Distribution companies

1. DISTRIBUTION
COMPANIES
Leah Blundell

2. WHAT IS FILM DISTRIBUTION?
• A film distribution company holds charge over the marketing, release date and
strategy, cinema and DVD release, as well as any other windows they wish to release
the film on depending on its success.
• The film distribution will have to purchase the rights to a film based on what they
feel matches their brand. They can make this decision either on genre, what they
think would suit their audience and any other means.
• A distribution plan is made that is bespoke to the type of film and its audience.
• Distributors will have to then screen the film to buyers from cinemas, unless the
distributor owns or is associated with a chain of cinemas

3. TYPES OF DISTRIBUTION
Major Studios Independent Studios
Most major companies often are
vertically integrated having access to
different departments at a different
stage e.g. production and distribution.
This promotes ease and means that
the one conglomerate maintains all
the profit.
Independent companies have to sell
their films to separate distribution
companies to distribute their film.

4. DISTRIBUTORS IN THE UK
• United International Pictures
• Warner Bros
• Buena Vista
• Sony
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Lionsgate

5. CASE STUDY
Lionsgate Films UK
Lionsgate Films UK is a division of Lionsgate that is based in the UK. The most
common types of film for Lionsgate to release include films in the thriller genre and
from the teen genre. For example, The Hunger Games, Jigsaw, Trespass Against
Us, The Age of Adaline. On the films listed they only distributed the film, as
Lionsgate is a major studio company they are vertically integrated and have access to
production companies.
When making the film Nerve the marketing strategy that Lionsgate came up with
was based on the statistic that 74% millennials, particularly 14 to 17-year-olds,
regularly use smartphones during TV viewing. Therefore on the screening of Big
Brother they used social media to allow viewers to give dares to the celebrities. Not
only did this increase viewer participation, but also this idea shares direct themes of
the film.