DreamWorks contract with Disney will expire or join hands with Universal

Now the answer to this question seems to have surfaced, because Spielberg has begun negotiations with NBC Universal to return to the arms of his "family" with DreamWorks 45 years later!

According to foreign media reports, Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG's distribution and marketing contract with Disney is about to expire in August 2016. Many people are concerned about who will DreamWorks work with next after Paramount and Disney? Now the answer to this question seems to have surfaced, because Spielberg has begun negotiations with NBC Universal to return to the arms of his "family" with DreamWorks 45 years later!

The story of Spielberg and Universal goes back to when he was in college, when he got an internship job in the editing department of Universal and got the opportunity to shoot a short film. The short film was Amblin, a 26-minute 35mm film that was Spielberg's first self-directed release and impressed Universal vice president Sidney Sheinberg, who offered Spielberg a seven-year directing contract with Universal, making Spielberg the youngest director to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood company.

During his time at Universal, Spielberg directed Duel, The Sugarland Express, and Jaws, earning himself a place in Hollywood.

As we all know, Spielberg became a famous director in the United States and even the world, and his cooperation with Universal has never stopped. ET Alien (E.T.) The Extra-Terrestrial), Schindler's List, the "Jurassic Park" series and this year's "Jurassic World" are all successful examples of the collaboration between the two. In particular,"Jurassic World" achieved a global box office of US$1.664 billion after its release this summer, becoming the third-highest grossing film in film history. This film is undoubtedly an important factor in the cooperation between DreamWorks and Universal.

After DreamWorks SKG (the initials of the three founders) and DreamWorks Animation (DWA) separated in 2004, the name and trademark ownership of "DreamWorks" were owned by DreamWorks Animation (DWA). However, with authorization from DreamWorks Animation, Spielberg's DreamWorks (SKG) can continue to use the "DreamWorks" name and trademark.

However, after the division, DreamWorks (SKG) was sold to Paramount. It lost its own distribution department, and most of the live-action films they produced were distributed by Paramount. In 2008, Paramount and DreamWorks broke up peacefully, and DreamWorks began another seven years of cooperation with Disney.

NBC Universal chose to sign a contract with DreamWorks mainly because of the appeal of the Spielberg brand. Spielberg also owns the rights to all films produced by Amblin. If Universal wanted to remake or produce sequels, it would be very convenient. In addition, Spielberg has always had his own office in Universal, and the two sides do not need to prepare anything extra for cooperation.

Currently, Spielberg's two films "Bridge of Spies" and "The BFG" are probably the last two live-action DreamWorks films released by Disney. Later, DreamWorks '"The Girl On The Train"(2016) and "Ghost In The Shell"(2017) will be released by Universal. Spielberg's next film,"Ready Player One"(2017), has nothing to do with DreamWorks. The science fiction film was filmed by Spielberg for Warner Bros.

The distribution cooperation between DreamWorks (SKG) and Universal will not affect the distribution cooperation between DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox, which began in 2012 and lasts for five years.

Editor: yvonne