History ChannelHop / Film

* Creator/SamRaimi's ''Franchise/EvilDead'' series. All of them were produced by Raimi's Creator/RenaissancePictures, but the [[Film/TheEvilDead1981 original film]] was released by Creator/NewLineCinema, ''Film/EvilDead2'' was Rosebud Releasing (a division of Embassy, whose catalog is now owned by [=StudioCanal=]), and ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' was Universal domestically, and MGM overseas (with different cuts). The [[Film/EvilDead2013 reboot]] was [=TriStar=] Pictures, and ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'' is made by ''Creator/{{Lionsgate}}'' for Starz. Because of this, ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'' could not legally reference events from ''Army of Darkness'' in its first season, but were able to some in the second season after reaching an agreement with Universal. ''Film/EvilDeadRise'' is once again back with New Line, with Warner Bros. distributing (the film was originally supposed to go straight to HBO Max).
** The original film was originally released to VHS and Laserdisc by HBO-Cannon and the second by Vestron Video. Then Anchor Bay had the home video rights to the original trilogy for the longest time. Lionsgate later got the second film through their deal with [=StudioCanal=], and ''Army of Darkness'' is back with Universal, though they have licensed the film to Scream Factory for Blu-ray and 4K UHD. The reboot is on DVD/Blu-ray from Sony Pictures and 4K UHD from Scream Factory. When Starz (Anchor Bay's parent company) was purchased by Lionsgate, the home video rights to the first film and ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'' reverted to them. They released a 4K/Blu-ray boxset in 2021 with the first two films and the TV series.

* The ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' franchise has a bit of a messy history. The original double feature of ''Film/PlanetTerror'' and ''Film/DeathProof'' were produced by Troublemaker Studios and distributed theatrically by Dimension Films, and on video by the Weinstein Company (separate extended cuts) and Vivendi Entertainment (as a double feature). The spinoff film ''Film/{{Machete}}'' was distributed by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Sony internationally, and its sequel ''Film/MacheteKills'' was theatrically distributed by Open Road Films and on video by Universal. Both were still produced by Troublemaker. The ''other'' spinoff film, ''Film/HoboWithAShotGun,'' was produced in Canada by Rhombus Media and distributed by Alliance Films in Canada and Magnet Releasing in the United States.

* [=StudioCanal=] cancelled Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany's North American distribution of ''Film/{{Paddington}} 2'' in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein, saying they didn't want a family film to be associated with those events. Creator/WarnerBros, who already distributed the first film in Spain, acquired the North American rights to the sequel for $32 million.

* ''Film/FrightNight1985'' was backed by Creator/ColumbiaPictures and a production of Vista Films; for [[Film/FrightNightPart2 the sequel]] was done by Vista and distributed by Columbia's sister studio Tristar internationally -- and [[Film/FrightNight2011 the remake]] came from Creator/DreamWorks and was distributed by [[Creator/{{Disney}} Touchstone Pictures]]. ''Film/FrightNight2NewBlood'' is distributed by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox.

* Creator/DreamWorks and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation:

* Universal Pictures' new deal with Blumhouse Productions led to a peculiar case of this for the latest installments in the ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' and ''Film/{{Sinister}}'' franchises. They were originally distributed by Film District and Summit Entertainment, respectively. Universal subsidiary Focus Features got the rights to both franchises through their acquisition of Film District (in the case of Insidious) and Blumhouse's deal (in the case of Sinister). Then, in the wake of other genre films in the pipeline for that Universal division, including ''Film/{{Selfless}}'', ''Film/LondonHasFallen'' (its predecessor ''Film/OlympusHasFallen'' being distributed by Film District as well), ''Film/TheForest2016'', and the ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank'' movie, Focus revived Gramercy Pictures, one of the company's predecessors, as a label for films like these that would not normally go under the Focus banner, similar to Rogue before it was sold to Relativity Media.

** Also, Columbia-Tristar and Turner had both released ''Jason Goes to Hell'' on VHS back in the 90s.

* Perhaps because of their severe lack of back catalog (aside from UA's own stuff), MGM spent much of the 1990s (following the Giancarlo Parretti fiasco that saw a merger with Creator/TheCannonGroup) buying up other companies and/or film libraries. This included Creator/OrionPictures (whose earlier films are still with Warner Bros.) and some of their predecessor companies (namely Creator/{{Filmways}} and Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures), The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and the pre-1996 library of reator/PolyGramFilmedEntertainment (post-1996 films are still with Universal), which in turn included the Epic library, a hodge-podge of film libraries taken from clients of the French bank Credit Lyonnais (who had been involved in the aforementioned Parretti mess) including films from [[Film/TheTerminator Hemdale]], [[Film/BillAndTed Nelson]] (including pre-1994 Creator/CastleRockEntertainment films and video rights to the Embassy Pictures catalog), [[Film/ValleyGirl Atlantic]] [[Film/TeenWolf Releasing]], [[Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension Sherwood Productions]]/[[Film/{{Mannequin}} Gladden Entertainment]] and others.

* Film/TheViewAskewniverse has run from studio to studio over the years. ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' was an independent production that was picked up by Creator/{{Miramax}}. Its next film, ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'', was released by Creator/GramercyPictures, and is consequently owned by Creator/{{Universal}}. ''Film/ChasingAmy'' went back to Miramax, who would've also handled ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. However, [[Creator/{{Disney}} Miramax's owner at the time]] took issue with the film's subject matter, and had the Weinsteins buy the movie from them. The brothers licensed the film to a then-small Creator/{{Lionsgate}} for its theatrical release and Sony for home video, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes deals that have since lapsed]] and [[DenialOfDigitalDistribution pre-dated streaming]]. ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'' was released by Miramax under the Creator/DimensionFilms label. All the Miramax-released films are now distributed by Creator/{{Paramount}}. ''Film/ClerksII'' was released by Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany. ''Film/JayAndSilentBobReboot'' went to Saban Films domestically and Universal internationally, with Lionsgate handling home video. Lionsgate also acquired the distribution rights to ''Clerks II'' through a deal with TWC's successors, Lantern Entertainment and Spyglass Media Group, and will release ''Clerks III''.

** The MCU was originally distributed by Paramount Pictures for ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Film/IronMan2'', ''Film/{{Thor}}'', and ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', while Universal had ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}''. After Paramount's contract with Marvel Studios ended, Disney took over all future films, however ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and ''Film/IronMan3'' still featured Paramount's logo, even on home video, due to ExecutiveMeddling (Walt Disney Studios was listed at the end, however). Disney also purchased the rights to the previous Paramount films (though still with Paramount's logo). Later, Sony Pictures released ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' and ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' through their deal with Marvel Studios.

* Creator/DenisVilleneuve's ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' was originally supposed to be distributed by Creator/{{Universal}} like [[Film/Dune1984 the 1984 film]], but due to producer Creator/LegendaryPictures switching allegiances in mid-2018 it will now be distributed by Creator/WarnerBros. Ironically, Universal will co-distribute the home media release as part of a joint venture with Warner.

* A sequel to ''Film/KnivesOut'' was initially greenlit by Creator/{{Lionsgate}}, which had released the first film. However, before production could begin, Creator/{{Netflix}} launched a successful $400 million bid to take over production and distribution of not only that film, but a ''second'' sequel as well.

** Creator/LegendaryPictures now has the rights, and produced another sequel with Fede Álvarez (The ''Evil Dead'' reboot, ''Don't Breathe''), due for release in 2021. In August 2021, it was announced the film would be released by Creator/{{Netflix}}.

** After the Weinsteins failed to put a new film into production on time, the rights reverted back to Miramax, Trancas, and John Carpenter, who all worked with Blumhouse to produce [[Film/{{Halloween2018}} the new direct sequel]] to the original film. The film was distributed again by Universal, through their deal with Blumhouse. The two sequels to that film, ''Film/HalloweenKills'' and ''Halloween Ends'' are also distributed by Universal.

** And now with Disney buying Fox, distribution of the final two X-Men movies ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' and ''Film/TheNewMutants'' fell squarely on Disney. After those two, the X-Men, alongside the Fantastic Four, will eventually be integrated into the MCU. (their movies, aside from the R-rated ''Film/{{Logan}}'' and the two ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' ones, are even on Creator/DisneyPlus alongside the MCU)

* ''Film/{{Rad}}'' was released theatrically by [=TriStar=] and on VHS and laserdisc by Embassy Home Entertainment, then by its successor Nelson (and Warner Bros. in some international territories). After over two decades without a subsequent video release, Utopia Distribution acquired the theatrical and digital rights and gave it a one-off 4K UHD release on video through its partner label Vinegar Syndrome (which became one of the biggest sellers ever on the site). It subsequently licensed the film to Mill Creek for a general home entertainment release.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986'' was distributed by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group in its original release. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017 unrelated 2017 movie]], meanwhile, was released by Creator/{{Lionsgate}}[[note]]Originally, that film was a co-production between Hasbro and Creator/{{Sony}} Pictures, until failed negotiations and executive reshuffling at Sony resulted in the latter pulling out, causing Hasbro to handle the film alone[[/note]]. After that film did mediocre box office business, Hasbro decided to make the next film a ContinuityReboot, to be released in 2021 and co-produced and released by Creator/{{Paramount}} as part of their production pact with Hasbro. Paramount's involvement with what became ''Film/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration'' was ultimately canceled when Hasbro (through Entertainment One) decided to forgo a theatrical release in favor of putting it on Netflix.

** Warner Bros. returned to distributing ''Pokémon'' movies with ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu''. However, unlike previous films, this movie was actively co-produced by WB and is not set in the same continuity as the anime (Toho still distributes in Japan, though), it is in fact a live-action film, the first based on a Nintendo property since ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' 26 years earlier (and was much more successful than that film).

* The live-action ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' movie was produced by Cinergi Productions and Allied Filmmakers, and released by Creator/{{Disney}} via Creator/HollywoodPictures. When Creator/{{Nintendo}} decided to give the franchise a second go in movies, they contracted Creator/IlluminationEntertainment to produce an [[AllCGICartoon all-CGI]] ContinuityReboot, to be released by Creator/{{Universal}}. Disney notably had a long-standing relationship with Nintendo that predated the latter's entrance into video games, though Universal has a stronger relationship nowadays as the latter's theme parks are opening Nintendo-themed areas (ironically, Nintendo and Universal were not on good terms to start their relationship when the latter sued the former in the 1980s because ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' allegedly infringed on Universal's rights to ''King Kong'').

* Although ''Series/TheFugitive'' was a Quinn Martin Production in association with Creator/UnitedArtists Television, and the series itself is owned today (like almost the entire QM back catalogue[[note]]Warner Bros. co-produced and owns ''Series/TheFBI'', 20th Century co-produced and owns the series based on ''Film/TwelveO'ClockHigh'' and the only theatrical QM Production, ''Film/TheMephistoWaltz''[[/note]]) by Creator/{{CBS}} and Creator/{{Paramount}}, [[Film/TheFugitive the film]] is owned by Creator/WarnerBros (this came about due to QM Productions's sale to Taft Broadcasting; Taft executive Keith Barish eventually left the company and took the rights to ''The Fugitive'' with him, so when former QM employee and latter-day producer Arnold Kopelson wanted to do a film based on the series with regular partners Warner Bros., a deal was seen to be made.)

* Although ''Series/TheFugitive'' was a Quinn Martin Production in association with Creator/UnitedArtists Television, and the series itself is owned today (like almost the entire QM back catalogue) by Creator/{{CBS}} and Creator/{{Paramount}}, [[Film/TheFugitive the film]] is owned by Creator/WarnerBros (this came about due to QM Productions's sale to Taft Broadcasting; Taft executive Keith Barish eventually left the company and took the rights to ''The Fugitive'' with him, so when former QM employee and latter-day producer Arnold Kopelson wanted to do a film based on the series with regular partners Warner Bros., a deal was seen to be made.)

* ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' films have gone from ITC/Associated Film Distribution with the [[Film/TheMuppetMovie first film]] to ITC/Creator/{{Universal}} Pictures with the [[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper second]] to Creator/TriStarPictures ([[ItMakesSenseInContext you can blame the lawsuit over]] Film/TheLoneRanger's [[CreatorKiller mask for that one]]) with the [[Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan third]] to Walt Disney Pictures with the [[Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol fourth]] and [[Film/MuppetTreasureIsland fifth]] to [=TriStar=]'s sister studio Creator/{{Columbia|Pictures}} (this time under parent Creator/SonyPictures) with the [[Film/MuppetsFromSpace sixth]] and back to Disney from the [[Film/TheMuppets seventh]] onward. Disney now owns the franchise and the home media rights to most of the films with the exceptions of ''Take Manhattan'' and ''From Space'', which are owned by Sony.

* For ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'', [=FUNimation=] partnered up with Screen Vision to release the film into US and Canadian cinemas. By the next year when it came time to release ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', they had their own theatrical distribution arm ([=FUNimation=] Films), and released the film into theaters themselves in partnership with Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox.
** In Japan, the original 13 ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' films were released by Toei Company themselves. For the recent films, they partnered up with Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, who had inherited the rights to distribute future ''Dragon Ball'' films through their contract for ''Film/DragonballEvolution''.

* Amidst [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong#Legal_rights a complicated legal battle]], all the major Film/KingKong movies were by different studios: the 1933 original and it's 1934 sequel by RKO (now distributed by Warner domestically), the 1976 remake and its 1986 sequel by the De Laurentiis Corporation (the first distributed by Paramount), the 2005 version by Universal (who owns the rights to the King Kong name), and Universal licensed 2017's ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' to Warner so they could make a crossover with [[Film/Godzilla2014 their Godzilla]].

* Creator/SamRaimi's ''Franchise/EvilDead'' series. All of them were produced by Raimi's Creator/RenaissancePictures, but the [[Film/TheEvilDead1981 original film]] was released by Creator/NewLineCinema, ''Film/EvilDead2'' was Rosebud Releasing (a division of Embassy, whose catalog is now owned by [=StudioCanal=]), and ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' was Universal domestically, and MGM overseas (with different cuts). The [[Film/EvilDead2013 reboot]] was [=TriStar=] Pictures, and ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'' is made by ''Creator/{{Lionsgate}}''. Because of this, ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'' could not legally reference events from ''Army of Darkness'' in its first season, but were able to some in the second season after reaching an agreement with Universal.
** Anchor Bay had the home video rights to the original trilogy for the longest time, though now they only have the first film and the ''Ash vs. The Evil Dead'' TV series. Lionsgate has the second film (through their deal with [=StudioCanal=]), and ''Army of Darkness'' is back with Universal, though they did license the film to Scream Factory. The reboot is on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures. Now Anchor Bay is owned by Lionsgate, so they now technically have the whole franchise except for ''Army of Darkness'' and the reboot.

* In the case of ''The Exorcist'' franchise, the [[Film/TheExorcist first]] [[Film/ExorcistIITheHeretic two]] films were produced and released by Warner Bros. In the late-1980s, the rights to the franchise were transferred to Morgan Creek, the company that would produce [[Film/TheExorcistIII the third film]], two versions of the same prequel, and co-produced [[Series/TheExorcist the TV series]] with Fox. The third film was released theatrically and on VHS by 20th Century Fox, on DVD by Warner Home Video, and on Blu-Ray by Scream Factory. Warner Bros. released the prequels theatrically and initially on DVD, but recently those films were reissued as a double-feature DVD set by Sony. In September 2018 Scream Factory released a special edition Blu-Ray of ''Exorcist II'' under license from Warner Bros.

* ''Film/Titanic1997'' started out as a Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox production entirely. As the production budget soared, however, Fox decided to sell the domestic rights to Creator/{{Paramount}} to hold off potential losses (they still released the movie internationally). The potential losses never occurred, as the film became the highest-grossing one in history worldwide.

* Every version of ''Black Christmas'' has been released by a different studio. The [[Film/BlackChristmas1974 original 1974 Canadian film]] was released in its native country by Ambassador Film Distributors, and in the US by Warner Bros. It's now owned by Sommerville House, with home video formerly by Anchor Bay (Canada) and Critical Mass (US) and now by Shout! Factory. The [[Film/BlackChristmas2006 2006 remake]] was produced by The Weinstein Company's Dimension Films label, and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and on home video by Genius Products. It's now owned by Lantern Entertainment, who absorbed Weintein's assetts. The [[Film/BlackChristmas2019 2019 remake]] was produced by Blumhouse and released by Universal.

* The ''Film/{{Phantasm}}'' franchise. First film: AVCO Embassy Pictures. Second film: Creator/{{Universal}}. Third film: Starway International Inc. Fourth film: Creator/OrionPictures. Fifth film: Well Go Entertainment.

* The first four ''Film/{{Scream}}'' films were released by Dimension Films, but they switched from being under Miramax (distribution by Disney) to The Weinstein Company between the third and fourth films. Lionsgate released the first three films to Blu-ray, and Anchor Bay released the fourth (before they were bought out by Lionsgate). Today, Paramount now distributes the first three films after buying a minority stake in Miramax. After The Weinstein Company shut down, their assets were purchased by Lantern Entertainment, who were eventually merged into Spyglass Media Group, who sold TWC's films, including ''Scream 4'', to Lionsgate in 2021. ''Film/Scream2022'' was co-produced by Spyglass and Paramount, who also distributed. ''Scream 6'' will also be released under Paramount.

* ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD'' went from Creator/StreamlinePictures to Creator/OrionPictures to Urban Vision to Creator/SentaiFilmworks.

** ''Film/ToCatchAThief'' is the only Hitchcock film that stayed with Paramount, although Warner Bros. issued it on Blu-ray when they briefly handled Paramount's catalog. ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'' stayed with Warner Bros, but they did license it to Universal for their US Hitchcock Blu-ray boxset (overseas sets don't include the film).
** ''Film/{{Rebecca}}'' and ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'', and ''Film/{{Notorious|1946}}'' were all produced by Selznick International Pictures, but the first two were distributed theatrically by United Artists and the latter by RKO Radio Pictures. Selznick retained ownership however, but the rights later ended up with ABC/Disney with MGM handling home video through 20th Century Fox. After MGM's rights expired, Criterion licensed ''Rebecca'' for home video. Anchor Bay had released the films to VHS and DVD in the 90s/2000s.

* The Creator/StudioGhibli films have a history of this in the US. Disney/Buena Vista traditionally distributed most of them from 1997-2017, but not always:
** If you count it, ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'' (Miyazaki's first directoral film) was originally distributed in the US by Streamline Pictures before their rights expired and Manga Entertainment picked up the rights and redubbed the film with Animaze (with Creator/DavidHayter as Lupin III). Their rights later expired, and the film was rescued for a DVD/Blu-ray re-release from Discotek Media with both dubs (along with a toned-down version of the latter dub). Discotek later sub-licensed the film to Disney so they could include it in their complete Miyazaki Blu-ray set.
** The original US release of ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' in 1985 was under New World Pictures with video distribution from Vestron Video and later First Independent Video featuring a heavily edited dub that Miyazaki despised so much, he put forth a no editing clause into his future contracts. Disney would later acquire the film and redub it in 2005 for their releases beginning that same year.
** Creator/StreamlinePictures dubbed and/or distributed ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'', ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'', ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'' (with a home video release from Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox) and ''Anime/PorcoRosso'' in the late 80s/early 90s before Disney picked up the rights and redubbed/re-released them all.
** Because ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' isn't distributed by Ghibli overseas, it wasn't included in Disney's deal. Creator/CentralParkMedia distributed it on video and DVD (with a dub from Skypilot Entertainment in 1998) before they went under and Creator/ADVFilms rescued it. When ''they'' went under, Creator/SentaiFilmworks picked up the rights and released a remastered DVD in 2011 with a Blu-ray release in 2012 containing a new dub from Seraphim Digital.

** ''Anime/TheWindRises'' was distributed theatrically and on video by Disney's Touchstone Pictures label due to its content.
** In 2011, GKIDS picked up the theatrical rights to the pre-2011 Studio Ghibli catalog, though Disney still retained home video rights to those films (sans ''Cagliostro'', ''Fireflies'', and ''Anime/OnlyYesterday'') until 2017. GKIDS also outbid Disney for the home video and theatrical rights to ''Anime/FromUpOnPoppyHill'', ''Anime/TheTaleOfThePrincessKaguya'', and ''Anime/WhenMarnieWasThere'', and acquired the North American home video and theatrical rights to ''Only Yesterday'' as well, giving it its first western theatrical and home video releases after 25 years, with a dub. They also released ''Anime/OceanWaves'' to DVD and Blu-ray subtitled-only. One of the reasons why GKIDS have the rights to these films outside of Disney is due to those films ''not made by Hayao Miyazaki'', but still produced by Ghibli. In 2017, Disney's license with Ghibli expired, and GKIDS picked up the home video rights to the entire catalog, except for ''Cagliostro'' (still with Discotek), ''Fireflies'' (still with Sentai) and ''The Wind Rises'' (still with Disney until 2020). They also gave ''Anime/MyNeighborsTheYamadas'' its first Blu-ray release. [[note]]Disney never released it due to its poor DVD sales.[[/note]]
*** Even here, GKIDS' home video distribution is split between companies. Cinedigm is releasing the newer titles licensed by GKIDS from the start (with Universal distributing), and Shout! Factory is releasing the catalog titles.
** This trope is averted in the UK and Australia where the entire Ghibli catalog is handled by Studio Canal (formerly Optimum Releasing) and Madman Entertainment respectively.

* The first four ''Film/{{Scream}}'' films were released by Dimension Films, but they switched from being under Miramax to The Weinstein Company between the third and fourth films. Lionsgate released the first three films to Blu-ray, and Anchor Bay released the fourth (before they were bought out by Lionsgate). Today, Paramount now distributes the first three films after buying a minority stake in Miramax. After The Weinstein Company shut down, their assets were purchased by Lantern Entertainment, who were eventually merged into Spyglass Media Group, who sold TWC's films, including ''Scream 4'', to Lionsgate in 2021. The fifth ''Scream'' film will be co-produced by Spyglass and Paramount, who will also distribute the film.

** After ''III'' disappointed critically and commercially, Moustapha Akkad, who executive produced the first three films, leased out John Carpenter and Debra Hill's share of the rights, and produced ''Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers'' and ''Film/Halloween5TheRevengeOfMichaelMyers'', and released both independently through his Galaxy International Pictures and 20th Century Fox. The films are owned directly by Trancas International, and both were released to VHS by CBS/Fox, and later to VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray by Anchor Bay. Lionsgate briefly held home video rights before Scream Factory licensed them in 2021 for Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases.
** After ''5'' underperformed, the series was sent back into development hell, and Miramax bought the rights to the series (beating out New Line) after Akkad's exclusive rights expired, and released ''Film/HalloweenTheCurseOfMichaelMyers'', ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'', and ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' through their Dimension Films label, with distribution by Disney/Buena Vista. They were released to VHS and DVD by Buena Vista, and later on Blu-ray through Echo Bridge Home Entertainment and later Lionsgate in the US, and Alliance Atlantis in Canada. Paramount now distributes the films, due to their minority stake in Miramax.

** After the Weinsteins failed to put a new film into production on time, the rights reverted back to Miramax and John Carpenter, who worked with Blumhouse to produce [[Film/{{Halloween2018}} the new direct sequel]] to the original film. The film was distributed again by Universal, through their deal with Blumhouse. The two sequels to that film, ''Film/HalloweenKills'' and ''Halloween Ends'' will also be distributed by Universal.

* The 1978-1987 ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' films with Creator/ChristopherReeve is a rather convoluted case. Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the character via DC Comics, did not produce these films. Instead, DC sold the film rights to Alexander and Ilya Salkind; they produced the [[Film/SupermanTheMovie first]] [[Film/SupermanII three]] [[Film/SupermanIII films]] and contracted WB to distribute the films in North America, and in the case of the first two, domestic TV rights and most foreign rights. The Salkinds later sold the ''Superman'' rights to Creator/TheCannonGroup, which produced ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace''. WB had recently bailed out the financially-struggling Cannon and bought the domestic theatrical/video rights to that film as part of that plan. ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'' was originally going to be a WB release but the studio and the Salkinds disagreed over the intended release date and [=TriStar=] Pictures took over distribution. In 2006, WB managed to acquire all rights to these films (with the exception of some foreign distribution contracts still in effect).

* ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' was co-produced by the Quaker Oats Company (as a promotion for a failed line of chocolate bars) and David L. Wolper's production company (who later produced ''Series/Roots1977'' for Creator/{{ABC}}), and distributed by Creator/{{Paramount}} during its theatrical premiere. After it flopped, they decided not to renew distribution rights. Wolper's company was purchased by Warner Communications in 1976, and Creator/WarnerBros then added the movie to their library, where it belongs to this day.

** Warner Bros. also acquired the rights to the ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} theatrical shorts, originally distributed by Paramount, as per the deal above. Unlike the WB shorts, however, all Paramount references were removed at the film studio's insistence. When it ''finally'' came time to start releasing the shorts to DVD (they never had a VHS release thanks to legal wranglings between MGM/Turner/WB and Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate), animation historian Jerry Beck insisted the original Paramount logos be restored, even though they had nothing to do with the DVD release. So WB and Paramount made a deal which allowed this to happen, as well as let Paramount use the WB logo for John Wayne films they acquired that were originally WB's.

** United Artists also purchased the distribution rights to the entire Creator/RKOPictures library, which also ended up in the Turner deal, and now belongs to Warner, at least in North America (Various entities distribute much of the RKO library overseas, and they're all in the PublicDomain in Japan). Exceptions include ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', which is owned by Creator/{{Paramount}} because it was produced by Liberty Films[[note]]Paramount bought Liberty from Frank Capra originally, then sold its library to a precursor of National Telefilm Associates, which became Republic Pictures in 1985 and was brought back into the fold when Viacom merged with Blockbuster Video and Spelling Entertainment in 1994. That sale is also why ''It's a Wonderful Life'' isn't with Universal.[[/note]] and RKO was only the distributor (Universal has the UK rights). Howard Hughes also retained the rights to two films he was personally involved in as head of RKO, ''Film/TheConqueror'' and ''Jet Pilot''; those two ended up at Universal. Several other RKO films were acquired by other studios when they purchased the remake rights; the 1933 version of ''Little Women'' was bought by David O. Selznick (who previously worked at RKO) and later MGM, and is now owned outright by Warner.

** The only UA-produced asset Turner kept was ''Series/GilligansIsland'' and its spinoffs, shared with the estate of Creator/PhilSilvers and distributed today by WB's television unit.

* [[TheProductionCurse Chronic]] with the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' films. Every. single. movie. Actual distribution is even worse. First one: Orion theatrically, currently MGM; Second: Creator/TriStarPictures theatrically and some video releases, currently Studio Canal[[note]]who purchased the library of production company Creator/CarolcoPictures[[/note]]; Third/Fourth: Warner domestically, Sony overseas; Fifth: Paramount; Sixth: Paramount domestically, Disney/Fox overseas.
** To elaborate why: The first was made by Hemdale Film Corporation, who ended up going under[[note]]Their library passed into the hands of Consortium dé Realisation, a French state entity that existed to bail out the Crédit Lyonnais bank, then this library was sold to Creator/PolyGramFilmedEntertainment, then the pre-1996 [=PolyGram=] library was sold to MGM[[/note]], and the rights were eventually bought by Mario Kassar, who ran Carolco Pictures, which later went bankrupt (destroying chances of Creator/JamesCameron's ''Terminator 3'' and ''Film/SpiderMan1'') and had their film library bought by Creator/{{StudioCanal}}, who [[RunningGag sold the rights]] to C2 Pictures (also ran by Kassar and his partner Andrew G. Vajna) and Intermedia, and the possibility of any more ''Terminator'' sequels became the subject of a legal deadlock (thanks to a feud between Kassar and Vajna), eventually culminating in the rights going to The Halcyon Company. [[OverusedRunningGag Who sold the rights]] [[CreatorKiller after going bankrupt]].

** {{UsefulNotes/Home video|distributors}} is complicated too for the first two movies. MGM has the first film and has licensed it to Sony, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, and Paramount for various home video releases. It was also sublicensed in the '90s by Live Entertainment, which had the home video rights to the Carolco library, including the sequel, and its successor Artisan released ''Judgement Day'' [=DVDs=] until they were bought by Lionsgate; but internationally, Studio Canal licenses the ''T2'' [=DVDs=] and Blu-rays to Universal.

** ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2'' was released by Creator/TheCannonGroup. Along with the rest of the Cannon library, it's currently owned by MGM, except for the broadcast/streaming rights, which are held by Paramount, and home video, which were formerly handled by 20th Century Fox, and now by Warner. Shout! Factory also licensed the film for a Blu-ray.

** The [[Film/{{Halloween1978}} original film]] was produced independently through Irwin Yablan's Compass International, who also distributed the film themselves through Falcoln International because the major studios were uninterested, though the prints were struck through MGM. Warner-Columbia released the film in some international territories. Today the film is owned by Compass's successor Trancas International (under the "Compass International" label for legal reasons). On home video, the film was originally released exclusively by Blockbuster, and later Media Home Entertainment (VHS) and The Criterion Collection ([=LaserDisc=]). Anchor Bay also released the film numerous times through VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray for almost twenty years before Lionsgate took over the home video rights, and released the film on 4K UHD. Their license expired after a few years, and Shout! Factory's Scream Factory branch took over home video rights, and released the film on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD in 2021.

* ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' from Carolco Pictures to Creator/{{Lionsgate}}[=/=]Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany. Lionsgate owns the North American home video rights to the first three films in the series through [=StudioCanal=].

** The original US release of ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' in 1985 was under New World Pictures with video distribution from Veston Video and later First Independent Video featuring a heavily edited dub that Miyazaki despised so much, he put forth a no editing clause into his future contracts. Disney would later acquire the film and redub it in 2005 for their releases beginning that same year.

* Although ''Series/TheFugitive'' was a Quinn Martin Production in association with Creator/UnitedArtists Television, and the series itself is owned today (like almost the entire QM back catalogue) by Creator/{{CBS}} and Creator/{{Paramount}}, [[Film/TheFugitive the film]] is owned by Creator/WarnerBros (This came about due to QM Productions's sale to Taft Broadcasting; Taft executive Keith Barish eventually left the company and took the rights to ''The Fugitive'' with him, so when former QM employee and latter-day producer Arnold Kopelson wanted to do a film based on the series with regular partners Warner Bros., a deal was seen to be made.)

* ''Series/TheATeam'' was produced by Creator/{{Universal}} and [[Creator/StephenJCannell Stephen J. Cannell Productions]] (Universal owns the series now), but [[Film/TheATeam the film]] was released by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox due to Universal putting the film in turnaround several years before it finally got produced.

** ''Film/{{Rebecca}}'' and ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'', and ''Film/{{Notorious}}'' were all produced by Selznick International Pictures, but the first two were distributed theatrically by United Artists and the latter by RKO Radio Pictures. Selznick retained ownership however, but the rights later ended up with ABC/Disney with MGM handling home video through 20th Century Fox. After MGM's rights expired, Criterion licensed ''Rebecca'' for home video. Anchor Bay had released the films to VHS and DVD in the 90s/2000s.

* Orion -- owners of Filmways, which made ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' -- was having financial issues and elected to sell domestic rights to Paramount for [[Film/TheAddamsFamily the first film]] in order to cover some debt (they had a deal with Columbia for overseas distribution). After they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Paramount picked up the sequel rights from Orion (though was not involved in the [[WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily1992 1992 cartoon series]] produced by Creator/HannaBarbera for Creator/ABC, despite owning a trademark on ''The Addams Family'' at the time). And things don't stop there: Fox got the rights in the late nineties and did a sitcom out of them (with Warner Bros., the cur distributing on home video the pilot, ''Film/AddamsFamilyReunion''), and then MGM -- current owners of Orion, [[WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily2019 made an animated flick.]]