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Milan Popelka

Milan Popelka

Producer

Milan Popelka is the Chief Operating Officer at leading independent entertainment company FilmNation Entertainment. Popelka's responsibilities include overseeing all day-to-day operations, strategic planning/business development, and finance for the company, and extend across film, television, theater, and digital/audio.FilmNation is consistently ranked as one of the highest-grossing independent international film distributors, amassing over $1.4B global box office since 2013, as well as 45 Academy Award nominations (including 8 wins). On the film production/finance slate, Popelka served as Executive Producer on Denis Villeneuve's science fiction epic Arrival - the film garnered 8 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and grossed over $170M in worldwide box office. He also served as Executive Producer on this year's Late Night starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, as well as on several high-profile productions the company has coming to theaters in 2020: Greyhound starring Tom Hanks (Sony Pictures), Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan (Focus Features), and Dominic Cooke's Ironbark starring Benedict Cumberbatch. International sales credits for FilmNation include, among others: Best Picture Academy Award winner The King's Speech starring Colin Firth; Best Picture Academy Award nominated The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Alexander Payne's six-time Academy Award nominated Nebraska, and Rian Johnson's Looper. Popelka is integrally involved in the company's US and UK television activities as well, and the independent studio has a number of high-profile global series lined up including Derek Cianfrance's I Know This Much Is True, starring Mark Ruffalo which is currently in production at HBO. On the digital/audio front, Popelka Executive Produced the company's first podcast, genre-bending science narrative Hyper-Thetical, and is overseeing the company's expansive ambitions in this space. Prior to joining FilmNation, Popelka oversaw creative/finance at production and financing outfit Samuels Media (Michael Clayton). He also previously worked in the Independent Finance Group at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and served as a management consultant in the entertainment practice of McKinsey & Company. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and received a B.A. in Economics with Honors from Harvard College.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Producer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Milan Popelka's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
24%
Self
22%
Bonds
22%
Survival
17%
Power
6%
Ideas
6%
Society
3%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 14

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 12 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 9 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 8

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 5 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 10

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 13 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Contemplative
10
Melancholic
9
Dread
9
Bittersweet
7
Other
21

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Milan Popelka's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Milan Popelka's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • Small Town, Big Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Conclave(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Anora(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Babes(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Fingernails(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Flora and Son(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • To Catch a Killer(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Young Wife(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Down Low(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The People We Hate at the Wedding(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Outfit(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Red Rocket(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Space Between(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Larry Flynt for President(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Promising Young Woman(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Greyhound(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Nest(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Courier(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Lodge(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Gloria Bell(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Late Night(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Life Itself(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Kill Switch(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Sense of an Ending(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Arrival(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Chernobyl Diaries(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Die Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Retrievals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles, 24 of them dated from 2016 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Arrival (2016)

$214M worldwide

Highest rated

Arrival (2016)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing26 of 26: 26 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60th

By decade

2010s6 · crew2020s18 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Milan Popelka's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 25 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · producer

Larry Flynt for President (2021)

88th percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Arrival (2016)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Milan Popelka's work okay for kids?

Across up to 22 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore19 titles11–72 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity22 titles8–60 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity18 titles34–90 · median 66 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs18 titles22–67 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles9–75 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Milan Popelka work with?

People who share at least 2 of Milan Popelka's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alison Cohen shares the most, 21.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers