Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Limited, doing business as Warner Bros-Seven Arts or W7, was an American multinational entertainment and music conglomerate headquartered in Toronto, Canada. After Jack Warner sold his controlling interest in Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., Seven Arts Productions acquired the company and later merged the two companies on June 30, 1967. Within two years, W7 was acquired by Kinney National Services in 1969.
Seven Arts Productions acquired Jack L. Warner's controlling interest in Warner Bros. Pictures for $32 million in November 1966. The merger between the two companies was completed by July 15, 1967, and the combined company was named Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. Hyman, founder of Seven Arts, was named chairman. Warner Bros. Pictures president Benjamin Kalmenson served as president of the combined company. Warner remained on the board as vice chairman. Alan Hirschfield was named financial vice president in October.
The head of production was Hyman's son, Kenneth Hyman. During his tenure, Hyman oversaw the production of hits like Bullitt, Girl On A Motorcycle, Rachel, Rachel and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, and The Wild Bunch, as well as George Lucas' first film THX 1138.
In February 1968, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts sold its 25% stake in Associated British Pictures Corporation to Electric & Musical Industries.
The acquisition included Warner Bros. Records (which was renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Records), and Reprise Records. Later that same year, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts also purchased Atlantic Records.
Within a year of the acquisition, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts was fielding merger offers. By 1969, it had become a takeover target for multiple companies, including Commonwealth United Corporation, National General Corporation, and Kinney National Service. However, concern over antitrust laws ultimately ruled out National General and Commonwealth, leaving Kinney as the preferred suitor. Kinney sold its Ashley Famous talent agency in order to avoid any conflict of interest in the deal.
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts was officially acquired by Kinney National Company on July 4, 1969. The Hymans resigned from the company and Ted Ashley was named chairman of the film studio in August. On December 16, 1969, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts was rebranded as Warner Bros. Inc.
The final film to be released under the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts name was Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, which was released in February 1970. The studio's next film, Woodstock, which was released in March, was credited as a Warner Bros. production, and this credit would be applied to all other productions from the studio afterward with Warner Bros. reestablished as a major film studio.
In September 1971, Kinney National spun off its non-entertainment assets as National Kinney Corporation, and changed its name to Warner Communications Inc. on February 10, 1972.