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{{Short description|United States film production and distribution companies with high output}}
{{Short description|United States film production and distribution companies with high output}}
{{multiple image
| perrow = 2/2
| total_width = 300
| image_style = border:none
| image1 = Universal Pictures logo.svg
| link1 = Universal Pictures
| image2 = Paramount Pictures 2022 (Blue).svg
| link2 = Paramount Pictures
| image3 = Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures logo.svg
| link3 = Walt Disney Studios (division)
| image4 = Sony Pictures logo.svg
| link4 = Sony Pictures
| footer = The logos of the "Big Four" film studios, arranged in order by the year each studio was founded
}}
{{Location map+ | United States San Fernando Valley
| caption = Big Four studios in the [[San Fernando Valley]], in [[Burbank, California]] (Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios)
| places =
{{Location map~ | United States San Fernando Valley
| label = [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Disney]]
| position = top
| link = Walt Disney Studios
| lat_deg = 34.157121
| lon_deg = -118.325286
}}
{{Location map~ | United States San Fernando Valley
| label = [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]
| position = bottom
| link = Universal Pictures
| lat_deg = 34.140655
| lon_deg = -118.348664
}}
}}
{{Location map+ | United States Los Angeles Western
| caption = Big Four studios in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] (Paramount Pictures) and on the [[Westside (Los Angeles County)|Westside]] (Sony Pictures)| places =
{{Location map~ | United States Los Angeles Western
| label = [[Sony Pictures]]
| position = left
| link = Sony Pictures
| lat_deg = 34.016677
| lon_deg = -118.402426
}}
{{Location map~ | United States Los Angeles Western
| label = [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]
| position = left
| link = Paramount Pictures
| lat_deg = 34.084318
| lon_deg = -118.318926
}}
}}
{{Anchor|Big Four studios}}
'''Major film studios''' are [[filmmaking|production]] and [[film distributor|distribution]] companies that release a substantial number of [[film]]s annually and consistently command a significant share of [[box office]] revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often known simply as the '''majors''' or the '''Big Four studios''', are commonly regarded as the four diversified [[media conglomerate]]s whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85% of U.S. box office revenue.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Epstein|first1=Edward Jay|title=The Big Picture: Money And Power in Hollywood|url=https://archive.org/details/bigpicturemoneyp00epst/page/14|url-access=registration|date=2006|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=9780812973822|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bigpicturemoneyp00epst/page/14 14–19, 82, 109, 133]}}</ref><ref name="Schatz">{{cite book |last1=Schatz |first1=Thomas |editor1-last=Buckland |editor1-first=Warren |title=Film Theory and Contemporary Hollywood Movies |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=9781135895747 |pages=19–46 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0WSAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT31 |access-date=24 August 2020 |chapter=New Hollywood, New Millennium |archive-date=5 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405034822/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Film_Theory_and_Contemporary_Hollywood_M/X0WSAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT31&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bettig|first1=Ronald V.|author2=Jeanne Lynn Hall|title=Big Media, Big Money: Cultural Texts and Political Economics|date=2012|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=9781442204294|pages=59–108|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ihOEMbFdXYC&pg=PA59|access-date=2020-05-26|archive-date=2021-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308123320/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Big_Media_Big_Money/3ihOEMbFdXYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA59&printsec=frontcover|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Davis">{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Glyn |last2=Dickinson |first2=Kay |last3=Patti |first3=Lisa |last4=Villarejo |first4=Amy |title=Film Studies: A Global Introduction |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon |isbn=9781317623380 |page=299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnXABgAAQBAJ&pg=PA299 |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716143112/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Film_Studies/dnXABgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA299&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref> The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.<ref name="Schatz" />
Since [[History of film|the dawn of filmmaking]], the U.S. major film studios have [[List of film distributors by country|dominated]] both [[Cinema of the United States|American cinema]] and the global [[film industry]].<ref name="Kerrigan_Page_18">{{cite book |last1=Kerrigan |first1=Finola |title=Film Marketing |date=2010 |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |location=Oxford |isbn=9780750686839 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufMdvuuTQ7MC&pg=PA18 |access-date=4 February 2022 |archive-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716143116/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Film_Marketing/ufMdvuuTQ7MC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gomery_Page_143">{{cite book |last1=Gomery |first1=Douglas |last2=Pafort-Overduin |first2=Clara |title=Movie History: A Survey |date=2011 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=9781136835254 |page=143 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s0PP2Gm8xNcC&pg=PA143 |access-date=2021-01-27 |archive-date=2022-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716143113/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Movie_History_A_Survey/s0PP2Gm8xNcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA143&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref> U.S. studios have benefited from a strong [[first-mover advantage]] in 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Flew|first1=Terry|title=The Creative Industries: Culture and Policy|date=2012|publisher=SAGE|location=London|isbn=9781446273081|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UNwf-pWVBMgC&pg=PA128|access-date=2020-08-16|archive-date=2022-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716143113/https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Creative_Industries/UNwf-pWVBMgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA128&printsec=frontcover|url-status=live}}</ref> Today, the Big Four majors – [[Universal Pictures]], [[Paramount Pictures]], [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]], and [[Sony Pictures]]– routinely distribute hundreds of films every year into all significant international markets (that is, where [[Disposable and discretionary income|discretionary income]] is high enough for consumers to afford to watch films). The majors enjoy "significant internal [[economies of scale]]" from their "extensive and efficient [distribution] infrastructure",<ref name="Scott_Page_139">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Allen J. |title=On Hollywood: The Place, the Industry |date=2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |author-link=Allen J. Scott |location=Princeton |isbn=9780691116839 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzCOBoy1o_MC&pg=PA139 |access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Davis" /> Today, all the Big Four major studios are also members of the [[Motion Picture Association]] (MPA) and [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]] (AMPTP).
{{TOC limit|3}}

==Overview==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| image1 = Gate2universalstudios.JPG
| caption1 = [[Universal Studios Lot|Universal Studios]] in [[Universal City, California]]
| image2 = Paramountpicturesmelrosegate.jpg
| caption2 = [[Paramount Pictures]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]
| image3 = Walt Disney Studios Alameda Entrance.jpg
| caption3 = [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]] in [[Burbank, California]]
| image4 = Sony Pictures Studios Motor Gate.jpg
| caption4 = [[Sony Pictures Studios]] in [[Culver City, California]]
}}

The current "Big Four" majors (Universal, Paramount, Disney, and Sony) all originate with film studios that were active during [[classical Hollywood cinema|Hollywood's "Golden Age"]]. Three of these were among that original era's "Big Eight" major [[film studio]]s.

In addition to being members of today’s "Big Four", [[Paramount Pictures]] was also part of the original "Big Five", along with [[RKO Pictures]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Warner Bros.]], and [[20th Century Fox]].

[[Universal Pictures]] was, during that early era, considered one of "Little Three", along with [[United Artists]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], but became quickly a part of the Big Five. until its [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|Warner Bros. acquisition]] {{Citation Needed}} resulted in a "Big Four" for the first time in Hollywood. Meanwhile, United Artists began as a distribution company for several independent producers and 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.

During the Golden Age, [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] was an independent production company and not considered a "major studio" until the mid–1980s. It joined future subsidiary 20th Century Fox and four others (Columbia, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros.) to comprise the "Big Six" until its [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|Fox acquisition]] resulted in a new "Big Five" for the first time since Hollywood's Golden Age. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-deal-for-fox-would-end-era-of-the-big-six-studios-1512907201|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171212020429/https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-deal-for-fox-would-end-era-of-the-big-six-studios-1512907201|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 12, 2017|title=Disney Deal for Fox Would End Era of the 'Big Six' Studios|last=Fritz|first=Ben|date=December 11, 2017|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 19, 2019}}</ref> until [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|NBCUniversal's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery]] RKO went defunct in 1959 and MGM became a mini-major upon its sale from Turner to Kerkorian in 1986. In 1989, [[Sony]] acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment, which became Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1991. Thus, Paramount is the only early Big Five member to remain as a major today.

While the Big Four's studio lots are located within {{convert|15|miles|km}} of each other, Paramount is the only member of the Big Four still based ''in'' [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] and located entirely within the official [[city limits]] of the City of Los Angeles.<ref name="Bingen_Page_8">{{cite book |last1=Bingen |first1=Steven |title=Paramount: City of Dreams |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |location=Guilford, Connecticut |isbn=9781630762018 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GC1IDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |access-date=10 January 2022 |archive-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716005941/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Paramount/GC1IDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref> Warner Bros. and Disney are both located in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] while Universal is in the nearby unincorporated area of [[Universal City, California|Universal City]] and Columbia in [[Culver City, California|Culver 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 on [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Disney's studio lot]] and [[Team Disney|in the same building]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Brooks|title=Disney Film Boss Ousted by Warner Finds Vindication in Success|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/business/media/alan-horn-rights-the-ship-at-disney-and-fortune-follows.html|access-date=9 November 2014|work=The New York Times|date=9 November 2014|archive-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110062721/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/business/media/alan-horn-rights-the-ship-at-disney-and-fortune-follows.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Brooks|title=In Hollywood, a Decade of Hits Is No Longer Enough|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/business/27steal.html|access-date=10 November 2014|work=The New York Times|date=26 March 2011|archive-date=11 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411014419/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/business/27steal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group]] is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is owned by Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation, and is the only US film studio owned by a foreign conglomerate, while Universal is owned by Philadelphia-based [[Comcast]] (via [[NBCUniversal]]) and the other two report to corporations headquartered in New York City — [[Paramount Global]] and future subsidiary [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]. Most of today's Big Four also control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate on [[art film|arthouse]] pictures (e.g. Universal's [[Focus Features]]) or [[B movie|genre films]] (e.g. Sony's [[Screen Gems]]); several of these specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010.

Outside of the Big Four, there are several smaller U.S. production and distribution companies, known as independents or "indies". The leading independent producer/distributors such as [[Lionsgate Films]], the aforementioned MGM (now owned by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]), [[A24]], and [[STX Entertainment]] are sometimes referred to as "mini-majors". From 1998 through 2005, [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks SKG]] commanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major, despite its relatively small output and the merging of Disney and Fox at the end of the 2010s. In 2006, DreamWorks was acquired by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]], Paramount's corporate parent which since renamed itself after that studio in 2022. In late 2008, DreamWorks once again became an independent production company; its films were distributed by Disney's [[Touchstone Pictures]] until 2016, at which point distribution switched to Universal.

Today, the Big Four 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 Pictures]] and [[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Sony Pictures Releasing]], respectively) while the others function as both production and distribution companies. The specialty divisions (such as [[Searchlight Pictures]] and [[Focus 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 the [[runaway production]] phenomenon means that most films are now mostly or completely shot [[location shooting|on location]] at places outside Los Angeles.

The Big Four major studios are also members of the [[Motion Picture Association]] (MPA) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motionpictures.org/who-we-are|title=Who We Are|website=Motion Picture Association|access-date=November 27, 2020|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128202939/https://www.motionpictures.org/who-we-are/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]] (AMPTP).

{{-}}

==Majors==
===Current<span class="anchor" id="majors-current"></span>===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Current major film studios
|-
! Studio parent<br>([[media conglomerate|conglomerate]])
! Major film studio unit
----
Secondary studio
! Date founded
! [[Art film|Arthouse]]/[[Independent film|indie]]
! colspan="2" | [[Film genre|Genre movie]]/[[B movie]]
! [[Animation]]
! colspan="2" | Other divisions and brands
! [[Over-the-top media service|OTT]]/[[Video on demand|VOD]]
! [[United States|US]]/[[Canada|CA]] market share (2025)<ref name=":0" />
|-
| [[NBCUniversal]]<br>{{small|([[Comcast]])}}
| align="center" |[[Universal Pictures]]
----
[[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
| align="center" | {{dts|April 30, 1912}}
----
{{dts|April 4, 1923}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;| |[[Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer]]|[[Focus Features]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Focus Features|Focus World]]|[[United Artists]]|[[High Top Releasing]]|Discovery Films|[[Working Title Films]]|[[TruTV|TruTV Films]]|[[DC Studios]]|[[Cartoon Network|Cartoon Network Movies]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|| [[Cartoon Network Studios]]|[[Wang Film Productions]] (50%)|[[Big Idea Entertainment]]|[[Jay Ward Productions|Bullwinkle Studios]] (50%)|[[DreamWorks Animation]]|[[DreamWorks Classics]]|[[Illumination (company)|Illumination]]|[[Illumination Studios Paris]]|[[Universal Animation Studios]]|[[Warner Bros. Animation]]| [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. Japan Anime]]|[[Warner Bros. Pictures Animation]]|[[DC Studios]]|[[DC Animation]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid;' width="12%" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Warner Bros. Entertainment]]|[[Amblin Partners]] (minority stake)|[[Carnival Films]]|Makeready (JV)|[[NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan|NBCUniversal Japan]]|[[Alloy Entertainment]]|[[DC Entertainment]]|[[Cinemax|Cinemax Films]]|[[Flagship Entertainment Group]] (49%)}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none;' width="12%" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|6=OTL Releasing|7=[[United International Pictures]] (JV)|8=[[Universal 1440 Entertainment]] [[Castle Rock Entertainment]]|[[Turner Entertainment Co.|MCA Entertainment]]|[[Warner Bros. Japan]]|9=WT<sup>2</sup> Productions}}
| align=center | [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]<br>[[Hayu (streaming service)|Hayu]]<br>[[Hulu]] (33%)<br>[[Vudu]]<br>[[SkyShowtime]] (JV)<br>[[Max (streaming service)|Max]]<br>[[Discovery+]]<br>[[Joyn (streaming platform)|Joyn]] (JV)<br>[[Vudu]] (30%)<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)
| 35.8%
|-
| [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount Pictures Corporation]]<br>{{small|([[Paramount Global]])}}
| align=center | [[Paramount Pictures]]

| align="center" | {{dts|May 8, 1912}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Miramax]] (49%)}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid; padding-right: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[BET#BET Films|BET Films]]|[[MTV Entertainment Studios]]}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none; padding-left: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Nickelodeon Movies]]|[[Paramount Players]]|[[Republic Pictures]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[CBS Eye Animation Productions]]|[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise)#Avatar Studios|Avatar Studios]]|[[MTV Animation]]|[[Nickelodeon Animation Studio]]|[[Paramount Animation]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Awesomeness (company)|Awesomeness Films]]|[[Miramax#Miramax Family & Animation|Miramax Family]] (49%)|[[Paramount Digital Entertainment]]}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|6=United International Pictures (JV)|7=[[Viacom18 Studios]] (13.01%)|8=Paramount Digital Studios|9=[[Jio Studios]] (13.01%)}}
| align=center | [[Paramount+]]<br>[[Pluto TV]]<br>[[Showtime (TV network)#Showtime (streaming service)|Showtime]]<br>[[BET+]]<br>[[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]]<br>[[Nick+]]<br>[[JioCinema]] (13.01%)<br>[[Voot]] (13.01%)<br>[[My5]]<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)<br>[[SkyShowtime]] (JV)
| 17.56%
|-
| [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]]<br>{{small|([[The Walt Disney Company]])}}
| align="center" |[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
----
[[20th Century Studios]]
| align="center" | {{dts|October 16, 1923}}
----
{{dts|May 31, 1935}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[A&E Networks|A&E IndieFilms]] (50%)|[[Disneynature]]|[[Hulu#Original content|Hulu Documentary Films]] (67%)|[[Searchlight Pictures]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid; padding-right: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[List of Disney Channel original films|Disney Channel Original Movies]]|[[ESPN Films]] (80%)| [[National Geographic Global Networks|NatGeo Doc Films]] (73%)}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none; padding-left: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Lucasfilm]]|[[Marvel Studios]]|[[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#Freeform Original Productions|Freeform Original Productions]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[20th Century Animation]]|[[Lucasfilm Animation]]|[[Marvel Animation]]||[[Marvel Studios Animation]]|[[Pixar]]|[[Walt Disney Animation Studios]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[20th Century Family]]||[[A&E Networks|A&E Films]] (50%)|[[The Walt Disney Company India|Walt Disney Pictures India]]|[[Regency Enterprises]] (20%)|[[Star Studios]]|[[Marvel Entertainment]]}}
| style="border-style: solid solid solid none;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|8=[[UTV Motion Pictures]]|9=[[Vice Media#Vice Films|Vice Films]] (16%)|10=[[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]]|11=Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (JV)<!-- in 15 countries so no need to indicate just 1 --><ref name="thr">{{cite news |last1=Holdsworth |first1=Nick |title=Disney, Sony team up for Russian content |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-sony-team-up-russian-147608 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |agency=AP |date=December 27, 2006 |language=en |archive-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509170810/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-sony-team-up-russian-147608 |url-status=live }}</ref>|12=}}
| align="center" | [[Disney+]]<br>[[Hulu]] (67%)<br>[[ESPN+]] (80%)<br>[[Disney+ Hotstar]]<br>[[Star+]]<br>[[Movies Anywhere]]<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)
| 27.1%
|-
| [[Sony Pictures]]<br>{{small|([[Sony|Sony Group Corporation]])}}
| align="center" |[[Columbia Pictures]]
----
[[TriStar Pictures]]
| align="center" | {{dts|January 10, 1924}}<ref name="nytimes1999">{{cite news |last=Rozen |first=Leah |date=November 14, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/holiday-films-screen-gems-it-happened-with-one-movie-a-studio-transformed.html |title=It Happened With One Movie: A Studio Transformed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728053914/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/holiday-films-screen-gems-it-happened-with-one-movie-a-studio-transformed.html |archive-date=2019-07-28 |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 14, 2010 |quote=...which may explain why C.B.C. incorporated itself as the classier-sounding Columbia Pictures in 1924. }}</ref>
----
{{dts|March 2, 1982}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Sony Pictures Classics]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Affirm Films]]|[[Ghost Corps]]|[[Screen Gems]]|[[Stage 6 Films]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;"| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;| [[Crunchyroll LLC]]|[[Crunchyroll UK and Ireland]]|[[Crunchyroll EMEA]]|[[Crunchyroll Store Australia]]|[[Crunchyroll#Crunchyroll Originals|Crunchyroll Studios]]|[[Right Stuf#Nozomi Entertainment|Nozomi Entertainment]]|[[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse]] (5%)|[[Sony Pictures Animation]]|[[Sony Pictures Imageworks]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|3000 Pictures<ref>{{cite news |last1=Masters |first1=Kim |title=Elizabeth Gabler Breaks Silence on Sony Move, Disney Exit, HarperCollins and Streaming Plans (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elizabeth-gabler-talks-disney-exit-harpercollins-streaming-1240141 |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828024132/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elizabeth-gabler-talks-disney-exit-harpercollins-streaming-1240141 |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Destination Films]]|[[Left Bank Pictures]]|[[Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan|Sony Pictures Japan]]|[[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Sony Pictures Releasing]]}}
| style="border-style: solid solid solid none;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|8=[[TriStar Productions]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/08/tom-rothman-to-launch-new-TriStar-productions-label-for-sony/#more-554730 |title=Tom Rothman To Launch New TriStar Productions Label For Sony |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612090854/http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/tom-rothman-to-launch-new-tristar-productions-label-for-sony/#more-554730 |archive-date=2014-06-12 |url-status=live |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=August 1, 2013 }}</ref>|9=Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (JV)<!-- in 15 countries so no need to indicate just 1 --><ref name="thr" />|7=[[Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonypicturesworldwideacquisitions.com/about/ |title=About |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234150/http://www.sonypicturesworldwideacquisitions.com/about/ |archive-date=2013-12-30 |url-status=live |website=SonyPicturesWorldwideAcquisitions.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 }}</ref>|10=[[Culver Max Entertainment|Sony Pictures India]]|11=Sony Pictures Networks Productions}}
| align="center" | [[SonyLIV]]<br>[[Crunchyroll]]<br>[[Funimation]]<br>[[Pure Flix|Great American Pure Flix]] (JV)
| 12.78%
|}

===Past===
Other major film studios of the 20th century included:
*[[RKO Pictures]] (RKO) (1929–1959): one of the Big Five studios (originally incorporated as RKO Radio Pictures), bought by [[Howard Hughes]] in 1948, was mismanaged and dismantled and was largely defunct by the 1957 studio lot sale;<ref name="tss" /> revived several times as an independent studio, with most recent film releases in 2012 and 2015.
*[[United Artists]] (UA) (1919–1981): one of the Little Three major minor studios, originally only a distributor for independent film producers<ref name="tss" /> acquired by MGM in 1981; brand name was resurrected in 2019 when [[Annapurna Pictures]] and MGM renamed a distribution company which is a joint venture between the two companies to [[United Artists Releasing]].
*[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) (1924–1986): one of the Big Seven studios,<ref name="tss" /> acquired by [[Ted Turner]] in 1986, who sold the studio back to [[Kirk Kerkorian]] later that year while retaining MGM's pre–May 1986 library; became a mini–major studio upon the sale; emerged from [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|bankruptcy]] in 2010; now owned by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], which also owns and operates [[Amazon Studios]], [[Amazon Prime Video]], and [[Amazon Freevee]].
*[[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] (TCF, 20th, or Fox) (1935–2019): one of the Big Six studios,<ref name="tss" /> became part of [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] when [[The Walt Disney Company]] [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquired Fox's owner]] in 2019; 20th Century Fox was renamed 20th Century Studios the following year.
*[[Warner Bros.]] (WB, Warner, Warner Bros. Pictures, or Warner Brothers) (1923–2024): one of the Big Five studios,<ref name="tss" /> became part of [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] when [[NBCUniversal]]/[[Comcast]] [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|acquired Warner's owner]] in 2024.

== Sources ==
* {{commons category-inline|Film studios}}
* {{commons category-inline|Film production companies}}

{{Film Studio}}
{{Film genres}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Major Film Studio}}
[[Category:Major film studios| ]]
[[Category:Film studios in Southern California|*]]
[[Category:Film distributors of the United States|*]]
[[Category:Anti-corporate activism]]

==Overview==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| image1 = Gate2universalstudios.JPG
| caption1 = [[Universal Studios Lot|Universal Studios]] in [[Universal City, California]]
| image2 = Paramountpicturesmelrosegate.jpg
| caption2 = [[Paramount Pictures]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]
| image3 = Walt Disney Studios Alameda Entrance.jpg
| caption3 = [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]] in [[Burbank, California]]
| image4 = Sony Pictures Studios Motor Gate.jpg
| caption4 = [[Sony Pictures Studios]] in [[Culver City, California]]
}}

The current "Big Four" majors (Universal, Paramount, Disney, and Sony) all originate with film studios that were active during [[classical Hollywood cinema|Hollywood's "Golden Age"]]. Three of these were among that original era's "Big Eight" major [[film studio]]s.

In addition to being members of today’s "Big Four", [[Paramount Pictures]] was also part of the original "Big Five", along with [[RKO Pictures]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Warner Bros.]], and [[20th Century Fox]].

[[Universal Pictures]] was, during that early era, considered one of "Little Three", along with [[United Artists]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], but became quickly a part of the Big Five. until its [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|Warner Bros. acquisition]] {{Citation Needed}} resulted in a "Big Four" for the first time in Hollywood. Meanwhile, United Artists began as a distribution company for several independent producers and 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.

During the Golden Age, [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] was an independent production company and not considered a "major studio" until the mid–1980s. It joined future subsidiary 20th Century Fox and four others (Columbia, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros.) to comprise the "Big Six" until its [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|Fox acquisition]] resulted in a new "Big Five" for the first time since Hollywood's Golden Age. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-deal-for-fox-would-end-era-of-the-big-six-studios-1512907201|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171212020429/https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-deal-for-fox-would-end-era-of-the-big-six-studios-1512907201|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 12, 2017|title=Disney Deal for Fox Would End Era of the 'Big Six' Studios|last=Fritz|first=Ben|date=December 11, 2017|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 19, 2019}}</ref> until [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|NBCUniversal's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery]] RKO went defunct in 1959 and MGM became a mini-major upon its sale from Turner to Kerkorian in 1986. In 1989, [[Sony]] acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment, which became Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1991. Thus, Paramount is the only early Big Five member to remain as a major today.

While the Big Four's studio lots are located within {{convert|15|miles|km}} of each other, Paramount is the only member of the Big Four still based ''in'' [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] and located entirely within the official [[city limits]] of the City of Los Angeles.<ref name="Bingen_Page_8">{{cite book |last1=Bingen |first1=Steven |title=Paramount: City of Dreams |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |location=Guilford, Connecticut |isbn=9781630762018 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GC1IDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |access-date=10 January 2022 |archive-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716005941/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Paramount/GC1IDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref> Warner Bros. and Disney are both located in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] while Universal is in the nearby unincorporated area of [[Universal City, California|Universal City]] and Columbia in [[Culver City, California|Culver 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 on [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Disney's studio lot]] and [[Team Disney|in the same building]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Brooks|title=Disney Film Boss Ousted by Warner Finds Vindication in Success|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/business/media/alan-horn-rights-the-ship-at-disney-and-fortune-follows.html|access-date=9 November 2014|work=The New York Times|date=9 November 2014|archive-date=10 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110062721/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/business/media/alan-horn-rights-the-ship-at-disney-and-fortune-follows.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Brooks|title=In Hollywood, a Decade of Hits Is No Longer Enough|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/business/27steal.html|access-date=10 November 2014|work=The New York Times|date=26 March 2011|archive-date=11 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411014419/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/business/27steal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group]] is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is owned by Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation, and is the only US film studio owned by a foreign conglomerate, while Universal is owned by Philadelphia-based [[Comcast]] (via [[NBCUniversal]]) and the other two report to corporations headquartered in New York City — [[Paramount Global]] and future subsidiary [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]. Most of today's Big Four also control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate on [[art film|arthouse]] pictures (e.g. Universal's [[Focus Features]]) or [[B movie|genre films]] (e.g. Sony's [[Screen Gems]]); several of these specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010.

Outside of the Big Four, there are several smaller U.S. production and distribution companies, known as independents or "indies". The leading independent producer/distributors such as [[Lionsgate Films]], the aforementioned MGM (now owned by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]), [[A24]], and [[STX Entertainment]] are sometimes referred to as "mini-majors". From 1998 through 2005, [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks SKG]] commanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major, despite its relatively small output and the merging of Disney and Fox at the end of the 2010s. In 2006, DreamWorks was acquired by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]], Paramount's corporate parent which since renamed itself after that studio in 2022. In late 2008, DreamWorks once again became an independent production company; its films were distributed by Disney's [[Touchstone Pictures]] until 2016, at which point distribution switched to Universal.

Today, the Big Four 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 Pictures]] and [[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Sony Pictures Releasing]], respectively) while the others function as both production and distribution companies. The specialty divisions (such as [[Searchlight Pictures]] and [[Focus 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 the [[runaway production]] phenomenon means that most films are now mostly or completely shot [[location shooting|on location]] at places outside Los Angeles.

The Big Four major studios are also members of the [[Motion Picture Association]] (MPA) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motionpictures.org/who-we-are|title=Who We Are|website=Motion Picture Association|access-date=November 27, 2020|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128202939/https://www.motionpictures.org/who-we-are/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]] (AMPTP).

{{-}}

==Majors==
===Current<span class="anchor" id="majors-current"></span>===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Current major film studios
|-
! Studio parent<br>([[media conglomerate|conglomerate]])
! Major film studio unit
----
Secondary studio
! Date founded
! [[Art film|Arthouse]]/[[Independent film|indie]]
! colspan="2" | [[Film genre|Genre movie]]/[[B movie]]
! [[Animation]]
! colspan="2" | Other divisions and brands
! [[Over-the-top media service|OTT]]/[[Video on demand|VOD]]
! [[United States|US]]/[[Canada|CA]] market share (2025)<ref name=":0" />
|-
| [[NBCUniversal]]<br>{{small|([[Comcast]])}}
| align="center" |[[Universal Pictures]]
----
[[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
| align="center" | {{dts|April 30, 1912}}
----
{{dts|April 4, 1923}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;| |[[Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer]]|[[Focus Features]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Focus Features|Focus World]]|[[United Artists]]|[[High Top Releasing]]|Discovery Films|[[Working Title Films]]|[[TruTV|TruTV Films]]|[[DC Studios]]|[[Cartoon Network|Cartoon Network Movies]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|| [[Cartoon Network Studios]]|[[Wang Film Productions]] (50%)|[[Big Idea Entertainment]]|[[Jay Ward Productions|Bullwinkle Studios]] (50%)|[[DreamWorks Animation]]|[[DreamWorks Classics]]|[[Illumination (company)|Illumination]]|[[Illumination Studios Paris]]|[[Universal Animation Studios]]|[[Warner Bros. Animation]]| [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. Japan Anime]]|[[Warner Bros. Pictures Animation]]|[[DC Studios]]|[[DC Animation]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid;' width="12%" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Warner Bros. Entertainment]]|[[Amblin Partners]] (minority stake)|[[Carnival Films]]|Makeready (JV)|[[NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan|NBCUniversal Japan]]|[[Alloy Entertainment]]|[[DC Entertainment]]|[[Cinemax|Cinemax Films]]|[[Flagship Entertainment Group]] (49%)}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none;' width="12%" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|6=OTL Releasing|7=[[United International Pictures]] (JV)|8=[[Universal 1440 Entertainment]] [[Castle Rock Entertainment]]|[[Turner Entertainment Co.|MCA Entertainment]]|[[Warner Bros. Japan]]|9=WT<sup>2</sup> Productions}}
| align=center | [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]<br>[[Hayu (streaming service)|Hayu]]<br>[[Hulu]] (33%)<br>[[Vudu]]<br>[[SkyShowtime]] (JV)<br>[[Max (streaming service)|Max]]<br>[[Discovery+]]<br>[[Joyn (streaming platform)|Joyn]] (JV)<br>[[Vudu]] (30%)<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)
| 35.8%
|-
| [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount Pictures Corporation]]<br>{{small|([[Paramount Global]])}}
| align=center | [[Paramount Pictures]]

| align="center" | {{dts|May 8, 1912}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Miramax]] (49%)}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid; padding-right: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[BET#BET Films|BET Films]]|[[MTV Entertainment Studios]]}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none; padding-left: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Nickelodeon Movies]]|[[Paramount Players]]|[[Republic Pictures]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[CBS Eye Animation Productions]]|[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise)#Avatar Studios|Avatar Studios]]|[[MTV Animation]]|[[Nickelodeon Animation Studio]]|[[Paramount Animation]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Awesomeness (company)|Awesomeness Films]]|[[Miramax#Miramax Family & Animation|Miramax Family]] (49%)|[[Paramount Digital Entertainment]]}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|6=United International Pictures (JV)|7=[[Viacom18 Studios]] (13.01%)|8=Paramount Digital Studios|9=[[Jio Studios]] (13.01%)}}
| align=center | [[Paramount+]]<br>[[Pluto TV]]<br>[[Showtime (TV network)#Showtime (streaming service)|Showtime]]<br>[[BET+]]<br>[[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]]<br>[[Nick+]]<br>[[JioCinema]] (13.01%)<br>[[Voot]] (13.01%)<br>[[My5]]<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)<br>[[SkyShowtime]] (JV)
| 17.56%
|-
| [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]]<br>{{small|([[The Walt Disney Company]])}}
| align="center" |[[Walt Disney Pictures]]
----
[[20th Century Studios]]
| align="center" | {{dts|October 16, 1923}}
----
{{dts|May 31, 1935}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[A&E Networks|A&E IndieFilms]] (50%)|[[Disneynature]]|[[Hulu#Original content|Hulu Documentary Films]] (67%)|[[Searchlight Pictures]]}}
| style='border-style: solid none solid solid; padding-right: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[List of Disney Channel original films|Disney Channel Original Movies]]|[[ESPN Films]] (80%)| [[National Geographic Global Networks|NatGeo Doc Films]] (73%)}}
| style='border-style: solid solid solid none; padding-left: 0.1em;' | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Lucasfilm]]|[[Marvel Studios]]|[[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#Freeform Original Productions|Freeform Original Productions]]}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[20th Century Animation]]|[[Lucasfilm Animation]]|[[Marvel Animation]]||[[Marvel Studios Animation]]|[[Pixar]]|[[Walt Disney Animation Studios]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[20th Century Family]]||[[A&E Networks|A&E Films]] (50%)|[[The Walt Disney Company India|Walt Disney Pictures India]]|[[Regency Enterprises]] (20%)|[[Star Studios]]|[[Marvel Entertainment]]}}
| style="border-style: solid solid solid none;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|8=[[UTV Motion Pictures]]|9=[[Vice Media#Vice Films|Vice Films]] (16%)|10=[[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]]|11=Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (JV)<!-- in 15 countries so no need to indicate just 1 --><ref name="thr">{{cite news |last1=Holdsworth |first1=Nick |title=Disney, Sony team up for Russian content |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-sony-team-up-russian-147608 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |agency=AP |date=December 27, 2006 |language=en |archive-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509170810/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-sony-team-up-russian-147608 |url-status=live }}</ref>|12=}}
| align="center" | [[Disney+]]<br>[[Hulu]] (67%)<br>[[ESPN+]] (80%)<br>[[Disney+ Hotstar]]<br>[[Star+]]<br>[[Movies Anywhere]]<br>[[Philo (company)|Philo]] (minority stake)
| 27.1%
|-
| [[Sony Pictures]]<br>{{small|([[Sony|Sony Group Corporation]])}}
| align="center" |[[Columbia Pictures]]
----
[[TriStar Pictures]]
| align="center" | {{dts|January 10, 1924}}<ref name="nytimes1999">{{cite news |last=Rozen |first=Leah |date=November 14, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/holiday-films-screen-gems-it-happened-with-one-movie-a-studio-transformed.html |title=It Happened With One Movie: A Studio Transformed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728053914/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/holiday-films-screen-gems-it-happened-with-one-movie-a-studio-transformed.html |archive-date=2019-07-28 |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 14, 2010 |quote=...which may explain why C.B.C. incorporated itself as the classier-sounding Columbia Pictures in 1924. }}</ref>
----
{{dts|March 2, 1982}}
| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Sony Pictures Classics]]}}
| colspan="2" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|[[Affirm Films]]|[[Ghost Corps]]|[[Screen Gems]]|[[Stage 6 Films]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;"| {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;| [[Crunchyroll LLC]]|[[Crunchyroll UK and Ireland]]|[[Crunchyroll EMEA]]|[[Crunchyroll Store Australia]]|[[Crunchyroll#Crunchyroll Originals|Crunchyroll Studios]]|[[Right Stuf#Nozomi Entertainment|Nozomi Entertainment]]|[[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse]] (5%)|[[Sony Pictures Animation]]|[[Sony Pictures Imageworks]]}}
| style="border-style: solid none solid solid;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|3000 Pictures<ref>{{cite news |last1=Masters |first1=Kim |title=Elizabeth Gabler Breaks Silence on Sony Move, Disney Exit, HarperCollins and Streaming Plans (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elizabeth-gabler-talks-disney-exit-harpercollins-streaming-1240141 |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828024132/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elizabeth-gabler-talks-disney-exit-harpercollins-streaming-1240141 |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Destination Films]]|[[Left Bank Pictures]]|[[Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan|Sony Pictures Japan]]|[[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Sony Pictures Releasing]]}}
| style="border-style: solid solid solid none;" | {{ubl|style=font-size: 85%;|8=[[TriStar Productions]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/08/tom-rothman-to-launch-new-TriStar-productions-label-for-sony/#more-554730 |title=Tom Rothman To Launch New TriStar Productions Label For Sony |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612090854/http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/tom-rothman-to-launch-new-tristar-productions-label-for-sony/#more-554730 |archive-date=2014-06-12 |url-status=live |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=August 1, 2013 }}</ref>|9=Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (JV)<!-- in 15 countries so no need to indicate just 1 --><ref name="thr" />|7=[[Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonypicturesworldwideacquisitions.com/about/ |title=About |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234150/http://www.sonypicturesworldwideacquisitions.com/about/ |archive-date=2013-12-30 |url-status=live |website=SonyPicturesWorldwideAcquisitions.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 }}</ref>|10=[[Culver Max Entertainment|Sony Pictures India]]|11=Sony Pictures Networks Productions}}
| align="center" | [[SonyLIV]]<br>[[Crunchyroll]]<br>[[Funimation]]<br>[[Pure Flix|Great American Pure Flix]] (JV)
| 12.78%
|}

===Past===
Other major film studios of the 20th century included:
*[[RKO Pictures]] (RKO) (1929–1959): one of the Big Five studios (originally incorporated as RKO Radio Pictures), bought by [[Howard Hughes]] in 1948, was mismanaged and dismantled and was largely defunct by the 1957 studio lot sale;<ref name="tss" /> revived several times as an independent studio, with most recent film releases in 2012 and 2015.
*[[United Artists]] (UA) (1919–1981): one of the Little Three major minor studios, originally only a distributor for independent film producers<ref name="tss" /> acquired by MGM in 1981; brand name was resurrected in 2019 when [[Annapurna Pictures]] and MGM renamed a distribution company which is a joint venture between the two companies to [[United Artists Releasing]].
*[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) (1924–1986): one of the Big Seven studios,<ref name="tss" /> acquired by [[Ted Turner]] in 1986, who sold the studio back to [[Kirk Kerkorian]] later that year while retaining MGM's pre–May 1986 library; became a mini–major studio upon the sale; emerged from [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|bankruptcy]] in 2010; now owned by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], which also owns and operates [[Amazon Studios]], [[Amazon Prime Video]], and [[Amazon Freevee]].
*[[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] (TCF, 20th, or Fox) (1935–2019): one of the Big Six studios,<ref name="tss" /> became part of [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] when [[The Walt Disney Company]] [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquired Fox's owner]] in 2019; 20th Century Fox was renamed 20th Century Studios the following year.
*[[Warner Bros.]] (WB, Warner, Warner Bros. Pictures, or Warner Brothers) (1923–2024): one of the Big Five studios,<ref name="tss" /> became part of [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] when [[NBCUniversal]]/[[Comcast]] [[Acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast|acquired Warner's owner]] in 2024.
== Programming ==
Hackers, software engineers, and other IT jobs use programming languages and other tools.


== Sources ==
* {{commons category-inline|Film studios}}
* {{commons category-inline|Film production companies}}

{{Film Studio}}
{{Film genres}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Major Film Studio}}
[[Category:Major film studios| ]]
[[Category:Film studios in Southern California|*]]
[[Category:Film distributors of the United States|*]]
[[Category:Anti-corporate activism]]

Revision as of 21:47, 29 October 2023

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