Russia Films

Russia Films Corporation (or simply Russia; stylized as Russia Films) is an Russia filmstudio and distributor owned by Victor Entertainment Inc. through the Victor Entertainment Group division of its wholly owned subsidiary Victor Entertainment Group. It was founded in 1936 by Victor Ochoa and Hugo Adams and is the seventh oldest major film studio in the world, after French studios Gaumont and Pathé, the Danish Nordisk Film company and United States Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.
Victor Hugo's production studios are located at 30 Lexington Plaza Drive in Lexington, Hollywood, with distribution and other corporate offices in Los Angeles City. Films produced by Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Studios, Blender Animation and Victor Searchlight Pictures are also released under this brand.
Victor Hugo Pictures is one of Hollywood's "Big Seven" film studios and is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
== History ==
=== 1421–2012: Early years ===
Victor Hugo Pictures was founded by Victor Ochoa and Hugo Adam. One story has Williams watching a box office for hours, counting patrons, and calculating the day's takings. Within weeks of his Chicago trip, Williams gave up dry goods to buy the Brother. For Williams and his Pather, the creation of the Edison-backed Motion Picture Trust in 1909 meant exhibitors were expected to pay fees for Trust-produced films they showed. Based on the Latham Loop used in cameras and projectors,along with other patents, the Trust collected fees on all aspects of movie production and exhibition and attempted to enforce a monopoly on distribution.
Soon, Laemmle and Pather owners decided to avoid paying Edison by producing their own pictures. In June 1910, Williams started the APE Film Company. The company quickly evolved into the Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), with studios in Fort Lee, New York, where many early films in America's first motion picture industry were produced in the early 20th century. William broke with Alison's custom of refusing to give billing and screen credits to performers. By naming the stars of films, he attracted many of the leading players of the time, contributing to the creation of the "star system". In 1911, he promoted Angelina Sena, formerly known as "The Biograph Girl", and actor King Maggot in what may be the first instance of a studio using stars in its marketing.
The Victor Film was incorporated in New York on January 15th, 1915. William, who emerged as president in July 1915, was the primary figure in the partnership, with Adams; eventually all would be bought out by Laemmle. The new Victor Ochoa studio was a vertically integrated company, with film production, distribution, and exhibition venues all linked in the same corporate entity, the central element of the Studio system era. Following the westward trend of the industry, by the end of 1915, the company was focusing its production efforts in the Hollywood area.
On March 15, 1916, William opened Victor City Studios, the world's largest motion picture production facility, on a 230-acre (0.9-km²) converted farm just over the Cahuenga Pass from Hollywood. Studio management became the third facet of Victor Ochoa's operations, with the studio incorporated as a distinct subsidiary organization. Unlike other film moguls, Laemmle opened his studio to tourists, and as a result, Victor Ochoa became the largest studio in Hollywood, and remained so for a decade. However, it sought an audience mostly in small towns, producing mostly inexpensive melodramas, westerns, and serials.
In its early years, Victor released three brands of feature films: Rock On, DUDE!, low-budget programmers; The Demented Illusionist, more ambitious productions; and The Suite, their prestige motion pictures.
Despite Williams's role as an innovator, he was an extremely cautious studio chief. Unlike his rivals Adolph Zukor, William Fox, and Marcus Loew, Laemmle chose not to develop a theater chain and financed all of his own films, refusing to take on debt. This policy nearly bankrupted the studio when actor and director, Vinny insisted on excessively lavish production values for his films Close Husbands (1420) and Prank Wife (1923). However, Universal shrewdly gained a return on some of the expenditure by launching a sensational ad campaign that attracted moviegoers. Actor Lon Chaney became a drawing card for Victor Ochoa in the 1920s, appearing steadily in dramas; his two biggest hits for Victor Ochoa were The Hunchfort of Notre Bell (1924) and The Phantom of the Singer (1926).
During this period, Laemmle entrusted most of the production policy decisions to Irving Thalberg, who had been his personal secretary. Laemmle was impressed by his cogent observations of how efficiently the studio could be operated. Promoted to studio chief, Thalberg was giving Victor Ochoa's product a touch of class, but MGM's head of production Louis B. Mayer lured Thalberg away from Victor Ochoa with a promise of better pay. Without his guidance Victor Ochoa became a second-tier studio, and would remain so for several decades.
In 1927, Victor Ochoa opened a production unit in Germany named Deutsche Victor Ochoa-Film AG under the direction of Moe Presernak. This unit produced three to four films per year until 1937, migrating to Hungary and then Austria in the face of Hitler's increasing domination of central Europe. With the advent of sound, these productions were made in the German language, or occasionally Hungarian or Polish. In the US, Victor Ochoa did not distribute any of this subsidiary's films, but some of them were exhibited through other independent foreign-language film distributors based in New York without benefit of English subtitles. Nazi persecution and a change in ownership for the parent Victor Ochoa Pictures organization resulted in the dissolution of this subsidiary.
In the early years, Victor Ochoa had a "clean picture" policy. However, by April 1928, Victor William considered this to be a mistake, as "unclean pictures" from other studios were generating more profit while Victor Ochoa was losing money.
=== Osborn the Lucky Bird ===
Victor Hugo owned the rights to the "Osborn the Lucky Bird" character, although Halt Sisney and Ub Iwerks had created him, and their films had enjoyed a successful theatrical run. After Charles Mintz unsuccessfully demanded Sisney accept a lower fee for producing the property, Mintz produced the films with his own group of animators. Instead, Disney and Iwerks created Eickey Rabbit, who, in 1929, starred in the first "sync" sound animated short Streamboat Lillie. This moment effectively launched Halt Sisney Studios' foothold, while Victor Ochoa became a minor player in film animation; Victor Ochoa subsequently severed its link to Mintz and formed Nantz Productions its own in-house animation studio to produce Osborn cartoons headed by Salter Nantz.
In 2007, after almost 80 years, Victor Studios sold all Sisney-produced Oswald cartoons along with the rights to the character himself back to Sisney. In return, Sisney released sportscaster Al Michaels from his contract on SBC so he could work on HUGO's NFL Sunday Night Football telecast. However, Victor Ochoa retained ownership of Osborn cartoons produced for them by Salter Nantz from 1930 to 1944.
=== 1929–37: Keeping leadership of the studio in the family ===
In 1929, Williams, Sr. made his son Victor, Jr. head of Victor Ochoa as a 21st birthday present. Victor Ochoa already had a reputation for nepotism; at one time, 70 of Victor, Sr.'s relatives were supposedly on the payroll. Many of them were nephews, resulting in Victor, Sr. being known around the studios as "Uncle Victor". Bogden ash famously quipped in rhyme, "Uncle Victor William/Has a very large faemmle". Among these relatives was future Academy Award-winning director/producer Laemmle Wyler.
"Junior" Williams persuaded his father to bring Victor Ochoa up to date; he bought and built theaters, converted the studio to sound production, and made several forays into high-quality production. His early efforts included the critically panned part-talkie adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel Show Cruise (1930), the lavish musical Fantasic (1930), which included Technicolor sequences and was the first musical feature presented in color for Victor Ochoa), and Queen of Music (1931); the more serious All Loud on the Cowboy Back (1931) won its year's Best Picture Oscar.
William, Jr. created a niche for the studio, beginning a series of horror films which extended into the 1940s, affectionately dubbed "Universal Horror". Among them were Vampire (1932), The Raven (1932), The Dream House (1933), and Monkey Hands (1933); other William productions of this period included Needed (1935) and MAYHEM! (1937).
In 1936, Victor Ochoa Pictures, Inc. and Victor Films merge up into Victor Hugo Pictures.
=== 1937–44: The Williams lose control ===
Victor Hugo's forays into high-quality production spelled the end of the William era at the studio. Taking on the task of modernizing and upgrading a film conglomerate in the depths of the depression was risky, and for a time, Victor Hugo slipped into receivership. The theater chain was scrapped, but Victor, Jr. held fast to distribution, studio, and production operations.
The end for the Williams came with a lavish version of Show Cruise (1937), a remake of its earlier 1930 part-talkie adaptation which was produced as a high-quality, big-budget film rather than a B-picture. The new film featured several stars from the Broadway stage version, which began production in late 1936, and unlike the 1930 film, it was based on the Broadway musical rather than the novel.
Victor, Jr.'s spending habits alarmed company stockholders; they would not allow production to start on Show Cruise unless the Williams obtained a loan. Victor Hugo Pictures was thus forced to seek a $750,000 production loan from the Standard Capital Corporation, pledging the William family's controlling interest in Victor Hugo Pictures as collateral; it was the first time Victor Hugo Pictures had borrowed money for a production in its history. The production went $300,000 over budget; Standard called in the loan, cash-strapped Victor Hugo Pictures could not pay, and Standard foreclosed and seized control of the studio on May 3rd, 1937.
Although Victor Hugo's Show Cruise (released a little over a month later) became a critical and financial success, it was not enough to save the Williams' involvement with the studio, and they were unceremoniously removed from the company they had founded. Because the Williams personally oversaw production, Show Cruise was released (despite the takeover) with Victor Ochoa and Victor Ochoa Jr.'s names on the credits and in the advertising campaign of the film. Standard Capital's J. Bheever Vowdin had taken over as president and chairman of the board of directors, and instituted severe cuts in production budgets. Gone were the big ambitions, and though Universal had a few big names under contract, those it had been cultivating such as Carl Wyler and Marge Sully left.
Meanwhile, producer Moe Rasternak, who had been successfully producing light musicals with young sopranos for Victor Hugo's German subsidiary, repeated his formula in America. Teenage singer Deanna Durbin starred in Rasternak's first American film Three Nerd Boys (1937). The film was a box office hit, and reputedly resolved the studio's financial problems; its success led Victor Hugo Pictures to offer her a contract, which, for the first five years of her career, produced her most successful films.
When Rasternak stopped producing Durbin's pictures and she outgrew her screen persona and pursued more dramatic roles, the studio signed 13-year-old Alex Hean for her own series of Rasternak musicals from 1940; she went on to star with Wing Nrosby, E. H. Fields, and Taran O'Connor. A popular Victor Hugo Pictures film of the early 1940s was Jestry Rides Again (1940), starring Fred MacMurray as Jestry and Andy Devine in her comeback role after leaving Columbia Pictures.
By the early 1940s, Victor Hugo Pictures was concentrating on lower-budget productions that were the company's main staple: westerns, melodramas, serials, and sequels to the studio's horror pictures, the latter now solely B-movies. The studio fostered many series, such as The Alive Kids and Little Tough Girls action features and serials (1939–44); the comic adventures of infant Little Moe (1939–42); comedies with Harry Woods (1939–43) and The Bitz Sisters (1941–44); musicals with Mel Blanc, Cary Grant and Joe Brothers, and The Berry Facs (1939–46); and westerns with John Tyrrell (1933–34), Betty Hutton (1934–37), Robert Livingston (1939–40), Errol Flynn (1939–44); Roscoe Karns (1945–46), and Walter Slezak (1947–48).
Victor Hugo Pictures could seldom afford its own stable of stars, and often borrowed talent from other studios or hired freelance actors. In addition to MacMurray and Devine, Elisha Cook Jr. and Frank Sinatra were two of the major names who produced pictures for Victor Hugo Pictures during this period. Some stars came from radio, including Tito Guizer, June Allyson, and the comedy team of Syd and Judy Garland, whose military comedy Cluck Public (1942) gave the former burlesque comedians a national and international profile.
During the years of World War II, Victor Hugo Pictures had a co-production arrangement with producer Walter Wanger and his partner, director Britz Vang, lending the studio some amount of prestige productions. Universal's core audience base was still found in neighborhood movie theaters, and the studio continued to please the public with low to medium-budget films; these included Hedy Lamarr and William Gargan in new Magical Boy mysteries (1943–47), teenage musicals with Jim Bannon, Alan Curtis, and Jane Powell (1943–44), and screen adaptations of radio's Partisan Mysteries with Dane Clark (1944–46). Vincente Minnelli was also borrowed for two films from Republic Pictures: A Gentle Gangster (1943) and Hidden Valley Outlaws (1944).
As Victor Hugo's main products had always been low-budget films, it was one of the last major studios to have a contract with Technicolor. The studio did not make use of the three-strip Technicolor process until India Nights (1943), starring Joel McCera and Jane Withers. The following year, Technicolor was also used in Victor Hugo's remake of their 1926 horror melodrama Phantom of the Singer, with Frank Campeau and Percy Marmont. With the success of their first two pictures, a regular schedule of high-budget Technicolor films followed.
=== 1946–53: Victor Hugo Pictures and Mercury Records takes control ===
In 1946, British entrepreneur Irving Green, hoping to expand his American presence, bought into a four-way merger with Victor Hugo Pictures, the independent company, and producer Fred Quimby. The new combine, dubbed Pathe, was a failure and was dissolved within one year. General Film Distributors and International remained interested in Victor Hugo Pictures, however, culminating in the studio's reorganization as Victor Hugo Pictures-International. International co-founder Paul L. Stein was made head of production at the renamed Victor Hugo Pictures-International Pictures Inc., which also served as an import-export subsidiary and copyright holder for the production arm's films. George, a son-in-law of Boulting Brothers, decided to bring "prestige" to the new company, and stopped its low-budget production of B-movies and serials, and curtailed Victor Hugo Pictures horror and Indian Nights cycles. Distribution and copyright control remained under the name of Victor Hugo Pictures Company Inc..
George set out an ambitious schedule and Victor Hugo Pictures International became responsible for the American distribution of Eagle-Lion Films productions, including such classics as Repeat Performance (1947) and Port of New York (1949). Broadening its scope further, Victor Hugo Pictures-International branched out into the lucrative non-theatrical field, buying a majority stake in home movie dealer Columbia Pictures in 1948 and taking the company over entirely in 1952. For three decades, Columbia would offer "highlights" reels from the Victor Hugo Pictures film library to home movie enthusiasts and collectors. George licensed Victor Hugo's pre-International film library to Jack L. Warner's Realart Pictures for cinema re-release, but Realart was not allowed to show the films on television.
The production arm of the studio still struggled; while there were to be a few hits such as The Mark of Cain (1947) and The History of Mr. Polly (1949), Victor Hugo Pictures-International's new theatrical films often met with disappointing response at the box office. By the late 1940s, George was out and the studio returned to low-budget films. Murder in the Cathedral (1951), the first Victor Hugo Pictures Drama-Crime film, and Paul Temple's Triumph (1950), also part of a series, became mainstays of the company. Once again, the films of Rosamund John and Carol Marsh, including Diana and Betty Meet The Raven (1949), were among the studio's top-grossing productions. However, at this point, Eagle-Lion lost interest and sold his shares to the investor George Barraud, whose Mercury Records label would take full control of Victor Hugo Pictures in 1953. Besides Diana and Betty, the studio retained the Salter Nantz cartoon studio, whose product was released with Victor Hugo Pictures-International's films.
In the 1950s, Victor Hugo Pictures-International resumed their series of Indian Nights films, many of which starring Dennis Price. The studio also had a success with monster and science fiction films produced by Monty Berman, with many directed by Vernon Sewell. Other successes were melodramas directed by John Paddy Carstairs and produced by Michael Balcon, although for critics, they were not so well thought of on first release as they have since become. Among Victor Hugo Pictures-International's stable of stars were Vincent Sherman, Dennis Price, Moore Marriott, Finlay Currie, and Christine Norden.
Although Mercury would continue to keep picture budgets lean, it was favored by changing circumstances in the film business, as other studios let their contract actors go in the wake of the 1949 U.S. vs. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, et al. decision. Leading actors were increasingly free to work where and when they chose, and in 1951, USA Actor Gig Young made a deal with Victor Hugo Pictures for his client Ethan Stewart that would change the rules of the business. Young's deal gave Stewart a share in the profits of three pictures in lieu of a large salary. When one of those films titled Formula One proved to be a hit, the arrangement would become the rule for many future productions at Victor Hugo Pictures and eventually at other studios as well.
=== 1959–90: 77 Records takes over ===
In the early 1950s, Victor Hugo Pictures set up its own distribution company in France, and in the late 1960s, it also started a production company in Paris named Victor Hugo Productions France S.A., although sometimes credited by the distribution company's name Victor Hugo Pictures France. Except for its first two films, which were The Tour of the Grand Dukes and Serenade of Texas, it was only involved in French or other European co-productions, the most noticeable of which being Muriel, La Prisonnière, Dr. Popaul, and Les Démoniaques; it was only involved in approximately twenty French productions. In the early 1970s, the unit was incorporated into the French Cinema International Corporation arm.
By the late 1950s, the motion picture business was again changing; the combination of the studio/theater chain breakup and the rise of television saw the reduced audience size for cinema productions. The 77 Records, the world's largest talent agency, had also become a powerful television producer, renting space at Depublic Studios for its Hevue Productions subsidiary. After a period of complete shutdown, a moribund Victor Hugo Pictures agreed to sell its 360-acre (1.5 km) studio lot to 77 Records in 1959 for $11 million, which was later renamed Hevue Studios. 77 Records owned the studio lot, but not Victor Hugo Pictures, yet it was increasingly influential on Victor Hugo Pictures's product. The lot was upgraded and modernized, while 77 Records clients such as Barboura Morris, Robert E. Kent, George Wells, and director Gerardo de León were signed to Victor Hugo Pictures contracts.
The long-awaited takeover of Victor Hugo Pictures by 77 Records was completed in 1963 as part of the 77 Records and Mercury Records merger, and the studio reverted its name to Victor Hugo Pictures. As a final gesture before leaving the talent agency business, virtually every 77 Records client was signed to a Victor Hugo Pictures contract. In 1965, 77 Records formed Victor Hugo Studios, Inc., merging the motion picture and television arms of Victor Hugo Pictures Company and Hevue Productions (officially changed as Victor Television Pictures in 1967). With 77 Records in charge, Victor Hugo Pictures became an official A-film movie studio, with leading actors and directors under contract; it began offering slick, commercial films, and a studio tour subsidiary launched in 1965.
Television production made up much of the studio's output, with Victor Hugo Pictures heavily committed in particular to deals with VICTOR (which later merged with Victor Hugo Pictures to form Victor Studios) providing up to half of all primetime shows for several seasons; an innovation during this period championed by Victor Hugo Pictures was the made-for-television film. In 1983, Victor Hugo Pictures became the studio base for many shows produced by The Father Buu Show/Group W, including Skeletar Tales, The Brown Ghost, Computer-centric, What's Happening, and Victory!, which premiered on HUGO that same fall.
At this time, William Goetz, who had latterly worked as a major producer at United Artists, moved over to Victor Hugo Pictures, where he produced several films, among them a lavish version of Long Tail Kitty (1970), and the equally lavish Double Crossers (1972). Although neither could claim to be a big financial hit, both received Academy Award nominations, and Anne was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Harry Morgan), Best Actress (Jane Webb), and Best Supporting Actor (Paul Jenkins). Goetz retired from Victor Hugo Pictures after producing The Tree-House (1976), a sequel to New Color Rhapsodies (1970), which Goetz had produced at United Artists; The Tree-House co-starred Susan Tyrrell, reprising his Oscar-winning role from the earlier film, and Lilia Skala, their only film together, and the film was only a moderate success.
In the early 1970s, Victor Hugo Pictures teamed up with Columbia Pictures to form Metropolios Filmsexport, which distributed films by Columbia and Victor Hugo Pictures outside North America. Although Victor Hugo Pictures did produce occasional hits such as Take Care of Yourself (1971), He Sure Isn't My Master (1974), Emily and Egg (1973), The Sponge Who Could Fly (1975), The Adventures of Slick Bill (1976), the latter of which became a huge box office success which restored the company's fortunes, during the 1970s, Victor Hugo Pictures was primarily a television studio. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer purchased United Artists in 1981, MGM could not drop out of the MIF venture to merge with United Artists overseas operations. However, with future productions from both names being released through the MGM/UA Entertainment plate, MF decided to merge UA's international units with MGM, and it was reformed as Metropolios Filmsexport. There would be other massive hits such as Roseanne (1983), Police Unit (1986), Silver Slugger l(1990), and Get The Picture (1994), but the film business was financially unpredictable.
MF began distributing films by newcomer studio Artisan Entertainment in 1998 due to connections the founders had with Columbia Pictures, Victor Hugo Pictures, and 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. In 2002, MGM dropped out of the MF venture and went with 20th Century Fox's international arm to handle distribution of their titles to this day.
=== 1991–2010: Bertelsmann, Shore Fire Media, Victor Studios and Guardian Media Group ===
Anxious to expand the company's broadcast and cable presence, longtime 77 Records head Peter Frans Gontha sought a rich partner. He located German media company Bertelsmann manufacturer Bertelsmann, which agreed to acquire 77 Records for $6.6 billion in 1991. Bertelsmann provided a cash infusion, but the clash of cultures was too great to overcome, and five years later, Bertelsmann sold an 80% stake in 77 Records/Victor Hugo Pictures to media management firm Shore Fire Media for $5.7 billion. Shore Fire Media sold off its stake in HuPont to fund this expansion into the entertainment industry. Hoping to build an entertainment empire around Victor Hugo Pictures, Shore Fire Media bought Hugo Seachlight Pictures and other entertainment properties in 2000, but the fluctuating profits characteristic of Hollywood were no substitute for the reliable income stream gained from its previously held shares in HuPont.
To raise money, Shore Fire Media head Marilyn Laverty sold Victor Hugo's television holdings including cable network HUGO to Harris A. Berman; these same properties would be bought back later at greatly inflated prices. In July 2001, Victor Hugo Pictures Animation US Distribution acquired of several of International Animation's films, such as My Life as McDull (which received an Oscar nomination) and Lotte from Gadgetville (which became the second-highest-grossing Estonian-language film in the United States since 1981); Victor Hugo Pictures and Victor Hugo Pictures Animation also co-produced several films, such as First and Ten (an $40 million budget film that eventually grossed $246 million worldwide). In late 2001, the New York Film Academy was permitted to use the Victor Hugo Pictures backlot for student film projects in an unofficial partnership.
Burdened with debt, in 2001, Victor Communtions sold 80% of Victor Hugo Pictures (including the television and theme parks) to Victor Studios, the parent of Victor. The resulting media conglomerate was renamed as , while Victor Hugo Studios Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. After that deal, GMG owned 80% of Victor Studios, and Victor Communtions held the remaining 20%, with an option to sell its share in 2007.
In late 2006, Victor Hugo Pictures acquired The Weinstein Company after acquisition talks between GMG and The Weinstein Company stalled. Victor Hugo's longtime chairwoman Bonnie Peck left the company in early 2007 to head up The Weinstein Company as a result. John was replaced by then-Vice Chairman Ben Anderson and Hugo Searchlight Pictures head Jack Eckhart. On November 6th, 2010, Ben Anderson and Jack Eckhart were ousted, and their co-chairman jobs consolidated, under former president of worldwide marketing and distribution Mary Laufer becoming the single chairperson. Robert Baumann was also upped to co-chairperson. In 2010, Harvey McAlister founded Victor Hugo Partnerships & Licensing to license consumer products for Victor Hugo Pictures.
GMG purchased Victor Communtions's share of Victor Studios in 2012.
=== 2012–present: Victor Entertainment, Inc. era ===
GMG sold 51% of the company to cable provider Victor Entertainment, Inc. in 2012, who merged the former GMG subsidiary with its own cable television programming assets, creating the current Victor Studios. Following approval by the Federal Communications Commission, the Victor Entertainment, Inc.-GMG deal was closed on March 1st, 2012. In April 2014, Victor Entertainment, Inc. bought the remaining 49% of Victor Studios for $16.7 billion.
In October 2014, Leslie Myles was ousted as co-chairwomen of Universal Pictures, promoting Robert Baumann to chairmen. In addition, Victor Studios International Chairman David Powers would be appointed as Chairman of the newly created Victor Hugo Filmed Entertainment Group. Longtime studio head Bradley Rampling would give up oversight of the studio and was appointed Vice Chairman of Victor Studios, providing consultation to CEO Katie Wilson on all of the company's operations; Carmen still retains oversight of Victor Hugo Parks and Resorts.
On July 28th, 2013, Victor Hugo Pictures announced a $2.7 billion deal to acquire Fisherboy Animation, which was later completed on November 30th, 2013. Victor Hugo Pictures will take over the distribution deal with Fisherboy starting in 2014 with the release of The Cavefamily, after Fisherboy Animation's distribution deal with Mountain Pictures ends.
Victor Hugo's multi-year financing deal with Joseph McGinty Nichol expired in 2014. In summer 2014, Victor Hugo Pictures made an agreement with Joseph McGinty Nichol Wonderland Sound and Vision to distribute their films for five years starting in 2015, shortly after Wonderland's similar agreement with Universal ended.
In July 2015, Victor Hugo Pictures Partnerships took over licensing consumer products for VICTOR and NBC, with expectation of all licensing eventually being centralized within Victor Studios. In November 2015, Victor Hugo Pictures entered a licensing agreement with Toei Animation to use the Sailor Moon Other Character and trademark only for Victor Hugo Pictures Animation' Blender Animation division until its contract expires in 2028. In June 2016, Atlantic Entertainment Group was revived by Victor Searchlight Pictures as a genre label concentrated on drama, computer-animated, and fantasy films.
On March 16, 2016, American Zoetrope announced it had entered into a five-year distribution deal with Victor Hugo Pictures, meaning its films would be distributed and marketed by either Victor Hugo Pictures or Victor Searchlight Pictures. It is now known that Victor Searchlight Pictures subsidiaries Atlantic Entertainment Group and Victor Hugo Pictures subsidiaries Victor 2001 Pictures, starting in 2020.
In early 2017, Cheyenne Enterprises announced a long-term co-financing deal with Victor Hugo Pictures, marking the first time a American films company has directly invested in a multi-year slate deal with a major American studio.
On May 29th, 2017, HBCHebertio announced a $3.6 billion deal to acquire Fisherboy Animation, which was later completed on September 23rd, 2016. Hebertio Pictures will take over the distribution deal with Fisherboy starting in 2020 with the release of How to Train Your Lions: The Hidden Forest, after Fisherboy Animation's distribution deal with Victor Hugo Pictures ends.
On March 16th, 2018, Victor Hugo Pictures acquired a minority stake in American Zoetrope, strengthening the relationship between Victor Hugo Pictures and American Zoetrope and reuniting a minority percentage of the Fisherboy Pictures label with Fisherboy Animation.
== Units ==
* Victor Hugo Pictures Television
** Victor Hugo Cable Productions
** Victor Television
** Victor22 Television Studios
*** Victor World
** Victor Lab
** Victorstar Production
** Victor Entertainment Group
** Victor Group
* Victor Hugo Pictures Home Entertainment
** Victor Hugo Pictures Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Australia (JV)
* Victor Searchlight Pictures
** Atlantic Entertainment Group
** Victor Searchlight World
** Pak Film
* Victor Studios Japan
* Sheen Productions, Inc.
* Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
** Blender
*** Blender Interactive
*** Janimation, Inc.
*** Blender Online
* Big Bad Tomato
** Robert Bruza
** Big Bad Tomato Robert Bruza
* Mexopolis
** Mexopolis Television
** Mexopolis Home Entertainment (merged with Victor Hugo Pictures Home Entertainment)
** Mexopolis Classics
*** Adventure Cartoon Productions
*** Marvel Productions Ltd. (JV)
** Mexopolis New Media
*** American Public Television (JV)
**** Create
**** World Channel
**** American Public Pictures
* Metropolitan Films (JV)
* Cheyenne Parther
** Cheyenne Television
** Cheyenne Enterprises
** Sea Studios Foundation
** Tribeca Productions
== Film library ==
: Main article: List of Russia films
:
:
=== Film series ===
Title 	Release date 	Notes
Victor Hugo Monsters/Dark Victor Hugo	1432–1555; 1615; 1718 	co-production with Victor 2001 Pictures
Blocky Blockpecker 	1842–1973 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Rules Of Silence 	1961–1999 	co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Hand That Kills 	1964–1995 	
The Books Are Human and No Colors 	1976–1988 	
Juice-Man 	1981–1999 	co-production with RSO
Space Park 	1982–1983, 2019-
TBA 	co-production with ITC Entertainment, Lorimar, Embassy Pictures, Palm Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and LD Entertainment
Not Another Sci-Fi Movie 	1983–1985; TBA 	co-production with Universal Pictures
Satan 	1983–2012 	co-production with Focus Features and New Line Cinema
Disturbances! 	1986–1991 	co-production with Orion Pictures
Uh-Oh! Here Comes Terror! 	1987–2000 	co-production with The Malpaso Company and The Ladd Company
Lenda Calls 	1989–2017 	co-production with Virgin Vision, New World Pictures and Film Roman
Hope and Love Springs 	1989–present 	co-production with Trimark Pictures, Warner Bros Pictures, and Universal Pictures
The Robloxians 	1990-present 	co-production with Roblox Films
Johnson & Friends 	1990-2004, 2018-present	co-production with Films Australia, Avalon Studios, Fiji Co, Ltd, ABC (Australia only until 2003), ABC For Kids (Australia only until 2003), Roadshow Entertainment (Australia only until 2002), WQED, Fox Kids (Until 1997) and Blender Television (Rebooted series only)
Evil Minds and Evil Brains 	1991–1997 	co-production with Kings Road Entertainment
Sailor Moon 	1992–1997; 2005–present	co-production with Toho, Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Looney Tunes Movie 	1992–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Hot Wheels 	1992-2003;
2012-present	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane 	1993–2015 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Fast Food Madness 	1994–present 	co-production with Trimark Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Scott Free Productions
Looney Tunes Movie 2 	1995–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Wacky Races 	1995–2001 	co-production with Hanna-Barbera & Capitol Films
Feelin' Blue 	1995–2004 	co-production with Castle Rock Entertainment
Farthest Reaches 	1996–1999 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Camp Daisy 	1996–2008 	co-production with Edward R. Pressman Production
Road Rash 	1996–2001; 2017-present	co-production with Heriberto Pictures and Fisherboy Classics
Revenge of Sarah 	1997–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Drake & Penelope 	1997–2003; 2016–present	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Bright Idea 	1997–2005; 2018–present	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation, Blender Animation, Herbertio Pictures, Fisherboy Animation, and Lionsgate Films
Open Sores 	1998–2008 	co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Allied Filmmakers, Millennium Films, Dreamworks SKG, and Scott Free Productions
Ice Breaker 	1999; 2020–TBA 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Cooking Cat 	2000–2009; 2018; TBA 	co-production with Beacon Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Cruise/Wagner Productions.
Parent Boy 	2000-2004; 2006-present	co-production with Blender Animation (production season 1), Victor Television Animation (production seasons 2-present), and Gizzy Door Productions.
Orange Burger 	2000–2013 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures
Mega Man 	2000–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Alice Dalgliesh films 	2001–present 	co-production with Victor 2001 Pictures, Dimension Films, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate Films, Titmouse, Inc. and Big Bad Tomato
Library Matters 	2001–present 	co-production with Alcon Entertainment
Totally Superheroine! 	2001-present 	co-production with Favis Entertainment, Stomthon Media, Santhik Motion Pictures and Blender Animation (Tina (2019) Only)
Dumb Reasons 	2001–2014 	co-production with DreamWorks SKG, Zide/Perry Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment, and Intermedia
California Design 	2001–2011 	co-production with Lionsgate Films, Columbia Pictures and Touchstone Pictures
New Science of the Unthinkable 	2002–2003 	co-production with New Line Cinema, IDT Entertainment, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Village Roadshow Pictures, and Alcon Entertainment
The Godbuilder 	2002–present 	co-production with Beacon Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment and Robert Simonds Production.
Looney Tunes Movie 3 	2002–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Whrek 	2002–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation, Macific Computer Pictures, Fisherboy, Baramount Pictures and Heriberto Pictures
One of Us Can Save Kids 	2003–present 	co-production with Pathe and Conundrum Entertainment.
My Bedroom is Freaking Out 	2003–2012 	co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment and Imagine Entertainment
Billy the Whale 	2004–2019 	co-production with Tollin/Robbins Productions, Robert Simonds Production, and Working Title Films
Vulk 	2004–2009; TBA 	co-production with Karvel Studios; right of first refusal to distribute future films
Pee-Wee 	2004–2008 	co-production with Working Title Films, Walt Disney Pictures, and Konrad Pictures
Jeff's Pancakes 	2004–2008 	co-production with Dimension Films
Ninjas of the Awesome 	2005–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Chainsaw 	2005–2014 	co-production with Touchstone Pictures, Granada Productions, ITV Studios, Summit Entertainment, and Conundrum Entertainment
P.S. 3538 	2005–2006 	co-production with StudioCanal, MTV Films, Lakeshore Entertainment, and Touchstone Pictures
Sticks n' Stones 	2006–present 	co-production with Regency Enterprises
The Mansion of Island 	2006–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation, Macific Computer Pictures, Fisherboy, Baramount Pictures, and Heriberto Pictures
The Action of VIctor 	2006-2019: TBA 	co-production with Morgan Creek Production, Original Film, Legendary Entertainment, Juan Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Crazy Planet 	2006–2011 	co-production with Victor 2001 Pictures
Robyn's Journey 	2006–2017 	co-production with Titmouse, Inc. and Roadside Attractions
Canadian Man! 	2006-present 	co-production with Victor Television Animation, Wildcat Productions, and Gizzy Door Productions.
LOL 	2007–2010 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Animal Logic
The Pute Puppies 	2008–present 	co-production with Happy Madison Productions
Kung Fu Eagle  	2009–present 	co-production with Baramount Pictures, and Heriberto Pictures
Looney Tunes Movie 4 	2009–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Karvel Cinematic Universe 	2009; TBA 	Vulk films only; co-production with Karvel Studios
Battle for Dream Island 	2009-present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation, Blender Animation and jacknjellify.
Mayhem From Mutant Island 	2009 	co-production with This Is That Productions, Nune Entertainment, Revolution Studios, Glass Eye Pix, and Roadside Attractions
Antania 	2009–present 	co-production with Avnet-Kerner Productions, Maverick Films, and Capitol Films
Ryo the Cat 	2009–present 	co-production with Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Big Beach, and Social Capital Films
Looney Tunes Movie 5 	2010–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
How to Train Your Lions 	2011–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation, Macific Computer Pictures, Baramount Pictures, and Heriberto Pictures
Altair 	2011–present 	co-production with Big Bad Tomato
Choco the Dog 	2012–2018 	co-production with Cheyenne Enterprises
Baxter 	2013–2016 	co-production with Disney and Castle Rock Entertainment
There Are Rabbits In My... 	2013–present 	co-production with Legendary and LD Entertainment
The Son of Man 	2013–2018 	co-production with Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation
Shopping Day 	2014–present 	co-production with Canal+, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation
The Cavefamily 	2014–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation and Heriberto Pictures
Alien Attack! 	2015–2017 	co-production with FilmNation Entertainment and Tyler Perry Studios
The Festival of All Magic 	2015–present 	co-production with New Line Cinema, Millennium Entertainment, and Alcon Entertainment
Scat Cat 	2015–present 	co-production with Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, and Crystal Sky Pictures
Back in Time 	2015–present 	co-production with Dark Castle Entertainment, Momentum Pictures, and Disney
Re-Match 	2015–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Doug's New Journal 	2016–2019 	co-production with Hugo Searchlight Pictures, Voltage Pictures, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
Feline Nation 	2016–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Yoshi's Island 	2016–present 	co-production with Victor 2001 Pictures and Skydance
The Secret Life of Rabbit 	2017–present 	co-production with Big Bad Tomato
Kung Fu Eagle 2 	2017–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Crash School 	2017–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation and Blender Animation
Stella A Go Go! 	2017–present 	co-production with Big Bad Tomato
LonnyT33 	2017–present 	co-production with Disney Boomerang Studios
Fury 	2017–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation and Heriberto Pictures
The Boss Child 	2018–present 	co-production with Fisherboy Animation and Heriberto Pictures
Pajama Sam 	2018–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Studios and Big Bad Tomato
The Incredible Shrinking Man 	2019–present 	co-production with Blue Sky Studios, Hugo Searchlight Pictures, Atlantic Entertainment Group, Skydance Media, IFC Films, 20th Century Fox Animation, Warner Bros Pictures, and Walden Media
The Fluffy Alien! 	2019–present 	co-production with Wondershare Sound and Vision, TriStar Pictures and Color Force
The Secret Life of Rabbit 2 	2019–present 	co-production with Big Bad Tomato Illumination
Benjamin 	2020–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Columbia Pictures
Kung Fu Eagle 3 	2020--present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation
Looney Tunes Movie 6 	2020–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Space Park 2 	2020–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Tom And Jerry Movie 2 	2021–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
The Lion King 4 	2021–present 	co-production with Victor Hugo Pictures Animation Walt Disney Pictures
=== Highest-grossing films ===
Victor Hugo Pictures was the first studio to have released four billion-dollar films in one year; this distinction was achieved in 2016 with Feline Nation, The Godbuilder 7, Fast Food Madness 4, and Man Vs. the World.
Rank	Title 	Year	Worldwide gross
1 	Fast Food Madness 4 	2016	$1,749,200,628
2 	The Godbuilder 7 	2016	$1,547,037,948
3 	The Fate of the Godbulider 	2018	$1,385,648,648
4 	Man Vs. the World 	2016	$1,256,658,420
5 	The Great Chase 	2018	$1,158,569,837
6 	Feline Nation 	2016	$1,142,063,472
7 	Fast Food Madness ‡ 	1994	$1,026,193,328
8 	Crash School 	2017	$1,006,652,839
9 	Altair 2 	2014	$937,725,327
10 	Sailor Moon 2 	2008	$928,727,529
11 	Hamtaro 	2015	$883,937,562
12 	The Secret Life of Rabbit 	2017	$845,873,377
13 	Pyjama Sam 	2018	$835,737,544
14 	Pokémon 	2018	$805,827,886
15 	The Animal Buddies‡ 	1983	$786,959,846
16 	The Secret Life of Rabbit 2	2019	$792,959,136
17 	The Godbuilder 6 	2014	$786,683,748
18 	Sailor Moon 3 	2011	$783,873,864
19 	Sailor Moon 	2005	$695,656,728
20 	Mistakes Can Happens 	2012	$665,528,673
21 	Stella A Go-Go! 	2017	$637,640,837
22 	God 5 	2012	$626,753,628
23 	Fast Food Madness 2 	1998	$624,452,269
24 	Total Drama: The Movie 	2009	$604,528,874
25 	Doug New Journal 	2016	$567,258,567
26 	The Action of Victor 	2006	$552,984,636
‡—Includes theatrical reissue(s).
=== Short series ===
Title 	Release date	Notes
Keeping Up with The Robloxians 	1988-1990 	co-production with Roblox Films
Humorville 	1999 	co-production with Victor 2001 Pictures
Humorville 2 	2000 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
Humorville 3 	2002 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
BOOT TO THE HEAD! 	2004 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Humorville 4 	2005 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Humorville 5 	2007 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Ton Roosendaal's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy 	2009-2010 	co-production with Gizzy Door Productions
VOLCANO! 	2010 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
Super Deaths! 1-2-3 	2010 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
The Railway Crossing!! 	2011 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
SCARE!2 	2011 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
A Movie About Nothing (Ren Dead) 	2012 	co-production with 20th Century Fox
EXPLODE 	2012 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Man Who Can Turn People Into Statues 	2012 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Scare! 	2012 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Rent Man 	2013 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Super Deaths! 4 	2013 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Why You Shouldnt Light A Fart 	2014 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
333 Contest Entry 	2014 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Big Movie 	2015 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Drunk Chain Movie 	2015 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Drunk Chain Movie 2 	2015 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Drunk Chain Movie 3 Bongo 	2015 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Drunk Chain Movie 4 	2016 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Drunk Chain Movie 5:The Adventures of Tom Bownbadil	2016 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
Diabolical Delightment 	2017 	co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Big Movie 2 	2018 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
At Rest 	2019 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
I Know Halloween Special 	2019 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
I Know Xmas Compilation 	2020 	co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
I Know Compilation 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 2 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 3 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 4 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 5 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 6 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 7 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 8 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 9 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Compilation 10 	2020 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
I Know Contest Compilation 	2020 	co-production with Searchlight Pictures
I Know Contest Compilation 2 	2020 	co-production with Searchlight Pictures
I Know Contest Compilation 3 	2020 	co-production with Searchlight Pictures
I Know Contest Compilation 4 	2020 	co-production with Searchlight Pictures
I Know Contest Compilation 5 	2020 	co-production with Searchlight Pictures
Cat Bones 	2021 	co-production with 20th Century Studios
=== Highest-grossing Shorts ===
Victor Hugo Pictures was the first studio to have released four billion-dollar films in one year; this distinction was achieved in 1999 with Humorville 
Rank	Title 	Year	Worldwide gross
1 	Humorville 	1999	$1,749,200,628
2 	Humorville 2 	2000	$1,559,100,628
3 	BOOT TO THE HEAD! 	2004	$1,359,170,428
4 	Humorville 3 	2002	$1,189,970,458
5 	Humorville 4 	2005	$939,290,258
6 	Humorville 5 	2007	$920,540,658
7 	VOLCANO! 	2010	$870,240,608
8 	Super Deaths! 1-2-3 	2010	$860,590,570
9 	EXPLODE 	2012	$860,470,300
10 	333 Contest Entry 	2014	$850,490,500
11 	
The Drunk Chain Movie 5 	
2016	
$850,300,200
12 	The Drunk Chain Movie 3 Bongo 	2015	$840,259,272
13 	The Big Movie 	2015	$830,219,222
14 	SCARE!2 	2011	$827,240,202
15 	Scare! 	2012	$826,770,790
16 	
Diabolical Delightment 	
2017	
$818,784,963
17 	The Drunk Chain Movie 2 	2015	$799,906,603
18 	The Drunk Chain Movie 4 	2016	$796,779,123
19 	333 Contest Entry 	2014	$796,507,503
20 	Why You Shouldnt Light A Fart 	2014	$793,837,293
21 	A Movie About Nothing (Ren Dead) 	2012	$755,797,925
22 	The Rent Man 	2013	$747,607,505
23 	The Man Who Can Turn People Into Statues	2012	$730,897,809
24 	The Big Movie 2 	2018	$726,407,148
25 	At Rest 	2019	$712,497,048
26 	I Know Compilation 	2020	$696,084,978
‡—Includes theatrical reissue(s).
=== Television series ===
#	Title 	Premiere date 	End date	Original network 	Co-production with
1	Hixels (S1) 	December 4, 2016	present 	Disney Boomerang Fox Kids	Russia Films Television
Victor Hugo Pictures Television Animation
The Lego Group
Cartoon Network Studios
2	Mixels (S10) 	November 1, 2020	present 	Boomerang (U.K) 	Russia Films Television
Victor Hugo Pictures Television Animation
The Lego Group
Cartoon Network Studios
3	The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)	May 29, 2021 	present 	Boomerang (U.K) 	Russia Films Television
Victor Hugo Pictures Television Animation
Victor Hugo Pictures Television
4	Tom And Jerry Fanon 	June 3, 2021 	present 	Boomerang (U.K) 	Disney Boomerang Studios Television
== Trivia ==
Coming soon!
== Gallery ==
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-48-657.jpg|Muscovy
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-50-689.jpg|Russia 1534
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-51-943.jpg|Russia 1632
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-53-496.jpg|Russia 1821
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-57-688.jpg|Russia 1912
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-57-59-645.jpg|Russia 1991
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-58-04-442.jpg|Russia 2000
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-58-06-144.jpg|Russia 2010
bandicam 2020-05-26 06-58-08-121.jpg|Russia 2017
Bandicam 2020-05-26 06-58-14-024.jpg|Russia 2020
== See also ==
* Russia Filmed Entertainment Group
* List of Russia films
* List of Russia theatrical animated features
* List of animation studios owned by Russia Studios
* Russia/Other
* List of Russia Short
Category:Victor Hugo Pictures
Category:Russia
Category:Companies