RatPac Entertainment
American media and entertainment company involved in film financing, production, television, documentaries, live theater, and podcasts.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
RatPac Entertainment is an American media and entertainment company associated with film financing and production. Its activities have extended beyond conventional feature-film production to television, documentary filmmaking, live theater, and podcasts. The company was established as a joint venture associated with filmmaker Brett Ratner and Australian businessman James Packer, and later became closely connected with Dune Entertainment, the film-financing company founded by Steven Mnuchin. That relationship produced RatPac-Dune Entertainment, a major co-financing vehicle for Warner Bros. Pictures during the 2010s. The company's background is rooted in the growth of independent film-financing structures that supplied capital to major studios while sharing in the resulting revenues. Dune Entertainment had originally financed large-scale 20th Century Fox releases, including films in the X-Men series and Avatar. After Dune's arrangement with Fox ended, Mnuchin joined Ratner and Packer in a new structure. RatPac-Dune Entertainment was formed in 2013 and entered into a multiyear arrangement with Warner Bros. to co-finance a large slate of motion pictures. The agreement reportedly covered 75 Warner Bros. films and was supported by a substantial bank credit facility. Through this arrangement, RatPac-related financing was attached to a broad range of commercial and prestige releases. The slate included Gravity, The Lego Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, American Sniper, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Sully, Dunkirk, Wonder Woman, It, and Geostorm. The films covered many genres, including superhero entertainment, animation, action, drama, horror, comedy, historical stories, and awards-oriented adult cinema. RatPac also participated in arrangements involving Regency Enterprises, New Regency, Plan B Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, RKO Pictures, and other production and distribution companies. RatPac's documentary activity has been an important part of its identity. Documentaries associated with the company have examined subjects including actor John Cazale, the history of Cannon Films, Peter Bogdanovich, Romanian film culture, Sidney Lumet, climate change, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and author J. T. LeRoy. The company also became involved in The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution, a documentary about the retail-investor and GameStop short-squeeze phenomenon that was directed by Ondi Timoner and released on Netflix in January 2024. In late 2017, Access Entertainment acquired James Packer's controlling interest, changing the ownership structure around the business. The RatPac-Dune investment in a library of Warner Bros. films was subsequently sold or repurchased. In 2019, Warner Bros. exercised matching rights against a competing bid and acquired RatPac-Dune's stake for an estimated amount reported by reference sources at approximately $290 million to $300 million; this figure is not included as a company financial metric here because the available material does not establish a definitive primary financial source. RatPac Entertainment remains identified primarily as a financing and production label rather than a consumer-facing entertainment brand.
History
RatPac Entertainment emerged from the convergence of entertainment production and independent film finance. Brett Ratner and James Packer established RatPac as a joint venture, while Steven Mnuchin had separately built Dune Entertainment into a significant source of financing for studio films. Dune had been founded by Mnuchin in 2004 as a side business and subsequently helped finance high-budget 20th Century Fox productions, including films connected with the X-Men franchise and Avatar. Its Fox relationship ended in the early 2010s, creating the conditions for a new partnership. Ratner, Packer, and Mnuchin combined their interests in 2013 through RatPac-Dune Entertainment. In September of that year, the venture agreed to a multiyear co-financing arrangement with Warner Bros. Pictures. The structure was intended to finance a substantial slate of Warner Bros. releases and became one of the studio's important external financing partnerships after negotiations between Dune and Fox collapsed. A credit facility finalized in November 2013 was led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and reportedly carried an option to increase its size. The resulting film slate extended from 2013 through 2018 and included both large-scale franchise films and mid-budget productions. RatPac-Dune participated in or financed films such as Gravity, The Lego Movie, American Sniper, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, and It. The portfolio also included comedies, thrillers, dramas, horror films, animated features, and films made with Warner subsidiaries or outside production companies. Separate financing and distribution relationships connected RatPac-related projects with New Regency, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, RKO Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, and other partners. RatPac's activities were not limited to theatrical features. The company maintained a documentary presence, supporting works about film history, performers, directors, culture, politics, and social issues. Documentaries associated with the company included I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale, Night Will Fall, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, By Sidney Lumet, Before the Flood, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and Author: The JT LeRoy Story. RatPac also became involved in television, including the 2016 series Rush Hour, and in later documentary projects. Ownership changed in late 2017 when Access Entertainment acquired James Packer's controlling stake. The broader RatPac-Dune investment structure later faced a disposition of its interest in a library of Warner Bros. films. In late 2018 the stake was offered for sale, and in January 2019 Warner Bros. used matching rights to acquire it after a competing bid. This effectively ended RatPac-Dune's ownership position in that library, although it did not erase RatPac Entertainment's identity as a production and financing company. In 2021, RatPac acquired rights connected with the life story of Jaime Rogozinski, identified in the reference material as the founder of the Reddit WallStreetBets forum, after the GameStop stock short squeeze. The resulting documentary, The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution, directed by Ondi Timoner, debuted on Netflix on January 1, 2024. Reference material also identifies later documentary projects titled The Noble Guardian and Melania, although their release status and details are not established here. Overall, RatPac is best understood as an investment-oriented entertainment platform whose significance comes from its financing partnerships, film library interests, and varied production slate rather than from direct retail distribution.
- 2024
The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution debuts on Netflix
[1]The Ondi Timoner-directed documentary associated with RatPac was released on Netflix on January 1, 2024.
- 2021
Rights to a GameStop-era life story are acquired
[1]RatPac acquired rights connected with Jaime Rogozinski's life story following the GameStop short squeeze.
- 2019
Warner Bros. acquires RatPac-Dune library interest
[1]Warner Bros. exercised its matching rights and acquired RatPac-Dune's stake in a library of Warner Bros. films.
- 2017
Access Entertainment acquires Packer's controlling stake
[1]Access Entertainment acquired James Packer's controlling interest in RatPac.
- 2013
RatPac-Dune Entertainment is formed
[1]RatPac and Dune combined to create RatPac-Dune Entertainment and entered a major Warner Bros. co-financing arrangement.
- 2013
Warner Bros. financing facility is finalized
[1]RatPac-Dune finalized a credit facility led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch to support its film-financing activities.
- 2012
RatPac is established
[1]Brett Ratner and James Packer established RatPac as a new entertainment joint venture.
- 2004
Dune Entertainment is founded
[1]Steven Mnuchin founded Dune Entertainment, the financing company that later combined with RatPac in the RatPac-Dune venture.
Products and positioning
A behind-the-scenes entertainment-financing and production company focused on assembling capital and production partnerships for commercially ambitious feature films, prestige projects, documentaries, and other screen or stage content.
Feature-film financing · 2013
RatPac-Dune feature-film financing slate
The central RatPac business platform was its participation in film financing through RatPac-Dune Entertainment. The venture supplied or arranged capital for a broad Warner Bros. slate and related productions, covering franchise films, animation, action, comedy, horror, drama, and awards-oriented cinema. Representative titles include Gravity, The Lego Movie, American Sniper, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, and It.
Documentary production · 2009
RatPac documentary films
RatPac has been associated with documentaries on cinema, performers, directors, culture, climate change, and social or political subjects. The documentary group includes I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale, Night Will Fall, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, Before the Flood, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and Author: The JT LeRoy Story.
Television · 2016
Rush Hour
Rush Hour was a television production associated with RatPac Television and Warner Bros. Television. It extended the company's activities from theatrical financing into scripted television.
Documentary film · 2024
The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution
Directed by Ondi Timoner, this documentary examines the retail-investor movement and the GameStop short squeeze, using the episode to explore online communities, market participation, and the changing relationship between finance and popular culture. It debuted on Netflix in January 2024.
Brand decisions
2019
Warner Bros. takes back the RatPac-Dune library interestM&ABackground
RatPac-Dune's minority interest in a library of 76 Warner Bros. films was offered for sale after investors sought to exit the fund backing the library.
Action taken
After Vine Alternative Investments submitted a high bid, Warner Bros. exercised contractual matching rights and acquired the stake.
Aftermath
The transaction effectively removed RatPac-Dune from ownership of that Warner Bros. film-library interest.
- Vine Alternative Investments — Submitted a high bid for the film-library interest, but Warner Bros. matched the offer.
2017
Access Entertainment acquires the controlling stake held by James PackerM&ABackground
RatPac's ownership structure changed as the company continued operating alongside the RatPac-Dune financing platform.
Action taken
Access Entertainment purchased James Packer's controlling interest in the company.
Aftermath
Packer ceased to be the controlling owner, while the RatPac brand and its film-financing activities continued to be associated with Brett Ratner and the wider Access structure.
2013
RatPac-Dune chooses Warner Bros. as its principal studio-financing partnerStrategyBackground
Dune Entertainment's previous relationship with 20th Century Fox had ended, and negotiations with Fox did not produce a continuing arrangement. RatPac and Dune therefore pursued a new large-scale studio partnership.
Action taken
RatPac-Dune entered a multiyear agreement to co-finance 75 Warner Bros. motion pictures, creating a recurring slate-financing structure rather than relying only on individual project investments.
Aftermath
The arrangement connected RatPac-Dune with a wide range of Warner Bros. releases from 2013 through 2018 and became the company's defining commercial activity.
2013
RatPac-Dune secures debt financing for its slateStrategyBackground
A large multiyear studio slate required a dedicated financing structure capable of supporting production commitments across numerous releases.
Action taken
The venture finalized a $300 million credit facility led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, with an option reported to extend the facility to $400 million.
Aftermath
The facility provided financing capacity for the company's Warner Bros.-related film commitments.
Credit facility. $300 million, with an option reported to increase to $400 million (November 2013)
Recent events
Reported
RatPac acquires exclusive life and media rights to Jaime and Joel Rogozinski[2]
RatPac Entertainment announced that it had acquired the exclusive life rights of Jaime and Joel Rogozinski, including film, television, documentary and podcast rights, and also acquired rights to Jaime Rogozinski's book.
Sources2 sources
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