Existing British & American Production Companies: American Production Companies

In order to understand the production of films better, I decided to do some research into production companies. From my previous knowledge, I knew that there was a difference between American production companies and British production companies. Therefore, I split my research into two halves; existing British production companies, and existing American production companies.

This post will consist of my research on American production companies.

American Production Companies

American production companies are ruled by the "Hollywood Big Six"; the name given to a collection of America's most well-known and successful production companies. The current "Big Six" were established in the 1990's, and they are: Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Studios. These production companies release a large number of films each year and produce some of the highest grossing films to ever be made.

Warner Bros. Pictures
As the highest grossing studio of 2016, Warner Bros Pictures is at the forefront of the entertainment industry, with 877 film releases, and a total gross of $39,996,451,135. As of the same year, the company is the only studio to cross $1 billion at the domestic box office every year since the millennium. The highest grossing film they have released is The Dark Night.

Walt Disney Studios
Buena Vista, a name often used for divisions of The Walt Disney Company, including the Walt Disney Studios, was the second highest grossing studio of 2016, with 631 film releases, and a total gross of $38,301,278,233. In December of 2016, Walt Disney Studios was the first major studio to reach $7 billion at the global box office. The highest grossing film they have released is Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures, also now known as Sony Pictures, was the third highest grossing studio of 2016, with 900 film releases, and a total gross of $33,740,729,952. The Columbia Pictures empire was sold on September 28, 1989 to Sony for $3.4 billion. The highest grossing film they have released is Spider-Man.

Universal Pictures 
Universal Pictures was the fourth highest grossing studio of 2016, with 681 film releases, and a total gross of $31,895,482,922. In April 2016, Universal's parent company bought DreamWorks Animation for a grand sum of $3.8 billion. The highest grossing film they have released is Jurassic World.

Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures was the fifth highest grossing studio of 2016, with 624 film releases, and a total gross of $31,819,128,113. Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world, and in 2014, became the first major studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The highest grossing film they have released is Titanic.

20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox was the sixth highest grossing studio of 2016, with 614 film releases, and a total gross of $31,279,392,548. The studio is currently owned by 21st Century Fox, and in 2015, it celebrated its 80th anniversary as a studio. The highest grossing film they have released is Avatar.