Eminent Film Business Astrologer Cum Strategist, Hirav Shah pens down top five film production houses of Hollywood, which are also the biggest and the best cinema studios in the world.
Table of Contents
1.Warner Bros
?LiAnG?, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Establishment of Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of AT&T’s WarnerMedia through its Studios & Networks division.
Founded in 1923 by brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation, television, and video games, and is one of the “Big Five” major American film studios, as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Success of Warner Bros
Arguably, Warner Bros. is the biggest film production house in the planet.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Dark Knight (2008) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), Inception(2010), Gravity(2013) etc…. Theirs have a never ending list of hugely successful films.
Failure of Warner Bros
Every company in the world has to face setbacks at some point.
Jack the Giant Slayer, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Gangster Squad, Bullet to the Head and Beautiful Creatures and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword are some of the studio’s recent expensive flops.
Future of Warner Bros
Warner Bros. sent a shockwave through the industry recently when they announced that all of their upcoming movies would be released in theaters and on their streaming service HBO Max at the same time.
Indeed, films big and small will be following an earth-shattering day-and-date release strategy throughout the entirety of 2021, giving audiences the option of staying home and watching something like Dune on their couch, or going to a movie theater to see it on the big screen.
Meanwhile, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In the Heights, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence are some of the studio’s upcoming innumerable releases, June 2021 onwards.
2.Walt Disney Studios
Bramheylen at Dutch Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Establishment of Walt Disney Studios
The Walt Disney Studios is an American film and entertainment studio, and one of the four business segments of The Walt Disney Company. Based in Burbank, California, the studio is best known for its multifaceted film divisions. Founded in 1923, it is the fourth-oldest and one of the “Big Five ” major film studios.
Success of Walt Disney Studios
In 2019, Disney posted an industry record of $13.2 billion at the global box office. The studio has released six of the top ten highest-grossing films of all time worldwide, and the two highest-grossing film franchises of all time.The Walt Disney Studios is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, Frozen etc…are some of the most successful films from the stable of Walt Disney Studios and they are also one of the most profitable films in the whole world.
Failure of Walt Disney Studios
- The Black Cauldron: It’s been called the film that almost killed Disney. “The Black Cauldron,” which premiered in 1985 and is based on a book series by Lloyd Alexander, follows the journey of a young man who tries to do good for his herd of pigs.
- Fantasia: The film is arguably one of Disney’s biggest classics, with an Academy award-winning soundtrack, dancing brooms and even Mickey Mouse in a wizard’s hat. But it was a critical failure at the BO.
- The Lone Ranger: Based on the popular 1950s television show and released in 2013, “The Lone Ranger” was expected to capitalize on a trend of remakes soaring through Hollywood at the time. But it majorly flopped.
- Mars Needs Moms: 2011’s “Mars Needs Moms” wasn’t exactly out of this world. And it was a disaster when it was released.
- Dumbo: Reception of “Dumbo,” the company’s foray into live-action remakes, had a lackluster opening weekend and the film was declared a flop.
Future of Walt Disney Studios
In the last 12 years, the company has acquired the rights to some of the largest film franchises in history, including the Marvel Extended Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars saga.
Which means, the studio has a tremendous business acumen…
Meanwhile, the studio’s upcoming releases post June 2021, include Cruella, Luca, Summer of Soul, Black Widow, Jungle Cruise etc… Their release slate is almost full till 2023 with films of all possible genres of the world.
3.Universal Pictures
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Establishment of Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures also known as Universal Studios is an American film production and distribution company owned by Comcast through the NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment division of NBCUniversal.
Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour, it is the oldest surviving film studio in the United States; the world’s fifth oldest after Gaumont, Pathé, Titanus, and Nordisk Film; and the oldest member of Hollywood’s “Big Five” studios in terms of the overall film market.
Its studios are located in Universal City, California, and its corporate offices are located in New York City. In 1962, the studio was acquired by MCA, which was re-launched as NBCUniversal in 2004.
Universal Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), and was one of the “Little Three” majors during Hollywood’s golden age.
Success of Universal Pictures
It is the world’s fourth oldest major film studio, after the renowned French studios Gaumont Film Company and Pathé, and the Danish Nordisk Film company.
Six of Universal Studios’ films; Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Despicable Me 2 (2013), Furious 7 (2015) and Jurassic World (2015) achieved box office records, with the first three (which were directed by Steven Spielberg) all becoming the highest-grossing film at the time of its initial release.
Failure of Universal Pictures
Man on the Moon (1999), Ride With the Devil (1999), 47 Ronin(2013), The Dark Tower (2017) are some of the massive disasters to have come out from the studio.
Future of Universal Pictures
No Time To Die, Jurassic World :Dominion, Minions:The Rise Of Gru, The 355, Wicked etc… are 5 of the studio’s upcoming numerous releases. The studio’s release slate is also full till 2023. Looking at the genres, it’s safe to say that most upcoming films will succeed and revolutionize too.
4.Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Establishment of Sony Pictures
- December 21, 1987; 33 years ago as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
- August 7, 1991; 29 years ago as Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Success of Sony Pictures
Some of Sony Pictures’s successful film franchises include: The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, Spider-Man, Jumanji, Stuart Little, Men in Black, Zombieland, Underworld, the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, Robert Langdon, The Smurfs (via Peyo), Sniper, Hotel Transylvania, Bad Boys, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Charlie’s Angels.
Failure of Sony Pictures
-Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: This 2001 film, based on the “Final Fantasy” video-game series, made headlines as the first motion-capture-animated feature film. It didn’t, however, capture much interest at the box office.
-Bicentennial Man: Robin Williams was just a year removed from one of the biggest hits of his career (“Patch Adams”) when he starred in this poorly-received 1999 movie about a robot who wants to be human. It was sadly a massive flop.
-Ali: Will Smith would earn his first career Oscar nomination for his performance as boxer Muhammad Ali in this 2001 biopic. But the film performed only modestly at the North American box office, and grossed less than $30 million internationally, per The Numbers.
There are many such films like that from their stable which had good stories but couldn’t be translated properly on screen owing to several reasons.
Future of Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures has 283 movie releases in the completed production status. This means the films have confirmed release dates; they have been released or are coming soon.
Since Sony Pictures has to live up to its legacy, with a wise team to manage things, it’s easier therefore to predict that most of their upcoming releases will be commercially as well as critically appreciated.
5. Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures, Logopedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Establishment of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation (commonly known as Paramount Pictures, or simply Paramount) is an American film and television production and distribution company and a subsidiary of ViacomCBS.
It was founded on May 8, 1912. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 22 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo.
Success of Paramount Pictures
It is the fifth oldest film studio in the world, the second oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the “Big Five” film studios still located in the city limits of Los Angeles.
In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. Paramount Pictures is also a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Titanic, The GodFather, Forrest Gump, MI, Transformers, Star Trek, Top Gun: Maverick and Sonic the Hedgehog – Arguably The Most Iconic and Popular Films In the World – All of these are, by Paramount.
Failure of Paramount Pictures
Rango, A Simple Plan, Hansel & Gretal: Witch Hunters, The Adventures of Tintin, Hard Rain, Hugo & The Lovely Bones are the films by Paramount that failed miserably at the box office.
Future of Paramount Pictures
For more than a hundred years, Paramount has been the gold standard for storytelling and movie-making, and they always believe in the communal experience of watching movies.
Looks like, in the near future, Paramount is certainly going to entertain, amuse and delight the audiences from all over the world with their incredible films and content.
Bottomline
Filmmaking begins with an idea in the mind and is finally showcased to the audience on the screen. The journey from an idea to the release of the film is long and full of challenges but with commitment, hard work and determination, the obstacles turn into milestones.
The above-mentioned Hollywood film studios, which are the best in the world, are on a mission to faithfully translate the ideas into films and help the films become classics, Concludes Hirav Shah.
Who Is Hirav Shah
If there is anybody, who has ignited hope for the entertainment industry amidst pandemic, it’s Hirav Shah.
If there is anyone, who has been constantly giving Astro-Strategic Direction and Advise to film studios, for their upliftment, it’s Hirav Shah.
Meanwhile, Ace Astro-Strategist and Noted corporate astrologer, Hirav Shah, has engaged with over 500 companies –small, medium and large scale to reigning superstars in India as well as overseas. He has created a brand for himself, by giving customized consultation to high profile clientele belonging to specific segments like Business, entertainment, and corporate, not just in India but overseas too.
