Amazon MGM Studios
| File:MGM logo.svg MGM's iconic Leo the Lion emblem used since October 2023 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film and television production and distribution |
| Predecessor | Amazon Studios, MGM Holdings |
| Founded | November 2010 (as Amazon Studios) |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jeff Bezos (founder), Jennifer Salke (former executive), Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (James Bond franchise joint venture) |
| Owner | Amazon |
Number of employees | 2700 (2023) |
| Website | www |
Amazon MGM Studios is a U.S.-based company specializing in film and television production and distribution, owned by Amazon and situated at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Originally launched as Amazon Studios in November 2010, it adopted its current name in October 2023 after merging with MGM Holdings, which Amazon had acquired the year prior.
By September 2023, the company’s content was chiefly distributed through theatrical releases by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and streamed via Amazon’s platform, Amazon Prime Video.
Together with Amazon Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios constitutes a central pillar of Amazon’s entertainment division and accounts for half of its representation within the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which it joined in October 2024.
Origins and initial achievements (2010–2021)
At its inception, Amazon Studios invited submissions of television and film scripts through an online portal, aiming to provide feedback within 90 days. Writers whose work was chosen received development fees of $10,000; creators of fully financed films earned $200,000, while series creators were compensated $55,000 plus royalties from merchandise licensing.
In 2008, Amazon ventured into film production with The Stolen Child, a collaboration with 20th Century Fox. Its first original film acquisition was Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq in 2015.
Beginning in 2010, Amazon implemented a system where screenplays were reviewed and rated by both employees and customers, rewarding top writers financially—a method founder Jeff Bezos described as “the scientific studio.” This initiative concluded after eight years due to the prevalence of low-quality entries.
In 2012, Amazon Studios published a free comic book series titled Blackburn Burrow to test interest for a possible movie adaptation. By 2013, the studio had received over 10,000 feature-length screenplay submissions and 2,700 television pilot scripts, with 23 films and 26 series actively in development. The film division underwent restructuring into Prime Movies in late 2016.
On July 27, 2017, Amazon Studios began distributing its own projects independently, debuting this approach with the December release of Wonder Wheel, moving away from reliance on third-party distributors. The company secured worldwide television rights to The Lord of the Rings for $250 million as part of an aggressive expansion strategy. Nonetheless, outside the United States it continues to collaborate with external distributors such as Elevation Pictures in Canada and Warner Bros. and StudioCanal across Europe.
In April 2018, Amazon Studios stopped accepting unsolicited screenplay submissions to concentrate on established industry partnerships and prioritize working with proven talent.
MGM acquisition and corporate transformation (2021–present)
In May 2021, Amazon announced plans to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $8.45 billion pending regulatory approval. Post-acquisition, MGM operates as a distinct label alongside Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video, maintaining its alliance with United Artists Releasing, the joint distribution venture between MGM and Annapurna Pictures.
Following this acquisition, Amazon Studios secured several strategic agreements: Steven Prinz and Brian Otaño signed overall television and first-look contracts in 2021; Eddie Murphy entered a first-look film deal; Westbrook and 87North Productions committed to multi-year arrangements in early 2022; and Intrepid Pictures agreed to an overall TV deal later that year. These collaborations align with Amazon’s strategy to broaden its content offerings and increase market presence.
In November 2022, Jennifer Salke assumed full leadership over MGM’s film and television branches to streamline operations. By early 2023, Amazon Studios had expanded its workforce to approximately 2,700 employees across its Culver City headquarters and production facilities, reflecting its growing global footprint.
March 2023 saw the closure of United Artists Releasing as distribution responsibilities were consolidated under MGM to enhance theatrical release capabilities within Amazon’s ownership framework. That same month included exclusive first-look agreements with Joe Quesada and Imagine Entertainment.
In May 2023, Amazon launched Amazon MGM Studios Distribution as an international arm handling distribution for both Amazon and MGM projects. Early releases under the MGM banner included Saltburn, Sitting in Bars with Cake, and A Million Miles Away. The corporate rebranding that followed in October 2023 merged Amazon Studios with MGM Holdings into one entity—Amazon MGM Studios—retiring the former logo in favor of MGM’s iconic Leo the Lion emblem.
December 2023 featured a landmark agreement with Games Workshop to develop film and television adaptations of Warhammer 40,000, involving actor and executive producer Henry Cavill. In January 2024, significant workforce reductions were announced across Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, and Twitch as part of efforts to optimize financial performance.
To celebrate MGM’s centennial in 2024, Amazon MGM introduced a commemorative "100 Years" logo on new releases and collaborated with Fandango at Home and Rotten Tomatoes on a "100 Essential Movies" collection drawn from MGM’s catalog. Additionally, the studio secured a three-year first-look agreement with Jake Gyllenhaal's Nine Stories Productions for projects intended for theatrical release and streaming platforms.
In July 2024, United Artists was revived as a label through a multi-year partnership with Scott Stuber, formerly Netflix’s Chief of Film. By September 2024, both Amazon MGM and Prime Video joined the Motion Picture Association (MPA), marking MGM’s return after nearly twenty years.
February 2025 brought a $1 billion investment by Amazon MGM aimed at acquiring full creative control over the James Bond franchise through a joint venture with Eon Productions’ Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Reports highlight CEO Jeff Bezos’ instrumental role in steering this strategic leadership transition.
In March 2025, Jennifer Salke stepped down from her executive position to focus on producing roles. The following month saw Amazon MGM debut at CinemaCon in Las Vegas with announcements about plans to increase theatrical output in 2026.
June 2025 marked the establishment of a multi-year international theatrical distribution partnership between Sony Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios—reuniting Sony with MGM since their last collaboration in 2020—while Warner Bros. Home Entertainment continues managing home entertainment distribution.
Accolades
Amazon Studios first garnered significant industry acclaim in 2015 when Transparent made history as the inaugural streaming series to secure the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. In 2017, the film Manchester by the Sea received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, ultimately winning two Oscars: Best Actor for Casey Affleck and Best Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan.
The studio also handled distribution for Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016. By 2018, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had achieved multiple wins at both the Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards, notably capturing Outstanding Comedy Series.
More recently, under United Artists Releasing, Women Talking earned a Best Picture nomination at the 95th Academy Awards and took home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. After transitioning to Amazon MGM Studios, Orion Pictures’ American Fiction was honored with the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award in 2023 and received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
These prestigious honors highlight Amazon MGM Studios' expanding influence and competitive stature within the entertainment sector.
Film production and distribution
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- United Artists
- Orion Pictures
- American International Pictures
- Prime Movies
- Amazon Content Services
- Amazon MGM Studios Distribution
Television
- MGM Television
- MGM Alternative Television
- MGM International Television
- MGM On Demand
- MGM/UA Television
- Big Fish Entertainment LLC
- Half Moon Pictures
- Evolution Media
- Gato Grande Productions (a joint venture with Mexican entrepreneurs Miguel Aleman and Antonio Cué)
- Lightworkers Media
Channels
- MGM+
- MGM+ Marquee
- MGM+ Hits
- MGM+ Drive-In
- MGM+ On Demand
- ScreenPix
- ScreenPix Action
- ScreenPix Westerns
- ScreenPix Voices
- ScreenPix On Demand
- Impact (a partnership with Comcast)
- MGM Sci-Fi (linear channel on Roku)
Others
- Amazon MGM Studios Consumer Products
- MGM Home Entertainment
- MGM Music
- Prime Video Sport
- MGM On Stage
Highest-grossing films
| Rank | Title | Year | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red One | rowspan="2" | 2024 | $97,000,759 | |||
| The Beekeeper | $66,220,535 | |||
| The Accountant 2 | 2025 | $65,486,713 | |||
| The Boys in the Boat | rowspan="2" | 2023 | $52,641,306 | |||
| Air | $52,460,106 | |||
| Challengers | rowspan="2" | 2024 | $50,119,408 | |||
| Blink Twice | $48,093,906 | |||
| A Working Man | 2025 | $37,000,711 | |||
| American Fiction | 2023 | $21,098,470 | |||
| Late Night | 2019 | $15,499,454 |
| Rank | Title | Year | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red One | rowspan="2" | 2024 | $185,900,759 | |||
| The Beekeeper | $162,619,535 | |||
| The Accountant 2 | rowspan="2" | 2025 | $102,086,713 | |||
| A Working Man | $99,054,702 | |||
| Challengers | 2024 | $96,119,408 | |||
| Air | rowspan="2" | 2023 | $90,060,106 | |||
| The Boys in the Boat | $55,521,574 | |||
| Blink Twice | 2024 | $48,093,906 | |||
| American Fiction | 2023 | $23,026,243 | |||
| Late Night | 2019 | $22,386,555 |
External links
- (Amazon MGM Corporate)
- (Amazon MGM Press)
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Amazon MGM Studios
- Amazon (company)
- Major film studios
- Film production companies of the United States
- Television production companies of the United States
- Comic book publishing companies of the United States
- Companies based in Culver City, California
- Film distributors of the United States
- American companies established in 2010
- Mass media companies established in 2010
- Entertainment companies based in California
- Organizations awarded an Academy Honorary Award
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
- 5