Paramount Vantage
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Formerly | Paramount Classics (1998–2006) |
---|---|
Type | Label |
Industry | Film |
Founded | May 15, 1998 |
Founders | David Dinerstein Ruth Vitale |
Defunct | December 2013 |
Fate | Defunct |
Key people | John Lesher (President) Nick Myer (Co-President) |
Products | Motion pictures |
Owner | ViacomCBS |
Parent | Paramount Pictures |
Paramount Vantage (originally known as Paramount Classics) was a film distribution label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has ViacomCBS as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generally those with a more "art house" feel than films made and distributed by its parent company. Previously, Paramount Vantage operated as the specialty film division of Paramount Pictures, owned by Viacom.
History[]
Paramount Classics was launched in 1998 and released such art house fare as The Virgin Suicides, You Can Count on Me, Sunshine, Mostly Martha, Winter Solstice, and three Patrice Leconte films (Girl on the Bridge, The Man on the Train, Intimate Strangers). Although film journalist David Poland felt "Ruth Vitale and David Dinerstein have proven to have wonderful taste heading up Paramount Classics",[1] the duo was fired in October 2005.[2]
In 2006, the Paramount Vantage brand branched off from Paramount Classics, which was relaunched in 2007 as a distributor of "smaller, review-driven films including foreign-language acquisitions and documentaries."[3]
In 2007, Paramount Vantage partnered with then-Disney subsidiary Miramax Films on two of the year's most highly regarded movies, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Both films garnered eight nominations at the Academy Awards, with There Will Be Blood winning the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, while No Country for Old Men won for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem, and Best Picture.
Despite its critical success, Paramount Vantage continually failed to deliver the financial returns Paramount Pictures expected. Only No Country for Old Men made a profit, while films that should have generated significant returns failed to deliver through either poor or excessive marketing.[4]
In June 2008, Paramount Pictures consolidated Paramount Vantage's marketing, distribution, and physical production departments into the parent studio, while retaining the Paramount Vantage brand to develop and acquire specialty product with dedicated creative staff.[5]
Paramount Vantage ceased operations in December 2013.
Paramount Classics releases[]
Name | Release date | Production company(s) |
---|---|---|
Trekkies | March 12, 1999 | co-production with Paramount Pictures |
Get Real | April 30, 1999 | co-production with Distant Horizon |
Cabaret Balkan | July 23, 1999 | |
The Adventures of Sebastian Cole | August 6, 1999 | co-production with Cuplan Productions LLC |
Train of Life | November 12, 1999 | |
Where's Marlowe? | November 12, 1999 | |
Deterrence | March 10, 2000 | |
The Virgin Suicides | May 12, 2000 | co-production with American Zoetrope |
Passion of Mind | May 26, 2000 | co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment |
Sunshine | June 9, 2000 | co-production with Alliance Atlantis and Serendipity Point Films |
Girl on the Bridge | July 28, 2000 | |
You Can Count On Me | November 17, 2000 | co-production with Shooting Gallery and Hart-Sharp Entertainment |
The Gift | December 22, 2000 | co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment |
Company Man | March 9, 2001 | co-production with Pathé and Intermedia |
Savage Souls | May 20, 2001 | co-production with Paramount Pictures |
Bride of the Wind | June 8, 2001 | USA distribution only |
An American Rhapsody | August 24, 2001 | co-production with Fireworks Pictures and Seven Arts |
Our Lady of the Assassins | September 7, 2001 | |
My First Mister | October 12, 2001 | |
Focus | November 2, 2001 | |
Sidewalks of New York | November 21, 2001 | USA distribution only |
Mean Machine | February 22, 2002 | co-production with SKA Films |
Festival in Cannes | March 3, 2002 | co-production with Rainbow Pictures |
The Triumph of Love | May 10, 2002 | |
The Emperor's New Clothes | June 14, 2002 | co-production with Filmfour |
Who Is Cletis Tout? | July 26, 2002 | co-production with Fireworks Pictures |
Mostly Martha | August 16, 2002 | |
Just a Kiss | September 27, 2002 | co-production with Greenestreet Films |
Bloody Sunday | October 4, 2002 | |
The Way Home | November 15, 2002 | |
Till Human Voices Wake Us | February 21, 2003 | |
House of Fools | April 25, 2003 | |
The Man on the Train | May 9, 2003 | co-production with Pathé |
Northfork | July 11, 2003 | USA distribution only |
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen | August 8, 2003 | |
The Singing Detective | October 24, 2003 | co-production with Icon Productions |
The Machinist | January 18, 2004 | |
The Reckoning | March 5, 2004 | co-production with Renaissance Films |
The United States of Leland | April 2, 2004 | co-production with Media 8 Entertainment and Trigger Street Productions |
Love Me If You Dare | May 11, 2004 | co-production with Studio Canal |
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | June 16, 2004 | co-production with Revere Pictures and Seven Arts |
Intimate Strangers | July 30, 2004 | |
Mean Creek | August 20, 2004 | co-production with Whitewater Films |
Enduring Love | October 29, 2004 | co-production with Pathé and Filmfour |
Fade to Black | November 5, 2004 | |
Schultze Gets the Blues | February 18, 2005 | |
Winter Solstice | April 8, 2005 | |
Mad Hot Ballroom | May 13, 2005 | co-production with Nickelodeon Movies and Just One Productions |
After You... | June 3, 2005 | |
Hustle & Flow | July 22, 2005 | co-production with MTV Films and New Deal Entertainment |
Asylum | August 12, 2005 | co-production with Seven Arts |
Neil Young: Heart of Gold | February 10, 2006 | co-production with Shangri-La Entertainment and Playtone |
Ask the Dust | March 17, 2006 | co-production with Pathé and Cruise/Wagner Productions |
An Inconvenient Truth | May 24, 2006 | co-production with Participant Productions |
Typhoon | June 2, 2006 | co-distribution with CJ Entertainment |
Broken Bridges | September 8, 2006 | co-production with CMT Films |
Arctic Tale | July 25, 2007 | co-production with National Geographic Films |
Beneath | August 7, 2007 | co-production with MTV Films |
The Kite Runner | December 14, 2007 | co-production with DreamWorks Pictures |
Shine a Light | April 4, 2008 | co-production with Shangri-La Entertainment |
Paramount Vantage releases[]
Release date | Film title | Academy Awards and notes |
---|---|---|
October 27, 2006 | Babel | US distribution only, co-production with Paramount Pictures, Anonymous Content, Zeta Film and Central Films
|
January 20, 2007 | Year of the Dog | |
March 2, 2007 | Black Snake Moan | |
June 22, 2007 | A Mighty Heart | |
September 21, 2007 | Into the Wild |
|
November 9, 2007 | No Country for Old Men | co-production with Miramax Films and Mike Zoss Productions
|
November 16, 2007 | Margot at the Wedding | |
December 26, 2007 | There Will Be Blood | co-production with Miramax Films
|
January 25, 2008 | How She Move | co-production with MTV Films and Celluloid Dreams |
February 1, 2008 | The Eye | co-production with Lionsgate |
May 2, 2008 | Son of Rambow | |
May 30, 2008 | The Foot Fist Way | co-production with MTV Films |
July 25, 2008 | American Teen | |
September 19, 2008 | The Duchess |
|
December 26, 2008 | Revolutionary Road | co-production with DreamWorks Pictures and BBC Films
|
December 31, 2008 | Defiance | USA distribution only
|
August 14, 2009 | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. | |
August 21, 2009 | The Marc Pease Experience | |
September 4, 2009 | Carriers | |
October 2, 2009 | Capitalism: A Love Story | co-production with Overture Films |
August 8, 2010 | Middle Men | |
September 24, 2010 | Waiting for "Superman" | co-production with Participant Media and Walden Media |
October 1, 2010 | Case 39 | co-production with Paramount Pictures |
October 28, 2011 | Like Crazy | co-production with Indian Paintbrush |
March 16, 2012 | Jeff, Who Lives at Home | co-production with Indian Paintbrush |
December 21, 2012 | Not Fade Away | |
November 15, 2013 | Nebraska | co-production with Filmnation Entertainment
|
See also[]
- Paramount Pictures
- Go Fish Pictures
- Miramax Films
References[]
- ^ TheHotButton.com
- ^ New York Times article
- ^ Paramount Vantage website Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Los Angeles Times article
- ^ Deadline Hollywood Daily article
External links[]
- Paramount Classics at IMDb
- Paramount Vantage at IMDb
- Companies established in 1998
- Companies disestablished in 2013
- Film distributors of the United States
- Paramount Pictures
- Hollywood