New Line Cinema facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
New Line Productions, Inc.

Logo used since 2024
Trade name	New Line Cinema
Former type	Subsidiary
Industry	Film Television
Fate	Folded into Warner Bros., currently active as a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures
Successor	Warner Bros.
Founded	June 18, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-06-18) in New York City, United States
Founder	Robert Shaye
Defunct	February 28, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-02-28) (as a stand-alone studio)
Headquarters	4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, California , United States
Key people	Richard Brener (president and CCO)
Products	Motion pictures Television programs
Parent	Turner Entertainment (1994–1996) Time Warner (1996–2008) Warner Bros. (2008–2022) Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group (2022–present)
Divisions	New Line Television (1988–2008) Fine Line Features (1991–2005) New Line Home Entertainment (1990–2010)

New Line Cinema is an American company that makes movies and television shows. It is owned by the major film studio Warner Bros., which is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The company was started in 1967 by Robert Shaye in New York City. For a long time, it was its own independent studio. In 1994, it was bought by the Turner Broadcasting System. Later, in 1996, Turner joined with Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery). Since 2008, New Line Cinema has been a part of Warner Bros. Pictures.

New Line Cinema is famous for making the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. This series was so successful that the studio was nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built."

However, its biggest success was The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. These films were based on the popular books by J. R. R. Tolkien. They were a huge hit around the world and won many Academy Awards.

History

How It All Started

Logo used from 1967 to 1987

New Line Cinema was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye, who was 27 years old at the time. At first, it was a film distribution company. This means it didn't make its own movies, but instead, it helped show movies from other countries to audiences in the United States, especially on college campuses. Shaye ran the company from his apartment in New York City.

The company also released many classic movies from other countries. One of these, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, was the first New Line film to win an Oscar.

In 1976, New Line decided to make its first movie, called Stunts. While it wasn't a huge hit with critics, it made money by being sold to other countries and shown on TV.

In 1983, New Line bought the rights to the horror movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and released it in theaters again. It was a big success for the small studio.

The Rise of Freddy Krueger

The 1980s were a big decade for New Line Cinema. In 1984, the company produced and released A Nightmare on Elm Street. This horror movie introduced the world to the famous villain Freddy Krueger. The movie was made with a small budget but earned a lot of money, becoming a huge hit.

This movie started a franchise, which is a series of movies based on the same characters or world. The success of the Nightmare on Elm Street series helped New Line grow into a major film studio.

A sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, came out a year later and was also very successful. In 1986, the company began selling shares of its stock to the public to raise money.

Logo used from 1987 to 2001. This design became the basis for all future logos.

The third movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), was a massive success. It opened at number one at the box office and set a record for an independent film at the time. In total, nine movies have been made in the series.

More Big Hits in the 1990s

In 1990, New Line released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The movie was a smash hit and became the highest-grossing independent film ever at the time. It was so popular that two sequels were made: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993).

During this time, New Line also started a special division called Fine Line Features. This part of the company focused on releasing smaller, artistic films. In 1997, a Fine Line film called Shine was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 1994, New Line Cinema was bought by the Turner Broadcasting System. Two years later, Turner merged with Time Warner. Even though it was part of a bigger company, New Line continued to operate as its own studio for many years.

The Lord of the Rings and Beyond

Logo used since 2001. It is a slightly changed version of the 1987 logo.

The 2000s brought New Line Cinema its greatest success ever with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. These three movies, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, were incredibly popular all over the world.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Together, the films earned almost $3 billion worldwide. They were nominated for 30 Academy Awards and won 17. The final film, The Return of the King, won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. At the time, it was the second highest-grossing film ever made.

Becoming Part of Warner Bros.

Logo used from 2011 to 2024.

On February 28, 2008, the head of Time Warner announced that New Line Cinema would no longer be a separate studio. It would become a part of Warner Bros. Pictures. This decision was partly because of the movie The Golden Compass (2007), which was very expensive to make but did not earn enough money in the U.S.

After the change, New Line's founders, Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne, left the company. New Line became a smaller studio within Warner Bros., making fewer movies each year.

In June 2014, New Line Cinema moved its offices onto the main Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. Even as part of a bigger company, New Line continues to produce popular movies, including The Hobbit trilogy, The Conjuring series, and the It films.

Famous Movie Series

Highest-Grossing Films

Rank	Title	Year	Worldwide gross	Notes
1	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	2003	$1,138,267,561
2	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	2012	$1,017,003,568	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
3	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug	2013	$958,366,855
4	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	2014	$956,019,788
5	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	2002	$943,396,133
6	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	2001	$888,159,092
7	It	2017	$701,796,444	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
8	San Andreas	2015	$473,990,832	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
9	It Chapter Two	2019	$473,093,228	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
10	Rampage	2018	$428,128,399
11	... and the City	2008	$418,765,321	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; co-production with HBO Films
12	Black Adam	2023	$393,452,111
13	The Golden Compass	2007	$372,234,864
14	Shazam!	2019	$367,799,011	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; co-production with DC Films
15	The Nun	2018	$366,050,119	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
16	Journey 2: The Mysterious Island	2011	$335,288,576
17	The Mask	1994	$351,583,407
18	Rush Hour 2	2001	$347,325,802
19	Se7en	1995	$328,846,069
20	The Conjuring 2	2016	$321,788,219
21	The Conjuring	2013	$319,494,638	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
22	Austin Powers: The Spy Who ... Me	1999	$313,701,294
23	Annabelle: Creation	2017	$306,515,884	Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
24	Austin Powers in Goldmember	2002	$296,939,148
25	... and the City 2	2010	$290,745,055

Includes money from being re-released in theaters.

See also

In Spanish: New Line Cinema para niños