Alcon Entertainment

Alcon Entertainment was established on January 24, 1997,^[1] being founded by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, who are the co-CEOs of the company. The company is headquartered on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.^[2]

Both Johnson and Kosove presented FedEx founder and chairman Frederick W. Smith with a proposal suggesting that an independent film company, backed by a capitalized individual or company, and aligned with a major studio for an exclusive distribution arrangement would reap profits on copyrighted assets over a set period of time.^[3]

On February 18, 1998, Alcon Entertainment set up two greenlight projects, with Warner Bros. distributing a single project.^[4] On May 15, 1998, Alcon signed a second deal with Warner Bros. in which Warner Bros. was allowed to distribute the film Lost & Found.^[5]

Alcon's first major feature film was the 1999 comedy Lost & Found. In March 2000, following the success of its second film My Dog Skip, Alcon entered into a long-term distribution agreement with Warner Bros. The agreement had Warner Bros. Pictures in charge of worldwide distribution of a minimum of 10 films produced and financed by Alcon over the next five years. The agreement also allowed Warner Bros. Pictures to co-finance certain pictures with Alcon.^[6]

Alcon and Warner Bros. Pictures signed a new agreement in February 2006, continuing their eight-year relationship, under which Warner Bros. Pictures would continue to distribute feature films developed and financed by Alcon.^[7] Alcon has the option to distribute its pictures internationally through Warner Bros. Pictures, but also has the flexibility instead to pre-sell rights through Summit Entertainment (later Lionsgate). Warner Bros. Pictures and Alcon extended the deal in 2015 which ended in 2019.^[8]

On September 28, 2003, Alcon Entertainment had launched its television arm, with an exclusive co-production agreement at television studio Warner Bros. Television.^[9]

In 2011, Alcon Entertainment acquired the entire brand and rights to the Blade Runner franchise, which encompasses movies, series, games and other franchise media such as books.^[10][11] On March 8, 2012, Alcon had signed an affiliate production company headed by 2S Films executive Molly Smith, Belle Pictures, to develop film projects.^[12]

On October 6, 2016, Alcon opened up a new division titled Alcon Interactive Group which continues Alcon's diversification beyond its core business of financing and producing feature films, having also established in the past years.^[13]

After the Village Roadshow Entertainment Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2025, Alcon placed a bid of $416.5 million for its library the following month, with it being approved as the new stalking horse bid by Delaware bankruptcy judge Thomas Horan.^[14] On June 18, 2025, it was announced that Alcon's stalking horse bid worth $417.5 million had succeeded, giving it rights to VREG's library of 108 films, including intellectual properties, distribution rights, cash flows, overall rights and royalties, as well as its development slate of films and television series.^[15][16] On November 5, 2025, Alcon won the derivative rights to most of VREG's library.^[17]

In 2014, Alcon partnered with Sleeping Giant Media to form ASG Music Group. ASG is a full service music company and record label. In 2017, ASG released the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack, produced by Grammy nominated producer Michael Hodges, Kayla Morrison and Ashley Culp, with Epic Records. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Soundtrack Sales Charts.^{[44][45][46][47]}