2929 Entertainment


2929 Entertainment, LLC. is an American integrated media and entertainment co-founded by billionaire entrepreneurs Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. 2929 maintains companies and interests across several industries including entertainment development and packaging, film and television production and distribution, digital and broadcast syndication, theatrical exhibition and home entertainment.
2929 Entertainment has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Wagner and Cuban co-own 2929 with Sky Hansen serving as Managing Director.

History

2929 Entertainment made several strategic acquisitions to assure that releases could be made available to any audience across a variety of platforms simultaneously. Wagner says that, "ready availability of such infrastructure would be an operating advantage to both the circuit and the production company." Some titles would even see DVD releases alongside theatrical openings as early as 2007, through an early partnership with Netflix.
An extensive catalogue of television and film rights were acquired with Rysher Entertainment in 2001, and 2929 would co-produce a newer version of Star Search which premiered in January 2003 on CBS.
Variety praised 2929 as a "pioneer" for its simultaneous theatrical and cable television release of Steven Soderbergh's Bubble in 2006. Bubble would be the first of several films with concurrent releases in theaters and through 2929's cable channel HDNet. At the time, this move was controversial as most films are released in different formats on a staggered schedule, giving each channel an exclusive window. Exhibitors were especially timorous, as many feared that they would eventually lose their exclusive release windows for more mainstream films.

Operations

Production Companies

2929 Entertainment develops original feature and series through its production company 2929 Productions, and formerly through HDNet Films.

2929 Productions, LLC

2929 Productions, LLC. was co-founded by Wagner and Cuban in 2003. The film and television studio selectively finances and develops feature films and series, often through key partnerships with industry creators or entertainment companies. The studio aims to bring compelling stories to critical and mainstream audiences alike, which generally fall within: previously untold historical or contemporary non-fiction; inspirational and socially conscious, and elevated filmmaker-driven projects of all genres.
2929 Productions is headed by Haley Jones. Previous studio leadership has included Ben Cosgrove and Marc Butan.
Godsend, Criminal and The Jacket were among of the studio's first projects, co-produced and co-financed with Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney's Section Eight Productions. After his work on Godsend, Marc Butan was offered studio head at 2929 leading him to exit an EVP role at Lionsgate.
In 2006, 2929 Productions released Good Night, And Good Luck. with Warner Independent. The film uses a mix of archival footage and contemporary production to tell the story of the famed wartime reporter Edward Murrow and his historic "See it Now" broadcast criticizing Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. To mitigate risks that could arise with a black-and-white feature film, Wagner engaged Jeff Skoll and his company Participant Media to produce Good Night. And Good Luck, which grossed over $30 million and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.


YearFilmDirectorRelease date
2002Searching for Debra WingerRosanna ArquetteJuly 13, 2002
2004GodsendNick HammApril 30, 2004
2004CriminalGregory JacobsSeptember 10, 2004
2005The JacketJohn MayburyJanuary 23, 2005 /March 4, 2005
2005Good Night, and Good LuckGeorge ClooneySeptember 1, 2005 /October 7, 2005
2006Akeelah and the BeeDoug AtchisonMarch 16, 2006 /April 28, 2006
2006TuristasJohn StockwellDecember 1, 2006
2006Black ChristmasGlen MorganDecember 15, 2006 /December 19, 2006 /December 25, 2006
2007The ExJesse PeretzMay 11, 2007
2007We Own the NightJames GrayMay 25, 2007 /October 12, 2007
2008The Life Before Her EyesVadim PerelmanSeptember 8, 2007 /April 18, 2008
2008What Just HappenedBarry LevinsonJanuary 19, 2008 /May 25, 2008 /October 17, 2008
2009Two LoversJames GrayMay 19, 2008 /February 13, 2009
2009The Girlfriend ExperienceSteven SoderberghJanuary 20, 2009 /May 22, 2009
2009The Burning PlainGuillermo ArriagaAugust 29, 2008 /September 18, 2009
2009The RoadJohn HillcoatSeptember 3, 2009 /September 13, 2009 /November 25, 2009
2012DeadfallStefan RuzowitzkyApril 22, 2012 /December 7, 2012
2015SerenaSusanne BierOctober 13, 2014 /November 12, 2014 /March 27, 2015
2017Paul CurrieJune 30, 2017
2017PermanentColette BursonSeptember 30, 2017
2018Please Stand ByBen LewinOctober 27, 2017 /January 26, 2018
2018The China HustleJed RothsteinMarch 20, 2018

HDNet Films

HDNet Films produced lower budget movies with a focus on creating compelling content in high definition. To promote the relatively new distribution of HD video on demand in 2007, HDNet offered pay-per-view access to new films only several days after their theatrical releases.
YearFilmDirectorRelease date
2005'Alex GibneyApril 22, 2005
2005The War WithinJoseph CasteloSeptember 30, 2005
2006BubbleSteven SoderberghSeptember 3, 2005 /January 27, 2006
2006S&ManJ. T. PettyMarch 10, 2006
2006Herbie Hancock: PossibilitiesDoug Biro & Jon FineApril 4, 2006
2006One Last Thing...Alex SteyermarkSeptember 12, 2005 /May 5, 2006
2006The ArchitectMatt TauberApril 26, 2006
2007DiggersKatherine DieckmannMarch 30, 2007
2007Fay GrimHal HartleySeptember 11, 2006 /May 18, 2007
2007Broken EnglishZoe CassavetesJanuary 20, 2007 /June 22, 2007
2007Mr. UntouchableMarc LevinOctober 26, 2007
2007RedactedBrian De PalmaAugust 31, 2007 /November 16, 2007
2008SurfwiseDoug PraySeptember 11, 2007 /May 9, 2008
2008Quid Pro QuoCarlos BrooksJune 13, 2008
2008'Alex GibneyJanuary 20, 2008
2009American SwingJon Hart & Mathew KaufmanSeptember 5, 2008 /March 27, 2009
2010And Everything Is Going FineSteven SoderberghJanuary 23, 2010
2011Rejoice and Shout Don McGlynnJune 3, 2011

Distribution

Originally formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, Magnolia Pictures is the home entertainment and theatrical distribution subsidiary of 2929. In November 2005 the company created Magnolia Home Entertainment to release its films over home video, with its first release being Alex Gibney's acclaimed doc, . It is headed by entertainment industry vet and former head of home entertainment for Miramax, Randy Wells. Magnolia Pictures also provides its content through a curated streaming service, Magnolia Selects.
2929 also launched Truly Indie, an "innovative distribution program" for independent filmmakers.

Television

2929 holds a significant interest in AXS TV, which Cuban originally co-founded in 2001 as the all-high definition cable channel HDNet. HDNet Movies, a companion channel, shows movies in high definition. 2929 also owned Rysher Entertainment, a television syndication distributor with an extensive library of titles and syndication rights to TV shows like Hogan's Heroes, Sex and the City and Star Search. Rysher was later acquired by an investment company through Lakeshore Entertainment.

Former operations

Theatrical exhibition

2929 acquired Landmark Theatres September 24, 2003. The chain was originally founded by Kim Jorgensen in 1974 and specialized in independent and foreign films.
On December 4, 2018 the announcement was made that Landmark Theatres was sold to the Cohen Media Group, "a buyer who is passionate about independent cinema and who truly understands this market."
2929 maintains an interest in Spotlight Cinema Networks, a cinema advertising company.