In a time when smartphones dominate nearly every moment of free time, many families are craving simple activities that bring people together and create real connections away from screens. That desire for meaningful, tech-free bonding inspired Michael Elliot — the award-winning screenwriter, entrepreneur, and cultural storyteller — to reimagine his love for film in an entirely new way… one puzzle piece at a time.
Introducing Cinema Puzzles, a new film-inspired puzzle brand created for movie lovers, collectors, and puzzle enthusiasts looking for a more cinematic experience. Officially launched on May 19, Elliot’s collection transforms iconic scenes from beloved movies into officially licensed puzzles featuring titles like Jurassic Park, Shrek, Dirty Dancing, Twilight, Jaws, John Wick, Despicable Me, and many more.
“I’m blown away that I get to take these movies that we’ve all seen and turn them into movies,” Elliot said during a press day.
Acclaimed screenwriter — known for films like Brown Sugar, Like Mike, Just Wright, and more recently Relationship Goals, and Ruth and Boaz — has always had a deep love for storytelling and cinema. But understanding how unpredictable Hollywood can be, Elliot knew he didn’t want to rely solely on the film industry for income.
After launching the men’s grooming lounge Hammer & Nails in 2013, over a decade later, he found inspiration for his next venture by combining two passions: movies and puzzles.
“It’s one of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing. It calms me,” Elliot shared. “I’m able to get away from the phone.”
Even with a packed schedule, Elliot admitted he often wished he had more time to enjoy puzzles, which eventually sparked a deeper interest in the hobby. After noticing how traditional puzzle designs often revolve around generic landscapes and repetitive imagery, the creative mind behind MTV’s “Carmen: A Hip Hopera” starring Beyoncé, began researching the booming jigsaw puzzle industry.
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That’s when he realized there was an opportunity to merge two things he genuinely loves — puzzles and iconic films.
The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to secure the intellectual property rights needed to feature licensed movies in the puzzles. But according to Elliot, the process ended up being far less difficult than he originally expected.
“To my surprise,” he shared, Universal Studios was fully on board with his idea and became the first licensor, giving him access “to some of the most iconic movies that they ever made.”
Movie lovers can browse puzzles by genre and age group, making it easy to relive iconic film moments one piece at a time. From horror favorites like Saw and psychological thrillers like Us to teen classics like Wicked, Twilight and comedies including Bridesmaids, The Breakfast Club, and Shaun of the Dead, Cinema Puzzles transforms beloved movie scenes into a hands-on nostalgic experience.
Deciding which scenes he would turn into puzzles was a whole research project of its own.
“The hope was that I could find that scene and gain access to the images and gain license,” Elliot told The True 100.
That’s when Elliot realized just how unique his puzzle concept was, as “the studios never really envisioned that there would be a Cinema Puzzles in existence,” he said. “It wasn’t like they prepared to have these high-resolution images.”
Especially for some older films. As a result, “For every film I had to curate it and get the approval,” he said.
Now Elliot has another notch under his entrepreneurial belt that works to bring families together, get people off their phones, and tap back into their brain power through the joy of puzzles.
“I get to re-experience some of the movies that I remember,” Elliot exclaimed.
Cinema Puzzles currently offers more than 200 puzzles spanning multiple genres, giving movie lovers plenty of iconic scenes to choose from. Now that the brand has officially launched, Elliot says he’s optimistic about securing even more film licenses in the future.
For puzzle enthusiasts and cinephiles alike, Cinema Puzzles offers a fresh way to bring the magic of movies and the joy of puzzles into your home.
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