The French group StudioCanal, a division of Vivendi, has acquired a 51% majority stake in the Italian distribution and production company Lucky Red, “marking the latest consolidation move in Europe.”
Variety reports this, noting that the company, a “leader in independent film distribution in Italy and also active in the production and sale of films and TV programs, was among the few remaining Italian companies not yet acquired by a larger international group.”
Among the most recent films distributed by Lucky Red are the EFA award-winning Sentimental Value, Nouvelle Vague; Greenland 2: Migration and the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.
Notable productions include Gabriele Mainetti’s Freaks Out and Netflix’s first Italian production On My Skin. Recently, Lucky Red, which is also a partner of the production house Indigo Film in the distribution company True Colours, has been involved in two co-productions directed by French filmmakers: Robin Campillo’s Enzo, currently in theaters, and Christophe Honoré’s Marcello Mio.
The deal, “which reportedly values Lucky Red’s 51% stake at approximately $31 million, is not expected to lead to management changes or affect creative decisions within the company,” founded in 1987 by Andrea Occhipinti (who now holds the remaining 49% stake) and Kermit Smith.
Throughout its history, Lucky Red has distributed “approximately 400 titles by the world’s greatest auteurs, including Ang Lee, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Nanni Moretti, Aki Kaurismäki, Mario Martone, Hayao Miyazaki, Alexander Payne, Stephen Frears, Pablo Larraín, Paolo Sorrentino, Cristian Mungiu, Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai, Tim Burton, Asghar Farhadi, Luc Besson, Jim Jarmusch, and Jafar Panahi.”
The acquisition agreement “was reportedly signed in Rome by Occhipinti, along with business partners Valerio Scarinci and Stefano Massenzi, and StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh.”
In 2024, “Lucky Red recorded a turnover of over 50 million euros ($58.8 million) and a net profit of 3.7 million euros ($4.35 million).
Distribution revenues in 2025 reached nearly 24 million euros ($28 million), ranking the company eighth among Italian distributors last year. Vivendi’s acquisition of Lucky Red “follows a series of acquisitions of Italian companies by French groups in recent years—it is highlighted—including Bim Distribuzione by Wild Bunch, Palomar and Our Films by Mediawan, and Groenlandia by Banijay.”
(source: Ansa)
