 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | April 2, 1998 |
| Founder | Matt Wall Patrick Gunn |
| Successor | Universal Pictures Focus Features |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Ryan Kavanaugh (president) |
| Parent |
|
Rogue (originally Rogue Pictures) is an American film distributor founded in 1998 by Matt Wall and Patrick Gunn. It originally started off as a genre film label of the Universal Pictures-affiliated independent film studio October Films and was based in Universal City, California.
It was owned by October Films from 1998 to 1999, after which October was sold to USA Networks and merged with Interscope Communications and Gramercy Pictures to form USA Films. In 2004, Rogue was revived by Focus Features, which retained the studio until 2009, when it was acquired by Relativity Media, which declared its second and final bankruptcy in 2018.
History
Original October Films era (1998–1999)
On April 2, 1998, Rogue Pictures was formed as a division of the Universal Pictures' independent film label October Films, led by Patrick Gunn and Matt Wall, in order to release genre films to compete with Miramax's Dimension Films label. Rogue's theatrical releases, much in the same manner like Dimension did, would be handled by its parent company October Films, with video and television sales handled by October Films' parent company Universal, and all foreign sales would be handled by fellow Universal subsidiary Good Machine.[1]
One of the first film projects/script acquisitions greenlit by Rogue was the film Cherry Falls, while the first acquisition via the Rogue label was the film Orgazmo, although PolyGram Video handled the video rights of the film.[2][3] The Rogue name was dropped in 1999 after October Films was absorbed into USA Films following the merger with Interscope Communications and Gramercy Pictures.[4]
Focus Features era (2004–2009)
In 2004, the name and branding was revived as part of the Universal-owned Focus Features, with a goal of "high-quality suspense, action, thriller and urban features with mainstream appeal and franchise potential".[5] The revived Rogue Pictures would be led by the same team who led the Focus Features group, rather than having its own dedicated staff.[6]
In 2005, Universal expanded the company's operations to become a stand-alone division with a new goal of releasing ten films annually.[7] Later that year, Universal and Rogue signed a deal with newly formed Intrepid Pictures to produce, co-finance, and distribute films for five years.[8] In 2007, distribution and marketing of Rogue Pictures films were moved to Universal in company-wide shifts to accommodate Focus Features, putting Rogue Pictures under greater control of the parent company.[9]
Relativity Media era (2008–2018)
In 2008, Relativity Media approached Universal about buying the company, a move described in the entertainment media as "bold."[10] The following year, Relativity completed acquisition of the company.[11] This deal was part of Relativity Media reupping its agreement with Universal Pictures that would extend until 2015, and Universal would retain a distribution stake in future Rogue films.[12] On May 7, 2009, Relativity decided to turn the Rogue branding into a consumer brand that was used by the studio.[13]
In June 2012, Rogue and Relativity Media sold 30 of their films to Manchester Library Company,[14] which was acquired by Vine Alternative Investments in April 2017.[15]
Films
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Division of October Films / Universal Pictures | ||
| Orgazmo | October 23, 1998 | U.S. distribution only; produced by Kuzui Enterprises and MDP Worldwide |
| Thick as Thieves | January 28, 1999 | distribution only; rights now owned by Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Trippin' | May 12, 1999 | distribution only; produced by Beacon Pictures |
| Boricua's Bond | June 21, 2000 | distributed by USA Films |
| Cherry Falls | October 20, 2000 | co-production with Industry Entertainment and Fresh Produce Company; distributed by USA Films |
| Subsidiary of Focus Features | ||
| Shaun of the Dead | September 24, 2004 | North American distribution only; produced by StudioCanal, Working Title Films and Big Talk Productions; distributed internationally by Universal Pictures |
| Seed of Chucky | November 12, 2004 | co-production with David Kirschner Productions and La Sienega Productions |
| Assault on Precinct 13 | January 19, 2005 | co-production with Why Not Productions, Liaison Films and Biscayne Pictures |
| Unleashed | May 13, 2005 | North American distribution only; produced by EuropaCorp, Danny the Dog, Ltd., TF1 Films, Qian Yang International, Current Entertainment and Canal+ |
| Carlito's Way: Rise to Power | September 7, 2005 | direct-to-video |
| Cry Wolf | September 16, 2005 | co-production with Hypnotic |
| House of Voices | October 18, 2005 | North American distribution only |
| American Pie Presents: Band Camp | December 26, 2005 | direct-to-video |
| Dave Chappelle's Block Party | March 3, 2006 | distribution only; produced by Bob Yari Productions, Pilot Boy, Kabuki Brothers Films and Partizan Films |
| Waist Deep | June 23, 2006 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures, Radar Pictures and RSVP Productions |
| Fearless | September 22, 2006 | North American distribution only; produced by Hero China International |
| The Return | November 10, 2006 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures, Raygun and Biscayne Pictures |
| Altered | December 19, 2006 | direct-to-video |
| American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile | ||
| The Hitcher | January 19, 2007 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures and Platinum Dunes |
| Hot Fuzz | April 20, 2007 | North American distribution only; produced by StudioCanal, Working Title Films and Big Talk Productions; distributed internationally by Universal Pictures |
| Balls of Fury | August 29, 2007 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment |
| American Pie Presents: Beta House | December 26, 2007 | direct-to-video |
| White Noise 2 | January 8, 2008 | direct-to-video; U.S. distribution only; produced by Gold Circle Films |
| Doomsday | March 14, 2008 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures, Crystal Sky Pictures and Scion Films |
| The Strangers | May 30, 2008 | co-production with Intrepid Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment and Mandate Pictures |
| Subsidiary of Relativity Media | ||
| The Unborn | January 9, 2009 | co-production with Platinum Dunes and Phantom Four Films |
| The Last House on the Left | March 13, 2009 | co-production with Craven/Maddalena Films, Crystal Lake Entertainment, Scion Films and Midnight Entertainment |
| Fighting | April 24, 2009 | co-production with Misher Films |
| A Perfect Getaway | August 7, 2009 | co-production with QED International |
| MacGruber | May 21, 2010 | co-production with Michaels/Goldwyn |
| Catfish | September 17, 2010 | |
| My Soul to Take | October 8, 2010 | co-production with Corvus Corax |
| Skyline | November 12, 2010 | co-production with Hydraulx Entertainment, Transmission and Rat Entertainment |
| The Warrior's Way | December 3, 2010 | North American distribution only; produced by Boram Entertainment |
| Season of the Witch | January 7, 2011 | co-production with Atlas Entertainment |
| Take Me Home Tonight | March 4, 2011 | co-production with Imagine Entertainment; distributed by Relativity Media in the United States and Universal Pictures internationally |
| Limitless | March 18, 2011 | co-production with Virgin Produced |
| Cost of a Soul | May 20, 2011 | |
| Shark Night | September 2, 2011 | U.S. distribution only; produced by Incentive Filmed Entertainment, Sierra Pictures, Next Entertainment and Silverwood Films |
| Movie 43 | January 25, 2013 | co-production with Virgin Produced, GreeneStreet Films and Charles B. Wessler Entertainment |
| The Disappointments Room | September 9, 2016 | co-production with Los Angeles Media Fund, Media Talent Group and Demarest |
| Independent company | ||
| The Strangers: Prey at Night | March 9, 2018 | distributed by Aviron Pictures |
| Subsidiary of Relativity Media | ||
| Violet | October 29, 2021 | |
| The Dutchman | January 2, 2026 | [16] |
References
- ^ Roman, Monica (1998-04-03). "Rogue of October". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ Roman, Monica (1998-04-03). "Rogue of October". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ Frook, John Evan (1993-04-08). "October buys rights to 'Thrill'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ Peers, Martin (1999-03-22). "Diller sez he ought to be back in pic biz". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ Mohr, Ian (March 25, 2004). "Uni's Focus reveals Rogue plan". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Rooney, David (2004-03-25). "Focus widens lens with Rogue". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (May 19, 2005). "Uni's Rogue given solo spot". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Goldstein, Gregg (December 16, 2005). "Intrepid makes Rogue films". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Goldstein, Gregg (October 16, 2007). "New Focus has Rogue Pictures under Universal". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (October 23, 2008). "Bold gambit by Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 4, 2009). "Relativity completes Rogue acquisition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2009-01-04). "Relativity reels in Rogue". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ Graser, Marc (2009-05-07). "Relativity Media rolls dice on Rogue". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ US Copyright Office Document No V3617D065 2012-06-12
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 27, 2017). "New Village Roadshow Co-Owner Vine Acquires Manchester Film Library".
- ^ Gajewski, Ryan (26 November 2025). "André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Kate Mara's 'The Dutchman' Sets Early 2026 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
