Trimark Pictures

Trimark Pictures was an American[1] production company that specialized in the production and distribution of television and home video motion pictures.[2] The company was formed in 1984 by Mark Amin as Vidmark Entertainment with Vidmark Inc. (later Trimark Holdings Inc.) established as the holding company.[3] As a small studio, Trimark produced and released theatrical, independent, television and home video motion pictures. The logo features a triangle with a profile of a tiger's head.

Trimark Pictures
FormerlyVidmark Entertainment (1984–1989)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFilm
FoundedAugust 1984 (1984-08) (as Vidmark Entertainment)
June 23, 1989 (1989-06-23) (as Trimark Pictures)
FounderMark Amin
DefunctMarch 12, 2001 (2001-03-12)
FateMerged with Lionsgate
SuccessorLionsgate Films
(Lionsgate Entertainment)
HeadquartersSanta Monica, California,
United States
Key people
Mark Amin (Chairman & CEO)
ProductsMotion Pictures
ParentVidmark, Inc. (1985–1995)
Trimark Holdings (1995–2000)
Lionsgate (2000–2001)
DivisionsTrimark Interactive[1]
Trimark Television
Kidmark Entertainment
Trimark Home Video
SubsidiariesCinemaNow (formerly)
Trimark Ultra Sports

Among the company's many releases are Peter Jackson's 1992 film Dead Alive, which they chose to release theatrically due to Jackson's possessing a following.[4] They are well known for releasing films considered to be controversial for the time period, as in the case with the 1999 film Better Than Chocolate, as some newspapers refused to carry advertisements for the film that featured the word "lesbian" as part of a critic blurb.[5]

Background

Vidmark Entertainment was formed in August 1984 and began operating as a domestic home video distributor in early 1985. In April 1986, Vidmark Entertainment signed a deal with ABC Video Enterprises, to distribute six titles on videocassette.[6] In 1987, Vidmark began distributing and sub-licensing motion pictures for international distribution. That year, the company entered theatrical distribution and production with the acquisition of four films and completion of its first in-house productions, namely American Gothic, That's Adequate, Silent Memory and Born of Fire.[7]

Vidmark Entertainment entered motion picture production in 1988 with the feature Demonwarp.

Trimark picked up its first film, Warlock, a 1989 film starring Julian Sands which was a major theatrical hit with fans of such films. Trimark eventually made the sequel Warlock: The Armageddon in 1993. Trimark also saw success in other familiar film series the studio produced and distributed. Leprechaun, released in 1993 starring a young Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis as the sinister leprechaun grossed over $10 million during its theatrical run. One theatrical sequel and four direct to video sequels eventually followed. Other Trimark productions included The Dentist, a major hit on HBO, Return of the Living Dead III and Pinocchio's Revenge. Trimark also made the dramatic Eve's Bayou, starring Samuel L. Jackson, which received critical acclaim. Trimark also released the miniseries Storm of the Century on home video. On June 29, 1990, Vidmark Entertainment began trading on NASDAQ with the ticker symbol VDMK.[8]

On December 31, 1991, Vidmark acquired International Broadcast Systems, Ltd. for $1.6 million and renamed the company as Trimark Television. In June 1992, Vidmark, Inc. changed its name to Trimark Holdings, Inc. to reflect Trimark's diversification of its distribution streams. In March 1993, the company formed Trimark Interactive to expand into the emerging market for interactive software and multimedia. Trimark Interactive's assets were sold to Graphix Zone in March 1997.

In June 2000, Trimark was acquired by Lions Gate Entertainment for approximately $50 million in stock and cash including taking on $36 million in debt.[9], with Amin becoming the single largest shareholder of Lions Gate. Trimark was folded into Lions Gate on March 12, 2001.

In 2001, Mark Amin founded Sobini Films, and is its CEO.

In late 2017, Lionsgate launched a channel for Roku streaming players using the Vidmark name and a modified variant of their late 1980s logo, with Lionsgate-owned movies, including some from the original Vidmark and Trimark, amongst the selection.[10]

Filmography
Year Title Release Date Distribution Notes
Theatrical Direct to video
1988 Demonwarp March 18th No Yes
Body Beat November 30th No Yes
1989 Going Overboard May 12th Yes No
A Fool and His Money September 24th Yes No
High Stakes November 17th Yes No
1990 The Sleeping Car February 9th No Yes
The Amityville Curse June 6th No Yes
Solar Crisis July 14th Yes No
Spirits September 15th No Yes distribution only;
produced by Cinema Group
Mob Boss September 16th No Yes distribution only;
produced by American Independent
Backstreet Dreams September 29th Yes No
Frankenstein Unbound November 2nd Yes No co-production with 20th Century Fox
1991 Warlock January 11th Yes No
Black Magic Woman April 17th No Yes
Servants of Twilight May 31st Yes No
Kickboxer 2 June 14th Yes No
Whore October 4th Yes No
Dolly Dearest October 18th Yes No
And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird November 15th Yes No
All-American Murder December 1st No Yes
1992 Into the Sun January 31st Yes No
The Psychic May 20th Yes No
Interceptor October 1st Yes No
Prototype December 23rd No Yes
1993 Leprechaun January 8th Yes No
Dead Alive February 12th Yes No
American Kickboxer 2 August 4th No Yes
Blink of an Eye August 26th No Yes
Warlock: The Armageddon September 24th Yes No
Thunder in Paradise September 27th No Yes
Deadfall October 8th Yes No
Return of the Living Dead III October 29th Yes No
Philadelphia Experiment II November 12th Yes No
Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow November 24th No Yes
1994 Death Wish V: The Face of Death January 14th Yes No distribution only;
produced by 21st Century Film Corporation
Silent Tongue February 25th Yes No
Leprechaun 2 April 8th Yes No
Return to Two Moon Junction May 11th Yes No
Trading Mom May 13th Yes No
Freefall May 25th No Yes distribution only;
produced by Nu Image
Love Is a Gun June 1st No Yes
Curse of the Starving Class September 13th No Yes
Criminal Passion September 21st Yes No
Running Free October 5th No Yes
Frank and Jesse October 28th Yes No
Dangerous Touch November 2nd No Yes
Hong Kong '97 November 9th No Yes
Love and a .45 November 23rd Yes No
The Stoned Age December 5th Yes No
Federal Hill December 9th Yes No
1995 Payback January 10th Yes No
Night of the Running Man January 19th Yes No
Swimming with Sharks April 21st Yes No
Heatseeker June 27th Yes No
Leprechaun 3 June 27th No Yes
A Kid in King Arthur's Court August 11th Yes No co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures
Separate Lives September 8th Yes No
Kicking and Screaming October 6th Yes No
The Doom Generation October 25th Yes No
1996 Evolver February 10th Yes No co-production with A Band Apart
True Crime March 12th No Yes
Two Guys Talkin' About Girls June 18th No Yes aka At First Sight
Crimetime August 4th Yes No
Sometimes They Come Back... Again September 3rd No Yes
Pinocchio's Revenge October 7th No Yes
The Dentist October 18th No Yes
1997 Meet Wally Sparks January 31st Yes No
Leprechaun 4: In Space February 25th No Yes
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love February 28th Yes No
Frankenstein and Me March 18th No Yes
Nothing Personal April 25th Yes No
Ripe May 2nd Yes No
Sprung May 16th Yes No
Box of Moonlight July 25th Yes No
First Love, Last Rites September 10th Yes No
Trucks October 29th No Yes
Eve's Bayou November 7th Yes No
1998 Star Kid January 16th Yes No
The Curve January 24th Yes No
Chairman of the Board March 13th Yes No
Chinese Box April 17th Yes No
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss July 24th Yes No
A Kid in Aladdin's Palace July 28th No Yes
Carnival of Souls August 21st Yes No limited release
Phoenix September 4th Yes No distribution only;
produced by Lakeshore Entertainment
Cube September 11th Yes No
Trance September 18th Yes No
Slam October 7th Yes No
The Landlady November 10th No Yes
The Dentist 2 December 11th No Yes
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows December 20th No Yes
Another Day in Paradise December 30th Yes No
1999 King Cobra April 27th No Yes
The Sex Monster May 5th Yes No
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn May 9th No Yes
Twice Upon a Yesterday May 28th Yes No
Diplomatic Siege June 10th No Yes
Better Than Chocolate August 13th Yes No
Sometimes They Come Back... for More September 7th No Yes
Romance September 17th Yes No
Atomic Train September 21st No Yes
Warlock III: The End of Innocence October 12th No Yes
Joe the King October 15th Yes No
Tail Lights Fade December 3rd Yes No
Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying December 27th No Yes
2000 Beautiful People February 18th Yes No
Cut March 2nd No Yes
Leprechaun in the Hood March 28th No Yes
The Last September April 21st Yes No
Held Up May 12th Yes No
Cord May 23rd No Yes
Flypaper June 27th No Yes
History Is Made at Night July 11th Yes No
The Perfect Tenant July 25th No Yes
Attraction September 20th No Yes
Uninvited Guest September 22nd No Yes
The Bogus Witch Project October 10th No Yes
Faust: Love of the Damned October 12th Yes No
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th October 17th No Yes
After Alice October 24th No Yes
The Stepdaughter October 31st No Yes
What's Cooking? November 17th Yes No
The Sr. Francisville Experiment December 5th No Yes
South of Heaven, West of Hell December 15th Yes No
XChange December 20th No Yes
2001 Skipped Parts January 4th Yes No
Killer Bud March 13th No Yes
After the Storm March 20th No Yes
Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal May 13th No Yes
Blood Surf June 26th No Yes

List of distributed video games
Release Date Title Platform Notes
1994National Lampoon's Blind DateWindows, Mac OS
November 23, 1994Air Havoc ControllerWindows
1995The HiveWindows, PlayStation
1995White Men Can't JumpJaguar
CancelledWarlockJaguar

References
  1. "MobyGames Profile-Trimark Interactive".
  2. Jeffrey, Don (May 30, 1992). "Vidmark reports strong sales in 3rd qtr, but profits down, a third, are weak". Billboard (p 51). Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  3. Levison, Louise (2013). Filmmakers and Financing: Business Plans for Independents. Focal Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780240820996.
  4. Konow, Peter (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 479. ISBN 9780312668839.
  5. Jenni Olson, Bruce Vilanch (2004). The Queer Movie Poster Book. Chronicle Books. p. 122. ISBN 9780811842617.
  6. "Vidmark Acquires Six ABC Telefilms; Eyes 'Moonlighting'". Variety. 1986-04-02. p. 39.
  7. Bierbaum, Tom (1987-08-12). "HV Outfit Vidmark On Theatrical Scene With Pickups, In-Houser". Variety. pp. 20, 22.
  8. "Vidmark stock trading". Variety. 1990-07-04. p. 6.
  10. "Vidmark | Movies & TV | Roku Channel Store". Roku. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
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