Virgin Films

{{Short description|Defunct film production company}} {{For2|the current Virgin film production company|Virgin Produced|the earlier unrelated outfit founded by Ned Sherrin and Terry Glinwood|Virgin Films (1970s company)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox company | name = Virgin Films | logo = | caption = | trading_name =  | native_name =  | native_name_lang =  | romanized = | former type = | type = | traded_as = | industry = Motion picture production | genre =  | fate = | predecessor = | successor = Library: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer {{small|(through Orion Pictures)}} | foundation = {{Start date|df=yes|1970}} | founder = | defunct = {{End date|df=yes|1993}} | location_city = | location_country = | locations =  | area_served = | key_people = Al Clark Nik Powell Richard Branson | products = | production = | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | aum =  | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = {{Plainlist| *Virgin Group (until 1989, 100%; 1990–1991, 15%) *Management Company Entertainment Group (1989–1990) *GE Capital (1990–1991, 85%; 1991–1993, 100%) *PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (1993–1997) }} | divisions = | subsid = | homepage =  | footnotes = | bodystyle = }}

'''Virgin Films''' was a film production company of the early 1980s best known for making ''Nineteen Eighty Four'' (1984). It was part of the Virgin Group and was headed by Al Clark.<ref name="icon">Alexander Walker, ''Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984–2000'', Orion Books, 2005 p11</ref><ref name="al">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-al-clark/|date=18 December 2025|access-date=18 December 2025|title=Forgotten British Film Moguls: Al Clark}}</ref> Nik Powell worked for the company before going over to Palace Pictures.

==History== Virgin Films first came to attention distributing ''The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle'' (1980), in which they invested £150,000.<ref>Walker 1986 p254</ref> They expanded into film production in the early 1980s, investing in the short, ''A Shocking Accident'' (1982) with Jenny Seagrove and Rupert Everett. This film wound up winning an Oscar and encouraged Richard Branson to expand into filmmaking, appointing Al Clark head of production.<ref>{{Cite news|title=VIRGINS, QUEENS AND OUTSIDERS; PROFILE – AL CLARK / PRODUCER|edition=LATE|author=Elder, Bruce|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=8 November 1997|page=3}}</ref><ref name="al"/> In 1983 Virgin announced they would invest £14 million in a series of movies.<ref>Walker 1986 p284</ref>

Among their productions were ''Electric Dreams'' and ''Secret Places''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=11 September 2025|access-date=11 September 2025|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-studios-the-rank-organisation-1982-1997/|title=Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation 1982-1997}}</ref> Their best known movie was an adaptation of ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (1984).<ref>{{Cite news|title=A Director's Vision of Orwell's '1984' Draws Inspiration From 1948: Filming '1984' By MICHAEL BILLINGTON|date=3 June 1984|work=The New York Times|page=H19}}</ref> There was controversy between Virgin and the makers of that film over Virgin's request to introduce a music score by Eurythmics.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Virgin changes its 1984 tune|author=Chorlton, Penny|work=The Guardian|location=London (UK)|date=14 November 1984|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=The talk about '1984' is not sweet music|author=Both, Cathy|work= Chicago Tribune|date=14 December 1984|page=n_aI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=POP: EURYTHMICS HOPPING MAD OVER '1984' FILM FLAP: 'IT'S A FARCE'|author=lain Blair|date=6 January 1985|work=Chicago Tribune|page=k8}}</ref>

An investment in the notorious flop ''Absolute Beginners'' (1986) discouraged them from further involvement in the film world at the time.<ref name="al"/>

At one stage they were connected with ''Hellraiser'' (1987) but decided against investing.<ref>{{Cite news|title=THRILL MEISTER|author=Costello, Matthew J.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 July 1986|page=Q37}}</ref> This movie became a hit. ''Filmink'' argued "that one more movie could have made all the difference."<ref name="al"/>

In July 1989, Jonathan D. Krane's Management Company Entertainment Group bought the division, which in the meantime had been renamed Virgin Vision, for $83 million, using loans from General Electric Capital Corporation, Standard Chartered and the Virgin Group itself. Virgin Vision was at the time a full-fledged theatrical and video distributor, with operations in the United Kingdom and some other European territories, the Middle East and Australia. However, MCEG fell into debt worth $125 million and eventually filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, after which 85% of Virgin Vision went to GE Capital in 1990, with the remaining 15% owned by the Virgin Group. By this point, the company scaled down its operations to the UK video market only and sold off their international operations.

In March 1991, GE Capital announced that they had placed Virgin Vision up for sale.<ref>{{cite web|title=GE Setting Its Sights on Sale of Virgin Vision|website=Variety|date=3 March 1991|access-date=30 March 2022|url=https://variety.com/1991/scene/markets-festivals/ge-setting-its-sights-on-sale-of-virgin-vision-99126233}}</ref> In July, Virgin sold its stake in the company over to GE Capital and renamed the subsidiary as Vision Video Ltd.<ref name=pg>{{cite web|title=PolyGram's visionary deal|website=Variety|first=Terry|last=Ilott|date=31 January 1993|access-date=30 March 2022|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/polygram-s-visionary-deal-103553/}}</ref> In January 1993, it was announced Vision Video had been sold to PolyGram for less than $5.6 million, with the company's operations being merged into those of PolyGram Video.<ref name=pg />

PolyGram began using the Vision Video Ltd. banner for their budget VHS releases, alongside their already existing 4 Front Video label.

In May 1998, Seagram, the owners of Universal Pictures, purchased PolyGram for $10.6 billion, and in November 1998, they had agreed to sell PolyGram Filmed Entertainment's pre-31 March 1996 library, including the Virgin Films catalogue, to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $235–250 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-23-fi-35357-story.html |title=MGM Agrees to Acquire PolyGram Movie Library|work=Los Angeles Times |date=1998-10-23 |access-date=2022-03-30 |first=Claudia |last=Eller}}</ref>

Around this time, the Vision Video Ltd. label continued to be used by the now-rebranded Universal Pictures Video until being retired as a whole in the Mid-2000's.

In 2010 Virgin expanded into film making again with Virgin Produced.

==Select filmography== *''The Space Movie'' (1979) *''The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle'' (1980) – distributor *''A Shocking Accident'' (1982) (short) *''The Executioner's Song'' (1983) – UK distributor *''Secret Places'' (1984) *''1984'' (1984) *''Electric Dreams'' (1984) *''Loose Connections'' (1984) *''Absolute Beginners'' (1986) *''Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986) *''Gothic'' (1986) *''Captive'' (1986)

==Notes== {{notelist}}

*Walker, Alexander, ''National Heroes: British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties'', Harrap 1986 ==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090208092519/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/organisation/30540?view=credit Virgin Films] at BFI

Category:Film production companies of the United Kingdom F