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LuckyChap Entertainment

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LuckyChap Entertainment
Company typePrivate
IndustryMotion pictures, Entertainment
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Founders
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California, U.S.

LuckyChap Entertainment is an American production company based in Los Angeles, founded in 2014 by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr.[1]

Since its launch, LuckyChap Entertainment has produced several films and television series’ including I Tonya (2017), the Hulu TV Series Doll Face (2019), the 2020 film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the 2021 film Promising Young Woman.

As of 2021, the company has received 8 Academy Awards and 11 BAFTA nominations. In 2018, its first release I, Tonya, won the Academy Award Best Supporting Actress. Promising Young Woman won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (2021) and the BAFTAs for Best Original Screenplay and Outstanding British Film.

Over the years, LuckyChap Entertainment has continued to discuss how as a production company, their main focus is striving to put forth strong efforts towards giving a voice to many female storytellers and storylines, in what they believe to be a male dominated industry. [2]

Background

Co founder of LuckyChap Entertainment, Australian actress Margot Robbie.

Established at the hands of Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara, the most well known executive of LuckyChap Entertainment is Robbie, the Academy Award nominated Australian actress who has starred in films like Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad and The Legend of Tarzan. Although Robbie broke into Hollywood as an actor, she has said that throughout her journey on screen, she discovered a want for taking control of herself from behind the camera. [3] Robbie has described that while working on many production sets throughout the years, she had different thoughts and opinions on those who held the creative decisions on those films. In forming LuckyChap Entertainment with her closest friends, Robbie has said how the company has given her an opportunity to take more creative control in her career, and how much she enjoys being able to assemble and simultaneously be a part of a production. [3]

Company Formation

Margot Robbie and Sophie Kerr grew up together on the Gold Coast, Australia . Josey McNamara and Tom Ackerley, who are both British, worked together for years as assistant directors. Robbie and Ackerley who met on the set of the 2015 film Suite Française, began dating and then went on to get married in 2017. [4] The couple currently live together in a home in California Los Angeles. After getting drunk together after the London premiere of The Wolf of Wall Street, the four co founders all decided to move into a house in the neighbourhood of Clapham in London. The four of them have said that while living together, they devised the plan of starting their own production company on their kitchen table. [5]The team has previously stated that they aren’t completely sure of the origin of the name ‘LuckyChap’, but they do know it relates back to Charlie Chaplin. [6]

The company’s first major production was the 2017 film I, Tonya, based on the life of American competitive ice skater Tonya Harding, played by Robbie. This film was their first major motion picture to hit theatres, made with a budget of $11 million. [7] The film earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award, along with several nominations from each awards show, which is why critics have described the success of I, Tonya being the catalyst for LuckyChap Entertainment’s "instant credibility". [2] LuckyChap Entertainment have said that I,Tonya's success made them agree that in their future production choices, they must be one hundred percent happy to say yes to a film and all four partners have to be united in a decision to do it, otherwise they would say no. [8]

A Female Focused Approach to Filmmaking

LuckyChap Entertainment has said that one of their main goals as a company is to promote female stories from female storytellers and their incentive behind this goal, was finding a gap in the market and in their case, the gap illustrated the inequality of females in the film industry. [9]They said that they were aware of the statistics of male versus female directors and writers, so they focused on making these statistics more equal. [2] Margot Robbie has said how she believes it’s very challenging for female directors to be given a chance in Hollywood, and that when deriving potential director lists, most in the industry can easily think of male names and it’s more of a struggle to think of female names. [2]

In 2019, LuckyChap Entertainment made the decision to partner with Christina Hodson, who is the writer of several action films including Birds of Prey (2020) and Bumblebee (2018), to form the ‘Lucky Exports Pitch Program’ (LEPP).[10] This month-long program consisted of six female writers in a writer’s room where four of the selected were women of colour.[5] It involved the writers workshopping their ideas for new and inventive action film projects and assembling their pitches supported by the executives of LuckyChap and Hodson Exports. [10]

Along with hiring female storytellers, LuckyChap Entertainment has said that when choosing what films and television shows they want to produce, they aim to work with female focused storylines. [11] While reading many different scripts over the years, Robbie has said how she always gravitated towards playing the male character roles, as she felt they always got the better storylines, so one of the main goals of LuckyChap Entertainment was to change this norm and give females a chance to be represented in the same ways that men are. [2] Their 2020 film Birds of Prey, has been described by scholars as a film that intricately explores the difficulties women face when they’re trying to become more independent, [12] with the character of Harley Quinn (played by Robbie) who scholars describe as a female character that remains in charge of her own body and her sexuality. [13] Margot Robbie has said that she first put together a pitch for Birds of Prey, because she was aware of the lack of female ensemble action films and wanted to use LuckyChap Entertainment to dissolve the misconception that action films revolve more around men.[5]

By fixating heavily on female focused creatives and storylines, LuckyChap Entertainment has also faced a lot of criticism when it comes to their film choices, with a lot of reviews having mixed opinions on their feminist approach. Birds of Prey in particular had a lot of fans and critics tweeting and talking about how the film would "flop" in the box office because LuckyChap Entertainment's DC comics spin off, removed “any sex appeal” from the characters. [14] Other critics suggest that in some of LuckyChap Entertainment's films, they do not adhere to their reputed feminist approach with justice, arguing that in particular, in their 2021 film Promising Young Woman, they destroy their credibility as a feminist resistance piece throughout the majority of the film. [15]

Head Office

When the company first developed, the initial headquarters consisted of a small office space located on the Warner Bros lot in Los Angeles. The co founders have said that after realising they had outgrown their initial office space, they then decided to branch out and make the move into a bigger office in Downtown Los Angeles, where they were able to design the headquarters into what Architectural Digest describes as an “open, collaborative environment”.[16] LuckyChap Entertainment have explained that when constructing their headquarters, they made an effort to keep a feminine aesthetic in the office, with features like their custom-made neon LuckyChap Entertainment sign, in order to represent their company motives of being female focused. [16]

Collaborations, Deals and Future Productions

LuckyChap Entertainment has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Television to develop and produce films and television series. [17] In this deal they have partnered up with Mattel Films, the new theatrical film division of Mattel, and Warner Bros Pictures, to co-produce the upcoming Barbie adaptation, in which Margot Robbie will star as Barbie. [18]

Although the company originally started with only producing films, they decided to venture into television production as well, expanding their business by opening a television division. Soon after moving into television, they quickly sold their first television project Shattered Glass to NBC under the Warner Bros Deal. [19] They then went on to sell the comedy television series Dollface to Hulu, which is also produced by ABC Signature Studios and Clubhouse Pictures.[18]  LuckyChap Entertainment also decided to partner with the ABC, the Australian production company ‘Hoodlum’ and ‘ABC Studios International’, on a 10-part series called Shakespeare Now, [20] which is based on modern versions of the works of Shakespeare, told from female perspectives and to be led by an all-female production team.[18] In December 2020, the company signed a first look deal with Amazon Studios for TV projects. [21]The company is currently co producing on the dramedy Netflix series ‘Maid’ (2021) which is also being produced by Molly Smith Metzler, John Wells Productions and Warner Bros Television. [22]

Along with deals and collaborations on productions, LuckyChap Entertainment have also formed a partnership with Film Victoria, by taking part in ‘Film Victoria’s Placement Program’. This 2019 program involved a young, up-and-coming, female producer from Film Victoria, undertaking a six month placement working at LuckyChap Entertainment, helping the company reach their previously stated goal of helping boost both emerging Australian talent and female storytellers.[23]

Films

Year Film title Director Gross (worldwide) Notes
2017 I, Tonya Craig Gillespie $53.9 million Nominated for three Academy Awards, won one
2018 Terminal Vaughn Stein $626,245
2019 Dreamland Miles Joris-Peyrafitte $11,896
2020 Birds of Prey Cathy Yan $201.8 million
2020 Promising Young Woman Emerald Fennell $13.3 million Nominated for five Academy Awards, won one
TBA Barbie Greta Gerwig N/A
TBA My Year of Rest and Relaxation Yorgos Lanthimos N/A
TBA Tank Girl Miles Joris-Peyrafitte N/A

Television

Year Title Network Notes
2019–present Dollface Hulu
TBA The Wildest Animals in Griffith Park[24] TBA
TBA Maid Netflix

References

  1. ^ Romeyn, Kathryn (August 9, 2019). "Inside Margot Robbie's Homey New L.A. LuckyChap Entertainment Office". Architectural Digest. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rose, L. (2020). Margot Robbie and LuckyChap Partners Talk Their Producing Strategy: "If It's Not a 'F***, Yes,' It's a 'No'." https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/margot-robbie-and-luckychap-partners-talk-their-producing-strategy-if-its-not-a-f-yes-its-a-no-4105712/
  3. ^ a b Tedmanson, S. (2018). Margot Robbie opens up about marriage, feminism and sexual harassment in Hollywood. https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/margot-robbie-opens-up-about-marriage-feminism-and-sexual-harassment-in-hollywood/news-story/5bf7dd2f3b1d94ea98b5709e532da14d
  4. ^ Entenman, E. (2020). Margot Robbie & Her Husband Are Working Together To Make Hollywood A Better Place For Women. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/02/9362480/margot-robbie-husband-tom-ackerley-production-company-luckychap
  5. ^ a b c Aurthur, Kate (2020). "Margot Robbie on 'Bombshell,' 'Birds of Prey' and How She Fell in Love With Harley Quinn". Variety.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Lamont, T. (2018). Margot Robbie: ‘I asked my girlfriends what they'd been through. And they were angry’. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/03/margot-robbie-woman-lead-flop
  7. ^ Davis, Arianna (2017). "Margot Robbie Talks To R29 About I, Tonya, Women In Sports, #MeToo, & More". Refinery29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Warner, Kara (2020). "Margot Robbie on Making Female-Focused Films with Husband Tom Ackerley and LuckyChap Producers". People.com.
  9. ^ Harding, Laura (2020). "Margot Robbie: I feel obligation to attack statistics on female-driven content". Belfast Telegraph.
  10. ^ a b Mallari, S. (2020). SMASHING DOORS OPEN: A SPOTLIGHT ON THE LUCKY EXPORTS PITCH PROGRAM SCREENWRITERS. https://freethework.com/article/lucky-exports-pitch-program-action-writers-lucky-chap-hodson-exports
  11. ^ Molloy, Tim (2020). "Beyond Birds of Prey: LuckyChap's Fantabulous Future". MovieMaker Magazine.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Setianto, A., & Win, M. (2020). The Application of Girl Power Through Third-Wave Feminism in Birds of Prey. Proceedings Of The International Joint Conference On Arts And Humanities (IJCAH 2020). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201201.100  
  13. ^ Curtis, N., & Cardo, V. (2018). Superheroes and Third-Wave Feminism. Feminist Media Studies, 18(3), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2017.1351387
  14. ^ Bradley, Bill (2020). "Birds of Prey' Producer Shuts Down One 'Asinine' Criticism". Huffpost.
  15. ^ R. Oreck, Harper (2021). "'Promising Young Woman' Review: Hardly a Feminist Pièce de Résistance". The Harvard Crimson. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/3/23/promising-young-woman-review-article/
  16. ^ a b Romeyn, K. (2019). Inside Margot Robbie’s Homey New L.A. LuckyChap Entertainment Office. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/margot-robbie-luckychap-entertainment-office
  17. ^ Kit, Borys (2016). "Margot Robbie Signs First-Look Deal With Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ a b c "Mattel And Warner Bros. Pictures To Bring Barbie To The Big Screen Starring Margot Robbie". Mattel. 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Ausfilm (2018). LuckyChap Entertainment. https://www.ausfilm.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/b5ed06d519b9dd24ab201f0b840491cd.pdf
  20. ^ Inside Film :IF. (2018). Outward focus - The QLD Report. The Intermedia Group. https://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_rmit_apaft_872798397246406&context=PC&vid=61USYD_INST:sydney&lan  
  21. ^ Otterson, Joe (2020). "Margot Robbie, LuckyChap Entertainment Sign First-Look TV Deal at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/margot-robbie-lucky-chap-entertainment-first-look-tv-deal-amazon-1234847090
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2020). "Anika Noni Rose Joins Netflix Series 'Maid' Produced By John Wells & Margot Robbie". Deadline.
  23. ^ Film Victoria Australia. (2019). Annual Report 2018/19 (p. 11). Melbourne. https://parliament.vic.gov.au/file_uploads/Film_Victoria_2019_Annual_Report_Digital_GsXMbN1H.PDF
  24. ^ Masters, Kim (May 26, 2020). "The Ultimate Social-Distance Pitch? Margot Robbie, Kaitlyn Dever, Joey King and 'Peanut Butter Falcon' Duo Shopping Hot TV Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
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