MIRAMAX® Appoints Entertainment Veteran Bill Block As Chief Executive Officer

LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MIRAMAX® announced today that they have named entertainment veteran Bill Block as Chief Executive Officer.  A renowned producer of studio level commercial independent feature films, Block most recently served as Founder/CEO of production company QED.  Prior to that, Block was the President of Artisan Entertainment. 

"Bill's extensive experience across numerous platforms, combined with his deep knowledge of the industry, makes him outstandingly qualified to propel MIRAMAX® into this new and transformative world of distribution, content and sales. MIRAMAX® is committed to expand production and acquisitions in film and television and Bill's strong leadership will surely lead MIRAMAX® successfully into the future, and we are thrilled to have him on board," said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Chairman of MIRAMAX® and beIN Media Group.

"MIRAMAX® is a storied brand that is poised for growth across all of its divisions – film, TV, licensing and beyond.  Its library offers a wealth of opportunities for the global entertainment business that I look forward to exploring. It is an honor to helm this legacy and expand it qualitatively across all platforms including the immense growth potential across digital and in new media. Nassar Al Khelaifi is a visionary entrepreneur and Sophie Jordan and the BeIN Group are committed to the long term horizon of media growth and evolution in the 21^st century."

MIRAMAX® was founded in 1979 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein and sold to the Walt Disney Company in 1993. The company's assets were acquired from Disney in 2010.  MIRAMAX® was sold by its private equity owners in March 2016 to beIN Media Group, which now owns 100% of the company.

MIRAMAX® has a library consisting of over 700 titles from the late 1980s to the present. Its recently announced productions include the Johnny Depp-Forest Whitaker police drama "Labyrinth," which MIRAMAX® will co-finance with Open Road Films. It also acquired U.S. distribution rights to the Tonya Harding biopic "I, Tonya," starring Margot Robbie.

About MIRAMAX^®
Acquired by beIN Media Group (beinmediagroup.com) in March 2016, MIRAMAX^® is a global film and television studio best known for its award-winning and original content. Nasser Al-Khelaifi serves as Chairman of MIRAMAX^® and beIN Media Group. Upcoming projects include I, Tonya about controversial figure skater Tonya Harding starring Margot Robbie, the Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker film Labyrinth which MIRAMAX^® is co-financing with Open Road Films, and Whitney, the documentary feature from Oscar^®-winning director Kevin Macdonald on pop icon Whitney Houston, Recent releases include Bad Santa 2 starring Billy Bob Thornton, who reprises his Golden Globe nominated role as Willie Soke, and Oscar^®, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Kathy Bates, with Broad Green Pictures co-producing/co-financing and handling U.S. theatrical; Bridget Jones's Baby from Working Title for Universal Pictures, MIRAMAX® and StudioCanal, with Oscar^® winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth reprising their roles in the third installment of the Bridget Jones film series; Southside With You, inspired by the first date of Barack and Michelle Obama, starring Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter, with MIRAMAX^® and Roadside Attractions partnering on the U.S. release; as well as Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series in its third season in the U.S. on El Rey Network. 

In 2015, MIRAMAX^® together with Roadside Attractions, released the critically acclaimed Mr. Holmes, one of the year's most successful independent hits, directed by Academy Award^® winner Bill Condon and starring Academy Award^® nominees Sir Ian McKellen and Laura Linney; as well as the Kevin Hart hit comedy The Wedding Ringer with Sony-Screen Gems.

Collectively, MIRAMAX's unrivaled library of more than 700 titles has received 278 Academy Award^® nominations and 68 Oscars^®, earning most notably four Best Picture awards for The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago and No Country for Old Men. More iconic titles from the library include critically acclaimed and commercial hits alike, such as Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Bridget Jones's Diary, the Scream film franchise, Kill Bill Vol. 1&2, and The Aviator.

About Bill Block
Block's recent production titles include the worldwide box office hit Bad Moms, produced for STX and starring Mila Kunis and Christina Applegate. The film grossed close to $200 million dollars worldwide.  Block also produced Dirty Grandpa starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron released in 2016 by Lionsgate Entertainment. Block is a producer on the upcoming Sam Raimi project with Warner Bros. and serves as an Executive producer on STX's upcoming Bad Mom's Christmas.

A leading independent feature film producer, Block also produced Neill Blomkamp's District 9 and Elysium, Oliver Stone's W., Fading Gigolo starring Woody Allen and John Turturro, and David Ayer's Fury starring Brad Pitt.

About beIN MEDIA GROUP
beIN MEDIA GROUP, chaired by Nasser Al-KHELAIFI is an independent company incorporated in January 2014 and the owner of the global sports network, beIN SPORTS. beIN SPORTS is currently operating in 43 countries within Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Aside from building the beIN SPORTS premium network, beIN MEDIA GROUP is expanding beyond sports into entertainment through production and distribution as well as in the digital space. In November 2015, a new platform was launched in MENA including 28 beIN owned channels with 20 related to sports, 4 to movies and 4 to kids, in addition to growing numbers of third party channels. In March 2016, beIN MEDIA GROUP acquired MIRAMAX® film studios offering movie production capabilities and a library of over 700 films. beIN MEDIA GROUP acquired Digiturk the leading pay tv operator in Turkey, in August 2016. The group currently employs over 4200 persons around the world.

"Oscar^®" and "Academy Award^®" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

"MIRAMAX^®" and the "MIRAMAX" Logo are the registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of Miramax, LLC.

SOURCE MIRAMAX