The surprise success of shark movie “47 Meters Down” may be the best thing that ever happened to Byron Allen — or, the worst. His Entertainment Studios bought the title moments before Dimension Films shipped the inventory for its DVD premiere, and — with the help of some $30 million in P&A — it made $43 million at the box office this summer.
Now, Allen has spent the last month on a spending spree. Most recently, it’s “Hostiles,” Scott Cooper’s $50 million-budgeted Western starring Christian Bale that premiered at Toronto. The purchase price is unknown, but he’s reportedly committed to an Oscar-qualifying December release and about $15 million in P&A. That’s in addition to “Chappaquiddick,” another Toronto-Oscar title ($4 million acquisition, $16 million P&A) and Keanu Reeves’ sci-fi thriller “Replicas,” which cost $4 million for North America and is not an Oscar title, but comes with the promise of a wide release.
For the struggling indie film market,...
Now, Allen has spent the last month on a spending spree. Most recently, it’s “Hostiles,” Scott Cooper’s $50 million-budgeted Western starring Christian Bale that premiered at Toronto. The purchase price is unknown, but he’s reportedly committed to an Oscar-qualifying December release and about $15 million in P&A. That’s in addition to “Chappaquiddick,” another Toronto-Oscar title ($4 million acquisition, $16 million P&A) and Keanu Reeves’ sci-fi thriller “Replicas,” which cost $4 million for North America and is not an Oscar title, but comes with the promise of a wide release.
For the struggling indie film market,...
- 10/3/2017
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Summer is rarely the kindest season for indie film, but this year one title stood out: “47 Meters Down,” released by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios. The Mandy Moore shark movie, which the distributor rescued from Dimension Films moments before it went direct to DVD, has earned over $42 million in its domestic release. It’s impressive — but Allen scoffed at the idea of becoming the new king of independents.
“I’m not chasing independence, I’m chasing Walt Disney,” he said. “I’m looking for a large piece of that box-office pie, not a tiny piece of that box-office pie.”
Allen, who began as a stand-up comedian, has the ambition to be a modern-day Walt Disney — or, he could be a 21st-century Don Quixote. As founder, chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios, Allen makes over $100 million annually syndicating and selling ad time on low-budget shows like “Comics Unleashed” and “We the People With Gloria Allred,...
“I’m not chasing independence, I’m chasing Walt Disney,” he said. “I’m looking for a large piece of that box-office pie, not a tiny piece of that box-office pie.”
Allen, who began as a stand-up comedian, has the ambition to be a modern-day Walt Disney — or, he could be a 21st-century Don Quixote. As founder, chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios, Allen makes over $100 million annually syndicating and selling ad time on low-budget shows like “Comics Unleashed” and “We the People With Gloria Allred,...
- 7/27/2017
- by Michael Nordine and Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios has a carriage deal with At&T and DirecTV — a little more than a year after it joined in a $10 billion lawsuit that accused the distributors of carrying too few minority-owned services. The telco’s DirecTV picked up Comedy.TV and Justice Central.TV beginning today, the company says in a brief announcement. U-verse will offer Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Es.TV, MyDestination.TV, Cars.TV, and Pets.TV — and continue to offer Justice Central. The…...
- 12/28/2015
- Deadline TV
Byron Allen's a busy guy... one of these days, we'll get to chat with him about his many Entertainment Studios endeavors. Los Angeles, Dec. 10, 2012 -- Entertainment Studios, Inc., (www.es.tv) the largest independent producer and distributor of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations, and owner of seven 24-hour HD television networks (Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, Es.TV, Mydestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV and Legacy.TV) proudly announces the launch of its eighth and newest 24-hour HD television network: Justice Central.TV. The new 24/7 HD legal and news cable television network for court proceedings, news, talk, and entertainment programming...
- 12/10/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Byron Allen‘s Entertainment Studios has launched its eighth first-run syndication network with Justice Central.TV, a legal and news cable channel that will feature court proceedings, news, talk, and entertainment. The 24/7 HD network kicks off today on At&T U-verse. Its original programming include America’s Court With Judge Ross, We The People With Gloria Allred, Justice For All With Judge Christina Perez and Supreme Justice With Judge Karen. Entertainment Studios’ networks include Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, Es.TV, MyDestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV and Legacy.TV.
- 12/10/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
According to MarketWatch, Alki David of FilmOn.com has reached a deal with Byron Allen and his Entertainment Studios. The deal between the popular internet television service and the stand-up comedy star’s hit television studio, involves hosting the studios’six most popular channels on FilmOn.com. The channels include Comedy.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV, MyDestination.TV, Cars.TV and Es.TV. Each of these channels are now streamed 24 hours a day, in HD, around the world. The deal between Allen and FilmOn is great news for FilmOn’s growing interactive comedy network, which includes BattlecamTV, the most popular channel on FilmOn.Us. BattlecamTV is an interactive comedy channel which streams Battlecam-hosted stand-up comedy. Battlecam’s channels also offers a platform [ Read More ]...
- 4/23/2012
- by monique
- ShockYa
TV entrepreneur Byron Allen has secured a distribution deal for his Entertainment Studios with Vivicast Media, a company that places content on new media platforms. Allen’s Esn recently announced casting for its White House-set comedy First Family. April 9, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Entertainment Studios, Inc., (www.es.tv) the largest independent producer and distributor of first-run syndicate television programming for broadcast television stations, and owner of seven 24-hour linear HD television networks (Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, Es.TV, Mydestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV and Legacy.TV) proudly announces the global affiliation agreement for six of its 24-hour HD cable networks with Vivicast Media (www.vivicast.com). This landmark agreement allows for licensing of Entertainment Studios Networks six HD cable television networks to Vivicast Media’s partners. The Entertainment Studios 24-hour HD networks are global in scope and provide multi-platform content. “Our goal and commitment has always been to make our HD networks the very best in their categories,...
- 4/9/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.