Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures Launches International Theatrical Sales And Distribution Division

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures (ESMP), the theatrical distribution division of Byron Allen's global media and technology company Entertainment Studios (www.entertainmentstudios.com), is proud to announce the launch of its new international sales and distribution division: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures International (ESMPI). ESMPI has launched in an alliance with FilmNation Entertainment, which will now handle international distribution of wide-release theatrical titles where ESMP has worldwide rights. ESMP/ESMPI are subsidiaries of Allen Media, which recently announced it has secured $500 million in credit facilities.

"International feature film distribution is a natural extension of the expanding reach of our global media, content, and technology company," says Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios. "As we continue to distribute content across an ever-increasing number of domestic and global broadcast television, network television, theatrical, and digital platforms, it is only natural for us to incorporate worldwide movie distribution into our overall content distribution strategy going forward, and FilmNation Entertainment is the perfect partner for us to achieve this goal."

"Entertainment Studios is an exciting, creative, and innovative media company that is committed to delivering high-quality content worldwide," said FilmNation Entertainment Founder/CEO, Glen Basner. "This global distribution partnership is well-positioned to fill a huge void in the marketplace."

The first title ESMP/ESMPI will finance and distribute worldwide is 47 METERS DOWN: THE NEXT CHAPTER, which just started pre-production. The shark thriller sequel will be released domestically on approximately 3,500 screens on June 28, 2019. The first 47 METERS DOWN was a surprise box office hit, grossing over $44.3 million on a $5.5 million budget, making it the highest-grossing independent movie of 2017.  ESMP bought the title from Dimension Films, which had initially planned to release the movie on DVD only. The original film followed two sisters who get trapped underwater during a diving excursion, where they become the prey of sharks. The survival story starred Mandy Moore and Claire Holt.  47 METERS DOWN: THE NEXT CHAPTER is directed by Johannes Roberts, the filmmaker behind the first movie. Roberts wrote the screenplay with Ernest Riera. 47 METERS DOWN: THE NEXT CHAPTER is being produced by The Fyzz's James Harris, Mark Lane, and Robert Jones. All three were involved with the initial production. 

About Entertainment Studios / Allen Media LLC
Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Entertainment Studios in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Raleigh.  Entertainment Studios owns eight 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 160 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, and JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV. The company also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 41 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Entertainment Studios provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms, and the World Wide Web.  Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners. 

In 2015, Entertainment Studios purchased Freestyle Releasing, now called Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017's highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES and the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK. Upcoming releases include the Keanu Reeves sci-fi thriller REPLICAS, the John Krasinski/Emily Blunt-starring animated feature ANIMAL CRACKERS, and Joe Carnahan's Mel Gibson/Naomi Watts/Frank Grillo starring action-thriller BOSS LEVEL. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms.

For more information, visit:
www.entertainmentstudios.com
www.weathergroup.com
www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv

About FilmNation Entertainment 
FilmNation Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment company focused on the production, financing, and distribution of feature films and television. The company has produced and financed numerous award-winning worldwide box office hits including: ARRIVAL directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, THE BIG SICK produced with Judd Apatow starring Kumail Nanjiani, Dan Fogelman's LIFE ITSELF starring Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde, and Sebastian Lelio's GLORIA BELL starring Julianne Moore. In 2018, the company produced Tom Hanks starrer GREYHOUND, Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson starrer LATE NIGHT, and THE LODGE starring Riley Keough - all to be released in 2019.

FilmNation is consistently ranked as one of the highest-grossing independent international film distributors, and has built a deep slate of television series in development, including Derek Cianfrance written/directed I Know This Much Is True starring Mark Ruffalo at HBO, and Isabel Allende adaptation The House of the Spirits at Hulu. Founded in 2008 by veteran film executive Glen Basner, FilmNation is a destination for many of the world's most renowned filmmakers including Steven Soderbergh, Denis Villeneuve, Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodóvar, Dan Fogelman, Lenny Abrahamson, JC Chandor, and Sebastian Lelio. FilmNation's titles are amongst the most critically lauded in the film industry with more than 40 Academy Award® nominations and eight wins since the company's inception. The company has recently broadened its platform with strategic investments into other storytelling arenas, including theatrical production (it recently produced the 10 Tony winning musical 'The Band's Visit'), virtual reality, and digital/short form content. The company is based in New York & Los Angeles.

For more information, visit: www.filmnation.com

SOURCE Entertainment Studios, Inc.

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