CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...

. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.

Company history

CBS made a brief move into film production in the late 1960s, creating Cinema Center Films

Cinema Center Films

Cinema Center Films was the theatrical film production division of the CBS television network. Founded in 1967 , its films were distributed by National General Pictures. CBS closed the unit in 1972; its last film was the Peanuts animated musical Snoopy Come Home...

. This profit-free unit was brought to a close in 1972; today the distribution rights to the Cinema Center library rest with Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 for home video (via CBS DVD) and theatrical release, and with CBS Television Distribution

CBS Television Distribution

CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...

 for TV distribution (most other ancillary rights remain with CBS). It released such films as The Reivers

The Reivers

The Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book A Fable, making him one of only three authors to be awarded it more than once...

(1969), starring Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen

Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...

, and the musical Scrooge (1970), starring Albert Finney

Albert Finney

Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....

. In 1979 CBS launched a new theatrical films division, which was officially named CBS Theatrical Films

CBS Theatrical Films

CBS Theatrical Films was the film production branch of the U.S. television network, CBS, in the 1980s. CBS began its theatrical films operation in 1979, headed by Donald March, and turned the operation into the separate CBS Theatrical Films division in 1980. The company was active from 1979 to...

 the following year. While this was in operation, CBS entered into a joint venture with Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

 and HBO called Tri-Star Pictures. CBS eventually dropped out of the venture in 1985, and CBS Theatrical Films came to an end that same year. In 2000, CBS was bought by Viacom

Viacom (1971–2005)

Viacom , stylized as VIACOM in its current logo, was an American media conglomerate. It was the owner of CBS, Nickelodeon & MTV, among others. Effective December 31, 2005, this corporate entity changed its name to CBS Corporation...

, which also owned Paramount Pictures.

In 2007, following the split from Viacom and Paramount, CBS Corp. announced its plans to get back into the feature film business, launching CBS Films and hiring key executives in the Spring of 2007 to startup the new venture. CBS Films plans to develop and produce four to six movies a year spanning all genres, with production budgets up to $50 million per film. CBS Films is located in West Los Angeles, California.

In mid-September 2008, former Executive Vice President at Columbia Pictures, Amy Baer was officially announced as Chief Executive Officer to CBS Films. Bruce Tobey joined CBS Films as Chief Operating Officer. Debbie Miller, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, joined CBS Films and established a Senior Marketing Team in April 2008, appointing Mimi Slavin to Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Promotions, Teri Boggess as Senior Vice President for Creative Advertising, Cherie Crane as Senior Vice President for Media and Research and Maggie Schmidt as Senior Vice President for Publicity.

The studio released its first film, Extraordinary Measures

Extraordinary Measures

Extraordinary Measures is a 2010 medical drama film starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, and Keri Russell. It is distributed by CBS Films and was released on January 22, 2010. It is about parents who form a biotechnology company to develop a drug to save the lives of their children, who have a...

, on January 22, 2010. The film is an inspirational drama starring Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...

 and Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser

Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...

, and co-starring Keri Russell

Keri Russell

Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe...

, directed by Tom Vaughan

Tom Vaughan (director)

Tom Vaughan is a Scottish television and film director. His work includes Cold Feet and He Knew He Was Right for television, and What Happens in Vegas and Extraordinary Measures for cinema....

 and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs

Robert Nelson Jacobs

Robert Nelson Jacobs is an American screenwriter. In 2000, he received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay for Chocolat.-Biography:...

. CBS Films released its second film: a romantic comedy The Back-up Plan

The Back-Up Plan

The Back-up Plan is a 2010 romantic comedy film, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin. It was released theatrically in the U.S. on April 23, 2010, and later in other regions...

, starring Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

 and Alex O'Loughlin

Alex O'Loughlin

Alex O'Loughlin is an Australian actor, currently starring in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. His best known earlier roles include Kevin Hiatt in The Shield, Mick St. John in Moonlight, Dr. Andy Yablonski in Three Rivers, and Stan in The Back-up Plan...

, directed by Alan Poul and written by Kate Angelo. The company will be releasing an edgy teen romance, Beastly

Beastly (film)

Beastly is a 2011 romantic fantasy film loosely based on Alex Flinn's 2007 novel of the same name. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer.The plot focuses...

starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer

Alex Pettyfer

Alexander Richard "Alex" Pettyfer is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of Stormbreaker. Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He has been...

 based on the novel "Beastly

Beastly

Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the Beauty and the Beast story to write her book...

" written by Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn is an American author of novels for young adults. To date, she has written eight books that have been published.-Personal life:Flinn was born in Glen Cove, New York and grew up...

. The film was directed by Daniel Barnz

Daniel Barnz

Daniel Barnz is an American screenwriter and director.-Life and career:Barnz made his debut in directing in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room.He also directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received very positive reviews from critics...

.

The Company's development slate includes the Susannah Grant-penned romantic drama I'll Be There, (a remake of the successful Korean film A Moment To Remember); a series of action-thrillers based on the Mitch Rapp

Mitch Rapp

Mitch Rapp is a fictional character in a series of novels by Vince Flynn and in the planned film adaptation of what was to be Consent to Kill, but now changed to American Assassin.http://www.movierewind.com/2011/new-mitch-rapp-movie/ The character first appeared in ISBN 0-671-02319-5 Transfer of...

 character from the bestselling Vince Flynn

Vince Flynn

Vince Flynn is a best-selling American author of political thriller novels. He lives with his wife and three children in the Twin Cities. He was a frequent guest on the Glenn Beck program on the Fox News Channel...

 novels, starting with Consent To Kill; the romantic thriller The Eternals written by Chris Hauty and directed by Jeff Wadlow

Jeff Wadlow

Jeff Wadlow is a director who recently directed the 2005 film Cry Wolf with the money he won in the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Competition for his short film, Living the Lie...

; The Station, a thriller set against the International Space Station and based on a popular Boom! Studios

Boom! Studios

BOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....

 comic book series; an action-adventure feature adaptation of the long-running TV show Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....

; and a remake of My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...

, based on the classic musical by Alan Jay Lerner

Alan Jay Lerner

Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...

 and Frederick Loewe, which is being co-developed with Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

.

The pay-cable rights to the new CBS Films' library are held by CBS's premium cable network Showtime, while pay-per-view/on-demand rights are held via Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...

. Sony also has foreign theatrical and home entertainment distribution rights for all CBS Films products.

Criticism

With Amy Baer announced as new CEO for CBS Films, Hilary Lewis spoke negatively on the official "comeback" of CBS. Often, Lewis contradicted Baer's statements and gives out "factors working against it":

First, dwindling DVD sales and rental rates prove that "the movie business" is not recession-proof, not to mention the difficulty of many studios and producers to raise money in this credit-crunched environment. For some reason, yes, people are still going to the theater, but no exec should think that the "movie business is recession-proof".

Filmography

Title	Release Date	Genre	Director	Starring	Co-produced with	Budget	Gross (worldwide)
Extraordinary Measures Extraordinary Measures Extraordinary Measures is a 2010 medical drama film starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, and Keri Russell. It is distributed by CBS Films and was released on January 22, 2010. It is about parents who form a biotechnology company to develop a drug to save the lives of their children, who have a...	January 22, 2010	Drama	Tom Vaughan Tom Vaughan (director) Tom Vaughan is a Scottish television and film director. His work includes Cold Feet and He Knew He Was Right for television, and What Happens in Vegas and Extraordinary Measures for cinema....	Brendan Fraser Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,... Harrison Ford Harrison Ford Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in... Keri Russell Keri Russell Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe...	N/A	$30 million	$15,134,168
The Back-up Plan The Back-Up Plan The Back-up Plan is a 2010 romantic comedy film, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin. It was released theatrically in the U.S. on April 23, 2010, and later in other regions...	April 23, 2010	Romantic comedy	Alan Poul Alan Poul Alan Mark Poul is an American film and television producer and director.-Career:Poul served as executive producer for the HBO original series, Six Feet Under, on which he made his directing debut...	Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller... Alex O'Loughlin Alex O'Loughlin Alex O'Loughlin is an Australian actor, currently starring in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. His best known earlier roles include Kevin Hiatt in The Shield, Mick St. John in Moonlight, Dr. Andy Yablonski in Three Rivers, and Stan in The Back-up Plan...	Escape Artists Escape Artists Escape Artists is an independently financed motion picture and television production company with a first look non-exclusive deal at Sony Pictures Entertainment, headed by Partners Steve Tisch, Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal...	$35 million	$77,477,008
Faster Faster (2010 film) Faster is a 2010 American action film directed by George Tillman, Jr. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.-Plot:...	November 24, 2010	Action	George Tillman, Jr. George Tillman, Jr. George Tillman, Jr. is an American film director and producer. He attended John Marshall High School in Milwaukee, where he took Mass Communications magnet classes. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago in 1991 with a major in Film and Video.Tillman is most notable for directing the films...	Dwayne Johnson Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...	TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures... Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a subsidiary of Warner Bros...	$24 million	$35,542,923
The Mechanic	January 28, 2011	Action-thriller	Simon West Simon West Simon West is an English-born film director. West started as a film editor with the BBC, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser...	Jason Statham	Millennium Films Nu Image	$40 million	$51,070,807
Beastly Beastly (film) Beastly is a 2011 romantic fantasy film loosely based on Alex Flinn's 2007 novel of the same name. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer.The plot focuses...	March 4, 2011	Fantasy romance	Daniel Barnz Daniel Barnz Daniel Barnz is an American screenwriter and director.-Life and career:Barnz made his debut in directing in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room.He also directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received very positive reviews from critics...  (Also writer)	Vanessa Hudgens Alex Pettyfer Alex Pettyfer Alexander Richard "Alex" Pettyfer is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of Stormbreaker. Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He has been...	Alliance Films Alliance Films Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...	$17 million	$28,834,009
My Fair Lady	2012	Musical	John Madden John Madden John Madden may refer to:*Jack Madden, basketball referee*John Madden , American former football coach and television announcer*John Madden , ice hockey player...	Carey Mulligan Carey Mulligan Carey Hannah Mulligan is an English actress. She made her film debut as Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice . She had roles in numerous British programmes and, in 2007, made her Broadway debut in The Seagull to critical acclaim....	Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies... Toledo Productions
Who Gets Bob?	TBA	Romantic comedy
The Keep The Keep (Jennifer Egan novel) The Keep is a novel by Jennifer Egan which became a National Bestseller, a New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book, and a Chicago Tribune, Kansas City Star, and Rocky Mountain News Best Book of the Year...	TBA	Horror	Niels Arden Oplev Niels Arden Oplev Niels Arden Oplev is a writer-director from Denmark.-Biography:He directed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the film based on Stieg Larsson's novel of the same title and won critical acclaim internationally. Oplev decided to not continue directing the second and third parts of the Millennium...
Cell 211 Cell 211 Cell 211 is a 2009 Spanish prison film directed by Daniel Monzón, starring Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann and Antonio Resines.- Plot :Juan Oliver wants to make a good impression at his new job as a prison officer and reports to work a day early, leaving his pregnant wife, Elena, at home. During his...	TBA	Prison film			Hwy 61 Films
Freaky Monday	TBA	Comedy			Gunn Films
Sleeper Spy	TBA	Thriller	Jeff Wadlow Jeff Wadlow Jeff Wadlow is a director who recently directed the 2005 film Cry Wolf with the money he won in the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Competition for his short film, Living the Lie...
Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....	TBA	Action-adventure
It Takes a Village	TBA	Comedy	Keenan Ivory Wayans (Also writer)		TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures... Universal Pictures Universal Pictures -1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire... Warner Bros. Pictures
Regenesis Regenesis (novel) Regenesis is a science fiction novel by American science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh set in her Alliance-Union universe. It is a sequel to Cherryh's 1988 Hugo award-winning science fiction novel, Cyteen, and was published in hardcover by DAW Books in January 2009...	TBA	Science fiction	Cameron Crowe Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....		Vinyl Films
Consent to Kill	TBA	Action	Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua is an American film director. He directed the film Training Day as well as Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter and Brooklyn's Finest...
Gambit Gambit (2012 film) Gambit is an upcoming comedy film directed by Michael Hoffman starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci. The film is a remake of the 1966 film of the same name starring Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine. The remake is scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen.-Production:A remake of...	TBA	Comedy	Michael Hoffman Michael Hoffman Michael Lynn Hoffman is an American film director.-Life and career:Hoffman was born in Hawaii and grew up in Payette, Idaho, played basketball, and attended college at Boise State University. There he was elected as student body president of BSU...	Colin Firth Colin Firth SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice... Cameron Diaz Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...

External links

• Official website