Atlantic Entertainment Group
 | |
| Fate | Closed |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Subsidiaries | Clubhouse Pictures |
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation, was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974.[1]
Their initial releases were mostly geared to arthouse audiences, with an especially large number of Australian productions, as well as two Brazilian productions, Eu Te Amo and Lady on the Bus, that introduced American audiences to actress Sonia Braga. They shifted their focus to small-budgeted independent films in the early '80s, beginning with the surprise success of Valley Girl in 1983, directed by Martha Coolidge. Night of the Comet, released in 1984, would be their first film to open on over 1000 screens.
In 1985, they began a relationship with Paramount Pictures whereby the studio provided them money for larger-scale theatrical releases in exchange for home video and television rights to their films. In January 1989, Atlantic made a new deal with Kartes Video Communications for home video rights to the movies previously covered in the Paramount deal. However, they ultimately ceased operation shortly after this deal, amidst large financial losses from larger-budgeted films such as 1969.[1]
Some of the company's most notable films include:
- The Murri Affair (1974)
- He Is My Brother (1975)
- Caddie (1976)
- In Search of Bigfoot (1976)
- Max Havelaar (1976)
- Something to Hide (1976)
- Bonjour Amour (1977)
- The Day the Music Died (1977)
- Madame Rosa (1977)
- Lady on the Bus (1978)
- Boarding School (1978)
- The Getting of Wisdom (1978)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
- The Irishman (1978)
- The Odd Job (1978)
- Once in Paris... (1978)
- Bahia (1979)
- Boardwalk (1979)
- Womanlight (1979)
- The Attic (1980)
- Below the Belt (1980)
- I Sent a Letter to My Love (1980)
- Rude Boy (1980)
- Eu Te Amo (1981)
- Montenegro (1981)
- Aphrodite (1982)
- Breach of Contract (1982)
- By Design (1982)
- The Loveless (1982)
- Norman Loves Rose (1982)
- Smash Palace (1982)
- Waltz Across Texas (1982)
- Valley Girl (1983)
- The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1983)
- Kamla (1984)
- Talk to Me (1984)
- Alphabet City (1984)
- Vamping (1984)
- 1984 (1984)
- City Limits (1984)
- Night of the Comet (1984)
- Roadhouse 66 (1985)
- He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985)
- Here Come the Littles (1985)
- Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
- Teen Wolf (1985)
- Water (1985, produced by Handmade Films)
- Echo Park (1986)
- Extremities (1986)
- The Fringe Dwellers (1986)
- The Men's Club (1986)
- Modern Girls (1986)
- Nomads (1986)
- Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986)
- Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)
- Stoogemania (1986)
- The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987)
- Home Is Where the Hart Is (1987)
- Steele Justice (1987)
- Summer Heat (1987)
- Teen Wolf Too (1987)
- A Tiger's Tale (1987)
- The Umbrella Woman (1987)
- Wild Thing (1987)
- Wish You Were Here (1987)
- 1969 (1988)
- Cop (1988)
- For Queen & Country (1988)
- Patty Hearst (1988)
- A Soldier's Tale (1988)
- Stormy Monday (1988)
- A Summer Story (1988)
- A World Apart (1988)
The library was bought by Island Pictures, which was later absorbed into PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. For a number of years, Paramount Pictures had TV and video distribution rights to Atlantic's library, some from their previous deal with the company, and others inherited when Viacom, who had purchased TV rights to many earlier Atlantic releases, merged with Paramount. MGM via PolyGram Entertainment now distributes most of the library as a result of purchasing the pre-1996 portion of PolyGram's library.[2][3]
Clubhouse Pictures
The company also had a division called "Clubhouse Pictures" to release family films. Films and TV shows released under this label include:
- The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985)
- Peter-No-Tail in Americat (1985)
- Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964; 1986 reissue)
- The Adventures of the American Rabbit (1986)
- Heathcliff: The Movie (1986)
- GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords (1986)
- Teen Wolf (1986–1987) (later produced by Atlantic/Kushner-Locke)
References
- 1 2 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-7921897.html
- ↑ Eller, Claudia (23 October 1998). "MGM Agrees to Acquire PolyGram Movie Library". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ Kroon, Richard W. (2014). A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms. McFarland. ISBN 9780786457403.