Searchlight Pictures

On April 29, 1994, Tom Rothman launched a new division inside 20th Century Fox. Its mission: acquire and produce smart, low-budget films that the parent studio passed over. They called it Fox Searchlight Pictures. The first release was The Brothers McMullen in 1995, a Sundance pickup that grossed $10 million on a $24,000 budget. That scrappy start set the template.

Two decades later, Searchlight had distributed five Best Picture Oscar winners: Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Birdman (2014), The Shape of Water (2017), and Nomadland (2020). The studio's films have earned 51 Academy Awards, 30 Golden Globes, and 56 BAFTAs. Its highest-grossing title, Slumdog Millionaire, made $377.9 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox closed in March 2019. To avoid confusion with the newly formed Fox Corporation, the label dropped "Fox" from its name in January 2020, becoming Searchlight Pictures. Unlike sister unit 20th Century Studios, whose distribution was folded into Disney's main operation, Searchlight kept its own distribution arm. Under president David Greenbaum, appointed in 2021, the studio has maintained its distinct identity, releasing Poor Things (2023) and A Complete Unknown (2024) while continuing to acquire festival titles.[edit]