Role of the Distributor

The distributor signs a contract which gives them permission to to release the film in UK cinemas and promote the film before/during it's release date. They're given a date when they're contract expires and sometimes are also given permission to edit the film in order to reach a specific classification. The distributor is given a budget on which to advertise the film up until their contract ends. Sometimes the distributor contributes to the film development/production costs before they begin to market the film. They have to write all the finances into a report and give this to the producer to show how they've use the given budget.

The top five distributors are currently:
-Universal pictures
-Paramount
-Sony Pictures
-Warner Bros
-Walt Disney Studios