Distribution Rights
In 1955, RKO sold the American television rights to its film library, including Citizen Kane, to C&C Television Corp. TV rights to the pre-1956 RKO library were acquired by United Artists in 1960. RKO kept the non-broadcast TV rights to its library and formed RKO Home Video in 1984. RKO, which had licensed the film to other home video companies, reissued the film in 1985 on VHS and Beta, but sold the laserdisc video rights to Citizen Kane (along with King Kong) to The Criterion Collection in 1984. Turner Broadcasting System acquired broadcast TV rights to the library when it acquired MGM/UA in 1986. Unable to sustain the debt load, Turner split up MGM/UA and kept the MGM film library including American TV rights to the RKO library. Turner acquired full U.S and Canadian distribution rights to the RKO library in 1987 The RKO Home Video unit was reorganized into Turner Home Entertainment that year. For the film's 50th anniversary in 1991, Turner Entertainment utilized Paramount Pictures as its distributor for the film's re-release to theaters. In 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner and Warner Home Video absorbed Turner Home Entertainment. Today, Time Warner's Warner Bros. unit has distribution rights for Citizen Kane.
However outside Region 1 (U.S and Canada), the distribution rights to Citizen Kane are in other hands. This includes; Universal Studios in the U.K, Ariès in France, EOS Entertainment in Germany, RAI in Italy and Magna Pacific in Australia and New Zealand.
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