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Cinematic Ventures

An exploration of Morgan Creek Entertainment's legacy in film production, from its inception to its notable contributions to Hollywood.

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About Morgan Creek

The Studio

Morgan Creek Entertainment is a distinguished American film production company, recognized for its role in bringing numerous successful films to the screen. Founded in 1987 by James G. Robinson and Joe Roth, the company has established a significant presence in the entertainment industry.

Notable Productions

The studio is credited with producing a slate of box-office hits that have become cultural touchstones. These include acclaimed titles such as Young Guns, Dead Ringers, Major League, True Romance, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Crush, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and The Last of the Mohicans.

Operational Model

Morgan Creek typically partners with larger distribution studios for its theatrical releases while strategically retaining ownership of the copyrights to its films. This model allows the company to maintain control over its intellectual property, managing home video and television rights autonomously.

Company History

Founding and Early Years

Established in 1987 by James G. Robinson and Joe Roth, Morgan Creek's initial film slate, from 1988 to 1990, was primarily distributed by 20th Century Fox. Notable exceptions included Renegades and Coupe de Ville, distributed by Universal Pictures, and Major League, released by Paramount Pictures. The company's name was inspired by Joe Roth's favorite film, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

Distribution Shifts

In 1991, a significant shift occurred when Morgan Creek moved its distribution and catalog rights to Warner Bros., beginning with the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This partnership continued until early 2005. Subsequently, the company entered into a new distribution agreement with Universal Pictures for its newer films, while Warner Bros. continued to manage the distribution of previous titles in the United States.

Expansion and Ventures

In 1996, Morgan Creek ventured into animated feature film production with The King & I, though this endeavor did not achieve commercial success. The company also engaged in distribution agreements for home video and DVD, establishing labels like Morgan Creek Video and Morgan Creek DVD. In 1998, an agreement was made with Franchise Pictures for domestic distribution of Franchise's upcoming films, though this was later followed by legal disputes.

Rights Sales and Evolution

A pivotal moment in the company's recent history occurred in October 2014 when Morgan Creek sold the international distribution rights and copyrights to its film library to Revolution Studios for $36.75 million. Further negotiations in September 2015 indicated a potential sale of rights for remaining territories, with the company aiming to retain remake and television rights for key franchises like Ace Ventura, Major League, Young Guns, and The Exorcist.

Filmography Highlights

Key Releases and Performance

Morgan Creek has produced a diverse range of films across various genres. The following table provides a summary of their notable productions, including release dates, directors, budgets, and worldwide gross revenue, offering insight into their commercial performance.

Release Date Title Director Budget Gross (worldwide) Notes
August 12, 1988 Young Guns Christopher Cain $11 million $45,661,556 First Morgan Creek production distributed by 20th Century Fox; international and home media distribution by Vestron Pictures
September 23, 1988 Dead Ringers David Cronenberg $13 million $8,038,508 Co-production with Telefilm Canada and Mantle Clinic II
March 3, 1989 Skin Deep Blake Edwards $8.5 million $19,674,852
April 7, 1989 Major League David S. Ward $11 million $49,797,148 Co-production with Mirage Productions; U.S. distribution by Paramount Pictures
June 2, 1989 Renegades Jack Sholder $16 million $9,015,164 Co-production with Interscope Communications; distributed by Universal Pictures
December 13, 1989 Enemies, a Love Story Paul Mazursky $9.5 million $7,754,571
February 16, 1990 Nightbreed Clive Barker $11 million $8,862,354
March 9, 1990 Coupe de Ville Joe Roth N/A $715,983 Second and last Morgan Creek production distributed by Universal Pictures until 2005
August 1, 1990 Young Guns II Geoff Murphy $10 million $44,143,410
August 17, 1990 The Exorcist III William Peter Blatty $11 million $39,024,251
September 28, 1990 Pacific Heights John Schlesinger $18 million $44,926,706 Last Morgan Creek production distributed by 20th Century Fox
June 14, 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Kevin Reynolds $48 million $390,493,908 First Morgan Creek production distributed by Warner Bros.; the film's score became the music for Morgan Creek's animated logo
January 17, 1992 Freejack Geoff Murphy $30 million $17,129,000
April 24, 1992 White Sands Roger Donaldson $22 million $9,011,574
August 14, 1992 Stay Tuned Peter Hyams $25 million $10,736,401
September 25, 1992 The Last of the Mohicans Michael Mann $40 million $75,505,856 Co-production with 20th Century Fox
April 2, 1993 The Crush Alan Shapiro $6 million $13,609,396
September 10, 1993 True Romance Tony Scott $13 million $12,281,551 Co-production with Davis Films and A Band Apart
February 4, 1994 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Tom Shadyac $12 million $107,217,396
March 30, 1994 Major League II David S. Ward $25 million $30,626,182
April 22, 1994 Chasers Dennis Hopper $15 million $1,596,687
September 9, 1994 Trial by Jury Heywood Gould N/A $6,971,777
October 14, 1994 Imaginary Crimes Anthony Drazan N/A $89,611
October 28, 1994 Silent Fall Bruce Beresford $30 million $3,180,674
November 10, 1995 Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls Steve Oedekerk $30 million $212,385,533
January 12, 1996 Two If by Sea Bill Bennett N/A $10,658,278
January 26, 1996 Big Bully Steve Miner $15 million $2,042,530
March 22, 1996 Diabolique Jeremiah S. Chechik $45 million $17,100,369
November 1, 1996 Bad Moon Eric Red $7 million $1,055,525
July 2, 1997 Wild America William Dear $17 million $7,324,662
March 13, 1998 Incognito John Badham N/A N/A
April 17, 1998 Major League: Back to the Minors John Warren $18 million $3,572,443
August 21, 1998 Wrongfully Accused Pat Proft N/A $9,623,329 Co-production with Constantin Film
October 23, 1998 Soldier Paul W. S. Anderson $60 million $14,594,226 Co-production with Warner Bros. and Jerry Weintraub Productions
March 19, 1999 The King and I Richard Rich $25 million $11,993,021 Morgan Creek's first and only animated film; co-production with Nest Family Entertainment, Rankin/Bass Productions and Rich Animation Studios
September 1, 1999 Chill Factor Hugh Johnson $34 million $11,263,966
February 18, 2000 The Whole Nine Yards Jonathan Lynn $41.3 million $106,371,651 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures, Rational Packaging and Lansdown Films
May 12, 2000 Battlefield Earth Roger Christian $44 million $29,725,663 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures
July 19, 2000 The In Crowd Mary Lambert $15 million $5,217,498
August 25, 2000 The Art of War Christian Duguay $60 million $40,400,425 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures and Amen-Ra Films
October 6, 2000 Get Carter Stephen Kay $63.6 million $19,412,993 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures and The Canton Company
January 19, 2001 The Pledge Sean Penn $35 million $29,419,291 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures, Clyde Is Hungry Films and Epsilon Motion Pictures
February 23, 2001 3000 Miles to Graceland Demian Lichtenstein $62 million $18,720,175 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures
May 18, 2001 Angel Eyes Luis Mandoki $53 million $29,715,606 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures and The Canton Company
August 17, 2001 American Outlaws Les Mayfield $35 million $13,342,790
November 9, 2001 Heist David Mamet $39 million $28,510,652 Select international distribution with Warner Bros. only; produced by Franchise Pictures
June 21, 2002 Juwanna Mann Jesse Vaughan $15 million $13,802,599
August 1, 2003 I'll Be There Craig Ferguson N/A N/A
August 20, 2004 Exorcist: The Beginning Renny Harlin $50 million $78,000,586
May 20, 2005 Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist Paul Schrader $30 million $251,495 Last Morgan Creek production distributed by Warner Bros.
October 7, 2005 Two for the Money D. J. Caruso $35 million $30,526,509 First Morgan Creek production distributed by Universal Pictures since Coupe de Ville
October 13, 2006 Man of the Year Barry Levinson $20 million $41,237,658
December 22, 2006 The Good Shepherd Robert De Niro $85 million $99,480,480 Co-production with Universal Pictures, TriBeCa Productions and American Zoetrope
May 11, 2007 Georgia Rule Garry Marshall $20 million $25,992,167
September 21, 2007 Sydney White Joe Nussbaum N/A $13,620,075
March 3, 2009 Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective David Mickey Evans $7.5 million N/A Released by Warner Home Video
September 30, 2011 Dream House Jim Sheridan $50 million $38,502,340 Select international distribution by Warner Bros.
October 14, 2011 The Thing Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. $38 million $31,505,287 Co-production with Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment
June 16, 2017 All Eyez on Me Benny Boom $45 million $54,876,855 Distributed by Lionsgate; co-production with Summit Entertainment, Program Pictures and Codeblack Films
October 6, 2023 The Exorcist: Believer David Gordon Green $30 million $136,998,069 Co-production with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions; direct sequel to the 1973 film

Television Series

Television Productions

Beyond its cinematic output, Morgan Creek has also been involved in television series production, collaborating with major networks and studios. These ventures extend the company's brand and storytelling capabilities into the television medium.

  • Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1995–2000) (in collaboration with Warner Bros. Television)
  • The Exorcist (2016–2017) (in collaboration with 20th Century Fox Television)
  • Dead Ringers (2023) (in collaboration with Amazon Studios, Astral Projection, and Annapurna Television)

Upcoming Projects

Future Developments

Morgan Creek Entertainment continues to be active in developing new projects and revisiting its established franchises. The company is involved in upcoming films and potential television series, indicating a sustained commitment to content creation.

Upcoming Films:

  • Untitled Exorcist film: A new installment in the franchise, planned as a reboot, with Mike Flanagan attached as director. This project is a co-production with Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Intrepid Pictures.
  • Dream House: A remake of the 2011 film is in development.

Television Series In Development:

  • The Good Shepherd: A potential series adaptation is being developed with Showtime.
  • Nightbreed: A television series adaptation of the 1990 film is also in development.

Study Aids

Key Information for Review

This section provides resources for further study and review of Morgan Creek Entertainment's history and filmography. Understanding the company's strategic decisions, key personnel, and the performance of its productions offers valuable insights into the dynamics of the film industry.

Essential Resources

For a deeper academic understanding, consult the official company website and the detailed filmography. Analyzing the financial data and distribution strategies can provide context for the company's success and challenges over the decades.

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the Morgan Creek Entertainment Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not financial or investment advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional consultation regarding film production, distribution, or investment. Always refer to official company documentation and consult with qualified industry professionals for specific business or financial decisions.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.