Briarcliff Entertainment

Briarcliff Entertainment
IndustryEntertainment
GenreIndependent film
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
FounderTom Ortenberg
Headquarters
Santa Monica, California
,
United States of America
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Tom Ortenberg (CEO)
Services
Websitewww.briarcliffentertainment.com

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 Fahrenheit 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 Fahrenheit 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 11 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 and 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 11 shortly before the 2024 United States presidential election.[16]

Due to the legal threats, Briarcliff was the only distribution company to make a serious offer for the film, with Ortenberg slamming the "cowardice" of the rest of the industry.[17] In October of that year, Bloomberg reported that the studio was looking to raise between $25-50 million for a minority stake in the company.[18]

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.[9] 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.[19]

References

  1. ^ Kilday, Gregg (August 15, 2018). "Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 11/9' Poster Takes Aim at "Tyrant" Trump". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (January 22, 2020). "Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires U.S. Rights To 'Honest Thief;' Action Thriller Stars Liam Neeson & Kate Walsh". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 23, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (September 21, 2021). "Liam Neeson Action Thriller 'Blacklight' Set For Wide U.S. Release Through Briarcliff; Solution Entertainment Group Pic Gets February 2022 Release Date". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Chang, Tom (September 17, 2021). "Copshop Review: Talented Core Lead Fun Psychological Action Romp". bleedingcool.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  5. ^ Lang, Brent (September 2, 2020). "Jamal Khashoggi Doc 'The Dissident' Sells to Briarcliff Entertainment". Variety. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Johnson, Ted (June 7, 2022). "Briarcliff Entertainment Drops Trailer For Betsy West-Julie Cohen Documentary 'Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down' – Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Barnes, Brooks (June 27, 2024). "Trump Biopic 'The Apprentice' Nears Distribution Deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Yuan, Jada; Chery, Samantha (August 30, 2024). "Controversial Trump film 'The Apprentice' finally gets a release date". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Jr, Mike Fleming (October 2, 2024). "Briarcliff Gives Jonathan Majors Sundance Drama 'Magazine Dreams' Chance To Flex On Big Screen". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (January 17, 2024). "Jonathan Majors' 'Magazine Dreams' Leaves Searchlight as Filmmakers Shop for New Home (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Finke, Nikki (January 26, 2009). "Tom Ortenberg Exits Lionsgate For TWC". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 10, 2019). "Blumhouse Tilt, Universal OTL & Briarcliff Entertainment Team To Release Supernatural Thriller 'Don't Let Go'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  13. ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (June 22, 2020). "Open Road Re-Launches With Raven Capital Funding & Return Of Founding CEO Tom Ortenberg; First Release Will Be Liam Neeson-Thriller 'Honest Thief'". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Hill". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Kreps, Daniel (May 24, 2024). "Trump Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist Letter to 'The Apprentice' Producers to Block Sale". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Donald Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' sets pre-election release date". NBC News. August 30, 2024. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (October 10, 2024). "Exec Bringing 'The Apprentice,' Jonathan Majors' 'Magazine Dreams' to Screens Decries Hollywood's "Cowardice"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "'The Apprentice' Distributor Backs the Films Hollywood Won't". Bloomberg.com. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Lang, Brent (June 18, 2024). "Briarcliff Entertainment Buys SXSW Audience Award Winner 'My Dead Friend Zoe' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.