Institution

Distribution Companies

A film distributor is an individual or a company who are responsible for marketing a film and this is a very important process where completed films are brought to life and connected with an audience.
The role of film distributors is to sell the product to an audience which will persuade them to want to watch the movie and therefore the companies can make a lot of money from this.  These are the usual steps of how a movie is created before it reaches the cinema:

• ·         Someone has an idea for a movie.
• ·         They create an outline and use it to promote interest in the idea.
• ·         A studio or independent investor decides to purchase rights to the film.
• ·         People are brought together to make the film (screenwriter, producer, director, cast, crew).
• ·         The film is then completed and sent to the studio.
• ·         The studio makes a licensing agreement with a distribution company.
• ·         The distribution company determines how many copies (prints) of the film to make.
• ·         The distribution company shows the movie (screening) to prospective buyers representing the theatres.
• ·         The buyers negotiate with the distribution company on which movies they wish to lease ) the terms of the lease agreement.
• ·         The prints are sent to the theatres a few days before the opening day.
• ·         The theatre shows the movie for a specified number of weeks (engagement).
• ·         You buy a ticket and watch the movie.
• ·         At the end of the engagement, the theatre sends the print back to the distribution company and makes payment on the lease agreement.

Some of the top 5 popular and successful film distribution companies are Warner Brothers which has a total gross of $29,135,050,869, Walt Disney having a total gross of $27,024,974,288, Sony Pictures ($24,744,320,642), Paramount Pictures ($22,915,131,099) and 20^th Century Fox ($21,288,127,358).