Briarcliff Entertainment
Briarcliff Entertainment is an independent American film production and distribution company founded by former Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenberg. Launched in 2018, the studio debuted with Michael Moore's documentary Farenheit 11/9 as their first film.[1] They went on to distribute mainly action films in the ensuing several years, including Honest Thief and Blacklight with Liam Neeson, and Copshop with Gerard Butler.[2][3][4]
In addition to Farenheit 11/9 the company has released other high profile political documentaries, including the critically acclaimed The Dissident[[5] about the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, and Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down.[6]
During the summer of 2024, it was reported that Briarcliff was close to a deal to release the controversial Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice[7] after it initially languished without a distributor following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and a deal was later confirmed with an October 11th release date set.[8]
A few months later it was announced they would acquire Magazine Dreams,[9] the Sundance hit that was dropped by Searchlight Pictures[10] following the controversy surrounding its star Jonathan Majors.
History
Briarcliff was founded as an independent theatrical film studio in late 2018 by veteran executive Tom Ortenberg, who was the founding CEO of Open Road Films and formerly the President of Theatrical Films at Lionsgate, where he was the company's first employee in Los Angeles.[11] One of their first films was 2019's Don't Let Go, a collaboration with Blumhouse Productions.[12]
In 2020 it was announced that Briarcliff would partner with a recently re-launched Open Road to acquire and release films jointly.[13] The partnership distributed films like Kandahar with Gerard Butler and Studio 666, a 2022 horror-comedy made by and starring Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters.
The company has been noted for their frequent collaboration with Liam Neeson on action films, including Marlowe, Memory, Blacklight and Honest Thief, all released between 2020-2023. Also in 2023 they distributed the inspirational baseball film The Hill starring Dennis Quaid, which grossed $7.6 million at the domestic box office.[14]
In 2024 it was reported that they would release The Apprentice, the controversial Donald Trump biopic starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong that played the Cannes Film Festival and was sent a cease and desist by the former president's legal team.[15] Despite the Trump campaign's attempts to block a sale, it was slated for a release on October 11th shortly before the 2024 United States presidential election.[16]
Also in 2024 it was announced that they would release Magazine Dreams, which was dropped by Searchlight Pictures following the controversy surrounding star Jonathan Majors despite strong reviews out of Sundance, in early 2025.[17] The same year the company also acquired South by Southwest Audience Award winner My Dead Friend Zoe, starring Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris and executive produced by Travis Kelce, for release in 2025.[18]
References
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (2018-08-15). "Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 11/9' Poster Takes Aim at "Tyrant" Trump". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2020-01-22). "Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights To 'Honest Thief;' Action Thriller Stars Liam Neeson & Kate Walsh". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2021-09-21). "Liam Neeson Action Thriller 'Blacklight' Set For Wide U.S. Release Through Briarcliff; Solution Entertainment Group Pic Gets February 2022 Release Date". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Comments, Tom Chang | (2021-09-17). "Copshop Review: Talented Core Lead Fun Psychological Action Romp". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Lang, Brent (2020-09-02). "Jamal Khashoggi Doc 'The Dissident' Sells to Briarcliff Entertainment". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Johnson, Ted (2022-06-07). "Briarcliff Entertainment Drops Trailer For Betsy West-Julie Cohen Documentary 'Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down' – Update". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (June 27, 2024). "Trump Biopic 'The Apprentice' Nears Distribution Deal". New York Times.
- ^ Yuan, Jada; Chery, Samantha (2024-08-30). "Controversial Trump film 'The Apprentice' finally gets a release date". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2024-10-02). "Briarcliff Gives Jonathan Majors Sundance Drama 'Magazine Dreams' Chance To Flex On Big Screen". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Couch, Borys Kit,Aaron (2024-01-17). "Jonathan Majors' 'Magazine Dreams' Leaves Searchlight as Filmmakers Shop for New Home (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Finke, Nikki (2009-01-26). "Tom Ortenberg Exits Lionsgate For TWC". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2019-07-10). "Blumhouse Tilt, Universal OTL & Briarcliff Entertainment Team To Release Supernatural Thriller 'Don't Let Go'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2020-06-22). "Open Road Re-Launches With Raven Capital Funding & Return Of Founding CEO Tom Ortenberg; First Release Will Be Liam Neeson-Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "The Hill". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (2024-05-24). "Trump Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist Letter to 'The Apprentice' Producers to Block Sale". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "Donald Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' sets pre-election release date". NBC News. 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2024-10-02). "Briarcliff Gives Jonathan Majors Sundance Drama 'Magazine Dreams' Chance To Flex On Big Screen". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Lang, Brent (2024-06-18). "Briarcliff Entertainment Buys SXSW Audience Award Winner 'My Dead Friend Zoe' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-04.