Alcon Entertainment

Alcon Entertainment, LLC is an American film production company, founded in 1997 by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Since its establishment, Alcon Entertainment has developed and financed films that are ultimately distributed by Warner Bros., following a ten-year motion picture production agreement.

Company

Alcon Entertainment was established in January 1997, and founded by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, who are the co-presidents of the company. The company is headquartered on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Both Johnson and Kosove presented FedEx founder and chairman Frederick W. Smith with a proposal suggesting that an independent film company, backed by a capitalized individual or company, and aligned with a major studio for an exclusive distribution arrangement would reap profits on copyrighted assets over a set period of time.

Alcon's first major feature film was the 1999 comedy Lost & Found. In March 2000, following the success of its second film My Dog Skip, Alcon entered into an exclusive, long-term worldwide distribution agreement with Warner Bros. The agreement had Warner Bros. in charge of worldwide distribution of a minimum of 10 films produced and financed by Alcon over the next five years. The agreement also allowed Warner Bros. to co-finance certain pictures with Alcon. Alcon and Warner Bros. signed a new agreement in February 2006, continuing their eight-year relationship, under which Warner Bros. would continue to distribute feature films developed and financed by Alcon.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros., Warners, or simply WB) is an American entertainment company that produces film, television and music entertainment. As one of the major film studios, it is a division of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California. Warner Bros. has several subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, and DC Entertainment. Warner Bros. owns half of The CW Television Network.

History

Founding

The company's name originates from the four founding Warner brothers (born Wonskolaser or Wonsal before Anglicization):Harry (born Hirsz), Albert (born Aaron), Sam (born Szmul), and Jack (Itzhak, or to some sources, Jacob). They emigrated as small children with their parents to Canada from Krasnosielc which was located in the part of Congress Poland that had been subjugated to the Russian Empire following the eighteenth-century Partitions of Poland near present-day Ostrołęka.

Entertainment

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Although people's attention is held by different things, because individuals have different preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognisable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms and over time became available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry which records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses a private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; to any size or type of party, with appropriate music and dance; to performances intended for thousands; and even for a global audience.

Point Break

Point Break is a 1991 American action crime thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The title refers to the surfing term point break, where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline. Reeves stars as rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah, who is investigating a string of bank robberies possibly being committed by surfers. Johnny goes undercover to infiltrate the surfing community and develops a complex friendship with Bodhi (Swayze), the charismatic leader of a gang of surfers.

The film was a box office success upon its release, with an $83.5 million gross and a budget of $24 million.

Plot

Alcon

Alcon incorporated and with corporate headquarters, in Hünenberg, Switzerland, is a global medical company specializing in eye care products. Alcon's U.S. headquarters are located in Fort Worth, Texas. Alcon has been purchased by Novartis from Nestlé and there have been confirmed information indicating high likelihood that Alcon will soon also be merged with the new parent company.

History

Alcon was founded in 1945 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The company started as a small pharmacy in Fort Worth and was named for its founders, pharmacists Robert Alexander and William Conner. Conner and Alexander focused on sterile ophthalmic products, which no other company specialized in at the timeand built their business by researching eye care products that would reduce contamination and increase safety.

Nestlé of Switzerland purchased Alcon in 1977. This was during a time of rapid growth for Nestlé and was their first venture into the pharmaceutical industry. Alcon expanded its manufacturing capability with new plants in South America and Europe and drastically increased its investment in research. In 1979, Alcon acquired Texas Pharmacal Company which became Dermatological Products of Texas (and is now DPT Laboratories). In 1984, Alcon founded the Technical Excellence Award to promote achievements in R&D excellence and has extended the award to more than 100 recipients. In the 80s and 90s, Alcon continued to grow and became the largest and most profitable ophthalmic company in the world. The Alcon product line has expanded from pharmaceuticals to the surgical arena. The Acrysof intraocular lens is the most commonly used implant in cataract surgery worldwide. Today, Alcon has operations in 75 countries and their products are sold in over 180 countries.