Ria Puneyani, Apoorva Bajj
— 11 min read
Movies are continually smashing box office records, with Avatar at the top of the list. The average person goes to the movies around once a month, and consumer expenditure on movies in theaters has increased by 30% in the previous decade. The best movie production firms in the world are driving this expansion to fulfill market demand by innovating with films that break box office records. Universal Pictures is the largest movie studio globally in terms of box office receipts, followed by Warner Bros and The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which complete out the top three movie production corporations. The top ten largest movie studio businesses are shown below:
Top 10 Movie Studio Companies in the World
- Universal Pictures
- Warner Bros
- The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Paramount
- Lionsgate
- 20th Century Fox
- Weinstein Company
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
- DreamWorks Studios
Top 10 Movie Studio Companies in the World
Here are some of the biggest movie studio companies in the world.
1. Universal Pictures
| Revenue | $11.62 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 351 |
| Popular Movies | Despicable Me, Jurassic Park, King Kong, Fast & Furious movie series |
| Headquarters | Universal City, California |
| Owner | Comcast |
| Founded | 1912 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: Knock at the Cabin, Cocaine Bear, The Super Mario Bros, Renfield, Fast X, Strays, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Oppenheimer
The US's oldest surviving movie production company, Universal Pictures, tops our list with the highest global box-office performance of the year, generating $43.9 billion in 2020. Universal Pictures, founded in 1912, is a movie studio in the United States owned by Comcast's NBC Universal F&E division. Universal Pictures is based in the state of California in the United States. Despicable Me, Jurassic Park, King Kong, the Fast & Furious movie series, and others are among the company's most well-known movie projects. The business has produced a total of 351 movies since its inception.
Universal Pictures generated a domestic box office revenue of 1.64 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.
2. Warner Bros
| Revenue | $5.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 7000 |
| Popular Movies | The Harry Potter series, The Matrix, and Joker |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discover |
| Founded | 1923 |
Movies to Look Forward in 2023: The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, More Tentpoles in Barbie, The Meg 2
Warner Bros. is an American diversified global mass media and entertainment corporation based in Burbank, California.
Other divisions and companies owned by Warner Bros. include DC Movies, Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. Animation. Warner Bros. is credited for 11 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time. Warner Bros. has produced around 5000 television episodes and 7000 movies since its inception. The Harry Potter series, The Matrix, Joker, and others are among them.
Warner Bros. grossed $43.9 billion at the box office in 2021, making it the second-largest movie production business on our list. The domestic Box Office in 2022 surpassed $935.9 million.
3. The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
| Revenue | $7.16 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 296 |
| Popular Movies | Resident Evil, Spiderman, and Jumanji |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California |
| Owner | Sony |
| Founded | 1998 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: New Spider-Man and Ghostbuster
The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a component of Sony Entertainment, was created in 1998. Columbia Pictures, which was purchased for $3.4 billion from Coca-Cola in 1989, is the company's largest subsidiary. TriStar Pictures and Screen Game are two of the company's other subsidiaries. Resident Evil, Spiderman, and Jumanji are just a few of the excellent movies and franchises created by Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.
Sony has two movies among the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time. It made $41.1 billion in 2020. The domestic Box Office performance for Sony Pictures Movies in 2022 was $843.8 million.
4. Walt Disney Pictures
| Revenue | $82.7 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 130 |
| Popular Movies | Avengers: Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Founded | 1923 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: The Little Mermaid, Elemental, Peter Pan & Wendy, The Marvels, Haunted Mansion, Wish, Crater, Aladdin: Live from the West End.
Walt Disney Pictures is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios. Avengers: Endgame, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King are among the highest-grossing and most lucrative movies ever released by Walt Disney Pictures. Disney has produced 21 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time.
The movie production firm subsidiary is situated at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Avengers: Endgame, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King are among the highest-grossing and most lucrative movies ever released by Walt Disney Pictures. Disney has produced 21 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time.
This movie production company grossed $38.4 billion in 2020, making it the fourth-largest movie studio company. The domestic Box Office performance for Walt Disney Pictures in 2022 was $1.93 billion.
5. Paramount
| Revenue | $30.15 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 168 |
| Popular Movies | Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Owner | Gulf and Western Industries |
| Founded | 1912 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: Rise of the Pink Ladies, As Good As It Gets, Baby Boom, Basic Instinct 2, Beavis And Butt-Head Do, America, Crawlspace
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has recognized Paramount Pictures, as a subsidiary of ViacomCBS (MPA). Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible movie are among the highest-grossing films ever made by Paramount Pictures.
Paramount Animation, founded in 2011, when DreamWorks Animation left the company, is one of the studio's departments. It was revealed that Paramount Animation would be a subsidiary committed to producing animated feature pictures that could compete with DreamWorks, Walt Disney, and Pixar.
Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible movie are among the highest-grossing films ever made by Paramount Pictures.
Paramount Animation, founded in 2011, when DreamWorks Animation left the company, is one of the studio's departments. It was revealed that Paramount Animation would be a subsidiary committed to producing animated feature pictures that could compete with DreamWorks, Walt Disney, and Pixar.
It produced $730 million and grossed $30.2 billion in 2020. Paramount generated a domestic box office revenue of $1.29 billion in 2022.
6. Lionsgate
| Revenue | $35.97 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 400 |
| Popular Movies | Now You See Me, Twilight, and Knowing |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California |
| Owner | Canadian American Entertainment Company |
| Founded | 1997 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: White Bird: A Wonder Story, The Expendables 4, Ordinary Angels, Saw X
Lionsgate Films is the sixth most lucrative movie studio in North America and the most commercially successful mini-major film and television distribution firm.
Cinepix was formed in Montreal in 1962 and was purchased by the Lion Gate Entertainment Group in 1997, resulting in the studio we know today.
The Hunger Games, Kick-Ass, and The Expendables are just a few of the amazing film series created by Lionsgate. Summit Entertainment is one of the studio's subsidiaries, and it is perhaps their most successful at the present, having produced successes such as Now You See Me, Twilight, and Knowing.
It made over $3.89 billion in 2020 and made $401 million in sales.
7. 20th Century Fox
| Revenue | $47 million |
|---|---|
| Movies | 108 |
| Popular Movies | Robots, Rio, and Ice Age |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Founded | 1935 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: White Men Can't Jump, The Boogeyman, Ladybug and Cat Noir, True Love.
On this list, 20th Century Studios is ranked seventh. 20th Century Studios is an American film company that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a branch of The Walt Disney Company, formed in 1935 in Los Angeles, California. It is recognized for blockbusters like Avatar, Star Wars, Bohemian Rhapsody, and others. Avatar, presently holds the record for the most earning film of all time, generating over $2.7 billion.
From 1984 to 2013, it was owned by New Corporation. News Corporation and 21st Century Fox broke up to become News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, which now controls the studio.
20th Century Fox has created some incredible and profitable properties. Ice Age and X-Men are two of them. Fox Animation Studios was their major production unit. In 1997, they had considerable success with Anastasia. It received positive reviews. However, it was frequently mistaken for a Disney film.
Titan AE was the studio's next project. On a $75 million budget, the picture grossed around $37 million. Blue Sky Studios, which concentrates on computer animation movies such as Robots, Rio, and Ice Age, acquired in 1997, has had much greater success for 20th Century Fox.
Its sales in 2020 were $145 million, with a gross profit of $3.78 billion. This movie production company made $1.08 billion in gross profit on sales for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2022.
8. Weinstein Company
| Revenue | $33.9 million |
|---|---|
| Movies | 145 |
| Popular Movies | Scary Movie 4 and 5, Scream 4, and Spy Kids |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
| Founders | Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein |
| Founded | 2005 |
After leaving Miramax in 2005, brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein founded The Weinstein Company.
At one point, this studio was Hollywood's largest mini-major studio. Derailed, Scream 4, and 1408 are among their popular flicks. They immediately established a reputation for producing high-quality pictures that turned a profit.
Django Unchained is their highest-grossing picture, with nearly $425 million in worldwide box office receipts.
Dimension Films, which was purchased from Disney, who owned Miramax, is owned by the studio. They've made some fantastic sequels to some of the label's previous films, including Scary Movie 4 and 5, Scream 4, and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.
In late 2017, the studio was rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein. On March 19, 2018, he was sacked from the corporation, and the studio filed for bankruptcy. Lantern Capital, a private equity group, won the studio's assets at an auction. Following the auction the company was completely shut down.
9. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
| Revenue | $13.1 billion |
|---|---|
| Movies | 254 |
| Popular Movies | The Dirty Dozen, GoldenEye, and Ben-Hur |
| Headquarters | Beverly Hills, California |
| Owner | MGM Studios |
| Founded | 1924 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: Challengers, A Good Person, Legally Blond, The White Lotus, and many more.
MGM, Metro Goldwyn Pictures, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer are all trademarks of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, an American media business that mostly produces films and television shows. It was established in 1924 and was the largest and most prestigious studio in the world. Throughout the years, it was acquired and sold several times before it filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
It has recovered its losses and is now classified as a mini-major studio. Over the years, MGM has produced timeless masterpieces such as The Dirty Dozen, GoldenEye, and Ben-Hur. MGM's later success stemmed from its ownership of the James Bond franchise.
The revenue and gross of this movie production company were $96.1 million and $1.50 billion in 2020, respectively.
10. DreamWorks Studios
| Revenue | $915.9 million |
|---|---|
| Movies | 48 |
| Popular Movies | Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda |
| Headquarters | Universal City, California |
| Owner | Amblin Partners |
| Founded | 1994 |
Movies to Look Forward to in 2023: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Trolls Band Together, Kung Fu Panda 4
Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen formed DreamWorks Pictures in 1994. Amblin Partners presently owns the company. Transformer and Gladiator are two of their finest flicks. Around the turn of 2000, the firm was doing well, winning three Academy Awards for Best Picture. However, owing to over $400 million in debt, the company was sold to Viacom in 2005.
DreamWorks Animation is one of their most significant and most successful companies. With films like Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda, it became a great commercial success. NBCUniversal now owns the division, which was split off in 2004. It made $79.1 million in revenue in 2020 whereas $915.9 million in 2022.
Conclusion
New movies are being made every single day and with the release of every film, the competition between these studios is increasing. We have yet to see which movie studio comes out on top.
FAQs
What are the top Movie Studio Companies in the world?
Some of the top movie studio companies in the world are:
- Universal Pictures
- Warner Bros
- The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Paramount
- Lionsgate
- 20th Century Fox
- Weinstein Company
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
- DreamWorks Studios
What do movie studios do?
A movie studio is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facilities. Movie studios are used to shoot and make movies.
Which is the highest-grossing film?
Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing film of all time grossing over $2 billion.
Which are the top-grossing films?
Top-grossing films are:
- Avengers: Endgame
- Avatar
- Titanic
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Avengers: Infinity War
Which are the major film studios with top-grossing films?
Major film studios with top-grossing films are:
- Universal Pictures
- Warner Bros
- Columbia Pictures
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Marvel Studios
Certainly! Collections, especially in the realm of movies, encompass various aspects like box office records, revenue generation, and the dominance of major movie studios. Let's break down the key concepts from the provided article:
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Box Office Records: This involves the financial performance of movies in theaters. It includes the total earnings or revenue generated by a film during its theatrical run.
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Movie Studios: These are companies responsible for producing, distributing, and marketing films. Some of the major studios mentioned are Universal Pictures, Warner Bros, The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Weinstein Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and DreamWorks Studios.
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Box Office Gross: It refers to the total revenue earned by a movie from theatrical screenings, often categorized by domestic and international earnings.
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Revenue and Profit: Movie studios' financial success is measured in terms of revenue generated from movie releases and the resulting profits.
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Top-Grossing Films: These are movies that have earned the most money at the box office. Notable examples include Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Avengers: Infinity War.
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Film Franchises: Successful series or groups of movies sharing the same fictional universe, characters, or themes, often contributing significantly to a studio's revenue. Examples include the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and The Fast & Furious series.
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Production Houses: These are the entities responsible for creating movies. Bollywood, as mentioned, has several prominent production houses, including those like Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures.
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Subsidiaries: These are companies owned or controlled by larger corporations. For instance, Disney owns several subsidiaries like Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and ABC.
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History and Ownership: Each studio has its own unique history, founding dates, locations, and ownership structures, influencing their strategies and success.
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Industry Trends: Insights into consumer behavior, like average movie-going frequency and the growth in consumer expenditure on movies, provide a broader perspective on the movie industry's health and evolution.
These concepts collectively portray the dynamics, financial prowess, and influence of major movie studios, shaping the entertainment landscape through their blockbuster releases and revenue generation.
