Animation
DreamWorks Animation begins new distribution deal with Paramount Pictures
MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation SKG will begin operating under its new seven-year distribution deal with Paramount Pictures. The deal will begin with the rights to distribute DreamWorks Animation films in theatrical, home entertainment and television markets on a worldwide basis beginning with the next release, Over the Hedge.
As previously announced, the new agreement was contingent on the closing of Paramount’s acquisition of the company’s previous distribution partner, DreamWorks Studios.
Paramount Pictures will be responsible for the marketing and distribution of DreamWorks Animation films and will earn the same eight per cent distribution fee that had previously been paid to DreamWorks Studios.
The new agreement with Paramount expires by the end of 2012, which is two years longer than the original distribution deal with DreamWorks Studios. As a result of the new deal, DreamWorks Animation received $75 million in cash which it has used towards the repayment of debt.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
