American media companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and
Annapurna Pictures announced the formation of a local film distribution joint-venture and a film releasing entity under the name Mirror to release third-party films in theatres. Former
Screen Gems executive Pam Kunath was appointed to be its chief operating officer and one of MGM's subsidiaries,
Orion Pictures, added its films and staff from its distribution division to the venture. On October 7, 2020, MGM revived the
American International Pictures label for digital and limited theatrical releases of acquired films with United Artists Releasing, beginning with the 2021 film
Breaking News in Yuba County. On May 17, 2021, online shopping and technology company
Amazon entered negotiations to acquire MGM's former parent company,
MGM Holdings, principally green-lighted by MGM board chairman Kevin Ulrich whose company,
Anchorage Capital Group, was a major MGM shareholder. A week later, the proposed acquisition by Amazon was officially announced, pending local and global regulatory approvals, for $8.45 billion and completed on March 17, 2022. Later that same day, Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of
Amazon Studios and
Amazon Prime Video, emphasized at a
town hall meeting that his company would continue to partner with its new division United Artists Releasing, which would remain in operation post-acquisition. On March 4, 2023,
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Amazon folded United Artists Releasing into MGM due to Amazon's optimism of the feasibility of theatrical distribution. The announcement was a day after
Creed III was released, which was also the first film distributed by MGM itself under Amazon's ownership. ==Filmography==