Research on distribution

According to The FIlm Distributors' Association, Distribution is the highly competitive business of launching and sustaining films in the market place. Films don't become well known, or find their place in the world, by accident.The distributor's challenge is to bring each one to market, starting from scratch (except for a sequel) and realising its potential. 

In the UK, distribution is very much focused on marketing and sustaining a global product in a local market.


According to Screenonline,

In the independent film sector, vertical integration does not operate so commonly. Producers tend not to have long-term economic links with distributors, who likewise have no formal connections with exhibitors. Here, as the pig-in-the-middle, distribution is necessarily a collaborative process, requiring the materials and rights of the producer and the cooperation of the exhibitor to promote and show the film in the best way possible. In this sector, distribution can be divided into three stages - licensing, marketing and logistics.

An example of distributor is the Warner Bros. Distributor,which is an American producer of film and television entertainment.

Warner Bros. Pictures International is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films, operating offices in more than 30 countries and releasing films in over 120 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures. The company has distributed a lot of Hollywood and British films such as, J.Edgar, Harry Potter, I am Legend and Mystic River

Here's another example:  Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadow

Official site: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/sherlockholmes2/app