Elie Samaha

Elie Samaha is a Lebanese-American film producer.

Career Samaha was a co-owner/founder of the dry cleaner chain Celebrity Cleaners and co-owner of the Roxbury nightclub in Los Angeles.

Between 1997 and 2004, Samaha produced films under the Franchise Pictures studio title, which included films such as The Boondock Saints, Mercy, Battlefield Earth, The Whole Nine Yards, Get Carter, Angel Eyes and Driven.

Samaha specialized in rescuing stars' pet projects. Franchise Pictures sought out stars whose projects were stalled at the major studios, bringing them aboard at reduced salaries. Samaha's approach was to produce star vehicles more cheaply than the larger studios. His unorthodox deals raised eyebrows and the entertainment industry magazine Variety commented that they were "often so complex and variable as to leave outsiders scratching their heads". As Samaha put it during an interview about Battlefield Earth, "I said, 'If John [Travolta] wants to make this movie, what does he want to get paid?' ... Because I do not pay anybody what they make. That is not my business plan."

He is currently the President of Take 3 Productions, which produced Breaking Brooklyn (2016), a dance film starring Louis Gossett Jr., Nathan Kress and Colin Critchley.

In 2000, Samaha was sued by Intertainment Pictures, his business partners on a number of films. Intertainment won a $70 million judgment against Samaha for fraudulently overcharging them for production costs on the films.

In 2021, he co-founded and served as the chairman of Luminosity Entertainment, to distribute, produce, and finance films in the U.S., as well as handle international sales, in which headquartered in West Hollywood. He co-produced the Wesley Snipes/Tiffany Haddish comedy, Back on the Strip, released in summer 2023 under the Luminosity title.

Controversy In December 2000, the German-based Intertainment AG filed a lawsuit alleging that Franchise Pictures had fraudulently inflated budgets in films including Battlefield Earth, which Intertainment had helped to finance. Intertainment had agreed to pay 47% of the production costs of several films in exchange for European distribution rights, but ended up paying for between 60 and 90% of the costs instead. The company alleged that Franchise had defrauded it to the tune of over $75 million by systematically submitting "grossly fraudulent and inflated budgets". Intertainment won the case and was awarded $121.7 million in damages. Samaha was declared by the court to be personally liable for $77 million in damages.

Film

Year Film Credit Notes 1995 The Immortals 1996 Hollow Point Executive producer Danger Zone The Last Days of Frankie the Fly Natural Enemy Direct-to-video 1997 American Perfekt Executive producer The Maker Executive producer The Peacekeeper Executive producer Top of the World Lesser Prophets Executive producer 1998 Monument Ave. 20 Dates Executive producer Shadrach Executive producer Scar City This Is My Father Executive producer Break Up No Code of Conduct Sweepers Free Money Executive producer A Murder of Crows 1999 Tycus Executive producer Direct-to-video The Confession Entropy Restraining Order Executive producer The Boondock Saints Woman Wanted Executive producer Storm Catcher Executive producer If... Dog... Rabbit... The Third Miracle The Big Kahuna The White River Kid 2000 Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Executive producer Animal Factory Jill Rips Executive producer Mercy The Whole Nine Yards Executive producer Battlefield Earth Auggie Rose Executive producer The Art of War Executive producer Get Carter Desperate But Not Serious Executive producer 2001 The Pledge The Caveman's Valentine Green Dragon 3000 Miles to Graceland Driven Angel Eyes Plan B Executive producer Viva Las Nowhere Executive producer Heist 2002 Zig Zag FeardotCom Executive producer Avenging Angelo City by the Sea Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever Half Past Dead 2003 The Foreigner The In-Laws Alex & Emma 2004 Spartan Laws of Attraction Executive producer The Whole Ten Yards Out of Reach Direct-to-video Funky Monkey Executive producer 2005 Into the Sun A Sound of Thunder Executive producer Dead Fish Executive producer 2006 Tristan & Isolde Rescue Dawn Executive producer Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj 2007 If I Had Known I Was a Genius Executive producer Game of Life Executive producer I Could Never Be Your Woman Executive producer Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot The Flock 7-10 Split Executive producer The Anna Nicole Smith Story Executive producer 2008 Impulse Executive producer Direct-to-video Columbus Day Executive producer 2009 The Six Wives of Henry Lefay Executive producer 2016 Exposed Executive producer 2018 Breaking Brooklyn 2022 Prophets of Change Executive producer Documentary film 2023 Back on the Strip 2024 Love Me Dead Executive producer 2025 July 7: Who Killed the President of Haiti? Executive producer TBA Executive producer Completed Executive producer Completed

As an actor

Year Film Role Notes 1998 20 Dates Producer Voice role

As writer

Year Film 1995 The Immortals

Music department

Year Film Role 2002 Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever Executive soundtrack producer

Thanks

Year Film Role 2003 Wonderland The producers and director wish to thank 2018 Billionaire Boys Club Special thanks

Television Year Title Credit Notes 1998 On the Border Executive producer Television film 2012 KDOC First Night 2013 Executive producer Television special 2015 The 3rd Annual Noble Awards Executive producer Television special