Icon Productions

Last updated
Icon Productions LLC
Company typePublic
Industry Film
Television film
FoundedAugust 1989;34 years ago (August 1989)
Headquarters808 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, United States
Key people
Mel Gibson
Bruce Davey
Mark Gooder
Products Motion pictures
Entertainment
Film distribution
Website www.iconmovies.com.au

Icon Productions is an Australian-American production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey, [1] which, unlike most other independent production companies, funds most of its development and production costs, allowing it to retain creative control of its projects. [2] Its headquarters are in Santa Monica, California.

Contents

In 2008–2009, the company's UK operations were sold to Access Industries. After the acquisition of Dendy Cinemas, a separate company involved in film distribution only in Australia continued to operate as Icon Film Distribution, using the original logo and still owned by Gibson and Davey.

History

Icon started when Gibson was having trouble in financing the 1990 film Hamlet. According to Davey:

Mel wanted to reprise Hamlet and the (Hollywood) agent he had who was helping him with it lasted about five minutes. It's pretty hard to get someone to give you money to make Hamlet. I told him that if he wanted to make this happen, someone had to roll up their sleeves and find the (financing) and he asked me if I wanted to have a crack at it and I agreed. [3]

Unlike most other independents, Icon has always financed most of its development and packaging costs internally, mainly by Gibson, allowing it to retain creative control of projects through production. Felicia's Journey director Atom Egoyan praised the company's creative independence and risk-taking:

Mel's dream was to create an alternative to the studio system and make films free of interference. He's been able to use his celebrity status to set up a really viable company. Icon is able to take risks that studios won't broach. [4]

Gibson has explained that the company's name was chosen because icon means "image" in Greek, and that the inspiration came from a book on Russian icons in his den. The logo's artwork originally features a sketch of Michael the Archangel in 1993, but now features a small crop of the mother's left eye from the Theotokos of Vladimir icon, an Eastern Orthodox icon of Mary, mother of God.[ citation needed ]

Crop of Theotokos of Vladimir icon as an Icon Productions logo

The company also produced films in the UK and Australia and distributed cinema films through its British and Australian subsidiaries.[ citation needed ] It also owned a library of over 250 film titles. [5] After the financial success of The Passion of the Christ , there was frequent mention of the ability of Icon to function as a mini-studio. However, Bruce Davey downplayed those expectations, saying, "The last thing we want is to become a studio. We don't want to become that top heavy. We want to be independent and passionate. We don't want to lose the magic". [3]

The main executives at Icon were Mel Gibson (president), Bruce Davey (chairman of the board of directors) and Mark Gooder (CEO).

2008–2009 changes

In early 2008, Icon entered the exhibition business for the first time by purchasing Dendy Cinemas, Australia's largest independent film distributor and art house cinema chain. [6]

In September 2008, Davey and Gibson started negotiations for the sale of the Icon international sales and film distribution arms along with the Majestic library. UK operations were sold to US-based industrial group Access Industries (founded by Leonard Blavatnik), with former UK Film Council chairman Stewart Till as new CEO and equity holder in the business. The new company would continue to use the Icon name and would have a three-year first-look deal with Icon Productions to handle the international rights to its productions. [7] [8] The sale was completed in November 2009. The deal included Icon's international sales company, the distribution operation based in the UK, and the Majestic Films & Television library, but not the Los Angeles operation Icon Productions LLC, which Gibson still owned outright with Davey, who relocated to Australia, the distribution operation based in Australia and the Dendy Cinemas operation were also not part of the acquisition deal. [2]

Current US operation

As at June 2018, Gibson and Davey were still running Icon Productions LLC. The company had sued the producer of their film The Professor and the Madman for breach of contract, [9] but on 19 June 2018, Judge Ruth Kwan of the Los Angeles County Superior Court did not allow this, saying that there was not enough evidence. [10]

Australia

The 2008–2009 transaction did not include the Australian distribution company and cinemas, [11] [12] which remains as Icon Film Distribution as of February 2019. [13]

UK

In November 2011, Icon announced it was closing its UK distribution wing to focus on financing and producing films, with Lionsgate taking over distribution and was said to be in talks to buy its back catalogue. [14] In late 2012, Icon UK re-acquired the Producers Sales Organization library from Lionsgate.[ citation needed ] In 2013, it was announced that Icon UK could get backing from film fund Prescience. Earlier, the unit hired Exclusive Media (later AMBI Group) to represent its library. [15] In September 2013, Icon Film Distribution UK was purchased by investment company New Sparta. [16]

In September 2017, after a strings of box office bombs back in 2016, Icon Film Distribution UK was put up for sale by New Sparta. In March 2018, New Sparta sold Icon Film Distribution UK to Kaleidoscope Film Distribution. [17]

Films

Television

Related Research Articles

<i>Braveheart</i> 1995 film directed by Mel Gibson

Braveheart is a 1995 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who also portrays its central character, Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. The film also stars Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan and Catherine McCormack. The story is inspired by Blind Harry's 15th century epic poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace and was adapted for the screen by Randall Wallace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Gibson</span> American actor and film director (born 1956)

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson is an American actor and film director. He is known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocalyptic action series Mad Max and as Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action-comedy film series Lethal Weapon.

<i>The Surgeon of Crowthorne</i> 1998 non-fiction history book by Simon Winchester

The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Love of Words is a non-fiction history book by British writer Simon Winchester, first published in England in 1998. It was retitled The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary in the United States and Canada.

<i>Hamlet</i> (1990 film) 1990 film by Franco Zeffirelli

Hamlet is a 1990 drama film based on the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson as the eponymous character. The film also features Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield, Ian Holm, Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Dillane, and Nathaniel Parker. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, the film was the first produced by Icon Productions, a company co-founded by Gibson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Rush</span> Australian actor (born 1951)

Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award, making him the only Australian to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, in addition to three BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Rush is the founding president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and was named the 2012 Australian of the Year.

<i>The Passion of the Christ</i> 2004 film by Mel Gibson

The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mel Gibson. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It also draws on pious accounts such as the Friday of Sorrows, along with other devotional writings, such as the reputed visions attributed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.

StudioCanal S.A.S. is a French film production and distribution company. The company is a subsidiary of the Canal+ Group, owned by Vivendi. As of May 2024 the company has 14 production companies in Europe and the US, and holds around 9,000 titles in its extensive film library.

Becker Entertainment is an Australian production company.

Bruce Davey is an Australian film producer.

Farhad Safinia is an Iranian-American screenwriter, film/TV producer and director, best known for Apocalypto, Boss, and The Professor and the Madman. He was credited under the pseudonym P. B. Shemran in the latter.

Roadshow Entertainment is an Australian home video, production and distribution company that is a division of Village Roadshow that distributes films in Australia and New Zealand. Their first release was Mad Max. Roadshow Entertainment is an independent video distributor in Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Edge of Darkness</i> (2010 film) 2010 action thriller film

Edge of Darkness is a 2010 conspiracy action thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell, and starring Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone. A British-American co-production, it is based on the 1985 BBC television series of the same name, which was likewise directed by Campbell. This was Gibson's first screen lead since Signs (2002), and follows a detective investigating the murder of his activist daughter, while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups in the process. It was released on 29 January 2010. It received mixed reviews from critics, though Gibson's and Winstone's performances were praised, and grossed $81 million against its $80 million production budget which made it a box-office bomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Gibson filmography</span>

Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, and producer, who made his acting debut on the Australian television drama series The Sullivans (1976–1983). While a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, he was given an uncredited role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and subsequently appeared as a leading actor in the micro budget surf drama Summer City. Gibson rose to prominence during the Australian New Wave cinema movement in the early 1980s, having appeared in his breakthrough role in George Miller's dystopian action film Mad Max (1979), portraying the eponymous hero. He reprised the role in its sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). He appeared in Peter Weir's war drama Gallipoli (1981) and the romantic drama The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). Five years later he played Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action comedy Lethal Weapon alongside Danny Glover—a role he later reprised in its sequels Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).

<i>Get the Gringo</i> 2012 American film

Get the Gringo is a 2012 American action film directed by Adrian Grunberg, produced, co-written by and starring Mel Gibson.

Stuart Ford is a British-born film and television producer based in Los Angeles.

Becker Group, formerly R. A. Becker & Co., was an Australian independent film and television distribution company founded by Russell Becker. It was established in 1965 and sold to Prime Television in 2007.

<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> 2016 biographical war film by Mel Gibson

Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, based on the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector directed by Terry Benedict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendy Cinemas</span> Australian cinema group

Dendy Cinema Pty Limited is an Australian cinema chain. Dendy operates in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Its main competitors are Hoyts, Village, Event, Wallis Cinemas, Palace Cinemas and Reading. It is a subsidiary of Icon Productions.

<i>The Professor and the Madman</i> (film) 2019 biographical film

The Professor and the Madman is a 2019 biographical drama film directed by Farhad Safinia, from a screenplay by Safinia and Todd Komarnicki based on the 1998 book The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester. It stars Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Marsan, Jennifer Ehle, Jeremy Irvine, David O'Hara, Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Dillane, and Steve Coogan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Mackie (producer)</span> Australian film distributor, producer and author

Andrew Mackie is an Australian film distributor, producer and author. He is a co-founder of Australian film distribution company Transmission Films along with Richard Payten.

References

  1. Kim Williamson (August 1997). "Australian Native Sons Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey of Icon Bring It All Back Home". Box Office Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  2. 1 2 "Mel Gibson Sells UK Arm Of His Icon Group". Deadline Hollywood. November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Robert Lusetich (2008-05-15). "Still magic after 20 years with Mel Gibson at Icon". Archived from the original on 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  4. Brian D. Johnson (2006-12-25). "Mad Mel's passion for vengeance". Maclean's.
  5. Stephen Galloway (2004-11-15). "Australian Dialogue: Mel Gibson & Bruce Davey". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  6. Pip Bulbeck (2008-02-23). "Icon expands in Australia with Dendy". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  7. Garry Maddox (September 10, 2008). "Mel Gibson lets go of the steering wheel". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  8. Stuart Kemp (September 8, 2008). "Stewart Till takes control of Icon Group". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  9. "Mel Gibson Sues Producer for Sabotaging "Labor of Love" Film". The Hollywood Reporter. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  10. Gardner, Eriq (20 June 2018). "Mel Gibson Loses Court Bid to Reclaim Rights to 'Madman' Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  11. Jeremy Kay (November 1, 2009). "Stewart Till closes deal to buy Icon UK, Icon International". Screen International . Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  12. Stuart Kemp (November 1, 2009). "Stewart Till finalizes Icon Group deal". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  13. "About Icon Films". Icon Film Distribution. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  14. Shoard, Catherine. "Icon stops UK distribution and axes London jobs". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  15. Tartaglione, Nancy; Utichi, Joe (25 March 2013). "Cannes' New UK Buyer? Icon Could Resurface With Backing From Prescience". Deadline. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  16. Tartaglione, Nancy (23 September 2013). "Icon Film Distribution Relaunches In UK Following Acquisition By New Sparta". Deadline. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  17. "UK Stalwart Icon Film Distribution and Its 300-Strong Library Finds Buyer in Kaleidoscope". 7 March 2018.