2. Who are they?
• United International Pictures are one of the
biggest film distributors at present.
• They were created in 1981, and distribute for
films made by some of the most major
Hollywood production companies such as
Dreamworks.
3. Who are they owned by?
• United International Pictures are jointly
owned by Paramount and Universal, two of
the biggest Hollywood studios. Their current
chairman and chief executive is Stewart Till.
4. What do they do?
• United International Pictures aim to distribute
films to a global market, including countries
such as China and Russia. They have offices in
35 countries, including Singapore and New
Zealand.
• It generally distributes mainstream films made
by big companies e.g. Shrek, Love Actually,
Jurassic Park and Collateral.
5. Why are UIP virtually guaranteed to be
successful?
• They are owned by a combination of Universal
and Paramount Pictures, meaning the
likelihood of them losing support altogether is
minimal – even if one of the two production
companies goes bust, the likelihood of both
doing so is very low. It has also been very
successful so far, having distributed successful
films from successful directors, meaning that
it is almost guaranteed to continue its success.
6. Examples
• Collateral was made in 2004 – directed by Michael
Mann, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was
produced by Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks, two
major production companies. It made 217 million
dollars on a worldwide, lifetime basis from a 65 million
dollar budget, making it successful as a film.
• Shrek was a 2001 animation film. It was produced by
Dreamworks and Dreamworks animation, one of the
biggest animation companies. It made 484 million
dollars on a worldwide, lifetime basis from a 60 million
dollar budget, making it a very successful film.
