Chernin Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film and television production |
| Founded | February 24, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Peter Chernin |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Peter Chernin (Chairman and CEO), Jenno Topping (President), David Ready (Executive Vice President, Film and TV), Kristen Campo (Executive Vice President, Television) |
| Products | Feature films, television programs |
| Owner | The North Road Company |
Chernin Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based American production company specializing in film and television, currently owned by The North Road Company. Established on February 24, 2009, by producer and former media executive Peter Chernin, who acts as chairman and CEO, the firm primarily concentrates on feature films. Jenno Topping holds the position of president overseeing both film and television divisions, with David Ready serving as executive vice president for film and TV, and Kristen Campo as executive vice president of television. To date, the company has produced 27 movies, predominantly collaborating with 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios).
History
Following Peter Chernin’s departure from his presidency at News Corporation in 2009, Chernin Entertainment was launched. Its debut production was Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). That same year, the company secured a five-year first-look agreement with 20th Century Fox covering both film and television projects.
In March 2011, Jenno Topping joined as executive vice president of film and was elevated to President of Film in 2013. David Ready was brought on as Senior Vice President reporting to her. By 2015, Topping assumed the role of President for both Film and Television amid organizational changes. Dante Di Loreto briefly held the title of President of Television before Kristen Campo stepped into the role in 2016.
November 2014 saw Chernin extend its first-look film arrangement with 20th Century Fox, although under terms less advantageous than before. With limited success in television ventures, the company shifted its TV production partnership to NBCUniversal in 2015 and later entered a scripted drama agreement with Endeavor Content in 2017.
On January 17, 2020, Walt Disney Studios terminated its production collaboration with Chernin Entertainment due to strategic realignments favoring internal financing and franchise development at 20th Century Studios. Despite this, Chernin maintained involvement with the Planet of the Apes franchise along with several other projects while retaining most films still in development. In April 2020, Chernin secured a multi-year first-look film deal with Netflix.
In September 2020, Chernin forged a multi-year alliance with Spotify aimed at adapting original podcasts into cinematic and television productions.
February 2021 marked the inception of Words + Pictures, a documentary-focused non-scripted studio led by former ESPN content chief Connor Schell as CEO, with Jenno Topping managing the partnership.
October 2021 featured Nancy Utley, formerly of Searchlight Pictures, founding Lake Ellyn Entertainment under a first-look agreement with both Chernin and Netflix.
April 2022 brought the addition of Jan Frouman—previously chairman and CEO of Red Arrow Studios and president of Westbrook International—to Chernin’s team, signaling plans for expansion including potential acquisition of Red Arrow Studios from ProSiebenSat.1 Media.
In July 2022, Peter Chernin launched The North Road Company, an independent global content studio that incorporated Chernin Entertainment. The North Road acquired Red Arrow Studios’ U.S. assets for $200 million and assumed full ownership of Words + Pictures. Leadership roles include Peter Chernin as CEO; Jenno Topping continuing as president of Chernin Entertainment; Connor Schell heading unscripted content; Jan Frouman serving as North Road president; and Kirstin Jones leading international film and television operations from London.
June 2023 marked The North Road Company’s first international purchase with the acquisition of Karga Seven Pictures—a Turkish/American production firm—thereby expanding into Turkey while retaining founders Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, and Kelly McPherson in leadership positions.
In November 2023, The North Road secured a majority stake in Two One Five Entertainment, led by hip hop artists Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, to fund upcoming scripted projects under the expanded organization.
That same month also saw The North Road acquire documentary producer Little Room Films, integrating it within Words + Pictures while founder Jason Hehir remains as president.
Looking forward to January 2025, The North Road intends to enter Latin America through acquiring Mexican TV producer Perro Azul, maintaining management continuity with founders Alexis Fridman and Juan Uruchurtu remaining at the helm.
Production
Chernin Entertainment is engaged in creating content for both television and cinema.
The company's debut feature film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes released in August 2011, achieved a global box office revenue exceeding $480 million. Among its other significant projects are the comedic film Parental Guidance (2012) featuring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, the science fiction thriller Oblivion with Tom Cruise, and the comedy The Heat starring Melissa McCarthy alongside Sandra Bullock.
2010s
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Rupert Wyatt | 20th Century Fox | Produced jointly with Dune Entertainment, Big Screen Productions, and Ingenious Film Partners | $93 million | $481.8 million |
| 2012 | Parental Guidance | Andy Fickman | Co-produced with Walden Media, Face Productions, and Dune Entertainment | $25 million | $120.8 million | |
| 2013 | Oblivion | Joseph Kosinski | Universal Pictures | In collaboration with Relativity Media, Monolith Pictures, and Radical Studios | $120 million | $286.2 million |
| The Heat | Paul Feig | 20th Century Fox | $43 million | $229.9 million | ||
| 2014 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Matt Reeves | Budget range: $170–235 million | $710.6 million | ||
| The Drop | Michaël R. Roskam | Fox Searchlight Pictures | $12.6 million | $18.7 million | ||
| St. Vincent | Theodore Melfi | The Weinstein Company | Produced alongside Crescendo Productions | $13 million | $54.8 million | |
| Exodus: Gods and Kings | Ridley Scott | 20th Century Fox | Co-produced with Scott Free Productions | Budget range: $140–200 million | $268.2 million | |
| 2015 | Spy | Paul Feig | Produced in partnership with Feigco Entertainment | $65 million | $235.7 million | |
| 2016 | Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | Jake Szymanski | Estimated budget: $33–35 million | $77.1 million | ||
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Tim Burton | Co-production involving Tim Burton Productions, Scope Pictures, St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission, and Ingenious Media | $110 million | $296.5 million | ||
| Hidden Figures | Theodore Melfi | Collaborated with Fox 2000 Pictures and Levantine Films | $25 million | $236 million | ||
| 2017 | Snatched | Jonathan Levine | Produced with Feigco Entertainment | $42 million | $60.8 million | |
|
$150 million |
$490.7 million | |||||
|
Co-production with Fox 2000 Pictures |
$35 million |
$62.8 million | ||||
|
Jointly produced with Laurence Mark Productions |
$84 million |
$435 million | ||||
|
2018 |
Red Sparrow |
Francis Lawrence |
'$69 million ' |
'$151.6 million ' | ||
|
2019 |
Tolkien (film) |
Dome Karukoski |
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures |
'$20 million ' |
'$9 million ' | |
|
Ford v Ferrari |
James Mangold |
rowspan="2" | 20th Century Fox |
Co-produced with Turnpike Films |
'$97.6 million ' |
'$225.5 million ' | |
|
Spies in Disguise |
Nick Bruno |
Produced in association with Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation |
'$100 million ' |
'$171.6 million ' |
2020s
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Underwater | William Eubank | 20th Century Fox | Produced in collaboration with 20th Century Fox | $50–80 million | $40.9 million |
| 2021 | Fear Street Part One: 1994 | Leigh Janiak | Netflix | |||
| Fear Street Part Two: 1978 | ||||||
| Fear Street Part Three: 1666 | ||||||
| 2022 | Slumberland | Francis Lawrence | ||||
| 2023 | Luther: The Fallen Sun | Jamie Payne | In partnership with BBC Film | |||
| Dicks: The Musical | Larry Charles | A24 | ||||
| 2024 | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Wes Ball | 20th Century Studios | Uncredited involvement; co-produced with OddBall Entertainment and Jason T. Reed Productions | $120–160 million | $397.4 million |
| Rez Ball | Sydney Freeland | Netflix | Co-produced alongside SpringHill Company, Wise Entertainment, and Lake Ellyn Entertainment | |||
| 2025 | Back in Action | Seth Gordon | Co-production with Exhibit A and Good One Productions | |||
| Fear Street: Prom Queen | Matt Palmer |
Upcoming
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kane Parsons | A24 | Produced jointly with 21 Laps Entertainment, Async Pictures Inc., Atomic Monster, and Oddfellows Pictures | |
| TBA | Louis Leterrier | Netflix | Co-production with 3 Arts Entertainment | |
|
Altar |
Egor Abramenko | A24 | ||
| TBA | Netflix | |||
|
Five Secrets |
TBA | Apple Original Films | Co-produced with Apple Studios | |
|
The Flick |
TBA |
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Osborne | Netflix | Collaborative production with Netflix Animation, Blur Studio, and Dark Horse Entertainment | ||
| Shana Feste | Netflix | Co-produced alongside Sandbox Studios | ||
|
Marc Guggenheim#Last Flight Out
|
Sam Hargrave | Apple Original Films | Produced jointly with Dark Horse Entertainment | |
| Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman | Netflix | In collaboration with Capcom | ||
| TBA | 20th Century Studios | Partnership with King Features Syndicate | ||
|
Sidekicks |
TBA | Paramount Pictures | Co-produced with Twin Ink | |
|
Untitled The Fly film |
Nikyatu Jusu | 20th Century Studios |
2010s
| Years | Title | Creator(s) | Network | Notes | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | Breakout Kings | Nick Santora Matt Olmstead |
A&E | (Co-produced with Matt Olmstead Productions, Blackjack Films, and Fox 21 Television Studios) | 2 | 23 |
|
Kelly Marcel |
Fox | (Produced in partnership with Amblin Television, Kapital Entertainment, Siesta Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television) | 1 | 13 | ||
| 2011 | Allen Gregory | Jonah Hill Andrew Mogel Jarrad Paul |
(Produced together with Bento Box Entertainment, Jonah Hill Films, J. Paul/A. Mogel/D. Goodman Piece of Business, and 20th Century Fox Television) | 7 | ||
| 2011–2018 | New Girl | Elizabeth Meriwether | (Co-production involving Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures, American Nitwits, and 20th Century Fox Television) | 7 | 146 | |
| 2012–2013 | Touch | Tim Kring | (Produced alongside Tailwind Productions and 20th Century Fox Television) | 2 | 26 | |
| Ben and Kate | Dana Fox | (Co-production with Hemingway Drive Productions and 20th Century Fox Television) | 1 | 16 | ||
| 2019–2022 | See | Steven Knight | Apple TV+ | (Produced together with Quaker Moving Pictures, Endeavor Content, and Nebula Star) | 3 | 24 |
| 2019–2023 | Truth Be Told | Nichelle Tramble Spellman | (Co-produced alongside Orit Entertainment, Hello Sunshine, Endeavor Content, and With a N)
3 28 |
2020s
| Year | Title | Creator(s) | Network | Notes | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–present | P-Valley | Katori Hall | Starz | co-produced with Kat Buggy Productions and Lionsgate Television starting from season 2; only season 1 solely produced | 2 | 18 |
| 2024 | Exploding Kittens | Matthew Inman and Shane Kosakowski | Netflix | produced in collaboration with Chomp City and Bandera Entertainment | 1 | 9 |
| 2025 | Chief of War | Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett | Apple TV+ | joint production with Pride of Gypsies, Hard J Productions, about:blank, and Fifth Season | 1 | 8 |