Miramax Films

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Miramax Film Corp.
Type	Subsidiary
Founded	1979
Headquarters	New York City, New York, USA
Key people	Daniel Battsek (Late 2005-present), Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein (1978-Late 2005)
Industry	Film production and distribution
Owner	The Walt Disney Company

Miramax Films is a film production and distribution brand that was a leading independent film motion picture distribution and production company headquartered in New York City before it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company. Miramax was considered an important quasi-independent studio for many years after the Disney purchase.

[edit] History

Founded by the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein in Buffalo, New York in 1979, the company was named by combining the first names of their parents Max and Miriam, and was originally created to distribute independent films deemed commercially unfeasible by the major studios.

The company's first major success came when the Weinsteins teamed up with British producer Martin Lewis and acquired the U.S. rights to two concert films Lewis had produced of benefit shows for human rights organization Amnesty International. The Weinsteins worked with Lewis to distill the two films into one film for the US marketplace. The resulting film The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (US Version) was a successful release for Miramax in the summer of 1982. This release presaged a modus operandi that the company would undertake later in the 1980s of acquiring films from international filmmakers and reworking them to suit US sensibilities.

Among the company's other breakthrough films as distributors in the late 1980s and early 1990s were Scandal, sex, lies, and videotape, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and The Crying Game. The company also made films such as Pulp Fiction, Heavenly Creatures and Shakespeare in Love.

In addition to those successes, Miramax acquired and/or produced many films that did extraordinarily well financially. The company became one of the leaders of the independent film revolution of the 1990s. Miramax produced or distributed seven films with box office grosses totalling more than $100 million; its most successful title, Chicago, earned more than $300 million worldwide.^[1]

The company was also exceptionally successful in securing Academy Award nominations for its releases and a large number of the nominations resulted in Oscar wins.

In 1992, Miramax began a deal with Paramount Pictures for VHS and TV distribution of certain Miramax releases. Paramount would also distribute theatrically certain releases that might have commercial appeal (such as Bob Roberts, though video rights to that film were owned by Live Entertainment - which is now Lions Gate Entertainment). Paramount still owns video rights to some of these films today, while TV distribution is now with CBS Television Distribution.^[2]

In 1993 Miramax was purchased for $70 million by The Walt Disney Company. Harvey and Bob Weinstein continued to operate Miramax until they left the company on September 30, 2005. During their tenure, the Weinstein brothers ran Miramax independently of other Disney companies. Disney, however, had the final say on what Miramax could release (see Fahrenheit 9/11 and Dogma, for examples). Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division releases Miramax output.

After extensive negotiations and much media and industry speculation, on March 30, 2005, Disney and the Weinsteins announced that they would not renew their contractual relationship when their existing agreements expired at the end of September 2005. Disney's film studio consortium, Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group assumed control of Miramax, which was projected to have a smaller annual production budget. The Weinsteins started a new film production company called simply The Weinstein Company, and took the Dimension Films label with them. The Miramax name remained with the film studio owned by Disney. Miramax is currently run by Daniel Battsek.

[edit] Miramax Family

Miramax Family Films logo

Miramax Family (also known as Miramax Family Films) is the family division of Miramax Films created in 1991. Some films distributed by them are:

• Pokemon Destiny Deoxys (2005)
• My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie (2005)
• Chestnut: Hero of Central Park (2004) (DVD only)
• In Search of Santa (2004)
• The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002)
• How the Toys Saved Christmas (1997)
• The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1996)
• Gordy (1995)
• The Thief and the Cobbler (1995)
• Into the West (1993)
• Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1993)
• Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992)

[edit] Criticism

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Miramax has come under criticism for its editing, dubbing, and replacing the soundtracks of various foreign films it releases. One notable example is Iron Monkey, which though released subtitled, had its subtitles altered to remove the political context of the story, had scenes trimmed and changed for violence and pacing, and had the soundtrack changed, removing the famous Wong Fei Hung theme. Other films that they have altered in this way include Shaolin Soccer, Farewell My Concubine (theatrical release) and Jet Li's Fist of Legend, which was released both edited and dubbed, with no option to watch the DVD subtitled.

Peter Biskind's book Down and Dirty Pictures details many of Weinstein's dishonest dealings with filmmakers.

Under the Weinsteins, Miramax had a history of buying the rights to Asian films, only to sit on them without releasing them for some years. One example of this is Hero, a 2002 Chinese martial arts film. It languished in Miramax's vaults for two years before it was salvaged with the intervention of Quentin Tarantino. And sometimes Miramax purchased films only to never release them. An example of this is Tears of the Black Tiger, a Thai film. After changing the ending of the film, Tears of the Black Tiger sat in Miramax's vaults for five years until its rights were purchased by Magnolia Pictures in 2006.

One reason for the delays and non-releases of films was an accounting scheme the Weinsteins used to shift potential money-losing films to future fiscal years and ensure they would receive annual bonuses from Disney.^[3] while trying to bar retailers from selling authentic imported DVDs of the films.^[4]

Many North American fans, wanting to see the films held up by Miramax, would seek out DVD versions of the films on the Internet from overseas dealers such as MonkeyPeaches. This Chinese movie website accused both its ISP and Miramax of "backstabbing" their site by threatening legal action with no prior warning, unless it immediately stopped selling Hero, which was still in US theaters. The ISP responded by shutting down the site.^[5]

As a result of the Weinsteins' actions, a number of Asian producers who sold their distribution rights to the company refuse to do so for their subsequent films.^{[citation needed]}

Defenders of the company point out that prior to Miramax most of the films purchased by the company would have had little to no chance of achieving US distribution other than by very small distributors with minimal marketing expertise and funds. They also state that the purpose of the company's aggressive re-editing technique was always to try help the films find a broader American audience than they might otherwise find.

"I'm not cutting for fun", Harvey Weinstein said in an interview. "I'm cutting for the shit to work. All my life I served one master: the film. I love movies."^[6]

[edit] Selected list of Miramax films

[edit] 1980s

• Rockshow (1980)
• The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982)
• Playing for Keeps (1986) (produced by Miramax but distributed by Universal Pictures)
• Working Girls (1987)
• Yellow Pages (1988)
• sex, lies, and videotape (1989) (distributor)
• My Left Foot (1989)

[edit] 1990s

• Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990)
• The Grifters (1990)
• The Lemon Sisters (1990)
• A Rage in Harlem (1991)
• Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
• The Pope Must Die (1991, co-production with FilmFour and Palace Pictures)
• Bob Roberts (1992, co-production with Paramount Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films)
• Enchanted April (1992) (distributor)
• Into the West (1992)
• Love Crimes (1992)
• Sarafina (1992)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992) (distributor) (co-production with LIVE Entertainment)
• The Crying Game (1992) (distributor)
• Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1993)
• The Innocent (1993)
• The Night We Never Met (1993)
• The Piano (1993)
• Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1993) (distributor) (co-production with LIVE Entertainment and Turner Entertainment)
• Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
• Clerks (1994)
• Country Life (1994)
• Exotica (1994)
• Fresh (1994)
• Loaded (1994)
• Mother's Boys (1994)
• The Crow (1994) (with Dimension Films)
• Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Through the Olive Trees (1994) (distributor)
• A Month by the Lake (1995)
• A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)
• Blue in the Face (1995)
• Cry, The Beloved Country (1995)
• Four Rooms (1995)
• Fresa y Chocolate (1995)
• Georgia (1995)
• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
• Il Postino (1995)
• Kids (1995)
• Lie Down with Dogs (1995)
• Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
• Muriel's Wedding (1995)
• Priest (1995)
• Restoration (1995)
• The Crossing Guard (1995)
• The Crude Oasis (1995)
• The Glass Shield (1995)
• The Road Killers (1995)
• The Thief and the Cobbler (1995) (theatrically known as Arabian Knight) (distributor)
• Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
• Two Bits (1995)
• Unzipped (1995)
• Zire Darakhatan Zeyton (1995)
• Beautiful Girls (1996)
• Basquiat (1996)
• Brassed Off (1996)
• Captives (1996)
• Citizen Ruth (1996)
• Così (1996)
• Emma (1996)
• Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
• The NeverEnding Story III Escape from Fantasia(1996)
• Trainspotting (1996)
• Flirting with Disaster (1996)
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
• Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
• Jane Eyre (1996)
• Of Love and Shadows (1996)
• The Crow: City of Angels (1996) (with Dimension Films)
• The English Patient (1996)
• The Journey of August King (1996)
• The Pallbearer (1996)
• Unhook the Stars (1996)
• Albino Alligator (1997)
• Chasing Amy (1997)
• Cop Land (1997)
• Good Will Hunting (1997)
• Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown (1997)
• Jackie Brown (1997)
• Mimic (1997)
• The Substance of Fire (1997)
• The Wings of the Dove (1997)
• Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
• 54 (1998)
• The Big One (1998) directed by Michael Moore
• A Price Above Rubies (1998)
• Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998) (distributor, theatrical version, released on home video by Disney)
• Phantoms (1998)
• Playing by Heart (1998)
• Ride (1998)
• Rounders (1998)
• Senseless (1998)
• Shakespeare in Love (1998, with Universal Pictures)
• Since You've Been Gone (1998)
• Sliding Doors (1998, with Paramount Pictures)
• The Mighty (1998)
• Velvet Goldmine (1998)
• Wide Awake (1998)
• An Ideal Husband (1999)
• B. Monkey (1999)
• Happy, Texas (1999)
• Holy Smoke! (1999)
• Mansfield Park (1999)
• Music of the Heart (1999)
• My Life So Far (1999)
• Princess Mononoke (1999) (English dub, distributor)
• She's All That (1999)
• The Cider House Rules (1999)
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999, with Paramount Pictures)

[edit] 2000s

• A Hard Day's Night (2000, theatrical reissue of 1964 film)
• Bounce (2000)
• Committed (2000)
• Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
• Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
• Malèna (2000)
• Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)
• The Yards (2000)
• Bridget Jones's Diary (2001, with Universal Pictures, Studio Canal and Working Title Films)
• Chocolat (2001)
• The Others (2001)
• Daddy and Them (2001)
• Enigma (2001, co-production with Broadway Video)
• Lucky Break (2001) (co-production with Paramount Pictures and FilmFour)
• Get Over It (2001)
• Iris (2001)(with The BBC Film Finance and IM: Intermedia Films)
• Kate & Leopold (2001)
• On the Line (2001)
• The Musketeer (2001) (bought the North America and U.K. distribution rights with Universal Pictures)
• The Shipping News (2001)
• Tears of the Black Tiger (2001, never released, rights sold in 2006 to Magnolia Pictures)
• 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002, with Universal Pictures, Studio Canal and Working Title Films)
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
• Cypher (2002)
• Frida (2002)
• Full Frontal (2002)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• Naqoyqatsi (2002)
• Pinocchio (2002) (English dub, distributor)
• Pokémon 4Ever (2002) (English dub, distributor)
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) (U.S. distributor)
• Stolen Summer (2002)
• Tadpole (2002)
• The Hours (2002, with Paramount Pictures)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
• The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002) (distributor, direct-to-video)
• Undisputed (2002)
• Valentín (2002)
• Waking Up in Reno (2002)
• Bionicle: Mask of Light (2003)
• Chicago (2003)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Duplex (2003)
• Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, with 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures)
• Pokémon Heroes (2003) (English dub, distributor)
• The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003)
• The Human Stain (2003)
• View from the Top (2003)
• Deep Blue (2003, With BBC Worldwide)
• The Aviator (2004, co-production with Warner Bros.)
• Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)
• Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui (2004)
• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004, with Universal Pictures, Studio Canal and Working Title Films)
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
• Garden State (2004, with Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Hero (2002, released by Miramax in 2004) (2004)
• Infernal Affairs (2002, released by Miramax in 2004) (2004)
• Jersey Girl (2004)
• My Baby's Daddy (2004)
• Finding Neverland (2004)
• Les Choristes (2004)
• Paper Clips (2004) (distributor)
• Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker (2004) (English dub, US distributor, direct-to-video)
• Shall We Dance? (2004)
• Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005)
• Cinderella Man (2005, with Universal Pictures)
• Deep Blue (2005) (distributor)
• Derailed (2005, with The Weinstein Company)
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005)
• Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
• Hostage (2005)
• Kinky Boots (2005)
• Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2005) (English dub, distributor, direct-to-video)
• Proof (2005)
• The Great Raid (2005)
• Tsotsi (2005)
• An Unfinished Life (2005) (co-production with Revolution Studios)
• Underclassman (2005)
• The Brothers Grimm (2005)
• Hollywoodland (2006, with Focus Features)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006, with Dimension Films)
• The Queen (2006) (co-production with Pathé and Granada Productions)
• The Hoax (2006)
• Breaking and Entering (2006, co-production with The Weinstein Company, distributed in US theaters by TWC and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• The Lookout (2007) (co-production with Spyglass Entertainment)
• No Country for Old Men (2007, with Paramount Vantage)
• There Will Be Blood (2007, with Paramount Vantage)
• Scary Movie 5 (2008, co-production with Dimension Films and The Weinstein Company)
• Brideshead Revisited (2008, co-production with Warner Independent Pictures and Recorded Picture Company)
• The Locker (2008) (with DreamWorks SKG)
• Knight Rider (2008)
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand (2009)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Miramax Films at the Internet Movie Database