New Line Cinema, founded in 1967, is one of the major American film studios. Though it initially began as an independent film studio, it became a subsidiary of Time Warner and is now a division of Warner Bros. Despite that, it continues to market, produce and distribute its films, however, it does so now as a part of Warner Bros.

History

One of the company's early successes was its distribution of the 1936 anti-Cannabis propaganda film Reefer Madness, which became a cult hit on American college campuses in the early 1970s. The studio has also released many of the films of John Waters (not including Cry-Baby which was released by Universal Pictures and Serial Mom, which was produced by Savoy Pictures). A Nightmare on Elm Street was New Line's first commercially successful series, leading the company to be nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built".

New Line also released many classic foreign-language films, like Stay as you are, Immoral Tales and Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (which became the first New Line film to win an Oscar http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117909431.html?categoryid=1757&cs=1).

In 1994, New Line Cinema was acquired by Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System, which then merged with Time Warner in 1996. While fellow Turner-owned studios Hanna-Barbera Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment eventually became absorbed into Warner Bros. (though Castle Rock operates today as a subsidiary of WB), New Line was kept as its own entity until February 28, 2008 when Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes announced that New Line would become a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Robert Shaye and Michael Lynn said that they would step down with a letter to their employees. They promised, however, along with Time Warner and Jeffery Bewkes that the company would continue to operate its marketing, financing, producing, marketing and distributing operations of its own films, but would do so now as a part of Warner Bros. and be a smaller studio than it was in its past years and would release a smaller number of its films than in the past years as well http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/02/28/its-official-new-line-cinema-is-dead/|.

In 2007, New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment collaborated on Fracture, their first joint venture since the mid-1990s before both companies were bought by Turner.

International distribution

Outside the U.S., New Line does not distribute its own films. Rather, it contracts other studios such as Alliance in Canada, Entertainment Film Distributors in the UK, Warner Bros. in German-speaking areas, Singapore, Poland, and the Czech Republic, Village Roadshow Pictures in Australia and New Zealand from 1967-2008 then sold to 20th Century Fox and Playarte in Brazil to distribute its product overseas. International distribution of New Line films will revert to Warner Bros. after third-party distribution contracts expire.

Divisions of New Line Cinema

New Line Cinema operated several divisions, including theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, and a unit specializing in independent film called Picturehouse (formerly known as Fine Line Features) with fellow Time Warner subsidiary HBO. On May 8, 2008 it was announced that Picturehouse would shut down in the fall.http://www.variety.com/VR1117985299.html.

Home video distribution

In comparison with other independent motion picture studios

Unlike other independent studios such as Orion Pictures, Carolco Pictures, or Cannon Films, New Line Cinema has grown and prospered to become one of Hollywood's major film studios, culminating in the hit Lord of the Rings film trilogy that brought prestige to the studio.

Prior to this, New Line was responsible for genre films and cult classics such as Dark City, the Austin Powers film trilogy, the fantasy Pleasantville, the Nightmare on Elm Street series, the film Friday, the films of John Waters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, and the movie adaptation of Mortal Kombat (as well as its ill-fated sequel, Annihilation).

Films

See also

• New Line Television
• Picturehouse (with HBO)
• Fine Line Features

References

External links

• Official website
• New Line 40th Anniversary interview with Michael Lynne and Robert Shaye on Charlie Rose

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