To help bring the new slate of MGM films to overseas audiences, MGM has partnered with Warner Bros. Picture Group. From Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All through Creed III and beyond, Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy have devised a strategy with MGM COO Christopher Brearton to manage the foreign distribution of MGM’s properties, as reported exclusively by Deadline.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. will benefit financially from the partnership, since MGM and Warner Bros. will work together on advertising, marketing, and other initiatives. This implies that it will work alongside other entities to promote these titles internationally, perhaps expanding the audience for films that have already been well received in the United States.
Since MGM’s foreign division has previously collaborated with Universal, they will do so again for the 26th James Bond film; however, following that, the arrangement will go to Warner Bros. A few Universal titles remain, but it looks like Warner Bros. will be taking over foreign distribution in the near future. Currently, the contract is intended to last through 2023, although it has the potential to be extended. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Warner Bros. to distribute MGM’s upcoming films overseas.
MGM’s Brearton gushes, “WBD’s portfolio of pictures is outstanding, and the studio’s schedule of original, franchise, and prestige theatrical features is a terrific complement to that lineup.” Warner Bros. also had nothing but praise for their collaboration with MGM. De Luca and Abdy, co-chairmen of Warner Bros., said that “Warner Bros. and MGM have a long and highly successful history of working together,” and they expressed their happiness at the reunion of the two firms.
This is great news for moviegoers and the industry as a whole, since “we studios and executives share a dedication and enthusiasm for presenting high-quality films of all genres to worldwide audiences.” It will be fascinating to watch how this plays out for MGM and Warner Bros. beyond the 2023 slate and with the future of properties like James Bond.