Solstice Studios
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | October 2, 2018[1] |
| Founder | Mark Gill |
| Defunct | May 12, 2023 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of employees | 51–200[2] |
| Website | solstice-studios |
Solstice Studios was a Los Angeles–based entertainment company, founded on October 2, 2018. The studio developed, fully financed, produced, sold internationally and distributed feature films in the United States on a wide-release basis.
History
In May 2019, Solstice Studios announced Russell Crowe would star in Carl Ellsworth's thriller film, Unhinged. Principal photography took place in New Orleans from July 15 to August 23, 2019.[3] It was released in the United States on August 21, 2020.[4] The first film to receive a wide theatrical release in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it grossed $44 million worldwide.[5] Solstice Studios announced a partnership with Studio 8 in November 2019, with Robert Rodriguez's Hypnotic as their first joint-project. Ben Affleck has been cast to star in the film.[6] Affleck will play a "detective investigating a series of impossible high-end heists who becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program". Production was set to begin April 2020 but delayed due to the pandemic.[7] In September 2020, the studio acquired the distribution rights to the Mark Wahlberg drama film Joe Bell for $20 million.[8] The distribution rights for the film were sold off to Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment in May 2021 along with Plane to Lionsgate. In October 2021, it was announced that Solstice had laid off a majority of its key executives, including its CEO, only less than a year after they had fired about twenty people in December 2020. This left only ten people on the Solstice Studios staff, which would oversee the completion of the film Hypnotic directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Ben Affleck and Alice Braga, which was confirmed by a spokesperson of the company. The staff would stay on till fall the following year, after which Solstice would possibly shut down.[9] However, Hypnotic was left without a domestic distributor as a result of the series of mass layoffs and was ultimately acquired by Ketchup Entertainment in February 2023, possibly meaning that Solstice had shut down in the interim.[10]
Films
| Release date | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2020 | Unhinged | co-production with Ingenious Media and Burek Films, first movie |
| May 12, 2023 | Hypnotic | co-production with Studio 8; distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, last movie |
References
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2 October 2018). "Mark Gill, Andrew Gunn, Guy Botham & Vincent Bruzzese Launch Solstice Studios; Teams With Ingenious Media On Theatrical Releases". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ "Solstice Studios". LinkedIn. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ Scott, Mike (17 June 2019). "Russell Crowe to film road-rage thriller 'Unhinged' in New Orleans". The Times-Picayune, The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ Squires, John (16 September 2019). "Russell Crowe-Starring Road Rage Thriller 'Unhinged' Speeding Our Way Summer 2020". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ "Unhinged (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Slater, Georgia (6 November 2019). "Ben Affleck to Star in New Thriller Hypnotic From Sin City Director Robert Rodriguez". People. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ Perez, Lexy (7 November 2019). "AFM: Download THR's Day 2 Daily". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ Fleming Jr, Mark (September 19, 2020). "Mark Wahlberg-Starrer 'Good Joe Bell' Landed By Solstice Studios In $20 Million WW Deal: Awards Season Push For Toronto Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (4 October 2021). "Solstice Studios Shuttering? Top Execs Laid Off As Indie Becomes Hollywood's First Corporate Covid Fatality". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (14 February 2023). "The Curious Journey Of Big-Budget Ben Affleck Movie 'Hypnotic' Will Continue At The EFM As U.S. Release Plans Emerge". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 February 2023.