Blade Runner 2049 coproducer Alcon Media Group has bought Village Roadshow Entertainment Groups film library for $417.5 million.
The deal includes Village Roadshows collection of 108 feature films including stakes in The Matrix and Oceans franchises, Mad Max: Fury Road and Joker. The library generates $50 million annually, according to court documents.
Earlier this year, Village Roadshow once one of the most prolific behind-the-scenes financiers in Hollywood filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It pointed to a costly endeavor aimed at creating content in-house and the souring of its longtime partnership with Warner Bros. After the filing, an auction was held to maximize the value of Village Roadshows assets. Alcon Entertainment outbid Content Partners, which offered $365 million. Among the outstanding questions is whether a breakup fee will have to be paid.
The purchase positions Alcon as the owner of one of the largest independent feature film libraries. Their collection includes Blade Runner 2049, The Blind Side, and Prisoners.
We are pleased to acquire Village Roadshows library of major studio distributed feature films, which are accretive to Alcons existing film library, said Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, co-CEOs of AMG and its production and financing group Alcon Entertainment. We intend to continue to be opportunistic in the future as other attractive assets become available in the marketplace.
The sales includes a development slate of films and television series, though there are concerns surrounding the value of the companys studio business. Since 2018, the company has had 99 feature films and 233 television series in development. Of those, only 6 movies and 7 television shows went into production at a price tag of $47.5 million. None of them were able to turn a profit indicating sustainability of the endeavor aimed at creating content in-house.
The sale isnt believed to include the derivative rights to intellectual property owned by Village Roadshow. A separate auction will be held.