The company was founded by Steven Spielberg (movie director), Jeffrey Katzenberg (former head of Disney Animation Department) and David Geffen (founder of Geffen Records) in October 1994.

The studio has had its greatest success with movies. As of May 2003, it has produced:

• Shrek
• The Ring
• Old School
• Head of State
• Biker Boyz
• Chicken Run
• Catch Me If You Can
• The Tuxedo
• Road to Perdition
• Minority Report
• Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
• Hollywood Ending
• The Time Machine
• The Last Castle
• Artificial Intelligence: AI
• Evolution
• Almost Famous
• The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
• The Mexican
• An Everlasting Piece
• The Legend of Bagger Vance
• The Contender
• What Lies Beneath
• Road Trip
• Small Time Crooks
• Gladiator
• Joseph King of Dreams
• The Road to El Dorado
• American Beauty
• Galaxy Quest
• The Haunting
• Forces of Nature
• The Love Letter
• In Dreams
• The Prince of Egypt
• Antz
• Saving Private Ryan
• Small Soldiers
• Deep Impact
• Paulie
• Mouse Hunt
• Amistad
• The Peacemaker
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

• Propellerheads
• Smash Mouth
• Elliott Smith
• Rufus Wainwright