Vuelta Acquires WW Entertainment, One of Benelux’s Largest Distributors (EXCLUSIVE)

Pan-European indie group Vuelta, which recently bought Telepool in Germany, has completed another strategic acquisition with WW Entertainment, one of Benelux’s largest distributors.

With offices in Amsterdam and in Belgium, WW Entertainment (previously eOne Entertainment Benelux) has consolidated a solid portfolio of local and international titles in the last decade. WW Entertainment’s recent hits include “Loverboy: Emoties Uit,” as well as “Hit Man” and “Bombini Bangkok Nights.”

The acquisition of WW Entertainment gives Vuelta a solid footprint in Benelux, a key European market for theatrical distribution, spreading from Belgium to the Netherlands.

The deal also fits into Vuelta’s strategy to build synergies with some of its other European distribution banners, including Scanbox in Scandinavia, SquareOne/Telepoolin Germany and Pan in France. The latter just scored big in France with the local dramedy “A Little Something Extra” which outperformed Hollywood blockbusters tops this year’s French box office, having grossed more than $86.13 million.

WW Entertainment will now operate under the umbrella of Vuelta, while its well-established founders, Wilco Wolfers and Caspar Wenckebach, will continue to lead operations.

“I am thrilled to join the Vuelta Family, and I am looking forward to working with Jerome and David, the very professional team in Ireland, and with the companies in Scandinavia, Germany, France and Italia who have the same DNA as WW Entertainment!!” says Wilco Wolfers.

Vuelta chairman Jerome Levy, who works closely with CCO David Atlan-Jackson, said “Wilco and his talented team are an exciting addition to Vuelta.”

“We are eager to collaborate with WWE on their exciting projects and for them to leverage the Vuelta infrastructure,” Levy said, adding that “their track record in local films, the overlap with other Vuelta divisions in terms of acquisitions and the quality of their team will enhance Vuelta’s position as a leading European studio.”

Aside from the success of “A Little Something Extra,” Vuelta also had a busy year on the acquisition front. The banner, which launched in July 2023, recently completed the acquisition of Telepool, a German content production and distribution powerhouse, from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.

Vuelta is also now sitting currently at the top of the box office in both Benelux and Scandinavia with WWE’s “Loverboy: Emoties Uit” and Scanbox’s “Lee,” respectively. Scanbox is already having a record breaking year with the releases of “Longlegs,” “Past Lives,” “When in Rome” and “Civil War,” among others.

The group is also active in international sales and film financing via the Paris-based company Playtime and its subsidiaries, including Films Boutique in Berlin, Be For Films in Brussels and Film Constellation in London. Films Boutique notably won Cannes’ Grand Jury prize with “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” while Playtime’s “The Quiet Son” won Venice’s best actor award for  Vincent Lindon, and “When Fall is Coming” by François Ozon won best Screenplay and best Actor). Playtime has also been handling this year’s runaway hit “The Marching Band” which played in the Cannes Premiere selection.

Vuelta Group will have completed six productions by the end of the third quarter through its production labels, Indiana in Italy and Pan in France. Indiana will also deliver the TV Series “Il Gattopardo” ordered by Netflix by the end of the year. Vuelta said it aims to ramp up its production output with more than 20 feature films and TV series in the coming year.