It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribution, and exhibition facilities as well as manufacturing projection equipment and chairs.
[4] The company founder J. Arthur Rank, born in Kingston upon Hull, UK, was already a wealthy industrialist through his father's flour milling business, Joseph Rank Ltd, before making his start in filmmaking by financing short religious subjects in line with his Methodist beliefs.
[5] A loose collective of filmmakers was established by Rank under the banner of Independent Producers Ltd. including The Archers, consisting of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Cineguild Productions, consisting of David Lean, Ronald Neame, John Bryan, and Anthony Havelock-Allan, the filmmaking duo of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and the directors Ken Annakin and Muriel Box.
It launched several careers including those of Donald Sinden, Dirk Bogarde, Diana Dors and Christopher Lee.
[9] Managing director John Davis cut staff, reduced budgets and concentrated film production at Pinewood.
Top Rank artists included Gary U.S. Bonds, the Shirelles, B. Bumble and the Stingers, Wilbert Harrison, Skip & Flip, Andy Stewart, Craig Douglas and John Leyton.
In the mid and late 1970s, Rank Audio Visual made a 3-in-1 stereo music centre, as well as TV sets in conjunction with NEC of Japan.
[citation needed] Top Rank operated a portfolio of 10 service areas until the takeover of Mecca Leisure Group by the Rank Group in 1991, when they were spun off to ex-Mecca CEO Michael Guthrie under the name Pavilion (later acquired by Granada and now forming part of Moto Hospitality).
During this period, Rank started focussing on primarily solidly commercial ventures, largely aimed at the family market.
He said "great care will be taken to ensure that, while retaining essentially British characteristics the films will have the widest international appeal.
This is part of an intensified drive to secure ever widening showing in overseas markets which already return more than half the revenue earned by Pinewood films.
In October ,Davis listed the Rank actors he thought could become international stars: Dirk Bogarde, Peter Finch, Kay Kendall, Jeannie Carson, Virginia McKenna, Belinda Lee, Michael Craig, Tony Wright, Maureen Swanson and Kenneth More.
[14] In October 1957, at the 21st birthday for Pinewood Studios, Davis said Rank would make 18 films that year and 20 the next, with the latter costing £5 million.
In January 1960, John Davis announced that Rank would concentrate on bigger budgeted, internationally focused productions.
That year, the company made a group profit of over £6 million and stated 41% of its film production income came from overseas.
According to executive Tony Williams, "the two main streams that they were down to was Carry On pictures and horror films made by Kevin Francis".
[21] However, in 1976, Rank enjoyed much success with Bugsy Malone (which they co-produced with Paramount Pictures, who held its American rights).
[21]In 1982, the company partnered with Andre Blay Corporation to license its British title library to home video.
[36] The company finally severed its remaining connections with the film industry in 2005, when it sold its DVD distribution business and Deluxe technical support unit.