Fox 2000 Pictures was an American film production company within
The Walt Disney Studios. It was a sister studio of the larger film studio
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
and
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century St ...
specializing in producing
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
films in mid-range releases that largely targeted underserved groups.
The company dissolved on May 14, 2021 following the release of ''
The Woman in the Window'' on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, and the
acquisition of
21st Century Fox
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...
by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
on March 20, 2019.
Most films from Fox 2000 were released under the 20th Century Fox banner, and sometimes under Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It ha ...
distributed the films produced by Fox 2000 Pictures in theatrical markets, until its closure in 2021.
Fox 2000 Pictures had produced over 50 films.
Fox 2000's ''
Life of Pi
''Life of Pi'' is a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, India who explores issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age. He s ...
'' was nominated for many awards and did well at the box office. ''
Marley & Me
''Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog'' is an autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005, about the 13 years he and his family spent with their yellow Labrador Retriever, Marley. The dog is poorly be ...
'' was the largest Fox 2000 commercial success with a record for the largest Christmas Day box office ever with $14.75 million in ticket sales.
The division's highest-grossing film was ''Life of Pi'' (2012) with $609 million.
History
Fox 2000 Pictures formed as a division of
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in 1994 with
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer, known as the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (199 ...
as
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
.
In May 1997, producer Art Linson moved his Knickerbocker Films banner from 20th Century Fox to Fox 2000 with a three-year, exclusive production agreement.
In 2000, Ziskin left the division and
Elizabeth Gabler was hired to replace her.
In February 2012, Gabler renewed her contract as president of Fox 2000.
Fox 2000 signed Karen Rosenfelt's Sunswept Entertainment to a first-look production deal. In July 2014, the division agreed to a three-year first-look production deal with
Color Force
Color Force is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2007 by producer and film executive Nina Jacobson after her 2006 termination as president of Disney's Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group.
Its films inclu ...
, a production partnership of
Nina Jacobson
Nina Jacobson (born September 15, 1965) is an American film executive who, until July 2006, was president of the Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. With Dawn Steel, Gail Berman and Sherry Lansing, she was ...
and
Brad Simpson. The Jackal Group, a
Fox Networks Group
Fox Networks Group (FNG) is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that oversees international television assets that were acquired from 21st Century Fox. It produces and distributes more than 300 entertainment, film, sports and factual chan ...
and
Gail Berman
Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produ ...
partnership, signed a first-look feature film production deal with Fox 2000 for Berman in February 2015.
On March 20, 2019,
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
acquired a majority of
21st Century Fox
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...
, including Fox 2000. Disney originally announced that Fox 2000 would continue operating after the acquisition, which gave Disney 11 film units. However, the next day, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' reported that Disney would shut down the studio in October 2019 after ''
The Woman in the Window''. ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' was surprised as Fox 2000, considering to be ideal for streaming films, was the reason for the 21st Century Fox acquisition. However,
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century St ...
is also an indie division leaving little room for Fox 2000. In August 2019, ''
The Art of Racing in the Rain'' became the final theatrical film in the studio. The division shut down on May 14, 2021 after ''The Woman in the Window'' was delayed twice, first due to re-editing after test screenings and then the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
On August 4, 2020, Disney sold the film to
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
.
List of releases
References
{{Authority control
1994 establishments in California
20th Century Studios
2021 disestablishments in California
Companies based in Los Angeles
Defunct film and television production companies of the United States
Disney acquisitions
Disney production studios
Entertainment companies based in California
Entertainment companies established in 1994
Entertainment companies disestablished in 2021
Film distributors of the United States
Film production companies of the United States
Walt Disney Studios (division)
The Walt Disney Company subsidiaries
Former News Corporation subsidiaries