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The Donners' Company (formerly Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions) is the film production company of director Richard Donner and producer Lauren Shuler Donner, founded in 1986. It is notable for the Free Willy and X-Men franchises.
| Formerly | Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions (1986–1999) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | 4000 Warner Boulevard, , United States |
| Owner | Lauren Shuler Donner |
History
editDonner/Shuler-Donner Productions
editIn 1986, film producer Lauren Shuler Donner announced that she would end her production deal with The Walt Disney Studios.[1] She announced that she would merge with Warner Bros.-based Richard Donner Productions, to create Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions, to be operating on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California.[1]
The first film released under the name was Radio Flyer, which was directed by Richard Donner, produced by Lauren, and it was released by Columbia Pictures in 1992.[2] It flopped at the box office.[3]
The banner made its first major success in 1993 with box office hits Dave and Free Willy. The latter's success spawned two sequels, and a television series.[4] That year, the studio and Warner Bros. originally made a deal with Hammer Film Productions to produce remakes based on its existing UK film properties.[5]
In 1994, the company produced its first television project, an animated adaptation of Free Willy; it aired on ABC for two seasons.[6]
The Donners' Company
editIn 1999, it was announced that Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions would be renamed to the better-sounding name The Donners' Company. On April 4, 2000, it signed a deal with NBC Studios to produce shows for the NBC television network.[7]
That same year, the company scored a major success with X-Men, which was an instant box office hit, grossing over $296.8 million worldwide.[8]
In 2001, The Donners' Company signed a deal with Winchester Films to produce its feature films from its own.[9]
More recently, the company was producing two X-Men series for television, including Legion on FX, and The Gifted on Fox. In 2019, the latter was cancelled months before the former concluded its third and final season.[10][11]
Richard Donner died on July 5, 2021. He was 91.[12]
Filmography
edit1990s
edit| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Radio Flyer | Richard Donner | Columbia Pictures | first film; co-production with Stonebridge Entertainment | $35 million | $4.6 million |
| 1993 | Dave | Ivan Reitman | Warner Bros. | co-production with Northern Lights Entertainment | $28 million | $63.3 million |
| Free Willy | Simon Wincer | co-production with Le Studio Canal+, Regency Enterprises and Alcor Films | $20 million | $153.6 million | ||
| 1994 | Maverick | Richard Donner | co-production with Icon Productions | $75 million | $183 million | |
| 1995 | Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Dwight Little | as Shuler-Donner/Donner; co-production with Le Studio Canal+., Regency Enterprises and Alcor Films | $31 million | $30 million | |
| Assassins | Richard Donner | co-production with Silver Pictures | $50 million | $83.3 million | ||
| 1997 | Volcano | Mick Jackson | 20th Century Fox | as Shuler Donner/Donner; co-production with Fox 2000 Pictures and Moritz Original | $90 million | $122.8 million |
| Free Willy 3: The Rescue | Sam Pillsbury | Warner Bros. | as Shuler Donner/Donner; co-production with Regency Enterprises | N/A | $3.4 million | |
| Conspiracy Theory | Richard Donner | as Shuler Donner/Donner Productions; last film released under Donner/Shuler-Donner insignia; co-production with Silver Pictures | $80 million | $137 million | ||
| 1998 | Bulworth | Warren Beatty | 20th Century Fox | uncredited; co-production with Mulholland Productions | $30 million | $29.2 million |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | Richard Donner | Warner Bros. | as DoShuDo Productions; co-production with Silver Pictures | $100–150 million | $285.4 million | |
| You've Got Mail | Nora Ephron | as Lauren Shuler Donner | $65 million | $250.8 million | ||
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | Oliver Stone | first film under the branding of The Donners' Company; co-production with Ixtlan Productions | $55 million | $100.2 million |
2000s
edit| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | X-Men | Bryan Singer | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Marvel Entertainment Group and Bad Hat Harry Productions | $75 million | $296.3 million |
| 2001 | Out Cold | The Malloys | Buena Vista Pictures | co-production with Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment and Barber/Birnbaum | $24 million | $14.8 million |
| 2003 | Just Married | Shawn Levy | 20th Century Fox | uncredited; co-production with Robert Simonds | $18 million | $101.5 million |
| X2 | Bryan Singer | co-production with Marvel Enterprises and Bad Hat Harry Productions | $110 million | $407.7 million | ||
| Timeline | Richard Donner | Paramount Pictures | co-production with Mutual Film Company, Cobalt Media Group and Artists Production Group | $80 million | $43.9 million | |
| 2005 | Constantine | Francis Lawrence | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Vertigo/DC Comics, Village Roadshow Pictures, Batfilm Productions, Weed Road Pictures, 3 Arts Entertainment and di Bonaventura Pictures | $100 million | $230.9 million |
| 2006 | 16 Blocks | Richard Donner | uncredited; Alcon Entertainment, Millennium Films, Cheyenne Enterprises, Emmett/Furla Films, Equity Pictures and Nu Image Films | $55 million | $65.7 million | |
| She's the Man | Andy Fickman | Paramount Pictures | co-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment | $20 million | $57.2 million | |
| X-Men: The Last Stand | Brett Ratner | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners | $210 million | $460.4 million | |
| Unaccompanied Minors | Paul Feig | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures | $26 million | $21.9 million | |
| 2008 | Semi-Pro | Kent Alterman | New Line Cinema | uncredited; co-production with Mosaic Media Group | $55 million | $43.9 million |
| The Secret Life of Bees | Gina Prince-Bythewood | Fox Searchlight Pictures | co-production with Overbrook Entertainment | $11 million | $39.9 million | |
| 2009 | Hotel for Dogs | Thor Freudenthal | Paramount Pictures | co-production with DreamWorks Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Cold Spring Pictures and The Montecito Picture Company | $35 million | $117 million |
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Gavin Hood | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Seed Productions, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners | $150 million | $373.1 million | |
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant | Paul Weitz | Universal Pictures | co-production with Relativity Media and Depth of Field | $40 million | $39.2 million |
2010s
edit| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | X-Men: First Class | Matthew Vaughn | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, and Bad Hat Harry | $140–160 million | $353.6 million |
| 2013 | The Wolverine | James Mangold | co-production with Marvel Entertainment and TSG Entertainment | $100–132 million | $414.8 million | |
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Bryan Singer | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry, Simon Kinberg and TSG Entertainment | $200–220 million | $747.9 million | |
| 2016 | Deadpool | Tim Miller | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre and TSG Entertainment | $58 million | $782.6 million | |
| X-Men: Apocalypse | Bryan Singer | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Bad Hat Harry, Hutch Parker, Kinberg Genre and TSG Entertainment | $178 million | $543.9 million | ||
| 2017 | Logan | James Mangold | co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, Hutch Parker and TSG Entertainment | $97 million | $619 million | |
| 2018 | Deadpool 2 | David Leitch | uncredited; co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, Maximum Effort and TSG Entertainment | $110 million | $785.8 million | |
| 2019 | Dark Phoenix | Simon Kinberg | uncredited; co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, Hutch Parker and TSG Entertainment | $200 million | $252.4 million |
2020s
edit| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross (worldwide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The New Mutants | Josh Boone | 20th Century Studios | uncredited; co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, Sunswept Entertainment and TSG Entertainment | $67–80 million | $49.2 million[13][14] |
Television
edit| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Free Willy | Patrick Loubert based on Free Willy by: Keith A. Walker Corey Blechman developed by: Patsy Cameron Ted Anasiti |
ABC | co-production with Le Studio Canal+, Nelvana, Regency Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television | 2 | 21 |
| 2017–19 | Legion | Noah Hawley based on Legion by: Chris Claremont Bill Sienkiewicz |
FX | co-production with 26 Keys Productions, Kinberg Genre, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Marvel Television and FXP | 3 | 27 |
| The Gifted | Matt Nix based on characters by: Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
Fox | co-production with Flying Glass of Milk Productions, Kinberg Genre, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Marvel Television and 20th Century Fox Television | 2 | 29 |
In development
editTelevision
edit| Title | Developer | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Time[15] | Sarah Watson | Disney+ | co-production with The Jackal Group, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Television |
References
edit- ^ a b "Unknown". Variety. 1980–1999.
- ^ Rosenthal, Donna (1990-10-28). "Rolling Along, Finally: New director Richard Donner restarts the troubled 'Radio Flyer,' the first feature for the new regime at Columbia Pictures". MOVIES. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Boyar, Jay (21 February 1992). "'RADIO FLYER' IS A FLOP". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Klady, Leonard (1993-07-06). "Free Willy". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ "Warner strikes Hammer deal". Variety. 1993-08-02. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (1994-03-17). "'Beethoven,' 'Willy' hit TV". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (2000-04-04). "Donners party with NBC pact". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ "X-Men (2000) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Fleming, Michael; Harris, Dana (2001-05-14). "Donners shoot for Winchester". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ "'Legion' Will End with Season 3 on FX". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2019-04-18). "'The Gifted' Canceled By Fox After 2 Seasons; Marvel Drama Could Potentially Find New Home At Disney". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (5 July 2021). "Richard Donner Dies: 'Superman', 'Lethal Weapon' And 'The Goonies' Director Was 91". Deadline. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "The New Mutants". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "The New Mutants". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ Michael Schneider (December 15, 2021). "Warner Bros. TV Lands 'Goonies' Project at Disney Plus, the Latest Example of Its 'Never Say Die' Approach (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.