New Line Cinema

Background
New Line Cinema (also known as New Line Productions, Inc. and formerly known as New Line Cinema Corporation) originally started in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne, as an indie/low-budget film studio. Their first film was a Czech import called The End of August at the Hotel Ozone. New Line was acquired by Turner Broadcasting on January 28, 1994; both merged with TimeWarner (now "WarnerMedia") on October 10, 1996. Their most successful films are The Lord of the Rings trilogy released from 2001-2003 respectively.

In 2008, the company became a genre and low-to-mid-budget unit of Warner Bros. Pictures, shutting down as an independent studio under TimeWarner after CEO Jeff Bewkes fired Shaye and Lynne as a result of the American box office failure of The Golden Compass. The last movie produced by them as an independent company was Semi-Pro.

1st Logo (June 18, 1967-April 18, 1987)
Nicknames: "The (Creepy) Red Line", "A Nightmare on the New Line Street", "Flashes of Doom", "Pre-Filmbox", "Where's Filmbox?"

Logo: On a black background, a red line stretches out across the screen. It then flashes rapidly, seeming to vibrate and form more lines above, making the words "NEW LINE CINEMA". as the screen then begins to flash red. When the flashing is finished, the logo is now red with black segmenting (a la the CBS/Fox Video logo), and the word "FROM" can be seen on the top-left of the logo. It is then wiped away at the end.

Variants:
 * The company used a different logo in print and at the end of trailers and movies from 1967 to 1987; it has the letters "NL" connected together.
 * There is also a high-contrast version with a dark blue background and the name in pink.
 * A black and white version can be found on Reefer Madness (A.K.A. Tell Your Children).
 * On some scope films, the logo is stretched to 2:35:1.

Closing Variant: There is an ending variant with just the print logo, which says: "FROM NEW LINE CINEMA" and the "NL" combination. This appears at the end of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

FX/SFX: The flashing and line effects.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Toei Company productions, it would use the second half of the specialized theme that played over the company's logo (composed by such names as Tony Sushima and Takeo Watanabe).
 * Strangely, Street Fighter's Last Revenge (at least the Wizard Video release) uses an edited version of the second half of the specialized jingle from The Street Fighter.

Availability: Rare.
 * Can be seen on the first two Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Strangely, this is seen on the 1999 and 2005 DVDs of the third film (which originally used the next logo).
 * This was also used on the first Critters movie, as well as Xtro.
 * Early prints of Alone in the Dark didn't have any logo. The 1980 MGM/CBS release of The Street Fighter and the 1982 Wizard Video release of Street Fighter's Last Revenge use this logo, but not the 1981 MGM/CBS release of Return of the Street Fighter (it is unknown if the Wizard Video release of Sister Street Fighter retains this, but the 1996 New Line Home Video releases of the films plaster this with the 1994 logo, which is always in fullscreen even on letterboxed prints).
 * It is also featured on the 1987 HBO/Cannon Video release of The Evil Dead, though it's completely absent on recent releases of said film; it is unknown if it's intact on the original Thorn EMI Video release or the Congress Video reprint.
 * It is also unknown if this appears at the start of the 1978 Media Home Entertainment release of Tell Your Children (under the title Reefer Madness), or its 1985 re-issue.
 * It does not appear on the Media releases of Night of the Living Dead and Magical Mystery Tour.
 * The high-contrast version can be seen on the Cult Video release of The Cars That Eat People, as well as the Magnetic Video release of The Seduction of Mimi. This is also intact on the Image Entertainment DVD of Quiet Cool after the 4th logo, as well as the 1984 Warner Home Video clamshell of Hurray for Betty Boop.
 * This can also be found on the Vestron Video CED and Media Home Entertainment VHS of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it is unknown if it is kept on the Wizard Video VHS.
 * It is also unknown if this is seen on the Lightning Video VHS of the 1984 thriller Blind Date, the Media Home Entertainment VHS releases of Creepers (the cut version of Dario Argento's Phenomena) and the Canadian thriller Siege! (AKA: Self-Defense), or the Wizard Video VHS of Mountain of the Cannibal God (AKA: Slave of the Cannibal God).
 * It is confirmed to be on the 2019 Shout! Factory Blu-ray of The Street Fighter Collection.
 * It may be seen on the Force Video VHS of Immoral Tales. Some of their older films will have this plastered with the Fine Line Features logo, as seen on mid-to-late '90s prints of Pink Flamingos and The End of August at the Hotel Ozone.

Editor's Note: A very grindhouse-esque logo, which is quite fitting as that's how the company got it's start. The overall concept are likely to put some viewers off, even for some that are prone to epilepsy.

2nd Logo (February 27-August 28, 1987)
Nicknames: "The Filmbox", "Box and Filmstrips", "The Ladder", "The Earlier Ladder", "The Original Filmbox", "New Line Filmbox", "The Earlier Filmbox"

Logo: On a black background, we see a box connected with 2 filmstrips, as it glows blue, with the text "NEW LINE CINEMA" seen below, also glowing in the same color. Basically a still of the next logo, but the words are in black.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Ultra rare.
 * This plasters the previous logo on the RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video release of Quiet Cool.
 * This was originally used on the original theatrical release and TV spots of A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and appears on the 1987 Media Home Entertainment VHS and Laserdisc releases, as well as the 1999 New Line Home Video VHS release.
 * This was also used on the RCA/Columbia release of My Demon Lover and the theatrical trailers of Critters 2 and Hairspray (1988 film).
 * It may have also appeared on U.S. theatrical prints of Summer Night, but the IVE release doesn't use a logo, though the logo can be seen on the packaging. Digital prints of My Demon Lover skip this logo and go straight to the credits, but it is unknown if the Warner Archive DVD-R preserves it.

Editor's Note: Because this was only used for a short time, it's probably a placeholder.

3rd Logo (August 28, 1987-April 26, 1995)
Nicknames: "The Filmbox II", "Box and Filmstrips II", "The Ladder II", "New Line Filmbox II"

Logo: On a blue/white ethereal background, a black box zooms and rotates from the screen. In the background, several filmstrips float by, as the box is connected by two filmstrips. One of them attaches itself to the side of the box, and the other tilts to half a right angle and attaches itself to the top right. The background fades to black, as it glows blue while the company name fades in underneath.

Variants:
 * Some television showings of New Line movies in Australia have the preceding Roadshow Television logo morph into the black box in the beginning of the logo.
 * Beginning around 1991, there is less of a glow around the filmbox. It also has a more purplish tone to it.
 * There is a 2.35:1 scope variant, cropped from the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

Closing Variants:
 * Basically the same as the opening logo, except the box and filmstrips are in white.
 * Another shows "From" above the company name, which was omitted starting around 1994, though there is still leftover space between the logo and company name.
 * Monkey Trouble shows an in-credit closing logo, which has the text "RELEASED BY NEW LINE CINEMA" with the filmbox next to it.

FX/SFX: The spinning box and filmstrip.

Music/Sounds: Usually none or the opening theme of the film.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, there is a quiet flute and string jingle with bells and chimes.
 * The Roadshow Television variant has an extended version of the said logo's jingle playing over it.
 * On the Shout! Factory Blu-Ray of Man's Best Friend, it has the theme from the next logo, due to a reverse plaster.
 * On Menace II Society, there can be men uttering obscenities throughout the logo.
 * On Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, a few sounds from the film can be heard, such as Jason's iconic "Ki... Ki... Ki... Ki... Ki... Ki... Ma... Ma... Ma... Ma... Ma... Ma...".

Availability: Rare.
 * Current prints of most films replace it with the next logo, though older prints will have this logo.
 * This can be found on all pre-2002 releases of the second and third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. The first film, however, deletes this and goes straight to the opening credits on most U.S. VHS & DVD releases, while the Blu-Ray of the second film contains the next logo (though it's retained on current international prints, except the 2006 Magixeyes VCD, after the 1981 20th Century Fox logo).
 * This logo made its last appearance on Corrina, Corrina, though it is plastered on early home media releases with the next logo.
 * This is retained on most home video releases of Drop Dead Fred such as the original 1991 Live Home Video VHS (later reissued by Family Home Entertainment in 1996), the 2003 Artisan DVD (after the Artisan logo), the UK 2002 Universal DVD (after the 1997 Universal logo), and the UK 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray from Final Cut Entertainment (after the 1990 Universal logo). However, the original UK rental VHS edits this out and goes straight to the opening credits. It is also unknown if it would have been retained on the planned Severin Films U.S. Blu-Ray, or if it is retained on the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray.
 * It also appeared on the theatrical U.S. release of Babar: The Movie, but most home video releases delete this and go straight to the opening credits (the first VHS from Family Home Entertainment and possibly eOne's 2014 DVD release have the closing logo intact, however it is unknown if the 2004 Artisan Entertainment DVD preserved this).
 * The MGM DVD release of Amos & Andrew has this plastering the Columbia Pictures logo before going to the Castle Rock Entertainment logo. However, a 1998 MGM/UA Movie Time VHS and one On Demand print had the New Line/Columbia/Castle Rock logos present, while most HD streaming masters and the Olive Films Blu-Ray have the 2012 MGM logo plastering over the first two logos.
 * It also may have been seen on U.S. theatrical prints of Communion (1989), but most digital releases skip the logo entirely, although it is on the packaging.
 * It is unknown if it was seen on theatrical prints of Naked Tango or Without You, I'm Nothing.
 * This is also retained on the Shout! Factory Blu-Ray of The Lawnmower Man, the Warner Archive Blu-Ray of The Hidden, and the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Deep Cover.
 * Strangely, the opening variant appears after the closing variant on recent HBO airings of The Mask.
 * Don't expect this to show up on the Cinetel Films releases they distributed into theaters.

Editor's Note: Very good 2D animation, albeit a little dated.

4th Logo (October 14, 1994-September 3, 2010)
Nicknames: "The CGI Filmbox", "The Filmbox III", "Box and Filmstrips III", "The CGI Ladder", "The Ladder III", "New Line Filmbox III" "90s/2000s Filmbox"

Logo: It's essentially a CGI redux of the previous logo. A black box rotates out from an extreme close-up, with a blue light in the background. Various filmstrips zoom past the box as two more filmstrips rotate in, forming like before. The blue light dies down to create a glowing effect around it, as the company name zooms out from below in a ITC Garamond Cond Book font. The respective company byline fades in underneath alongside a line above.

Bylines:
 * October 14, 1994-November 18, 1994: "A TURNER Company" (in Helvetica; there is no line above the text)
 * December 16, 1994-June 25, 1997: "A Turner Company" (in Helvetica, it appears chyroned in since it fades out before the rest of the logo)
 * August 1, 1997-December 25, 2000, November 7, 2003: "A Time Warner Company" (in Helvetica Condensed)
 * January 26, 2001-October 17, 2003: "An AOL Time Warner Company" (in Times New Roman, earlier films may have a smaller byline)
 * December 17, 2003-September 3, 2010: "A TimeWarner Company" ("TimeWarner" is in the corporate font while "A" and "Company" are in FF Meta)

Variants:
 * From the logo's debut until November 18, 1994, a prototype variant of this logo was used. The differences are the light moves all around the logo before settling into its usual place, and the text (in Times New Roman Condensed) zooms out with a trail effect (which starts out black before fading to white). The Turner byline is used here, sometimes chyroned in on some releases. This may or may not have been a placeholder logo.
 * Earlier films from the Turner years shown in 1.85:1 aspect ratio have the logo more zoomed in, with the light having a larger radius. Later films used an open matte version, which is more zoomed out.
 * There are two variations of the 1997-2003 Time Warner byline:
 * The earlier variation essentially freezes the Turner version of the logo to hide the byline (the shining animation stops if you look closely). Additionally, the size of the byline varies in this version and appears chyroned in. It was used in tandem with the next variation below.
 * The later variation slightly redid the logo to look more updated, thus no freeze frame was needed. The brightness and the lighting effects have been improved drastically. Additionally, the byline has been redesigned to look less chyroned in and the logo also now fades out smoothly. However, if you look extremely carefully at the 2003 TimeWarner version, the shining effect continues but the light behind the filmbox freezes.
 * On Dog Park, the Time Warner byline is in Times New Roman, the same font that would later be used for the AOL Time Warner byline.
 * In the later years of its use, the logo has gained hues of and.
 * There is a videotaped variation of this logo where the animation runs at a smoother, fast-paced frame rate.
 * Depending on the quality of the print or the color grading, the logo may start out completely black, then reveal it is the box rotating, or may show a glossy surface before revealing the box. Usually, the logo had a generally darker shade during its earlier years.
 * On 3D films, a different logo is used where the filmstrips, ladders, and text zoom-in.
 * On the behind the scenes featurette of the Australian DVD of Dumb and Dumber and the European Spanish VHS of La Princesa Cisne (The Swan Princess), the prototype 1994 logo is bylineless.

Closing Variants:
 * Earlier films that used this logo reused the previous closing logo.
 * At the end of later films released during the Turner era, it is the tail end of the animated opening logo without the byline.
 * Starting from when the 1997 Time Warner byline was used, the logo is still and has the respective byline. Despite replacing the early variant as an opening logo, the later variant was almost never used as a closing logo.
 * Some films have the print logo shown, which scrolls up with the credits. It also may have the credit "A NEW LINE CINEMA RELEASE".

FX/SFX: The CGI animation of the filmstrips and the box, and the zooming out of the text.

Music/Sounds: A beautiful string fanfare composed by Michael Kamen. It begins with a high violin note that rapidly but calmly descends with many notes, ending with a quiet chime/string theme.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On some movies, the opening theme plays over the logo.
 * Some earlier films with this logo contain a different orchestration of the fanfare that sounds slightly slowed down (New Line Home Entertainment and New Line Television continued to use this version until their demise). This is usually plastered with the standard fanfare on newer prints of such films.
 * On The Wedding Singer, there is a re-orchestrated and quadruple-pitched version of the logo's theme, which echoes more and has a different flute note (however, current prints use the standard version instead).
 * The theme is shortened on some movies.
 * On films that originally used the silent 1987 logo, either it is silent or it has the standard theme.
 * On Don Juan DeMarco, another different orchestration is used. The chimes when the text zooms out are more apparent, and the fanfare is doubled in pitch.
 * Recent prints of Jason X (2001) have a high-pitched version of this fanfare playing over the 2003 logo (plastering over the 2001 variation).
 * On current prints of The Mack, the 2001 version has both normal and reorchestrated themes playing at the same time.
 * A Canal+ airing of Silk used the music from the Picturehouse Films logo on the 2003 version, most likely a sloppy plaster.

Availability: Common. Much more prolific than their past logos, given their higher-profile status thanks to the Turner and Time Warner acquisitions.


 * This logo debuted on Wes Craven's New Nightmare (as a prototype), and was last seen on Going the Distance.
 * The regular version with the Turner byline can be seen on 1994-1997 films from the era. Many newer issues of releases replace the versions with later variations having an AOL byline or Time Warner byline (whether the 1997 or 2003 one), although the bylineless closing logo is usually left unplastered.
 * The AOL Time Warner byline made its first appearance on Blow, and may also plaster the 1997-2000 Time Warner byline on later release prints of films released from late 2000-early 2001.
 * Even though both bylines are plastered with the 2003 TimeWarner version, said version first appeared on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and was also the first overall usage until it was renamed to WarnerMedia.
 * This logo has even been sighted plastering the 1987 logo on several films.
 * Also seen on some video games based on New Line Cinema properties, mainly the Lord of the Rings franchise.
 * This precedes the 1st logo on the Image Entertainment DVDs of Quiet Cool and Xtro, but many DVD releases update this with the 2003 version.
 * It appears on the Canadian C/FP Video release of The Basketball Diaries, a co-production with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment; don’t expect it on the PolyGram Video and Palm Pictures releases, as they only start with the Island Pictures logo.

Editor's Note: A favorite of many, thanks to its longevity and its effectiveness. However, as with the other TimeWarner properties, the version with the 2003 byline can be annoying to some, due to it plastering the previous logos on current releases of older films.

5th Logo (January 28, 2011-November 26, 2020)
Nicknames: "The WB/New Line Combo", "The Transition", "The WB Shield/New Line Filmbox Transformation", "The WB/New Line Transition", "The CGI Filmbox II", "The Filmbox IV", "The Golden Filmbox", "Box and Filmstrips IV", "The CGI Ladder II", "The Ladder IV", "New Line Filmbox IV", "Golden New Line Filmbox", "The Warner Bros/New Line Logos", "Pre-Pentagram Filmbox", "2010s Filmbox", "Filmbox in the Night Sky", "Filmbox in the Sky"

Logo: We travel through the clouds to see the 1998-2021 Warner Bros. Pictures shield and its byline zooming in toward the screen. It then breaks up into pieces, leaving the blue part of the shield and the byline behind as the camera pans from a daytime sky to a cloudy night sky (with the sun being seen for a split-second) as the pieces turn into the filmstrips and squares (now rounded at the edges) of the filmbox logo, with the reflection of the shield seen a few seconds. All the letters of the company name, now in a stylized flat font, appears flipping in as it shines and the byline fades in below, slowly zooming back.

Bylines:
 * January 28, 2011-June 15, 2018: "A TimeWarner Company" (with "TimeWarner" in its own logo font, with "A" and "Company" in FF Meta typeface)
 * September 7, 2018-November 26, 2020: "A WARNERMEDIA Company" (with "WARNERMEDIA" in its own logo font, with "A" and "Company" in AT&T Aleck Sans Light)

Variants:
 * On early movies with this logo, the cloud background is slightly different. Also, an extra filmstrip can be seen before the second square flies in from the center.
 * At the end of Dumb and Dumber To, a still version is used.
 * On Isn't It Romantic, there is an error where one of the filmstrips' holes and the hole in the 'A' in "NEW LINE CINEMA" briefly disappear.
 * On a few films, the WB shield's reflection is absent.
 * The intro video of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood replaces "Times New Roman" into "Times New Roman".

Closing: See Warner Bros. Pictures.

FX/SFX: The WB shield breaking up and forming the NLC logo. Impressive CGI with a great day into night transition, created by Picturemill.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie.

Music/Sounds Variant:
 * On New Year's Eve, the logo has a custom fanfare that syncs with the animation.
 * On If I Stay, the WB/New Line themes play for their respective logos, with the latter's theme being abridged.

Availability: Common.
 * It can be seen on films from the era, starting with The Rite and ending with Superintelligence.
 * The last film to use the TimeWarner byline was on Tag. In contrast, the WarnerMedia byline first appeared on the trailer for Shazam! and the fully animated version first appeared on The Nun (as a variant), while the standard version first appeared on Isn't It Romantic.
 * This does not appear on films that were given a studio credit, such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Straight Outta Compton, both under different studios. It also doesn't appear on Creed II, which uses the standard Warner Bros. logo instead.

Editor's Note: While not as popular as the previous logo, it has garnered a following over the years that it has been used. The version with the respective themes is known to be wasted; since it only appeared on the aforementioned title above. New Line would later reuse and recolor their design for the next logo.

6th Logo (April 8, 2021-)
Nicknames: "The WB/New Line Combo II", "The Transition II", "The WB Shield/New Line Filmbox Transformation II", "The WB/New Line Transition II", "The CGI Filmbox III", "The Filmbox V", "The White Filmbox", "Box and Filmstrips V", "The CGI Ladder III", "The Ladder V", "New Line Filmbox V", "The Warner Bros/New Line Logos II", "Pentagram Filmbox", "2020s Filmbox", "From Daytime to Sunset", "Filmbox in the Sunset Sky", "Filmbox in the Sky II"

Logo: Same concept as the previous logo, but with the 2021 Warner Bros. Pictures logo instead. As the camera gets closer to the shield, it shines as the WarnerMedia byline fades out. It then breaks up to transform into the NLC design from before (now colored in white) on a more realistic sunset background (with the reflection of the WB shield now removed). The byline fades in below, although much earlier this time just as the filmbox finishes forming as it shines while it slowly zooms away.

Closing Variant: Same concept as the previous logo. See Warner Bros. Pictures.

Variant:
 * A version exists where the logo doesn't fade in or fade out and no music. This can be seen on Devastudios' website, as well as 8-Bit Christmas (albeit using a fade-in).
 * On films shot in the 2.39 aspect ratio, the shield and filmbox are a bit smaller.

FX/SFX: Same as the last logo, but with updated visuals and effects. Awesome CGI done by Devastudios. Like the other 2021 WB logos, the sky and clouds were done using Terragen from Planetside Software.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.

Availability: Current.
 * This first debuted on the trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021) and made its first appearance on the film itself, albeit using a variant.
 * The standard version made its first appearance on Those Who Wish Me Dead, and can be seen on some of the company's recent output, such as 8-Bit Christmas, KIMI, and Moonshot.
 * It also appears on promotional material for The Fallout, however they are not actually credited in the trailer (despite the print logo appearing there). The final film uses the standard 2021 WB logo instead.

Editor's Note: A great update to the previous logo. Only time will tell if the WB and New Line themes will be used for their respective logos.