Orion Classics
| File:Orion Classics logo.png | |
| Company type | Label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion pictures |
| Founded | 1982 (original) May 21, 2018 (relaunch) |
| Founders | |
| Fate | Integrated into The Samuel Goldwyn Company (original) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people |
|
| Parent | Orion Pictures |
Orion Classics was introduced in 1982 as the specialty distribution arm of the independent film company Orion Pictures, which is currently under Amazon MGM Studios. The label experienced a revival in May 2018.
Founded by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Orion Classics specialized in acquiring independent and international films for distribution across North America, along with producing arthouse cinema. The label originated when Barker, Bernard, and Donna Gigliotti transitioned from United Artists' UA Classics division. Among its distinguished releases were Babette's Feast, Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, and Richard Linklater's Slacker.
Following its 2018 relaunch, Orion Classics has distributed films including Mike P. Nelson's The Domestics and Jim Cummings' The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
History
Orion Classics was created as an independent unit within Orion Pictures to leverage opportunities in the specialty film sector. Executives Tom Bernard, Michael Barker, and Donna Gigliotti joined from UA Classics, bringing extensive connections within the arthouse film community. The division employed a budget-conscious marketing strategy characterized by limited print distributions and phased releases, concentrating on urban markets to cultivate audience engagement.
One of the label’s early successes was securing French filmmaker Eric Rohmer, releasing his 1983 film Pauline at the Beach, which became its initial commercial hit. Throughout the 1980s, Orion Classics distributed most of Rohmer’s films and selectively financed projects. Its first U.S. independent acquisition was Strangers Kiss in 1984.
Although plans to develop original productions were announced for 1984–85, these were postponed due to financial challenges faced by Orion Pictures overall.
In 1991, amid Orion’s financial instability, Barker, Bernard, and Bloom exited the company taking key assets such as the rights to Merchant Ivory’s adaptation of Howards End. They went on to establish Sony Pictures Classics alongside former Orion president Mike Medavoy.
During the mid-1990s, Metromedia acquired Orion and consolidated Orion Classics into the Samuel Goldwyn Company. Both companies were later sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1997; MGM’s United Artists division then assumed control over independent film production and distribution.
Relaunch
Orion Classics was reestablished in May 2018 as a multiplatform distribution label under MGM, aiming to release between eight and ten films annually. This revival represented MGM’s entrance into simultaneous theatrical and video-on-demand release strategies. The label debuted with Mike P. Nelson’s The Domestics, which premiered in theaters on June 28, 2018, followed by VOD and digital availability the subsequent day.
Film collection
| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Heads I Win, Tails You Lose | 1982 |
| The Pool Hustlers | 1982 |
| Beyond the Door | September 5, 1982 |
| Pauline at the Beach | July 29, 1983 |
| Carmen | October 20, 1983 |
| Scrubbers | January 31, 1984 |
| Privates on Parade | April 13, 1984 |
| Sugar Cane Alley | April 13, 1984 |
| Another Country | June 29, 1984 |
| Strangers Kiss | August 13, 1984 |
| Old Enough | August 24, 1984 |
| Full Moon in Paris | September 7, 1984 |
| Swann in Love | September 14, 1984 |
| Where the Green Ants Dream | February 8, 1985 |
| My New Partner | March 8, 1985 |
| MacArthur's Children | May 17, 1985 |
| Henry IV | June 28, 1985 |
| Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart | August 9, 1985 |
| Came a Hot Friday | October 4, 1985 |
| Colonel Redl | October 4, 1985 |
| Ran | December 20, 1985 |
| A.K. | January 29, 1986 |
| My Beautiful Laundrette | March 7, 1986 |
| A Great Wall | May 30, 1986 |
| The Green Ray | August 29, 1986 |
| Restless Natives | September 12, 1986 |
| The Sacrifice | November 1986 |
| El Amor brujo | December 23, 1986 |
| One Woman or Two | February 6, 1987 |
| Devil in the Flesh | May 22, 1987 |
| Jean de Florette | June 26, 1987 |
| Rita, Sue and Bob Too | July 17, 1987 |
| End of the Line | August 28, 1987 |
| Dancing in Water | September 18, 1987 |
| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| '‘'Manon of the Spring'’' | November 5, 1987 |
| '‘'Au Revoir Les Enfants'’' | December 1987 |
| '‘'Babette's Feast'’' | March 4, 1988 |
| '‘'Wings of Desire'’' | May 6, 1988 |
| '‘'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'’' | November 11, 1988 |
| '‘'Chocolat (1988 film)'’' | March 10, 1989 |
| '‘'Mystery Train'’' | November 7, 1989 |
| '‘'Camille Claudel'’' | December 21, 1989 |
| '‘'Jesus of Montreal'’' | May 25, 1990 |
| '‘'Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)'’' | December 1, 1990 |
| '‘'Europa Europa'’' | June 28, 1991 |
| '‘'Slacker (film)'’' | July 5, 1991 |
| '‘'Raise the Red Lantern'’' | March 13, 1992 |
| '‘'[Jeffrey (1995 film)]'’' | August 18, 1995 |
| '‘'[Trees Lounge]'’' | October 11, 1996 |
| '‘'[Prisoner of the Mountains]'’' | January 31, 1997 |
| '‘'[One Man's Hero]'’' | September 24, 1999 |
| '‘'[The Domestics]'’' | June 28, 2018 |
| '‘'[Unlovable]'’' | November 1, 2018 |
| '‘'[Valley Girl (2020 film)]'’' | May 8, 2020 |
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Orion Pictures
- California-based entertainment firms
- Los Angeles companies
- Businesses that underwent Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991
- American enterprises founded in 1982
- Entertainment firms established in 1982
- 1982 establishments in California
- Independent film studios in the United States
- Amazon MGM Studios
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- American companies established in 1982
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment