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Atlantic Entertainment Group

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(Redirected from Atlantic Releasing)
Not to be confused with Atlantis Entertainment.
Atlantic Entertainment Group
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Defunct1989; 35 years ago (1989)
FateAcquired by Island Pictures
SuccessorStudio:
Island Pictures (1989–1998)
Library:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[a]
HeadquartersUnited States
ParentIndependent (1974–1989)
Island Pictures (1989–1994)
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (1994–1999)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1999–present)
SubsidiariesClubhouse Pictures

Atlantic Entertainment Group (also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation) was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974.

History

[edit]

Their initial releases were mostly geared to arthouse audiences, with an especially large number of Australian productions, as well as two Brazilian productions, Eu Te Amo (1981) and Lady on the Bus (1978), that introduced American audiences to actress Sonia Braga. They shifted their focus to small-budgeted independent films in the early 1980s, beginning with the surprise success of Valley Girl (1983), directed by Martha Coolidge. Night of the Comet, released in 1984, would be their first film to open on over 1000 screens.

By 1984, the company had signed an agreement with CBS/Fox Video, whereas a "conceptual partnership" that launched the Atlantic Video label, and among of the launch titles set up by Atlantic Video were Alphabet City, Roadhouse 66, Night of the Comet and Vamping. Atlantic International was also launched and license overseas rights to various films territory by territory.[1]

In 1985, they began a relationship with Paramount Pictures whereby the studio provided them money for larger-scale theatrical releases in exchange for home video and television rights to their films.[2] The company made its big break with the success of Teen Wolf, which then spawned a franchise that year.[3] In 1985, Atlantic Releasing Corporation started the Clubhouse Pictures label, which was designed to release films for a family audience, which set up the Clubhouse Pictures Family Network of theaters.[4]

On July 30, 1986, Jonathan Dana was hired by Atlantic Entertainment Group to supervise all Atlantic activities, via divisions Atlantic Releasing Corporation, Atlantic Television, Clubhouse Pictures and Atlantic International, and decided to "systemize" the top management to accommodate its growth to be a mini-major film studio.[5]

In November 1987, Atlantic Entertainment teamed up with Zenith Productions for a $20 million, three-picture agreement, following the success of Wish You Were Here, which the two companies ever formed a relationship that the relationship was more subtle than a 50/50 agreement, but essentially was an equal partnership, and the two companies would hold proportionate equity in all three pictures worldwide and the first wave of pictures was a production called Patty, as well as For Queen and Country and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, a co-production between the Czech and the U.S., and Atlantic would handle worldwide rights for the former, and had North American rights to the latter two, and foreign sales would be handled by Zenith's Sales Company.[6]

In January 1989, Atlantic made a new deal with Kartes Video Communications for home video rights to the movies previously covered in the Paramount deal. The library was bought by Island Pictures, which took over soliciting the films to home video. Island themselves suffered financial losses soon after and was absorbed into PolyGram Filmed Entertainment in 1998.[7] That same year, when PolyGram themselves were acquired by Seagram (parent company of Universal Studios, Seagram sold PolyGram's pre-1996 library to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in October 1998.[8]

For a number of years, Paramount Pictures had television and video distribution rights to Atlantic's library, some from their previous deal with the company, and others inherited when Viacom, who had purchased television rights to many earlier Atlantic releases, merged with Paramount. MGM now owns most of the library as a result of purchasing the pre-1996 portion of PolyGram's library.[9][10]

Filmography

[edit]

Some of the company's most notable films include:

Release Date Title
January 29, 1975 He Is My Brother
July 18, 1977 The Murri Affair
April 17, 1987 Wild Thing
May 8, 1987 Steele Justice
May 14, 1987 The Umbrella Woman
May 29, 1987 Summer Heat
July 24, 1987 Wish You Were Here
August 21, 1987 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
November 20, 1987 Teen Wolf Too
December 4, 1987 Home Is Where the Hart Is
January 8, 1988 Cop
February 12, 1988 A Tiger's Tale
March 18, 1988 Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw
April 22, 1988 Stormy Monday
June 17, 1988 A World Apart
August 11, 1988 A Summer Story
September 23, 1988 Patty Hearst
November 18, 1988 1969
May 19, 1989 For Queen and Country
July 9, 1989 A Soldier's Tale

Clubhouse Pictures

[edit]

The company also had a division called "Clubhouse Pictures" to release family films; theaters screening these titles participated in the "Clubhouse Family Network". The first films shown under this division were released on January 17, 1986 with the release of The Adventures of Mark Twain; Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (reissue of the 1964 film); Heathcliff: The Movie; and The Adventures of the American Rabbit.[11][12] Other films and television series released under this label include:[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ Copyright is owned by Orion Pictures.

References

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  1. ^ Bierbaum, Tom (1984-04-11). "Atlantic Home Video Label Formed Via 'Partnership' With CBS/Fox". Variety. p. 32.
  2. ^ "...newsline..." (PDF). Billboard. 1985-05-04. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  3. ^ Variety. 1985-08-28. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ Cohn, Lawrence (1985-11-13). "Atlantic corralling kidpic exhib web". Variety. p. 3.
  5. ^ Bierbaum, Tom (1986-07-30). "Atlantic Taps Dana To Head Up New Pic, TV Division". Variety. p. 5.
  6. ^ "Atlantic Entertainment Cements 3-Pic, $20-Mil Zenith Coventure". Variety. 1987-11-04. p. 27.
  7. ^ "Polygram shutters Island Pictures". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  8. ^ "MGM Agrees to Acquire PolyGram Movie Library". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  9. ^ Eller, Claudia (23 October 1998). "MGM Agrees to Acquire PolyGram Movie Library". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. ^ Kroon, Richard W. (2014). A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms. McFarland. ISBN 9780786457403.
  11. ^ Lyman, Rick (1986-01-17). "At Last, Movies for the Whole Family". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E.16. Archived from the original on 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2023-01-26 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ Greenberg, James (January 22, 1986). "'Iron Eagle' Nests In Top Spot At Natl B.O.; Overall Action Up". Variety. p. 5.
  13. ^ Bohar, Jay; Sentinel Movie Critic (1986-01-17). "A RALLY FOR G RATINGS CLUBHOUSE GETSBANDWAGON ROLLING FOR FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
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