Miramax Films

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Miramax Films is an American motion picture distribution and production company. It was headquartered in Los Angeles, California before being bought out by The Walt Disney Company.

Miramax, LLC
Joint venture
Industry
FoundedDecember 19, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-12-19)
Buffalo, New York, United States
FoundersHarvey and Bob Weinstein
Headquarters,
U.S.
Key people
Owners
Number of employees
100+
Parent
Divisions
WebsiteOfficial website

It was created by the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein in Buffalo, New York in 1979.[1] The name comes from combining the first names of their parents Max and Miriam.[1] The company was created to distribute independent films which the major movie studio did not think were worth distributing.

The company's first success came when the Weinsteins teamed up with British producer Martin Lewis. They got the US rights to two concert movies of benefit shows for human rights organization Amnesty International. The Weinsteins worked with Lewis to combine the two movies into one movie. The movie The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was a successful release for Miramax in the summer of 1982.

Among the company's most well known movies as distributors were The Crying Game, sex, lies, and videotape, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and Scandal. The company also made movies such as Pulp Fiction[1] and Shakespeare In Love

Miramax also produced many movies which made a lot of money. The company became one of the leaders of the independent film revolution of the 1990s. It produced or distributed seven movies that made more than $100 million at the box office. Its most successful movie, Chicago, earned more than $300 million.[2]

In 1993, The Walt Disney Company bought Miramax for $80 million.[1] Harvey and Bob Weinstein ran Miramax until they left the company on September 30, 2005. The Weinstein brothers ran Miramax separately of other Disney companies. However, Disney had the final say on what Miramax could release.

Miramax also has a family films division, Miramax Family Films.

Miramax is one of the Big Ten movie studios.

In 2011, Disney sold the Miramax library of movies to Filmyard Holdings for $663 million. After the sale, Miramax signed home video distribution deals with Lionsgate, Echo Bridge and .StudioCanal.

In 2016, Miramax was sold to beIN Media Group. In 2019, beIN sold 49 percent of Miramax to Paramount Pictures, which will distribute all of Miramax's movies.

1980s

1990s

2000s

Further reading

  • Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film by Peter Biskind (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

Miramax Films Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Miramax offices close, Disney says brand continues". Retrieved 2010-01-29.[dead link]
  2. "Chicago (2002) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.

Other websites