AMC Theatres Launches Leawood Films to Bring More Movies to the Big Screen

AMC Theatres is expanding its Hollywood footprint beyond showing movies. The world’s largest theater chain is launching Leawood Films, a new distribution label aimed at getting more small and mid-budget movies onto the big screen.

This is an interesting move for AMC, especially as plenty of completed independent films, including projects coming out of major film festivals, struggle to secure theatrical distribution. Rather than finance movies from the ground up, Leawood Films will focus on films that are already fully financed and completed, which AMC describes as a “low-risk opportunity.”

Leawood will essentially operate as a distributor for hire, allowing filmmakers to retain ownership of their IP along with downstream revenue.

The label takes its name from Leawood, Kansas, where AMC is headquartered. Leawood Films will operate offices there and in Los Angeles.

AMC already has some serious experience taking movies directly to theaters. Variance handled North American booking and distribution for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour as well as Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl. Variance also worked on Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.

That partnership will continue with Leawood Films, with Variance handling distribution for the label’s releases while AMC takes care of marketing. Piece of Magic Entertainment will oversee international distribution.

These movies won’t be limited to AMC locations, either. Leawood Films plans to book its releases at competing theater chains around the world, following the same approach AMC used with its previous theatrical projects.

The first Leawood Films titles are expected to be announced for release in 2027 or 2028. Films will receive an exclusive theatrical window of at least 45 days before Premium VOD and a 90-day window before streaming.

AMC has also recruited some major Hollywood veterans to help guide the operation. Former Warner Bros. Group chairman and I Play Rocky producer Toby Emmerich, former Walt Disney Studios marketing president Ricky Strauss, and longtime Paramount distribution executive Kyle Davies will serve as advisors.

Entertainment attorney Craig Jacobson, a founding partner at Hansen Jacobson, will represent Leawood Films. The advisors will report to AMC Entertainment chairman and CEO Adam Aron.

Aron explained the basic idea behind the new company: “Leawood Films is being created with a straightforward objective, given that substantial excess capacity exists in the movie theatre industry: to bring more movies to theatres.

“If we can take steps to ensure that a few extra movies come to theaters each year, it is gravy for AMC in the United States and Odeon in Europe, as well as for our fellow exhibitors.”

AMC also wants Leawood to work alongside competing theater chains instead of treating the new label as an AMC-only operation.

He continued, “One of the keys to the success of our Taylor Swift and Beyoncé film projects in 2023 and 2025 was the extraordinarily successful cooperation we received from movie theatre circuits across the United States and around the world.

“We intend to take a collaborative approach with Leawood Films, and we look forward to working with exhibitors throughout our industry at home and abroad to bring compelling films to audiences everywhere.

“The movie theatre industry benefits when there are more high-quality films available to theatrical moviegoers, and that is exactly what this initiative is designed to achieve.”

For filmmakers, the most interesting part may be the scale AMC is targeting. This isn’t an attempt to turn Leawood Films into another major studio chasing $200 million franchise movies. The focus will be smaller projects that might otherwise have difficulty landing a theatrical release.

Aron also explained, “This is a modestly scaled initiative focused on taking to the big-screen films that are fully financed by their filmmakers. We are aiming particularly to increase the number of small- and mid-budget-sized movies that get released theatrically.

“It is highly unlikely that Leawood Films will include blockbuster tentpole-type releases. So, our Leawood Films effort is intended to complement, not compete with, the crucial work of our longstanding existing partnerships with major studios and key distribution partners.

“It is worth emphasizing that we firmly expect to continue delivering top-shelf results for our existing studio and other key distributor partners, as they continue to produce movie content for AMC at levels exponentially and orders of magnitude greater than that expected from Leawood Films.”

That could make Leawood Films an appealing option for independent filmmakers sitting on completed movies that need distribution. AMC has theaters, marketing resources and established relationships with exhibitors, while filmmakers can maintain control of their properties.

“Ultimately, moviegoers consistently demonstrate their appetite for a wide variety of theatrical content, and we believe there are more outstanding films that deserve the opportunity to find audiences on the big screen.

“Through Leawood Films, we believe we can bring meaningful value to filmmakers whose movies might otherwise not get made, or which might not be taken to theatres.

“We can assure them the availability of movie theatre screens and attractive economics, as well as have them benefit from our relationships across the exhibition industry, our proven marketing capabilities, and our extensive experience connecting theatrical content with moviegoing audiences.”

There are plenty of interesting independent movies fighting for theatrical space and distribution deals, while theaters could certainly use a steadier supply of films between major studio releases. Leawood Films gives AMC a way to help fill some of those gaps without taking on the financial risk of producing the movies itself.

Aron concluded, “What makes us especially excited to make this announcement today is that we have been successful in enlisting Toby Emmerich, Ricky Strauss, Kyle Davies and Craig Jacobson to help us with this effort.

“We have assembled a truly distinguished, knowledgeable and experienced group to advise us on Leawood Films. Throwing into the mix AMC’s size, scale and considerable resources, and adding in highly able and experienced Hollywood veterans with us right from the start, we will come out of the blocks ready to run.”

Leawood Films won’t be trying to compete with Disney, Warner Bros., Universal or the other major studios. Instead, AMC is carving out a specific lane for finished films that need a path into theaters.

If it works, filmmakers get another theatrical distribution option, theaters get more movies to put on their screens, and audiences get a chance to discover films that might otherwise have skipped cinemas altogether.

That’s a pretty solid reason to keep an eye on what Leawood Films picks up when its first slate arrives in 2027 or 2028.

Source: Deadline