Original synthesis to sit alongside the encyclopedia article below. Not part of Wikipedia; verify facts on Wikipedia when precision matters.
DreamWorks Pictures (also called DreamWorks SKG or DreamWorks Studios) is a renowned American film production studio, currently operating as a label under Amblin Partners. It was founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, and has produced many high-grossing, award-winning films.
Key moments
October 12, 1994Officially founded by the three founders with initial funding support
1997Released its first feature film *The Peacemaker*
1999-2001Won three consecutive Academy Awards for Best Picture with *American Beauty*, *Gladiator* and *A Beautiful Mind*
2004Animation division spun off as DreamWorks Animation SKG, independent from the live-action studio
2006Acquired by Viacom, parent company of Paramount Pictures, which took over distribution
2008Ended distribution deal with Paramount, began self-distributing temporarily
2011-2016Had film distribution partnership with Walt Disney Studios via Touchstone Pictures
2016Amblin Partners took control of the studio, Universal Pictures (NBCUniversal) assumed distribution rights
Competitive Analysis for DreamWorks Pictures
Direct competitors include major Hollywood studios like Warner Bros. Discovery, Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and 20th Century Studios
Once stood out as a leading independent studio before being acquired multiple times, now focuses on mid-to-high budget live-action and co-produced films
Its former animation division DreamWorks Animation is now a separate entity, competing with Pixar, Illumination and Disney Animation
Current distribution partnership with Universal Pictures gives it access to the parent company's global release and marketing resources, narrowing the gap with Disney's in-house studio capabilities
DreamWorks Pictures holds a distinctive position in the global film industry, built on the reputations of its high-profile founders and a decades-long track record of delivering commercially successful and critically celebrated content. As a storied Hollywood studio, it is synonymous with innovative storytelling and big-budget blockbuster filmmaking, with a brand identity closely tied to the creative vision of co-founder Steven Spielberg, one of the most influential directors in cinema history.
Despite multiple structural shifts and ownership changes over its history, including its current operation as a content label under Amblin Partners, the DreamWorks Pictures brand retains strong resonance among audiences, filmmakers, and industry stakeholders. Its library of iconic films, including multiple Academy Award-winning titles and high-grossing properties, continues to generate ongoing value through distribution, streaming, and downstream licensing, reinforcing its standing in the highly competitive global entertainment landscape.
The brand benefits from indirect cross-recognition with other DreamWorks-branded entertainment entities, though it remains distinct as a leading premium live-action film production label, leveraging its decades-long legacy to attract top creative talent and secure high-profile distribution partnerships with major global media companies.
Brand leadership
Score: 80/100
DreamWorks Pictures maintains strong brand leadership in the premium live-action film segment, backed by its long-standing association with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and a proven history of delivering award-winning, high-profile projects. It is widely recognized as a leading name in modern Hollywood, though it no longer operates as a full-service independent major studio, which limits its overall market share relative to the largest global studio groups owned by major media conglomerates.
Consumer interaction
Score: 72/100
The brand engages consistently with film audiences through social media, film festival appearances, and targeted promotional campaigns for new releases, while its extensive classic catalog maintains ongoing passive engagement with viewers via global streaming platforms and home media. Audiences consistently associate the DreamWorks brand with high-quality storytelling, driving positive organic word-of-mouth interaction around both new releases and legacy content.
Brand momentum
Score: 65/100
As a curated content label under Amblin Partners, DreamWorks Pictures releases a small, selective slate of premium films rather than the large volume of output it produced during its independent era. This steady, quality-focused approach keeps the brand relevant among audiences, but it does not have the rapid growth trajectory of large studio labels backed by major streaming and media conglomerates, resulting in moderate overall brand momentum.
Brand stability
Score: 85/100
Decades of widespread brand recognition and a mature, stable ownership structure under Amblin Partners have contributed to high brand stability for DreamWorks Pictures. The core identity of the brand as a premium live-action studio has remained consistent through multiple ownership transitions, with minimal lasting negative brand damage from industry shifts, supporting strong long-term brand stability.
Brand age
Score: 78/100
Founded in 1994, DreamWorks Pictures has over 30 years of operating history in the global film industry, a mature brand age that has allowed it to build substantial accumulated brand equity and widespread name recognition. While it is younger than the century-old legacy Hollywood major studios, its three-decade track record is sufficient to have cemented a firmly entrenched reputation among audiences and industry professionals alike.
Industry profile
Score: 82/100
DreamWorks Pictures holds an extremely high-profile position within the global film and entertainment industry, thanks to its world-famous founding team, its history of disruptive independent studio operations, and its ongoing association with A-list creative talent. It is frequently cited as one of the most iconic modern film brands in Hollywood, with lasting influence over production and distribution trends in premium live-action cinema.
Global brand reach
Score: 75/100
DreamWorks Pictures films are distributed globally through international distribution partnerships, with its blockbusters and award-winning titles earning large, loyal audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, and other major film markets. The brand is widely recognized in most global film markets, though it does not have the same level of localized market penetration in high-growth emerging regions as the largest integrated major studio groups, leading to a moderate-high globalization score.
AI-based analysis can support structured reasoning around a brand's estimated value, leveraging public market context and brand performance data to frame indicative value. All value-related assessments provided in this context are illustrative only and not audited for official commercial use. For a formally audited, certified brand value assessment for DreamWorks Pictures, contact the World Brand Lab.
Subsidiary
key people
Steven Spielberg (chairman)
Jeff Small (CEO)
Holly Bario (president of production)
founders
Steven Spielberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg
David Geffen
industry
Film
products
Motion pictures
num employees
80 (2012)
divisions
DreamWorks Television (1994–2013)
DreamWorks Animation (1994–2004)
DreamWorks Home Entertainment (1998–2009)
DreamWorks Interactive (50%) (1995–2000)
DreamWorks Records (1996–2005)
Go Fish Pictures (2000–2007)
subsid
Pacific Data Images (2000–2004)
GameWorks (50%; 1996–2001)
website
https://amblin.com/movie/dreamworks/
DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film studio and distribution label of Amblin Partners.The studio was originally founded on October 12, 1994, as a live-action and animation film studio by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen (which together form the SKG of DreamWorks SKG), of which they owned 72%.From 1997 to 2005, DreamWorks distributed its own and third-party films, with Universal Pictures handling worldwide home video distribution. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each.
DreamWorks Pictures was sold to Viacom, parent of Paramount Pictures in February 2006 (this version is now named DW Studios, LLC).In 2008, DreamWorks announced its intention to end its partnership with Paramount and made a deal to produce films with India's Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, re-creating DreamWorks Pictures as an independent entity.The following year, DreamWorks entered into a distribution agreement with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, wherein Disney would distribute DreamWorks films through the Touchstone Pictures label; the deal continued until August 2016. Since October 2016, Universal Pictures has distributed most of the films produced by DreamWorks Pictures. Currently, DreamWorks operates out of offices on the Universal Studios Lot.
DreamWorks is also different from its former animation division of the same name.Following the massive success of Shrek (2001), which won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 74th Academy Awards ceremony, the animation division was spun off into its own separate company in 2004 and was later acquired by Universal's parent NBCUniversal in 2016.[1] Spielberg's company continues to use the original DreamWorks trademarks under license from its animation counterpart.[2][3]
History
Founding and Universal distribution (1994–2005)
The original company was founded following Jeffrey Katzenberg's resignation from the Walt Disney Company in 1994.Katzenberg approached director Steven Spielberg and music executive David Geffen about forming a live-action and animation film studio, which had not been done in decades due to the risk and expense, but all three were very successful. They agreed on three conditions: They would make fewer than nine movies a year, they would be free to work for other studios if they chose, and they would go home in time for dinner. They officially founded DreamWorks SKG on October 12, 1994, with financial backing of $33 million from each of the three partners[4] plus $500 million from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and $300 million from CJ Group heiress Miky Lee, giving the CJ Group an 11% stake in DreamWorks; the deal was also initially understood to include distribution rights to DreamWorks films across Asia excluding Japan, although CJ ultimately handled rights for only China, South Korea and Hong Kong, with all other international territories handled by United International Pictures
Logo
Original
The original DreamWorks logo features a boy sitting on a crescent moon with a fishing rod at night.The general idea for the logo was the idea of the company's founder, Steven Spielberg, who wanted a CGI image.Illustrator Robert Hunt was commissioned to execute the idea as a painting, and he used his son as the model.[106] The logo was then turned into a motion graphic at Industrial Light & Magic, in collaboration with Kaleidoscope Films, Dave Carson and Clint Goldman.[107] It was animated by ILM animation supervisor Wes Takahashi.[108][109]
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
DreamWorks Home Entertainment (DHE) was a home media unit of DreamWorks Pictures and banner for other home media units, formed on March 10, 1998. Its releases were first distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (and initially through CIC Video internationally).After DreamWorks Pictures was purchased by Viacom on February 1, 2006, DHE became a label of Paramount Home Entertainment used for films released under the live-action DreamWorks banner until it was shuttered in 2009, when DreamWorks spun itself off from Paramount and became an independent company.
DreamWorks' library of film releases are currently owned and distributed by various studios. The pre-2009 library is owned by Paramount (DW Studios, LLC); the 2011–2016 library (DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC) is owned by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, and the majority of the 2016–present library by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Filmography
Film series
Highest-grossing films
Primary owners and distributors
Theatrical distributors
(1997–2005 for DW Studios, LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs; 2016–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC catalog; 2019–present for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2006–2012 for DW Studios, LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs) (2011–2016 for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog) (2013–2017 for DreamWorks Animation catalog)
Despite access to sound stages and sets, DreamWorks preferred to film motion pictures on location.
Usually, however, the company would film in a soundstage or set in a major studio.
Shortly after DreamWorks was founded, the media dubbed Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen as "the three amigos".[8][9] Despite Geffen's initial investment, it was reported in October 1994 that DreamWorks would only produce live-action and animated films, television programs and interactive entertainment.[8] There were rumors that Warner Bros. Records CEO Mo Ostin might collaborate at DreamWorks with Geffen, who himself was still contracted to work at Geffen Records.[9][10] The company eventually expanded into music once Geffen stepped down from Geffen Records in April 1995,[11] and Ostin would be hired as leader of DreamWorks' music operations that October.[12] By 1998, DreamWorks was labelled as "multifaceted entertainment", with the company describing its ambition in 1997 as being to nurture creative breakthroughs in "every field" of entertainment.[13][14]
In December 1994, DreamWorks Television was formed after DreamWorks agreed to a $200 million seven-year television production joint venture with Capital Cities/ABC.[15] The company was set up to produce series for broadcast networks, cable channels and first run syndication, with no first-look guarantee for ABC, but financial incentives favored the network.[16] Their first show, Champions, was scheduled as a mid-season replacement for ABC.Dan McDermott was named the division's chief executive in June 1995.[17] DreamWorks Television's first success was Spin City on ABC,[16] the parent company of which was bought by The Walt Disney Company in February 1996.[18] In 2002, the DreamWorks joint venture agreement with ABC ended.That agreement was replaced by a development agreement with NBC, with a first look clause.[16] In September 2013, DreamWorks Television merged with Amblin Television.
In 1995, traditional animation artists from Amblimation joined the new studio, which led to DreamWorks buying part of Pacific Data Images (PDI), a company specializing in visual effects, and renaming it PDI/DreamWorks in 2000. Both were software divisions and would merge later on. By then, DreamWorks had the traditional animators working for their animation department, and the computer animators worked on CG films. Amblimation shut down in 1997 and all 250 of Amblimation's crew members went on to join DreamWorks Animation.[19] The same year, DreamWorks Interactive, a computer and video game developer and joint venture between DreamWorks and Microsoft, was founded.DreamWorks Interactive was intended to eventually form synergies with the animation, film and television divisions of DreamWorks, with Geffen speculating in April 1995 that it could also possibly form synergies with DreamWorks' upcoming music division.[20] With DreamWorks losing interest in maintaining a video game division, Electronic Arts (EA) acquired the Los Angeles studio of DreamWorks Interactive from DreamWorks and Microsoft on February 24, 2000, acquiring the intellectual property and rights of the acclaimed series Medal of Honor from Microsoft/DreamWorks.[21][22]
In June 1995, DreamWorks announced that it had signed a $1 billion deal with MCA Inc. (then parent company of Universal Pictures) to distribute its theatrical releases in other countries and its home video releases worldwide over 10 years, while DreamWorks itself would distribute them for the company as a film production label in America.[23][24] MCA also bought a 2% stake in the company for $54 million.[25]
In 1996, the company's record label, DreamWorks Records, was founded, the first project of which was George Michael's album Older.The first band signed to the label was eels, who released their debut album Beautiful Freak that year.DreamWorks Records went on to sign established artists for their label, including the alternative rock act Morphine, comedian Chris Rock (as a spoken word artist) and Henry Rollins (as both a spoken word artist and a member of Rollins Band).The label helped launch the careers of artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Elliott Smith, Nelly Furtado and Papa Roach.[26] Once the main film division officially commenced in 1997, the label started releasing numerous soundtrack compilation albums for live-action and animated DreamWorks films, including American Beauty, Road Trip, Shrek, Small Soldiers and The Prince of Egypt, among others.These albums mostly consisted of songs from artists signed to DreamWorks Records, with the films themselves also using songs from DreamWorks artists; an example being American Beauty, which had eels' song "Cancer for the Cure" and Elliot Smith's song "Because" in both the soundtrack album and the film.[27] The label's most commercially successful release was Papa Roach's Infest, which sold 7 million units on the back of the rap rock movement,[28] while some of the label's highest-charting songs included Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird" and Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal".[29] Commercially, the record company as a whole never lived up to expectations, and was sold in November 2003 to Universal Music Group,[26] who closed it at the beginning of 2005.Until September 1, 2005, UMG continued to operate DreamWorks Nashville, a country-focused division of DreamWorks Records which was founded in June 1997.That label was shut down when its flagship artist, Toby Keith, departed to form his own label.[30]
In 1997, DreamWorks Pictures released its first three feature films, The Peacemaker, a film about terrorism; Amistad, Spielberg's first film for the studio about an African slave rebellion and the aftermath of the massacre; and Mouse Hunt, the studio's first family film about two brothers trying to fight a mischievous mouse.All three of these films were relatively successful, managing to outgross their budgets by moderate margins, with Mouse Hunt being the most profitable of the three.[31] Amistad's score was composed by John Williams, a frequent Spielberg collaborator who also composed the music used for DreamWorks Pictures' opening logo.[32] This logo debuted in The Peacemaker, the first of the three films to be released, and has appeared on all live-action DreamWorks releases since, as well as on all DreamWorks Animation releases between 1998 and 2003.[33] Williams' score for Amistad and Hans Zimmer's score for The Peacemaker were both released on albums by DreamWorks Records in 1997,[34][35] although starting in 1998, the label usually only released background score albums for DreamWorks' most high-profile titles, such as Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty and Williams' score for Saving Private Ryan.[36][37] DreamWorks Interactive did not create video game tie-ins for The Peacemaker, Amistad or Mouse Hunt, and 1998's Small Soldiers was the only DreamWorks title to ever be directly adapted into a video game by DreamWorks Interactive.[38]
In 1998, the United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lawsuit against DreamWorks for trademark infringement by Dreamwerks Production Group, Inc.,[39] a company mostly specializing in Star Trek conventions.[40] The same year, DreamWorks Animation produced its first two full-length animated features, Antz and The Prince of Egypt, which were distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. DreamWorks Pictures continued to distribute DreamWorks Animation productions through their distribution name until 2004. DreamWorks Animation films were generally targeted towards younger audiences, in contrast to the more adult-oriented live-action DreamWorks films, including films with strong sexual elements such as American Beauty and Road Trip/EuroTrip, which shared the same branding through to 2004.DreamWorks also had another division called DreamWorks Television Animation, which in 1998 produced Toonsylvania and Invasion America.[41] However, it quickly folded and the later animated show Alienators: Evolution Continues (based on the 2001 live-action DreamWorks film Evolution) was instead handled by the main DreamWorks Television division, in association with DIC Entertainment and other parties.[42][43] Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson subsequently claimed in 2003 that DreamWorks' icon of a boy fishing and sitting on a moon crescent was plagiarized from the entrance to Jackson's Neverland Ranch.Spielberg was a friend of Jackson during the 1980s and appeared in his "Liberian Girl" music video.[44][45] This was among the only animated content that Paramount Pictures acquired from DreamWorks when its parent company Viacom purchased the live-action film division and television division in 2006.[46]
At the 71st Academy Awards in March 1999, DreamWorks Pictures' film Saving Private Ryan was the overwhelming frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar.Directed by company co-founder Steven Spielberg, the film had received critical praise for its authentic portrayal of World War II, and was a commercial success.However, in one of the most famous upsets in Academy history, the award was instead given to romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love, from Disney-owned Miramax, a studio which won numerous other Oscars in the 1990s and 2000s.The loss is widely attributed to an aggressive and unprecedented awards campaign by Miramax and its head, Harvey Weinstein.It included a reported "whisper campaign" to downplay the merits of Saving Private Ryan.[47] Ironically, Shakespeare in Love and Saving Private Ryan both ended up becoming part of the same corporate umbrella via Paramount Pictures' acquisition of the live-action DreamWorks film library in 2006, and its acquisition of the Miramax library in 2020.[48]
Following its defeat to Miramax, DreamWorks won three consecutive Academy Awards for Best Picture between 2000 and 2002, for American Beauty, Gladiator and Beautiful Mind (the latter two were co-productions with Universal Pictures).By this point, DreamWorks were considered to be the first new major Hollywood motion picture studio since RKO Pictures was founded in 1928.Go Fish Pictures, a division of DreamWorks with the objective to distribute art-house, independent and foreign films, was founded in 2000.The division experienced success with the anime films Millennium Actress (2003) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), respectively, which led them to venture into releasing live-action films, with the release of The Chumscrubber.However, The Chumscrubber was a commercial and critical failure, which led DreamWorks to shut down the division in 2007 shortly before the release of the Japanese film Casshern (which was distributed by DreamWorks).The library of Go Fish Pictures was included when Paramount Pictures acquired DreamWorks' live-action film library in 2006,[49][50] even though it mainly consisted of the American distribution rights to the aforementioned anime titles.
In 2000, DreamWorks was planning on building a studio backlot after buying 1,087 acres of land in the Playa Vista area in Los Angeles.It was to be complete with 18 sound stages, with many office buildings and a lake. There would also be new homes, schools, churches, and museums. The project was to be completed in 2001, but was canceled for financial reasons.[51] In April 2001, DreamWorks and Universal Pictures (through its new parent company Vivendi Universal) announced that they had extended their distribution agreement for an additional five years, following the commercial successes of Gladiator and Meet the Parents the year prior, both of which were co-produced by DreamWorks and Universal.[52] In January 2002, DreamWorks signed a deal with In Demand.[53]
For the period beginning October 1, 2004, to January 31, 2006, DreamWorks Pictures distributed its films in the North American domestic theatrical and worldwide television market, with international theatrical and worldwide home entertainment distribution by Universal Pictures. On October 27, 2004, DreamWorks Animation was spun off into a separate public company.[54]
David Geffen admitted that DreamWorks came close to bankruptcy twice. Under Katzenberg's watch, the studio suffered a $125 million loss on the 2003 animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and also overestimated the DVD demand for Shrek 2, with 5 million unsold DVDs.[55] In 2005, out of their two large budget pictures, War of the Worlds was produced as a joint effort with Paramount Pictures which was the first to reap a significant amount of profits, while The Island bombed at the domestic box office but turned a profit internationally through Warner Bros. Pictures.[56]
The 2003 Bo Welch film, The Cat In The Hat also released in this period and was a critical and commercial failure.[57]
Paramount ownership (2005–2008)
In December 2005, it was announced the original Viacom, the then-parent of Paramount Pictures, agreed to purchase the live-action studio, still keeping the original name and producing/distribution name.The deal was valued at approximately $1.6 billion, an amount that included about $400 million in debt assumptions.[58] Throughout most of 2005, DreamWorks Pictures was widely expected to be acquired by newly formed NBC Universal, parent of Universal Pictures and majority owned by General Electric (GE) (with the remainder owned by Vivendi as a result of GE's acquisition of a majority stake in that company's Vivendi Universal division which included Universal Pictures and related assets and merger of it with their NBC division to form NBC Universal). The transaction was viewed by industry analysts as a natural fit due to Spielberg's decades-long history with Universal Pictures and the fact that DreamWorks had utilized the Universal Studios lot for its headquarters and international distribution since its founding. Exclusive negotiations between DreamWorks and NBC Universal lasted for approximately nine months. By September 2005, the two parties had reportedly reached a verbal agreement for a sale valued at roughly $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion. However, towards the end of negotiations, GE attempted to lower their offer by approximately $100 million. Geffen was reportedly incensed by the last-minute reduction.[59] As talks with NBC Universal stalled, Viacom unexpectedly entered the bidding.Led by Paramount's new Chairman Brad Grey, they moved aggressively to propose their own offer in early December 2005.[60] DreamWorks accepted Viacom's offer on December 9, 2005, with the deal being announced to the media two days later.In a public statement from December 2005, Spielberg said, "due to my very long history and my loyalty to Universal, I was saddened that after long negotiations and many compromises, we were unable to come to terms with Universal's parent company, GE."[61] Regarding NBC Universal/GE, Geffen said in December 2005, "I think they thought we had no choice, and were going to squeeze us and squeeze us. After a year of dealing with them, they still did not have a concluded, finished contract ready to sign."[60]
The acquisition of the live-action DreamWorks studio was completed by the second iteration of Viacom, which had recently split from the original at the end of 2005, on February 1, 2006.[62] DreamWorks Pictures would briefly become a semi-autonomous label of Paramount Pictures.A key reason for Viacom's acquisition was due to a severe shortage in Paramount's own film production pipeline for 2006–2007, after Grey's new regime canceled many pre-existing projects.[63] Spielberg and Geffen were still involved with the company under Paramount, although Geffen eventually departed in 2008 since he was interested in reinventing himself as a newspaper mogul.[64] Katzenberg was now working at the newly independent DreamWorks Animation,[65] and remained there until its sale to NBCUniversal in 2016, which left Spielberg as the only one of the three founders currently involved with either DreamWorks company. Viacom's 2006 purchase of DreamWorks Pictures included a separate deal for Paramount to distribute new films by DreamWorks Animation over a six-year period. Viacom also held the rights to co-produce television shows based on DreamWorks Animation characters, via their children's division Nickelodeon.[66]
Starting in March 2006, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures went on to co-release films such as Blades of Glory, Disturbia, Dreamgirls, She's the Man, Tropic Thunder and the 2007 live-action adaptation of Transformers.Despite internal tensions between DreamWorks and Paramount, the partnership led to Paramount becoming the highest grossing US studio of 2007.[67] A point of contention was that Viacom owner Sumner Redstone viewed DreamWorks purely as a label of Paramount Pictures, whereas Spielberg did not view it as such, even resisting having new DreamWorks films being branded as Paramount films.[68] In most of the Paramount-distributed DreamWorks films from this period, Paramount's logo only briefly appears at the very end of the credits, with the films usually opening with DreamWorks' 1997 logo. Notable exceptions are Dreamgirls and Transformers, which feature both the Paramount logo and the DreamWorks logo at the beginning. It was Spielberg who insisted, as part of the 2006 sale, that Paramount's logo appear on DreamWorks' movies after the credits to give DreamWorks' own banner top billing.[64] In a 2007 Los Angeles Times article, an anonymous source said that Spielberg wanted to "carry the torch that DreamWorks should feel like its own studio."[64] In 2007, Redstone said, "I understand how people like them, entrepreneurs who built companies and are creative geniuses, want a hell of a lot of autonomy. They're entitled to a lot of autonomy and [we] are committed to giving them that. We do not treat them as employees, we treat them as co-workers."
One of the biggest clashes between DreamWorks and Viacom/Paramount was over perceived ownership for the acclaimed Dreamgirls, which won several awards, and which was a pet project that Geffen had been trying to get made for the last 25 years. This film was shot between January and March 2006, and produced by DreamWorks with funding from Warner Bros. and Paramount. Warner Bros. dropped out of the project at the last minute following Viacom's purchase of DreamWorks, and Paramount subsequently became sole owner of the film. In the lead up to the awards season, a DreamWorks executive sent an email to top Paramount managers, including Brad Grey, stating that the Dreamgirls filmmakers had requested there be no speeches before the film's premieres in New York and Los Angeles. However, at both events in early December 2006, Grey proceeded to give a speech honoring the filmmakers and acknowledging Geffen's 25-year effort to bring the project to the screen. According to anonymous DreamWorks insiders, who spoke to the media on anonymity out of fear of reprisal, Grey's actions were seen as a deliberate affront. Conversely, Paramount executives maintained that Grey, as the chairman of the studio owning the film, was well within his rights.[64]
On March 17, 2006, Viacom agreed to sell a controlling interest in the 1997–2005 DreamWorks Pictures live-action library to Soros Strategic Partners and Dune Entertainment II.[69] Viacom held a minority 49% stake, while the other parties, led by billionaire George Soros, held a majority 51% stake.[70] The film library (consisting of 59 titles) was valued at $900 million, and selling the majority stake helped Viacom finance the acquisition of the live-action studio itself.[63] Paramount Pictures retained the worldwide distribution rights to those films, as well as various ancillary rights, including music publishing (the music publishing rights were later licensed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing when the company acquired Viacom's Famous Music subdivision), sequels and merchandising.The sale was completed on May 8, 2006.[71] On February 8, 2010, Viacom repurchased Soros' controlling stake in the DreamWorks Pictures library for around $400 million.[72] Several notable DreamWorks films such as Cast Away
With only a few exceptions,[74] Paramount Pictures continues to control the rights to all films and television shows DreamWorks produced during their partnership, in addition to controlling the live-action film and television titles DreamWorks released prior to 2006.Paramount have also retained the film rights to the Hasbro-owned Transformers franchise, going on to release further films without DreamWorks' involvement.Initially, DreamWorks films released on home video were still branded similar to DreamWorks Home Entertainment releases and did not feature Paramount's logo on the packaging. Later home video releases have since incorporated Paramount's branding, including pre-2006 titles which Paramount had no involvement with. They do not hold the rights to the DreamWorks Animation films released prior to 2006, although they temporarily controlled the home media rights to the pre-2006 DreamWorks Animation library.[75]
Reliance-Spielberg joint venture and Disney distribution (2008–2015)
In June 2008, it was reported that DreamWorks Pictures was looking for financing that would allow it to continue operations, but as an independent production company, once its deal with Paramount ended later that year.[76] Several public equity funds were approached for financing, including Blackstone Group, Fuse Global, TPG Capital and several others, but all passed on the deal given their understanding of the Hollywood markets.On September 22, 2008, it was announced that DreamWorks closed a deal with Indian investment firm Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group to create a $1.2 billion stand-alone production company and end its ties with Paramount.[77] In January 2009, Spielberg entered a licensing agreement with DreamWorks Animation to use the DreamWorks trademarks, logo, and name for film productions and releases.[78]
As part of the 2008 separation agreement with Paramount/Viacom, they retained an option to co-finance and co-distribute 15–20 upcoming DreamWorks Pictures projects. As a result of this deal, Paramount Pictures currently own the rights to most live-action DreamWorks films that were released between 1997 and 2010.[79]
On February 9, 2009, DreamWorks Pictures entered into a long-term, 30-picture distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, by which DreamWorks' films would be released through the Touchstone Pictures banner, with Disney collecting a 10% distribution fee.[80] Despite signing the deal in early 2009, DreamWorks Pictures only started releasing films through Disney/Touchstone in 2011.The deal also included co-funding via a $175 million loan by Walt Disney Studios to DreamWorks for production and access to slots in Disney's pay television agreement, then with Starz.[80] The agreement was reported to have come after negotiations broke off with Universal Pictures just days earlier.[81] DreamWorks raised $325 million from Reliance Entertainment and an additional $325 million in debt in 2009.[82] On August 18, 2009, DreamWorks and Reliance signed a three-year, $825 million pact for up to six films a year.[83]
DreamWorks' slate of films in 2011, I Am Number Four, Cowboys & Aliens, and Fright Night failed, while The Help, Real Steel and Spielberg's War Horse had success at the box office. This left DreamWorks so financially drained that by 2011, DreamWorks was seeking additional funding from Reliance. Reliance gave a $200 million investment on April 10, 2012. Under the deal, DreamWorks Pictures scaled back production to three films per year and sought co-financiers on big budget films, such as 20th Century Fox, which would later that year enter a five-year distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation, would co-finance and handle international distribution for Lincoln and Bridge of Spies.DreamWorks continued to have Disney distribute and market their films.[82] On August 29, 2012, after renegotiating their agreement with Disney, DreamWorks formed a deal with Mister Smith Entertainment to distribute its films internationally excluding India (where Reliance Entertainment will distribute), while Disney would continue to distribute in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and some territories in Asia.[84]
Amblin Partners venture and return to Universal (2016–present)
On September 2, 2015, it was reported that DreamWorks and Disney would not renew their distribution deal, which was set to expire in August 2016,[85][86] with The Light Between Oceans being released in September as the final DreamWorks film distributed by Disney under their original distribution agreement.[87] During that time, DreamWorks was in early negotiations with Universal Pictures to distribute its upcoming films.[85][86] The contract allowing Spielberg to license the DreamWorks trademarks, name and logo from Jeffrey Katzenberg's DreamWorks Animation was set to expire on January 1, 2016, leading to media speculation that Spielberg would not renew the pact.[78] Disney retained the film rights to the fourteen DreamWorks films it released,[88] undee subsidiary DreamWorks II Distribution Co. LLC from DreamWorks and Reliance on December 11, 2015.[89][90]
On December 16, 2015, Spielberg, Reliance, Entertainment One and Participant Media partnered to launch the content production company Amblin Partners,[91] relegating DreamWorks to a brand for adult-themed films produced under the new company.[91][92] In addition to DreamWorks, the new company also would produce films under the Amblin Entertainment and Participant banners.On the same day, Amblin Partners announced a five-year distribution deal with Universal, under which the company's films would be distributed and marketed by either the main Universal label or its specialty label, Focus Features.[93][94] 2016's The Girl on the Train was the first film released under the new agreement,[88] though a few films, like Office Christmas Party
On February 15, 2017, Universal acquired a minority stake in Amblin Partners,[96][97] which reunited a minority percentage of the live-action DreamWorks label with its former DreamWorks Animation division, which Universal acquired the year prior in 2016 and eventually handled distribution that began with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019, after DreamWorks Animation's distribution deal with 20th Century Fox expired with the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in 2017.In 2020, Netflix released the film The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was a co-production between DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures and several other parties.This was one of the 15–20 DreamWorks projects that Paramount originally considered co-financing/co-distributing in late 2008–2010, as part of the post-split deal they made with DreamWorks Pictures.[79] The project would end up being delayed, and shooting did not begin until 2019.[98]
In 2021, Paramount launched their subscription streaming service Paramount+, which includes the 1997–2010 DreamWorks Pictures films owned by Paramount Pictures.[99] Additionally, Paramount included these films on their free streaming service Pluto TV,[100] which also includes certain DreamWorks Television shows owned by Paramount.[101][102] Disney's subscription streaming service Disney+ launched in 2019, and has included the 2011–2016 DreamWorks Pictures films owned by Touchstone.[103] However, this was mainly in international markets where their more adult-focused streaming service Hulu was unavailable, with Hulu including most of the Touchstone-owned DreamWorks films.[104][105]
Animation
The reimagined animation logo had music adapted from the track "Fairytale" for Shrek, based on the children's picture book of the same name by author William Steig.The logo was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and made its debut in 2004, with the release of Shrek 2, a film which Gregson-Williams also composed.Two years after its acquisition by NBCUniversal in 2016, the logo received a new fanfare composed by John Powell and incorporate some cues from Shrek 2 and tones from Williams' original DreamWorks fanfare to create the music for the logo.The new fanfare debuted in 2019, with the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, a film for which Powell also composed.In 2022, Harry Gregson-Williams returned to compose a new version of the fanfare, with the debut of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
(1998–2006 for DW Studios, LLC & DreamWorks Animation catalogs; 2016–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC catalog; 2018–present for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2009–present for DW Studios, LLC catalog; 2006–2013 for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2011–present for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog) (2013–2018 for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (briefly in 2024 for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog via WDSHE)[112][113] (2021–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs via UPHE pre-SDS merger; 2024–present for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog via SPHE/WDSHE)
(1997–2005 for DW Studios, LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs; 2016–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC catalog; 2019–present for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2006–2012 for DW Studios, LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs) (2011–2016 for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog) (2013–2017 for DreamWorks Animation catalog)
(1998–2006 for DW Studios, LLC & DreamWorks Animation catalogs; 2016–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC catalog; 2018–present for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2009–present for DW Studios, LLC catalog; 2006–2013 for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (2011–present for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog) (2013–2018 for DreamWorks Animation catalog) (briefly in 2024 for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog via WDSHE)[112][113] (2021–present for Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC and DreamWorks Animation catalogs via UPHE pre-SDS merger; 2024–present for DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC catalog via SPHE/WDSHE)
16.William M. Kunz. Culture Conglomerates: Consolidation in the Motion Picture and Television Industries Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, retrieved June 4, 2014^
However, they reissued certain other live-action DreamWorks films from 1997 to 2005 prior to buying back the stake.[73]
(2016),
Ghost in the Shell
(2017) and
The Post
(2017), were released by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox respectively.
Office Christmas Party and Ghost in the Shell were DreamWorks Pictures' first projects to have been done with Paramount since the 2008 split and DreamWorks' subsequent distribution relationship with Touchstone.
Earlier in 2012, while the DreamWorks/Touchstone deal was in effect, a DreamWorks/Paramount film titled A Thousand Words was released, although this film originally began shooting in August 2008, while DreamWorks was still owned by Viacom.[95] It had been delayed due to complications arising from the DreamWorks/Viacom split.[95]
