Orion Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. It was founded in 1978 by Mike Medavoy, Eric Pleskow, Arthur B. Krim, Robert Benjamin, and William Bernstein. Orion was one of the "mini-majors" of the 1980s, along with New Line Cinema, TriStar Pictures, and MGM/UA Entertainment Company.
Orion Pictures produced and distributed a number of successful films in the 1980s, including Platoon, RoboCop, Full Metal Jacket, and Fatal Attraction. The company also released a number of critically acclaimed films, such as Amadeus, The Silence of the Lambs, and Dances with Wolves.
In the 1990s, Orion Pictures experienced financial difficulties and was acquired by MGM in 1997. The Orion Pictures brand was revived in 2018 by MGM and Amazon Studios.
Orion Pictures is known for its independent spirit and its willingness to take risks on new and untested filmmakers. The company has produced and distributed some of the most iconic and influential films of the past few decades.
Here are some of the most notable films produced or distributed by Orion Pictures:
- Platoon (1986)
- RoboCop (1987)
- Full Metal Jacket (1987)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- Amadeus (1984)
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Dances with Wolves (1990)
- The Matrix (1999)
- The Departed (2006)
- Get Out (2017)
Orion Pictures continues to produce and distribute films today, and the company's legacy of independent filmmaking is still felt in Hollywood.
History
Orion Pictures was founded in 1978 by Mike Medavoy, Eric Pleskow, Arthur B. Krim, Robert Benjamin, and William Bernstein. The five executives had all worked together at United Artists, and they left to form their own company in search of greater creative freedom.
Orion Pictures was initially funded by Warner Bros., but the company was given a high degree of autonomy in terms of what films it produced and how it distributed them. This allowed Orion to take risks on new and untested filmmakers, and the company quickly established itself as a leading producer of independent films.
Orion Pictures' success was due in part to its willingness to take risks on new and untested filmmakers. The company also benefited from the fact that it was not beholden to the whims of a major studio. This allowed Orion to make films that were more challenging and thought-provoking than what was typically being produced by the major studios at the time.
However, Orion Pictures began to experience financial difficulties in the early 1990s. The company's films were not as successful as they had been in the 1980s, and Orion was burdened with a large amount of debt. In 1997, Orion Pictures was acquired by MGM.
Under MGM's ownership, Orion Pictures continued to produce and distribute films. However, the company's output was reduced, and Orion lost much of its independence. In 2014, Orion Pictures was relaunched as a specialty division of MGM. The company's new focus was on producing and distributing a limited number of arthouse and independent films.
In 2018, Orion Pictures was again relaunched as a joint venture between MGM and Amazon Studios. The company's new focus is on producing and distributing a wider range of films, including both arthouse and mainstream releases.
Orion Pictures has a long and storied history, and the company has produced some of the most iconic and influential films of the past few decades. The company continues to be a leading player in the independent film industry, and its future looks bright.