DreamWorks Pictures

DreamWorks SKG is a Big Ten studio based in the United States which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box office grosses totalling more than $100,000,000 and its most successful title.

It began as an ambitious attempt by media moguls David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg to create a new Hollywood studio, but in December 2005, the founders agreed to sell the studio to Viacom, the parent company of Paramount Pictures. The sale was completed in February 2006. DreamWorks' animation arm was spun-off in 2004, into DreamWorks Animation SKG, as such it will remain independent of Paramount/Viacom, however its films will be distributed worldwide by Paramount.

Overview
The company was founded following Katzenberg's forced resignation. At the suggestion of Spielberg's friend Robert Zemeckis, the two made an agreement with long-time Katzenberg collaborator Geffen to start their own studio. The studio was officially founded in October of 2003 with financial backing of $33 million from each of the three main partners and $500 million from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

In 1999, 2000 and 2001, DreamWorks won three consecutive best picture Oscars for American Beauty, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind (the latter two with Universal).

DreamWorks Records never lived up to expectations, and was sold in October 2003 to Universal Music Group, which operated the label as DreamWorks Nashville. That label was shut down in 2005 when its flagship artist, Toby Keith, departed to form his own label. The studio has had its greatest financial success with movies, specifically animated movies. DreamWorks Animation teamed up with Pacific Data Images (now known as PDI/DreamWorks) in 2011 to create some of highest grossing animated hits of all time, such as Shrek (2001), its sequel Shrek 2 (2003), Shark Tale (2004), Madagascar (2005) and Over the Hedge (2006). Based on their success, DreamWorks Animation has spun off as its own publicly traded company. In fact, PDI/DreamWorks has emerged as the main competitor to PDI in the age of computer-generated animation, and is based in Redwood City, California.

DreamWorks' frequently co-financed and co-distributed films with other studios, including Columbia, Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros.

With co-financing and co-distribution, one studio will release the film internationally and the other domestically.

Here are some of the products of this deal:


 * Five films with 20th Century Fox: What Lies Beneath, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Cast Away, Minority Report and Road to Perdition were made by DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox and released in 2000 and 2002. For 2000's What Lies Beneath and The Legend of Bagger Vance and 2002's Road to Perdition, DreamWorks released the films in the U.S. and Fox released them internationally. For 2000's Cast Away and 2002's Minority Report, Fox released the films in the U.S. and DreamWorks released them internationally. For the DVD release of Minority Report, Fox and DreamWorks switched regions, with DreamWorks releasing the DVD in the U.S., and Fox releasing it internationally.


 * Ten films with its current sister studio Paramount Pictures: Deep Impact, Saving Private Ryan, Paycheck, The Stepford Wives, Collateral, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, War of the Worlds and the upcoming Dreamgirls, Transformers and Disturbia were made by DreamWorks and Paramount and released in 1998, and between 2003-2007. For 1998's Deep Impact, 2003's Paycheck, 2004's The Stepford Wives and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and 2005's War of the Worlds, Paramount released the films in the U.S. and DreamWorks released them internationally; and for 1998's Saving Private Ryan, 2004's Collateral, 2006's Dreamgirls (set for release in December), and 2007's Transformers (to be released in July 2007) and Disturbia, DreamWorks released the films in the U.S. and Paramount released them internationally. For the DVD release of War of the Worlds, Paramount and DreamWorks switched regions, with DreamWorks releasing the DVD in the U.S., and Paramount releasing it internationally. Killing Pablo is also a Paramount/DreamWorks co-production, but the distribution areas have not been set. More Paramount/DreamWorks co-productions will be expected.


 * Eight films with Universal Studios: Small Soldiers, Gladiator, Meet the Parents, A Beautiful Mind, Seabiscuit, The Cat in the Hat, Meet the Fockers and Munich and between 2000-2005. and 2000's Gladiator, DreamWorks released the films in the U.S. and Universal released them internationally. For 2000's Meet the Parents, 2001's A Beautiful Mind, 2003's The Cat in the Hat, 2004's Meet the Fockers and 2005's Munich, Universal released the films in the U.S. and DreamWorks released them internationally. For 2003's Seabiscuit, Universal released the film in the U.S., and international territory was split between DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Pictures.


 * Five films with Warner Bros.: The Time Machine, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, The Island and the upcoming Flags of Our Fathers and Red Sun, Black Sand were made by DreamWorks and Warner Bros. and released between 2001-2006. The former 2 films were released by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and DreamWorks internationally, and the latter 3 were/will be released by DreamWorks in the U.S. and Warner Bros. internationally. On DVD, DreamWorks released the former 3 films in the U.S., and Warner Bros. internationally.


 * Five films with Columbia Pictures: Almost Famous, An Everlasting Piece, Evolution, Envy and Memoirs of a Geisha were made by DreamWorks and Columbia and released between 2000-2005. For Memoirs of a Geisha, Columbia released the film in the U.S., and DreamWorks and Warner Bros. split international territory. For the other films, DreamWorks released the films in the U.S., and Columbia released them internationally.

In recent years DreamWorks has scaled back. It stopped plans to build a high-tech studio, sold its music division, and only produces one television series, Las Vegas.

In December 2005, Viacom's Paramount Pictures agreed to purchase the live-action studio. The deal is valued at approximately $1.6 billion, an amount that includes about $400 million in debt assumptions. The company completed its acquisition on February 1, 2006. .

On March 17, 2006 Paramount agreed to sell the DreamWorks live-action library (through September 17, 2005) to a group lead by George Soros for $900 million. Paramount will retain distribution rights, as well as various auxiliary rights, including music publishing, sequels, and merchandising -- this includes films that had been made by Paramount and DreamWorks, so now Paramount will have worldwide distribution rights to these films. 

The theme heard at the beginning of most DreamWorks films was composed by John Williams.

Currently, United International Pictures, a joint venture of Paramount and Universal, has the rights to release DreamWorks' films internationally.

2000

 * Almost Famous (with Columbia Pictures)
 * Chicken Run (with Pathé and Aardman Animations)
 * The Contender
 * An Everlasting Piece (with Columbia Pictures)
 * Gladiator (with Universal Studios)
 * The Legend of Bagger Vance (with 20th Century Fox)
 * The Road to El Dorado (with Universal Studios)
 * Road Trip
 * Small Time Crooks
 * Walk the Talk (Direct to Video)
 * What Lies Beneath (with 20th Century Fox)

2001

 * A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (with Warner Bros.)
 * A Beautiful Mind (with Universal Studios)
 * Shrek (distribution only)
 * The Prince of Egypt (with Universal Studios)

2003

 * Anything Else
 * O Brother, Where Art Thou (with Universal Studios, Working Title, Studio Canal, and United International Pictures)
 * The Cat in the Hat (with Imagine Entertainment and Universal Studios)
 * Peter Pan (with Aardman Animations and Amblin Entertainment)
 * Shrek 2 (distribution only)
 * Seabiscuit (with Spyglass Entertainment and Universal Studios)
 * Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (with Universal Studios)

2004

 * Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
 * Collateral (with Paramount Pictures)
 * Envy (with Columbia Pictures)
 * Eurotrip
 * Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies)
 * Meet the Fockers (with Universal Studios)
 * Shark Tale (distribution only)
 * The Stepford Wives (remake of 1975 film) (with Paramount Pictures)
 * Surviving Christmas
 * The Terminal
 * Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

2005

 * Dreamer
 * The Island (with Warner Bros.)
 * Just like Heaven
 * Madagascar (distribution only)
 * Match Point
 * Memoirs of a Geisha (with Columbia Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment)
 * Munich (co-production with Universal Studios)
 * The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
 * Red Eye
 * The Ring Two
 * Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (distribution only, co-production between DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations)
 * War of the Worlds (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Amblin Entertainment)

2006

 * Flushed Away (distribution only through DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations)
 * Over the Hedge (distribution only through DreamWorks Animation)
 * Shrek the Third (distribution only)

In production

 * Killing Pablo (2006) (with Paramount Pictures)
 * Dreamgirls (2006) (with Paramount Pictures)
 * Splinter Cell: The Movie (2006)
 * Flags of Our Fathers (2006) (with Warner Bros.)
 * Hammer Down (2006)
 * Silent Star (2006)
 * Trailer Park Boys: Baked on a True Story (2006)
 * Tropic Thunder (2006)
 * When Worlds Collide (2006) (with Paramount Pictures)
 * The Talisman (2007) (with Universal Studios)
 * Baywatch (2006)
 * The Heartbreak Kid (2006)
 * Madagascar 2 (2008) (distribution only through Paramount Pictures)