Picturehouse (company)

Picturehouse is an American independent entertainment company owned by CEO Bob Berney and COO Jeanne R. Berney. Based in Los Angeles, the company specializes in film marketing and distribution, both in the U.S. and internationally. Its releases have included Nimród Antal’s Metallica Through the Never, which opened with an exclusive IMAX run and was a Grammy Award nominee for Best Music Film, and Adam Wingard’s Sundance Film Festival selection The Guest, an Independent Spirit Award nominee starring Dan Stevens.[1]

For the British cinema chain, see Picturehouse Cinemas.
Picturehouse
TypePrivate
Founded
  • 2005 (original company)
  • 2013 (revived studio)
Founders
  • Jon Beaumont
  • Bob Berney
Defunct2008 (original company)
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, United States
Key people
Bob Berney (CEO)
Jeanne R. Berney (COO)
ParentTime Warner (2005–2008)
Independent (2013–present)

Picturehouse has announced it will release Fatima, directed by Marco Pontecorvo and starring Joaquim de Almeida, Goran Visnjic, Harvey Keitel and Sônia Braga. The film tells the story of a 10-year-old shepherd, Lúcia dos Santos, and her two young cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who report having seen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, circa 1917. Their revelations inspire believers but anger officials of both the Catholic Church and the secular government, who try to force them to recant their story. As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site to witness what became known as the Miracle of the Sun.[2]

History

Formed by Jon Beaumont (former executive of Miramax) and Bob Berney in 2005, Picturehouse was a joint venture created by Time Warner subsidiaries, New Line Cinema and HBO Films to acquire, produce and distribute independent films.[3] Berney, who guided the acquisition, marketing and distribution of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Passion of the Christ, among other notable releases, ran the company from its inception.[4]

Over the next two years Picturehouse released features such as Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion, starring Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin; Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which was acquired at script stage and went on to earn six Oscar nominations and win in three categories; La Vie En Rose, which garnered Marion Cotillard an Oscar for Best Actress; and Sergei Bodrov’s Genghis Khan biopic Mongol, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.[5]

In 2008 Time Warner’s consolidation resulted in Warner Bros. exiting the independent business to concentrate on big-budget “tentpole” releases. This prompted the closure of marketing and distribution operations at both New Line Cinema and Picturehouse, costing 70 employees their jobs.[6] In 2013 Berney and his wife Jeanne acquired the Picturehouse logo and trademark from Warner Bros. and relaunched the label as an independent theatrical distribution company.[7] Initial releases included Adriana Trigiani’s Big Stone Gap, starring Ashley Judd, and Christian Keller’s Gloria, with Sofía Espinosa.

Filmography

2000s
Release Date Title
July 22, 2005Last Days
September 16, 2005The Thing About My Folks
October 19, 2005Ushpizin
January 27, 2006Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
April 14, 2006The Notorious Bettie Page
June 9, 2006A Prairie Home Companion
November 9, 2006Who the *__SUB_LEVEL_SECTION_2__amp;% Is Jackson Pollock?
November 10, 2006Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
December 29, 2006Pan's Labyrinth
March 9, 2007Starter for 10
June 1, 2007Gracie
June 8, 2007La Vie En Rose
August 3, 2007El Cantante
August 10, 2007Rocket Science
August 17, 2007The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
September 14, 2007Silk
January 11, 2008The Orphanage
February 8, 2008Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland
February 29, 2008The Fox and the Child
March 28, 2008Run, Fatboy, Run
June 6, 2008Mongol
July 2, 2008Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
September 12, 2008The Women
January 20, 2009Amusement

2010s
Release Date Title
October 4, 2013Metallica: Through the Never
September 17, 2014The Guest
July 17, 2015Gloria
October 9, 2015Big Stone Gap

2020s
Release Date Title
August 28, 2020Fatima

Future releases
Release Date Title

References
  1. Cunningham, Todd (September 25, 2013). "'Metallica Through the Never' Rocks the Rebirth of Indie Picturehouse". The Wrap. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  2. Fleming, Mike (October 28, 2019). "Bob & Jeanne Berney Reopen Picturehouse With North American Rights Deal For 'Fatima'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  3. Thompson, Anne (March 4, 2008). "Warner Bros. shape shifts". Variety. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  4. Hirschberg, Lynn (December 19, 2004). "The Distribution Artist". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  5. McIntyre, Gina (February 6, 2007). "Del Toro's 'Labyrinth' gains Oscar momentum". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  6. Hayes, Dade; McNary, Dave (May 8, 2008). "Picturehouse, WIP close shop". Variety. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
  7. Fleming, Mike (January 15, 2013). "The Berneys are Back with Picturehouse, and Now They've got Metallica". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
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