The 10 Largest Film Production Companies

Submitted by podizz on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 11:08
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  1. Paramount-Founded in 1912 as the oldest existing film studio. Origins begin with the founding of the Famous Players Film Company by Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor. Jesse Lasky's Lasky Company also began releasing pictures at that time, and they soon began releasing through Paramount Pictures Corporation, organized by theatre owner W. W. Hodkinson. Soon the three companies merged, with Zukor taking a lead role in running the newly contituted Paramount Pictures. Instrumental in their rise was the introduction of block booking, whereby theatres were forced to buy a years worth of Paramounts films in order the show any one of their pictures (later declared unconstitional in 1948). Also key was their pioneering emphasis on stars, as Zukor signed and developed countless well known on screen poersonalities, such as Douglas Fairbanks, Gary Cooper, and the Marx Brothers. Released The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now owned by Viacom. CEO Brad Grey. Yearly revenue of 1.2 billion.
  2. Walt Disney Company/Touchstone-Fantasia
  3. Universal (now NBC Universal)- Jaws, Scarface
  4. 20th Century Fox Founded in 1935, when Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck, Joseph Schenck, Raymond Griffith and William Goetz merged. Released Patton, Star Wars, Titanic and Avatar. Subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
  5. MGM-Fnded in 1924 when Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Released Ben Hur, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz.
  6. Warner Bros.-Founded in 1918 by Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam Warner, four brother who had emigrated from Poland. Pioneers talking picture, despite Harry's early pronoucement asking "Who the heck wants to hear actors talk?" Released the firm true talkie, The Jazz Singer, in 1927. Released Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Exorcist, Goodfellas, and the Harry Potter series, Subsidiary of Time Warner
  7. Dreamworks
  8. Columbia Pictures-Mr Smith Goes To Washington, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Taxi Driver,
  9. Lions Gate
  10. Dimension Films/The Weinstien Company
  11. Miramax-Now owned by Walk Disney Company as of 1993
  12. United Artists-Now owned by MGM as of 1981
  13. New Line Cinema-Merged with Warner Bros in 2008
  14. RKO-went defunct in 1959