment division Universal Pictures International Entertainment to launch a joint venture home entertainment distribution subsidiary called Universal Studio Canal Video.[34]
In January 2008, StudioCanal acquired German-based film independent distributorKinowelt, which had distributed StudioCanal's films there until then, marking a re-entry for StudioCanal into the German market.[35][4] Kinowelt also owned the DVD labelArthaus. Both Optimum Releasing and Kinowelt have since been merged into StudioCanal were rebranded as StudioCanal Limited and StudioCanal GmbH respectively.[36]
In January 2012, StudioCanal expanded its European operations by acquiring a majority stake in Munich-based producer and distributorTandem Productions, marking the company's first major move into television production. StudioCanal would later buy out the company's remaining shares in May 2020.[37][38]
In July 2012, StudioCanal made a deal with Australian & New Zealand cinema chainHoyts to acquire the latter's independent film distribution division Hoyts Distribution, marking StudioCanal's first acquisition outside of Europe and its first entry into the Australian film & television distribution market; the company was rebranded to StudioCanal Pty Limited one year later in April 2013.[39][40]
In December 2013, StudioCanal announced its acquisition of a majority stake in the British independent TV production companyRed Production Company, expanded StudioCanal's British activities into the British television industry.[41]
In May 2014, StudioCanal expanded their operations into the Scandinavian market, joining forces with Danish screenwriter & authorSøren Sveistrup, screenwriterAdam Price and film & television producer Meta Louise Foldager to launch a new Danish television production company based inCopenhagen namedSAM Productions, with the latter becoming CEO of the new production company.[42]
In September 2014, StudioCanal announced a first-look deal with the newly established American entertainment companyThe Picture Company, founded by formerSilver Pictures employeesAndrew Rona and Alex Heinemann. The deal was extended in May 2023, with StudioCanal acquiring a minority stake in the company alongside a new five-year deal.[43]
In May 2015, StudioCanal collaborated with Japanese publishing companyKadokawa Corporation to restoreAkira Kurosawa’s highly acclaimed filmRan for its 30th anniversary with French film processing companyÉclair restoring the film in 4K under the supervision of the two companies ahead of the film's re-release in Japanese theatres before releasing it to French cinemas.[44]
In April 2016, StudioCanal further extended their British film & television activities by acquiring a 20% stake in two London-based British film & television production companies: actorBenedict Cumberbatch's film and television production company SunnyMarch TV andJohnny Capps & Julian Murphy's television production company Urban Myth Films; they also acquired a 33% stake in Spanish television production company Bambú Producciones, marking StudioCanal's re-entry into the Spanish film & television production business.[45][46]
In June 2016, following the success of the 2014 filmPaddington, StudioCanal acquired thePaddington Bear brand along with Paddington & Company and The Copyrights Group, the franchise's merchandise licensing agent. StudioCanal then announced that it would be producing three morePaddington films, includinga show onNick Jr. in 2020.[47]
In 2017, StudioCanal, who owns Carolco Pictures' library, reached an agreement with the revived American film studio Carolco, whereby the French film production & distribution studio would have sole control of the Carolco name and logo and the revived Carolco Pictures company would be renamed Recall Studios; this agreement settled a legal dispute over the Carolco mark brought by StudioCanal.[48][49] The arrangement took effect on November 29 of that year.
In July 2021, StudioCanal announced their acquisition of German production company Lailaps Films.[50]
In June 2022, StudioCanal expanded into the Benelux film & television market by acquiring a majority stake in the Dutch independent film production and distribution firmDutch FilmWorks.[51]
In October 2022, StudioCanal entered a partnership with Rome-based Italian film production company Elsinore Film to jointly co-develop and co-produce a slate of scripted and unscripted content for the international market, marking a re-entry for StudioCanal into the Italian film & television business.[52]
In March 2024, StudioCanal launched their first in-house production label, an unnamed film & television production genre label dedicated to horror, thriller and sci-fi action movies and had hired former StudioCanal UK executive Jed Benedict as the CEO of the label.[53][54] In February 2025, the label, now christened Sixth Dimension, made its first acquisition by acquiring distribution rights outside North America to an upcoming reboot of theSilent Night, Deadly Night series fromCineverse.[55]
In April 2024, StudioCanal established an in-house production label dedicated to publishing book-to-screen adaptations called StudioCanal Stories, which would produce film and television adaptations of famous books and novels; StudioCanal had previously produced adpatations of novels such asWar of the Worlds. StudioCanal's head of TV series department Sarah Reese Geffroy was appointed senior vice president of the new label.[56]
In July 2024, StudioCanal expanded their American operations by launching their second American office based in New York City and promoted former global distribution sales chief Anne Chérel to oversee the office as StudioCanal's chief commercial officer.[57]
In September 2024, StudioCanal rebranded their merchandising and licensing company The Copyrights Group to StudioCanal Kids & Family to expand their kids and family brand portfolio; they will also lead worldwide brand development, licensing and retail services, with Francoise Guyonnet continuing to be the CEO of the renamed division.[58][59]
In October 2024, StudioCanal signed an international distribution deal with American independent film production companyRiver Road Entertainment for nine feature films and two documentaries for theatrical, television, SVOD and other media.[60]
In June 2025, StudioCanal announced their decision to shut down British television production outfit Red Production Company due to Patrick Schweitzer stepping down as chief executive officer, with Red's current and future slate being taken over by StudioCanal's British television production division StudioCanal TV UK.[61]
In October 2025, StudioCanal reorganized its worldwide television production division under executive managing directorMary-Kathryn Kennedy, bringing all of StudioCanal's television production subsidiaries under one senior management team. As part of the reorganisation, Alix Lebrat was named senior vice president of series for France & Southern Europe and would oversee French & Spanish-language states, with StudioCanal planning to borden its scripted production in its home country under labels such as 2eme Bureau.[62][63]
Near the end of November 2025 and following the success of the westend musicalPaddington the Musical, StudioCanal expanded its stage operations by launching its own stage division entitled StudioCanal On Stage that would produce its stage, theatre and live experiences based on StudioCanal's own intellectual properties from its film & television catalouge such asPaddington including producing its own adaptations of broadways starting with the broadway revival ofMel Brooks's 1967 Embassy Pictures filmThe Producers and the broadway adaptation of 1949 Ealing Studios filmKind Hearts and Coronets with StudioCanal's vice president of global productions Ron Halpern leading StudioCanal On Stage as president of development.[64]
StudioCanal acquired film libraries from studios that either became defunct or had merged with it over the years, currently holding more than 9,000 titles as a result.[66]
StudioCanal owns the libraries of the following companies:
StudioCanal currently[when?] owns the rights to over 30 television series, mostly produced byTANDEM Productions andRed Production Company, includingThe Avengers,Rambo: The Force of Freedom,Paranoid,Public Eye,Crazyhead,Take Two,Wanted Dead or Alive,The Adventures of Paddington (2019), and international rights toThe Big Valley.[citation needed]
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Max | 1993–1994 | Canal+ BBC (United Kingdom) Syndication (United States) | under Canal+ D.A co-production withBluebird Toys andFilm Roman |
| Leo & Popi[81] | 1994–1997 | France 3 | under Canal+ D.A withLes Cartooneurs Associés,Ellipse License,Elma Animation and TAL Productions |
| The Adventures of Paddington | 2019–2025 | Gulli, M6 &Piwi+ Nick Jr. UK Nickelodeon (international) | co-production withHeyday Films,Blue Zoo Animation Studio andSuperprod Animation |
| The Man Who Fell to Earth | 2022 | Showtime | co-production withCBS Studios,Secret Hideout and Timberman/Livery Productions |
| La Promesa[82] | 2023–present | La 1 (Spain) | co-production with Bambú Producciones |
| Valle salvaje | 2024–present | ||
| Paris Has Fallen[83][84] | 2024–present | Canal+ | co-production with Urban Myth Films,Millennium Media and G-BASE |
| Playing Nice[85][86][87] | 2025 | ITV1 | under StudioCanal TV UK co-production with Rabbit Track Pictures |
| Miffy & Friends[88] | 2025 | Canal+ | co-production with Mercis BV andSuperprod Animation |
| Apollo Has Fallen[89] | TBA | Sequel toParis Has Fallen co-production with Urban Myth Films, G-BASE andMillennium Media | |
| Murder Most Unladylike[90] | TBA | TBA | under StudioCanal Stories[91] co-production with Strong Film & Television and Unladylike Productions |
OutsideFrance, theBritish Isles,Australia,New Zealand andGermany, StudioCanal does not have a formal distribution unitper se, instead relying on other distribution studios and home video distributors to handle their titles. InNorth America for example,The Criterion Collection,Rialto Pictures,Lionsgate Home Entertainment,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (for the Embassy catalog),Universal Pictures (for co-productions),Shout! Studios andKino Lorber distribute StudioCanal's back catalogue on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (in addition,Anchor Bay Entertainment andImage Entertainment previously owned several of their titles).Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has handled distribution of StudioCanal/Hoyts Distribution films in Australia and New Zealand onDVD andBlu-ray since early 2013.
From the 1990s to early 2000s,Warner Home Video formerly handled distribution of select StudioCanal titles through theCanal+ Image label in the United Kingdom on VHS and DVD until 2006 when StudioCanal opened its own distribution unit in the UK, with titles distributed throughOptimum Releasing (viaUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment from 2006 to 2007 and Elevation Sales since 2007).[31]
StudioCanal had the European home video distribution rights to 550 titles from theMiramax library, shared withLionsgate in the UK and Ireland, from 2011 to 2020,[92][93] whenViacomCBS bought a minority stake in Miramax.
On 13 October 2021, StudioCanal announced that its global distribution deal with Universal would expire in January 2022.[94]
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