New Line Cinema

• 1. Founding And Early Distribution

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  On the 18th of June 1967, a twenty-seven-year-old Robert Shaye established New Line Cinema in New York City. He operated the company from his apartment at 14th Street and Second Avenue. The studio began by supplying foreign and art films to college campuses across the United States. One of its earliest successes involved distributing Reefer Madness, an anti-cannabis propaganda film released in 1936. This movie became a cult hit on American college campuses during the early 1970s. New Line also released classic foreign-language titles such as Stay As You Are and Immoral Tales. Get Out Your Handkerchiefs became the first New Line film to win an Academy Award. In 1976, the company secured funding to produce Stunts, directed by Mark L. Lester. Although critics did not praise this feature, it performed well commercially on international markets and television.

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• 2. Horror Franchise Success

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  A Nightmare on Elm Street arrived in theaters in 1984 with a budget of $1.8 million. The film went on to gross over $57 million worldwide. This success led to the nickname "The House that Freddy Built" for New Line Cinema. A year later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge opened to gross $3.3 million in just three days. It eventually earned over $30 million at the US box office. By 1986, the company had gone public and held 1,613,000 shares of common stock. The third installment, Dream Warriors, released in 1987, opened at number one. That weekend alone brought in $8.9 million, setting a record for independent films at the time. The franchise continued with six more films generating $500 million globally before the next trilogy added another $250 million.

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• 3. Commercial Expansion And Acquisitions

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  In 1990, Michael Lynne became president while Shaye served as chairman and chief executive officer. That same year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became the highest-grossing independent film ever with $135 million in the United States and Canada. A sequel followed in 1991 earning $78 million domestically. A third film arrived in 1993. In July 1990, Carolco Pictures formed a joint venture called Seven Arts with New Line Cinema. This partnership distributed low-budget output from Carolco. Later that November, New Line purchased a 52% stake in RHI Entertainment. Fine Line Features launched in early 1991 under Ira Deutchman to release art house films like An Angel at My Table. By May 1991, New Line bought home video rights to 600 films from Sultan Entertainment Holdings. They also secured an eleven-film distribution deal with Castle Rock Entertainment. On November 27, they purchased Sultan outright.

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• 4. Turner Broadcasting Merger

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  On the 28th of January 1994, Turner Broadcasting System acquired New Line Cinema for $500 million. The studio remained a separate entity after this purchase. Turner later merged with Time Warner Entertainment in 1996. During its time as an independent unit, New Line operated theatrical distribution, marketing, and home video divisions. Financial troubles emerged in 1996 following losses on The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Long Kiss Goodnight. However, the year 1997 brought recognition when Shine received the studio's first Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Geoffrey Rush won Best Actor for his role in that film. The company continued to function independently while preparing for future corporate shifts within the media landscape.

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• 5. The Lord Of The Rings Era

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  New Line Cinema produced The Lord of the Rings trilogy which became their most successful films ever. These movies grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide. The three films received thirty Academy Award nominations including nods for Best Picture. They ultimately won seventeen awards total. The final installment, The Return of the King released in 2003, won eleven Oscars including Best Picture. At the time of release, it stood as the second highest-grossing film of all time. Despite this massive success, Town and Country generated a loss of $100 million in 2001. Michael De Luca left as production head after these events. Shaye and Lynne took on co-chairman and co-CEO roles in 2001. In 2005, they helped found Picturehouse, a new distribution company specializing in independent cinema.

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• 6. Warner Bros Integration

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  On the 28th of February 2008, Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes announced New Line Cinema would cease operations as a separate studio. Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne stepped down from leadership positions following this decision. The box office disappointment of The Golden Compass largely blamed for the move. That film cost $180 million to develop but only earned $70 million domestically. Toby Emmerich became president and chief operating officer in March. Both founders had left the company by that point. On the 8th of May 2008, Picturehouse also shut down its operations before being relaunched later. New Line moved from Robertson Boulevard headquarters in June 2014 to Building 76 at Warner Bros Studios. Semi-Pro served as the last film released under the free-standing banner. Alan Horn stated the studio would produce about six films per year going forward.

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