Legacy Releasing was an independent film distribution company based in California. It was founded in 1996 by Mark Borde and J. David Williams, veterans in the motion picture industry.
The company's first two releases, Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored and Robert Wuhl's Open Season, were shown at the Cannes Film Festival the same year it was established. Afterwards, it became a leader in independent distribution, releasing an average of 15 films per year.
Notable films from the company included Little Men, Wedding Bell Blues, The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain, Shiloh (and its sequel, Shiloh Season), and an animated version of Pippi Longstocking.
None of Legacy's output was successful financially. Its highest-grossing film, When We Were Colored, took close to $2.3 million at the U.S. box office. However, the home video business was booming at the time and was the economic engine of this company.
In 1999, Legacy went out of business, and was successfully merged and consolidated into Warner Home Video. Borde went on to become co-president of another company, the short-lived Independent Artists.PDF biography of Borde, the company's founder As of 2006, Legacy's official site (legacyfilms.com) no longer exists.
Borde is now the head of Freestyle Releasing. Williams is now the CEO of Marble Arch Entertainment.
Filmography Title Release date Distributing Partner Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored January 26, 1996 Republic Pictures Open Season May 3, 1996 Republic Pictures A Season in Purgatory May 5, 1996 Republic Pictures Rumpelstiltskin May 17, 1996 Republic Pictures Lover's Knot July 12, 1996 Cabin Fever Entertainment Killer: A Journal of Murder September 6, 1996 Republic Pictures Somebody to Love September 27, 1996 Cabin Fever Entertainment Cadillac Ranch October 10, 1996 BMG Independents Santa with Muscles November 8, 1996 Cabin Fever Entertainment Adrenalin: Fear the Rush November 29, 1996 Dimension Films The Wind in the Willows December 16, 1996 GoodTimes Entertainment Shiloh April 27, 1997 Warner Bros. Wedding Bell Blues June 13, 1997 BMG Independents Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary June 1997 Digging to China July 16, 1997 The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain July 18, 1997 Warner Bros.Columbia TriStar (currently) Pippi Longstocking August 22, 1997 Warner Bros. Love Always October 10, 1997 Kiss & Tell October 17, 1997 Republic Pictures Grizzly Mountain October 31, 1997 LIVE Entertainment/Hemdale Communications The Only Thrill March 6, 1998 A Rat's Tale March 20, 1998 Warner Bros. Eden March 27, 1998 BMG Independents Little Men May 8, 1998 Warner Bros. Plump Fiction May 15, 1998 Rhino Entertainment The Mighty Kong June 16, 1998 Warner Bros. Hands on a Hard Body: The Documentary July 10, 1998 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie October 16, 1998 GoodTimes Entertainment Thursday November 13, 1998 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Eight Days a Week February 26, 1999 Clubland April 16, 1999 Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season July 2, 1999 Warner Bros. Simon Sez September 24, 1999 Columbia Pictures Trois February 11, 2000 Rainforest Films Family Tree April 21, 2000 WarnerVision Entertainment
References
External links Official website (Archive) PDF biography of Borde, the company's founder