American Cinema Productions

American Cinema Productions
IndustryFilm
Founded1975; 49 years ago (1975)
Defunct1981; 43 years ago (1981)
FateBankruptcy
SuccessorLibrary:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

American Cinema Productions was an independent Hollywood film production company that was founded in 1975 and filed for bankruptcy in 1981.[1]

The company, a division of American Communications Industries, began as a distribution operation known as American Cinema Releasing before several early successes led it to branch out into film production.

Its distribution wing is best known for the second Chuck Norris martial arts film, Good Guys Wear Black, which led American Cinema to produce a number of his subsequent action movies, including The Octagon. The company also produced Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen and Tough Enough.[2]

American Cinema is also credited for resurrecting and modifying the four-wall distribution method for theatrical releases where a distributor rents the movie theatre for a window of time and reaps the full box-office receipts.[3]

  1. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Karson, Eric (2003). How American Cinema Changed Hollywood Forever. American Cinema Group Inc. – via DVD production.