The division is an an alliance with FilmNation Entertainment, which will now handle international distribution of wide-release theatrical titles where ESMP has worldwide rights. ESMP/ESMPI are subsidiaries of Allen Media, which recently announced it has secured $500 million in credit facilities.

“International feature film distribution is a natural extension of the expanding reach of our global media, content, and technology company,” says Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios. “As we continue to distribute content across an ever-increasing number of domestic and global broadcast television, network television, theatrical, and digital platforms, it is only natural for us to incorporate worldwide movie distribution into our overall content distribution strategy going forward, and FilmNation Entertainment is the perfect partner for us to achieve this goal.”

Glen Basner, FilmNation Entertainment Founder/CEO, called Entertainment Studios” an exciting, creative, and innovative media company that is committed to delivering high-quality content worldwide.”

“This global distribution partnership is well-positioned to fill a huge void in the marketplace,” Basner said.

The first title ESMP/ESMPI will finance and distribute worldwide is 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter, in pre-production. The shark thriller sequel will be released domestically on approximately 3,500 screens on June 28. The original 47 Meters Down grossed over $44.3 million on a $5.5 million budget, making it the highest-grossing independent movie of 2017, per ESMP, which bought the title from Dimension Films. The sequel is directed by the original film’s Johannes Roberts, who wrote the screenplay with Ernest Riera. The sequel is being produced by The Fyzz’s James Harris, Mark Lane, and Robert Jones. All three were involved with the initial production.