Dark Castle Entertainment

Last updated
Dark Castle Entertainment
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1998;26 years ago (1998)
Headquarters
Beverly Hills, California [1]
Key people
Hal Sadoff, co-CEO,

Norman Golightly, co-CEO,

Douglas McClure, Executive Vice President
ProductsMotion Pictures, television
Parent OEG Inc.
Website https://darkcastle.com

Dark Castle Entertainment is a film, TV, and digital projects production label. [2] It is owned by North American sports and entertainment company, OEG Inc. [3] The firm is led by co-CEOs Hal Sadoff [4] and Norman Golightly. [5]

Contents

The company has worked with directors such as Guy Ritchie, [6] Shane Black, [7] George Clooney [8] , Mary Harron, [9] , Walter Hill, [10] and Simon Barrett. [11]

The majority of Dark Castle films from the late 1990’s to mid 2010’s were distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. [12] The company’s later films have also been distributed by Paramount Pictures [13] and Shudder/AMC. [4]

History

1998 — 2003: Homage to William Castle, the early years

Dark Castle was founded in 1998 [14] by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler. [15] The Dark Castle name pays homage to William Castle, a 1950’s horror filmmaker from the 1950s and 1960s. [12] When first formed, the goal of the company was to remake Castle’s horror films. After two remakes, House on Haunted Hill [16] and Thirteen Ghosts, [17] they moved on to producing original material, [18] along with remakes of non-Castle films. [19]

2003-2013: More horror and action

Gothika, starring Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr., was Dark Castle’s first original film in 2003. [18] They followed it up with House of Wax, the company’s first remake of a non-Castle film. [15] [19]

In 2008, the company moved beyond the horror genre to produce the action film RocknRolla. [6]

Dark Castle released Orphan, a psychological horror film, in 2009. [20] The film grossed $80 million on a $20 million budget. [21] The company produced its first martial arts film, Ninja Assassin, later that year. [22]

In 2010, they produced action film adaptions of The Losers based on the DC Vertigo comic of the same name, [23] and Unknown starring Liam Neeson, which grossed $136 million against its $30 million budget. [24]

After a long relationship with Warner Bros. Pictures as their main distributor, [12] Dark Castle began working with other distributors including Paramount Pictures [13] and Shudder/AMC. [4]

2015—Present: New ownership and commercial success

Dark Castle was acquired by Daryl Katz of OEG Inc. in 2015. [2] [3] Hal Sadoff was named CEO. [2]

The company released its first film under OEG the following year, neo noir comedy crime movie The Nice Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. [25]

Next, Dark Castle produced black comedy crime film Suburbicon written by the Coen Brothers, directed by George Clooney, starring Matt Damon and Julianne Moore. [26] [8]

In 2018, Dark Castle produced Superfly, [27] a remake of the 1972 film Super Fly. [28]

Dark Castle continued to produce horror films, including Seance, starring Suki Waterhouse, [11] and the prequel to Orphan, Orphan: First Kill, starring Isabelle Fuhrman from the original Orphan movie. [29] In 2020, the company began producing television with the sci-fi horror series The Expecting. [30] [31]

Dark Castle produced Last Breath (2025 film), which is based on the critically acclaimed documentary Last Breath (2019 film) and stars Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole, and Simu Liu. [32] [33]

In 2023, the company filmed Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz, [34] and financed the film Shell, starring Elizabeth Moss and Kate Hudson, directed by Max Minghella. [35]

Filmography

Release dateFilmDirector(s)Distributor
June 10, 1989 Tales from the Crypt HBO
October 29, 1999 House on Haunted Hill William Malone Warner Bros. Pictures
October 26, 2001 Thirteen Ghosts Steve Beck
October 25, 2002 Ghost Ship Steve Beck
November 21, 2003 Gothika Mathieu Kassovitz
May 6, 2005 House of Wax Jaume Collet-Serra
April 5, 2007 The Reaping Stephen Hopkins
October 16, 2007 Return to House on Haunted Hill Víctor Garcia Warner Premiere
May 13, 2008 Botched Kit Ryan Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
October 8, 2008 RocknRolla Guy Ritchie Warner Bros. Pictures
February 27, 2009 Echelon Conspiracy Greg Marcks After Dark Films
July 24, 2009 Orphan Jaume Collet-Serra Warner Bros. Pictures
September 11, 2009 Whiteout Dominic Sena
September 29, 2009 The Hills Run Red Dave Parker Warner Premiere
November 25, 2009 Ninja Assassin James McTeigue Warner Bros. Pictures
April 23, 2010 The Losers Sylvain White
June 4, 2010 Splice Vincenzo Natali


February 18, 2011 Unknown Jaume Collet-Serra
August 24, 2012 The Apparition Todd Lincoln
February 1, 2013 Bullet to the Head Walter Hill


February 19, 2013 The Factory Morgan O'Neill
August 30, 2013 Getaway Courtney Solomon<


May 11, 2016 The Nice Guys Shane Black Warner Bros. Pictures


October 27, 2017 Suburbicon George Clooney Paramount Pictures
June 13, 2018 Superfly Director X Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
October 5, 2020The Expecting Mary Harron Quibi
May 21, 2021 Seance Simon Barrett RLJE Films<


August 19, 2022 Orphan: First Kill William Brent Bell Paramount Pictures


September 30, 2024 Old Guy Simon West The Avenue
February 28, 2025 Last Breath (upcoming film) Alex Parkinson [36] TBD


TBD Shell (upcoming film) Max Minghella [37]


TBD

Lifetime grosses

YearFilmBudgetDomestic Box OfficeForeign Box OfficeTotalUS DVD salesTotal (with DVD sales)
1999House on Haunted Hill$37 million$40.8 million [38] $3.5 million (A)$44.4 millionN/AN/A
2001Thirteen Ghosts$42 million$41.7 million [39] $26.6 million [40] $68.5 millionN/AN/A
2002Ghost Ship$20 million$30.1 million [41] $38.2 million [41] $68.3 millionN/AN/A
2003Gothika$40 million$59.7 million [42] $81.7 million [42] $141.6 millionN/AN/A
2005House of Wax$40 million$32.1 million [43] $36.7 million [43] $68.8 millionN/AN/A
2007The Reaping$40 million$25.1 million [44] $37.6 million [44] $62.8 million$19.8 million [45] $82.6 million
2008RocknRolla$15 million$5.7 million [46] $20 million$25.7 million$7.4 million [47] $33.1 million
2009Orphan$20 million$41,596,251 [48] $36,741,122 [48] $78,337,373$12,250,443 [48] $90,587,816
2009Whiteout$35 million$10,275,638 [49] $7,565,229 [49] $17,840,867$3,192,934 [50] $21,033,801
2009Ninja Assassin$50 million$38,122,883 [51] $23,471,000$61,593,883$13,841,623 [52] $75,435,506
2010The Losers$25 million$23,591,432 [53] $5,385,903$28,977,335$6,462,496 [54] $35,439,831
2010Splice$30 million$17,010,170 [55] $6,964,022$23,974,192$3,695,686$27,669,878
BudgetOverall TotalUS DVD SalesTotal
$374 million$646 million$62.9 million$708 million

(A) Indicates minimum, as that is only two countries totals merged.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dark Castle Entertainment | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Hipes, Partick (April 27, 2015). "Joel Silver Teams With Financier Daryl Katz, Launches New Company; Hal Sadoff CEO". Deadline.
  3. 1 2 Fisher, Eric (April 6, 2023). "The Next Chapter for Daryl Katz and OEG". NHL.com.
  4. 1 2 3 Hipes, Patrick (February 25, 2021). "Simon Barrett-Helmed Horror Pic 'Seance' Scores U.S. Deal Via RJLE Films And Shudder; IFC Films Scare up Right To 'Werewolves Within' – Film Briefs". Deadline.
  5. ↑ "Norman Golightly". Dark Castle.
  6. 1 2 Stone, Jay (September 10, 2008). "Ritchie swept away by films". Harbour City Star. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Black, Shane (2016-05-20), The Nice Guys (Action, Comedy, Crime), Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Warner Bros., Silver Pictures, Waypoint Entertainment
  8. 1 2 Rooney, David (September 2, 2017). "'Suburbicon': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ↑ The Expecting (Short, Horror), AnnaSophia Robb, Rory Culkin, Mira Sorvino, Dark Castle Entertainment, Platinum Dunes, Propagate, 2020-10-05{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (June 10, 2011). "Joel Silver's Dark Castle Boards Sylvester Stallone Action Film". Hollywood Reporter.
  11. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (October 22, 2019). "Suki Waterhouse To Star In Horror 'Seance' For Dark Castle Entertainment, HanWay & Ingenious – AFM". Deadline.
  12. 1 2 3 Garrahan, Matthew (December 17, 2006). "The Matrix: Recapitalised". Financial Times.
  13. 1 2 Chapman, Wilson (July 13, 2022). "'Orphan: First Kill' Trailer: Isabelle Fuhrman Rerturns as Esther in Long-Awaited Horror Prequel". Variety.
  14. ↑ Caddell, Ian (March 28, 2007). "Dark Castle strikes out on its own". The Georgia Straight.
  15. 1 2 Roxborough, Scott (December 7, 2021). "Egyptian Star Mohamed Karim, Dark Castle Team on Horror Film 'Book of Chaos'(Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ↑ Carver, Benedict (January 14, 1999). "Oh, the horror!". Variety.
  17. ↑ Valle, Avi (August 13, 2023). "Thirteen Ghosts Set to be Revived as New 13-Part Spook Filled Series". Movie Web.
  18. 1 2 Craft, Dan (November 29, 2003). "Lunatics running this wacko movie asylum". The Pantagraph . p. D8 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. 1 2 Guthrie, Luna (June 14, 2023). "2005's 'House of Wax' Introduced Us to Classic Horror While Ushering In a New Era". Collider.
  20. ↑ Rodriguez, Rene (October 30, 2009). "Modest little picture's a frightful romp". Miami Herald . p. 20G – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (November 2, 2020). "'Orphan' Prequel Enlists Isabelle Fuhrman to Reprise Role of Esther (Exclusive)". Variety.
  22. ↑ Fritz, Ben (November 30, 2009). "'Blind Side No. 2 but takes spotlight from 'New Moon'". Los Angeles Times . p. 20G – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Debruge, Peter (April 21, 2010). "The Losers". Variety.
  24. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 29, 2021). "'Unknown' Series Sequel To Movie In Works At TNT With Liam Neeson Producing, Jaume Collet-Serra Directing". Variety.
  25. ↑ "The Nice Guys". Dark Castle.com.
  26. ↑ Truitt, Brian (October 24, 2017). "Review:George Clooney's messy 'Suburbicon' disappoints as a retro dark comedy". USA Today.
  27. ↑ "Superfly". Dark Castle.com.
  28. ↑ McNary, Dave (May 25, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Sony Opening Crime Thriller 'Superfly' Two Days Earlier". Variety.
  29. ↑ D’Alessandro, Anthony (November 6, 2020). "Rossif Sutherland Joins eOne &Dark Castle's Horror Prequel 'Orphan: First Kill'". Deadline.
  30. ↑ Grater, Tom (June 12, 2020). "Olivia Munn To Star In & Produce Action Pic 'Replay' -Cannes". Deadline.
  31. ↑ The Expecting (Short, Horror), AnnaSophia Robb, Rory Culkin, Mira Sorvino, Dark Castle Entertainment, Platinum Dunes, Propagate, 2020-10-05{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  32. ↑ Lodderhouse, Diana (May 16, 2024). "Focus Features Acquires 'Last Breath' Starring Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole and Simu Liu — Cannes". Deadline Hollywood .
  33. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 28, 2024). "Focus Features Sets Winter 2025 Release For Woody Harrelson Deep-Sea Diver Thriller Last Breath". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  34. ↑ Stephan, Katcy (March 12, 2024). "The Avenue Lands North American Rights to 'Old Guy' (Exclusive)". Variety.
  35. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 5, 2024). "Arian Moayed, Este Haim, Lionel Boyce, Ziwe & More Join Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson & Kaia Gerber In Max Minghella's Thriller 'Shell'(Exclusive)". Yahoo News.
  36. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (May 6, 2022). "Hot Cannes Package: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Djimon Hounsou In 'Last Breath,' Alex Parkinson's Narrative Remake of His Harrowing Docu". Deadline.
  37. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (May 4, 2023). "Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson & Kaia Gerber To Star In Thriller 'Shell' For Director Man Minghella, Automatik & Black Bear International – Cannes Market Hot Package". Deadline.
  38. ↑ House on Haunted Hill (1999)
  39. ↑ Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
  40. ↑ Thirteen Ghosts (2001) - International Box Office Results
  41. 1 2 Ghost Ship (2002)
  42. 1 2 Gothika (2003)
  43. 1 2 House of Wax (2005)
  44. 1 2 The Reaping (2007)
  45. ↑ The Reaping DVD (2007)
  46. ↑ RocknRolla (2008)
  47. ↑ RocknRolla DVD (2008)
  48. 1 2 3 Orphan (2009)
  49. 1 2 Whiteout (2009)
  50. ↑ Whiteout DVD (2009)
  51. ↑ Ninja Assassin(2009)
  52. ↑ Ninja Assassin DVD (2009)
  53. ↑ The Losers (2009)
  54. ↑ The Losers DVD (2010)
  55. ↑ Splice (2010)

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