UTV Motion Pictures

UTV Motion Pictures (also known as Disney-UTV) is the feature film unit of UTV Software Communications. UTV Motion Pictures is one of the leading film studios in India and one of the largest production studios in South Asia. The Studio's activities span creative development, production, marketing, distribution, licensing, merchandising and worldwide syndication of films in Indian territories. It is currently the distribution label of Disney for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures's feature films.
UTV Motion Pictures has a library of domestic regional films and animation productions alongside select international productions. As of 2017, Disney-UTV has suspended producing domestic films, with its latest domestic entry being "Jagga Jasoos". The label is overseen by Amrita Pandey who oversees Walt Disney Studios feature films in South Asia.
History.
UTV Motion Pictures was founded by Ronnie Screwvala and Zarina Screwvala in 1996 as UTV Motion Pictures Plc., the film distribution division of UTV Software Communications. UTV Motion Pictures then moved into film production in Bollywood, and further expanded in Hollywood in partnership with studios such as 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Sony Pictures.
UTV co-produced two Hollywood movies with Fox Searchlight in 2007, making it the first and only Indian company to have mainline Hollywood film releases – "The Namesake” by Mira Nair and "I Think I Love My Wife" by Chris Rock.
Pioneering the movement of South Asian film production companies producing movies abroad, UTV was the first Indian production house to announce its first independent production to be released internationally in April 2009, with "The Exterminators". During this period, UTV Motion Pictures also had a co-production agreement with actor Will Smith through his production company Overbrook Entertainment and with Sony Pictures Entertainment, for two films to be produced and distributed worldwide.
In 2008–2009, UTV Motion Pictures emerged as one of the largest production houses in India with 10 Hindi film releases, one in Tamil and M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" – the first mainstream Hollywood movie co-produced by an Indian movie studio. UTV also distributed Disney's Confessions of a Shopaholic and Bedtime Stories in Indian territories.
Along with production, UTV distributes its movies in more than 45 countries around the world on the same day as their theatrical release in India. UTV Motion Pictures is among the Top 20 Distributors in North America and is the first Indian film studio ever to have crossed the US$5 million revenue mark in the first half of a year.
In the South Asian market, after their successful maiden venture – "Kanaamochi Yenada" in Tamil, UTV Motion Pictures released "Poi Solla Porom", the remake of "Khosla Ka Ghosla" with Priyadarshan as a co-producer. The movie was a commercial hit, completing 100 days in theatre. UTV Motion Pictures went on to co-produce the remakes of the superhit "A Wednesday!" – "Unnaipol Oruvan" (Tamil) and "Eenadu" (Telugu) with Actor Kamal Haasan.
Filmography.
UTV Spotboy.
The following films were produced under the UTV Spotboy banner.
Films only distributed.
Walt Disney Studios films in India.
The Walt Disney Company acquired UTV Motion Pictures through UTV Software Communications in 2012 since then, UTV Motion Pictures became the exclusive distributor for all Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures releases for South Asian territories from 2013 onward, which includes film produced by Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and internationally distributed films by Disney like "Glass.