Uncork'd Entertainment

Overview

Uncork'd Entertainment is an independent film distribution company founded in July 2012 by Keith Leopard, a home entertainment industry veteran with more than 23 years of experience in purchasing, acquisitions, merchandising, marketing, and analysis of major studio and independent content. Leopard previously worked as a buyer at Blockbuster and as an executive at Millennium Entertainment (formerly First Look Studios). The company is headquartered in Flagler Beach, Florida, with operations in Los Angeles.

Uncork'd distributes across six areas: digital media, physical home entertainment, aggregation, theatrical, television, and foreign sales. The company has secured relationships across all major digital platforms to ensure films reach the widest possible audience. According to IMDbPro, Uncork'd has 572 titles in its distribution filmography, and its website catalog lists 533 titles across horror, action, comedy, documentary, drama, family, fantasy, foreign, horror, LGBTQ, music, romance, sci-fi, supernatural, suspense, thriller, true crime, war, and western categories.

The company employs approximately 3 people, reflecting its lean operation as a high-volume, low-overhead genre distributor. This structure is typical of volume-based digital distributors that prioritise platform placement and broad catalog depth over individual title marketing campaigns.

Distribution Model

Uncork'd distributes primarily through digital platforms including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Google Play, and AVOD platforms including Tubi and Pluto TV. The company's home entertainment operation releases physical media editions for select titles, though digital distribution is the dominant channel. Most Uncork'd releases do not receive theatrical distribution. The company's model is digital-first, with theatrical limited to occasional higher-profile genre acquisitions with demonstrable theatrical audience potential.

The company's business model relies on volume: acquiring many genre titles at low cost and distributing them broadly across digital platforms generates aggregate revenue that sustains the operation even when individual titles perform modestly. This volume approach differs from the curated, quality-focused model of boutique specialty distributors that acquire fewer titles at higher costs and invest more heavily in each release.

For genre filmmakers, this volume model has direct implications for how much attention and marketing investment any individual release receives. Uncork'd releases benefit from broad platform placement but limited individual marketing support. Filmmakers should not expect significant publicity campaigns or theatrical press coverage for most Uncork'd releases.

Deal Structures and Economics

Uncork'd typically offers deals structured as a modest advance (sometimes no advance) against revenue sharing across digital platforms. The primary value of an Uncork'd deal is platform placement and delivery handling rather than marketing spend, which remains the filmmaker's responsibility in most cases.

The company acquires both North American rights and worldwide rights depending on the title. Recent acquisitions illustrate the range:

• The Hermit (2025): North American rights acquired from S&R Films on behalf of Chrome Entertainment at the Toronto Film Festival. Stars Lou Ferrigno in his first creature role since The Incredible Hulk. Planned for theatrical release in Q1 2026.
• The Room Below (2025): North American rights acquired from Blacktop International following the film's market debut at AFM. Stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise). Released in Q3 2025.
• Bone Face (2024): Worldwide distribution rights acquired from Historia Films and Artist Vodka Films. Slasher/thriller written and directed by Michael Donovan Horn.
• The Mandela Effect Phenomenon (2024): Documentary acquired from writer-director Robert Kiviat. Released digitally on July 9, 2024.
• Blackout (2026): Psychological horror/thriller written and directed by Shane Aquino, starring Mike Ferguson. Released on digital and VOD on May 5, 2026.
• The Leaching (2026): Creature feature co-released with Dark Star Pictures on digital and VOD on July 7, 2026. Written and directed by Evan Showaller.

Uncork'd has also expanded beyond genre into foreign-language and arthouse titles. In 2016, the company acquired Italian-language films including Italy's Oscar submission Don't Be Bad (aka Non Essere Cattivo) and They Call Me Jeeg Robot, which won seven David di Donatello awards. Leopard has stated that foreign-language titles hold greater opportunity in the current marketplace because larger companies and Netflix have scaled back acquisitions in that area.

2025 to 2026 Release Slate

Recent and upcoming Uncork'd releases include:

• Creep It Reel (2026)
• The Room Below (2026, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Alyssa Sutherland)
• Heartland Horror Chronicles (2026, TV mini-series)
• Cinephile (2026, worldwide rights)
• The Consequences of Monsters (2026)
• Attack of the Kraken (2026, digital download)
• Blood Totem (2026)
• The Hermit (Q1 2026 theatrical, starring Lou Ferrigno)
• Blackout (May 2026, digital and VOD)
• The Leaching (July 2026, co-release with Dark Star Pictures)
• Paralysis (2025)
• Very Frightening Tales 2 (2025, TV movie)

What Filmmakers Should Know

Uncork'd is an accessible acquisition target for genre filmmakers with completed low-to-mid-budget horror, thriller, sci-fi, and action features. The company's high acquisition volume means it evaluates a large number of submissions and its threshold for acquisition is lower than most specialty distributors. For horror, sci-fi, and action films that cannot attract Shudder, IFC Midnight, or Magnet Releasing attention, Uncork'd provides a realistic digital distribution pathway.

Filmmakers should weigh an Uncork'd deal against self-distribution via Filmhub or Gravitas Ventures. For genre films with strong genre credentials, the additional marketing effort Uncork'd applies to its acquisitions, including genre blog outreach, trailer placements, and genre media coverage, may provide value beyond what self-distribution achieves without a distributor's platform relationships. However, filmmakers should compare terms carefully with comparable volume digital distributors including Freestyle Digital Media, Random Media, and Gravitas Ventures, as deal structures and platform coverage vary between these companies for similar projects.

Leopard has positioned Uncork'd as a distributor that "personally works on each movie, reports on time and if there were revenues on the film, pays them on time." This reliability claim is notable in the independent distribution space, where late reporting and payment issues are common complaints from filmmakers working with volume distributors.

The company does not operate an open submission portal. Filmmakers should submit through a sales agent, or contact Keith Leopard directly through the Uncork'd website. Films with recognisable cast, strong genre credentials, or existing festival premieres have the highest probability of acquisition.

Example Titles They've Released

Uncork'd Entertainment releases approximately 60 to 80 films per year across digital platforms, making it one of the highest-volume independent digital distributors in the US market. The company's catalog spans horror, thriller, sci-fi, action, and documentary features. Recent and notable releases include Capture (supernatural horror thriller), The Hybrids (documentary about alien abduction experiences), and a steady pipeline of genre features acquired from international sales agents and direct filmmaker submissions. The company operates as a division of Leopard Films, with Keith Leopard leading acquisition and distribution strategy. Uncork'd primarily distributes through TVOD platforms (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu) and AVOD/streaming platforms, with limited theatrical runs for select titles. The company also handles DVD distribution through partnerships with physical media distributors.

Deal Structure Reputation

Uncork'd is an accessible acquisition target for genre filmmakers with completed low-to-mid-budget horror, thriller, sci-fi, and action features. The company's high acquisition volume means it evaluates a large number of submissions and its threshold for acquisition is lower than most specialty distributors. For horror, sci-fi, and action films that cannot attract Shudder, IFC Midnight, or Magnet Releasing attention, Uncork'd provides a realistic digital distribution pathway. Filmmakers should weigh an Uncork'd deal against self-distribution via Filmhub or Gravitas Ventures. For genre films with strong genre credentials, the additional marketing effort Uncork'd applies to its acquisitions, including genre blog outreach, trailer placements, and genre media coverage, may provide value beyond what self-distribution achieves without a distributor's platform relationships. However, filmmakers should compare terms carefully with comparable volume digital distributors including Freestyle Digital Media, Random Media, and Gravitas Ventures, as deal structures and platform coverage vary between these companies for similar projects.

Typical Acquisition Profile

The company does not operate an open submission portal. Filmmakers should submit through a sales agent, or contact Keith Leopard directly through the Uncork'd website. Films with recognisable cast, strong genre credentials, or existing festival premieres have the highest probability of acquisition. Leopard has positioned Uncork'd as a distributor that "personally works on each movie, reports on time and if there were revenues on the film, pays them on time." This reliability claim is notable in the independent distribution space, where late reporting and payment issues are common complaints from filmmakers working with volume distributors. The typical deal structure is a revenue-sharing agreement with no minimum guarantee, though films with stronger cast or festival pedigree may negotiate a small MG. Uncork'd handles digital encoding, metadata delivery, and platform placement, with marketing support that includes genre press outreach and trailer distribution.

Watch: Trailers and Behind the Scenes

See Also

For how genre distribution deals compare across Shudder, IFC Midnight, and volume distributors like Uncork'd, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue from a digital-first genre release across multiple AVOD and TVOD platforms, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For premium genre streaming distribution, see Shudder in this directory. For theatrical-led genre distribution, see IFC Films in this directory.