GROUNDBREAKING MOVIE MILESTONES

We champion content that breaks boundaries and conventional norms.

Memento


  • March 16, 2001 Newmarket Film Group
    $25,544,867
    Domestic Box Office

    After nearly every other studio passed on it, Bob saw the promise and path to a successful release. This crossover indie broke out reaching $25M domestic box office and launched filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s career.

Y Tu Mama Tambien


  • March 15, 2002 IFC
    $13,649,880
    Domestic Box Office

    Alfonso Cuaron’s early passion project is the 5th Highest grossing Spanish Language movie of all time and launched the careers of Gael Bernal Garcia and Diego Luna. The film was not MPAA rated, allowing exhibitors to decide for themselves about the sexual content.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding


  • April 19, 2002 IFC
    $241,438, 181
    Domestic Box Office

    The highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time was also one of the longest-running theatrical engagements in history spanning an entire year. The release relied heavily on galvanizing group sales and guerilla marketing techniques to generate huge word of mouth.

The Passion Of The Christ


  • Feb. 25, 2004 Newmarket Films
    $370,274,604
    Domestic Box Office

    The highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, this groundbreaking independent film was released on 4700 screens with a staff of 25 people (compared to 400+ in a traditional studio). The film proved there was a commercial business for faith stories.

Monster


  • Dec. 24, 2003 Newmarket Films
    $34,469,210
    Domestic Box Office

    Patty Jenkins' feature film directorial and screenwriting debut, Bob rolled the dice with a bold move to counter program a lesbian serial killer movie on Christmas Eve. Paved the way for Christmas Eve counterprogamming to follow and won Charlize Theron the best actress award.

Insidious


  • April 1, 2011 FilmDistrict
    $54,009,149
    Domestic Box Office

    The most profitable film of 2011 launched a huge franchise and the directing and horror impressio career of James Wan. Acquired at TIFF’s prestigious Midnight Film Series, FilmDistrict gave the filmmakers the opportunity to reshape the ending which turned the movie around.

Drive


  • Sept. 16, 2011 FilmDistrict
    $35,060,689
    Domestic Box Office

    This iconoclastic and quirky film was a wide release risk worth taking due to Ryan Gosling’s breakout role and a cast of great actors including Albert Brooks as a bad guy. The movie defined the Elevated Genre Category, especially with Nicolas Refn’s Best Director win at Cannes.

Manchester By The Sea


  • Nov. 18, 2016 Amazon Studios/Roadside
    $47,695,371
    Domestic Box Office

    Gamechanger, shepherding in the era of the streamers by winning the first ever Oscar for Best Best Actor, Casey Affleck and for Best Original Screenplay, Kenneth Lonergan. The movie was a crossover hit in North America, defying predictions and winning 637 awards.

Chi-Raq


  • December 4, 2015 Amazon Studio

    Amazon Studios first feature film production was one of the first films to have a shortened theatrical window. Released on 305 screens domestically a mere 25 days before its streaming premiere versus the 90-day norm.

The Big Sick


  • June 23, 2017 Amazon Studios/Lionsgate $42,872,467

    Overlooked by the big studios because of its un-Hollywood casting, Judd Apatow’s broadly appealing film became a sleeper success. Aggressively promoting Kumail Nanjiani, the first Pakastani-born actor in a leading role in a Romantic Comedy, proved audience appeal beyond standard archetypes.

Pan’s Laybrinth


  • Dec. 29, 2006 Picturehouse
    $37,634,615
    Domestic Box Office

    Bob’s first big hit for Picturehouse launched the auteur side of Guillermo Del Toro. The team overcame positioning challenges and expanded the audience to include young fan boys. One of the first movies sold to Netflix by a theatrical distributor, resulted in one of Netflix’s first big hits.

Fatima


  • A re-imagined campaign due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic resulted in breaking new ground by releasing PVOD+Theatrical, making it one of the most successful films of 2020. Pioneered Pop-up Drive-in events in iconic locations to generate word-of-mouth paving the way for many other studios to follow.

DIRECTORS WE'VE WORKED WITH

We are honored to have worked with some of the world’s visionary directors who have transformed the art of storytelling.

Jim McKay
Leon Ichaso
J.A. Bayona
Diane English
Matthew Heineman
Park Chan Wook
Doug Liman
Alma Harel
Nanfu Wang
Ritesh Batra
Mike Leigh
Luca Guadagnino
Gus Van Sant
Lynne Ramsay
Ai Weiwei
Richard Linklater
Mike White
Gillian Robespierre
Michael Showlater
James Gray
Jim Jarmusch
Jocelyn Moorehouse
Todd Solondz
Whit Stillman
Bruce Robinson
Jean-Marc Vallee
Jane Campion
Lukas Moodysson
Rose Troche
Sean McNamara
Spike Lee
Joel Zwick
Chris Nolan
Bronwen Hughes
Asghar Farhadi
Angelina Jolie
Alfonso Cuaron
Guillermo Del Toro
James Wan
Kenneth Lonergan
Michael Winterbottom
Nicolas Refn
Nicole Kassell
Nikki Caro
Patty Jenkins
Todd Haynes
Nash Edgerton

ABOUT US

Picturehouse is a Los Angeles-based content marketing and distribution company led by CEO Bob Berney and COO Jeanne R. Berney. The company acquires, markets and distributes global content across all platforms. Originally formed in 2005 as a joint venture between Time Warner’s HBO Films and New Line Cinema, the Picturehouse brand has a long history of storied excellence.

bob-berney

BOB BERNEY

Chief Executive Officer

Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse, is a leading figure in the world of global content distribution. He is known for his strong relationships with filmmakers and industry executives along with having a keen eye for content and extraordinary marketing acumen. The stories he has helped shepherd to the screen since 2000 have amassed more than $1 billion in domestic box office, won multiple Academy Awards® and made an enduring impact on the cultural landscape. In addition to Picturehouse, Berney co-founded and operated four of the most successful independent film distribution and marketing companies: FilmDistrict, Apparition, Newmarket Films and IFC Films. In 2015, he became head of marketing and distribution for Amazon Studios. Berney is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Executive Branch), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the European Film Academy.

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JEANNE R. BERNEY

Chief Operating Officer

Jeanne Berney, COO of Picturehouse, is an experienced entertainment and brand marketer. Skilled at reaching diverse audiences, her career includes Miramax Films, Savoy Pictures, Rysher Entertainment and FilmDistrict. Along with her team, her campaigns have won numerous awards including two prestigious “Key Art” awards for the films DRIVE and THE RUM DIARY. She ran the Film and Digital Entertainment Group at Rogers and Cowan and built a client base including studios, production companies and brands like SKYY Vodka and Microsoft. She served as Director of Public Relations and Marketing at the Film Society of Lincoln Center overseeing the Society’s year round content programming including the New York Film Festival. Ms. Berney is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the European Film Academy and a Board member of The American Friends of Film at TIFF.

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AWARDS

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WHAT WE DO

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Creative & Marketing

  • A/V
  • Posters
  • Digital/Social
  • Paid Media
  • Publicity
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Distribution

  • Theatrical
  • Digital
  • Streaming
  • New Formats
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Audience Engagement

  • Genre Specialists
  • Multicultural
  • Experiential/Events
  • Tastemakers/Influencers
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Content

  • Acquisition
  • Development
  • Production

Picturehouse connects great filmmakers to the best audiences.

Check out some of our creative work.

PRESS

Read previous news here in the archive.

From ABC News: Actor takes role that imitates real-life immigration struggles

Feb 9, 2024

Actor Ezekiel Pacheco takes on a role that resembles some of the immigration struggles he faces in real life. ABC’s Armando Garcia sits with him to discuss his first lead role in “At The Gates.”

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Picturehouse Sets Spring Release For Documentary ‘Carol Doda Topless At The Condor’

Jan. 26, 2024

Picturehouse will release the documentary, Carol Doda Topless at the Condor, exclusively in theaters on March 22 in New York and San Francisco, followed by a March 29 debut in LA, with a further breakout to 40-plus markets.

Industry execs offer insight on the film industry, future of Sundance

Jan. 20, 2024

Industry executives John Sloss, Bob Berney, and Richard Lorber discuss the state of the film industry and how it has changed with regards to buying and selling at festivals. They also talk about the films they are most excited about for this year’s Sundance, then give their thoughts on the future of the festival.

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Christopher Nolan Charms Sundance, Denies Being “Independent Filmmaker” and Recalls How “No One Wanted” Seminal Film ‘Memento’

Jan. 19, 2024

Christopher Nolan calls out Bob Berney in this Hollywood Reporter story.

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