Inspired by Taylor Swift, AMC creates ‘Leawood Films’ to get more movies to the big screen amid straight-to-streamer trend

A new film distribution venture from AMC is expected to partner with filmmakers to expand the supply of small- to medium-sized movies to theaters across the country — putting more eyes on the big screen and allowing filmmakers to keep ownership of their intellectual property after the theatrical run.

Among the inspirations for the endeavor: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour film.

The just-launched “Leawood Films” will split its headquarters between Los Angeles and AMC Theatres’ home base of Leawood, Kansas, the company announced Monday, noting the new operation is not expected to compete with AMC’s longstanding studio and distribution relationships for “blockbuster tentpole type releases.”

“Leawood Films is being created with a straightforward objective, given that substantial excess capacity exists in the movie theatre industry: to bring more movies to theatres,” said Adam Aron, chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment. “If we can take steps to ensure that a few extra movies come to theatres each year, it is gravy for AMC.”

The company has not yet selected its initial films for release, so the first projects would most likely begin in 2027 or 2028.

Rather than financing productions, developing scripts, or assuming the traditional risks associated with film production, Leawood Films is intentionally conceived as a disciplined low-risk opportunity for AMC, the company said, as it intends to work only with established and emerging filmmakers who are able to secure full financing for their own films, or who already have completed films in hand. 

In addition to AMC’s ability to commit a significant number of its own available screens, Leawood Films expects to partner and collaborate with a wide array of other leading movie theater circuits domestically and internationally.

The new company plans to follow a path already set by its partnerships with Swift for her Eras Tour film, as well the “Official Release Party of A Showgirl” in 2025, and with Beyoncé for her Renaissance film in 2023.

“One of the keys to the success of our Taylor Swift and Beyoncé film projects … was the extraordinarily successful cooperation we received from movie theatre circuits across the United States and around the world,” Aron said. “We intend to take a collaborative approach with Leawood Films, and we look forward to working with exhibitors throughout our industry at home and abroad to bring compelling films to audiences everywhere.”

Photo by Sebastian Enrique, Unsplash

The new venture will focus on films that otherwise might have difficulty in securing distribution backing elsewhere, Aron said, noting deals will not be constrained to specific film genres, nor be limited to distributing only music/concert-oriented movies where AMC has had success previously.

“Ultimately, moviegoers consistently demonstrate their appetite for a wide variety of theatrical content, and we believe there are more outstanding films that deserve the opportunity to find audiences on the big screen,” he said. “Through Leawood Films, we believe we can bring meaningful value to filmmakers whose movies might otherwise not get made, or which might not be taken to theatres. We can assure them the availability of movie theatre screens and attractive economics, as well as have them benefit from our relationships across the exhibition industry, our proven marketing capabilities, and our extensive experience connecting theatrical content with moviegoing audiences.”

Filmmakers working with Leawood Films will keep the vast majority of their movies’ downstream revenues after they leave theaters, as well as the ownership of their IP, the company said.

Leawood Films will respect a 45-day or greater PVOD (Premium Video on Demand) window — the exclusive period a movie plays in theaters before it becomes available for digital rental or purchase at home — and a 90-day or more window before it heads to paid streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, or Hulu.

AMC emphasized that Leawood Films will be additive to the movie ecosystem.

It is being created to augment the supply of movie content, rather than supplant the motion picture release slates in either priority or prominence of AMC’s traditional studio partners and other key distributors, the company said, noting the venture will be led by cadre of industry advisors — including veteran executives from Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Walt Disney Studios, and Paramount Pictures.

“We have assembled a truly distinguished, knowledgeable and experienced group to advise us on Leawood Films,” Aron said. “Throwing into the mix AMC’s size, scale and considerable resources, and adding in highly able and experienced Hollywood veterans with us right from the start, we will come out of the blocks ready to run.”