The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film Television |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Jon Peters Peter Guber |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Successor | Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
| Parent | Columbia Pictures Entertainment (1989-1991) |
| Divisions | Guber-Peters Video Guber-Peters Television |
The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company was a film and television production company formed by Peter Guber and Jon Peters in 1982 when they left PolyGram Pictures. It is best known for Rain Man, The Color Purple and Batman, among others. The company was sold to Columbia Pictures Entertainment in 1989 when Sony Corporation of America bought out the studio, and it was dissolved as its production entity in 1991.
History
In 1982, Jon Peters and Peter Guber decided to sell their stakes in their production company PolyGram Pictures following a series of flops. Therefore they launched its own independent company at Warner Bros., while continuing their relationship with Universal Pictures, but its relationship with Universal never lasted long. One of their first projects were Six Weeks and D.C. Cab, two of the projects initially started under PolyGram's contract with Universal via the producers.[1][2][3] Like their tenure at PolyGram Pictures, many of the company's films had flopped at the box office.
In 1984, the company launched their television unit, sometimes called Guber-Peters Video. Many of their productions was in partnership with Centerpoint. Only three out of them in the partnership were the 1984 CBS television movie The Toughest Man in the World, the CBS television series Dreams and the NBC documentary series OceanQuest.[2]
The company's first major hit was The Color Purple (1985). Guber-Peters owned the property of the book and hired Steven Spielberg to direct the film. Spielberg had barred the duo from the set. The company's next hits were The Witches of Eastwick, Rain Man, and Batman, all of which were box office hits.[3] In 1986, the company partnered with Mark Damon to start Vision International, a film sales financing, but Guber and Peters decided to sell their stakes later.[4]
In January 1988, Barris Industries merged with the Guber-Peters Company to form Barris/Guber-Peters.[5][6] Guber-Peters made an aborted attempt to buy MGM/UA Communications Co. in 1988, but it failed.[7] On March 31, 1989, Burt Sugarman sold his shares of Barris Industries to Westfield Group and Northern Star Holdings Ltd., the owners of Network Ten of Australia owned by Frank Lowy for $34.5 million.[8][9][10]
On September 7, 1989, Barris Industries was renamed as the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company, Barris Program Sales was renamed as Guber-Peters Program Sales, and Barris Advertising Sales was renamed as Guber-Peters Advertising Sales.[11] On September 29, 1989, a day after Sony Corporation of Japan announced to acquire Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Sony announced to acquire the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company for $200 million.[12] The sale was completed on November 9, 1989 after Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures Entertainment a day earlier.
As a result, many of the films Guber-Peters was developing at Warner Bros., including The Bonfire of the Vanities, Batman Returns, This Boy's Life, With Honors, and Contact, was kept by the studio, although Guber and Peters were demoted to executive producers.[13]
On November 5, 1990, CPE folded its first-run syndication unit Guber-Peters Television into Columbia Pictures Television Distribution.[14]
Productions
Films
| Title | Release date | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Box office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six Weeks | December 17, 1982 | Universal Pictures | co-production with PolyGram Pictures | $9 million | $6.7 million |
| D.C. Cab | December 16, 1983 | co-production with RKO Pictures | $8 million | $16 million | |
| Vision Quest | February 15, 1985 | Warner Bros. | N/A | $13 million | |
| The Legend of Billie Jean | July 19, 1985 | Tri-Star Pictures | $3.1 million | ||
| Clue | December 13, 1985 | Paramount Pictures | co-production with PolyGram Pictures and Debra Hill Productions | $15 million | $14.6 million |
| The Color Purple | December 18, 1985 | Warner Bros. | co-production with Amblin Entertainment and Quincy Jones Productions | $15 million | $98.4 million |
| Head Office | December 29, 1985 | Tri-Star Pictures | co-production with HBO Pictures | $9-12 million | $3.3 million |
| The Clan of the Cave Bear | January 17, 1986 | Warner Bros. (North America) Producers Sales Organization (International) |
co-production with Jozak/Decade Productions and Jonesfilm | $18 million | $2 million |
| Youngblood | January 30, 1986 | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. | co-production with United Artists | $8 million | $15.4 million |
| The Witches of Eastwick | June 12, 1987 | Warner Bros. | co-production with Kennedy Miller | $22 million | $103 million |
| Innerspace | July 1, 1987 | co-production with Amblin Entertainment | $27 million | $95 million | |
| Who's That Girl | August 7, 1987 | $17-20 million | $19 million | ||
| Caddyshack II | July 22, 1988 | $20 million | $11.8 million | ||
| Gorillas in the Mist | September 23, 1988 | Universal Pictures (North America) Warner Bros. (International) |
co-production with Arnold Glichmer Productions | $22 million | $61.1 million |
| Missing Link | November 25, 1988 | Universal Pictures | co-production with Kane International | N/A | N/A |
| Rain Man | December 16, 1988 | MGM/UA Communications Co. | co-production with United Artists and Star Partners II Ltd | $25 million | $354.8-$429.4 million |
| Batman | June 23, 1989 | Warner Bros. | co-production with PolyGram Pictures | $48 milllion | $411.6 million |
| Johnny Handsome | September 29, 1989 | Tri-Star Pictures | co-production with Carolco Pictures | $20 million | $7 million |
| Tango & Cash | December 22, 1989 | Warner Bros. | $54 million | $120.4 million |
Television series
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreams | 1984 | CBS | co-production with Centerpoint |
| OceanQuest | 1985 | NBC | co-production with Centerpoint and Ocean Images Productions |
| Quiz Kids Challenge | 1990 | First-run syndication | co-production with Chillmark Productions |
Television movies/specials/pilots
| Title | Air date | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Television and the Presidency | June 18, 1984 | First-run syndication | co-production with Ailes Communications and On the Air |
| The Toughest Man in the World | November 7, 1984 | CBS | co-production with Centerpoint |
| Brotherhood of Justice | May 18, 1986 | ABC | co-production with Phoenix Entertainment Group, Margot Winchester Productions and Taper Media Enterprises |
| Clue: Movies, Murder & Mystery | September 17, 1986 | First-run syndication | co-production with Paramount Television |
| Bay Coven | October 25, 1987 | NBC | co-production with Phoenix Entertainment Group and Jerlor Productions |
| Superman's 50th Anniversary | February 29, 1988 | CBS | co-production with Warner Bros. Television Distribution and Broadway Video |
| Nightmare at Bittercreek | May 24, 1988 | co-production with Phoenix Entertainment Group and Swanton Films | |
| Finish Line | January 11, 1989 | TNT | co-production with Phoenix Entertainment Group |
| Kenny, Dolly and Willie: Something Inside So Strong | May 20, 1989 | NBC | co-production with Kenny Rogers-Barris |
| Batman: The Making of a Hero | June 1989 | First-run syndication | co-production with Mindseye Films and Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend | August 10, 1989 | ABC | co-production with Kenny Rogers-Barris |
| Christmas in America | December 13, 1989 | NBC | co-production with Atlantis Films, Kenny Rogers-Barris and King World Productions |
| Countdown | Unaired (taped: September 18, 1990) | First-run syndication | co-production with Katie Face Productions |
| Christmas on Division Street | December 15, 1991 | CBS | co-production with Procter & Gamble Productions, Morrow-Heus Productions, Western International Communications and Columbia Pictures Television |
References
- ^ "PolyGram Buys Out 2 Partners In Their Firm". The Los Angeles Times. January 26, 1982. p. 37.
- ^ a b Griffin, Nancy; Masters, Kim (1996-04-01). Hit and Run. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780684809311.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b Prince, Stephen (November 12, 1999). A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980-1989. University of California Press. ISBN 9780684804934.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Ford, Luke (July 2004). The Producers: Profiles in Frustration. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595664634.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Guber-Peters Start 'Real Studio' Via Merger With Barris". Los Angeles Times. 1987-12-14. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Times, Special to the New York (1987-12-15). "Barris to Buy Guber-Peters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Fabrikant, Geraldine (1988-07-11). "Plan to Split MGM/UA Is Reported". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "New York Times" COMPANY NEWS; Sugarman Sells Barris Stake nytimes.com, Retrieved on December 5, 2012
- ^ WILLIAM K. KNOEDELSEDER Jr. "Los Angeles Times" April 1, 1989 Australian Group Buys 24.4% Stake in Barris From Sugarman articles.latimes.com, Retrieved on February 3, 2013
- ^ GEORGE GARTIES "AP News Archive" March 31, 1989 INVESTOR SELLS STAKE IN TV PRODUCTION COMPANY TO AUSTRALIAN NETWORK apnewsarchive, Retrieved on February 3, 2013
- ^ Barris Industries Has New Name.
- ^ Sony Buys Guber-Peters
- ^ Salamon, Julie (November 1, 1991). The Devil's Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780395569962.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Swallowed Up?". Broadcasting: 10. November 5, 1990.