United Artists Releasing

United Artists Releasing, LLC
Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Film distribution
Predecessor	United Artists
Founded	October 31, 2017; 9 years ago
Founder	Gary Barber, Megan Ellison
Defunct	March 4, 2023
Headquarters	West Hollywood and Los Angeles, California, United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Pam Kunath (COO), David Kaminow, Erik Lomis
Products	Film distribution
Parent	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Annapurna Pictures (until 2022); Amazon Studios (2022–2023)

United Artists Releasing, LLC (UAR) was a U.S.-based film distribution joint venture formed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Annapurna Pictures, serving as the successor to United Artists (UA) from October 31, 2017, until March 4, 2023.

Established on October 31, 2017, by former MGM CEO Gary Barber alongside Annapurna founder Megan Ellison, the company operated out of offices located in West Hollywood and Los Angeles, California. It aimed to provide an alternative to dominant film studios and streaming platforms by releasing between 10 and 14 films annually. On February 5, 2019, coinciding with the centennial of United Artists, the venture adopted the name United Artists Releasing.

Amazon's acquisition of MGM Holdings for $8.45 billion was announced on May 26, 2021, and finalized on March 17, 2022, bringing UAR under the umbrella of Amazon Studios. Subsequently, on March 4, 2023, Amazon merged United Artists Releasing into MGM to synchronize theatrical distribution with releases on Amazon Prime Video.

History

The American entertainment firms Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) and Annapurna Pictures collaborated to create a domestic film distribution joint venture initially called Mirror, designed to handle third-party theatrical releases. This initiative marked MGM’s return to U.S. distribution after its bankruptcy and restructuring in 2010. The plan was to debut six to eight films starting March 2, 2018, beginning with Death Wish.

At launch, the venture utilized Annapurna’s existing distribution team. By January 31, 2019, eight films had been released without any being credited under the Mirror Releasing label.

To commemorate the original United Artists' 100th anniversary and enhance competitiveness against major studios—particularly for tentpole titles influencing release calendars—the company rebranded as United Artists Releasing on February 5, 2019.

Pam Kunath, previously an executive at Screen Gems, was appointed chief operating officer. The MGM subsidiary Orion Pictures contributed both films and distribution personnel to the partnership. Management oversight was provided by a board consisting of executives from both MGM and Annapurna; key leadership included Kunath, David Kaminow, and Annapurna’s Erik Lomis.

The first film released under the new branding was the stop-motion animated feature Missing Link in 2019, which earned UAR its sole Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

On October 7, 2020, MGM revived the American International Pictures label for select digital and limited theatrical releases distributed through United Artists Releasing. This relaunch began with the film Breaking News in Yuba County in 2021.

Negotiations for Amazon’s acquisition of MGM Holdings commenced on May 17, 2021, led by MGM’s board chairman Kevin Ulrich of Anchorage Capital Group. One week later, Amazon publicly announced an $8.45 billion acquisition deal subject to regulatory approval; this transaction was completed on March 17, 2022. Following the takeover, Amazon executive Mike Hopkins confirmed that United Artists Releasing would continue operations under Amazon’s ownership.

On March 4, 2023, it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Amazon had fully integrated United Artists Releasing into MGM to streamline theatrical distribution efforts. This strategic consolidation coincided with the release of Creed III, marking MGM’s first direct distribution under Amazon’s stewardship.

Filmography

External links

(archived)

MGM/Annapurna Collaborative Projects
Release Date	Film Title	Production Company	Co-production Partner(s)	Global Distributor
	Death Wish	MGM	Cave 76 Productions
	Sorry to Bother You	Annapurna
	Operation Finale	MGM	Automatik Entertainment	Netflix
	The Sisters Brothers	Annapurna		IMR International
	If Beale Street Could Talk	Annapurna
	Vice
	Destroyer			Rocket Science	United Artists Releasing
	Fighting with My Family	MGM
\u200b	\u200bThe Wolf of Snow Hollow	\u200bOrion Classics	\u200b{{ubl A New Form Vanishing Angle XYZ Films}}
\u200b	\u200bBreaking News in Yuba County	\u200bAmerican International Pictures	\u200b{{ubl Wyolah Films AGC Studios Nine Stories Productions}}	\u200bAGC International
\u200b	\u200bBad Trip	\u200bOrion Pictures	\u200b	\u200bNetflix
\u200b	\u200bWrath of Man	\u200bMGM	\u200b{{ubl Miramax Toff Guy Films}}	\u200bMiramax International
\u200b	\u200bHow It Ends	\u200bAmerican International Pictures	\u200bMister Lister Films
MGM Productions Distributed by Universal Pictures