# Pantelion Films

Pantelion Films was an American film production company that was created in 2010 and based in Santa Monica, California. The studio's goal was to bring wider theatrical distribution of movies aimed at Latino audiences. It was backed by TelevisaUnivision and Lionsgate Studios. Making theatrical relationships with movie exhibition chains including Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Theatres, Cinemex, and Cinemark, the studio raised the level of theatrically-released Latino films. Under that arrangement, Pantelion was active with its own office from 2010 to 2023. The studio's first film was 2011's From Prada to Nada, which Lionsgate and Grupo Televisa announced it had commissioned for a television series that did not materialize in 2012. The studio's office was discontinued in 2023 and its website redirected in 2024 effectively ending the studio's operational lifecycle though not the usage of its trademark for existing unreleased if not future productions.

## History

Pantelion Films billed itself as the first major Latino Hollywood film studio. The studio was part of a transformation of Hollywood film studios that recognized in the early part of the 2010s that one of the fastest growing segments of the United States entertainment was Hispanic audiences. Pantelion Films' stature within the film industry was raised further when it successfully acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the 2012 Will Ferrell film, Casa de Mi Padre. The studio was able to move Latino films from strictly being limited release films to a wider, single weekend release on more than 200 screens simultaneously. This distribution practice was new to the United States with respect to Hispanic audiences and represented the first major attempt by a U.S. based studio to cater to Latino audiences in this manner.
The original chairman of Pantelion was James M. McNamara, former chief executive of Telemundo, its chief executive was former Lionsgate executive, Paul Presburger through 2022, and its chief operating officer was Edward Allen. Pantelion Films said that Latinos were the fastest growing segment of the movie going audience in the 2010s and were loyal DVD consumers. As Lionsgate released many of Tyler Perry's films which reached an African American audience, Lionsgate and Grupo Televisa were striving for similar success with Latino audiences. McNamara said, "Latinos don't see themselves reflected in Hollywood movies" and said the studio's goal was to change that in their film releases.
Pressberger said that the studio hoped to avoid the clichéd, stereotyped images of Latino life and culture. "We get out of the stereotypes of narco kings and drug dealers and gang members" in our films. Financially, tax breaks were "driving the decisions everywhere in the world," Presburger said as film companies including Pantelion looked to lower risks of investment through tax credit deals in the 2010s. An example of how Pantelion actively used tax breaks came in 2014 when it reached a multi-picture deal with Indomina Media of the Dominican Republic to produce up to four Spanish-language films annually to be released by Pantelion. The films were to be entirely produced in the Dominican Republic to take advantage of governmental film incentives.

## Business Objectives

Pantelion was not the first to target the Latino audience. Other attempts by U.S. studios to reach Latino audiences had met with little financial success. New Line Cinema struck a deal with the director of Mi Familia, Gregory Nava, to produce feature films for the Latino market. But that did not gain momentum and was discontinued. Other studios trying to reach the market were Samuel Goldwyn Films in the early 2000s and a venture between Universal Studios which had a distribution agreement with Arenas Entertainment, another Latino film and television series producer, was discontinued in 2003. As the first decade of the 2000s continued, some Spanish-language films received theatrical distribution from Latino-based exhibitors including Cinema Latino or on art circuits. But the business model of Pantelion was to have larger opening weekends in U.S. multiplexes than had ever been previously attempted instead of limited release and bicycling of a limited numbers of prints around the country.
The studio was able to place From Prada to Nada on 256 U.S. theater screens and the film brought in just over $3 million at the box office. The Los Angeles Times viewed the studio's first film as a "modest" box office success and noted the heavy television advertising on Univision in an attempt to reach audiences in the 21 cities in which the film was released. The studio's debut film received an ALMA Award given to Alexa Vega as Favorite Movie Actor in a Comedy or Musical. The film's success was significant enough that Televisa and Lionsgate extended their business relationship to include television program development, including the From Prada to Nada series announced in 2012. The studio's follow up film to Prada, No Eres Tú, Soy Yo, reached 226 theaters though brought in less money with $1.3 million. The studio also picked up the U.S. rights for the foreign film Saving Private Perez which was placed on 161 U.S. screens and brought in $1.4 million at the box office. The studio released the Will Ferrell film Casa de Mi Padre in 2012 which would become the studio's highest-grossing title to that point with a $5.9 domestic box office total. The film was described as an "homage to classic westerns and telenovelas" and shot in Spanish. The studio's follow-up film, Girl in Progress opened on Mother's Day weekend and would gross over $2 million domestically. In 2013, Pressburber said that his company made a slight shift from low budget films to "films that incorporate Latino talent and Latino themes but have universal appeal and can resonate with a broad commercial audience."
Pantelion's biggest successes came with star Eugenio Derbez whose Instructions Not Included led to a first-look deal with Derbez in 2014. The film set a record for the highest grossing Spanish-language film to date, earning $44.4 million in the United States and $99 million worldwide. The film opened on 348 screens in the United States on its first weekend handily winning the week's best per screen average with $22,547 per screen before expanding to 717 screens. Derbez's 2017 release How to Be a Latin Lover became the studio's highest weekend box office performer earning $12 million in the last weekend of April in 2017."
Pantelion also picked up its first English-language film when it obtained the North American rights to Paul Walker's film, Hours. Two weeks prior to the film's release date of December 13, 2013, Walker was killed in a car accident in Los Angeles, California on November 30, leaving Hours as the first film starring Walker to be released after his death. Pantelion's second English-language feature was announced as Summer Camp, starring Diego Boneta and directed by Alberto Marini, but was beaten to the theaters by George Lopez's Pantelion release, Spare Parts, and The Vatican Tapes. In 2015, Pantelion released Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos, which was the first wide theatrical release for a Mexican animated feature film.

## Streaming and Pantelion's Future

Late in 2016, Hemisphere Media Group partnered with Lionsgate to create a subscription video on demand service incorporating Pantelion's titles. The service, called Pantaya, was launched in August 2017. In 2021, Hemisphere Media Group acquired full ownership rights to the Pantaya streaming service from Lionsgate for $124 million, following the latter's decision to focus on the expansion of its Starz brand.
Subsequently, in May 2022, TelevisaUnivision reached a deal with Hemisphere Media Group to acquire Pantaya, targeting the platform in order to fortify their own ViX streaming service. The acquisition was completed on September 13 of that year. Following the acquisition's completion, Pantelion's social media was discontinued thereafter with Pantelion's web presence redirected to the ViX service in the summer of 2024. Remaining employee contacts from Pantelion were folded into the Lionsgate organization with the Pantelion office closed in 2023 effectively ending the studio's operational lifecycle as an independently-run arm of Lionsgate. The studio's name would likely remain in use until all productions reached completion and distribution. The Pantelion name is still considered an active trademark.

## Awards

The studio's debut film, "From Prada to Nada," received an ALMA Award nomination for Favorite Movie and won for Favorite Actress in a Comedy or Musical awarded to Alexa Vega. Pantelion's "Girl in Progress" won ALMA's Favorite Movie award in 2012. In 2019, Pantelion Films was awarded an Impact Award by the National Hispanic Media Coalition for their "Excellence in Production of Latino-Themed Content." "Radical" received a nomination for best feature film in the 2024 Imagen Awards.

## Films

| Film | Release | Director(s) | Notes |
| From Prada to Nada | January 28, 2011 | Angel Gracia | co-production with OddLot Entertainment and Gilbert Films; first film by Pantelion Films |
| Go For It! | May 13, 2011 | Carmen Marron | co-production with Sparkhope Productions and Go For It! LCC |
| Labios rojos Red Lips | October 7, 2011 | Rafa Lara | co-production with Cyclus Production; animated film; distribution only |
| No eres tú, soy yo | April 8, 2011 | Alejandro Springall | distribution only |
| Saving Private Perez | September 2, 2011 | Beto Gómez | co-production with Lemon Films; distribution only |
| Pastorela | December 2, 2011 | Emilio Portes | distribution only |
| Secretos de familia Family Secrets | 2012 | Paco del Toro | co-Production with Gateway Films/Vision Video and Armagedón producciones; distribution only |
| El fantástico mundo de Juan Orol The Fantastic World of Juan Orol | 2012 | Sebastián del Amo | co-production with Celuloide Films; distribution only |
| La Leyenda de la Llorona Legend Quest: The Legend of La Llorona | 2012 | Alberto Rodríguez | co-production with Ánima Estudios; animated film; distribution only |
| Los Ilusionautas The Illusionauts | 2012 | Eduardo Schuldt | co-Productions with Aronnax Studios; distribution only |
| La Última Muerte The Last Death | February 10, 2012 | David Ruiz | co-production with Lemon Films; distribution only |
| Casa de Mi Padre | March 16, 2012 | Matt Piedmont | co-production with Gary Sanchez Productions and NALA Films |
| Girl in Progress | May 11, 2012 | Patricia Riggen | co-production with Televisa Films, Anxiety Productions, and Latitude Entertainment |
| Hecho en México Made in Mexico | November 30, 2012 | Duncan Bridgeman | distribution only |
| El Santos vs. La Tetona Mendoza The Wild Adventures of El Santos | 2013 | Alejandro Lozano | co-production with Átomo Films and Peyote Films; animated film; distribution only |
| Filly Brown | April 19, 2013 | Youssef Delara Michael D. Olmos | co-production with Silent Giant Entertainment, Olmos Productions, Indomina Releasing |
| Cinco de Mayo: La Batalla | May 3, 2013 | Rafa Lara | co-production with Gala Films; distribution only |
| Instructions Not Included | August 30, 2013 | Eugenio Derbez | co-production with Alebrije Cine y Video, Fulano Mengano y Asociados; highest-grossing film. |
| Nosotros los Nobles The Noble Family | November 1, 2013 | Gaz Alazraki | co-production with Alazraki Films; distribution only |
| Pulling Strings | October 4, 2013 | Pitipol Ybarra | co-production with Trazende Films |
| Hours | December 13, 2013 | Eric Heisserer | co-production with The Safran Company, Laguna Ridge Pictures, and PalmStar Media Capital |
| César Chávez | March 28, 2014 | Diego Luna | co-production with Canana Films, Participant Media, and Televisa Cine |
| Cantinflas | August 29, 2014 | Sebastián del Amo | co-production with Kenio Films |
| Mas Negro Que La Noche Darker Than Night | September 26, 2014 | Henry Bedwell | co-production with Itaca Films, CeLeste Films, Filmadora Nacional, and Neo Art Producciones; distribution only |
| Spare Parts | January 16, 2015 | Sean McNamara | co-production with Televisa Cine, Circle of Confusion, Traveso Productions, and Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment |
| A La Mala Falling for Mala | February 27, 2015 | Pitipol Ybarra | distribution only |
| The Vatican Tapes | July 24, 2015 | Mark Neveldine | co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment |
| Panic 5 Bravo | September 1, 2015 | Kuno Becker | distribution only |
| Un gallo con muchos huevos Huevos: Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure | September 4, 2015 | Gabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste Rodolfo Riva Palacio Alatriste | co-production with Huevocartoon Producciones; animated film |
| Ladrones Thieves | October 9, 2015 | Joe Menéndez | co-production with Panamax Films and Lantica Pictures |
| 600 Miles | December 4, 2015 | Gabriel Ripstein | co-production with Lucia Films; distribution only |
| Busco novio para mi mujer | February 19, 2016 | Enrique Begné | co-production with Animal de Luz Films, |
| Summer Camp | March 18, 2016 | Alberto Marini | co-production with Filmax Entertainment; distribution only |
| Pink...El rosa no es como lo pintan | 2016 | Paco del Toro | co-production with Gateway Films/Vision Video and Armagedón Producciones; distribution only |
| Compadres | April 22, 2016 | Enrique Begné | co-production with Draco Films |
| No Manches Frida With Frida?!?! | September 2, 2016 | Nacho G. Velilla | co-production with Televisa Cine, Constantin Film, Alcon Entertainment, Rat Pack Film Production, and Neverending Media |
| La Leyenda del Chupacabras Legend Quest: The Legend of Chupacabras | October 14, 2016 | Alberto Rodríguez | co-production with Ánima Estudios; animated film; distribution only |
| Un Padre No Tan Padre From Dad to Worse | January 27, 2017 | Raul Martinez | co-production with Panorama Global; distribution only |
| Historietas assombradas: o filme Haunted Tales: The Movie | 2017 | Víctor-Hugo Borges | Co-production with Glaz entretenimento, Copa Studio and Warner Bros; distribution only (Folded by 9 Story Media Group) |
| Everybody Loves Somebody | February 17, 2017 | Catalina Aguilar Mastretta | co-production with Ring Cine and Draco Films |
| How to Be a Latin Lover | April 28, 2017 | Ken Marino | co-production with 3Pas Studios |
| 3 Idiotas 3 Idiots | June 3, 2017 | Carlos Bolado | co-production with Neverending Films, Cutting Edge, and Greenlight Pictures; distribution only |
| Hazlo Como Hombre Do It Like Hombre | September 1, 2017 | Nicolás López | co-production with BH5 and Sobras International Pictures; distribution only |
| Condorito: La Película Condorito: The Movie | January 12, 2018 | Alex Orrelle Eduardo Schuldt | co-production with Twentieth Century Fox, Aronnax Animation Studios and Pajarraco Films, LCC; distribution only |
| La Boda de Valentina Valentina's Wedding | February 9, 2018 | Marco Polo Constandse Córdoya | co-production with Filmadora Nacional |
| Cómplices | March 2, 2018 | Luis Eduardo Reyes | co-production with Lantica Media; distributed by Cinetlan |
| La Leyenda del Charro Negro Legend Quest: The Legend of the Charro Negro | March 23, 2018 | Alberto Rodríguez | co-production with Ánima Estudios; distribution only with Cinetlan |
| Overboard | April 13, 2018 | Rob Greenberg | co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; remake of the 1987 film of the same name |
| Ya veremos | August 31, 2018 | Pedro Pablo Ibarra | co-production with Sobras International Pictures and A Toda Madre Entertainment. |
| Perfect Strangers | January 11, 2019 | Manolo Caro | Mexican remake of Perfetti sconosciuti |
| No Manches Frida 2 | March 15, 2019 | Nacho G. Velilla | Sequel to No Manches Frida |
| Tod@s Caen Everybody Falls | August 30, 2019 | Ariel Winograd | U.S. distribution |
| En brazos de un asesino | December 6, 2019 | Matías Moltrasio | |
| Las pildoras de mi novio My Boyfriend's Meds | February 21, 2020 | Diego Kaplan | |
| Un rescate de huevitos Little Eggs: An African Rescue | August 27, 2021 | Gabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste Rodolfo Riva Palacio Alatriste | co-production with Cinergistic Films and Huevocartoon Producciones |
| ¿Y cómo es él? Backseat Driver | April 22, 2022 | Ariel Winograd |
| Cuando sea joven | September 23, 2022 | Raúl Martínez | Co-production with 3Pas Studios |
| La Usurpadora, el musical La Usurpadora, the Musical | April 17, 2023 | Santiago Limón | Co-production with The Lift Entertainment |
| Radical | October 20, 2023 | Pitipol Ybarra | co-production with Miercoles Entertainment; final film by Pantelion Films |