Dark Castle Entertainment

Last updated
Dark Castle Entertainment
Company typeLabel
Industry Motion pictures
Founded1998;26 years ago (1998)
Founders Joel Silver
Robert Zemeckis
Gilbert Adler
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
Key people
Alex Mace
Parent Silver Pictures

Dark Castle Entertainment is an American film production label and a division of Silver Pictures, It was formed in 1998 by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler. Susan Downey was the Vice President of Development until February 2009, a term running congruent to her tenure as a VP of Production at parent company Silver Pictures.

Contents

Overview

Dark Castle Entertainment's name pays homage to William Castle, a horror filmmaker from the 1950s and 1960s. When first formed, the goal was to remake Castle's horror films. After two remakes, it moved on to producing original material, along with remakes of non-Castle films. Starting with RocknRolla , the company began producing films in genres other than horror. While most of the company's films were initially poorly reviewed by critics, their 2009 film Splice eventually received better reviews.

Dark Castle Entertainment originally acquired the US rights to The Loft , as they did for Splice, with the intention of releasing the film through Warner Bros. When Joel Silver moved his office to Universal Pictures (with whom Silver had a 5-year, 12-picture, North American marketing and distribution deal [1] ), he took Dark Castle, and the film, with him. Universal planned to release the film on August 29, 2014, but the studio pulled it from the schedule in favor of Legendary Pictures' As Above, So Below . Universal and Dark Castle dropped the film, which was then picked up by Open Road Films and released on January 30, 2015. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Jason Blum reportedly has spoken to Silver twice about a co-production between Blumhouse Productions (with whom Universal has a 10-year first-look deal [6] ) and Dark Castle, for Universal to distribute, but they have yet to find the right project. [7]

Filmography

Release dateFilmDirector(s)Distributor
October 29, 1999 House on Haunted Hill William Malone Warner Bros. Pictures
October 26, 2001 Thirteen Ghosts Steve Beck
October 25, 2002 Ghost Ship
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 ParkerWarner 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
October 27, 2017 Suburbicon George Clooney Paramount Pictures
May 21, 2021 Seance Simon Barrett RLJE Films
August 19, 2022 Orphan: First Kill William Brent Bell Paramount Pictures
September 2024 Old Guy Simon West The Avenue
TBAUntitled horror film [8] The Hayes Brothers Sony Pictures Releasing

Lifetime grosses

YearFilmBudgetDomestic Box OfficeForeign Box OfficeTotalUS DVD salesTotal (with DVD sales)
1999House on Haunted Hill$37 million$40.8 million [9] $3.5 million (A)$44.4 millionN/AN/A
2001Thirteen Ghosts$42 million$41.7 million [10] $26.6 million [11] $68.5 millionN/AN/A
2002Ghost Ship$20 million$30.1 million [12] $38.2 million [12] $68.3 millionN/AN/A
2003Gothika$40 million$59.7 million [13] $81.7 million [13] $141.6 millionN/AN/A
2005House of Wax$40 million$32.1 million [14] $36.7 million [14] $68.8 millionN/AN/A
2007The Reaping$40 million$25.1 million [15] $37.6 million [15] $62.8 million$19.8 million [16] $82.6 million
2008RocknRolla$15 million$5.7 million [17] $20 million$25.7 million$7.4 million [18] $33.1 million
2009Orphan$20 million$41,596,251 [19] $36,741,122 [19] $78,337,373$12,250,443 [19] $90,587,816
2009Whiteout$35 million$10,275,638 [20] $7,565,229 [20] $17,840,867$3,192,934 [21] $21,033,801
2009Ninja Assassin$50 million$38,122,883 [22] $23,471,000$61,593,883$13,841,623 [23] $75,435,506
2010The Losers$25 million$23,591,432 [24] $5,385,903$28,977,335$6,462,496 [25] $35,439,831
2010Splice$30 million$17,010,170 [26] $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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Creek Entertainment</span> American film studio

Morgan Creek Entertainment is an American film production company, former sales agent and investor, that has released box-office hits including Young Guns, Dead Ringers, Major League, True Romance, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Crush, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Last of the Mohicans. The studio was co-founded in 1987 by James G. Robinson and Joe Roth. Robinson leads the company as chairman and CEO. His two sons, Brian Robinson and David C. Robinson, run the day-to-day operations. The company name comes from Roth's favorite film, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Their most recent film is The Exorcist: Believer, which was released on October 6, 2023.

<i>Gothika</i> 2003 film by Mathieu Kassovitz

Gothika is a 2003 American horror film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, written by Sebastian Gutierrez, co-produced by Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis, and starring Halle Berry with Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, and Bernard Hill. The film follows a psychiatrist who finds herself incarcerated in the penitentiary in which she works, accused of brutally murdering her own husband.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Silver</span> American film producer (born 1952)

Joel Silver is an American film producer.

<i>House on Haunted Hill</i> (1999 film) 1999 American supernatural horror film

House on Haunted Hill is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by William Malone and starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Bridgette Wilson, Peter Gallagher, and Chris Kattan. The plot follows a group of strangers who are invited to a party at an abandoned insane asylum, where they are offered $1 million each by an amusement park mogul if they are able to survive the night. Produced by Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver, it is a remake of the 1959 film of the same title directed by William Castle, and features special effects by famed make-up artists Gregory Nicotero and Dick Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Pictures</span> American film production company

Silver Pictures is an American film production company founded by Hollywood producer Joel Silver in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ImageMovers</span> American production company

ImageMovers (IM), is an American production company which produces CGI animation, motion-capture, live-action films and television shows. The company is known for producing such films as Cast Away (2000), What Lies Beneath (2000), The Polar Express (2004), Monster House (2006), and Beowulf (2007). From 2007 to 2011, The Walt Disney Company and ImageMovers founded a joint venture animation facility known as ImageMovers Digital which produced two motion-captured CGI-animated films: A Christmas Carol (2009) and Mars Needs Moms (2011) for Walt Disney Pictures, neither of which were financially successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaume Collet-Serra</span> Spanish-American film director and producer

Jaume Collet-Serra is a Spanish-American film director and producer. He directed the horror films House of Wax (2005), Orphan (2009), and The Shallows (2016), as well as the Liam Neeson-led thriller films Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014), Run All Night (2015), and The Commuter (2018). Collet-Serra also directed the Dwayne Johnson-led films, Jungle Cruise (2021), based on the eponymous theme park attraction from Disney, and Black Adam (2022), based on the comic book character of the same name from DC.

<i>Whiteout</i> (2009 film) 2009 film by Dominic Sena

Whiteout is a 2009 crime thriller film based on the 1998 comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. Directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short and Tom Skerritt, the film was distributed by Warner Bros. and released on September 11, 2009. It was produced under the banner of Dark Castle Entertainment by Joel Silver, Susan Downey and David Gambino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Pictures</span> American independent production company

Twisted Pictures is an American production company and a division of Evolution Entertainment that specializes in horror and thriller films. The company was founded by Evolution's Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules and Mark Burg in 2004. The company is known for producing the Saw film franchise.

<i>RocknRolla</i> 2008 film by Guy Ritchie

RocknRolla is a 2008 gangster crime comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandiwe Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell, Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges. It was released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2008, reaching number one in the UK box office in its first week of release. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Splice</i> (film) 2009 film by Vincenzo Natali

Splice is a 2009 science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, and Delphine Chanéac. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientific couple, who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal genes resulting in the creation of a human–animal hybrid. Guillermo del Toro, Don Murphy, and Joel Silver are credited as executive producers of this film. Theatrically released on June 4, 2010, the film received generally positive reviews from critics but was commercially unsuccessful, and grossed just $27.1 million against a $30 million production budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Dunes</span> Film production company in Los Angeles, California, US

Platinum Dunes is an American film and television production company founded in 2001 by Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form. It is mainly known for producing horror films, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Purge, Ouija and A Quiet Place.

The Razzie Award for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film adapted from some form of previous material. The category covers films that are prequels, sequels, remakes, reboots, spin-offs, film adaptations of other media franchises, mockbusters and "rip-offs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Downey</span> American film producer (born 1973)

Susan Nicole Downey is an American film producer. Until February 2009, she was co-president of Dark Castle Entertainment and executive vice president of production at Silver Pictures, Joel Silver's production company. Susan is married to Robert Downey Jr. The couple has formed their own production house named Team Downey.

<i>The Loft</i> (film) 2014 film by Erik Van Looy

The Loft is a 2014 erotic thriller film directed by Erik Van Looy. It is a remake of the 2008 Dutch-language Belgian film Loft, which Van Looy also directed. The screenplay was written by Bart De Pauw and adapted by Wesley Strick. Starring Karl Urban, James Marsden, and Wentworth Miller, it also features Matthias Schoenaerts who reprises his role from the original film.

Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse, is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkeypaw Productions</span> American production company

Monkeypaw Productions is an American film and television production company founded in 2012 by Jordan Peele. The company is known for producing horror films, such as Get Out, Us, Candyman, Nope and Wendell & Wild. On October 1, 2019, the company signed a 5-year exclusivity deal with Universal Pictures that will last until October 4, 2024.

The following is a list of unproduced Robert Zemeckis projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Robert Zemeckis has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially cancelled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

The following is a list of unproduced Guy Ritchie projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, English film director Guy Ritchie has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these productions fell in development hell or were cancelled.

References

  1. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Joel Silver Going Indie And Making 12-Film Distribution Deal With Universal For Post-Warner Bros Producing". Deadline.
  2. ↑ "'The loft' is gekocht door producent van 'Die hard'-films" ['The loft' bought by same producer as 'Die hard'-movies] (in Dutch). Belgium: Het Nieuwsblad. 9 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "'The Loft' nog maar eens uitgesteld" ['The Loft' once again delayed] (in Dutch). Belgium: De Standaard. March 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Universal Sets 'The Loft' For Summer 2014, Zac Efron's 'Townies' For May". Deadline. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Universal Pulls 'The Loft' From Sked, Moves Legendary Pic 'As Above/So Below' Into Slot". Deadline. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Cunningham, Todd (July 20, 2014). "Blumhouse Signs 10-Year Production Deal With Universal Pictures". The Wrap . Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Twitter / @RyanLeger2 @blumhouse @DCastleE @UniversalPics twice". Twitter.com. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  8. ↑ Lang, Brent (2017-12-07). "Hayes Brothers, Joel Silver Teaming on Horror Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  9. ↑ House on Haunted Hill (1999)
  10. ↑ Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
  11. ↑ Thirteen Ghosts (2001) - International Box Office Results
  12. 1 2 Ghost Ship (2002)
  13. 1 2 Gothika (2003)
  14. 1 2 House of Wax (2005)
  15. 1 2 The Reaping (2007)
  16. ↑ The Reaping DVD (2007)
  17. ↑ RocknRolla (2008)
  18. ↑ RocknRolla DVD (2008)
  19. 1 2 3 Orphan (2009)
  20. 1 2 Whiteout (2009)
  21. ↑ Whiteout DVD (2009)
  22. ↑ Ninja Assassin(2009)
  23. ↑ Ninja Assassin DVD (2009)
  24. ↑ The Losers (2009)
  25. ↑ The Losers DVD (2010)
  26. ↑ Splice (2010)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.