Amazon has announced that it closed on its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, bringing a catalog of more than 4,000 film titles and 17,000 TV episodes to Amazon as the studio joins Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
Rumors about Amazon’s interest in acquiring MGM for between $7-10 billion began in early May 2021. Amazon and MGM made a joint announcement to confirm the pending deal later that month.
Today, the deal was completed, two days after the companies received clearance from the European Commission, which stated that “the transaction would raise no competition concerns.” The FTC had a March deadline to make a decision on whether to challenge the deal.
“MGM has a nearly century-long legacy of producing exceptional entertainment, and we share their commitment to delivering a broad slate of original films and television shows to a global audience,” said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios in an announcement Thursday morning. “We welcome MGM employees, creators, and talent to Prime Video and Amazon Studios, and we look forward to working together to create even more opportunities to deliver quality storytelling to our customers.”
MGM’s catalog includes12 Angry Men, Basic Instinct, Creed, James Bond, Legally Blonde, Moonstruck, Poltergeist, Raging Bull, Robocop, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, Thelma & Louise, Tomb Raider, The Magnificent Seven, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, and many other iconic titles—as well as 17,000 TV shows—including Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Vikings.
“We are excited for MGM and its bounty of iconic brands, legendary films and television series, and our incredible team and creative partners to join the Prime Video family,” said Chris Brearton, chief operating officer of MGM. “MGM has been responsible for the creation of some of the most well-known and critically acclaimed films and television series of the past century. We look forward to continuing that tradition as we head into this next chapter, coming together with the great team at Prime Video and Amazon Studios to provide audiences with the very best in entertainment for years to come.”