Caravan Pictures, Inc. was an American film production company at Walt Disney Studios, formed by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth that was active from November 17, 1992 to 1999. Caravan Pictures' films were distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (now known as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures since 2007).
While Disney would sign directors and talent to two- and three-picture deals, Caravan Pictures would work with talent based on the project being produced and not lock them into agreements. The production company's slate strategy was to commit to screenwriters as directors, put bankable actors in predictable roles, and low-budget movies with like breakthrough talent. The unit had greenlight authority up to $30 million with the expectation of producing 5 to 7 films a year and did not have salary caps. They also did not have its own full business and legal affairs departments, and executives did not have titles until 1997.
History
Caravan Pictures was founded by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth as a production company at Disney in 1992 to fill the Disney Studios' then-yearly 50 to 60 production and distribution slots. Caravan Pictures was given a five-year, 25-picture agreement with greenlight authority up to $30 million and an overhead budget of $3 million, and was expected to produce 5 to 7 films per year originally. After just releasing its first picture, The Three Musketeers, on Christmas Day 1993, Caravan Pictures expected to release 10 films in 1994, which could accelerate the end of the deal in 2 1/2 years instead of 5 years.[1]