American International Pictures

American International Pictures
FormerlyAmerican Releasing Corporation
(1954–1956)
Company typeLabel
IndustryFilm
FoundedApril 2, 1954 (1954-04-02) (original)
October 7, 2020 (2020-10-07) (relaunch)
Founders
DefunctAugust 4, 1980 (1980-08-04) (original)
FateAcquired by and folded into Filmways (original)
SuccessorFilmways Pictures (original)
Headquarters,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Eric Hohl (president)
ProductsMotion pictures
ParentAmazon MGM Studios

American International Pictures (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition by Filmways in 1979.

It was formed on April 2, 1954, as American Releasing Corporation (ARC) by former Realart Pictures Inc. sales manager James H. Nicholson and entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff[1] and their first release was the 1953 UK documentary film Operation Malaya. It was dedicated to releasing low-budget films packaged as double features, primarily of interest to the teenagers of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

The company eventually became a part of Orion Pictures, which in turn, became a division of MGM. On October 7, 2020, four decades after the original closure, MGM revived AIP as a label for acquired films for digital and theatrical releases, with MGM overseeing across streaming platforms and United Artists Releasing handling theatrical distribution in North America until 2023 when Amazon MGM Studios took over.

  1. ^ Johnson, John Cheap Tricks and Class Acts, 1996, McFarland, p.265