Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC, doing business as Amblin Partners, LLC., is an American independent entertainment production company founded on December 16, 2015. It developed and produced films under the Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures banners, as well as television series through Amblin Television.
The company's investment partners included Reliance Group's Reliance Entertainment, Lionsgate Studios, Alibaba Group's Damai Entertainment, and NBCUniversal/Comcast's Universal Pictures. Films produced by Amblin Partners were primarily distributed by either Universal or its specialty label Focus Features in North America and select international territories, and by third-party distributors through Mister Smith Entertainment in other countries.
History Amblin Partners, LLC. was founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll of Participant Media, Anil Ambani of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, and Darren Throop of Entertainment One on December 16, 2015. The company primarily would focus on producing and distributing films and television using the DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Participant Media brands. For films, it uses the original live-action DreamWorks label for mature content, the Amblin label for family-friendly content (with the exception of Maestro, which is rated R), and the Participant label for social justice content, although Participant remained as a separate company.
On the same day as the company's formation, Amblin Partners announced that it entered into a five-year distribution deal with Universal Pictures by which the films would be distributed and marketed by either the main Universal banner or its specialty label, Focus Features. The Girl on the Train was the first film released under the deal. Mister Smith Entertainment, which began its international distribution deal with DreamWorks in August 2012, continued to handle distribution sales for Amblin Partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On October 9, 2016, Amblin Partners struck a deal with China's Alibaba Pictures, in which Alibaba acquired a minority equity stake in the company and would handle marketing, distribution support, and merchandising of Amblin Partners films in China in addition to co-financing Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures films worldwide. Although financial details were not shared during the formalization of the partnership, both parties agreed that they could co-produce movies for a global and Chinese audience and work together for marketing and merchandising. The agreement included cross-media merchandising items like lunch boxes, bedspreads, and action figures that served as official tie-ins manufactured by Alibaba group subsidiaries like Tmall.com, ensuring the items adhered to brand integrity. On February 15, 2017, Comcast's Universal acquired a minority stake in Amblin Partners, strengthening the relationship between Universal and Amblin, and reuniting a minority percentage of the DreamWorks Pictures label with its former animation division, which Comcast acquired the year prior in 2016.
On December 18, 2017, Amblin Partners signed a music publishing deal with BMG Rights Management, covering music from its films and television series.
Transfer of eOne's stake On August 22, 2019, Hasbro announced that it would acquire Entertainment One for at least $4 billion. The acquisition was completed on December 30, 2019, resulting in the toy company inheriting Entertainment One's stake in Amblin Partners.
On November 30, 2020, Amblin Partners renewed its distribution deal with Universal, which continued to be an equity stake holder. That same month however, Participant terminated its equity stake in Amblin Partners, ending its relationship with the company.
On June 21, 2021, Amblin Partners signed a multi-year deal to produce "multiple new feature films per year" for Netflix.
On November 17, 2022, Hasbro announced that was selling part of Entertainment One's television and film business not directly supporting their Branded Entertainment strategy, which included their stake in Amblin Partners. In March 2023, Deadline reported that Lionsgate (which Hasbro attempted to acquire in 2017), Fremantle, and Universal's former co-financing partner, Legendary Entertainment were among bidders for the assets of Entertainment One. The following month, it was reported Lionsgate, Legendary, and GoDigital Media Group were among the potential buyers, with Fremantle dropping out of contention following an increase in the selling price, which was beyond what the company was willing to pay for the assets. On April 20, 2023, it was reported that Hasbro was in talks with Throop, whose bid was backed by CVC Capital Partners, on the possibility of buying the company back.
On July 11, 2023, Amblin Partners announced it entered a partnership with its distributor, Universal, where Universal will co-finance Amblin's productions, as Amblin announced it would lay off 20% of its staff. In the same month Deadline reported that Lionsgate was a frontrunner to acquire Entertainment One, with Legendary and GoDigital still among the potential buyers and Throop attempting to launch another bid for the company after his previous attempt with CVC failed.
On August 3, 2023, Lionsgate announced it would acquire Entertainment One from Hasbro for $500 million, with the transaction closed on December 27, 2023.
Shutdown of Participant On April 16, 2024, Participant ceased operations due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.
Film library Released Title Release date Label Other production companies Distributor The BFG July 1, 2016 Amblin Entertainment Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media and Reliance Entertainment Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures The Light Between Oceans September 2, 2016 DreamWorks Pictures Touchstone Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media and Heyday Films The Girl on the Train October 7, 2016 Reliance Entertainment and Marc Platt Productions Universal Pictures Office Christmas Party December 9, 2016 Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment 360 and Bluegrass Films Paramount Pictures A Dog's Purpose January 27, 2017 Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media and Pariah Entertainment Group Universal Pictures Ghost in the Shell March 31, 2017 DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment, Grosvenor Park Productions, Seaside Entertainment and Arad Productions Paramount Pictures Thank You for Your Service October 27, 2017 Reliance Entertainment and Rahway Road Productions Universal Pictures The Post December 22, 2017 Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment, Pascal Pictures and Star Thrower Entertainment 20th Century Fox 7 Days in Entebbe March 16, 2018 Participant Media Working Title Films Focus Features The House with a Clock in Its Walls September 21, 2018 Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment and Mythology Entertainment Universal Pictures First Man October 12, 2018 DreamWorks Pictures Temple Hill Entertainment, Phantasma Films, and Perfect World Pictures Green Book November 16, 2018 DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media Innisfree Pictures and Cinetic Media Welcome to Marwen December 21, 2018 DreamWorks Pictures ImageMovers and Perfect World Pictures On the Basis of Sex December 25, 2018 Participant Media Robert Cort Productions Focus Features Captive State March 15, 2019 Lightfuse & Gettaway A Dog's Journey May 17, 2019 Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media and Pariah Entertainment Group Universal Pictures Dark Waters November 22, 2019 Participant Killer Films Focus Features 1917 December 25, 2019 DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment, New Republic Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Mogambo Universal Pictures The Turning January 24, 2020 Vertigo Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment Come Play October 30, 2020 Amblin Partners The Picture Company and Reliance Entertainment Focus Features Stillwater July 30, 2021 Participant and DreamWorks Pictures Slow Pony, Anonymous Content, 3dot Productions and Supernatural Pictures Finch November 5, 2021 Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment, ImageMovers, Misher Films and Walden Media Apple TV+ Easter Sunday August 5, 2022 DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment, Rideback Universal Pictures The Good House September 30, 2022 Participant and DreamWorks Pictures Roadside Attractions, Faliro House, Reliance Entertainment and FilmNation Entertainment Lionsgate The Fabelmans November 11, 2022 Amblin Entertainment Reliance Entertainment Universal Pictures The Last Voyage of the Demeter August 11, 2023 DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment, Storyworks Productions, Studio Babelsberg, Phoenix Pictures and Wise Owl Media Carry-On December 13, 2024 Dylan Clark Productions Netflix Long Distance July 3, 2025 Reliance Entertainment and Automatik EntertainmentUniversal Pictures
Upcoming Title Release date Label Other production companies Film distributor You Should Be Dancing TBA Amblin Entertainment Scott Free Productions, GK Films and Sister Films Paramount Pictures
In development Title Label Other production companies Film distributor Arachnophobia DreamWorks Pictures Atomic Monster TBA Apeirogon TBA American Reaper"Pat Mills and Clint Langley's “American Reaper” optioned for the big screen" by John Freeman, at downthetubes.net, 22 August 2020 Intrepid Pictures Assassins Anonymous TBA Beautiful Ruins Neal Street Productions Carrier Automatik Entertainment and QCode Cheshire Crossing Michael De Luca Productions Confessions in B-Flat Orit Entertainment and Marcy Place Productions Homecoming Queen TBA James Universal Pictures Long Lost TBA Genre Pictures and Ground Control Entertainment Miss Macy TBA TBA Super in Love Stage 13 The Act The Bear Marc Platt Productions The Exchange Escape Artists The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Blueprint Pictures and OddBall Entertainment The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara DreamWorks Pictures The Kennedy/Marshall CompanyUniversal Pictures The Light of Days TBA TBATBA The Richest Black Girl in America The Switch Untitled Jutta Kleinschmidt biopic 87North Productions and Devonsheer Media Untitled true-life show choir film Safehouse Pictures Upgrade TBA
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