The Zanuck Company (formerly The Zanuck/Brown Company) was an American motion picture production company that was active from July 10, 1972 to 2016. It is responsible for such blockbusters as Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy, Road to Perdition, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.
History The Zanuck/Brown Company In 1972, after a successful partnership at both 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, left to form their own production company, The Zanuck/Brown Company. Later that year, Zanuck/Brown signed a five-year production deal with Universal Pictures.
In 1974, Zanuck/Brown produced The Sting, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In 1975, Zanuck/Brown produced Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss. The film, which won three Academy Awards, became the first summer blockbuster. It was number 1 at the box office for fourteen consecutive weeks and made history as the first motion picture to gross more than $100 million.
In 1979, Lili Fini Zanuck joined the company and was instrumental in developing many of its future film projects.
In 1980, The Zanuck/Brown Company moved to 20th Century-Fox where it produced The Verdict, starring Paul Newman and James Mason, followed by Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard and starring Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Steve Guttenberg, Jessica Tandy, and Linda Harrison. On April 20, 1983, after he spent three years working at 20th Century-Fox, feeling it was "unhappy" with the agreement, the duo had moved to Warner Bros., and the new Zanuck-Brown agreement enabled the organization to produce two and a half films per year and the team will go directly to then-Warner Bros. executive Robert A. Daley. After three years working at Warner Bros., the duo shifted ties to production studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), for an overall production agreement whereas the upcoming Z/B projects gave them access to MGM's slate.
The Zanuck Company In 1988, Zanuck and Brown broke their relationship, and Brown formed its own company The Manhattan Project. In 1988, Richard Zanuck partnered with producer/financier Jerry Perenchio and rebranded as The Zanuck Company.
In 1989, The Zanuck Company produced Warner Bros.' Driving Miss Daisy, starring Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, and Dan Aykroyd. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In 1998, Dean Zanuck joined his father and became President of The Zanuck Company and they produced Paramount and DreamWorks' Deep Impact, starring Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, and Vanessa Redgrave. Other hits followed such as DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox's Road to Perdition, starring Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, and Daniel Craig, 20th Century Fox's Planet of the Apes, starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, and Helena Bonham Carter, and Columbia Pictures' Big Fish, starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, and Jessica Lange, the latter two films being directed by Tim Burton.
Other productions by The Zanuck Company are Warner Bros.' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (co-produced with DreamWorks), Dark Shadows, and Alice in Wonderland, all of which were directed by Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp.
In 2010, Alice in Wonderland became the first motion picture from The Zanuck Company to exceed $1 billion at the box office.
Filmography
Theatrical films
1970s Release dateTitleDirectorDistributorNotesBudgetBox office (worldwide)July 18, 1973SssssssBernard L. KowalskiUniversal Picturesfirst film$1.03 million$1 millionDecember 19, 1973Willie DynamiteGilbert MosesN/ADecember 25, 1973The StingGeorge Roy Hillwinner of the Academy Award for Best Picture; co-production with Bill/Phillips ProductionsInducted into the National Film Registry in 2005$5.5 million$159.6 millionMarch 30, 1974The Sugarland ExpressSteven Spielberg$3 million$12 millionMay 17, 1974The Black WindmillDon Siegelco-production with Siegel Films$1.5 millionN/AAugust 16, 1974The Girl from PetrovkaRobert Ellis MillerN/AMay 21, 1975The Eiger SanctionClint Eastwoodco-production with The Malpaso Company$9 million$14.2 millionJune 20, 1975JawsSteven SpielbergInducted into the National Film Registry in 2001$472 millionJuly 15, 1977MacArthurJoseph Sargent$16.3 millionJune 16, 1978Jaws 2Jeannot Szwarc$30 million$208 millionThe ShoutJerzy SkolimowskiRank Film Distributorslast filmLess than £500,000£176,800
1980s Release dateTitleDirectorDistributorNotesBudgetBox office (worldwide)June 13, 1980The IslandMichael RitchieUniversal Pictures$22 million$15.7 millionDecember 18, 1981NeighborsJohn G. AvildsenColumbia Pictures$8.5 million$29.9 millionDecember 8, 1982The VerdictSidney Lumet20th Century Fox$16 million$54 millionJune 21, 1985CocoonRon Howard$17.5 million$85.3 millionNovember 8, 1985TargetArthur PennWarner Bros.co-production with CBS Theatrical Films$12.9 million$9.02 millionNovember 23, 1988Cocoon: The ReturnDaniel Petrie20th Century Foxlast film released under the Zanuck-Brown name$17.5 million$25 millionDecember 15, 1989Driving Miss DaisyBruce BeresfordWarner Bros.first film released under the name of The Zanuck Company; winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture$7.5 million$145.8 million
1990s Release dateTitleDirectorDistributorNotesBudgetBox office (worldwide)December 22, 1991RushLili Fini ZanuckMGM/UA Distribution Co.co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer$17 million$7.2 millionOctober 29, 1992Rich in LoveBruce Beresford$18 million$2.2 millionMay 6, 1994Clean SlateMick JacksonN/A$7.4 millionDecember 1, 1995Wild BillWalter Hillco-production with United Artists$30 million$2.1 millionApril 26, 1996Mulholland FallsLee Tamahorico-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Largo Entertainment$29 million$11.5 millionAugust 2, 1996Chain ReactionAndrew Davis20th Century Foxco-production with Chicago Pacific Entertainment$50 million$60.2 millionMay 8, 1998Deep ImpactMimi LederParamount Pictures (North America)DreamWorks Pictures (International)co-production with Amblin Entertainment and The Manhattan Project$80 million$349.5 millionMarch 19, 1999True CrimeClint EastwoodWarner Bros.co-production with Malpaso Productions$55 million$16.6 million
2000s Release dateTitleDirectorDistributorNotesBudgetBox office (worldwide)April 7, 2000Rules of EngagementWilliam FriedkinParamount Picturesco-production with Scott Rudin Productions and Seven Arts Pictures$60 million$71.7 millionJuly 27, 2001Planet of the ApesTim Burton20th Century Fox$100 million$362.2 millionJuly 12, 2002Reign of FireRob BowmanBuena Vista Picturesco-production with Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment$60 million$82.2 millionRoad to PerditionSam MendesDreamWorks Pictures (North America)20th Century Fox (International)$80 million$181 millionDecember 10, 2003Big FishTim BurtonSony Pictures Releasingco-production with Columbia Pictures and The Jinks/Cohen Company$70 million$123.2 millionJuly 15, 2005Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with Plan B Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures$150 million$475 millionDecember 21, 2007Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetParamount Pictures (North America)Warner Bros. Pictures (International)co-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Parkes/MacDonald Productions$50 million$153.4 millionDecember 19, 2008Yes ManPeyton ReedWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures and Heyday Films$70 million$223.2 million
2010s Release dateTitleDirectorDistributorNotesBudgetBox office (worldwide)March 5, 2010Alice in WonderlandTim BurtonWalt Disney Studios Motion Picturesco-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films and Team Todd$150–200 million$1.025 billionApril 2, 2010Clash of the TitansLouis LeterrierWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with Legendary Pictures and Thunder Road Pictures$125 million$493.2 millionMay 11, 2012Dark ShadowsTim Burtonco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, Infinitum Nihil and GK Films$150 million$245.5 millionMay 30, 2014MaleficentRobert StrombergWalt Disney Studios Motion Picturesco-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Roth Films$180–263 million$758.5 millionSeptember 15, 2015HiddenThe Duffer BrothersWarner Bros. Picturesuncredited; co-production with Vertigo Entertainment; final filmN/A$310,273
Television films/pilots Release dateTitleDirectorNetworkNotesJuly 9, 1987BarringtonRichard ComptonCBSas The Zanuck/Brown Company; co-production with New World TelevisionAugust 21, 1992Driving Miss DaisyWill Mackenzieco-production with Warner Bros. Television2004Dead LawyersParis BarclaySci-Fico-production with Sony Pictures TelevisionMay 16, 2015BessieDee ReesHBOco-production with HBO Films and Flavor Unit EntertainmentJune 8th, 2018Eric Clapton: Life in 12 BarsLili Fini ZanuckShowtime (TV network)co-production with Passion Pictures
References
External links The Zanuck Company on IMDb Zanuck/Brown Productions on IMDb