Editing Miramax (section)

===Disney era (1993–2010)===
On June 30, 1993, [[The Walt Disney Company]] purchased Miramax Films for $60 million and assumed all of the company's debt, which was more than $40 million. The acquisition gave Disney entry to the independent film market.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/harvey-weinstein-disney-past-miramax-legacy-peter-bart-1202738148/|title=Peter Bart: A Disney Deal Gone Wrong: How Mouse Money Fueled Harvey Weinstein's Alleged Predation As Miramax Mogul|first=Peter|last=Bart|date=September 19, 2019|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> Harvey and Bob Weinstein continued to operate Miramax Films until they left the company on September 30, 2005. During their tenure, the Weinstein brothers ran Miramax Films independently of other Disney subsidiaries and, as a result, had more autonomy than the other Disney-owned companies. Disney, however, had the final say on what Miramax Films could release (for example, Disney had banned Miramax Films from releasing ''[[Kids (film)|Kids]]'', ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' and ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'').<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://variety.com/2005/scene/vpage/the-ripple-effect-1117930598/ |title= The ripple effect | magazine=Variety |date=October 16, 2005 |author=Stuart Miller |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011541/http://variety.com/2005/scene/vpage/the-ripple-effect-1117930598/ |access-date=October 2, 2011|archive-date= March 5, 2016 }}</ref> Disney's [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment|Buena Vista Home Entertainment]] division released Miramax output on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc under the name '''Miramax Home Entertainment''' in some countries, including the United States; elsewhere, the overall distribution of Miramax Films' output was passed to the regional licensees of Miramax International, a distribution arm of Miramax Films that was fully autonomous from Disney's own distribution operations.

With a more stable budget, Miramax Films began moving beyond acquisitions and distribution and into film production. Until September 30, 2005, the company also operated the label [[Dimension Films]], which was solely founded by Bob to specialize in teen, horror, and other genre films,<ref name=Mason>{{cite web|last=Mason|first=Ian Garrick|title=When Harvey met Mickey|work=New Statesman|location=UK|date=October 11, 2004|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/node/160714|access-date=January 11, 2007|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402155239/https://www.newstatesman.com/node/160714|url-status=dead}}</ref> and created the ''[[Scream (franchise)|Scream]]'' and ''[[Scary Movie (film series)|Scary Movie]]'' film franchises. Harvey funded larger projects from up-and-coming directors, including [[Robert Rodriguez]], [[Gus Van Sant]], and [[Quentin Tarantino]]. Some of the films earned Oscars.<ref name="Mason" /> At times the studio tried to release a film almost weekly.<ref name="tavlin2025winter">{{Cite magazine |last=Tavlin |first=Will |date=Winter 2025 |title=Casual Viewing |url=https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |magazine=n+1 |language=en-US |issue=49}}</ref>

In 1997, Miramax Films joined [[Peter Jackson]] as a primary financial backer in attempting to get the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|Lord of the Rings]]'' films produced. Disney disliked the cost of a two-parter, requesting that it be produced as a single film. Jackson and [[Saul Zaentz]] rejected Disney's request and looked for another studio or financier. Thus, Miramax Films sold the rights for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''[[The Hobbit (film series)|The Hobbit]]'' to [[New Line Cinema]] in August 1998 for about $12 million, which led ''The Lord of the Rings'' to be produced as a trilogy. Miramax Films retained a 5% stake in the films' gross and then gave 2.5% to the Weinsteins.<ref name=smh>{{cite news|last=Quinn|first=Karl|title=Lord of the Rings a chronicle of legal disputes|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/lord-of-the-rings-a-chronicle-of-legal-disputes-20131213-2zcxp.html|access-date=November 6, 2017|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=December 14, 2013}}</ref>

Through Miramax Films, Harvey founded ''[[Talk (magazine)|Talk]]'' magazine with [[Tina Brown]] in 1998 (it shut down in 2002), albeit without the approval of then-Disney chief [[Michael Eisner]], which upset Eisner. Also that year, 30 former employees filed suit over unpaid overtime wages.<ref name="Mason" />

By 2003, Miramax Films was less operative in the independent film market and became more of a mini-major as the company only acquired 3 films while producing ''[[Cold Mountain (film)|Cold Mountain]]'' for $80 million. The Weinsteins claimed the company was profitable, but Walt Disney Company president [[Robert Iger]] indicated in June 2004 that they were not properly accounting for "account standard overhead, distribution fees, bonuses that we pay Harvey and Bob. Nor are they applying current accounting rules."<ref name="Mason" />

After extensive negotiations and much media and industry speculation, on March 30, 2005, Disney and the Weinsteins announced that they would not renew their contractual relationship when their existing agreements expired at the end of September 2005. The primary source of dispute was over distribution of ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' by Michael Moore.<ref name=lsun/> Disney's film studio consortium, [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group]], assumed control of Miramax Films, which was projected to have a smaller annual production budget. The Weinsteins started a new film production company called [[The Weinstein Company]] (TWC) and took the [[Dimension Films]] label with them. The Miramax Films name remained with the film studio owned by Disney. Production at Miramax Films was taken over by [[Daniel Battsek]],<ref name=lsun>{{cite news|title=Miramax offices close, Disney says brand continues|agency=Associated Press|website=The Boston Globe|date=January 29, 2010|url=https://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/01/29/miramax_offices_close_disney_says_brand_continues/}}</ref> who had been head of [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures#International distribution|Buena Vista International]] in the [[Great Britain|UK]]. Battsek refocused Miramax Films to produce films of high quality but low budget. [[Maple Pictures]] held the rights to distribute Miramax films in Canada from 2008 up until August 10, 2011, when Maple Pictures was acquired by [[Alliance Films]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Etan Vlessing|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/analysts-welcome-lionsgate-selling-maple-203710|title=Analysts Welcome Lionsgate Selling Maple Pictures to Alliance Films|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=June 21, 2011}}</ref> At the time, the company was criticized for delaying or withholding release of Asian films to which it acquired the U.S. distribution rights.<ref name="Epstein">{{cite magazine|last=Epstein|first=Edward Jay|title=The great illusionist|magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=October 10, 2005|url=https://slate.com/culture/2005/10/harvey-weinstein-rides-again.html|access-date=January 11, 2007}}</ref> Previously, in 2003, the company was criticized for trying to bar retailers from legally exporting authentic DVDs of the films.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2003/12/61554|title=Studio Warns Kung Fu Site|author=Katie Dean|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=December 15, 2003}}</ref>

On October 3, 2009, Disney announced that the staff of Miramax Films was to be reduced by 70%, and the number of releases would be reduced by half to just three films per year. The label's marketing, distribution, and administrative functions, which had operated independently, would be folded into the parent studio in Burbank. The move became effective in January 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://linkoo.top/disney-slash-miramax-films-staff-20-reduce-releases-3-year/|title=Disney to slash Miramax films staff to 20, reduce released to 3 a year|date=May 26, 2016|work=linkoo.top|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601030618/http://linkoo.top/disney-slash-miramax-films-staff-20-reduce-releases-3-year/|archive-date=June 1, 2016|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref> On October 30, 2009, Disney announced the resignation of Daniel Battsek as President of Miramax Films, effective when the transition from the studio in New York to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] was completed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/business/media/31film.html|title=Daniel Battsek stepping down as President of Miramax|author=Brooks Barnes|work=The New York Times|date=October 31, 2009|url-access=limited}}</ref> The company moved its operations to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank was completed on January 28, 2010, shutting down Miramax Films' separate New York and Los Angeles offices.<ref name=lsun/><ref name="wrap">{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/miramax-dies-rest-peace-13606/|title=Miramax Dies: Rest in Peace|last=Waxman|first=Sharon|date=January 27, 2010|access-date=February 8, 2010}}</ref>

Though Disney Studio Chairman [[Dick Cook]] was a staunch supporter of Miramax Films, the brand was less of a priority for CEO [[Bob Iger]], whose strategy was to focus on Disney's branded mass entertainment that could be exploited across Disney's theme parks, television, and consumer products. Following Disney's $4 billion acquisition of [[Marvel Entertainment]] in 2009, Cook was succeeded by [[Rich Ross]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/09/dick-cooks-dismissal-as-head-of-walt-disney-studios-makes-the-future-fate-of-specialty-movie-operation-miramax-films-appear-e.html|title=Will there be a place for Miramax in Disney's new movie script?|last=Eller|first=Claudia|date=September 24, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> As a result, Miramax Films was relegated to the status of distribution label within the Walt Disney Company.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/features/rich-ross-reshapes-disney-film-studios-1118014464/|title=Rich Ross reshapes Disney film studios|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Marc|last=Graser|date=January 29, 2010}}</ref> Disney confirmed that it was looking into selling the Miramax label on February 9, 2010, with Bob Iger explaining "We determined that continuing to invest in new Miramax movies wasn't necessarily a core strategy of ours".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/on-the-call-disneys-ceo-bob-iger-on-miramax-2010-2|title=On the Call: Disney's CEO Bob Iger on Miramax|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=February 9, 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2019|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>