# StudioCanal UK

StudioCanal Limited, doing business as StudioCanal UK (formerly known as Optimum Releasing), is a British film distribution division and the official British branch of the French film & television production and distribution company StudioCanal in the UK. The company releases many films, including foreign, anime (mostly Studio Ghibli (until 2024)), independent, art, British, Irish and American films in the United Kingdom.

## History
### Optimum Releasing (1999–2011)

The company was founded in October 1998, and began operation as Optimum Releasing in May 1999. The company, at the time, was exclusively a theatrical distributor, holding distribution of new releases and UK rights to the back catalogues of other companies. Optimum's first theatrical release was a restored version of The Third Man, licensed from Le Studio Canal+, and was released in July of that year, on the same weekend as the anticipated UK release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
The company launched a Home Entertainment division in 2004, and released material under several banners:
* Optimum Home Entertainment (Used for mainstream DVD and Blu-Ray releases)
* Optimum Classic (Used for re-releases of back catalogue films)
* Optimum World (Used for world cinema releases)
* Optimum Asia (Used for Asian & Anime releases)
Optimum released over two hundred films a year and were one of the most prominent distributors in the independent film and world cinema market in the United Kingdom since the closure of Tartan Films in June 2008. In May 2006, Optimum Releasing was acquired by French film producer and distributor StudioCanal, a subsidiary of Vivendi's Canal+ Group, for £22–25 million, marking a re-entry into an international market for StudioCanal. Since then, StudioCanal now releases films from their back catalogue including those from the Carolco Pictures and EMI Films libraries through Optimum Releasing under the Optimum Classic banner.
Some of the last titles released under the Optimum Releasing name include Kill List, The Guard, and a re release of Whisky Galore!.

### StudioCanal UK (2011–present)

In September 2011, Optimum Releasing was rebranded under the StudioCanal name. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tyrannosaur, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, The Awakening, and W.E. were among the first films released under the new name.
In December 2022, the company sued Wild Bunch International over their British/Irish Studio Ghibli contract, certifying that Wild Bunch International's deal with Netflix for the Ghibli catalogue breached an agreement over standalone streaming rights where Wild Bunch claimed that "non-internet" steaming platforms "don't exist". WBI counter-sued StudioCanal UK, where they citified that their distribution deal was recouping distribution expenses against all forms of distribution, and not theatrical as they originally claimed. As of 2023 with the release of The Boy and the Heron, Elysian Film Group officially took over as Ghibli's distributor in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
StudioCanal UK distributed the release of the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (2024), directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson who previously did Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015). The film was released on 12 April 2024.

## Films

For films also released post-2011 by StudioCanal outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, see List of StudioCanal films.
1999:
* The Secret Laughter of Women
* Such a Long Journey
* The Third Man (50th anniversary re-release)
2000:
* Best
* A bout de souffle (40th anniversary re-release under the title Breathless)
* The Color of Paradise
* Flawless
* Miss Julie
* This Is Spinal Tap (re-release)
* To Walk with Lions
2001:
* Aimée & Jaguar
* Amores perros
* Born Romantic
* Dark Days
* The Devil's Backbone
* Éloge de l'amour
* Ginger Snaps
* New Year's Day
* Pandaemonium
* Peaches
* Le Secret
* The Wages of Fear (DVD reissue)
2002:
* Betty Fisher and Other Stories
* Biggie & Tupac
* He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not
* Lawless Heart
* Lost in La Mancha
* Mostly Martha
* Muhammad Ali: The Greatest (re-release)
* Nine Queens
* Nowhere in Africa
* The Officers' Ward
* Personal Velocity: Three Portraits
* Real Women Have Curves
* Tortilla Soup
2003:
* Abouna - Our Father (home video distribution only)
* American Splendor
* Angela
* Animal Factory
* Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (home video distribution only)
* Blind Shaft
* Broken Wings
* Comandante
* Le corbeau (re-release)
* Dragonflies
* Elephant
* Historias minimas
* In This World (home video distribution only)
* Igby Goes Down
* O Homem do Ano
* The Man Without a Past (home video distribution only)
* Pieces of April
* Roger Dodger
* Spirited Away
* The Spirit of the Beehive (re-release)
* Ten (home video distribution only)
* XX/XY
2004:
* 9 Songs
* The Agronomist
* Anything Else
* Azumi
* Blind Flight
* Dead Man's Shoes
* Deep Blue
* Fahrenheit 9/11
* Festival Express
* Grave of the Fireflies (DVD reissue)
* La Haine (DVD reissue)
* It Always Rains on Sunday (DVD reissue)
* The Last Emperor (re-release)
* Memories of Murder
* The Merchant of Venice
* Moby Dick (DVD reissue)
* Natural City
* The Piano (DVD reissue)
* Purple Noon (DVD reissue)
* Shaolin Soccer
* Sherlock Holmes series (DVD reissues)
* Since Otar Left
* Switchblade Romance
* A Thousand Months
* What Have I Done to Deserve This? (DVD reissue)
* Whisky Galore! (DVD reissue)
2005:
* 3-Iron
* Appleseed
* Arahan
* Barefoot Gen (DVD reissue)
* Brainscan (DVD reissue)
* The Cat Returns
* Castle in the Sky (re-release)
* La Chinoise (DVD reissue)
* Cronos (DVD reissue)
* Dark Habits (DVD reissue)
* Duck Season
* Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (DVD reissue)
* Howl's Moving Castle
* In My Father's Den
* Kika (DVD reissue)
* Kiki's Delivery Service (DVD reissue)
* Last Days
* Last Year in Marienbad (DVD reissue)
* Law of Desire (DVD reissue)
* The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (DVD reissue)
* A Letter to Three Wives (DVD reissue)
* Me and You and Everyone We Know
* Murderball
* Notre musique
* Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap (DVD reissue)
* The Piano (DVD reissue)
* Pulse
* Restless Natives (DVD reissue)
* Swordsman II (DVD reissue)
* Tarnation
* Twin Sisters
* Wolf Creek
* Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (DVD reissue)
* Yes
2006:
* Angel-A
* Belle de Jour (re-release)
* Billy Liar (DVD reissue)
* Blackmail (DVD reissue)
* Brick
* Carry On Cabby (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Cleo (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Constable (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Cruising (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Jack (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Nurse (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Regardless (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Screaming (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Sergeant (DVD reissue)
* Carry On Teacher (DVD reissue)
* Champagne (DVD reissue)
* Clockwise (DVD reissue)
* Convoy (DVD reissue)
* Cross of Iron (DVD reissue)
* Cry Wolf
* Dalekmania (DVD reissue)
* Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (DVD reissue)
* The Dam Busters (DVD reissue)
* Dave Chappelle's Block Party
* The Deer Hunter (DVD reissue)
* The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (DVD reissue)
* Don't Look Now (DVD reissue)
* The Driver (DVD reissue)
* Dr. Who and the Daleks (DVD reissue)
* The East Is Red (DVD reissue)
* Election
* Evil Under the Sun (DVD reissue)
* Far from the Madding Crowd (DVD reissue)
* The Farmer's Wife (DVD reissue)
* The Flower of My Secret (DVD reissue)
* La Grande Illusion (DVD reissue)
* Highlander (DVD reissue)
* The Host
* The Jazz Singer (DVD reissue)
* Kind Hearts and Coronets (DVD reissue)
* The Ladykillers (DVD reissue)
* The Lavender Hill Mob (DVD reissue)
* The Manxman (DVD reissue)
* Matador (DVD reissue)
* Murder! (DVD reissue)
* Murder on the Orient Express (DVD reissue)
* My Neighbor Totoro (DVD reissue)
* Narrow Margin (DVD reissue)
* Near Dark (DVD reissue)
* New York Doll
* Pan's Labyrinth
* Passport to Pimlico (DVD reissue)
* La petite marchande d'allumettes (DVD reissue)
* The Phantom of Liberty (DVD reissue)
* The Pianist (DVD reissue)
* Please Turn Over (DVD reissue)
* Princess Mononoke (DVD reissue)
* Quatermass and the Pit (DVD reissue)
* The Railway Children (DVD reissue)
* Ran (DVD reissue)
* Run, Tiger, Run (DVD reissue)
* School for Scoundrels (DVD reissue)
* The Servant (DVD reissue)
* Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
* Straight on Till Morning (DVD reissue)
* Sur un air de Charleston (DVD reissue)
* Swallows and Amazons (DVD reissue)
* The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
* Went the Day Well? (DVD reissue)
* The Wicker Man (DVD reissue)
2007:
* Asterix and the Vikings
* The Awakening (DVD reissue)
* The Blood of Fu Manchu (DVD reissue)
* Brick Lane
* Brotherhood of the Wolf (DVD reissue)
* The Caiman
* Camille Claudel (DVD reissue)
* Captivity
* Casque d'Or (DVD reissue)
* The Castle of Fu Manchu (DVD reissue)
* Darling (DVD reissue)
* The Duke Wore Jeans (DVD reissue)
* The Deadly Companions (DVD reissue)
* Eagle vs Shark
* L'Eclisse (DVD reissue)
* Election 2
* Exiled
* From the Hip (DVD reissue)
* The Gentle Gunman (DVD reissue)
* Golden Door
* I Do
* The Inglorious Bastards (DVD reissue)
* Inland Empire
* Napoleon (DVD reissue)
* Night of the Eagle (DVD reissue)
* The Nines
* No Kidding (DVD reissue)
* Orchestra Seats
* Peeping Tom (DVD reissue)
* The Plague Dogs (DVD reissue)
* Le Professionnel (DVD reissue)
* Ricochet (DVD reissue)
* Rise of the Footsoldier
* Rocket Science
* A Self-Made Hero (DVD reissue)
* Sicko
* The Sleeping Tiger (DVD reissue)
* Tales from Earthsea
* This Is England
* The Trial (DVD reissue)
* Unknown
* Welcome to the Jungle
2008:
* All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
* Angel Heart (DVD reissue)
* The Antichrist (DVD reissue)
* Army of Darkness (DVD reissue)
* Army of Shadows (DVD reissue)
* Boiling Point (DVD reissue)
* Botched
* Cass
* Cassandra's Dream
* Le Cercle Rouge (DVD reissue)
* Cliffhanger (DVD reissue)
* A Complete History of My Sexual Failures
* Diary of the Dead
* Donkey Punch
* Le Doulos (DVD reissue)
* Eden Lake
* Elite Squad
* Escape from New York (DVD reissue)
* Evil Dead II (DVD reissue)
* Frontier(s)
* Gomorrah
* Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
* Hamlet (DVD reissue)
* Hobson's Choice (DVD reissue)
* Incendiary
* In the Valley of Elah
* Joe (DVD reissue)
* Make It Happen
* Maximum Overdrive (DVD reissue)
* My Blueberry Nights
* The Orphanage
* Paris
* Permanent Vacation (DVD reissue)
* Persepolis
* Rashomon (DVD reissue)
* Redacted
* Robbery (DVD reissue)
* The Ruling Class (DVD reissue)
* Run for the Sun (DVD reissue)
* Sid and Nancy (DVD reissue)
* Silver Bullet (DVD reissue)
* Soldier Blue (DVD reissue)
* Somers Town
* Son of Rambow
* The Sound Barrier (DVD reissue)
* Swimming with Sharks (DVD reissue)
* They Live (DVD reissue)
* Tous les Matins du Monde (DVD reissue)
* Universal Soldier (DVD reissue)
* Viva Maria! (DVD reissue)
* Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?
2009:
* American Teen
* The Army of Crime
* Awaydays
* Balls Out: The Gary Houseman Story
* Bunny and the Bull
* Che
* Coco Before Chanel
* Cracks
* Le Dernier Combat (DVD reissue)
* Flash of Genius
* High Heels (DVD reissue)
* The Hurt Locker
* Hush
* In the Loop
* Is There Anybody There?
* Jack Said
* King of the Hill
* Kisses
* Martyrs
* Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!
* Orphan
* Rudo y Cursi
* The Secret of Kells
* Subway (DVD reissue)
* Terminator 2: Judgment Day (DVD reissue)
* Timecrimes
* Tokyo!
* Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* While She Was Out
* Whiteout
* The Wrestler
2010:
* And Soon the Darkness
* The Bargee (DVD reissue)
* Blue Valentine
* The Brothers Bloom
* Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
* Can't Stop the Music (DVD reissue)
* Cargo
* Carlos
* Chaw
* Checking Out (DVD reissue)
* Chloe
* Cold Dog Soup (DVD reissue)
* Le Concert
* Cry, the Beloved Country (DVD reissue)
* Dog Pound
* The Flying Scotsman (DVD reissue)
* F
* Four Lions
* Freakonomics
* Gainsbourg
* The Ghost
* La Grande Vadrouille (DVD reissue)
* Hierro
* I'm Still Here
* An Inspector Calls (DVD reissue)
* The Last Exorcism
* The Last Station
* The Last Wagon (DVD reissue)
* Leap Year
* The Long, Hot Summer (DVD reissue)
* The Losers
* The Loved Ones
* The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (DVD reissue)
* Mother
* Perrier's Bounty
* Ponyo
* A Prophet
* The Queen of Spades (DVD reissue)
* Red Sun (DVD reissue)
* Room in Rome
* She, a Chinese
* Splice
* Spread
* Stargate (DVD reissue)
* Tidal Wave
* The Tourist
* A Town Called Panic
* True Legend
2011:
* Adele Blanc-Sec
* Animal Kingdom
* Arrietty
* Attack the Block
* Babies
* Bedevilled
* Biutiful
* Brighton Rock
* Cell 211
* Cherish (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Conversation (Blu-ray reissue)
* Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
* The Escape Artist (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Guard
* Hammett (Blu-ray reissue)
* I Saw the Devil
* In the Realm of the Senses (Blu-ray reissue)
* Julia's Eyes
* Kill List
* Larry Crowne
* The Long Good Friday (DVD reissue)
* Mother's Day
* Mr. Nobody
* One from the Heart (Blu-ray reissue)
* Our Day Will Come
* The Outsiders (Blu-ray reissue)
* Potiche
* The Princess of Montpensier
* Rolling Thunder (Blu-ray reissue)
* Rubber
* Sarah's Key
* The Silent House
* Submarine
* Source Code
* A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
* Tyrannosaur
* Unknown
* Withnail & I (Blu-ray reissue)
2012:
* 388 Arletta Avenue
* All in Good Time
* Beasts of the Southern Wild
* Carnage
* Casa de mi padre
* Charlie Casanova
* Chernobyl Diaries
* Connecting Rooms (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Dinosaur Project
* End of Watch
* Fast Girls
* God Bless America
* Magic Trip
* The Man Who Fell to Earth (re-release)
* Mirror Mirror
* Rampart
* Rust and Bone
* Searching for Sugar Man
* Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
* Sightseers
* Silent House
* Take This Waltz
* Twice Round the Daffodils (Blu-ray reissue)
* W.E.
* Woman in a Dressing Gown (re-release)
* Your Sister's Sister
2013:
* The Bling Ring
* Broken
* The Broken Circle Breakdown
* Byzantium
* Child's Pose
* Evil Dead
* From Up on Poppy Hill
* The Look of Love
* Pieta
* The Place Beyond the Pines
* Rush
* Trafic (Blu-ray reissue)
2014:
* '71
* Charlie's Country
* The Congress
* Diplomacy
* The Double
* Goodbye to Language
* Haunter
* The Imitation Game
* Jour de fête (Blu-ray reissue)
* The King and the Mockingbird (re-release)
* Manuscripts Don't Burn
* Mon Oncle (Blu-ray reissue)
* Playtime (re-release)
* Under the Skin
* Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Wind Rises
* WolfCop
2015:
* 99 Homes
* Black Coal, Thin Ice
* Carol
* Catch Me Daddy
* Clown
* A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
* Girlhood
* Hippocrates
* Kill Your Friends
* Room
* Song of the Sea
* The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
* Youth
2016:
* The Beatles: Eight Days a Week
* Chevalier
* De Palma
* Dheepan
* The Idol
* Hell or High Water
* High-Rise
* Knight of Cups
* Krisha
* Poor Cow (re-release)
* Tickled
* Train to Busan
2017:
* The Big Sick
* The Boy and the Beast
* The Founder
* Free Fire
* The Graduate (re-release)
* The Howling (Blu-ray reissue)
* Manchester by the Sea
* The Merciless
* Mindhorn
* Mulholland Drive (re-release)
* The Red Turtle
* The Sense of an Ending
* Seoul Station
* Silence
* Song to Song
* La Strada (re-release)
* Tomato Red
* Transpecos
* The Vanishing (re-release)
* The Wall
* Without Name
2018:
* Bagdad Cafe (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Breadwinner
* Le Crime De Monsieur Lange (Blu-ray reissue)
* Crowhurst
* The Fog (re-release)
* How to Talk to Girls at Parties
* Journeyman
* Midnight Sun
* Nancy
* Prince of Darkness (re-release)
* The Producers (re-release)
* Rosa Luxemburg (Blu-ray reissue)
* Wonderstruck
* You Were Never Really Here
2019:
* Beautiful Boy
* Color Out of Space
* Dragged Across Concrete
* High Crime (Blu-ray reissue)
* Le Sauvage (Blu-ray reissue)
* The White Crow
2020:
* Aprile (Blu-ray reissue)
* Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (re-release)
* The Fifth Element (Blu-ray reissue)
* Flash Gordon (40th anniversary re-release)
* Link (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Masque of the Red Death (Blu-ray reissue)
* Parasite
* Saint Maud
* Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula
2021:
* All or Nothing (Blu-ray reissue)
* Falbalas (Blu-ray reissue)
* Mandabi (re-release)
* Murder by Decree (Blu-ray reissue)
* Room at the Top (Blu-ray reissue)
* Richard III (Blu-ray reissue)
2022:
* Another Round
* Appointment in London (Blu-ray reissue)
* Cat's Eye (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Divided Heart (Blu-ray reissue)
* Frieda (Blu-ray reissue)
* Gift Horse (Blu-ray reissue)
* I Am a Camera (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Others (re-release)
* King Kong (Blu-ray reissue)
* Red Sonja (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Teckman Mystery (Blu-ray reissue)
* Supernova
2023:
* Blazing Magnum (Blu-ray reissue)
* Brief Encounters (Blu-ray reissue)
* Circle of Danger (Blu-ray reissue)
* The City of Lost Children (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Comedy Man (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Conquest of Everest (Blu-ray reissue)
* Dance First
* Delicatessen (Blu-ray reissue)
* Devil Girl from Mars (Blu-ray reissue)
* Evil Dead Rise
* The Four Musketeers (Blu-ray reissue)
* Horrors of the Black Museum (Blu-ray reissue)
* A Kid for Two Farthings (Blu-ray reissue)
* King and Country (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Long Farewell (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Old Oak
* May December
* The Passionate Stranger (re-release)
* Rattle of a Simple Man (re-release)
* Santa Claus: The Movie (re-release)
* The Ship That Died of Shame (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Small Back Room (re-release)
* The Stranger Left No Card (re-release)
* The Three Musketeers (Blu-ray reissue)
* Women of Twilight (Blu-ray reissue)
2024:
* The African Queen (Blu-ray reissue)
* Air America (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Apprentice
* Bad Genius
* The Beekeeper
* Cage of Gold (Blu-ray reissue)
* Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (re-release)
* Hard Truths
* Lee
* Leon: The Professional (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Lion in Winter (Blu-ray reissue)
* Mothers' Instinct
* Nikita (Blu-ray reissue)
* No Trees in the Street (Blu-ray reissue)
* Nothing but the Best (Blu-ray reissue)
* Orca: The Killer Whale (Blu-ray reissue)
* Rich and Strange (Blu-ray reissue)
* The Weak and the Wicked (Blu-ray reissue)
Upcoming:
* California Schemin'
* I Swear
* The Life of Chuck