AMC Theatres Launches Indie Film Distribution Label

AMC Theatres has launched Leawood Films, an independent distribution label designed to bring small and mid-sized movies directly to theaters. Named for AMC’s Kansas headquarters, the label will market and distribute films that are already completed or fully financed by their creators. The move builds on AMC’s success bypassing traditional studios to release concert films such as Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

The label is supported by prominent Hollywood executives, including former Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich, former Disney marketing chief Ricky Strauss, and former Paramount and Bleecker Street distribution head Kyle Davies.

Leawood Films will not fund productions. Instead, it will acquire completed festival films and fully financed indie projects that have struggled to secure traditional distribution.

Its releases will not be limited to AMC theaters. AMC plans to use its marketing reach to distribute the films through other theater operators in the United States and abroad.

The initiative addresses a persistent post-pandemic challenge for theaters: an inconsistent film supply caused by production delays and shifting studio strategies. By creating a low-risk pipeline for indie filmmakers, AMC aims to fill more seats while giving independent and mid-budget films a broader mainstream platform.