Warner Brothers Shuts Down Indie Film Studios

Warner Brothers, a unit of TimeWarner, will continue to make independent films but said that the decision is a move will that will help the studio run more efficiently, according to Alan Horn, the studio's president and chief operating officer.

Ending the operations will mean a loss of 70 jobs from both companies, the studio said. Recently, Time Warner made the decision to fold the New Line Cinema studio into Warner Bros., cutting about 600 jobs.

That move will enable the studio to handle many different types of films without overlapping production, marketing, and distribution infrastructures, Horn said.

"After much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies," he said.

Management teams from Picturehouse and Warner Independent will meet with Warner Bros. Pictures Group executives to determine the status of ongoing projects and distribution of already-dated films, according to a statement.