Lions Gate Considers Miramax Aquisition
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has announced that that are considering acquiring "independent" film company Miramax, previously owned by Walt Disney Co. The New York Times has reported that the studio may be worth as much as $700 million.
Disney shuttered Miramax last month, putting an end—albeit temporarily?—to the storied career of the production and distribution company.
Though the studio—particularly founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein—has been the target of a great deal of criticism over the years, they've been an undeniable influence on the film culture of the past two decades.
Miramax was been responsible for launching the careers of filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino. Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape was an early success for the studio, signalling a fertile era of independent filmmaking.
As Miramax grew in size and stature, the films they produced and distributed could less accurately be described as "independent," especially after Disney began pushing creative control over the company following their aquisition in 1993.
Nevertheless, it would be exciting to see the studio saved by Lions Gate. Though it's too early to say what might happen or what direction the company might take if it were acquired, this seems like a perfect moment to jump on the new wave of digital rebels and help jumpstart the careers of a new generation of independent filmmaker
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