The company was founded in 1988 by Pierre Lescure as a spin-off of the Canal+ pay-TV network. The original function was to focus on French and European productions, but later made strategic deals with Americanproduction companies. StudioCanal's most notable productions from its early years include , JFK, Basic Instinct, Cliffhanger, Under Siege, Free Willy, and the original Stargate movie. In those days, it was known as either Le Studio Canal+ or simply Canal+. Other films the company financed include U-571, Bully, and Bridget Jones's Diary. StudioCanal also funded the last third of David Lynch's film Mulholland Drive. StudioCanal also financed French-language films, such as Brotherhood of the Wolf and Intimate Strangers. The biggest box office hits for StudioCanal have been Terminator 2: Judgment Day which grossed US$519 million, Basic Instinct which grossed US$352 million and The Tourist which grossed US$278 million worldwide.
Film library
StudioCanal acquired film libraries from studios that either became defunct or had merged with it over the years; as a result, the company's library is one of the largest in the world, with over 6,000 titles. StudioCanal owns the libraries of the following companies:
StudioCanal currently owns the rights to over 30 television series, mostly produced by TANDEM Productions and Red Production Company, including The Avengers, , Paranoid, Public Eye, Crazyhead, Take Two, Wanted Dead or Alive, Paddington, and international rights to The Big Valley.
Distribution
Acquisitions
StudioCanal acquired British distributor Optimum Releasing in 2006 as their first expansion into an international market. Two years later, their second expansion into an international market took place with StudioCanal's acquisition of German distributor Kinowelt who had distributed their films up to that point. Kinowelt also owned the DVD label Arthaus Both Optimum and Kinowelt have since been renamed StudioCanal. StudioCanal's acquisition of Australian distributor Hoyts Distribution took place in 2012 and was StudioCanal's third expansion into an international market. In June 2016, StudioCanal acquired the intellectual rights to the Paddington Bear brand, along with the Copyrights Group, the franchise's merchandise licensing agent. StudioCanal then announced that it would be producing three more Paddington films, including a show on Nick Jr. in 2020.
