Legal holdings entity under 21st Century Fox | |
Fate | Acquired by News Corporation |
Predecessor | The Filmgroup |
Successor |
Fox Television Stations (television) 20th Century Fox (film) |
Founded | July 8, 1970 |
Defunct | January 22, 1997 |
Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Key people
|
Roger Corman (co-founder) Gene Corman (co-founder) Robert Rehme (CEO, 1983–1989) Ronald Perelman (CEO; 1989–1997) |
Products |
Motion pictures Television production and distribution Television broadcasting |
Owner | 21st Century Fox |
Parent | Fox Entertainment Group |
New World Pictures (also known as New World Communications Group, Inc. and founded as New World Pictures, Ltd., then renamed New World Entertainment) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 by Roger Corman as a producer and distributor of motion pictures, later expanding into television production in 1984. New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seven television stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994.
20th Century Fox (then owned by News Corporation), controlled by Rupert Murdoch, became a major investor in 1994 and purchased the company outright in 1997; the alliance with Murdoch, particularly through a group affiliation agreement with New World reached between the two companies in May 1994, helped to cement the Fox network as the fourth major U.S. television network.
Although effectively defunct, it, along with various regional subsidiaries (i.e. "New World Communications of Tampa"), continues to exist as holding companies within the complex 21st Century Fox corporate structure.
The company was founded on July 8, 1970 as New World Pictures, Ltd.; it was co-founded by B-movie director Roger Corman and his brother Gene, following their departure from American International Pictures (AIP). At the time, New World was the last remaining national low-budget film distributor, and was also one of the most successful independent companies in the nation. Corman hoped to continue AIP's formula at New World, making low-budget films made by new talent and distributing them internationally. However, it started out with only ten domestic offices, and one each in Canada and the United Kingdom; its films were distributed regionally by other companies.