MGM inks distribution deal with Annapurna, but not for Bond 25
01-Nov-2017 • No Time To Die
MGM today announced a new distribution partnership with Annapurna for domestic (US & Canada) releases of films from both their studios (MGM had lost their own distribution arm when the company reorganized and came out of their last bankruptcy).
Although met with an initial flurry of excitement from 007 watchers, this deal does not concern Bond 25. MGM is still looking for a partner to co-finance and distribute Bond 25, both domestically and internationally, and the studio today confirmed that plans would be revealed "at a later date." Despite Bond 25 having an official US release date of November 9th, 2019, and Daniel Craig confirming his return to the role, there has been no news on who MGM will partner with on the film.
Regarding today's news, Gary Barber, MGM’s chairman and chief executive officer, said, “We could not be more excited about the start of our new partnership and look forward to working with Megan and the incredibly strong management team that she has built. MGM has successfully grown its operations over the last seven years, but we have been reliant upon our co-production partners to theatrically release our films. The time has come for MGM to regain control of its own destiny and return to U.S. theatrical distribution This efficient distribution model enables us to retain more distribution rights to our feature film releases and create additional revenue opportunities for MGM."
Megan Ellison, who launched Annapurna in 2011, said, “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Gary and the entire MGM team. MGM’s distinguished legacy and library of films has made them a pillar in the industry and I couldn’t be more proud and confident in our team’s ability to collaborate on the distribution of their upcoming slate.”
