American film distribution company
Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries[1] and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers.[2] Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. [3] Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.
History
Founded in New York City in 2017 by Nick Savva, who had previously worked in digital distribution for the Tribeca Festival,[4] the company was initially launched under the name Streaming Plus. Its first film release was Newness directed by Drake Doremus, which the company had acquired following its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.[5]
Initially a subsidiary of Giant Interactive, a technology services company owned by post production entrepreneur, Jeff Stabenau,[6] Giant Pictures focused on distribution to streaming platforms[7] including AppleTV, Vudu, Prime Video, Netflix, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV and Peacock.[8]
In 2020, in order to expand its global digital distribution efforts, Giant Pictures split from Giant Interactive, although the companies maintained a close relationship as technology partners.[9] Subsequently, the company built various apps and channels[10][11] on platforms such as The Roku Channel,[12] XUMO, LG, Vizio and Plex.[13] By 2022, Giant Pictures was releasing upwards of 40 new feature films annually and had more than 1,000 titles under management via content partnerships with numerous independent studios.[14][15]
In February 2023, it was reported by Deadline.com that Giant Pictures had acquired US theatrical and VOD rights to A House Made Of Splinters, one of the 2023 Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature.[16] Subsequently, Giant released the film on digital platforms including Apple TV and Prime Video. A theatrical release was announced at select Alamo Drafthouse theaters beginning in March 2023.
May 2023 saw the release of feature documentary, Nuclear Now, directed by Oliver Stone, which Giant co-released along with two of its studio partners, Abramorama and Participant Media.[17] The film makes the case for nuclear power as a vital energy solution in the face of climate change.[18]
Drafthouse Films
Following a collaboration on the re-release of the cult 1980's genre movie Action USA,[19] in early 2021 Giant Pictures signed a sales representation deal with Austin, TX-based distribution label, Drafthouse Films, for the acclaimed films in its catalog.[20] Subsequently, the Drafthouse titles were made available on multiple streaming platforms including Tubi,[21] Kanopy,[22] Shudder and Hulu.[23] In March 2022, Giant Pictures acquired Drafthouse Films with Nick Savva serving as Drafthouse Films' new CEO and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League becoming chairman.[24]
The first two films to be released by the newly acquired company were Nr. 10, directed by Alex Van Warmerdam and Masking Threshold, directed by Johannes Grenzfurthner.[25] Both films had a close association with Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas and its related media companies, having premiered at Fantastic Fest then playing at Alamo Drafthouse locations, followed by streaming releases on the Alamo On Demand platform and through Giant Pictures.[26]
Partnership with Tribeca
In August 2021 Giant Pictures partnered with the Tribeca Festival to create The Tribeca Channel, a free, ad-supported movie streaming channel in the US and Canada.[27]
Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the movie A Bronx Tale in September 2023, Giant Pictures produced a 4K digital restoration of the film on behalf of Tribeca Enterprises.[28] The digital coloring process was handled at Goldcrest Post in New York and was overseen personally by director, Robert De Niro.[29] The restoration took 9 months to complete. To accompany the re-release of the film on UHD Blu-ray, Giant created bonus features including new interviews with De Niro, as well writer and star, Chazz Palminteri. In June 2023, the Tribeca Festival, which De Niro founded along with the film's producer, Jane Rosenthal, premiered the 4K restored version with a special 30th anniversary screening at New York City's Beacon Theater.[30]
In January 2024 Tribeca Enterprises and Giant Pictures partnered on a US distribution label called Tribeca Films, to manage the distribution of high-quality independent films from the film festival circuit on streaming platforms.[31] The label aimed to focus on U.S. transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) and advertising-based video-on-demand (AVOD) with the opportunity for distribution across Giant Pictures’ streaming infrastructure, as well as on the Tribeca Channel. Tribeca Films set a goal of acquiring 25 titles per year from festivals like Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the Tribeca Festival. Trade publication, Indiewire, wrote of the initiative: "As the market has changed and made it harder for filmmakers to find homes for their festival movies, even with so many more options available, having one more buyer in the market should be good news for any indie filmmakers".[32]
