Polygram Filmed Entertainment

### Formerly:

Filmworks (1975–1976)Casablanca Record & Filmworks (1976–1980)PolyGram Pictures (1980–1983)

### Fate:

Acquired by Seagram and folded into Universal Pictures

### Successors:

Universal PicturesUSA FilmsFocus FeaturesPolyGram Entertainment

### Parent:

Independent (1975–1980)PolyGram (1980–1998)Universal Pictures (1998–2000)

### Predecessors:

Casablanca Filmworks

PolyGram Pictures was originally formed in 1975 by producer Peter Guber after he left Columbia Pictures as Filmworks, which was eventually merged with Casablanca Records during the production of *The Deep* and renamed it to Casablanca Records & Filmworks. During that time, the production company was affiliated with Columbia Pictures. In 1977, PolyGram bought out 50% of Casablanca Records & Filmworks, and it was renamed in 1980 to PolyGram Pictures after the PolyGram Records label bought out 50% of the company. Universal Pictures would handle U.S. distribution for a majority of their films through the pact it signed in 1979 (with the exceptions of *Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing*, *Split Image* and *Flashdance*, which were distributed by United Artists, Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures respectively) while Producers Sales Organization would handle distribution outside the US. In 1982, Peters and Guber left PolyGram to form The Guber-Peters Company which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later in 1983. Two years later in 1985, MCA Home Video sold the video rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to Vestron Video as a way of cutting losses due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to *Deadly Blessing* would go to Embassy Home Entertainment while the rights to *Flashdance* would remain with Paramount. Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram films they distributed, which included *Endless Love*, *An American Werewolf in London*, *King of the Mountain* and *Missing*, among others. Lionsgate holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures-era films (except *Flashdance*) such as *The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper*, *King of the Mountain* and *Six Weeks*, under license from Hearst Entertainment, which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features, Lionsgate eventually gained the TV/streaming rights to Hearst's library in 2015.

In the early 1980s, PolyGram Video was formed to distribute concert films and featured films acquired from third-parties. To make up the funding, in 1986, PolyGram Video launched "PolyGram Filmed Entertainment" as a subsidiary based in England and became a European competitor to Hollywood. The first film was *P.I. Private Investigations* in 1987. In 1989, they set up a film sales subsidiary Manifesto Film Sales. However, they didn't enter full US distribution or use a logo until 1992. Prior to that, PolyGram often used other US distributors for some of their films such as The Samuel Goldwyn Company (*Wild at Heart* and *Fear, Anxiety & Depression*) and New Line Cinema (*Drop Dead Fred*, *Fools of Fortune* and *Chicago Joe and the Showgirl*). Between 1990 and 1995, PolyGram would acquire several production companies such as Working Title Films, Propaganda Films, Interscope Communications, Island Pictures and ITC Entertainment, among others. They also formed 2 other labels as well: Gramercy Pictures in 1992 (which was launched as a joint venture between PolyGram and Universal Pictures. It also acted as an art house label for Universal and a US distributor for PolyGram) and Rogue Pictures in 1997 (which was launched as a low budget label for PolyGram). In 1998, PolyGram was acquired by Seagram & Sons, and operated until 2000, when it was shut down and folded into Universal Studios. In 1999, Seagram & Sons sold most of the pre-March 31, 1996 library to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and it was incorporated into their Orion Pictures library. Currently, most of the pre-March 31, 1996 PolyGram film library, including most films from Island Pictures, the entire Atlantic Releasing Corporation library (through Island), and the Epic library (which PolyGram had acquired in 1997), is owned by MGM while Universal owns the rights to some pre-March 31, 1996 films (*Backbeat*, *Before the Rain*, *Hate* (also known as *La Haine*), *The Jacksons: An American Dream*, *Drop Dead Fred* (in the UK only) and *Cold Blooded*) and the rest of PolyGram's films until its disestablishment.

## Polygram Pictures

### (May 18-30, 1980)

Mysteries of the Sea (1980)The Hollywood Knights (1980)