Millennium Media

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Millennium Media (formerly known as Millennium Films) was founded by producer Avi Lerner in 1996 as a higher-budget division of Nu Image. Originally owned by First Look Studios overall, once that dissolved in 2010, the company began distributing titles under the "Millennium Entertainment" brand (that asset was later spun off from Nu Image and renamed Alchemy in early 2015).



1st Logo (1998-January 28, 2011)


Visuals: On a black background, a stylized blue "M" with a white shadow draws itself. Then the word "MILLENNIUM" wipes in from left to right letter by letter below the "M". "FILMS" (with a line above the word) fades in below "MILLENNIUM".

Variant: On The Mechanic, the logo is grayscale and still.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: None or music from any given soundtrack.

Availability: Seen on Out for a Kill, Belly of the Beast, 88 Minutes, Derailed (2002), Blind Horizon, The Expendables, Mad Money, The Wicker Man (2006), Rambo (2008), and 16 Blocks, among others. It made its final appearance on The Mechanic (2011).

2nd Logo (February 25, 2011-)


Visuals: On a black background, numerous red Tetris-like shapes fly in away from the screen and come together in the center to form a red cube, which then rotates into place, revealing a white "M". A flash appears behind it. The word "MILLENNIUM" unfolds underneath it, and "FILMS" fades in a few seconds later.

Trivia: In the year of its debut (2011), this logo ran into legal trouble due to an ongoing graphic design infringement suit filed by Bill Dawson over the M-cube design. Though the parties later settled, some films lacked the M-cube during this period, likely as a safeguard to prevent them from being banned in the event of a decision for Dawson.

Variants:

  • Drive Angry (the first film to use this logo) used what was most likely a prototype: the M-cube (a 2D version) simply zooms in slowly as the text unfolds. The normal variant debuted on Conan the Barbarian (2011).
  • During the lawsuit described above, some films like A Little Bit of Heaven featured only the company name unfolding and nothing more.
  • On Trespass (2011), The Iceman, and Spiders 3-D among others, nothing appears below "MILLENNIUM".
  • On some films, such as The Expendables 2 and Olympus Has Fallen, the logo becomes squished as the text unfolds.
  • Beginning in 2013, the text is squished while the M-cube is not.
  • Beginning with The Hitman's Bodyguard in 2017, "MEDIA" replaces "FILMS". Additionally, the M-cube now shines.
  • A still version exists.
  • On The Expendables 2 video game, the logo is on a white background.
  • On London Has Fallen, the logo is seen glitching and plays sped-up and in reverse a few seconds after it is formed.
  • On the trailer for The Expendables 3, the logo has a blue light and a red light on each side of the screen.
  • On Hellboy (2019), the logo is black & white.
  • On the trailer for Rambo: Last Blood, the print logo is gray, in 3D, and appears over a tan cloudy background.
  • On the trailer for The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, the print logo appears as a light blue outline on a cityscape background with a lake, and zooms in.
    • On another trailer for this movie, the logo is blue and zooms in slowly over a view of an ocean. "MILLENNIUM" isn't squished here. It blurs out a moment later.
      • A 30fps version exists in USA On Demand prints, due to an unknown conversion to high frame rate.
  • On the trailer for Expend4bles, the logo is tinted in blue and is put on a blue smoky background.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None or the opening theme of the movie.

Audio Variant: On The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, the logo is accompanied by whoosh sounds.

Availability: It debuted on Drive Angry and has appeared on every film since.

External links

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