(Reuters) – At the heart of Harvey Weinstein’s New York rape trial is a power dynamic between a producer of some of the biggest culture-defining films of the past 20 years and two women who accuse him of abusing that stature by sexually assaulting them.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein leaves Criminal Court during his sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress, and to sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi, a former production assistant on the show “Project Runway,” for which Weinstein was an executive producer.
Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations and said that any encounters were consensual.
During cross-examination, Weinstein’s attorneys questioned his accusers about whether they used Weinstein to land a Hollywood acting job, highlighting the influence he once wielded.
The power Weinstein had in Hollywood is reflected by the volume of films he produced through his two companies, Miramax and The Weinstein Company. Many of those films helped catapult actors to successful careers.
Weinstein and his brother Bob founded Miramax in 1979, selling it in 1993 to the Walt Disney Co for $80 million. (Disney later sold Miramax.) The men stayed on until 2005, when they left to start The Weinstein Company.
After reports of misconduct against Weinstein surfaced in October 2017, Weinstein took an indefinite leave from The Weinstein Company, from which he was later fired.
The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018.
Weinstein’s current net worth is difficult to determine – in 2015 Forbes valued his stake in The Weinstein Company at $130 million.
Here are the top-grossing films from each of his production companies:
TOP FIVE WORLDWIDE-GROSSING FILMS FROM MIRAMAX
Chicago (2002) – $306,776,732
Shakespeare in Love (1998) – $289,317,794
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – $281,929,795
The English Patient (1996) – $231,976,425
Life is Beautiful (1997) – $230,098,753
TOP FIVE WORLDWIDE-GROSSING FILMS FROM THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Django Unchained (2012) – $425,368,238
The King’s Speech (2010)- $423,999,102
Inglourious Basterds (2009) – $321,455,689
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – $236,412,453
The Imitation Game (2014) – $233,555,708
SOURCE: Box Office Mojo
Compiled by Helen Coster; editing by Howard Goller and Grant McCool