Passionflix is an entertainment streaming platform and production company. Founded in 2017 by director and producer Tosca Musk, screenwriter Joany Kane, and producer Jina Panebianco, it focuses on releasing original film adaptations of the best-selling romantic novels, while also streaming classic romantic movies. Passionflix also makes erotic thrillers.
The Hollywood Reporter describes Passionflix productions in general as "saucier than Hallmark but much tamer than porn, tamer even than some R-rated movies." No frontal nudity below the waist is shown. As co-founder and CEO Tosca Musk explains, "Passionflix is there to remove shame from sexuality... We are there to encourage connection, communication and compromise in relationships and we’re there to validate emotions." Movies and television series on this platform are categorized according to a "barometer of naughtiness" ranging from "Oh so vanilla" (for romantic comedies) to "NSFW" (not safe for work). The New York Times characterizes these as having "simple" plots and "sometimes unrefined" acting. Wired opines that the "acting is good, the actors are hot, and the plots deliver; don’t ask about the cinematography." Each film has a budget of no more than $10 million and is typically shot within a fortnight. "Founding members" or "Signature members"—fans who paid a premium subscription—have the right to be on set during filming and offer their views on what should be done. Some might even appear as extras. Musk likens this form of fan service to having her own "focus group" on set.
Although the platform is technically available worldwide, licensed content can only be watched in the United States. Subtitles are available in nine languages.
Company history In 2015, Joany Kane conceived of a movie-streaming service focusing on romance—a "Netflix for women"—dubbed Passionflix. Tosca Musk and Jina Panebianco joined Kane in her efforts to create this platform and Passionflix was officially launched in May 2017. The streaming service went online September 1, that same year. Musk stated that her goal was to capture the market for adaptations of romance novels, a genre generally neglected by Hollywood, and to tell these stories from the female perspective. Musk, Kane, and Panebianco take advantage of their prior experience making television films, which can be produced more quickly and affordably than those on Netflix. But Musk maintains that her company does not compete with Netflix because it aims at a niche market. She complains that mainstream entertainment productions "tend to be more about the victimization of women than they are about sexually free or sexually empowered stories about women" and that "I kept getting into conflicts with network executives, who were not interested in stories about empowered women embracing their sexuality." Although the customer base is predominantly women, the number of subscribers who are men has been growing. For the first three years of Passionflix, Maye Musk (Tosca's mother) ran the company's Instagram account.
Although the company was originally headquartered in Los Angeles, Musk decided to leave California for the Atlanta metropolitan area in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to advantage of the State of Georgia's tax incentives for film production, the low cost of living and housing for the company's employees, and the quality of public schools for their children. At a public screening of the company's first film, Hollywood Dirt (2017), Musk persuaded 4,000 people to pre-pay $100 each for a two-year subscription. She then used this money to convince potential investors that there was merit in her business idea. In 2020, Musk managed to raise $4.75 million in venture capital funding for her new company. In 2022, she received another $9.4 million in investment. Investors in Passionflix include Jason Calacanis, Kimbal Musk (Tosca's and Elon's brother), Lyn and Norman Lear, among others.
Initially, each original film was produced for just around a million dollars ($100M). But the budget steadily grew as the company moved towards producing series and historical romance movies. By 2024, Passionflix has reached a stage where the company's name is no longer unknown to romance authors, making it less challenging to negotiate an adaptation.
In late January 2025, hundreds of customers canceled their Passionflix subscriptions in response to Tosca's public support of her brother after he was accused of giving a Nazi salute. In early June, the Passionflix website temporarily went offline due to a surge of visitors. This incident coincided with the public altercation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Tosca Musk used this opportunity to promote her company's new series The Black Dagger Brotherhood, an adaptation of paranormal romance novels of the same name by J.R. Ward.
Films Year Film Cast Novel 2017 Hollywood Dirt Emma Rigby, Johann Urb Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre 2017 Afterburn/Aftershock Caitlyn Leahy, Tyler Johnson Afterburn/Aftershock by Sylvia Day 2017 The Trouble With Mistletoe Rachel Melvin, Thomas Beaudoin The Trouble With Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis 2018 The Matchmaker's Playbook Nick Bateman, Caitlin Carver The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken 2018 Mr. 365 Chelsea Hobbs, Christopher Russell Mr. 365 by Ruth Clampett 2019 The Protector Emma Rigby, Diarmaid Murtagh The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas 2019 A Brother's Honor Jeremy Batiste, Celestine Rae A Brother's Honor by Brenda Jackson 2019 Dirty Sexy Saint Jordan Lane Price, David A. Gregory Dirty Sexy Saint by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde 2020 The Will Megan Dodds, Chris L. McKenna The Will by Kristen Ashley May 2020 Gabriel's Inferno Part I Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard July 2020 Gabriel's Inferno Part II Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard November 2020 Gabriel's Inferno Part III Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard May 2021 Wicked Anna Maiche, Liam Hall Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout October 2021 Seduction and Snacks Mela Green, Vince Hill-Bedford Seduction & Snacks by Tara Sivec November 2021 Gabriel's Rapture Part 1 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard February 2022 Tangled Katherine Hughes, Josh Plasse Tangled by Emma Chase March 2022 Gabriel's Rapture Part 2 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard July 2022 Resisting Roots Elizabeth Posey, Lou Ferrigno Jr. Resisting Roots by Audrey Carlan August 2022 Gabriel's Rapture Part 3 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard October 2022 Torn Anna Maiche, Liam Hall Torn by Jennifer L. Armentrout March 2023 Wait With Me Madison Lawlor, Andrew Biernat Wait With Me by Amy Daws June 2023 Gabriel's Redemption Part 1 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard October 2023 Gabriel's Redemption Part 2 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard December 2023 Gabriel's Redemption Part 3 Melanie Zanetti, Giulio Berruti Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard April 2024 Wallbanger Kelli Berglund, Amadeus Serafini Wallbanger by Alice ClaytonAugust 2024The Air He BreathesKelcie Stranahan, Ryan CarnesThe Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. CherryOctober 2024A Man's PromiseJasmine Johnson, Michael MarcelA Man's Promise by Brenda JacksonDecember 2024LickBrooke Lee, Travis BurnsLick by Kylie ScottFebruary 2025A Lover's VowDayna Dooley, Robert Christopher RileyA Lover's Vow by Brenda JacksonDecember 2025Beauty from PainSamantha Allsop, Jackson GalagherBeauty from Pain by Georgia CatesFebruary 2026Royally ScrewedJenny Boyd, Max RinehartRoyally Screwed by Emma Chase
TV series Year Series Cast Novel Episodes 2018 Driven season 1 Olivia Applegate, Casey Deidrick Driven by K. Bromberg 6 2021 Driven season 2 Olivia Applegate, Michael Roark Fueled by K. Bromberg 4 May 2022 Driven season 3 Olivia Applegate, Michael Roark Crashed by K. Bromberg 6 December 2022 The Secret Life of Amy Bensen season 1 Maddie McCormick, Casey King The Secret Life of Amy Bensen by Lisa Renee Jones 6 August 2023 The Secret Life of Amy Bensen season 2 Maddie McCormick, Casey King The Secret Life of Amy Bensen by Lisa Renee Jones 6 June 2025 The Black Dagger Brotherhood season 1 Olivia Applegate, Robert Maaser Dark Lover by J. R. Ward 6
Quickie short films Year Film Cast Novel 2018 A Quickie Tyler Johnson, Emily Peck A Quickie by Jodi Ellen Malpas 2018 Dry Spell Jes Meza, Anthony Bless Dry Spell by Vi Keeland 2018 Wrapped Up in You Thomas Hobson, James Austin Kerr Wrapped Up In You by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine 2019 The Naughty List James Paladino The Naughty List by Emma Chase 2020 Sexy Scrooge Rachele Schank, Greg Perrow Sexy Scrooge by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward 2020 A Holiday Lift Karla Mosley, Blake Cooper Griffin A Holiday Lift by Corinne Michaels 2020 Just Say When Keelin Woodell, Khylin Rhambo Just Say When by Jill Shalvis 2020 The Package Heather Grace Hancock, Coby Ryan McLaughlin The Package by K. Bromberg 2020 The Merry Mistake Jacqi Vene, Geovanni Gopradi The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward2021HookedNicola Bertram, Jamison JonesHooked by Nina Bocci2022Dirty Sweet ValentineMayumi Roller, Jason CovielloDirty Sweet Valentine by Laurelin Paige
References
External links
Official Website Passionflix IMDB Passionflix Instagram Passionflix Twitter Passionflix Facebook Page Passionflix YouTube Channel