maze pictures

What maze pictures does

Maze Pictures GmbH is an independent film and television production company headquartered in Munich with a secondary office in Berlin, founded in 2015 and led by CEO/Producer Philipp Kreuzer. The company develops, co-produces, and realizes feature films, TV series, and documentaries targeted at international audiences, operating through wholly-owned subsidiaries RED BALLOON FILM and SUPERNIX that serve as production vehicles. Its portfolio spans theatrical features with A-list talent (THE HAPPY PRINCE with Colin Firth, GUNS AKIMBO with Daniel Radcliffe, SIBERIA and ZEROS AND ONES with Willem Dafoe, RUMOURS with Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander), prestige TV series (THE CRIMSON RIVERS, HEIRS OF THE NIGHT, HIMMEL HERRGOTT SAKRAMENT), and franchise/sequel projects (THE CROW remake, KUNG FURY 2, RETURN TO SILENT HILL, RIDDICK: FURYA, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS S2, CLIFFHANGER).

The company's "technology" is conventional film and TV production services rather than a proprietary platform; output is project-based rather than SaaS-based, with no public-facing APIs, apps, or software products. Its underlying capability is the assembly of creative talent (notable directors include Abel Ferrara, Rupert Everett, Guy Maddin, Christophe Gans) combined with access to international co-production financing and distribution networks spanning France, Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Italy, the USA, and the UK.

Maze Pictures monetizes through four primary streams: theatrical film distribution via festival premieres and worldwide theatrical partners; TV series production and licensing to streaming platforms and broadcasters; co-production revenue-share arrangements with international partners; and direct streaming platform deals with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, centered on film festivals (Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, Berlinale, Locarno) and direct licensing negotiations, with world sales agents such as Lucky Number supporting international distribution on selected titles. Customer segments are exclusively enterprise — film festivals, theatrical distributors, streaming platforms, and European TV broadcasters — with no consumer-facing pricing or product.

Name

maze pictures

Legal name

Maze Pictures GmbH

Website

https://maze-pictures.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maze Pictures is an independent German film and TV production company headquartered in Munich and Berlin, producing theatrical features, TV series, and documentaries with A-list talent for international audiences, streaming platforms, and European broadcasters via co-production partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Theatrical Film Distribution: Theatrical feature film releases including international premieres at major film festivals (Sundance, TIFF, Berlinale, Cannes, Locarno) and worldwide theatrical distribution
2. TV Series Production and Licensing: TV series production (in-house and co-production) sold/licensed to streaming platforms and broadcast TV networks
3. Co-production Revenue: Co-production arrangements with international partners sharing production costs and revenues
4. Streaming Platform Deals: Content deals with streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maze Pictures is an independent film and television production company that develops, co-produces, and realizes feature films, TV series, and documentaries for global and diverse audiences. The company operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries RED BALLOON FILM and SUPERNIX, producing theatrical releases, streaming originals, and international co-productions distributed via global film festivals, streaming platforms, and European TV broadcasters.

Product overview

Maze Pictures is an independent film and television production company based in Munich and Berlin, Germany, with holdings in RED BALLOON FILM and SUPERNIX. The company develops, co-produces, and realizes feature films (such as THE HAPPY PRINCE, GUNS AKIMBO, SIBERIA, KUNG FURY 2, RUMOURS, ANOTHER GERMAN TANK STORY, and THREE LIVES LONG) and TV series (including HEIRS OF THE NIGHT, THE CRIMSON RIVERS, and HIMMEL HERRGOTT SAKRAMENT). Through its subsidiary SUPERNIX, the company is involved in co-productions including THE CROW remake and RETURN TO SILENT HILL. The portfolio spans theatrical releases, streaming platform content, and television productions targeting global and diverse audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• THE HAPPY PRINCE Theatrical feature film starring Colin Firth, premiered at Sundance 2018. For international audiences via theatrical distribution.
• GUNS AKIMBO Action comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe; became a platform hit. For streaming and theatrical audiences.
• SIBERIA Feature film directed by Abel Ferrara starring Willem Dafoe, premiered at Berlinale 2020. For international theatrical audiences.
• HEIRS OF THE NIGHT German-Dutch-Norwegian fantasy TV series set in 1889, following Europe's five remaining vampire clans. For young audiences and international broadcasters.
• KUNG FURY 2 Feature-length follow-up to the cult 2015 short film, starring David Sandberg and Michael Fassbender. For global action-comedy audiences.
• THE CRIMSON RIVERS Thriller series based on Jean-Christophe Grangé's best-selling novel, currently in fourth season. For broadcast networks and streaming platforms.
• HIMMEL HERRGOTT SAKRAMENT Bavarian TV series about Pastor Reiser, streaming on Amazon. For German broadcast audiences and streaming subscribers.
• RUMOURS German-Canadian ensemble comedy starring Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander. For international theatrical audiences.
• ANOTHER GERMAN TANK STORY Feature film by Jannis Alexander Kiefer about a historical Hollywood shoot in a small German village, winner of the Big Audience Award. For theatrical audiences.
• THREE LIVES LONG Feature film by Felicitas Korn about three men trying to escape their past. For international theatrical audiences.
• THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD Roadtrip feature film through the endless Venetian plains. Co-production with Vivo Film. For international theatrical audiences.
• HIMMEL, HERRGOTT, SAKRAMENT - SEASON 2 In-house-produced second season of the Bavarian TV series about Pastor Reiser. For German broadcast audiences and Amazon streaming subscribers.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RED BALLOON FILMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary/holding of Maze Pictures, part of their corporate structure for film and TV production activities
• SUPERNIXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary through which Maze Pictures co-produced THE CROW remake (featuring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs) and RETURN TO SILENT HILL
• StoriaTVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench broadcast partner for THE CRIMSON RIVERS bestseller adaptation series, now in its fourth season
• France2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench broadcast partner for THE CRIMSON RIVERS series adaptation since 2019
• Vivo FilmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD (2025), alongside Maze Pictures and Cecchina Trautvetter
• Lucky NumberminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld sales agent for THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD handling international distribution
• David SandbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWriter, director, and star of KUNG FURY 2 - feature-length follow-up to cult 2015 short film with 40+ million views worldwide

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UFA GmbH: German production company (Bertelsmann-owned) producing TV series, feature films, and streaming content. Comparable to Maze Pictures as a German-headquartered producer with strong broadcaster/streaming relationships and a TV series pipeline.
• StudioCanal: European film/TV production and distribution major (owned by Canal+). Like Maze Pictures, it produces and distributes feature films and series, but at a much larger scale and with owned IP and a global distribution footprint.
• Beta Film: German independent TV/film distributor and co-producer with deep relationships across European broadcasters and streamers. Comparable to Maze Pictures in its international co-production focus and European broadcaster relationships.
• ZDF Enterprises: Distribution and co-production arm of German public broadcaster ZDF. Comparable to Maze Pictures as it licenses and co-produces European drama series with international appeal, including some of the same broadcasters Maze serves.
• Gaumont: Major French film and TV production and distribution company. Comparable to Maze Pictures for its international co-production strategy and relationships with global streaming platforms, but at far larger scale.

Direct peers

• Tobis Film: German film production and distribution company with a long history of theatrical and TV production. Comparable to Maze Pictures as a German independent producer with a theatrical distribution capability and festival pedigree.
• Constantin Film: Major German independent film and TV production company producing theatrical features, TV series, and co-productions. Closest geographic and structural comparable to Maze Pictures as a Munich-based German producer with international distribution.
• X Filme Creative Pool: Berlin-based independent film production company behind internationally acclaimed German films (e.g., The Lives of Others, Toni Erdmann). Closely comparable to Maze Pictures in producing prestige German content with international festival and theatrical reach.
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih: Berlin-based independent German film distributor and producer focused on arthouse and festival titles. Comparable to Maze Pictures in the German arthouse distribution and festival circuit space.

Regional players

• Telefilm Bavaria: Munich-based German film and TV production company. Direct geographic and operational comparable to Maze Pictures, also producing German-language and international co-productions from Bavaria.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mazepicturesgmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maze-pictures
• Instagraminstagram.com/mazepictures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about maze pictures