StudioCanal (also known as Canal+ D.A.) is a French film and television production and distribution company founded in 1984. Primarily known in France for producing many French film and television productions, the company later became known for it's numerous acquisitions of various film catalogs from around the world.
Involvement With The Evil Dead Franchise
In 1994, StudioCanal (then known as Canal+ D.A.) acquired the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group library as part of their purchase of Paravision International, the entertainment division of the L'Oréal personal care product company.[1] Included within the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group library was the worldwide theatrical and home video distribution rights to Evil Dead II, along with very limited merchandising rights to the film. In the early 2010s, Renaissance Pictures sold the remainder of the merchandising rights to Evil Dead II to StudioCanal, allowing the company to begin licensing Evil Dead II for various forms of merchandise and other media.
From 2015 to 2018, StudioCanal was a participating partner in the Ash vs Evil Dead television series, as the show used numerous clips and story elements first introduced in the Evil Dead II film. Because of their involvement, StudioCanal is listed in the end credits of all 30 episodes of the series.
In December of 2024, Renaissance Pictures made a deal for StudioCanal to represent The Evil Dead, Evil Dead (2013), Ash vs Evil Dead, and Evil Dead Rise (along with any subsequent Evil Dead films produced in the future) in all merchandising and licensing aspects.[2]
Notes
- StudioCanal was responsible for the original French VHS release of Army of Darkness in 1994, as well as two French DVD releases of the film in 1998 and 2001.
- StudioCanal UK was responsible for the United Kingdom theatrical release of Evil Dead Rise.
- The full extent and limitations of StudioCanal's pre-2010 acquisition of the full merchandising rights to Evil Dead II remain mostly unknown. While the company could not produce certain forms of physical collectibles (t-shirts, figurines, ect.), they were involved with the development of the three Evil Dead video games published by THQ Games from 2000 to 2005 (Hail To The King, Fistful of Boomstick, and Evil Dead Regeneration), as well as becoming a "special arrangement" partner of Evil Dead: The Musical during its development around 2003 or 2004.