AMC Entertainment has launched a dedicated film distribution business, Leawood Films, headquartered in both Los Angeles and AMC’s home base of Leawood, Kansas, in a move designed to get more movies into theatres across the United States and overseas.
What Leawood Films will do
The newly created arm will concentrate on distributing titles that might otherwise struggle to find theatrical backing, focusing primarily on small- and medium‑sized releases. AMC says the venture will leverage the marketing heft and vast exhibition network of the cinema chain, while collaborating with other theatre circuits domestically and internationally to secure screens.
Unlike a traditional studio, Leawood Films is not conceived as a production company: it will not finance films or develop scripts. Instead, the company intends to work with filmmakers who either have completed films in hand or who have secured their own full financing. That structure is intended to limit AMC’s exposure to production risk while expanding theatrical options for independent and mid‑budget projects.
Revenue and windows
Crucially for creators, AMC has set out clear rules on downstream exploitation and streaming windows. The company has signalled that the vast majority of a film’s downstream revenues and the ownership of intellectual property will remain with filmmakers rather than reverting to AMC.
Leawood Films will also adhere to minimum pay‑per‑view and subscription windows, respecting a 45‑day or greater PVOD window and a 90‑day or more SVOD window. Those explicit commitments address ongoing debates about theatrical exclusivity and the sequencing of digital platforms, and they distinguish Leawood from some other distribution practices that have shortened or blurred release windows.
| Policy | Leawood Films standard |
|---|---|
| PVOD window | 45 days or greater |
| SVOD window | 90 days or more |
Rationale and context
AMC says the initiative is in part a response to excess capacity in the cinema industry and to lessons learned from several large exhibition‑led releases in recent years. The company pointed to the notable screen counts it achieved during theatrical runs for music‑centric films including Taylor SWIFT | The Eras Tour and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé in 2023, and Taylor SWIFT | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl in 2025. Those outings demonstrated AMC’s ability to deploy significant numbers of screens to a given release — an asset Leawood Films intends to put at the service of other projects.
Leawood’s model is deliberately selective: it expects to partner with established and emerging filmmakers who bring financially complete projects. That approach means the company will often offer terms different from traditional studio distribution arrangements, with filmmakers retaining more of their films’ downstream economies and intellectual property.
- Focus: small and medium releases that might otherwise lack distribution
- Risk profile: low — AMC will not finance productions or assume production risk
- Collaboration: plans to work with other theatre circuits at home and abroad
Implications for the industry
The venture could provide a valuable additional route to cinemas for works that are squeezed by a market concentrated on tentpole releases and streaming-first strategies. By promising clear windowing standards and filmmaker‑friendly economic arrangements, Leawood Films positions itself as an alternative to both studio deals and direct‑to‑streaming releases.
At the same time, the scheme’s effectiveness will depend on the company’s ability to persuade other exhibition partners to supply screens and audiences to support more modestly scaled titles. AMC’s past success placing specialist concert and event cinema releases at scale gives the company a precedent; whether that approach translates to a steady slate of narrative or documentary films remains to be seen.
For now, Leawood Films represents a notable attempt by an exhibitor to tilt the distribution landscape back toward theatrical exhibition — while offering filmmakers greater control over their projects’ downstream life and ownership.
