Warner Bros. Pictures

Last updated
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures Group
FormerlyWarner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (1923–1967)
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. (1967–1970)
Warner Bros. Inc. (1970–1992)
Type Division
Industry Entertainment
PredecessorWarner Features Company
FoundedApril 4, 1923;98 years ago (1923-04-04) [1]
Founders
Headquarters 4000 Warner Boulevard,,
Burbank, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Products Films
RevenueIncrease2.svg US$13.866 billion (2017) [2]
Increase2.svg US$1.761 billion (2017) [2]
Owner WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group
(WarnerMedia a subsidiary of AT&T)
(spin-out into independent entity pending, to be merged with Discovery, Inc.)
Number of employees
Est. 8,000 (2014) [3]
Parent Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Subsidiaries
Website www.warnerbros.com

Warner Bros. Pictures, doing business as Warner Bros. Pictures Group, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group through its subsidiary Warner Bros. Entertainment. Headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, it is the flagship label of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is part of AT&T's WarnerMedia.

Contents

Founded in 1923 by brothers Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner, and Jack L. Warner, in addition to producing its own films, it handles filmmaking operations, theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by other Warner Bros. labels, including Warner Animation Group, New Line Cinema, DC Films, and Castle Rock Entertainment, as well as various third-party producers.

History

In 1927, Warner Bros. Pictures revolutionized the film industry when the American-Jewish Warner brothers released their first pictures "talkie" The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. However, founding member Sam Warner died prior to the premiere of the film. [4] From 1923 to 1967, Warner Bros. was known as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. as their main focus was entirely on the motion picture industry. When the company diversified over the years, it was eventually rebranded to its current umbrella name, but Warner Bros. Pictures continued to be used as the name of the film production arm of the company.

Warner Bros. Pictures

The division was incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures on March 3, 2003 to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases. [5] The company became part of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which was established in 2008, and Jeff Robinov was appointed the first president of the company. [6] In 2017, longtime New Line executive Toby Emmerich joined as president. In January 2018, he was elevated to chairman. [7] [8] On October 23, 2018 it was announced Lynne Frank, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. [9] In June 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures signed an agreement with SF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. [10]

As with most other film distributors, Warner Bros. Pictures struggled with releasing films during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on theater openings. After pushing several films planned for 2020 into 2021, WB announced in December 2020 that they would take the unusual approach of having their entire slate of 2021 films planned for both theatrical release as well as having a simultaneous one-month period of availability on the HBO Max streaming service, in a similar manner for how they were releasing Wonder Woman 1984 that month. After one month, such films would still be available in theaters and would then later be available via home media under typical release schedules. [11] The move to include streaming was criticized by production companies, directors, and actors as Warner Bros. Pictures had not informed anyone about the plan ahead of the announcement, as well of concerns of lower payouts due to the streaming options, [12] leading Warner Bros. Pictures to alter its compensation rates for the affected films by January 2021 to provide larger payouts to casts and crews of these films. [13]

In March 2021 Warner Bros. announced that for 2022 they will discontinue their same-day HBO Max and theatrical release model in favor of a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window. This is part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld (who operates Regal Cinemas), [14] and the failure of simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max for almost all 2021 films.

Film library

Gate 4, Warner Bros. Studios, looking south towards the water tower Gate 4 Warner Bros. Studios.jpg
Gate 4, Warner Bros. Studios, looking south towards the water tower

Acquired libraries

Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. accumulate a diverse collection of films, cartoons and television programs. As of 2019, Warner Bros. owned more than 100,000 hours of programming, including 8,600 feature films and 5,000 television programs comprising tens of thousands of individual episodes. [15]

In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit, uncertain times led Warner Bros. in 1956 to sell most of its pre-1950 [16] [17] [18] films and cartoons to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.). In addition, a.a.p. also obtained the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons, originally from Paramount Pictures. Two years later, a.a.p. was sold to United Artists, which owned the company until 1981, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired United Artists [19] [20]

In 1982, during their independent years, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Brut Productions, the film production arm of France-based then-struggling personal-care company Faberge Inc. [21]

In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Finding itself in debt, Turner kept the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television libraries and a small portion of the United Artists library (including the a.a.p. library and North American rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library) while spinning off the rest of MGM. [22]

In 1989, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation. [23] [24] Lorimar's catalogue included the post-1974 library of Rankin/Bass Productions, and the post-1947 library of Monogram Pictures/Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

In 1991, Turner Broadcasting System acquired animation studio Hanna-Barbera and the Ruby-Spears library from Great American Broadcasting, and years later, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993 [25] [26] and New Line Cinema on January 28, 1994. [27] [28] On October 10, 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System, thus bringing Warner Bros.' pre-1950 library back home. In addition, Warner Bros. only owns Castle Rock Entertainment's post-1994 library.

In 2008, Time Warner integrated New Line to Warner Bros.

In June 2016, it created the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team to oversee its ownership of the Harry Potter franchise worldwide (including the Wizarding World trademark). [29]

ClintEastwoodCannesMay08.jpg
Clint Eastwood's relationship with Warner Bros. began in 1975, and he has directed several of the studios best known films, including Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). [30]
Christopher Nolan, London, 2013 (crop).jpg
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed several of Warner Bros.' most profitable films in the early 21st century. Like Eastwood, Nolan has had a long creative partnership with the studio. [31]

The studio's first live-action film was My Four Years in Germany (1918), their first animated film was Gay Purr-ee (1962). Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and the Warner Animation Group are also released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio has released twenty-five films that have received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination: Disraeli (1929), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), 42nd Street (1933), Here Comes the Navy (1934), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Four Daughters (1938), Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), to name a few.

Highest-grossing films

Highest-grossing films in North America [32]
RankTitleYearDomestic gross
1 The Dark Knight 2008$533,720,947
2 The Dark Knight Rises 2012$448,139,099
3 Wonder Woman 2017$412,563,408
4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011$381,193,157
5 It 2017$330,126,372
6 Joker 2019$328,828,874
10 American Sniper 2014$325,100,054
11 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 2001$317,871,467
12 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 1 2012$303,003,568
13 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009$302,089,278
14 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2010$296,131,568
15 Inception 2010$292,576,195
16 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007$292,137,260
17 Man of Steel 2013$291,045,518
18 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005$290,201,752
19 The Matrix Reloaded 2003$281,553,689
20 The Hangover 2009$277,322,503
21 Gravity 2013$274,092,705
22 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002$262,233,381
23 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 1 2013$258,241,522
24 The LEGO Movie 2014$257,784,718
25 I Am Legend 2007$256,393,010
Highest-grossing films worldwide
RankTitleYearBox office gross
1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011$1,342,932,398
2 Aquaman 2018$1,148,461,807
3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012$1,084,939,099
4 Joker 2019$1,074,251,311
5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 1 2012$1,021,103,568
6 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 2001$1,006,260,000
7 The Dark Knight 2008$1,004,934,033
8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2010$977,431,568
9 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 1 2013$958,366,855
10 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 1 2014$956,019,788
11 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007$942,018,451
12 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009$934,546,568
13 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005$897,099,794
14 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002$880,225,135
15 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016$873,634,919
16 Inception 2010$836,836,967
17 Wonder Woman 2017$821,847,012
18 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016$814,037,575
19 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004$796,907,323
20 Suicide Squad 2016$746,846,894
21 The Matrix Reloaded 2003$742,128,461
22 Gravity 2013$723,192,705
23 It 2017$701,800,748
24 Interstellar 2014$701,502,499
25 Man of Steel 2013$668,045,518

Notes

  1. ^ co-owned by New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (the film's producers)

Related Research Articles

Warner Bros. American entertainment company

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 four 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).

Cartoon Network Studios American animation studio

Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio owned by the Global Kids, Young Adults & Classics division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Located in Burbank, California, the studio primarily produces and develops animated programs and shorts for Cartoon Network, and later Cartoonito. In the 2010s and beyond, their programs began to expand into their sister companies Adult Swim and HBO Max. The company has only produced one theatrically released film, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, which was distributed by its sister company, Warner Bros. Pictures.

<i>Looney Tunes</i> Cartoon media franchise of Warner Bros.

Looney Tunes is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 to 1969, along with an accompanying series, Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. The two series introduced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, Yosemite Sam, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales and many other cartoon characters.

Hanna-Barbera American animation studio

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., also variously known as H-B Enterprises, H-B Production Co., and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., was an American animation studio and production company founded in 1957 by Tom and Jerry creators and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer American media company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is an American media company, founded in 1924, that produces and distributes feature films and television programs. It is based in Beverly Hills, California.

Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993. It was founded by Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson, and Lee Rich. The company's name was a portmanteau of Adelson's then wife, Lori, and McClellan-Palomar Airport in San Diego.

Turner Broadcasting System American media conglomerate

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Major film studios Film production and distribution company with high output

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Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing the TBS library for worldwide distribution. In recent years, this role has largely been limited to being the copyright holder, as it has become an in-name-only subsidiary of Warner Bros., which currently administers their library.

Famous Studios Defunct American animation studio

Famous Studios was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized control of the aforementioned studio after the departure of its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1942. The studio's productions included three series started by the Fleischers—Popeye the Sailor, Superman, and Screen Songs—as well as Little Audrey, Little Lulu, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Honey Halfwitch, Herman and Katnip, Baby Huey, and the anthology Noveltoons series.

Turner Classic Movies American classic movie-oriented television channel

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network operated by the Kids, Young Adults and Classics division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Launched in 1994, TCM is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atlanta, Georgia.

Warner Bros. Animation American animation studio owned by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Animation is an American animation studio owned by the Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, the studio which produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon shorts from 1933 to 1963, and from 1967 to 1969. Warner reestablished its animation division in 1980 to produce Looney Tunes–related works, and TBS merged with Time Warner in 1996.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment home video distribution arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Associated Artists Productions

Associated Artists Productions, Inc. (a.a.p.) was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. Through acquisitions, Associated Artists Productions' assets were purchased by United Artists, with its library eventually passing to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1981, following its purchase of United Artists, and then to Turner Entertainment Co., following its purchase of the pre-1986 assets of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and select United Artists assets. Turner Entertainment is now part of WarnerMedia. Though a short lived company, Associated Artists Productions lived a legacy of being best known as the copyright owner of the Popeye shorts by Paramount Pictures, and the pre-1948 color Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of shorts produced by Warner Bros., as their logos and trademarks were present at the beginning of each short's 16mm prints syndicated for television in the 1960s.

Cartoon Network American cable TV channel

Cartoon Network is an American cable television channel owned by the Kids, Young Adults and Classics division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia through its Studios and Networks Group division.

The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the intention of putting previously unreleased catalog films on DVD for the first time. In November 2012, Warner expanded the Archive Collection to include Blu-ray releases, Some Warner Archive releases, such as Wise Guys, previously had a pressed DVD release but have lapsed out of print and have since being re-released as part of the Warner Archive collection.

Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics

Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, formerly known as Warner Bros. Global Kids and Young Adults, is a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It was established on March 4, 2019, as part of a major reorganization of Warner Bros.' parent company, WarnerMedia.

Tex Avery Screwball Classics is a series of single-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive unit collecting various theatrical cartoons from animation director Tex Avery during his tenure at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon division between the years of 1942 and 1955. It is the first comprehensive collection of Avery's MGM shorts to be released on home media in North America since The Complete Tex Avery series of laserdiscs in the 1990s, with many of the shorts having been previously unreleased on DVD or Blu-ray.

References

  1. ↑ "Company history". Warnerbros.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Time Warner. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ Patten, Dominic; Yamato, Jen. "Warner Bros Layoffs Long Planned But "Accelerated" By Failed Fox Bid". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Warner, Movie Magnate, Dies: Sam Warner, Former Youngstown Man, Rose from Obscurity to Leader in Field". The Youngstown Daily Vindicator. October 5, 1927.
  5. ↑ "Business Entity Detail: Warner Bros. Pictures (search on Entity Number: C2502930)". California Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ Halbfinger, David (November 27, 2007). "Warner's Production Chief to Also Oversee Distribution". Archived from the original on December 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ Lang, Brent (2018-01-09). "Warner Bros. Shake-Up: Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman, Sue Kroll Out". Variety. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  8. ↑ "Warner Bros. Shake-Up: Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman, Sue Kroll Out". Variety. January 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Warner Bros International Marketing President Lynne Frank To Exit". Deadline. October 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Warner Bros, SF Studios Expand Distribution Deal Across Scandinavia". Variety. June 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca; Donnelly, Matt (December 3, 2020). "Warner Bros. to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including 'Dune' and 'Matrix 4,' Both on HBO Max and In Theaters". Variety . Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. ↑ Barnes, Brooks; Sperling, Nicole (December 7, 2020). "Trading Box Office for Streaming, but Stars Still Want Their Money". The New York Times . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  13. ↑ Shaw, Lucas; Gilbolm, Kelly (January 9, 2021). "Warner Bros. Guarantees Filmmakers a Payday for HBO Max Movies". Bloomberg News . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (March 23, 2021). "Regal Cinemas To Reopen In April; Parent Cineworld & Warner Bros Reach Multi-Year Deal To Show WB Films In U.S. & UK". Deadline. Retrieved March 24, 2021. Cineworld and Warner Bros have also hatched a multi-year agreement that will see the No. 2 global exhibitor show the studio’s 2021 theatrical and HBO Max day-and-date titles in the U.S. as of their theatrical release. Then, beginning in 2022, Warner Bros theatrical films will have a 45-day window of theatrical exclusivity at Cineworld’s Regal chain.
  15. ↑ "WarnerBros.com – Company Overview". Warner Bros. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  16. ↑ Schickel & Perry 2008 , p. 255
  17. ↑ WB retained a pair of features from 1949 that they merely distributed, and all short subjects released on or after September 1, 1948; in addition to all cartoons released in August 1948
  18. ↑ "Media History Digital Library". archive.org. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  19. ↑ Hoyt, Eric (2014-07-03). Hollywood Vault: Film Libraries Before Home Video. Univ of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-95857-9.
  20. ↑ Cole, Robert J. (May 16, 1981). "M-G-M Is Reported Purchasing United Artists for $350 million". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Faberge Sells Brut's Assets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Turner Sells Fabled MGM but Keeps a Lion's Share". Los Angeles Times. 1985-12-20. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  23. ↑ "Crash Landing Merv Adelson—TV mogul, multimillionaire, and friend of the famous—lived a show-business fantasy. His bankruptcy has shocked Hollywood. – November 10, 2003". cnn.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Warner Completes Merger With Lorimar Telepictures". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  25. ↑ "Turner Broadcasting Company Report". sec.gov. Securities and Exchange Commission. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Done deal: Turner Broadcasting System Inc. said it closed..." Chicage Tribune. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  27. ↑ "New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today : Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule". Los Angeles Times. 1994-01-28. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  28. ↑ "New Line Cinema". ethicalbusinessbureau.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  29. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (June 8, 2016). "Warner Bros. Completes Harry Potter Franchise Team With Polly Cochrane Promotion". Variety . Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  30. ↑ "About". Warner Bros. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  31. ↑ Masters, Kim (June 21, 2017). "Warner Bros. Eyes Slimmed-Down Movie Budgets Under Toby Emmerich". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Box Office by Studio – Warner Bros. All Time". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
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