STX Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media and entertainment |
| Founded | March 2014 |
| Founder | Robert Simonds, Bill McGlashan |
| Headquarters | United States , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jahm Najafi (owner as of 2022) |
| Products | Film, television, digital content |
| Owner | Jahm Najafi (since April 2022) |
| Parent | None |
STX Entertainment is a U.S.-based independent media and entertainment firm established in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds alongside TPG Growth partner Bill McGlashan. The company specializes in creating content across film, television, and digital platforms.
In April 2020, STX revealed plans to merge with Indian production house Eros International, a deal finalized by July 2020, resulting in the combined entity ErosSTX. By December 2021, Jahm Najafi agreed to purchase STX from ErosSTX for $173 million; the transaction closed in April 2022, with Eros maintaining a minority non-voting interest.
History
The idea for STX originated in 2012 when Simonds and McGlashan envisioned a media enterprise centered on mid-budget, star-led projects—a model less frequently pursued by traditional Hollywood studios. Officially launched in 2014, STX secured funding from investors such as Hony Capital, Tencent, PCCW, TPG Growth, RTL Group, and Liberty Global, along with private backers including Gigi Pritzker and Beau Wrigley. The acronym "STX" stands for Simonds, TPG Growth, and "secret project," symbolizing its mission to finance, develop, produce, market, and distribute globally appealing star-driven content.
By September 2017, STX explored the possibility of going public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to tap into Chinese capital and markets. The company filed for an IPO in April 2018 but withdrew the plan by October 2018 due to the China–U.S. trade tensions and volatile market conditions. Additionally, its co-financing partnership with Chinese firm Huayi Brothers Media concluded at the end of 2018. In April 2019, co-founder Bill McGlashan was removed from the company following his indictment related to the college admissions bribery case.
The merger with Eros International in April 2020 aimed to establish a globally focused independent media company that combined expertise from both Hollywood and Bollywood while capitalizing on access to the Chinese market. The newly formed group raised $125 million through equity financing and secured $350 million in credit facilities led by JPMorgan. Post-merger, the company traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange as ErosSTX.
After encountering financial difficulties following the merger, Najafi Companies agreed in December 2021 to acquire STX for $173 million. Although Lionsgate showed acquisition interest in early 2022, Najafi completed the purchase in April 2022; Eros Media World retained a 15% non-voting share. Subsequent leadership shifts included motion picture chairman Adam Fogelson’s departure in July 2022. Around this time, STX initiated discussions with Lionsgate regarding a potential film distribution collaboration.
Following these developments, STX began scaling back its operations in the U.K. and closed its international division headquarters. After John Friedberg, head of STXinternational, left for Black Bear Pictures—which then approached STX about managing portions of its international film slate—STX moved toward winding down domestic distribution and marketing activities by late 2022. Major releases like Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre transitioned to streaming platforms or were acquired by other distributors such as Lionsgate and Neon. In February 2023, Lionsgate obtained domestic distribution rights for Operation Fortune, releasing it theatrically in March 2023. Meanwhile, Neon secured rights for Ferrari, scheduling its release for December 25, 2023.
Distribution
At its inception, STX Films adopted an innovative distribution strategy by establishing direct contracts with leading North American cinema chains such as AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Goodrich, Marcus, and Carmike. Early in 2015, the company secured a multiyear television output agreement with Showtime Networks to exclusively release its films on Showtime, The Movie Channel, and Flix through 2019. That same April, STX collaborated with Universal Studios Home Entertainment to manage marketing, sales, and distribution of Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD formats across North America. Subsequently, film distribution responsibilities shifted to Studio Distribution Services, a joint venture formed by Universal and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Also in April 2015, STX inked a three-year slate agreement with Huayi Brothers of China to co-produce and co-distribute between 12 and 15 films annually, thereby strengthening its footprint in the Chinese market. By January 2017, STX entered into a marketing and distribution partnership with Luc Besson's EuropaCorp Films USA to handle the release of their forthcoming titles in the United States.
In February 2018, STX declared plans to distribute Netflix and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman within China in collaboration with Media Asia Entertainment Group. By May of the same year, STX had joined forces with Tencent Pictures and Free Association to develop a film adaptation of the digital comic Zombie Brother, directed by David Sandberg. In July 2018, the company secured domestic distribution rights for the civil rights drama The Best of Enemies, featuring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell.
In August 2023, STX entered into a domestic distribution alliance with Lionsgate to oversee distribution for both their upcoming films and existing catalog, commencing with The Marsh King's Daughter.
Film projects
Consistent with its goal to produce mid-budget films driven by star power, STX Films’ slate includes titles like Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, I Feel Pretty featuring Amy Schumer, and Second Act starring Lopez and directed by Peter Segal. Other notable productions include Bad Moms with Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, and Christina Applegate, alongside Molly's Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Jessica Chastain. Additional films comprise The Gift, helmed by Joel Edgerton, The Edge of Seventeen featuring Hailee Steinfeld, The Foreigner starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, as well as Secret in Their Eyes with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, and Julia Roberts. The company also produced The Boy starring Lauren Cohan and Free State of Jones featuring Matthew McConaughey. In 2015, STX acquired global rights for the sci-fi action movie Hardcore Henry at the Toronto International Film Festival for $10 million.
In 2017, STX expanded its offerings into animation and family entertainment through a collaboration with the Uglydoll brand. The animated feature UglyDolls, produced by Robert Rodriguez, included voice performances from artists such as Pitbull, Kelly Clarkson, and Nick Jonas. Despite notable talent involvement, the film underperformed commercially and received unfavorable critical reviews. In January 2019, STX announced plans to develop an animated UglyDolls television series in partnership with Hulu.
STX actively targeted the Chinese market via collaborations with Tencent Pictures and Alibaba Pictures. In 2018, it co-developed an action film led by Jason Statham tailored for Chinese audiences, capitalizing on Statham’s success in China’s highest-grossing imported movies. That same year saw a partnership with Alibaba to co-produce the action-sci-fi film Steel Soldiers, where STX managed U.S. and international distribution while Alibaba retained rights within Greater China.
January 2019 marked a milestone for STX as it achieved its first number one box office debut with The Upside, starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, and Nicole Kidman. The movie opened to $19.59 million domestically during its first weekend and eventually surpassed $100 million in U.S. box office revenue. The company received acclaim for its strategic marketing approach and for successfully broadening the film’s rating from R to PG-13 to attract a larger audience. Following this success, Hart partnered with STX to produce and star in two comedies: Black Friday and an untitled international romantic comedy.
Hustlers premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and went on to gross $105 million domestically along with $157.6 million worldwide. Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, featuring Matthew McConaughey, was released in January 2020 and earned $115.2 million globally. As of mid-2020, STX’s upcoming projects include Greenland starring Gerard Butler, Run Rabbit Run headlined by Elisabeth Moss, The Godmother featuring Jennifer Lopez, Night Wolf starring Kevin Hart, as well as the action comedy Muscle led by Vin Diesel.
Awards and Recognition
In 2016, STX Films set a record as the quickest studio to achieve $100 million in domestic box office revenue with the R-rated comedy Bad Moms, which went on to earn more than $180 million worldwide. This title became the year’s most lucrative film by net profit and secured a People's Choice Award for Best Comedy. The 2017 crime drama Molly's Game garnered multiple accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, as well as acknowledgments from the BAFTA, WGA, and Golden Globe organizations. The Edge of Seventeen received nominations for an MTV Movie Award for Movie of the Year, a Directors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award nod for Hailee Steinfeld, while achieving a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Recognition also extended to genre films: the psychological thriller The Gift earned a Directors Guild Award nomination and victories at the Sitges Film Festival and the Fangoria Chainsaw Award. Sci-fi film The Space Between Us, featuring Gary Oldman, received Teen Choice Award nominations in science fiction categories. The horror thriller The Bye Bye Man outperformed industry forecasts with a $13.5 million domestic opening weekend. In addition, the co-production The Foreigner, produced alongside Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media, surpassed $100 million in global box office revenue during 2017, illustrating a successful U.S.-China partnership on a modest $35 million budget.
In 2019, Hustlers led Jennifer Lopez to win the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild, Critics' Choice Awards, and Independent Spirit Awards.
STX Films places strong emphasis on female representation both on-screen and behind the scenes, with more than 20 productions featuring women in lead roles or helmed by female directors.
STX Television
STX Television debuted with the 2014 drama-thriller State of Affairs, starring Katherine Heigl and Alfre Woodard. Developed by STX TV, this 13-episode series was sold to NBC. In 2015, the division produced an NBC pilot titled Problem Child, inspired by the 1990 feature film.
Expanding into unscripted and reality programming in April 2016, STX TV appointed seasoned producer Jason Goldberg. The variety show Number One Surprise, tailored specifically for Chinese audiences, premiered on Hunan TV and digital platforms, initially attracting nearly 300 million viewers and surpassing 1 billion views by January 2017.
By May 2017, STX TV secured its first project based on work by Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians. Amazon Studios later commissioned a script-to-series order for this international drama centered on an influential family empire. In July 2017, E! approved production of the reality series The Platinum Life, developed by STX TV. November 2017 marked the announcement of STX’s inaugural scripted series, Valley of the Boom, a six-episode docudrama chronicling the technology boom of the 1990s. The show aired on NatGeo with distribution extending into China and premiered in January 2019.
Additional productions include season 23 of MTV’s True Life (2017) and Verizon’s go90 docuseries A Little Too Farr. In February 2018, Fox partnered with STX TV to develop an unscripted series inspired by the film Bad Moms. That April, Mother Media Group—led by former executives from Endemol Shine and 20th Century Fox—entered into a first-look agreement with STX TV to co-develop unscripted and hybrid content.
In 2018, Netflix ordered six episodes of STX TV’s hybrid docudrama miniseries initially titled Ottoman Rising, later renamed Rise of Empires: Ottoman, which premiered in January 2020. Furthermore, YouTube Red announced a spinoff series based on STX’s 2016 film The Edge of Seventeen, featuring an entirely new cast.
STX Alternative
The digital branch of STX Entertainment specializes in digital content creation, strategic partnerships, and distribution, encompassing live events and virtual reality (VR) initiatives. In August 2016, STX acquired the VR development and distribution company Surreal, subsequently rebranding it as STX Surreal. During its inaugural year, Surreal developed more than 70 immersive VR experiences featuring notable figures such as Gordon Ramsay, Snoop Dogg, and Jon Hamm.
In 2017, STX Surreal received a Daytime Emmy nomination for the Nickelodeon short Nickelodeon's Ultimate Halloween Haunted House 360 Challenge and secured a Shorty Award for Best Use of 360 Video through its production of the Emmy Awards in collaboration with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Facebook. That same June, STX Surreal teamed up with Horizon Media to create VR content for Horizon’s UNCVR division.
By 2018, STX Surreal revealed several original projects including New Tricks (directed by Ed Helms), The Kiev Exchange (a spin-off from STX Films’ Mile 22), Jay and Silent Bob VR by Kevin Smith, as well as untitled productions from Dave Bautista and Derek Kolstad.
In November 2018, STX Surreal released Robert Rodriguez’s live-action VR short The Limit, starring Michelle Rodriguez, on leading mobile VR headsets and Android platforms, with planned launches on iOS, PlayStation VR, and Windows Mixed Reality. Post-production was managed by the Oscar-winning visual effects company DNEG.
In December 2017, Dick Clark Productions transferred the Chinese distribution rights for the Golden Globe Awards and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve to STX Digital. STX collaborated with Tencent Video to distribute these shows within China, including creating a Mandarin-language red carpet segment for the Golden Globes.
By December 2018, the division—now known as STX Alternative—entered into a first-look development and production agreement with Tracey Edmonds to co-produce both scripted and unscripted programming across multiple platforms. Their initial project, Games People Play, adapted from Angela Burt-Murray’s novel Games Divas Play, premiered on BET in April 2019.
STX International
STX International was established in April 2016 to broaden the company’s global production and distribution reach. Based in London and led by former Film4 executive David Kosse, the division launched with six films including Andy Serkis’s directorial debut Breathe, which opened the 2017 London Film Festival; Reese Witherspoon’s romantic comedy Home Again; and the thriller Wind River starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. The lineup also included Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, Neil Burger’s thriller The Marsh King’s Daughter, and Bart Layton’s heist film American Animals, alongside other titles from STX Films’ primary slate. Notably, STX secured international distribution rights to Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman for $50 million.
After merging with Eros International in 2020, the division was renamed ErosSTX International but reverted to STX International in April 2022 following STX’s acquisition by Najafi Companies. In July 2022, reports surfaced about a gradual closure of STX Entertainment’s U.K. operations, including the London headquarters of STX International.
Television and digital
| Title | Network | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Affairs | NBC | 2014–15 | Joint production with Universal Television, Abishag Productions, and Aardwolf Productions |
| True Life | MTV | 2016 | Co-produced episode True Life: We Are Orlando |
| Number One Surprise | Hunan TV/Mango TV/PPTV | 2016–present | Collaboration with XG Entertainment |
| A Little Too Farr | go90 | 2017 | Produced in partnership with Tower 2 Productions |
| The Platinum Life | E! | ||
| 75th Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet Show | Tencent Video | 2018 | Co-created alongside Tencent |
| Alex Strangelove | Netflix | 2018 | Produced by STX, originally planned for distribution |
| The Limit | STX Surreal | 2018 | Virtual reality film directed by Robert Rodriguez |
| Valley of the Boom | National Geographic Channel | 2019 | Produced with Matthew Carnahan Circus Productions |
| Games People Play | BET | 2019–2021 | In association with Edmonds Entertainment |
| Flip It Like Disick | E! | 2019 | Collaboration with Tower 2 Productions, Disick Industries, Jenner Communications, and Ryan Seacrest Productions |
| Work It | Netflix | 2020 | Released as a streaming film |
| FBOY Island | HBO Max/The CW | 2021–present | |
| The Gentlemen | Netflix | 2024 | Produced with Moonage Pictures, Toff Guy Films, and Miramax Television |
| Lovers and Liars | The CW | 2024–present | In partnership with TheYearOfElan Productions |
| Jay and Silent Bob VR | STX Surreal | TBA | Joint venture with View Askew Productions |
| Untitled Dave Bautista Series | |||
| Untitled Derek Kolstad Project | |||
| New Tricks | Co-produced with Pacific Electric Picture Co. | ||
| The Kiev Exchange | Collaboration with Film 44 and Film 45 | ||
| Untitled Kevin Kwan and David Sangalli Scripted Series | TBA | ||
| Untitled Bad Moms reality series | Fox | TBA | Produced jointly with Fox Alternative Entertainment |