Major film studio
A major film studio is a production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often simply known as the majors, are commonly regarded as the seven diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 85–90% of U.S. box office revenue. The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.
Since the dawn of filmmaking, the U.S. film studios have dominated both American cinema and the global film industry. 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. Today, the Big Seven majors – Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, and Paramount Pictures – routinely distribute hundreds of films every year into all significant international markets (that is, where discretionary income is high enough for consumers to afford to watch films). It is very rare, if not impossible, for a film to reach a broad international audience on multiple continents and in multiple languages without being picked up by one of the majors for distribution.
Majors[edit | edit source]
Present[edit | edit source]
Past[edit | edit source]
Past majors include:
- RKO Pictures (1928–1959) defunct, then several times revived as an independent studio; their latest films were released in both 2012 and 2015, respectively.
- United Artists (1919–1981) acquired by MGM in 1981.
