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Annapurna Pictures
American independent media company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California.[1] It is active in film, television[2][3] and theatrical production, film distribution, and video game publishing.[4]
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History
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Annapurna Pictures was founded in 2011 by Megan Ellison as a production and financing company focusing on high-end auteur-driven cinema.[5] Ellison had attended University of Southern California’s film school for two semesters and then left in 2005 and traveled the world. Among her stops was Nepal, where she trekked on the Himalayan mountain Annapurna, for which her production company is named.[6]
By 2014 Annapurna had produced and/or financed the films Lawless, The Master, Killing Them Softly, Zero Dark Thirty, Spring Breakers, The Grandmaster, Her, Foxcatcher, and American Hustle, and was starting production on Joy, Sausage Party, Wiener-Dog, 20th Century Women, and Everybody Wants Some!!.
In December 2016, the company announced its new division, Annapurna Interactive, to produce, develop, and distribute video games. Annapurna Interactive has become a major publisher of independently made games.[7][8]
In January 2017, the company announced it would begin distributing films, with the first being Detroit directed by Kathryn Bigelow.[9][10][11][12] On April 6, the company also announced an exclusive, multi-year output licensing agreement with Hulu.[13][14][15]
In May 2017, Plan B Entertainment and Annapurna announced a three-year production deal to partner on at least three films a year, with Annapurna handling distribution and marketing. As part of the deal, Annapurna received the rights to Adam McKay's film Vice starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney.[16] It was also announced Annapurna would co-distribute Brad's Status alongside Amazon Studios.[17] In July, the company signed a multi-year U.S. home entertainment pact with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment to oversee its home releases.[18]
Annapurna then won domestic distribution rights for the James Bond series beating Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures.[19]
In October 2017, Annapurna and MGM announced the formation of a US distribution joint venture in which each studio would release its films individually. Annapurna's distribution and marketing teams supported the MGM titles, which were distributed under the MGM banner while Annapurna-produced films continued to be distributed under its own banner.[20][21][22][23]
In October 2018, Annapurna signed a music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music, which administered the studio's film and TV compositions and scores.[24]
In February 2019, Annapurna and MGM rebranded and expanded their US distribution joint venture to release both MGM and Annapurna films under United Artists Releasing.[25][26][27] After taking financial losses from distributing Vice, Detroit, and Destroyer, Annapurna had to leave Bombshell just two weeks before it would start production, and also unattached itself from Hustlers.[28]
In December 2022, Annapurna launched its animation division led by former Blue Sky Studios Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein. Nimona was its first release.[29]
On March 4, 2023, it was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Amazon had shut down the operations of United Artists Releasing and folded it into MGM.[30]
In August 2024 Annapurna announced a "strategic cooperation agreement" with video game developer Remedy Entertainment during which Annapurna will co-produce and co-finance Control 2, and will also develop film and television projects involving Remedy's Alan Wake and Control.[31]
On September 12, 2024 news broke that the entire Annapurna Interactive Team of 25 resigned[32] following a dispute with its owner to spin off the video-game division as an independent entity.
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Filmography
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As production company
As distributor
The company expects to release "approximately four to six films per year".[52]
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Reception
Some of the films produced by the company have received widespread critical acclaim. In 2013 alone, Her, American Hustle and The Grandmaster had a combined seventeen Academy Award nominations. Commercially, results have been mixed. Some films like The Master, Foxcatcher, Joy, Detroit and Vice, however, do not return their budget while ones such as Zero Dark Thirty, Sausage Party and American Hustle have grossed more than $100 million, the latter grossing more than $250 million worldwide.[64][65]
Annapurna Animation
Annapurna Animation is an American animation studio and division of Annapurna Pictures, founded by former Blue Sky Studios executives Robert L. Baird and Andrew Millstein on December 1, 2022 and based in North Stamford, Connecticut. The studio's first film, Nimona, was released on June 30, 2023, on Netflix.
Filmography
Released
In development
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Annapurna Television
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Annapurna Television is the television production company of Annapurna Pictures, launched on September 27, 2016, and was formerly headed by HBO executive Sue Naegle (with her label, Naegle Ink, now part of the division).[72] In January 2017, it was reported that Annapurna Television would produce the Coen brothers' first TV project, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.[73]
Television
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Video games
Annapurna Interactive published its first video game, What Remains of Edith Finch, on April 25, 2017. What Remains of Edith Finch received "universal acclaim" on PC and "generally positive" reviews on PS4, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[76] Since 2017, Annapurna Interactive has also been responsible for publishing games including Twelve Minutes, Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wattam, Telling Lies, Neon White and Stray. The publisher has also provided funding and publication support for The Artful Escape by Beethoven & Dinosaur,[77] Ashen by A44 and Gorogoa by Jason Roberts.
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Theater
Annapurna Theatre produces plays and live shows on, and off-Broadway.
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International distributors
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See also
References
External links
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