By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Open Road Films Extends Tom Ortenberg As CEO
Los Angeles, CA – October 9, 2013 – Open Road Films has extended Tom Ortenberg’s employment agreement as CEO. Since it was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), Open Road has established itself as a premiere independent theatrical distributor, acquiring and distributing star-driven hits and working with first-class filmmakers. OpenRoad recently announced an extension of its $100 million revolving credit facility, as well as a premium pay TV deal with Showtime through 2020. Open Road has a premium pay TV deal with Netflix through 2016.
“We are thrilled with the job that Tom and his team have done in launching OpenRoad,” said Gerry Lopez, CEO of AMC and Amy Miles, CEO of Regal, in a joint statement. “We look forward to working with him for many years to come as we continue to grow the company.”
Ortenberg stated, “Working with AMC and Regal to establish Open Road Films – and growing the company over the past two and a half years – has been the most satisfying and exhilarating experience of my career. I could not be more proud of the job our team has done so far and I am looking forward to the future with great excitement.”
Prior to the formation of Open Road, Ortenberg was President of Theatrical Films at The Weinstein Company. Before joining Weinstein, Ortenberg spent over twelve years at Lionsgate Entertainment, opening their Los Angeles office in 1996 and ultimately serving as President of Theatrical Films. Ortenberg’s tenure at Lionsgate included many critical achievements such as Halle Berry’s historic Academy Award for Monster’s Ball and the Best Picture Academy Award for Crash, as well as commercial successes like the Saw horror films and the Tyler Perry film franchise. Ortenberg began his film career with Columbia Pictures in 1985 and joined Hemdale Film Corporation in 1989, where he served as President of Distribution and Marketing before moving to Lionsgate. Ortenberg is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and serves on the boards for The Creative Coalition, the ACLU Foundation and Film Independent.
About OPEN ROAD FILMS
Open Road Films is a dynamic, acquisition-based domestic theatrical distribution and marketing company which annually releases a diverse slate of star-driven motion pictures which has included multiple #1 releases. It was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), the two largest theatrical exhibition companies in the United States. Open Road and its lenders recently extended the company’s $100,000,000 credit facility through 2018.
Past releasesinclude: The Grey starring Liam Neeson which opened to #1 at the box office; End Of Watch starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña which opened #1 at the box office; A Haunted House starring Marlon Wayans; Side Effects directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum; The Host, based on Twilight saga author Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling book; and Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad and Matthew Modine. More information about Open Road Films can be found at:www.OpenRoadFilms.com,www.Facebook.com/OpenRoadFilms and www.Twitter.com/OpenRoadFilms.
Upcoming releases include: Machete Kills (10/11/13) directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Carlos Estevez, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding, Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror and Mel Gibson; Homefront (11/27/13) starring Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder and Kate Bosworth; 3-D animated The Nut Job (1/17/14) with voice talents of Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Will Arnett and Brendan Fraser; Sabotage (4/11/14) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Manganiello, Sam Worthington, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, Olivia Williams, Mireille Enos; A Haunted House 2 (3/28/14) starring Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly and Gabriel Iglesias; Chef (5/9/14) written, directed and starring Jon Favreau along with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo and Robert Downey, Jr., and Testament (2015) written and directed by Eric Bress (The Butterfly Effect).
More information about Open Road Films can be found at:www.OpenRoadFilms.com,www.
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