Morgan Creek Entertainment
Morgan Creek Entertainment is an American film production company, former sales agent and investor, that has released box-office hits including Young Guns, Dead Ringers, Major League, True Romance, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Crush, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Last of the Mohicans. The studio was co-founded in 1987 by James G. Robinson and Joe Roth.[1] Robinson leads the company as chairman and CEO. His two sons, Brian Robinson and David C. Robinson, run the day-to-day operations. The company name comes from Roth's favorite film, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.[2] Their most recent film is The Exorcist: Believer, which was released on October 6, 2023.
 Logo of Morgan Creek Entertainment, first seen on All Eyez on Me | |
| Formerly | Morgan Creek Productions, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Film production company |
| Industry | Film and television |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | James G. Robinson Joe Roth |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, , United States |
Key people | James G. Robinson (Chairman & CEO) Brian Robinson David C. Robinson |
| Divisions | Morgan Creek Music |
| Website | morgancreek |
Morgan Creek generally releases their films through larger studios while retaining the copyrights, and making autonomous decisions on home video and television rights. Their logo contains a stylized creek.
Company history
Their initial slate of films from 1988 to 1990 were released by 20th Century Fox, except for Renegades and Coupe de Ville which were released by Universal and Major League which was released by Paramount, and some home video releases of its early titles going to Media Home Entertainment.[2] In 1991, beginning with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, they shifted their distribution of new films, as well as their previous catalog titles, to Warner Bros., where they remained until early 2005. Later that year, beginning with Two for the Money, they released their newer films through Universal, though previous films were still handled in the U.S. by Warner.
On July 11, 1997, Gary Barber announced that he would leave the studio, and he subsequently went on to start out Spyglass Entertainment.[3] In 1998, Morgan Creek had a distribution deal with Warner Home Video to release its product through the Morgan Creek Video and the Morgan Creek DVD labels.[4]
On October 8, 1998, Morgan Creek and Franchise Pictures entered into an agreement where Morgan Creek would distribute Franchise's upcoming pictures domestically.[5] On July 2, 2001, Morgan Creek Productions sued Franchise Pictures for allegedly breaching an agreement giving the company the right of first refusal on some films.[6]
In October 2014, Morgan Creek sold the international distribution rights and copyrights to their films to Revolution Studios for $36.75 million.[7] In September 2015, Morgan Creek began negotiating the sale of rights for the remaining territories, though they intend to retain remake and television rights to the Ace Ventura, Major League, Young Guns, and Exorcist franchises.[8]
Films
| Release Date | Title | Director | Budget | Gross (worldwide) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 12, 1988 | Young Guns | Christopher Cain | $11 million | $45,661,556 | international and home media distribution by Vestron Pictures |
| September 23, 1988 | Dead Ringers | David Cronenberg | $13 million | $8,038,508 | co-production with Telefilm Canada and Mantle Clinic II |
| March 3, 1989 | Skin Deep | Blake Edwards | $8.5 million | $19,674,852 | |
| April 7, 1989 | Major League | David S. Ward | $11 million | $49,797,148 | co-production with Mirage Productions; US distribution by Paramount Pictures |
| June 2, 1989 | Renegades | Jack Sholder | $16 million | $9,015,164 | co-production with Interscope Communications; distributed by Universal Pictures |
| December 13, 1989 | Enemies, a Love Story | Paul Mazursky | $9.5 million | $7,754,571 | |
| February 16, 1990 | Nightbreed | Clive Barker | $11 million | $8,862,354 | |
| March 9, 1990 | Coupe de Ville | Joe Roth | N/A | $715,983 | |
| August 1, 1990 | Young Guns II | Geoff Murphy | $10 million | $44,143,410 | |
| August 17, 1990 | The Exorcist III | William Peter Blatty | $11 million | $39,024,251 | |
| September 28, 1990 | Pacific Heights | John Schlesinger | $18 million | $44,926,706 | last Morgan Creek production distributed by 20th Century Fox |
| June 14, 1991 | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Kevin Reynolds | $48 million | $390,493,908 | first Morgan Creek production distributed by Warner Bros.; the score would become the music for Morgan Creek's animated logo |
| January 17, 1992 | Freejack | Geoff Murphy | $30 million | $17,129,000 | |
| April 24, 1992 | White Sands | Roger Donaldson | $22 million | $9,011,574 | |
| August 14, 1992 | Stay Tuned | Peter Hyams | $25 million | $10,736,401 | |
| September 25, 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Michael Mann | $40 million | $75,505,856 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| April 2, 1993 | The Crush | Alan Shapiro | $6 million | $13,609,396 | |
| September 10, 1993 | True Romance | Tony Scott | $13 million | $12,281,551 | co-production with Davis Films and A Band Apart |
| February 4, 1994 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Tom Shadyac | $12 million | $107,217,396 | |
| March 30, 1994 | Major League II | David S. Ward | $25 million | $30,626,182 | |
| April 22, 1994 | Chasers | Dennis Hopper | $15 million | $1,596,687 | |
| September 9, 1994 | Trial by Jury | Heywood Gould | N/A | $6,971,777 | |
| October 14, 1994 | Imaginary Crimes | Anthony Drazan | N/A | $89,611 | |
| October 28, 1994 | Silent Fall | Bruce Beresford | $30 million | $3,180,674 | |
| November 10, 1995 | Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | Steve Oedekerk | $30 million | $212,385,533 | |
| January 12, 1996 | Two If by Sea | Bill Bennett | N/A | $10,658,278 | |
| January 26, 1996 | Big Bully | Steve Miner | $15 million | $2,042,530 | |
| March 22, 1996 | Diabolique | Jeremiah S. Chechik | $45 million | $17,100,369 | |
| November 1, 1996 | Bad Moon | Eric Red | $7 million | $1,055,525 | |
| July 2, 1997 | Wild America | William Dear | N/A | $7,324,662 | |
| March 13, 1998 | Incognito | John Badham | N/A | N/A | |
| April 17, 1998 | Major League: Back to the Minors | John Warren | $18 million | $3,572,443 | |
| August 21, 1998 | Wrongfully Accused | Pat Proft | N/A | $9,623,329 | co-production with Constantin Film |
| October 23, 1998 | Soldier | Paul W. S. Anderson | $60 million | $14,594,226 | co-production with Warner Bros. and Jerry Weintraub Productions |
| March 19, 1999 | The King and I | Richard Rich | $25 million | $11,993,021 | Morgan Creek's only animated film; co-production with Nest Family Entertainment, Rankin/Bass Productions and Rich Animation Studios |
| September 1, 1999 | Chill Factor | Hugh Johnson | $34 million | $11,263,966 | |
| February 18, 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Jonathan Lynn | $41.3 million | $106,371,651 | co-production with Franchise Pictures, Rational Packaging and Lansdown Films; international distribution by 20th Century Fox |
| May 12, 2000 | Battlefield Earth | Roger Christian | $44 million | $29,725,663 | co-production with Franchise Pictures |
| July 19, 2000 | The In Crowd | Mary Lambert | $15 million | $5,217,498 | |
| August 25, 2000 | The Art of War | Christian Duguay | $60 million | $40,400,425 | co-production with Franchise Pictures and Amen-Ra Films; international distribution by 20th Century Fox |
| October 6, 2000 | Get Carter | Stephen Kay | $63.6 million | $19,412,993 | co-production with Franchise Pictures and The Canton Company |
| January 19, 2001 | The Pledge | Sean Penn | $35 million | $29,419,291 | co-production with Franchise Pictures, Clyde Is Hungry Films and Epsilon Motion Pictures |
| February 23, 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Demian Lichtenstein | $62 million | $18,720,175 | co-production with Franchise Pictures |
| May 18, 2001 | Angel Eyes | Luis Mandoki | $53 million | $29,715,606 | co-production with Franchise Pictures and The Canton Company |
| August 17, 2001 | American Outlaws | Les Mayfield | $35 million | $13,342,790 | |
| November 9, 2001 | Heist | David Mamet | $39 million | $28,510,652 | co-production with Franchise Pictures |
| June 21, 2002 | Juwanna Mann | Jesse Vaughan | $15 million | $13,802,599 | |
| August 1, 2003 | I'll Be There | Craig Ferguson | N/A | N/A | |
| August 20, 2004 | Exorcist: The Beginning | Renny Harlin | $50 million | $78,000,586 | |
| May 20, 2005 | Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist | Paul Schrader | $30 million | $251,495 | last Morgan Creek production distributed by Warner Bros. |
| October 7, 2005 | Two for the Money | D. J. Caruso | $35 million | $30,526,509 | first Morgan Creek production distributed by Universal Pictures since Coupe de Ville |
| October 13, 2006 | Man of the Year | Barry Levinson | $20 million | $41,237,658 | |
| December 22, 2006 | The Good Shepherd | Robert De Niro | $85 million | $99,480,480 | co-production with Universal Pictures, TriBeCa Productions and American Zoetrope |
| May 11, 2007 | Georgia Rule | Garry Marshall | $20 million | $25,992,167 | |
| September 21, 2007 | Sydney White | Joe Nussbaum | N/A | $13,620,075 | |
| March 3, 2009 | Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective | David Mickey Evans | $7.5 million | N/A | Released by Warner Home Video |
| September 30, 2011 | Dream House | Jim Sheridan | $50 million | $38,502,340 | |
| October 14, 2011 | The Thing | Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. | $38 million | $27,428,670 | co-production with Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment |
| June 16, 2017 | All Eyez on Me | Benny Boom | $45 million | $54,876,855 | co-production with Program Pictures and Codeblack Films |
| October 6, 2023 | The Exorcist: Believer | David Gordon Green | $30 million | $45.1 million | co-production with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions; direct sequel to the 1973 film[9][10][11] |
| TBA | Dream House | remake of the 2011 film[12] |
Television series
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1995–2000) (with Nelvana and Warner Bros. Television)
- The Exorcist (2016–2017) (with New Neighborhood and 20th Century Fox Television)
- The Good Shepherd (with Showtime)[13]
- Dead Ringers (2023) (with Amazon Studios, Astral Projection and Annapurna Television)[14]
- Nightbreed[15]
- Pacific Heights[15]
References
- Masters, Kim (November 14, 2013). "Joe Roth's 'Third Act': From 'Gigli' to Billion-Dollar Producer and Pro Soccer Superstar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- Harmetz, Aljean (April 25, 1989). "Producer Defies Rules, and Succeeds". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- Busch, Anita M. (1997-07-11). "Barber cuts out on Morgan Creek". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- Applefield Olson, Catherine (1998-06-13). "It's Quite a Production" (PDF). Billboard. p. 78. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- Carver, Benedict (1998-10-08). "Franchise, Morgan to ink distrib'n pact". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- Shprintz, Janet (2001-07-03). "Morgan Creek sues Franchise". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- Marc Graser (2014-10-07). "Revolution Buys Foreign Rights to Morgan Creek Films for $36.8 Million". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
- Busch, Anita (2015-09-24). "Morgan Creek To Sell Film Library: 'Major League,' 'Ace Ventura', 'Exorcist' Remakes Next?". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
- Couch, Aaron (December 20, 2020). "'Exorcist' Sequel in the Works with 'Halloween' Director David Gordon Green". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- Katz, Brandon (December 20, 2020). "Exclusive: David Gordon Green in Talks to Direct 'Exorcist' Sequel for Blumhouse". observer.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- Pulliam-Moore, Charles (December 24, 2020). "Blumhouse Is Summoning Another Exorcist Movie to the Mortal Plane". io9.gizmodo.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- Squires, John (March 19, 2021). "Morgan Creek Developing a Remake of the Daniel Craig-Starring 2011 Horror Movie 'Dream House'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (September 5, 2012). "Tribeca Sets Up 'The Good Shepherd' Series Adaptation At Showtime With Robert De Niro Directing & Eric Roth Writing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
- Ausiello, Michael (August 18, 2020). "Gender Swapped Dead Ringers Reboot Set at Amazon; Rachel Weisz to Star". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- Squires, John (March 19, 2021). "Morgan Creek Turning the Michael Keaton-Starring '90s Thriller 'Pacific Heights' into a Series". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 19, 2021.