Optimum Releasing
Encyclopedia

StudioCanal UK is a film distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...

 company working in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 releases such as Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...

's films and independent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.

Optimum was acquired by StudioCanal
StudioCanal
StudioCanal is a French-based production and distribution company that owns the third-largest film library in the world...

, a subsidiary of Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...

 SA, in 2006. Since StudioCanal bought Optimum, the French company distribute their large back catalogue of classic British films (many from the Cannon and EMI catalogues) through Optimum releasing under the strand 'Optimum Classic'.

In September 2011, the company was renamed StudioCanal UK

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (film)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 English-language espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson, from a screenplay written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré...

, Tyrannosaur
Tyrannosaur (film)
Tyrannosaur is a 2011 British drama film written and directed by actor Paddy Considine .The film depicts an environment similar to what Considine witnessed growing up on a council estate in the Midlands, although the film is in no way autobiographical...

, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011 film)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2011 American horror film written by Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro, directed by comic book artist Troy Nixey and filmed in Mount Macedon, Victoria and Melbourne, Australia...

, The Awakening
The Awakening (2011 film)
The Awakening is an upcoming 2011 British horror thriller film directed by Nick Murphy, starring Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, and Imelda Staunton.-Plot:1921 England is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I...

 and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

's directorial debut W.E are to be among the first films released under the StudioCanal UK banner.

Although the company is now called StudioCanal UK, according to the DVD/BD artwork for upcoming releases, the Optimum brands (with the exception of Optimum Releasing) are still to be used. It is unknown if this is because the artwork were produced before the company was to change it's name, but Cinema releases are now distributed under the StudioCanal name.

Optimum (1999-2011)

When named Optimum, the company's image was that of a modern, independent new release and back catalogue distributor. Films were released under four strands: Optimum Releasing (Theatrical New Releases), Optimum Home Entertainment (DVD and Blu-ray Disc New Releases), Optimum Classic (DVD Re-releases of back catalogue films) and Optimum World (New and Back Catalogue World Cinema). The latter three appear to be still being used, despite the company's name change.

They released over 200 films a year and were one of the most prominent distributors in the UK independent film and world cinema market since the closure of Tartan Films in 2008.

Kill List
Kill List
Kill List is 2011 British horror film from Ben Wheatley, starring Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley and MyAnna Buring. When a British soldier returns home from Kiev, he joins an old friend as contract killers. His disturbed past surfaces as he spins out of control during jobs and ominous employers...

, The Guard and a re-release of Whisky Galore!
Whisky Galore! (film)
Whisky Galore! was a 1949 Ealing comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Compton MacKenzie. Both the movie and the novel are based on the real-life 1941 shipwreck of the S.S. Politician near the island of Eriskay and the unauthorized taking of its cargo of whisky...

appear to be the last titles released under the Optimum Releasing banner.

External links

  • Company filmography from Variety
    Variety (magazine)
    Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...

  • List of film credits from Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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