Summit Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Summit Entertainment LLC (formerly Summit Entertainment LP) is an independent film
studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California
with international offices in London.
, Arnon Milchan
, and Andrew G. Vajna, initially to handle film sales in foreign countries. Summit later expanded into producing and co-financing films in 1995, and started fully financing films by 1997. Summit officially launched in 1993 by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization. Among the company's early successes was American Pie
, which Summit distributed outside of English-speaking territories. In 2006, it became a fully independent film studio, Summit Entertainment, with the addition of Rob Friedman, a former executive at Paramount Pictures
. The new company added major development, production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution branches with a financing deal led by Merrill Lynch
and other investors giving it access to over $1 billion in financing.
After a string of flops including P2
, Penelope
, and Sex Drive
, Summit finally found success in November 2008 with the release of Twilight
, a teen romance about vampires based on the best-selling book of the same name by Stephenie Meyer
that made $408,773,703 worldwide. In the spring of 2009, Summit released Knowing
, the company's second movie to open #1 at the box office and made $182,492,056 worldwide.
On September 2008, merger talks between Summit and Lions Gate Entertainment
were the subject of media speculation, but no deal was finalized at that time. On February 1, 2009, it was announced that Lionsgate would acquire Summit, along with its library of six films and rights to the Twilight franchise, but two days later, these merger negotiations broke down due to concerns over changing content.
In November 2009, Summit released the sequel to Twilight titled The Twilight Saga: New Moon, also based on the popular novel by Stephenie Meyer, breaking box office records in its first weekend, grossing $142,839,137 in three (3) days and posting the fourth all-time best weekend box office figure behind Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 3
($151,116,516) and Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight
($158,411,483) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
($168,550,000).
On June 30, 2010 Summit released the third film of the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It broke a midnight screening record of over $30 million and set a one-day Wednesday record of $68.5 million but failed to surpass the one-day tally of $72 million set by New Moon. It became the first movie in the series to cross the $300 million mark domestically.
Other films for Summit include Next Day Air
($10,027,047 US box office), The Hurt Locker
($16,400,000 US box office) which garnered Summit its first Oscar-winning Best Picture
), the animated film Astro Boy
, the teenage horror Sorority Row
($11,965,282 US box office), the low-budget Push
($31,811,527 US box office), the dismally-attended Bandslam ($5,210,988 US box office), Letters to Juliet
($53,032,453 US box office), and the sleeper hit RED
($87,940,198 US box office), which was nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe
in the Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical category.
In 2008, Summit ranked 8th place among the studios, with a gross of $226.5 million, almost entirely because of the release of Twilight
. In 2009, Summit ranked 7th among studios with a gross of $482.5 million.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
with international offices in London.
History
Summit was originally founded in 1991 by film producers Bernd EichingerBernd Eichinger
Bernd Eichinger was a German film producer and director.- Life and career :Eichinger was born in Neuburg an der Donau. He attended the University of Television and Film Munich in the 1970s, and bought a stake in the fledgling studio company Neue Constantin Film in 1979, becoming its executive...
, Arnon Milchan
Arnon Milchan
Arnon Milchan is a film producer, Israeli intelligence agent, and arms dealer. Milchan produced many films such as The War of the Roses, Once Upon a Time in America, Pretty Woman, Natural Born Killers, Under Siege, The Devil's Advocate, The Fountain, Unfaithful, L.A. Confidential and many others...
, and Andrew G. Vajna, initially to handle film sales in foreign countries. Summit later expanded into producing and co-financing films in 1995, and started fully financing films by 1997. Summit officially launched in 1993 by Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward and David Garrett under the name Summit Entertainment LP as a production, distribution, and sales organization. Among the company's early successes was American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
, which Summit distributed outside of English-speaking territories. In 2006, it became a fully independent film studio, Summit Entertainment, with the addition of Rob Friedman, a former executive at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. The new company added major development, production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution branches with a financing deal led by Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
and other investors giving it access to over $1 billion in financing.
After a string of flops including P2
P2 (film)
P2 is a 2007 thriller film directed by Franck Khalfoun, written and produced by Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur and starring Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley....
, Penelope
Penelope (2006 film)
Penelope is a 2006 fantasy/romantic comedy film directed by Mark Palansky which was first released in 2006 as a premiere. It stars Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon.-Plot:...
, and Sex Drive
Sex Drive (film)
Sex Drive is a 2008 sex comedy film about a high school graduate who goes on a cross-country road trip to hook up with a girl he met online. It is based on the novel All the Way, by Andy Behrens. The film was directed by Sean Anders, and stars Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, Amanda Crew, and Katrina...
, Summit finally found success in November 2008 with the release of Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
, a teen romance about vampires based on the best-selling book of the same name by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
that made $408,773,703 worldwide. In the spring of 2009, Summit released Knowing
Knowing (film)
Knowing is a 2009 American-British science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. The project was originally attached to a number of directors under Columbia Pictures, but it was placed in turnaround and eventually picked up by Escape Artists. Production was financially...
, the company's second movie to open #1 at the box office and made $182,492,056 worldwide.
On September 2008, merger talks between Summit and Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
were the subject of media speculation, but no deal was finalized at that time. On February 1, 2009, it was announced that Lionsgate would acquire Summit, along with its library of six films and rights to the Twilight franchise, but two days later, these merger negotiations broke down due to concerns over changing content.
In November 2009, Summit released the sequel to Twilight titled The Twilight Saga: New Moon, also based on the popular novel by Stephenie Meyer, breaking box office records in its first weekend, grossing $142,839,137 in three (3) days and posting the fourth all-time best weekend box office figure behind Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
($151,116,516) and Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
($158,411,483) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
($168,550,000).
On June 30, 2010 Summit released the third film of the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It broke a midnight screening record of over $30 million and set a one-day Wednesday record of $68.5 million but failed to surpass the one-day tally of $72 million set by New Moon. It became the first movie in the series to cross the $300 million mark domestically.
Other films for Summit include Next Day Air
Next Day Air
Next Day Air is a 2009 action comedy film that was released by Summit Entertainment on May 8, 2009. The film starring Mike Epps and Donald Faison was produced on an estimated budget of $3 million...
($10,027,047 US box office), The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is a 2009 American war film about a three-man United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb...
($16,400,000 US box office) which garnered Summit its first Oscar-winning Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
), the animated film Astro Boy
Astro Boy (film)
Astro Boy, also called in Japan, is a 2009 computer-animated film loosely based on the long-running Japanese series of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. It was produced by Imagi Animation Studios, the animation production company of TMNT. The studio announced the project in September 2006...
, the teenage horror Sorority Row
Sorority Row
Sorority Row is a 2009 American slasher film, and a re-imagining of the 1983 slasher film The House on Sorority Row. It was directed by Stewart Hendler, written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge,...
($11,965,282 US box office), the low-budget Push
Push (2009 film)
Push is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan. The film stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Gretsch and Djimon Hounsou...
($31,811,527 US box office), the dismally-attended Bandslam ($5,210,988 US box office), Letters to Juliet
Letters to Juliet
Letters to Juliet is a 2010 American romantic comedy drama film starring Amanda Seyfried, Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael García Bernal, and Franco Nero. This was the final film of director Gary Winick before he died of brain cancer. The film was released theatrically in North America and other...
($53,032,453 US box office), and the sleeper hit RED
Red (2010 film)
RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage...
($87,940,198 US box office), which was nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
in the Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical category.
In 2008, Summit ranked 8th place among the studios, with a gross of $226.5 million, almost entirely because of the release of Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
. In 2009, Summit ranked 7th among studios with a gross of $482.5 million.
Film distributor history
- UK
- Momentum PicturesMomentum PicturesMomentum Pictures , an Alliance Films company, is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several stv releases....
(2005–2008) - Entertainment One Films (2008–present)
- Icon Entertainment InternationalIcon ProductionsIcon Productions LLC is an American independent production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey.-History:Icon started when Gibson was having trouble in financing the 1990 film Hamlet...
(The BeaverThe Beaver (film)The Beaver is a 2011 drama film directed by Jodie Foster and starring Mel Gibson and Foster in their first film together since 1994's Maverick.-Plot:...
only)
- Momentum Pictures
- France
- SND (2009–present)
- Canada
- Entertainment One Films (2009–present)
- Spain
- Aurum (2007–present)
- Australia/New Zealand
- Village Roadshow LimitedVillage Roadshow LimitedVillage Roadshow Limited is an Australian media company with interests in cinema, theme parks, film production and distribution. The company is a publicly listed entity on the Australian Securities Exchange...
(2004–present) - HoytsHoytsThe Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
(2007–present)
- Village Roadshow Limited
- Brazil
- Paris Filmes (2005–present)
- Colombia
- Quality Films (2004–present)
- Cine Colombia (2008–present)
- IDC:International Distribution Company (2008–present)