What does the name Miramax mean?
Miramax combines the first names of Harvey and Bob Weinstein's parents, Miriam and Max. The company was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1979 and named in their honor.
Questions about Miramax
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who founded Miramax Films and when was it established?
Miramax Films was founded in 1979 by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein alongside executive Corky Burger, in Buffalo, New York. The company was created to distribute films that major studios had decided were not commercially viable.
How much did Disney pay to acquire Miramax in 1993?
The Walt Disney Company purchased Miramax Films on the 30th of June 1993 for sixty million dollars. Disney also assumed more than forty million dollars of the company's existing debt as part of the acquisition.
Why did Harvey and Bob Weinstein leave Miramax in 2005?
Disney and the Weinsteins announced on the 30th of March 2005 that they would not renew their contract when it expired in September. The primary stated source of the dispute was Disney's refusal to allow Miramax to distribute Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Harvey and Bob Weinstein left the company on the 30th of September 2005.
What happened to the Lord of the Rings rights that Miramax held?
In August 1998, Miramax sold the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to New Line Cinema for about twelve million dollars. The sale followed Disney's rejection of a two-part production. New Line produced the films as a trilogy, while Miramax retained a five percent stake in the gross of those films.
Who owns Miramax today?
Miramax is jointly owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Pictures. Paramount acquired a forty-nine percent stake on the 3rd of April 2020 for at least three hundred seventy-five million dollars. Paramount also holds exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Miramax film library.