Trimark Pictures was an American independent production company that specialized in the production and distribution of motion pictures for the home video market. The company was formed in 1984 by Mark Amin as Vidmark Entertainment with Vidmark Inc. (later Trimark Holdings Inc.) established as the holding company. Trimark licensed and distributed theatrical, independent, made-for-TV, along direct-to-video films. The logo features a triangle with a profile of a tiger's head.

Among the company's several releases are Peter Jackson's 1992 film Dead Alive, which they chose to release theatrically due to Jackson's cult following. They are well known for releasing films that considered to be controversial for the time period, as in the case with the 1999 film Better Than Chocolate, as some newspapers refused to carry advertisements for the film that featured the word "lesbian" as part of a critic spot.

Background

Vidmark Entertainment was formed in August 1984 and began operating as a domestic home video distributor in early 1985. In April 1986, Vidmark Entertainment signed a deal with ABC Video Enterprises, to distribute six ABC titles on videocassette. In 1987, Vidmark began distributing and sub-licensing motion pictures for international distribution. That year, the company entered theatrical distribution and production with the acquisition of four films and completion of its first in-house productions, namely American Gothic, That's Adequate, Silent Memory and Born of Fire.

Vidmark Entertainment entered motion-picture production in 1988 with its R-rated feature film Demonwarp.

Trimark picked up its first film, Warlock, a 1989 film starring Julian Sands which was a major theatrical hit. Finally, Trimark made the sequel, titled Warlock: The Armageddon, but officially released in 1993. Trimark also saw success in other intimate film series where the studio produced and distributed its horror film Leprechaun, which released in 1993, starring future Friends actress Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis as the sinister leprechaun. The film grossed over $10 million during its theatrical run. One theatrical sequel and four direct-to-video sequels eventually followed. Other Trimark productions included The Dentist, a major hit on the Time Warner-owned, pay-TV channel HBO, Return of the Living Dead III and Pinocchio's Revenge. Trimark also made the dramatic Eve's Bayou, starring Samuel L. Jackson and a young Jurnee Smollett, which received critical acclaim. Trimark also released the miniseries Storm of the Century on home video. On June 29, 1990, Vidmark Entertainment began trading on NASDAQ with the ticker symbol VDMK.

In 1990, the company acquired home video rights to The Amityville Curse and Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes from Academy Entertainment.

At the end of 1991, Vidmark acquired International Broadcast Systems, Ltd. for $1.6 million and renamed the company as Trimark Television. In June 1992, Vidmark, Inc. changed its name to Trimark Holdings, Inc. to reflect Trimark's variegation of its distribution streams. In March 1993, the company formed its virtual division Trimark Interactive. The division expands into the emerging market for interactive software and multimedia. Trimark Interactive's assets were sold to Graphix Zone in March 1997.

In June 2000, Trimark was acquired by Canadian/US film company Lions Gate Entertainment for approximately $50 million in stock and cash including taking on $36 million in debt, with Amin becoming the single largest shareholder of Lions Gate. Trimark was folded into Lions Gate on March 12, 2001.

In 2001, Mark Amin founded Sobini Films, and is its CEO.

In late 2017, Lionsgate launched a channel for all of the Roku streaming players using the Vidmark name and a modified variant of their late 1980s logo, with Lionsgate-owned films, including some from the original Vidmark and Trimark, amongst the selection.

Filmography Year Title Release date Distribution Notes Theatrical Direct to video 1988 Demonwarp March 18 Body Beat November 30 1989 Going Overboard May 12 A Fool and His Money September 24 High Stakes November 17 1990 The Sleeping Car February 9 The FeudMay 4 The Amityville Curse June 6 Solar Crisis July 14 Spirits September 15 distribution only;produced by Cinema Group Mob Boss September 16 distribution only;produced by American Independent Backstreet Dreams September 29 Frankenstein Unbound November 2 co-production with 20th Century Fox 1991 Warlock January 11 Black Magic Woman April 17 Servants of Twilight May 31 Kickboxer 2 June 14 Whore October 4 Dolly Dearest October 18 And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird November 15 All-American Murder December 1 Theatrical distribution only 1992 Into the Sun January 31 The Psychic May 20 Interceptor October 1 Prototype December 23 1993 Leprechaun January 8 Dead Alive February 12 American Kickboxer 2 August 4 Blink of an Eye August 26 Warlock: The Armageddon September 24 Thunder in Paradise September 27 Deadfall October 8 Return of the Living Dead III October 29 Philadelphia Experiment II November 12 Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow November 24 1994 Death Wish V: The Face of Death January 14 distribution only;produced by 21st Century Film Corporation Silent Tongue February 25 Leprechaun 2 April 8 Return to Two Moon Junction May 11 Trading Mom May 13 Freefall May 25 distribution only;produced by Nu Image Love Is a Gun June 1 Curse of the Starving Class September 13 Criminal Passion September 21 Running Free October 5 Frank and Jesse October 28 Dangerous Touch November 2 Hong Kong '97 November 9 Love and a .45 November 23 The Stoned Age December 5 Federal Hill December 9 1995 Payback January 10 Night of the Running Man January 19 Swimming with Sharks April 21 Heatseeker June 27 Leprechaun 3 June 27 A Kid in King Arthur's Court August 11 co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures Separate Lives September 8 Kicking and Screaming October 6 The Doom Generation October 25 1996 Evolver February 10 co-production with Blue Rider Pictures True Crime March 12 Two Guys Talkin' About Girls June 18 aka At First Sight Crimetime August 4 Sometimes They Come Back... Again September 3 Pinocchio's Revenge October 7 The Dentist October 18 1997 Meet Wally Sparks January 31 Leprechaun 4: In Space February 25 Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love February 28 Frankenstein and Me March 18 Nothing Personal April 25 Ripe May 2 Sprung May 16 Box of Moonlight July 25 First Love, Last Rites September 10 Trucks October 29 Eve's Bayou November 7 Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2018 1998 Star Kid January 16 The Curve January 24 Chairman of the Board March 13 Chinese Box April 17 Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss July 24 A Kid in Aladdin's Palace July 28 Carnival of Souls August 21 limited release Phoenix September 4 distribution only;produced by Lakeshore Entertainment Cube September 11 Trance September 18 Slam October 7 The Landlady November 10 The Dentist 2 December 11 Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows December 20 Another Day in Paradise December 30 1999 King Cobra April 27 The Sex Monster May 5 The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn May 9 Twice Upon a Yesterday May 28 Diplomatic Siege June 10 Better Than Chocolate August 13 Sometimes They Come Back... for More September 7 The Delivery September 16 Dutch film; international distribution only; produced by Two Independent Film and Veronica Romance September 17 Atomic Train September 21 Warlock III: The End of Innocence October 12 Joe the King October 15 Tail Lights Fade December 3 Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying December 27 Simply known as Turbulence II. Currently distributed by Notorious Pictures in Italy 2000 Beautiful People February 18 Cut March 2 Leprechaun in the Hood March 28 The Last September April 21 Held Up May 12 Cord May 23 Flypaper June 27 Spy Games July 11 The Perfect Tenant July 25 Attraction September 20 Uninvited Guest September 22 The Bogus Witch Project October 10 Faust: Love of the Damned October 12 Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th October 17 After Alice October 24 The Stepdaughter October 31 What's Cooking? November 17 The St. Francisville Experiment December 5 South of Heaven, West of Hell December 15 XChange December 20 2001 Skipped Parts January 4 Killer Bud March 13 After the Storm March 20 Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal May 13 Blood Surf June 26

List of distributed video games Release date Title Platform Notes 1994 National Lampoon's Blind Date Windows, Mac OS November 23, 1994 Air Havoc Controller Windows 1995 The Hive Windows, PlayStation 1995 White Men Can't Jump Jaguar Cancelled Warlock Jaguar

References