# Hollywood Pictures

Hollywood Pictures Company was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1989, by Disney CEO Michael Eisner and studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hollywood Pictures was founded to increase the film output of the Walt Disney Studios, and release films similar to those of Touchstone Pictures. These films, featuring more mature themes, were targeted at adult audiences unlike the family-oriented productions of the studio's flagship Walt Disney Pictures division. After years of hiatus, the label was closed in 2007. The studio's most commercially successful film was M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, which grossed over $670 million worldwide upon its release in 1999.

## History

Hollywood Pictures Corporation was incorporated on March 30, 1984, and was activated on February 1, 1989. Ricardo Mestres was appointed the division's first president, moving from Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The division was formed to create opportunities for up-and-coming executives and to double Disney's feature-film output in order to fill the gap left by the contraction in the industry, which included the closure of MGM/UA's United Artists and financial problems at Lorimar-Telepictures and De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. With Touchstone aligned with Hollywood Pictures, the two Disney production divisions would share the same marketing and distribution staffs. Hollywood Pictures was expected to be producing 12 films a year by 1991 and to share funding from the Silver Screen Partners IV. The company's first release was Arachnophobia on July 18, 1990.
On October 23, 1990, The Walt Disney Company formed Touchwood Pacific Partners to supplant the Silver Screen Partnership series as their movie studios' primary funding source.
After the collapse of their then-recently renewed deal at Paramount Pictures, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer moved their production company to Hollywood Pictures on January 18, 1991.
The division issued primarily inexpensive comedies for the first six years with a few box office flops, amongst them Holy Matrimony, Aspen Extreme, Super Mario Bros., Swing Kids, Blame It on the Bellboy, Born Yesterday and Guilty as Sin. The division only had one box office success, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and one critical success, The Joy Luck Club, which did not outweigh the general anemic box office record of the division. On April 26, 1994, Mestres was forced to resign after the lackluster performance of the division. Mestres moved to long term production deal with the studio.
On June 27, 1994, Michael Lynton was appointed as new division president after moving from the Disney Publishing Group, where he was senior vice president and oversaw domestic publishing units including Hyperion Books. Mestres left Lynton a few potential hits: Robert Redford's Quiz Show, the Sarah Jessica Parker-Antonio Banderas comedy Miami Rhapsody, and Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. In 1997, Lynton left for a position at Penguin Group. When Lynton left, it was briefly transferred to a releasing-only entity, making pictures by third-parties, as well as Caravan Pictures, and Cinergi, and its development slate was transferred to Touchstone Pictures, but David Vogel, who was president of Walt Disney Pictures took on the studio by producing films again. In 1998, the three units were transferred to the Buena Vista Motion Picture Group, and its development slate of projects by Hollywood Pictures, such as Bicentennial Man, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was transferred to Touchstone. By 2001, Hollywood Pictures had produced 80 films, but its operation had been phased out and its management was merged with that of the flagship Walt Disney Pictures studio.
After being dormant for five years, the brand was reactivated for low-budget genre films. Films released by the repurposed Hollywood Pictures were two horror films: Stay Alive (released on March 24, 2006),and Primeval (released on January 12, 2007), and one thriller, The Invisible (released on April 27, 2007). After the latter release, Disney stopped producing and distributing under the label as it announced a focus on the company's core brands of Disney, Touchstone, ABC, ESPN, and Pixar.

## Filmography
### 1990s

| US Release date | Title | Notes |
| July 18, 1990 | Arachnophobia | co-production with Amblin Entertainment |
| August 17, 1990 | Taking Care of Business | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| February 1, 1991 | Run | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| April 5, 1991 | The Marrying Man | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| May 3, 1991 | One Good Cop | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| July 26, 1991 | V.I. Warshawski | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| January 10, 1992 | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | co-production with Interscope Communications and Nomura Babcock & Brown |
| February 7, 1992 | Medicine Man | North and South American distribution only; co-production with Cinergi Pictures |
| March 6, 1992 | Blame It on the Bellboy | co-production with Silver Screen Partners IV |
| April 3, 1992 | Straight Talk | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| April 24, 1992 | Passed Away | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| May 22, 1992 | Encino Man | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| July 17, 1992 | A Stranger Among Us | North American distribution only; co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I, Propaganda Films and Sandollar Productions |
| September 18, 1992 | Sarafina! | U.S. distribution with Miramax Films only; produced by Distant Horizon, Vanguard Films and BBC |
| October 16, 1992 | Consenting Adults | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| December 4, 1992 | The Distinguished Gentleman | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| January 22, 1993 | Aspen Extreme | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| March 5, 1993 | Swing Kids | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| March 26, 1993 | Born Yesterday | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| April 16, 1993 | Blood In Blood Out | co-production with Touchwood Pacific Partners I |
| May 28, 1993 | Super Mario Bros. | North and South American distribution only; produced by Lightmotive, Allied Filmmakers and Cinergi Productions |
| June 4, 1993 | Guilty as Sin | — |
| July 2, 1993 | Son in Law | — |
| August 27, 1993 | Father Hood | — |
| September 8, 1993 | The Joy Luck Club | Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2020 |
| September 10, 1993 | Money for Nothing | — |
| December 25, 1993 | Tombstone | North and South American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures |
| January 7, 1994 | The Air Up There | co-production with Interscope Communications, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Nomura Babcock & Brown and Longview Entertainment |
| March 4, 1994 | Angie | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| April 8, 1994 | Holy Matrimony | North American distribution only; co-production with Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| August 12, 1994 | In the Army Now | — |
| August 19, 1994 | Color of Night | North and South American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures |
| August 26, 1994 | Camp Nowhere | — |
| September 14, 1994 | Quiz Show | co-production with Wildwood Enterprises and Baltimore Pictures |
| September 23, 1994 | Terminal Velocity | co-production with Interscope Communications, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Nomura Babcock & Brown |
| October 21, 1994 | The Puppet Masters | — |
| November 11, 1994 | The Santa Clause | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Outlaw Productions |
| November 23, 1994 | A Low Down Dirty Shame | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| January 6, 1995 | Houseguest | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| January 27, 1995 | Miami Rhapsody | co-production with Cantaloupe Production |
| March 3, 1995 | Roommates | co-production with Interscope Communications, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Nomura Babcock & Brown |
| March 31, 1995 | Funny Bones | — |
| April 21, 1995 | While You Were Sleeping | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| April 28, 1995 | A Pyromaniac's Love Story | — |
| May 12, 1995 | Crimson Tide | co-production with Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
| June 30, 1995 | Judge Dredd | North and South American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures |
| August 11, 1995 | Dangerous Minds | co-production with Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Via Rosa Productions |
| September 8, 1995 | The Tie That Binds | North American distribution only; co-production with Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| September 8, 1995 | Unstrung Heroes | — |
| October 4, 1995 | Dead Presidents | co-production with Caravan Pictures and Underworld Entertainment |
| October 13, 1995 | The Scarlet Letter | North and South American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures, Lightmotive, Allied Stars and Moving Pictures |
| October 27, 1995 | Powder | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| December 22, 1995 | Nixon | distribution in North and South America, German-speaking Europe and Japan only; produced by Cinergi Pictures and Illusion Entertainment Group |
| December 29, 1995 | Mr. Holland's Opus | North American distribution only; co-production with Interscope Communications, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and The Charlie Mopic Company |
| February 2, 1996 | White Squall | North American distribution only; co-production with Largo Entertainment and Scott Free Productions |
| February 23, 1996 | Before and After | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| April 19, 1996 | Celtic Pride | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| May 24, 1996 | Spy Hard | — |
| May 31, 1996 | Eddie | North American distribution only; co-production with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Island Pictures |
| June 7, 1996 | The Rock | co-production with Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
| August 9, 1996 | Jack | co-production with American Zoetrope and Great Oaks Entertainment |
| September 13, 1996 | The Rich Man's Wife | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| October 25, 1996 | The Associate | North American distribution only; co-production with Interscope Communications and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| December 25, 1996 | Evita | North and Latin American and Spanish distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures, RSO Films and Dirty Hands Productions |
| January 24, 1997 | Prefontaine | — |
| January 31, 1997 | Shadow Conspiracy | North and South American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures |
| April 11, 1997 | Grosse Pointe Blank | co-production with Caravan Pictures, Roger Birnbaum Productions and New Crime Productions |
| May 30, 1997 | Gone Fishin' | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| August 1, 1997 | The Wrong Guy | direct-to-video; North American distribution only |
| August 22, 1997 | G.I. Jane | distribution in North and Latin America, France, German-speaking Europe, Spain, the Benelux, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan only; co-production with Caravan Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Largo Entertainment, Roger Birnbaum Productions and Moving Pictures |
| October 17, 1997 | Washington Square | North American, U.K. and Irish distribution only; co-production with Caravan Pictures, Roger Birnbaum Productions and Alchemy Filmworks |
| December 25, 1997 | An American Werewolf in Paris | North American distribution only; produced by Cometstone Pictures |
| January 30, 1998 | Deep Rising | North and Hispanic American and French distribution only; co-production with Cinergi Pictures |
| February 27, 1998 | An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn | North and Latin American distribution only; produced by Cinergi Pictures |
| September 4, 1998 | Firelight | distribution in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain only; co-distributed by Miramax Films in North America; co-production with Carnival Films and Wind Dancer Productions |
| September 11, 1998 | Simon Birch | co-production with Caravan Pictures |
| August 6, 1999 | The Sixth Sense | distribution outside Japan, Germany, Scandinavia, Portugal, Israel and select other territories only; co-production with Spyglass Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| September 17, 1999 | Breakfast of Champions | North American distribution only; produced by Flying Heart Films |
| October 1, 1999 | Mystery, Alaska | — |

### 2000s

| US Release date | Title | Notes |
| February 4, 2000 | Gun Shy | distribution in English-speaking territories and Latin America only; produced by Fortis Films |
| September 15, 2000 | Duets | distribution in English-speaking territories, Spain, Japan and select other territories only; produced by Seven Arts Pictures and Beacon Pictures |
| April 6, 2001 | Just Visiting | North American distribution only; produced by Gaumont |
| March 24, 2006 | Stay Alive | North American distribution only; co-production with Spyglass Entertainment, Endgame Entertainment and Wonderland Sound and Vision |
| January 12, 2007 | Primeval | co-production with Pariah Entertainment |
| April 27, 2007 | The Invisible | distribution outside Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Portugal, Israel, Poland, Hungary and Russia only; co-production with Spyglass Entertainment |