United Artists Releasing

United Artists Releasing, LLC (UAR) was an American film distribution joint venture between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Annapurna Pictures and the successor to United Artists (UA) that operated from October 31, 2017 to March 4, 2023. Founded by former MGM CEO Gary Barber and Annapurna founder Megan Ellison on October 31, 2017, it operated within the offices of the headquarters of the respective companies in West Hollywood and Los Angeles in California and offered alternative services to the major film studios and streaming media companies with 10–14 films released annually. The venture rebranded as United Artists Releasing on February 5, 2019, to commemorate 100 years since the founding of United Artists. On May 26, 2021, online shopping and technology company Amazon acquired MGM Holdings, the former parent company of MGM, for $8.45 billion which closed on March 17, 2022, and consequentially placed UAR under the control of Amazon Studios. Amazon then folded United Artists Releasing into MGM on March 4, 2023, in a push towards cinematic/theatrical film distribution alongside their staple media releases on their video on demand service Amazon Prime Video.