| Twenty-First Century Film Corporation Inc. | |
| Location: | Los Angeles, United States |
| Fate: | Bankruptcy
|
| Successor: | Library: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Sony Pictures (Night of the Living Dead only) |
| Foundation: | (as 21st Century Distribution Corporation) April 19, (as 21st Century Film Corporation) |
| Industry: | Film |
| Key People: | Tom Ward Art Schweitzer Menahem Golan (CEO) Ami Artzi Giancarlo Parretti |
| Products: | Motion pictures |
| Parent: | Independent Pathé Communications Public (pink sheets)[1] |
21st Century Film Corporation Inc. was a theatrical distribution company formed sometime in the 1970s as a production company and distributor. Menahem Golan was CEO of the company from 1989 to the company's bankruptcy.
The company was formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer around 1976 (though some sources claim it to be 1971) as a film production company and distributor.[2] The company acquired most of the catalog of Dimension Pictures, after that company's bankruptcy in 1981.[3] Along with theatrical distribution, 21st Century also released many films on home video, first via their short-lived label, Planet Video, from 1982 to 1983, and then through a more lucrative deal with Continental Video beginning in 1985.[4]
In the late 1980s, while filing for bankruptcy, it was purchased by Giancarlo Parretti. Parretti had also recently purchased The Cannon Group, which was renamed Pathé Communications, and he eventually handed the newly rebranded 21st Century Film Corporation, along with the Spider-Man and Captain America film rights (held by Cannon), over to Israeli filmmaker Menahem Golan as part of Golan's severance package from Cannon.[5] [6] Golan's goal was to release high-quality motion pictures to the American and worldwide film audiences, but 21st Century only enjoyed small-scale success releasing low-budget films like Bullseye!, as well as remakes of The Phantom of the Opera and Night of the Living Dead.
In April 1989, Twenty-first Century Film and Pathé Communications ended their film production contract. As part of the termination, 21st Century Film received rights to two feature-length movies: the completed Mack the Knife, in production Phantom of the Opera plus other projects and scripts rights. With this Pathé would no longer have any financial obligations to 21st Century.[7] Captain America was filmed and was given only a limited theatrical release worldwide. On May 17, 1989, 21st Century Film Corporation signed an agreement with Hoyts Corporation to serve a 20-film production and distribution agreement.[8]
Looking for funding for the Spider-Man film was difficult; 21st Century sold the film's TV rights to Viacom, the home-video rights to Columbia and theatrical rights to Carolco. In 1993, Golan triggered a series of lawsuits for 21st Century over Spider-Man as he feared being pushed out. Bankruptcy followed within the year for the company. In 1995, the judge ruled that the Spider-Man film rights expired and reverted to Marvel, and Carolco had a quitclaim deed after being closed a year after.[5] [9] Meanwhile, all of 21st Century's film library and assets were acquired by Crédit Lyonnais, incorporating it into the bank's Epic film library. A year later, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment acquired the Epic library,[10] then in 1998, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired the pre-1996 PolyGram library, and was incorporated into Orion Pictures.[11] (Ironically, MGM had merged with Pathé/Cannon earlier and was a theatrical distributor of Carolco's films at the time).
In 1993, it released a few more movies including Deadly Heroes and most notably , the last in the series and Charles Bronson's final theatrical film. Currently, the majority of 21st Century Film Corporation's film catalog is owned by MGM (with Orion holding the copyright), with the exception of Night of the Living Dead, which was distributed by Columbia Pictures. Paramount Pictures (inherited from Viacom), currently holds television and streaming rights to 21st Century library with Trifecta Entertainment & Media handling U.S. distribution.
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Three Fantastic Supermen | [12] | |
| The Demon Lover | [13] | ||
| 1977 | The Tormented | [14] [15] | |
| The Obsessed One (Operation Makonaima) | [16] | ||
| 1980 | The Student Body | [17] | |
| The Image of Bruce Lee (猛男大賊脂虎) | [18] | ||
| Fist of Fury Part Two (精武門續集) | [19] | ||
| Black Belt Fury (森山虎) | [20] | ||
| Covert Action | |||
| Return of the Tiger (大圈套) | [21] | ||
| Snake Fist vs. The Dragon (猴形扣手) | [22] | ||
| Suicide Cult | [23] | ||
| I Go Pogo | [24] | ||
| Cathy's Curse | [25] | ||
| The Dragon vs. Needles of Death (龍虎鳳) | [26] | ||
| 1981 | Fighting Mad | [27] | |
| Lunatic | |||
| Deliver Us From Evil | |||
| Challenge the Dragon (猛虎闖關) | [28] | ||
| Terminal Island | [29] | ||
| Snake Fist Fighter (刁手怪招) | [30] | ||
| Bruce Lee's Deadly Kung Fu (詠春截拳) | [31] | ||
| The Muthers | [32] | ||
| Four-Play | [33] | ||
| The Iron Dragon Strikes Back (匯峰號黃金大風暴) | [34] | ||
| Nightmare | [35] | ||
| Group Marriage | |||
| Dr. Minx | [36] | ||
| Cheering Section | [37] | ||
| 1982 | The Bruce Lee Connection | [38] | |
| Kung Fu Fury | [39] | ||
| Fist Like Lee, Part II | [40] | ||
| To the Devil a Daughter | [41] | ||
| Dragon Force (虎林四大通関) | [42] | ||
| Battle Force | [43] | ||
| Aida | [44] | ||
| Revenge of the Shogun Women (十三女尼) | [45] | ||
| Return of Bruce (忠烈精武門) | [46] | ||
| Fun Loving | [47] | ||
| The Phantom of Terror | [48] | ||
| Giselle | [49] | ||
| Blood Tide | [50] | ||
| The Slayer | [51] | ||
| 1983 | Magnificent Bodyguard (飛渡捲雲山) | [52] | |
| The Deadly Spawn | [53] | ||
| Jackie Chan and the 36 Crazy Fists (三十六迷形拳) | [54] | ||
| Flying Masters of Kung Fu (一代天嬌) | |||
| City of the Walking Dead | [55] | ||
| War of the Wizards | [56] | ||
| Scalps | [57] | ||
| 1984 | American Beauty Hostages | [58] | |
| Vampire Hookers | [59] | ||
| Legend of Black Thunder Mountain | [60] | ||
| Escape From Women's Prison | [61] | ||
| The Executioner Part II | [62] | ||
| Frozen Scream | [63] | ||
| Hell Riders | [64] | ||
| Too Scared to Scream | |||
| Eye of the Evil Dead | [65] | ||
| The New York Ripper | [66] | ||
| Stone | [67] | ||
| Don't Open till Christmas | [68] | ||
| New York Ninja | [69] | ||
| 1985 | Sweet Sugar | [70] | |
| The Working Girls | [71] | ||
| Emanuelle In Egypt (Velluto Vero) | [72] | ||
| Jailbait Babysitter | |||
| Avenged | [73] | ||
| Class Reunion Massacre | [74] | ||
| Terror on Tape | [75] | ||
| Biohazard | [76] | ||
| Doomed To Die | [77] | ||
| 1986 | Prison Ship 2005 | [78] | |
| Devil Killer (交貨 The Delivery) |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Caged Fury | [79] | ||
| Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat (Il gatto nero) | [80] | |||
| Getting Even (La vendetta) | [81] | |||
| Edgar Allan Poe's The House of Usher | [82] | |||
| Mack the Knife | [83] | |||
| The Phantom of the Opera | [84] | |||
| Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death | [85] | |||
| 1990 | Warriors from Hell | [86] [87] | ||
| Prey for the Hunter | [88] | |||
| The Forbidden Dance | [89] | |||
| Bad Jim | [90] | |||
| Deceit | [91] | |||
| The Appointed (Hameyu'ad) | [92] | |||
| Edgar Allan Poe's Buried Alive | [93] | |||
| The Fifth Monkey | released by Columbia Pictures | [94] | ||
| Night of the Living Dead | released by Columbia Pictures | [95] | ||
| Bullseye! | [96] | |||
| Street Hunter | [97] | |||
| Captain America | [98] | |||
| 1991 | Virgin High | [99] | ||
| Killing Streets | [100] | |||
| Bloodmatch | [101] | |||
| 1992 | Prison Planet | [102] | ||
| The Finest Hour | [103] | |||
| Invader | [104] | |||
| Killer Instinct (Mad Dog Coll) | [105] | |||
| Dance Macabre | [106] | |||
| Hit the Dutchman | [107] | |||
| Hot Under the Collar | [108] | |||
| Desert Kickboxer | released by HBO Video | [109] | ||
| Three Days to a Kill | [110] | |||
| 1993 | Midnight Witness | released by Academy Entertainment | [111] [112] | |
| Rage | [113] | |||
| Silent Victim | [114] | |||
| Ninja Vengeance | [115] | |||
| Deadly Heroes | [116] | |||
| Dead Center | [117] | |||
| Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde | [118] | |||
| 1994 | [119] |
