Bleecker Street (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film distribution |
| Founded | August 2014 |
| Founder | Andrew Karpen |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Andrew Karpen (CEO) |
| Products | Motion pictures distribution |
Bleecker Street Media LLC is a U.S.-based independent film company focused on distributing motion pictures. Headquartered in New York City, its name derives from 65 Bleecker Street, the former location of founder Andrew Karpen's earlier enterprise, Focus Features. Established in 2014, Bleecker Street’s mission is to release "smart house" films that merge the broad appeal of studio blockbusters with the creativity typical of independent cinema.
History
Founded in August 2014 by CEO Andrew Karpen, who previously served as co-CEO at Focus Features, Bleecker Street was launched with financial support from Manoj Bhargava. The company began operations with an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement involving Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures. Its initial objective was to distribute three to five films in 2015, with plans for growth in subsequent years. In September 2014, Karpen appointed four former Focus Features executives as company presidents. At the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Bleecker Street secured its inaugural significant deal by acquiring North American distribution rights to Pawn Sacrifice. Later releases such as Trumbo (2015) and Captain Fantastic garnered Academy Award nominations.
Bleecker Street concentrated on theatrical releases and swiftly established a strong presence in the independent film sector with titles including Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky and Eye in the Sky (2016). The latter, starring Helen Mirren, became the top arthouse release of that year. In 2023, the company distributed Golda, featuring Mirren once again, which also received an Oscar nomination.
In March 2025, Bleecker Street acquired distribution rights for both This is Spinal Tap and its sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues through an agreement with Castle Rock Entertainment. The original film was slated for a theatrical re-release in July, followed by the sequel’s release in September.
2015–2019
At the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Bleecker Street completed its first acquisition of worldwide rights for Brett Haley’s I'll See You In My Dreams. That same year, it entered into a multi-year home entertainment distribution agreement with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, now operated by Studio Distribution Services LLC—a collaborative venture between UPHE and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Additionally, Bleecker Street secured a multi-year Canadian distribution contract with Elevation Pictures, beginning with Danny Collins, and later negotiated an exclusive multi-year licensing arrangement with Amazon Prime.
In 2019, the company formed a partnership with Hulu through an output deal granting Hulu exclusive SVOD access to forthcoming theatrical releases; Hotel Mumbai was the first film made available under this contract.
2021–2022
In 2021, Bleecker Street collaborated with Neon to establish DECAL, a joint home entertainment distribution entity responsible for managing rights to curated films from both studios. DECAL’s debut release was Bleecker Street’s own Supernova (2020).
February 2022 saw Bleecker Street sign an exclusive three-year output agreement with Showtime Networks, succeeding its prior arrangement with Hulu. Starting March 2022, Showtime gained rights to broadcast up to twelve Bleecker Street titles annually across its platforms within five months following their theatrical premieres.
Expanding into digital short films, Bleecker Street introduced the exclusive short Look at Me via its app in early 2023, joining works by directors such as Joe Penna and Gavin Hood.
On September 9, 2022, Bleecker Street revealed an exclusive output deal with Canadian distributor LevelFilm to manage Canadian distribution of its films where it holds North American or worldwide rights. The initial release under this agreement is Catherine Hardwicke’s action comedy Mafia Mamma, starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci, scheduled for nationwide release in 2023.
On October 27, 2022, Bleecker Street partnered with Showtime to launch the documentary 2nd Chance, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ramin Bahrani. The film premiered in theaters in December 2022 before becoming available on Showtime’s platforms in spring 2023.
2023
In September 2023, Bleecker Street partnered with Elysian Film Group and Anonymous Content to secure the distribution rights for Hayao Miyazaki's animated film The Boy and the Heron across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This deal represents the company's inaugural acquisition in the UK/Ireland market as well as its first venture into animated features.