Wikipedia

Major film studios

Major film studiosareproductionanddistributioncompanies that release a substantial number offilmsannually and consistently command a significant share ofbox officerevenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often known simply as themajorsor theBig Five studios,are commonly regarded as the five diversifiedmedia conglomerateswhose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85% of U.S. box office revenue.[1][2][3][4]The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.[2]

The logos of the "Big Five" film studios, arranged in order by the year each studio was founded
Map
The locations of the "Big Five" film studios inLos Angeles.

Sincethe dawn of filmmaking,the major U.S. film studios havedominatedbothAmerican cinemaand the globalfilm industry.[5][6]U.S. studios have benefited from a strongfirst-mover advantagein that they were the first to industrialize filmmaking and master the art of mass-producing and distributing high-quality films with broad cross-cultural appeal.[7]Today, the Big Five majors –Universal Pictures,Paramount Pictures,Warner Bros.,Walt Disney Studios,andSony Pictures– routinely distribute hundreds of films every year into all significant international markets (that is, wherediscretionary incomeis high enough for consumers to afford to watch films). The majors enjoy "significant internaleconomies of scale"from their" extensive and efficient [distribution] infrastructure, "[8]while it is "nearly impossible" for a film to reach a broad international theatrical audience without being first picked up by one of the majors for distribution.[4]Today, all the Big Five major studios are also members of theMotion Picture Association(MPA) and theAlliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers(AMPTP).

Overview

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Universal StudiosinUniversal City, California
Paramount PicturesinHollywood
Warner Bros.inBurbank, California
Walt Disney StudiosinBurbank, California
Sony Pictures StudiosinCulver City, California

Summary of the 2023 North American market share of each studio.[9]

Universal Studios(21.77%)
Walt Disney Studios(21.26%)
Warner Bros. Entertainment(15.73%)
Sony Pictures(11.26%)
Paramount Pictures Corporation(9.55%)
Lionsgate Studios(6.48%)
Amazon MGM Studios(2.49%)
A24(1.54%)
STX Entertainment(0.07%)
Other (9.85%)

The current "Big Five" majors (Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney, and Sony) all originate from film studios that were active duringHollywood's "Golden Age".Four of these were among that original era's "Eight Majors,"being that era's original" Big Five "plus its" Little Three, "collectively the eightfilm studiosthat controlled as much as 96% of the market during the 1930s and 1940s.

In addition to being members of today's "Big Five,"Paramount PicturesandWarner Bros.were also part of the original "Big Five," along withRKO Pictures,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,and20th Century Fox.

Universal Pictureswas, during that early era, considered one of the "Little Three," along withUnited ArtistsandColumbia Pictures.RKO went defunct in 1959. United Artists began as a distribution company for several independent producers, later began producing its own films, and was eventually acquired by MGM in 1981. Columbia Pictures eventually merged in 1987 with Tri-Star Pictures to form Columbia Pictures Entertainment, now known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

During the Golden Age,Walt Disney Productionswas an independent production company and not considered a "major studio" until 1984, when it joined 20th Century Fox, Columbia, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros. to comprise the "Big Seven". The decay of MGM in 1986 lead the studio to become a mini-major upon its sale in 1986, reducing the majors to the "Big Six". In 1989,Sonyacquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment, which became Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1991.

In 2019,Disney acquired Fox,reducing the majors to a new "Big Five" for the first time since Hollywood's Golden Age.[10]Thus, Paramount and Warner are the only Golden Age Big Five members to remain as majors today with the same names, while 20th Century Studios continues to be a major under the ownership of Disney.

While the Big Five's main studio lots are located within 15 miles (24 km) of each other, Paramount is the only member of the Big Five still basedinHollywoodand located entirely within the officialcity limitsof the City of Los Angeles.[11]Warner Bros. and Disney are both located inBurbank,while Universal is in the nearby unincorporated area ofUniversal City,and Sony is inCulver City.

Disney is the only studio that has been owned by the same conglomerate since its founding. The offices of that parent entity are still located onDisney's studio lotandin the same building.[12][13]

Meanwhile,Sony Pictures Motion Picture Groupis a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is owned by Tokyo-basedSony Group Corporationand is the only US film studio owned by a foreign conglomerate. Universal, now owned by Philadelphia-basedComcast(viaNBCUniversal), was previously owned by foreign companies including Japan'sMatsushita Electric,Canada'sSeagram,and France'sVivendiin succession. The other two major studios report to corporations headquartered in New York City —Paramount GlobalandWarner Bros. Discovery.Most of today's Big Five also control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate onarthouse pictures(e.g., Universal'sFocus Features) orgenre films(e.g., Sony'sScreen Gems); several other specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010.

Outside of the Big Five, there are several smaller U.S. production and distribution companies, known as independents or "indies". The leading independent producers and distributors such asLionsgate Studios,the aforementionedMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(now owned byAmazon),A24,andSTX Entertainment,are sometimes referred to as "mini-majors". From 1998 through 2005, during a portion of the Big Six period,DreamWorks SKGcommanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major. In 2006, DreamWorks was acquired byViacom,Paramount's then-corporate parent (Viacom, after other mergers and acquisitions and rebrandings, included its movie studio's well-known name when the parent company rebranded asParamount Globalin 2022). In late 2008, DreamWorks once again became an independent production company; its films were distributed by Disney'sTouchstone Picturesuntil 2016, at which point distribution switched to Universal.

Today, the Big Five major studios are primarily financial backers and distributors of films whose actual production is largely handled by independent companies – either long-running entities or ones created for and dedicated to the making of a specific film. For example, Disney and Sony Pictures distribute their films through affiliated divisions (Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesandSony Pictures Releasing,respectively), while the others function as both production and distribution companies. The specialty divisions (such as Disney'sSearchlight Picturesand Universal'sFocus Features) often acquire distribution rights to films in which the studio has had no prior involvement. While the majors still do a modicum of true production, their activities are focused more in the areas of development, financing, marketing, and merchandising. Those business functions are still usually performed in or near Los Angeles, even though therunaway productionphenomenon means that most films are now mostly or completelyshot on locationat places outside Los Angeles.

The Big Five major studios are also members of theMotion Picture Association(MPA)[14]and theAlliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers(AMPTP).

Majors

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Current

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Studio parent
(conglomerate) 		Major film studio unit

Secondary studio

Date founded Arthouse/indie Genre movie/B movie Animation Other divisions and brands OTT/VOD US/CAmarket share (2023)[9]
Universal Studios
(NBCUniversal,Comcast) 		Universal Pictures April 30, 1912
Peacock
Hayu
Fandango at Home(75%)
SkyShowtime(JV) 		21.77%
Paramount Pictures Corporation
(Paramount Global,merge withSkydance Mediato form Paramount Skydance Corporation pending) 		Paramount Pictures May 8, 1912
Paramount+
Pluto TV
BET+
My5
Philo(minority stake)
SkyShowtime(JV) 		9.55%
Warner Bros. Entertainment
(Warner Bros. Discovery) 		Warner Bros. Pictures

New Line Cinema

April 4, 1923

June 18, 1967

Max
Discovery+
Fandango at Home(25%)
Philo(minority stake) 		15.73%
Walt Disney Studios
(The Walt Disney Company) 		Walt Disney Pictures

20th Century Studios

October 16, 1923

May 31, 1935

Disney+
Hulu
ESPN+(80%)
Disney+ Hotstar(36.84%)
Movies Anywhere
Philo(minority stake) 		21.26%
Sony Pictures
(Sony Group Corporation) 		Columbia Pictures

TriStar Pictures

January 10, 1924[17]

March 2, 1982

Sony Pictures Core
Sony Movie Channel
SonyLIV
Crunchyroll
Great American Pure Flix(JV) 		11.26%

Past

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Other major film studios of the 20th century included:

Instant majors

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"Instant major" is a 1960s coined term for a film company that seemingly overnight had approached the status of major. "[23]In 1967, three "instant major" studios popped up, two of which were partnered with atelevision networktheatrical film unit, with the most lasting until 1973:

Mini-majors

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Mini-major studios(or "mini-majors" ) are the larger, independent film production companies that are smaller than the major studios and attempt to compete directly with them.[25]

Current

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Studio parent
(conglomerate) 		Mini-major film studio unit

Secondary studio

Year founded Other divisions and brands OTT/VOD US/CA market share (2023)[9]
Amazon MGM Studios
(Amazon) 		Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[26]

Orion Pictures

April 17, 1924

February 6, 1978[27]

Amazon Prime Video
MGM+
MX Player
ScreenPix 		2.49%
Lionsgate Studios
(Starz Entertainment)[28][29][30] 		Lionsgate Films

Summit Entertainment

June 15, 1962

July 26, 1991

N/A 6.48%
A24[32] August 20, 2012[33]
  • A24 International
  • 2AM(backing)
 N/A 1.54%
STX Entertainment
 STX Films March 10, 2014[34]
  • STX Alternative
  • STX International
 N/A 0.07%

Past

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Past mini-majors include:

Other significant, past independent entities

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Semi-majors

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Semi-major studios(or "semi-majors" ) are significant studios that are sisters to or had a stake held by a major film studio.[citation needed]

Current

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Studio parent
(conglomerate) 		Semi-major film studio unit

Secondary studio

Year founded US/CA market share (2023)[9]
Amblin Partners[55]
 Amblin Entertainment

DreamWorks Pictures

1980

October 12, 1994

~ 0%
FilmNation Entertainment 2008 N/A

Past

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History

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The majors before the Golden Age

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See also:Sound film

In 1909,Thomas Edison,who had been fighting in the courts for years for control of fundamental motion picture patents, won a major decision. This led to the creation of theMotion Picture Patents Company,widely known as the Trust. Comprising the eight largest U.S. film companies, it was "designed to eliminate not only independent film producers but also the country's 10,000 independent [distribution] exchanges and exhibitors."[59]Though its many members did not consolidate their filmmaking operations, the New York–based Trust was arguably the first major North American movie conglomerate. The independents' fight against the Trust was led byCarl Laemmle,whose Chicago-based Laemmle Film Service, serving the Midwest and Canada, was the largest distribution exchange in North America. Laemmle's efforts were rewarded in 1912 when the U.S. government ruled that the Trust was a "corrupt and unlawful association" and must be dissolved. On June 8, 1912, Laemmle organized the merger of his production division, IMP (Independent Motion Picture Company), with several other filmmaking companies, creating theUniversal Film Manufacturing CompanyinNew York City.By the end of the year, Universal was making movies at two Los Angeles facilities: the former Nestor Film studio in Hollywood, and another studio inEdendale.The first Hollywood major studio was in business.[60]

In 1918, four brothers—Harry,Albert,Sam,andJack Warner—founded thefirst Warner Bros. StudioonSunset Boulevardin Hollywood. On April 4, 1923, the Warner Bros. incorporated their fledgling movie company as "Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.".Though their first film wasMy Four Years in Germany,Warner Bros. released their full-fledged movieThe Jazz Singerin 1927. Warner Bros. were the pioneers of thesound filmera as they establishedVitaphone.Because ofThe Jazz Singer's success (along withLights of New York,The Singing FoolandThe Terror), Warner Bros. was able to acquire amuch larger studioin Burbank, which it began to use starting in 1928 (and which is famous for itssignature water tower). Warner Bros. eventually expanded its studio operations to Leavesden in London.Warner Bros. Studios Leavesdenis the main studio in production of hit movies like theHarry Potterfilm series,The Dark Knightand the recent ones likeThe BatmanandReady Player One.

In 1916, a second powerful Hollywood studio was established whenAdolph Zukormerged hisFamous Players Film Companymovie production house with theJesse L. Lasky Companyto formFamous Players–Lasky.The combined studio acquiredParamount Picturesas a distribution arm and eventually adopted its name. That same year,William Foxrelocated hisFox Film CorporationfromFort Lee, New Jerseyto Hollywood and began expanding.[61]

In 1923,Walt Disneyhad founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio and The Disney Brothers Features Company with his brotherRoyand animatorUb Iwerks.Renamed asWalt Disney Productions,Disney became a powerful independent over the next three decades focusing on animation with its shorts and films being distributed over the years by various majors; primarily Leslie B. Mace, Winkler Pictures, Universal Pictures, Celebrity Productions, Cinephone, Columbia Pictures, United Artists, United Artists Pictures and finally RKO. In its first year in 1928, Celebrity Productions and Cinephone had released its first blockbusterSteamboat Willie.In the decades that followed, Disney and its associated distributors were able to achieve occasional successes, but its relatively small output and exclusive focus on G-rated films meant that it was not generally considered to be one of the majors.

The Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America and the Independent Producers' Association declared war in 1925 on what they termed a common enemy — the "film trust" ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer,Paramount, andFirst National,which they claimed dominated the industry by not only producing and distributing motion pictures, but by entering into exhibition as well.[62]

On October 6, 1927, Warner Bros. releasedThe Jazz Singer,starringAl Jolson,and a whole new era began, with "pictures that talked", bringing the studio to the forefront of the film industry.The Jazz Singerplayed to standing-room-only crowds throughout the country and earned a specialAcademy Award for Technical Achievement.[63]Fox, in the forefront ofsound filmtechnology along with Warner Bros., was also acquiring a sizable circuit of movie theaters to exhibit its product.[citation needed]The development of sound films likeThe Jazz Singernear the end of theRoaring Twentiesresulted in a massive rush of Americans to movie theaters to watch the astonishing new "talkies".[6]At the peak of the fad, every person in the United States over the age of six was watching a motion picture in a theater at least once a week.[6]The box office revenue from the first sound films is what enabled the Hollywood majors to achieve their lasting domination of the global film industry.[6]

The majors during the Golden Age

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See also:Sound film
Further information:Studio system

Between late 1928, whenRCA'sDavid Sarnoffengineered the creation of theRKO(Radio-Keith-Orpheum) studio, and the end of 1949, when Paramount divested its theater chain—roughly the period considered Hollywood's Golden Age—there were eight Hollywood studios commonly regarded as the "majors".[64][65]Of these eight, the so-called Big Five were integrated conglomerates, combining ownership of a production studio, distribution division, and substantial theater chain, and contracting with performers and filmmaking personnel: Loews/MGM, Paramount, Fox (which became 20th Century-Fox after a 1935 merger), Warner Bros., and RKO. The remaining majors were sometimes referred to as the "Little Three" or "major minor" studios.[21]Two—Universal and Columbia (founded in 1924)—were organized similarly to the Big Five, except for the fact that they never owned more than small theater circuits (a consistently reliable source of profits). The third of the lesser majors, United Artists (founded in 1919), owned a few theaters and had access to production facilities owned by its principals, but it functioned primarily as a backer-distributor, loaning money to independent producers and releasing their films. During the 1930s, the eight majors averaged a total of 358 feature film releases a year; in the 1940s, the four largest companies shifted more of their resources toward high-budget productions and away fromB movies,bringing the yearly average down to 288 for the decade.[64]

Among the significant characteristics of the Golden Age was the stability of the Hollywood majors, their hierarchy, and their near-complete domination of the box office. At the midpoint of the Golden Age, 1939, the Big Five had market shares ranging from 22% (MGM) to 9% (RKO); each of the Little Three had around a 7% share. In sum, the eight majors controlled 95% of the market. Ten years later, the picture was largely the same: the Big Five had market shares ranging from 22% (MGM) to 9% (RKO); the Little Three had shares ranging from 8% (Columbia) to 4% (United Artists). In sum, the eight majors controlled 96% of the market.[66]

The majors after the Golden Age

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1950s–1960s

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The end of the Golden Age had been signaled by the majors' loss of afederal antitrust casethat led to the divestiture of the Big Five's theater chains. Though this had virtually no immediate effect on the eight majors' box-office domination, it somewhat leveled the playing field between the Big Five and the Little Three. In November 1951,Decca Recordspurchased 28% of Universal; early the following year, the studio became the first of the classic Hollywood majors to be taken over by an outside corporation, as Decca acquired majority ownership.[67]In 1953, Disney established its own distribution division,Buena Vista Film Distribution,to handle its own product which had been largely distributed by RKO. The 1950s also saw two substantial shifts in the hierarchy of the majors: RKO, perennially the weakest of the Big Five, declined rapidly under the mismanagement ofHoward Hughes,who had purchased a controlling interest in the studio in 1948. By the time Hughes sold it to theGeneral Tire and Rubber Companyin 1955, the studio was a major by outdated reputation alone. In 1957, virtually all RKO movie operations ceased and the studio was dissolved in 1959. (Revived on a small scale in 1981, it was eventually spun off and now operates as a minor independent company.) In contrast, there was United Artists, which had long operated under the financing-distribution model the other majors were now progressively shifting toward. UnderArthur KrimandRobert Benjamin,who began managing the company in 1951, UA became consistently profitable. By 1956—when it released one of the biggest blockbusters of the decade,Around the World in 80 Days—it commanded a 10% market share. By the middle of the next decade, it had reached 16% and was the second-most profitable studio in Hollywood.

Despite RKO's collapse, the remaining seven majors still averaged a total yearly release slate of 253 feature films during the decade.[64]FollowingMCA Inc.'s acquisition of Decca Records and the aforementioned Universal underLew Wassermanin 1962, the later half of the 1960s were marked by four others — Paramount, United Artists, Warner Bros., and MGM — involved in a spate of corporate takeovers that left Columbia, Fox, and its eventual parent company Disney under original ownership.Gulf+Westerntook over Paramount in 1966; and theTransamerica Corporationpurchased United Artists in 1967. Warner Bros. underwent large-scale reorganization twice in two years: a 1967 merger with theSeven Artscompany preceded a 1969 purchase byKinney National,underStephen J. Ross.MGM, in the process of a slow decline, changed ownership twice in the same span as well, winding up in the hands of financierKirk Kerkorianalso in 1969. The majors almost entirely abandoned low-budget production during this era, bringing the annual average of features released down to 160.[64]The decade also saw Disney/Buena Vista commanding a prominent position in the market. Buoyed by the success ofMary Poppins,Disney achieved a 9% market share in 1964, more than Warner and its eventual subsidiary Fox. Though over the next two decades Disney/Buena Vista's share of the box-office would continue to reach this level, the studio was still not considered a major as it did not release many films, and those it did release were exclusively G-rated.

1970s–1980s

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The early 1970s were difficult years for all the classic majors. Movie attendance, which had been declining steadily since the end of the Golden Age, hit an all-time low by 1971. In 1973, MGM presidentJames T. Aubreydrastically downsized the studio, slashing its production schedule and eliminating its distribution arm (UA would distribute the studio's films for the remainder of the decade). From fifteen releases in 1973, the next year MGM was down to five; its average for the rest of the 1970s would be even lower.[68]Like RKO in its last days under Hughes, MGM remained a major in terms of brand reputation, but little more. Disney by contrast began to ascend towards major status through a resurgence in its animated movies, beginning withThe Rescuers(1977), and the studio began to enter the adult market withThe Black Hole(1979), its first non-G rated film.

By the mid-1970s, the industry had rebounded and a significant philosophical shift was in progress. As the majors focused increasingly on the development of the next hoped-for blockbuster and began routinely opening each new movie in many hundreds of theaters (an approach called "saturation booking" ), their collective yearly release average fell to 81 films during 1975–84.[64]The classic set of majors was shaken further in late 1980, when the disastrously expensive flop ofHeaven's Gateeffectively ruined United Artists. The studio was sold the following year to Kerkorian, who merged it with MGM. After a brief resurgence, the combined studio continued to decline. From 1986, MGM/UA has been at best a "mini-major", to use the present-day term.

Meanwhile, a new member was finally admitted to the club of major studios and two significant contenders emerged. With the combined output ofWalt Disney Pictures,the establishment of theTouchstone Picturesbrand in 1984, and increasing attention to the adult live-action market during the early 1980s, Disney/Buena Vista secured acknowledgment as a full-fledged major.[21]Film historian Joel Finler identifies 1986 as the breakthrough year, when Disney rose to third place in market share and remained consistently competitive for a leading position thereafter.[69]

The two emerging contenders were both newly formed companies. In 1978, Krim, Benjamin, and three other studio executives departed UA to foundOrion Picturesas a joint venture with Warner Bros. It was announced optimistically as the "first major new film company in 50 years".[70]Tri-Star Pictureswas created in 1982 as a joint venture of future corporate sibling Columbia Pictures (at that time acquired by theCoca-Cola Company),HBO(then owned by Warner Bros. Discovery's predecessorTime Inc.), andCBS.In 1985,Rupert Murdoch'sNews Corporationacquired 20th Century-Fox (dropping the hyphen), the last of both the classic Hollywood majors and the Golden Age majors to be taken over by an outside corporation; it remained independent until its 2019 sale to Disney brought back the total majors back to a "Big Five".

By 1986, the combined share of the six classic majors — Paramount, MGM/UA, Fox, Warner Bros., Columbia and Universal — fell to 64%, the lowest since the beginning of the Golden Age. Fox's future parent company Disney was in third place, behind only Paramount and Warner. Even including Disney/Buena Vista as a seventh major and adding its 10% share (only for them to acquire Fox 33 years later), the majors' control of the North American market was at a historic ebb. Orion (now completely independent of Warner) and Tri-Star were well positioned as mini-majors, each with North American market shares of around 6% and regarded by industry observers as "fully competitive with the majors", much like MGM and Lionsgate by the turn of the century.[71]Smaller independents garnered 13%—more than any studio aside from Paramount. In 1964, by comparison, all of the companies outside of the then-seven majors and Disney had combined for a grand total of 1%. In the first edition of Finler'sThe Hollywood Story(1988), he wrote, "It will be interesting to see whether the old-established studios will be able to bounce back in the future, as they have done so many times before, or whether the newest developments really do reflect a fundamental change in the US movie industry for the first times since the 20s."[72]

1990s–2000s

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With the exception of MGM/UA—whose position was effectively supplanted by Disney—the old-established studios did bounce back. The aforementioned purchase of20th Century FoxbyRupert Murdoch'sNews Corporationleft its future parent company Disney under original ownership and presaged a new round of corporate acquisitions not long afterward. As part of that series, Columbia, Paramount and Warner Bros. received new owners once and for all while Universal changed corporate hands until the mid-2000s. Paramount's parent companyGulf+Westernwas renamed Paramount Communications and Coca-Cola sold Columbia to Japanese electronics firmSonyin 1989, creatingSony Pictures.The following year,Warner Communicationsmerged withTime Inc.to birthTime Warnerand Universal's parent companyMCAwas purchased by fellow Japanese electronics conglomerateMatsushita.At this time, both Tri-Star and Orion were essentially out of business: the former merged with Sony and Columbia, the latter bankrupt and sold to MGM. The most important contenders to emerge during the 1990s with Viacom's purchase of Paramount Communications in 1994 —New Line Cinema,Miramax,andDreamWorks SKG— were likewise sooner or later brought into the majors' fold. Shortly after, Matsushita sold MCA (and Universal) to Seagram in 1996, thenVivendiin 2000, and later NBC's parent companyGeneral Electricin 2004 to become NBCUniversal.

The development of in-house pseudo-indie subsidiaries by the conglomerates—sparked by the 1992 establishment ofSony Pictures Classicsand the success ofPulp Fiction(1994) on home video, significantly undermined the position of the true independents. The majors' release schedule rebounded: the six (later five) primary studio subsidiaries alone put out a total of 124 films during 2006; the three largest secondary subsidiaries (New Line, Fox Searchlight, and Focus Features) accounted for another 30. Box-office domination was fully restored: in 2006, the then-six (now five) major movie conglomerates combined for 89.8% of the North American market; Lionsgate and Weinstein were almost exactly half as successful as their 1986 mini-major counterparts, sharing 6.1%; MGM came in at 1.8%; and all of the remaining independent companies split a pool totaling 2.3%.[73]

More developments took place among the majors' subsidiaries. The very successful animation production housePixar,whose films were distributed by Buena Vista, was acquired by Disney also in 2006. In 2008, New Line Cinema lost its independent status within Time Warner and became a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Time Warner also announced that it would be shutting down its two specialty units, Warner Independent and Picturehouse.[74]Also in 2008, Paramount Vantage's production, marketing, and distribution departments were folded into the parent studio,[75]though it retained the brand for release purposes.[76][77]Universal sold off its genre specialty division, Rogue Pictures, toRelativity Mediain 2009.[78]

2010–present

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In January 2010,[79]Disney closed down Miramax's operations and sold off the unit and its library that July to an investor group led by Ronald N. Tutor of theTutor Periniconstruction firm andTom Barrackof theColony Capitalprivate equity firm.[80]

In January 2011, the majority ofUniversal was acquired by Comcastwhen acquiring 51% of NBCUniversal from General Electric before acquiring the remaining 49% and taking complete ownership in March 2013.

On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company (the parent company of major film studio Walt Disney Studios)announced to acquire key assetsof21st Century Fox(including fellow major film studio20th Century Foxalong withFox Searchlight Pictures).[81][82]After winning the bidding war for Fox against Comcast, both Disney and Fox shareholders approved the deal on July 27, 2018 and completed on March 20, 2019.[83][84][81]The number of major film studios lowered to five for the first time since the Golden Age of Hollywood,[85]as the era of the "Big Six" studios and Fox as a major studio for 83 years ended.[85]

From June 14, 2018, until its acquisition by Discovery in 2022, Warner Bros. was owned byAT&T,which completed its acquisition of Time Warner, renaming it "WarnerMedia",[86]which contained all assets owned by Warner Bros. and its subsidiaries.

On August 13, 2019, Paramount Pictures parent, Viacom, announcedits reunionwith CBS Corporation, and the combined company would be calledViacomCBS,renamed Paramount also in 2022. The two companies previously merged in 2000 but split in 2005. The deal was completed on December 4, 2019.[87][88]Meanwhile, CBS Corporation's mini-major film studio, CBS Films was folded into CBS Entertainment Group after releasing its 2019 film slate, switching its focus to creating original film content forCBS All Access.[89]

On January 17, 2020, Disney discontinued the "Fox" name from both 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures and rebranded them as20th Century StudiosandSearchlight Picturesrespectively, to avoid brand confusion withFox Corporation.The "Searchlight Pictures" and "20th Century Studios" name were first seen onDownhillon February 14, and onThe Call of the Wilda week later on February 21 respectively.[90][91]

The studios were affected by theCOVID-19 pandemicwith some cinema chains closing, precipitatingbox office flops(like Disney'sOnwardor Sony'sBloodshot). Several films were delayed (Universal and MGM'sNo Time to Dieor Paramount'sA Quiet Place Part IIand even Disney'sBlack WidowandMulan) and others were launched to the digital market (like Universal'sThe Invisible ManandTrolls World Tourand Warner Bros.'Birds of Prey,ScoobandWonder Woman 1984).[92]

On May 16, 2021, it was reported that AT&T was in talks withDiscovery, Inc.for it to merge with and acquire Warner Bros.' parent companyWarnerMedia,forming a publicly traded company that would be divided between its shareholders.[93]The proposed spin-off and acquisition was officially announced the next day, which was structured as aReverse Morris Trust.AT&T shareholders would receive a 71% stake in the enlarged Discovery, which would be led by its current CEODavid Zaslav.As the transaction closed on April 8, 2022, Discovery renamed itselfWarner Bros. Discoveryand ended AT&T's investment in the entertainment business.[94][95][96]

On the same day after the announcement of the acquisition/merger ofWarnerMediabyDiscovery,Amazonentered negotiations with MGM Holdings to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The negotiations were made directly with MGM board chairman Kevin Ulrich whoseAnchorage Capital Groupis a major shareholder.[97][98]MGM already began to explore a potential sale of the studio since December 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the domination of streaming platforms due to the closure of movie theaters as contributing factors.[99][100]On May 26, 2021, it was officially announced that MGM would be acquired by Amazon for $8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approvals and other routine closing conditions; with the studio continuing to operate as a label under Amazon's existing content arm, complementingAmazon StudiosandAmazon Prime Video.[101]The acquisition closed on March 17, 2022.[102]

On April 18, 2024, rumors began to circulate that Sony Pictures andApollo Global Managementwere interested in jointly acquiring Paramount Global. Sony and Apollo presented a $26 billion all-cash offer to acquire Paramount Global on May 5, 2024.[103]According to The New York Times, the board of directors of Paramount Global formally commenced negotiations with Sony and Apollo over the possible sale of the company.[104]If the deal is finalized, Sony will rank third in worldwide film studio rankings, behind The Walt Disney Company and NBCUniversal. In the US and Canada alone, Sony would have a 20.81% market share.[105]On June 3, 2024, Paramount Group reportedly agreed to change mergers from Sony toSkydance Mediafor $8 billion. Skydance would first acquireNational Amusements,which controls 80% of the voting shares of Paramount and then pump cash into Paramount, which would then acquire Skydance.[106][107]At first unsucessful in June 2024, Skydance reached a preliminary agreement on July 2, 2024 to acquire National Amusements andmergewith Paramount, which is currently being called "New Paramount".[108][109]

Historical organizational lineage

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The eight Golden Age majors

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The eight major film studios of the Golden Age have gone through significant ownership changes ( "independent" meaning customarily identified as the primary commercial entity in its corporate structure; "purchased" meaning acquired anything from majority to total ownership). For instance, this does not includeWalt Disney Studios,which despite being primarily an independentanimation studioduring the Golden Age, is the only current existing major studio to remain under continuous autonomous ownership since its founding.

Universal Pictures

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Further information:Universal Pictures

Paramount Pictures

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Further information:Paramount Pictures

United Artists (UA)

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Further information:United Artists

Warner Bros.

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Further information:Warner Bros.

Columbia Pictures

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Further information:Columbia Pictures
  • Independent as CBC Film Sales, 1918–1924 (founded byHarry Cohn,Joe Brandt,andJack Cohn)
  • Independent, 1924–1968 (company changes name to Columbia Pictures Corporation; goes public in 1926)
  • Columbia Pictures Industries, 1968–1987 (merger between Columbia Pictures Corporation andScreen Gems.CPI becomes the parent of both companies)
  • Columbia Pictures Entertainment, 1987–1991 (divested by Coca-Cola; Coke's entertainment business sold to Tri-Star and takes 49% in CPE)
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment,1991–present (Columbia Pictures Entertainment rebrands itself two years after purchase)
    • Sony, 1989–2021 (purchased by Sony Corporation in November 1989)
    • Sony Group Corporation,2021–present (Sony reorganized)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

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Further information:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

RKO Radio Pictures/RKO Pictures

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Further information:RKO Pictures
  • Independent asFBO,1918–1928 (founded by Harry F. Robertson)
  • RCA,1928–1935 (merger engineered under RCA by its presidentDavid Sarnoff,bringing together FBO andKeith-Albee-Orpheum)
  • Independent, 1935–1955 (half of RCA's interest purchased byFloyd Odlum,control split between RCA, Odlum, andRockefeller brothers;controlling interest purchased by Odlum in 1942; controlling interest purchased byHoward Hughesin 1948; Hughes's interest purchased by Stolkin-Koolish-Ryan-Burke-Corwin syndicate in 1952; interest repurchased by Hughes in 1953; studio nearly fully purchased by Hughes in 1954)
  • General Tire and Rubber,1955–1984 (purchased by General Tire and Rubber—coupled with General Tire's broadcasting operation as RKO Teleradio Pictures; production and distribution halted in 1957; movie business dissolved in 1959 and RKO Teleradio renamedRKO General;RKO General establishes RKO Pictures as production subsidiary in 1981)
  • GenCorp,1984–1987 (reorganization creates holding company with RKO General and General Tire as primary subsidiaries)
  • Wesray Capital Corporation,1987–1989 (spun off from RKO General, purchased by Wesray—controlled byWilliam E. SimonandRay Chambers—and merged with amusement park operations to form RKO/Six Flags Entertainment)
  • Independent as RKO Pictures LLC, 1989–present (owned byTed Hartley,who also is the CEO. As of 2015, the company's recent films released wereA Late QuartetandBarely Lethal)

20th Century Fox/20th Century Studios

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Further information:20th Century Studios

See also

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References

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edit
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