Atlantic Entertainment Group
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|
| Fate | Closed |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Subsidiaries | Clubhouse Pictures |
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation, was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974.
Their initial releases were mostly geared to arthouse audiences, with an especially large number of Australian productions, as well as two Brazilian productions, Eu Te Amo and Lady on the Bus, that introduced American audiences to actress Sonia Braga. They shifted their focus to small-budgeted independent films in the early '80s, beginning with the surprise success of Valley Girl in 1983, directed by Martha Coolidge. Night of the Comet, released in 1984, would be their first film to open on over 1000 screens.
In 1985, they began a relationship with Paramount Pictures whereby the studio provided them money for larger-scale theatrical releases in exchange for home video and television rights to their films. In January 1989, Atlantic made a new deal with Kartes Video Communications for home video rights to the movies previously covered in the Paramount deal. However, they ultimately ceased operation shortly after this deal, amidst large financial losses from larger-budgeted films such as 1969.
Some of the company's most notable films include:
The library was bought by Island Pictures, which was later absorbed into PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. For a number of years, Paramount Pictures had TV and video distribution rights to Atlantic's library, some from their previous deal with the company, and others inherited when Viacom, who had purchased TV rights to many earlier Atlantic releases, merged with Paramount. MGM via Polygram Entertainment now distributes most of the library as a result of purchasing the pre-1996 portion of PolyGram's library.
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