The United Artists opening and closing logo when they distributed J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 1978
United Artists Corporation (UA) is an American film studio. It was first founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, the famous actor and film director Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.
United Artists is known for purchasing the TV and film rights from J.R.R. Tolkien and for distributing the 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings to theatres during a time of crisis within the company.
Acquisition of Tolkien Rights[]
In 1969, seeking funds to pay off a tax bill, J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film rights to both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to United Artists for £100,000, a sum he regarded as a pittance. The agreement included a 7.5% share of the profits from any adaptation.
In 1976, beset by financial troubles and considering Tolkien's works un-filmable (in live-action), United Artists sold the film rights to Saul Zaentz, where they were vested in The Saul Zaentz Company. United Artists however retained distribution rights to The Hobbit, which years later was to cause a significant delay to the production of The Hobbit film trilogy when parent company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer went bankrupt.[1]
In 1978, following a dispute over administrative expenses, UA's top executives, walked out and right after that they distributed The Lord of the Rings animated film.