Bleecker Street Acquired by Outerlight Entertainment, Formerly First Look

Bleecker Street, the indie distribution label behind the U.S. releases of Alex Gibney’s documentary “Musk,” Mike Leigh’s “Tender Loving Care,” Guy Nattiv’s “The Liberation,” along with last year’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” “Rebuilding,” and “Bone Lake,” and many more titles, has been acquired by Outerlight Entertainment, formerly known as First Look.

The acquisition comes after the distributor’s founder and then-CEO, Andrew Karpen, died from an aggressive form of brain cancer at the age of 59 in May 2025.

The Bleecker Street brand joins Outerlight’s Topic Studios, but the two labels will continue to operate separately. Among Outerlight’s portfolio, the company also owns Puzzle Pictures, with investments in MHz Choice and Passionflix.

Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson and its president and chief marketing officer Tyler DiNapoli will remain with the banner. The release announcing the deal also states that Bleecker will retain control of its current slate without disruption, along with its other acquisitions, filmmaker relationships, and marketing and distribution operations.

“Bleecker Street is growing, and our ambition is to continue scaling the company while staying true to what has always made us distinctive,” said Sanderson in a statement. “Outerlight shares our belief in the power of cinema and the importance of theatrical moviegoing, and its long-term backing gives us additional capacity to pursue the opportunities we see across our core film business as well as compelling new avenues in the film space. We’re excited about what we can build from here.”

Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Bleecker Street notched the record for the highest-grossing live theater capture ever with its release of “Hadestown: The Musical” through its event label Crosswalk. The film earned more than $20 million during a limited theatrical run, becoming one of the sleeper hits of the summer box office.

Karpen founded the New York-based Bleecker Street in 2014. Prior to creating the banner, he had been serving as co-CEO of Focus Features since 2006; he elected to leave the company in 2013 as restructuring by Universal would’ve forced him to relocate his family to Los Angeles. Bleeker counts “Logan Lucky,” “Leave No Trace,” “Captain Fantastic” and “Trumbo” among its most notable releases.