Studiocanal has signed a deal with iconic British horror brand Hammer Films which grants global distribution and marketing rights to the production company’s brand name and trademarks as well as its back catalogue of more than 200 titles.
Hammer was synonymous with the genre from the 1950s to the 1970s making classics such as ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’, ‘Dracula’, ‘The Mummy’ and ‘The Curse of the Werewolf’ and making major stars of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing who appeared in many of the movies.
The British company ceased production in the 1980s after the saturation of the horror market but was revived in the 2000s by a consortium including advertising executive and art collector Charles Saatchi.
It was sold again in 2007, to Dutch media tycoon John De Moi, has since produced films such as 2011’s ‘The Resident’, which starred Hilary Swank, and 2012’s Daniel Radcliffe-led ‘The Woman in Black’.
The deal allows French company StudioCanal to distribute Hammer films to Australasia, France, Germany and the UK and develop merchandising and licensing opportunities with the Hammer brand.
It was negotiated by Simon Oakes, CEO of Hammer Films, and John Rodden, head of home entertainment and library UK at StudioCanal, and are both are delighted with the deal.
Rodden said: "We’re delighted to partner with Hammer Films and add to our extensive catalogue of classic films. The Hammer name is truly iconic, and we look forward to developing the brand on a global basis."
Hammer and StudioCanal have a history of partnership. StudioCanal has the distribution rights to several Hammer titles and they teamed up on restorations of classic Hammer pictures.
Oakes said: "The StudioCanal library already includes many films that Hammer co-produced with its British distributors in the 1960s and 70s. This partnership is both an exciting opportunity for our two companies and a new chapter in long filmmaking tradition."
Hammer Films agree new partnership with StudioCanal
