Savoy Pictures

Last updated
Savoy Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
IndustryIndependent film studio, television station holdings company
Founded1992;32 years ago (1992)
FounderVictor Kaufman
Defunct1997;27 years ago (1997)
FateAcquired by IAC/Interactive Corporation, library now owned by Universal Pictures via Focus Features
SuccessorLibrary:
Universal Pictures
(through Focus Features)
(with some exceptions)
Headquarters
United States
Key people
Victor A. Kaufman
Lewis J. Korman
ProductsMotion Pictures
Owner IAC (1995–1997)
Number of employees
16 (1997)
Subsidiaries HBO Savoy Video
Savoy Pictures Television
SF Broadcasting

Savoy Pictures Entertainment, Inc. was an American independent motion picture company that operated from 1992 to 1997. Among Savoy Pictures' noteworthy feature films were A Bronx Tale , No Escape , Last of the Dogmen and Serial Mom .

Contents

History

Former Columbia Pictures Entertainment chairman and TriStar Pictures founder Victor A. Kaufman became chairman and chief executive officer of Savoy Pictures in 1992 along with vice chairman executive, Lewis J. Korman. Kaufman has claimed that the name came from the Savoy Special bat Robert Redford's character used in The Natural . [1] Savoy intended to finance and distribute films in the $12–25 million range, investing in up to $15 million per film. [2] In June of that year, Savoy entered into a deal with HBO for the home video, pay-TV, and pay-per-view rights to its films. [3]

Budgets for their films grew. However, with rather poor marketing, Savoy faced a major financial slump, only three years after being formed. For three years, Savoy then released box office failures including Exit to Eden and Getting Away with Murder . It also didn't help that two of its competitors in the independent film field, Miramax and New Line Cinema, were bought out by majors (The Walt Disney Company and Turner Broadcasting, respectively), giving them stability. As a result, Savoy focused on low-budget films and the occasional blockbuster, costing up to $80 million. [2] Executives hoped to lure Sylvester Stallone with a then-hefty $20 million paycheck to star in a studio project that was ultimately never made. [2]

In the meantime, Savoy expanded into broadcasting to help the investment of films. In March 1994, Savoy created SF Broadcasting as a venture with Fox Television Stations, with Kaufman and Korman owning controlling interest. [4] As a result of purchasing these stations, all of them would become affiliates of the Fox network. Stations owned by SF Broadcasting were WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama, WLUK-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, WVUE in New Orleans, and KHON-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii. Savoy also launched a television production division. [5]

In January 1995, Kaufman announced that he was hiring Robert N. Fried to run the motion picture studio. Fried brought in executives Alan Sokol, Bob Levin, Cathy Schulman, Stan Brooks, Stan Wlodkowski and filmmakers Sam Raimi, and George Tillman, Rob Weiss and Peter Chelsom. In September 1995, Kaufman announced that he was cutting back on his interest in the motion picture business and was re-positioning the company as a television station holding company. [6]

Shortly thereafter, Savoy announced the sale of 14 films in its roster, in varying stages of production, to potential buyers. [7] New Line Cinema picked up Martin Lawrence's directorial debut A Thin Line Between Love and Hate , American History X , The Adventures of Pinocchio , Heaven's Prisoners , Faithful , and The Stupids . [8] [9] [10] Paramount Pictures picked up the rights to produce A Simple Plan . [11]

Savoy Pictures announced in November 1995 that Barry Diller's Silver King Communications was going to acquire Savoy for $210 million. [12] The deal was finalized in 1997. Victor Kaufman is now[ when? ] vice chairman and sits on the board of directors of IAC. The SF stations were sold to Diller's Silver King Broadcasting in 1997.

Cineplex Odeon Films was the Canadian distributor for Savoy films, then Alliance Films became the Canadian distributor after New Line Cinema picked up the later films from 1996.

In 2006, the Savoy library was purchased by Universal Studios through Focus Features, with the exceptions of a few select titles. Warner Bros. Discovery owns the titles produced by New Line Cinema, while Paramount Global owns the titles produced by Rysher Entertainment, Pathé Films owns the rights to No Escape via Allied Filmmakers, Robert De Niro owns the rights to The Bronx Tale, and Joel B. Michaels owns the rights to Last of the Dogmen.

Films

Release DateTitleNotes
September 29, 1993 A Bronx Tale First Savoy film, US distributor; co-production with TriBeCa Productions
December 25, 1993 Shadowlands US distributor; co-production with Price Entertainment and Spelling Films International, Paramount Pictures distributed in UK
March 11, 1994 Lightning Jack US distributor only; co-production with Village Roadshow and Buena Vista Pictures
April 13, 1994 Serial Mom Co-production with Polar Entertainment Corporation
April 29, 1994 No Escape USA/Canada and UK distributor; co-production with Allied Filmmakers, Pacific Western; Columbia Pictures handled international distribution rights under Escape from Absolom
October 14, 1994 Exit to Eden
February 24, 1995 The Walking Dead
March 15, 1995 Circle of Friends US distribution; Rank Organisation distribution in UK and Cineplex Odeon Films distributed in Canada
April 28, 1995 Destiny Turns on the Radio Distribution; co-production with Rysher Entertainment
May 24, 1995 Tales from the Hood Distribution only; co-production with 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
August 25, 1995 Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde US distributor; co-production with Rastar and Rank Organisation
August 25, 1995 The Show Co-production with Rysher Entertainment
September 8, 1995 Last of the Dogmen US distributor; co-production with Carolco Pictures. Pathé distributed internationally
September 22, 1995 Bleeding Hearts Distribution; co-production with Peacock Films
September 29, 1995 Steal Big Steal Little
October 27, 1995 Three Wishes Co-production with Rysher Entertainment
November 17, 1995 Let It Be Me
December 1, 1995 White Man's Burden Co-production with Rysher Entertainment and UGC
April 3, 1996 Faithful Co-producer; New Line Cinema, Miramax Films and TriBeCa Productions
April 5, 1996 A Thin Line Between Love and Hate Co-production with New Line Cinema
April 12, 1996 Getting Away with Murder
May 17, 1996 Heaven's Prisoners producer; distribution by New Line Cinema
July 26, 1996 The Adventures of Pinocchio International distributor; co-production with New Line Cinema and The Kushner-Locker Company
August 30, 1996 The Stupids Co-production with New Line Cinema and Rank Film distributors
December 11, 1998 A Simple Plan Last Savoy Film. International distribution; co-production with Mutual Film Company, Paramount Pictures, Tele-München and BBC

Related Research Articles

Orion Releasing, LLC is an American film production and distribution company co-owned by Amazon through Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films from 1978 until 1999 and was also involved in television production and syndication throughout the 1980s until the early 1990s. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former senior executives at United Artists. From its founding until its buyout by MGM in the late 1990s, Orion was considered one of the largest mini-major studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Line Cinema</span> American film and television production company

New Line Productions, Inc., doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film and television production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Since 2008, it has been operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner on August 2, 1986. Purchased by Time Warner on October 10, 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing the TBS library for worldwide distribution. In recent years, this role has largely been limited to being the copyright holder, as it has become an in-name-only subsidiary of Warner Bros., which currently administers their library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TriStar Pictures</span> American film studio

TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony studio Columbia Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Rock Entertainment</span> American film and television production company

Castle Rock Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHON-TV</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Honolulu

KHON-TV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of Fox and an owned-and-operated station of The CW. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KHII-TV. Both stations share studios at the Haiwaiki Tower in downtown Honolulu, while KHON's main transmitter is also located downtown at the Century Center condominium/business complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolco Pictures</span> Defunct US independent film production company

Carolco Pictures, Inc. was an American independent film studio that existed from 1976 to 1995, founded by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna. Kassar and Vajna ran Carolco together until 1989, when Vajna left to form Cinergi Pictures. Carolco hit its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, with blockbuster successes including the first three films of the Rambo franchise, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Cliffhanger and Stargate. Nevertheless, the company was losing money overall and required a corporate restructuring in 1992. The 1995 film Cutthroat Island, intended to be a comeback for the studio, instead lost $147 million and brought the company to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Kids</span> Childrens programming division of Fox

Fox Kids was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a joint venture between the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox) and its affiliated stations, it was later owned by Fox Family Worldwide.

Universal Television LLC is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predecessor of the company previously assumed such functions, and a substantial portion of the company's shows air on the network. It was formerly known by various names, including Revue Studios, Universal Pictures Television Department, Universal-International Television, Studios USA Television LLC, Universal Studios Network Programming, Universal Network Television, Universal Domestic Television, NBC Universal Television Studio, and Universal Media Studios. Re-established in 2004, both NBC Studios and the original Universal Television are predecessors of the current Universal Television, formerly known as NBC Universal Television Studio and Universal Media Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Diller</span> American businessman and media executive

Barry Charles Diller is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WALA-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Mobile, Alabama

WALA-TV is a television station licensed to Mobile, Alabama, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Satchel Paige Drive in Mobile, with an additional studio and news bureau on Executive Plaza Drive in Pensacola, Florida; its transmitter is located in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World Pictures</span> American film production and distribution company

New World Pictures was an American independent production, distribution, and multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 by Roger Corman and Gene Corman as New World Pictures, Ltd., a producer and distributor of motion pictures, eventually expanding into television production in 1984. New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seven television stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVUE-DT</span> Fox affiliate in New Orleans

WVUE-DT, branded Fox 8, is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains primary studios on Norman C. Francis Parkway in the city's Gert Town section, with a secondary studio within the Benson Tower in downtown New Orleans; its transmitter is located on Magistrate Street in Chalmette, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Kassar</span> American film producer

Mario F. Kassar is a Lebanese-American film producer and industry executive who produced the first three films of the Rambo series, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Total Recall, The Doors, Angel Heart, Jacob's Ladder, Rambling Rose, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Chaplin, Showgirls, and Stargate, among other films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFSF-DT</span> UniMás TV station in Vallejo, California

KFSF-DT is a television station licensed to Vallejo, California, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language UniMás network to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside San Francisco–licensed Univision outlet KDTV-DT. The two stations share studios on Zanker Road near the North San Jose Innovation District in San Jose; KFSF-DT's transmitter is located atop Sutro Tower in San Francisco.

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

Legendary Entertainment is an American mass media and film production company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull along with Jon Jashni, Larry Clark, William Fay and Scott Mednick. The company has collaborated with many major studios, including Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal Media Group, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Global and Amazon MGM Studios, as well as streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Since 2016, Legendary has been a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group and American equity firm Apollo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Broadcasting</span> Former television broadcaster

USA Broadcasting was an American television broadcasting company owned by the veteran entertainment industry executive Barry Diller. This company was the over-the-air broadcasting arm of USA Networks. Before founding USA Broadcasting, Diller was a helper in Gulf+Western's failed Paramount Television Service and News Corporation's new Fox Broadcasting Company that was launched on October 9, 1986.

Spelling Television Inc. was an American television production company that went through several name changes. It was originally called Aaron Spelling Productions, then Spelling Entertainment Inc. and eventually part of Spelling Entertainment Group. The company produced popular shows such as The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place and Charmed. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling on October 25, 1965. The company is currently an in-name-only unit of CBS Studios. A related company, Spelling-Goldberg Productions, co-existed during a portion of the same time period and produced other well-known shows such as Family, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Fantasy Island but these series are not part of the modern day library now owned by Paramount Global. Another related company, The Douglas S. Cramer Company co-existed during a portion of the same time period, produced shows like Wonder Woman, Joe and Sons, and Bridget Loves Bernie and television films like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway.

SF Broadcasting was an American media company that owned and operated four television stations; the company operated from its founding March 1994, four months before its purchased stations owned by Burnham Broadcasting, until its merger with Silver King Broadcasting in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Pictures</span> American film studio

Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group unit, and is based at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under the studio banner.

References

  1. "Victor Kaufman – Savoy Pictures and Home Shopping Network". Vimeo. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Fabrikant, Geraldine. Savoy Pictures' High and Low Roads. The New York Times (January 18, 1995)
  3. Lippman, John (June 16, 1992). "Savoy Pictures and HBO Cut a Film Deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  4. THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Savoy and Fox TV Venture. The New York Times (March 18, 1994)
  5. COMPANY TOWN : Savoy Pictures Names Stanley Brooks to Head Its Television Production Division. The Los Angeles Times (May 9, 1995)
  6. Savoy Pictures To Focus on TV. The Los Angeles Times (September 18, 1995)
  7. "Savoy leaves the spotlight". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  8. Abramovitch, Ingrid (1997-03-09). "Lost Without a Screen: the Fate of 'Orphan' Films". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  9. Goldstein, Patrick (1998-09-13). "Courting Trouble". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2016-09-08.[ dead link ]
  10. BATES, JAMES (1995-11-21). "COMPANY TOWN : New Line Gains Domestic Rights to 4 Savoy Films". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  11. "ILL-FATED 'SIMPLE PLAN' OFF AGAIN. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  12. Peers, Martin (November 28, 1995). "Diller deal bails out Savoy stock". Daily Variety . p. 1.