Trimark Pictures
| Company type | Public (until acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production and distribution |
| Predecessor | Vidmark Entertainment |
| Founded | August 1984 |
| Founder | Mark Amin |
| Defunct | June 2000 |
| Fate | Acquired by Lionsgate Entertainment |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California , United States |
Area served | United States (primarily) |
Key people | Mark Amin (Founder, CEO) |
| Products | Films for theatrical, television, and home video markets; video game distribution (selected titles) |
| Parent | Trimark Holdings Inc. (formerly Vidmark Inc.) |
Trimark Pictures was a U.S.-based company focused on producing and distributing films for television and home video markets. Established in 1984 by entrepreneur Mark Amin under the name Vidmark Entertainment, Vidmark Inc. (which later became Trimark Holdings Inc.) acted as the parent corporation. Operating as an independent studio, Trimark was involved in creating and releasing theatrical, independent, television, and home video movies. Its emblem displayed a triangle with the silhouette of a tiger's head.
Among its significant releases was Peter Jackson's 1992 film Dead Alive, selected by Trimark for theatrical distribution due to Jackson’s rising popularity. The company also became known for handling provocative titles like the 1999 film Better Than Chocolate, which encountered advertising limitations because of its subject matter.
Based in Santa Monica, California, Trimark targeted specialized segments within the film industry, utilizing CEO Mark Amin’s strategic direction to expand its presence before being acquired by Lionsgate Entertainment.
Background
Vidmark Entertainment launched in August 1984 as a distributor of domestic home video, commencing operations in early 1985. In April 1986, Vidmark secured a distribution agreement with ABC Video Enterprises to release six ABC titles on videocassette. By 1987, the company broadened its scope to include international film distribution and theatrical production, acquiring four films and producing original titles such as American Gothic and Born of Fire.
The company entered motion picture production in 1988 with the film Demonwarp, gaining momentum with successful releases like Warlock (1989), which performed well in theaters and led to a sequel in 1993. Trimark also produced the popular Leprechaun franchise featuring Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis; this series earned over $10 million at the box office and generated several sequels. Additional notable productions included The Dentist, Return of the Living Dead III, Pinocchio's Revenge, and the critically praised drama Eve's Bayou. The company also distributed miniseries such as Storm of the Century for home video audiences. On June 29, 1990, Vidmark began trading publicly on NASDAQ under the symbol VDMK.
On December 31, 1991, Vidmark purchased International Broadcast Systems, Ltd. for $1.6 million, renaming it Trimark Television. Reflecting its expanding business interests, Vidmark rebranded as Trimark Holdings, Inc. in June 1992. In March 1993, Trimark launched Trimark Interactive to enter the interactive software sector; these assets were divested in 1997.
In June 2000, Lions Gate Entertainment acquired Trimark for roughly $50 million through a combination of stock and cash payments while assuming $36 million of debt. Following this transaction, Mark Amin became Lions Gate’s largest shareholder, with full integration of Trimark completed by March 12, 2001.
After the acquisition, founder Mark Amin established Sobini Films in 2001 and took on the role of CEO. In late 2017, Lionsgate reintroduced the Vidmark brand as a streaming channel on Roku, showcasing content from the original Vidmark and Trimark catalogs.
Filmography
Additional significant releases from the mid-1990s includeDeath Wish V: The Face of Death (1994, distribution only), Leprechaun 2 (1994), Payback (1995), and Swimming with Sharks (1995). These titles played a key role in expanding the company's presence within genre and independent film markets. Noteworthy late-1990s titles feature: Eve's Bayou (1997), later added to the National Film Registry in 2018, and Cube (1998), both marking strategic advancements in critical recognition and market share. Early-2000s offerings such as Beautiful People (2000) and What's Cooking? (2000) further diversified the company’s catalog across theatrical releases and direct-to-video formats.| Year | Title | Release Date | Distribution | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theatrical | Direct to video | ||||
| 1988 | Demonwarp | March 18 | No | Yes | |
| Body Beat | November 30 | No | Yes | ||
| 1989 | Going Overboard | May 12 | Yes | No | |
| A Fool and His Money | September 24 | Yes | No | ||
| High Stakes | November 17 | Yes | No | ||
| 1990 | The Sleeping Car | February 9 | No | Yes | |
| The Amityville Curse | June 6 | No | Yes | ||
| Solar Crisis | July 14 | Yes | No | ||
| Spirits | September 15 | No | Yes | handled distribution only; produced by Cinema Group | |
| Mob Boss | September 16 | No | Yes | distributed exclusively; production by American Independent | |
| Backstreet Dreams | September 29 | Yes | No | ||
| Frankenstein Unbound | November 2 | Yes | No | co-produced with 20th Century Fox | |
| 1991 | Warlock | January 11 | Yes | No | |
| 'Black Magic Woman' | 'April 17' | No' | Yes' | ||
| 'Servants of Twilight' | 'May 31' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Kickboxer 2' | 'June 14' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Whore' | 'October 4' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Dolly Dearest' | 'October 18' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird' | 'November 15' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'All-American Murder' | 'December 1' | No' | Yes' | ||
| 'Into the Sun' | 'January 31' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'The Psychic' | 'May 20' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Interceptor' | 'October 1' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Prototype' | 'December 23' | No' | Yes' | ||
| 'Leprechaun' | 'January 8' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'Dead Alive' | 'February 12' | Yes' | No' | ||
| 'American Kickboxer 2' | 'August 4' | No' | Yes' | ||
| 'Blink of an Eye' | 'August 26' | No' | Yes' | ||
| 'Warlock: The Armageddon' | 'September 24' | Yes' | No' | ||
Catalog of Distributed Video Games
| Launch Date | Game Title | Supported Platforms | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | National Lampoon's Blind Date | Windows, Mac OS | |
| November 23, 1994 | Air Havoc Controller | Windows | |
| 1995 | The Hive | Windows, PlayStation | |
| 1995 | White Men Can't Jump | Jaguar | |
| Cancelled | Warlock | Jaguar |
References
- Articles with short description
- 1984 establishments in California
- 2000 disestablishments in California
- 2000 mergers and acquisitions
- American companies established in 1984
- American companies disestablished in 2000
- Companies based in Santa Monica, California
- Defunct American film studios
- Entertainment companies based in California
- Film production companies of the United States
- Former Lionsgate subsidiaries
- Mass media companies established in 1984
- Mass media companies disestablished in 2000
- Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
- 1990 initial public offerings
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment