NBC UNIVERSAL - FILM
FILM
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures creates and distributes theatrical and non-theatrical filmed entertainment. A high-quality and diverse product mix is delivered to the growing global marketplace through a variety of internally developed titles, co-productions, local acquisitions, specialty motion pictures, direct-to-video titles, specialty video, classic titles, and consumer products. These films and videos then provide content for television, and further drive the recreation business, consumer products, and other ancillary businesses.
Balancing growth and cost containment, Universal Pictures has implemented a clearly defined business strategy—based on diversification, international expansion, maximization of distribution channels, and risk management—that balances gross production spending against the total investment.
Universal has achieved both popular success and critical acclaim with its recent Academy Award winners King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, Ray, A Beautiful Mind, The Pianist, and Lost in Translation. Classic, Academy Award-winning films from Universal include All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Schindler's List (1993).
In order to create the best, most memorable films, Universal Pictures has forged production agreements with some of the world's finest filmmakers and production companies, including: Imagine Entertainment (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard), Tribeca Films (Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal), Shady Acres (Tom Shadyac), The Kennedy/Marshall Company (Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall), Double Feature Films (Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher), Playtone Company (Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman), Strike Entertainment (Marc Abraham), Type A Films (Reese Witherspoon), Depth of Field (Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz), Stephen Sommers, and Working Title Films (Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner), Europe's foremost film production company.
In 2005, Universal dominated domestic and international box offices with King Kong, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's epic retelling of the classic film, collecting more than $500 million in international box office receipts. Additionally, the studio grossed $110 million at domestic box offices with The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, starring Golden Globe winner Steve Carell.
In 2004, Universal's release of Meet the Fockers—the sequel to the 2000 hit comedy Meet the Parents—generated well over $200 million in its first five weeks in theaters and, in 2005, became the highest-grossing live-action comedy of all time with worldwide box-office receipts in excess of $500 million.
Focus Features
Focus Features is a motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company committed to bringing moviegoers the most original stories from the world's most innovative filmmakers. Formed in May 2002, Focus has quickly emerged as a premier film company, with Academy Award-winning movies including Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain , Roman Polanski's The Pianist, Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener , Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries. Upcoming from Focus in 2007 are Kasi Lemmons' Talk to Me , starring Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor; Joe Wright's Atonement , starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and Romola Garai; David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises , starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts; Terry George's Reservation Road , starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, and Mira Sorvino; Lajos Koltai's Evening , starring Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Natasha Richardson, Dame Eileen Atkins, Mamie Gummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep; and Lust, Caution , the new film from Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee.
Rogue Pictures
Focus Features' sibling company Rogue Pictures, formed in March 2004, is devoted to producing and distributing high-quality suspense, action, thriller, comedy, and urban entertainment with mainstream appeal and franchise potential. Upcoming from Rogue in 2007 are Dave Meyers' update of The Hitcher, produced by Michael Bay and starring Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, and Zachary Knighton; Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz, the new action comedy from the Shaun of the Deadteam; Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon's Balls of Fury, starring Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, and Maggie Q; and Bryan Bertino's Strangers, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) markets and distributes NBC Universal's contemporary and classic theatrical and television product, spanning properties from the company's Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Rogue Pictures, and NBC Universal Television Studios, as well as DVD Original titles from Universal Home Entertainment Productions and select third-party productions, including entertainment from Mattel. NBC Universal is also leading the way in exploring innovative technologies and in developing and adapting dynamic new initiatives for the burgeoning home entertainment market.
USHE's vast 4,000-title catalog is among the largest and most celebrated in the industry, comprising a wide variety of titles and genres. Among its most-prized properties are the film franchises: The Fast and The Furious, The Mummy, American Pie, Bridget Jones, The Bourne series, Riddick, Bring It On, Beethoven, The Land Before Time, Curious George and the legendary monster movies. In 2006, USHE released such high-profile movie titles as King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, Bring It On: All or Nothing, Curious George, Jarhead, Munich, The Breakup, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Miami Vice and American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile as well as such widely anticipated television offerings as House Season 2, The Office Season 2 and Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5