Focus Features

Focus Features LLC
Company typeDivision
IndustryFilm
Predecessors
Founded2002; 22 years ago
Founder
Headquarters
Universal City, California
,
United States
Key people
ProductsMotion pictures
ParentUniversal Pictures
DivisionsFocus World
Websitefocusfeatures.com

Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a division of Universal Pictures, which is itself a division of its wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in the United States and internationally.

In November 2018, The Hollywood Reporter named Focus Features "Distributor of the Year" for its success behind the year's breakout documentary film Won't You Be My Neighbor? and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.[2] The studio's most successful film to date is Downton Abbey, which garnered $194.3 million at the worldwide box office.[3]

Focus Features' films have earned numerous awards nominations, including a total of 175 Academy Award nominations and 35 wins across various categories.[4] However, they are also, infamously, the distributor with the most Best Picture losses, out of 16 nominations as of 2024.[5]

History

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Focus Features was formed in 2002 by James Schamus[6] and David Linde[6] and formed from the divisional merger of USA Films, Universal Focus and Good Machine, as well as several assets of the Vivendi-affiliated film studio StudioCanal.[7] USA Films was created by Barry Diller in 1999 when he purchased Interscope Communications, certain assets of the film division of Propaganda Films, October Films and Gramercy Pictures from Seagram and merged the three labels together;[8][9][10][11] USA Films was led by Scott Greenstein.[12] Universal Focus was the specialty film arm of Universal Pictures that was created in 1999 as Universal Classics, which was led by Paul Hardart and Claudia Gray, to replace the October Films label in order to get a group of titles to be distributed by USA Films, focused on the marketing of niche-based acquisitions by Universal Pictures International, Working Title, WT2 Productions, Revolution Films and DNA Films, and eventually rebranded into Universal Focus by 2000.[13][14]

In March 2004, Focus Features revived Rogue Pictures as a genre label, which was once used by October Films in the late 1990s. Rogue Pictures would be led by the same team who led the standard Focus management.[15]

On October 2, 2013, James Schamus was fired from his position as CEO of Focus, with the New York offices being shut down in the process. He was succeeded by Peter Schlessel, whose company FilmDistrict would be merged into Focus and folded into the trade name High Top Releasing. This became effective in January 2014, and several titles developed under FilmDistrict would be released under Focus.[16] Under Schlessel, the company began to acquire films with a wider commercial appeal, much like his previous company.[17][18] In May 2015, Gramercy Pictures was revived by Focus as a genre label, that was on action, sci-fi, and horror films.[19]

In February 2016, Focus merged with Universal Pictures International Productions as part of a new strategy to "align the acquisition and production of specialty films in the global market".[20][21][22] Following this, along with several disappointing box office returns, Schlessel was let go from the company and replaced with Peter Kujawski.[23]

In April 2017, Vine Alternative Investments re-acquired the pre-2008 Rogue film library from Focus Features.[24]

Focus World

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In August 2011, Focus Features launched Focus World, a label focusing on the video on demand market with initial plans to distribute 15 films per year, with one film being released per month.[25]

Distributors

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Australia

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United Kingdom

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Canada

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As a distributor, Focus' most successful release in North America to date is the 2019 film Downton Abbey, which earned $84.5 million during its first weekend at the box office and surpassing Brokeback Mountain, which earned $83 million at the North American box office.[26] However, this is not counting the domestic total of Traffic, which earned $124.1 million under the USA Films banner. The animated film Coraline was also highly profitable for the company. Although suffering its share of unsuccessful releases, Focus has been consistently profitable, and its international sales arm (unusual among studio specialty film divisions) allows it to receive the foreign as well as domestic revenues from its releases.[27] Its DVD and movie rights revenues are boosted by cult classics including Wet Hot American Summer.

Filmography

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Main article: List of Focus Features films

Highest-grossing films

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Rank Title Year Worldwide Gross
1 Downton Abbey 2019 $194,694,725
2 Coraline 2009 $183,925,373
3 Brokeback Mountain 2005 $178,064,141
4 Burn After Reading 2008 $163,728,902
5 Darkest Hour 2017 $150,847,274
6 Atonement 2007 $129,266,061
7 The Theory Of Everything 2014 $123,726,688
8 Pride & Prejudice 2005 $121,616,555
9 The Pianist 2002 $120,072,577
10 Lost In Translation 2003 $118,688,756
11 Insidious Chapter 3 2015 $112,983,889
12 The Boxtrolls 2014 $108,255,770
13 Paranorman 2012 $107,139,399
14 Atomic Blonde 2017 $100,014,025
15 BlacKkKlansman 2018 $93,413,709
16 Downton Abbey: A New Era 2022 $92,651,384
17 The Constant Gardener 2005 $82,468,097
18 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011 $81,515,369
19 The Other Boleyn Girl 2008 $78,201,830
20 Kubo And The Two Strings 2016 $76,249,438
21 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 2004 $73,393,419
22 The Northman 2022 $69,633,110
23 Anna Karenina 2012 $68,929,150
24 Moonrise Kingdom 2012 $68,265,576
25 The American 2010 $67,876,281

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Interscope Communications". Audiovisual Identity Database. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "How Focus Features Rediscovered Its Knack for Making Award-Winning Films". The Hollywood Reporter. November 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Downton Abbey' Becomes Focus Features' Highest-Grossing Pic At Domestic B.O. With $84M+, Unseating 'Brokeback Mountain'". Deadline. October 17, 2019.
  4. ^ "The Envelope Please: Celebrating Focus At The Academy Awards®". Focus Features. February 22, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2024. With well over 120 nominations and 24 Oscars® over the years, Focus has had a seat at the awards table nearly every year—and we'll be there this year as well.
  5. ^ Davis, Clayton (October 31, 2024). "'Conclave' Prays for Oscar Attention: How Do Religious Movies Perform With Academy Voters?". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Hermmans, Grant (March 11, 2022). "'Focus Features Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary With This Wonderful Reel (& Logo)'". ScreenRant.
  7. ^ Lyons, Charles; Bing, Jonathan (February 25, 2002). "The new look at U". Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Diller gets back into movies". The Telegraph-Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  9. ^ "Universal Adds Division for Specialty Films". Los Angeles Times. September 28, 1999. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  10. ^ "Interscope Communications". Audiovisual Identity Database. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Carver, Martin Peers,Benedict (April 8, 1999). "Barry bags a bundle". Variety. Retrieved October 18, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Beauty leads wide open Oscar field", New York Times Accessed April 22, 2014.
  13. ^ Lyons, Charles (September 28, 1999). "Duo tapped to run U inhouse niche unit". Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Survival of the leanest". Variety. July 25, 2001. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Rooney, David (March 25, 2004). "Focus widens lens with Rogue". Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Stewart, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "Revamped Focus Features Led by Peter Schlessel Relocating to L.A." Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (October 2, 2013). "With FilmDistrict's DNA, Will Focus Get a Commercial Makeover?". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  18. ^ Bart, Peter (May 1, 2014). "As Focus Moves Into More Commercial Territory, Indie Films Need a New Champion". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  19. ^ "Focus Revives Gramercy Pictures Label For Genre Films". Deadline Hollywood. May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  20. ^ "FOCUS FEATURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS TO MERGE OPERATIONS UNDER FOCUS FEATURES BANNER". NBCUniversal. February 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  21. ^ "Focus Features Shake-Up: Peter Schlessel Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  22. ^ "Focus Features Shake-Up: What's Behind Peter Schlessel's Abrupt Exit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  23. ^ Lang, Brett (February 4, 2016). "Why Focus Features is Again Getting a Drastic Reboot". Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  24. ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 27, 2017). "New Village Roadshow Co-Owner Vine Acquires Manchester Film Library".
  25. ^ "Focus Features Launches VOD Premiere Label Focus World". Indiewire.com. August 23, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  26. ^ "'Downton Abbey' Becomes Focus Features' Highest-Grossing Pic At Domestic B.O. With $84M+, Unseating 'Brokeback Mountain'". Deadline. October 17, 2019.
  27. ^ Claudia Eller, "Positive cash flow through hits and misses makes Focus Features an attractive asset", Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2010.
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