AMC Launches Indie Distributor Leawood Films — SkimNews
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- AMC Theaters launched Leawood Films, an indie distribution label focused on small and medium-sized releases that might otherwise struggle to secure distribution, with the company stating it will only acquire completed films or those with full financing already in place and will not finance, develop, or produce films itself.
- Leawood Films installed an advisory board featuring former Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich, ex-Walt Disney Studios President of Marketing Ricky Strauss, and Kyle Davies, who is departing his current role as President of Distribution at Bleecker Street to join.
- AMC will give Leawood titles a 45-day theatrical exclusive window and a 90-day window to SVOD, and intends to release in theaters beyond its own locations.
- Leawood Films has not announced any initial slate acquisitions, with titles not expected until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest.
- AMC previously operated the Open Road Films joint venture with Regal from 2011 to 2017, which produced the Best Picture Oscar winner "Spotlight" along with "The Grey," "Nightcrawler," and "Chef" before AMC sold its stake.
- AMC is making this announcement while carrying roughly $4 billion in debt and trading at a $2.64 share price, even as exhibition revenue is being boosted by the record-setting run of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Why it matters: AMC is betting on indie distribution while carrying roughly $4 billion in debt and a $2.64 stock price, leveraging its theater footprint and the goodwill from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour's $261 million gross to acquire completed films rather than fund production. The 45-day theatrical window and intent to release in non-AMC theaters positions Leawood as a potential lifeline for underserved mid-budget films, though with no titles until 2027 or 2028, the venture has years to prove itself before any meaningful revenue contribution.
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