Roadside Attractions Explained

Roadside Attractions, LLC
Type:Private
Industry:Motion pictures
Hq Location City:Los Angeles, California
Hq Location Country:United States
Owner:Lionsgate Studios (43%)[1]

Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American independent film distributor and production company with a primary focus on acquisitions. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company was founded by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, who serve as the co-presidents.

History

Roadside Attractions, LLC was established in late 2003 as a U.S. theatrical distribution company focused on film acquisitions. It was founded by Howard Cohen, then with United Talent Agency, and independent film producer Eric d'Arbeloff. Prior to co-founding the company, Cohen had served as an acquisitions executive at Samuel Goldwyn Films from 1987 to 1994. d'Arbeloff had produced films such as Trick (1999) and Lovely & Amazing (2002) under the Roadside Attractions banner before becoming a formal distribution company.[2] [3]

Shortly after its founding, Roadside entered into a co-distribution partnership with Samuel Goldwyn Films and Independent Distribution Partners (IDP), through which the companies jointly released a slate of films, sharing both costs and revenues equally.[4] The companies acquired their first film, a fast food documentary Super Size Me, at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.[5] In May 2007, it was reported that Roadside had opted not to renew its partnership following the expiration of the contract at the end of 2006.[6] Later in 2007, Lionsgate Films purchased a minority stake in Roadside.[7] Lionsgate also distributes Roadside's films in the U.S. home entertainment market and controls their pay 1 theatrical output deals.[8]

In 2016, Roadside partnered with Amazon Studios to release films theatrically. After releasing a half dozen of films together, the partnership ended in 2019 when Amazon shifted to distributing its films independently.[9] In August 2022, it was reported that Roadside entered into a multi-year streaming deal with Hulu for the post-theatrical pay 1 window. Call Jane and Gigi & Nate were the first films released under the deal.[8]

Filmography

See main article: List of Roadside Attractions films.

Top 10 highest-grossing films

!Rank!Title!Year!U.S. Gross[10]
1I Can Only Imagine2018$83,482,352
2Manchester by the Sea2016$47,695,371
3Mud2013$21,590,086
4Judy2019$24,319,961
5The Peanut Butter Falcon2019$20,457,158
6A Most Wanted Man2014$17,237,855
7Forever My Girl 2018$16,376,066
8Hello, My Name Is Doris2016$14,444,999
9Love & Friendship2016$14,016,568
10Love and Mercy2015$12,551,031

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 10. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 we released twenty-seven (27) films theatrically in the U.S. across our labels (including our partnership with Roadside Attractions, of which Lionsgate owns a 43% equity interest. Lionsgate Studios Corp. Form 10-K . December 4, 2025 . SEC.
  2. Web site: Harris . Dana . October 29, 2003 . UTA's Cohen heads Roadside . July 27, 2025 . Variety.
  3. Web site: McClintock . Pamela . September 17, 2010 . Roadside: The little engine that could . July 24, 2025 . Variety.
  4. Web site: Dunkley . Cathy . December 26, 2004 . Roadside carves canny distrib niche . July 27, 2025. Variety.
  5. Web site: Rooney . David . September 8, 2004 . Samuel Goldwyn / Roadside Attractions . July 24, 2025. Variety.
  6. Web site: Goldstein. Gregg . May 10, 2007 . Roadside, Goldwyn split up . July 27, 2025. The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. Web site: Goldstein . Gregg. July 27, 2007. Lionsgate widens indie highway with Roadside . 2025-07-24 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . August 25, 2022. Roadside Attractions Inks Post-Theatrical Pay 1 Window With Hulu . July 24, 2025 . Deadline Hollywood.
  9. Web site: Donnelly . Matt . October 23, 2019 . How Roadside Attractions Fights to Give Indies a Theatrical Path to Success . August 3, 2025. Variety.
  10. Web site: Box Office Performance History for Roadside Attractions . July 31, 2025 . The Numbers.