Focus Features
| File:Focuslogo.jpg | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of Universal Pictures |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded |
|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Parent | Universal Studios (NBCUniversal) |
| Divisions | Focus World Gramercy Pictures |
| Website | focusfeatures |
Focus Features (formerly USA Films, Universal Focus, Good Machine, October Films, and Gramercy Pictures) is the art house films division of NBCUniversal, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films.
History
Focus Features was formed from the 2002 divisional merger of USA Films, Universal Focus and Good Machine. USA Films was created by Barry Diller in 1999 when he purchased October Films and Gramercy Pictures from Seagram and merged the two units together.[1][2]
Focus' most successful release in North America to date is Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned $83,043,761 at the North American box office. However, this is not counting the domestic total of Traffic (2000), which earned $124,107,477 under the USA Films banner. Focus' most successful international release is Burn After Reading (2008), which earned $161,128,228 in gross revenue.[3][4][5] The animated film Coraline (which Focus did not produce, but did distribute) was also highly profitable for the company. Although suffering its share of unsuccessful releases, Focus has been consistently profitable, and its international sales arm (unusual among studio specialty film divisions) allows it to receive the foreign as well as domestic revenues from its releases.[6] Its DVD and movie rights revenues are boosted by cult classics including Wet Hot American Summer.
Focus Features picked up the North American distribution rights to The Forest,[7][8] which will act as Zada's feature film directorial debut.[9]
In May 2015, Gramercy Pictures was revived by Focus Features as a genre label, that was on action, sci-fi, and horror films. The label's initial slate being Insidious: Chapter 3 (opening June 5), Self/Less (July 10), Sinister 2, (August 21), London Has Fallen (October 2), The Forest (January 8, 2016) and Rachet & Clank (April 29).[10]
See also
References
- ^ "Diller gets back into movies". The Telegraph-Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Universal Adds Division for Specialty Films". Los Angeles Times. 1999-09-28. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
- ^ "Focus Features All Time Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "USA Films All Time Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Burn After Reading (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ Claudia Eller, "Positive cash flow through hits and misses makes Focus Features an attractive asset", Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2010.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 22, 2014). "Focus Picks Up David Goyer Supernatural Thriller 'The Forest'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ McNary, Dave (May 23, 2014). "David Goyer's 'The Forest' Gets North American Distribution". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Deadline 11-5-13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Focus Revives Gramercy Pictures Label For Genre Films". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline.com. May 20, 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
