Two If By Sea and Dolores Claiborne. There have been a few widely distributed and successful Canadian feature films in recent years, i.e. Exotica, Black Robe and Jesus of Montreal. Major U.S. studios such as Universal, Warner Bros. and Disney have well established distribution offices in Canada. Turner Entertainment is on the verge of setting up shop. The system ensures that American films receive the best advance publicity, the longest runs, and the best theatres.
Canadian films get few previews or press kits, and very little hype.
They all rely on distribution money to help finance new Canadian productions. They distribute their own films, other indepedent Canadian films and sometimes, and most profitably, foreign films for which they've acquired Canadian rights. Alliance Releasing made big profits in 1994 by distributing Pulp Fiction for Miramax Pictures. In Alberta, Ralph Klein axed the Alberta Motion Picture Film Development Corp., the funding arm for Canadian productions. In July 1995, the Conservative government in Ontario announced it was freezing film subsidies programs via the Ontario Film Development Corporation.