Central Partnership is a Russian film distribution and production company founded in 1995. The distributor was acquired by Russian gas company Gazprom in 2014. CP's library consists of over 700 films and 3,300 hours of television programs. The studio earned $208.2 million at the Russian box office in 2014.
History
Central Partnership started as a TV content distributor in 1995-2000 and gradually the company has engaged in new businesses – theatrical & Home Video distribution. Today, Central Partnership is the largest TV distributor and No 1 independent film distributor. Among the most lucrative releases of the last years are Van Helsing, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Amélie, , The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, Shadowboxing, Wolfhound, Taras Bulba and Hipsters. Central Partnership has also launched a brand of CP Classics in a segment of independent films distribution where the company has traditionally been one of the strongest market players. In 2000 Central Partnership co-produced Four-handed Dinner – a film that got TEFI, the most important Russian TV award, as the Best TV Story Film. In 2002 Central Partnership launched its own production of feature films. Currently, Central Partnership is a market leader in the segment of film production with its titles loved by the audience and awarded by the most prominent film festivals. The lineup of Central Partnership is pretty diverse with some of its titles targeting general audience while other titles appeal to a more sophisticated audience. Apart from film content Central Partnership also produces high-end TV series. Central Partnership is actively promoting the Russian titles overseas. In November 2005 the controlling stake of Central Partnership was acquired by Prof Media, one of the largest Russian media holdings operating in the segment of entertainment media. ProfMedia manages a few well-known brands, and namely: TV broadcasters ‘TV3’, ‘MTV Russia’ and ‘2x2’; radio stations ‘Avtoradio’, ‘Radio Energy’, ‘Radio Alla’, ‘Yumor FM’; theatrical chain ‘Cinema Park’; publishing house ‘Afisha’; online portals Rambler.ru, Lenta.ru, Afisha.ru, 101.ru and others. In 2007 Central Partnership being the largest Russian film rights owner made a strategic decision to establish a film library. Currently, Central Partnership owns the rights for more than 1,400 titles and 4,000 hours of TV series. Central Partnership is focused on genre diversity, and its library includes the best Russian, European and American titles. In January 2009 Central Partnership became an official distributor of the Paramount Pictures lineup in Russia and CIS. The titles released by Paramount Pictures and Central Partnership steadily drive high box office. Shrek Forever After, an animated comedy blockbuster by DreamWorks Animation, became the highest-grossing animation of all time in Russia. Central Partnership also distributed Sony Music's releases in Russia until 2013 when distribution changed to Warner Music Russia.
