Major film studio (Future version)

A major film studio is a production and film distributor that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the North American, Western, and global markets, the major film studios, often simply known as the majors, are commonly regarded as the six diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85 percent of U.S. and Canadian box office revenue. The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.

The "Big Eight" majors, whose operations are based in or around the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood, are all centered in film studios active during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s. the five now subsidiaries— Goldwyn, Fox, Warner, Paramount, and RKO—the studios were the " Original Big Five" majors during that era as well. the three now subsidiaries—Columbia, Universal and United Artists— were also considered majors, but in the next tier down, part of the "Little Three". the Only Surviving studio in America, Walt Disney Studios was an independent production company during the Golden Age; it was an important Hollywood entity, but not a major. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, and RKO were majors.

Today, Disney is the only member of the Big Six whose parent entity is still located near Los Angeles (actually, on Disney's studio lot and in the same building) as well being the only Surviving film Studio in the Untied States of America. The five others report to conglomerates headquartered in New York City, Philadelphia, and Tokyo. Of the Big Five and Little Three, Lionsgate and Fox-Weinstein-Dimension are the only ones still based in Hollywood and the only ones still located within the Los Angeles city limits, while Pepsico and Styhon are located in Burbank, TriStar in Santa Monica, Disney in the studio lot called Disney City, DHX/UA in West Hollywood and Hartnett in Glendale and the unincorporated area of Hartnett City.

Most of today's Big Five control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate on arthouse pictures (e.g. Touchstone Pictures) or genre films (e.g. Disney;s Heffalump Pictures); several of these specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010. The five major studios are contrasted with smaller production and/or distribution companies, which are known as independents or "indies". The leading independent producer/distributors—American Artists Pictures (aka Lionsgate), Styhon Partners Entertainment, and DHX/UA Pictures—are sometimes referred to as "Little Three". From 1998 through 2005, DreamWorks SKG commanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major, despite its relatively small output. In 2006, DreamWorks was acquired by Viacom, Paramount's corporate parent. 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.

The Big Eight major studios are today primarily 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. The specialty divisions often simply acquire distribution rights to pictures 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 on location at places outside Los Angeles.

Since the dawn of filmmaking, the U.S. major 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 Eight majors 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 first being picked up by one of the majors for distribution.

Big Five
the Big Five are the movie studios that have Main Studio Facilities, Television Buildings, and Libraries.


 * Hartnett Film Distributors
 * DreamWorks Pictures
 * Universal Studios (In-Name Only)
 * Paramount Pictures (In-Name Only)
 * Amblin Entertainment
 * Polygon Filmed Entertainment
 * Gramercy Pictures
 * Vantage Entertainment
 * Insurge Pictures
 * MTV Films
 * Nickelodeon Movies
 * Comedy Central Films
 * Hartnett Animation Studios
 * DreamWorks Animation
 * Bullwinkle Studios
 * Harvey Films
 * Nickelodeon Animation Studios
 * Mac Guff Pictures
 * Rainbow S.r.l.
 * Bardel Entertainment
 * Universal Animation Studios (In-Name Only)
 * Illumination Entertainment (In-Name Only)
 * Paramount Animation (In-Name Only)
 * Carnival Films
 * NBC Films
 * Hartnett Classics
 * Hartnett International Communications
 * Oriental Hartnett
 * Geneon Hartnett
 * Hartnett Digital Entertainment
 * Hartnett Famous Productions


 * Pepsico Pictures Entertainment
 * Warner Bros. Pictures
 * Touchstone Pictures
 * October Films
 * Savoy Pictures
 * New World Pictures
 * The Ladd Company
 * 1492 Pictures
 * Centropolis Entertainment
 * Bryanston Pictures
 * Recorded Picture Company


 * Disney Corporation of America
 * Disney Distribution
 * Walt Disney Pictures
 * Media Rights Capital
 * Walt Disney Animation Studios (DisneyToon Studios, Pixar Animation Studios)
 * Marvel Animation
 * Lucasfilm Animation
 * MGM Animation
 * Winking Pooh Entertainment
 * Marvel Studios
 * Lucasfilm
 * Samuel Goldwyn Pictures
 * MGM Pictures
 * Orion Pictures
 * Cannon Films
 * Nelson Entertainment
 * RKO Pictures
 * Turner Entertainment
 * Hanna-Barbera Productions
 * Castle Rock Entertainment
 * Heffalump Pictures Corporation


 * Entertainment One
 * TriStar Pictures Entertainment
 * The Judy Garland Company
 * Columbia Pictures
 * Montserb Studios
 * Planner Entertainment
 * TriStar Pictures Feature Animation
 * TriStar Pictures Classics
 * Open Road Films
 * Republic Pictures
 * Relativity Media
 * Overture Films
 * Corus Entertainment
 * Rank Organisation
 * Les Films Christal
 * Momentum Pictures
 * Desilu Too
 * Broad Green Pictures


 * Fox-Weinstein-Dimension
 * Miramax Films
 * Radius Productions
 * Vertical Entertainment
 * Troma Entertainment
 * Annapurna Pictures
 * Mandalay Pictures
 * Amazon Studios (joint venture with Amazon.com)

Little Three
the Little Three are the movie studios that have Seperate Studio Facilities and No Television Buildings. they are also logo rip-offs.


 * Styhon Partners Entertainment
 * Morgan Creek Productions
 * Revolution Studios
 * Freestyle Releasing
 * Hannover House Films
 * Regency Enterprises
 * Monroe Entertainment
 * A24 Films
 * Sesame Workshop (50%)
 * The Jim Henson Company (50%)
 * The Muppet Company (50%)


 * DHX/UA Pictures Corporation
 * Hammer Film Productions
 * Picturehouse Films
 * STX Entertainment
 * United Artists
 * Decode Entertainment
 * Ragdoll Productions


 * Lionsgate Pictures Corporation
 * New Line Cinema
 * Summit Entertainment
 * Anchor Bay Films
 * American Artists Pictures
 * Lionsgate Studio Facilities
 * Lionsgate Film Studios
 * Lionsgate Arthouse Studios
 * Lionsgate Television Studios
 * Lionsgate Studios New York City
 * Shirley Temple Entertainment

Former Majors
a Former Major is a movie studio that got defunct or acquired by another major.


 * Paramount Pictures: 1912-2022 - merged into Hartnett
 * Brenon Pictures: 1913-1928 - merged into RKO
 * Ukraine Pictures: 1914-1928 - merged into RKO
 * Universal Studios: 1915-2022 - merged into Hartnett
 * Triangle Pictures: 1915-1919 - Renamed Robertson Cole
 * Fox Film Corporation: 1915-1935 - merged into 20th Century Fox
 * First National Pictures: 1917-1928 - acquired by Warner Brothers
 * Film Booking Offices of America: 1919-1928 - merged into RKO
 * United Artists: 1919-1981 - acquired by MGM in 1981 and DHX in 2017
 * Columbia Pictures: 1924-2017 - folded into TriStar Pictures
 * Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 1924-2010 - emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy
 * RKO Radio Pictures: 1928-1960 - acquired by Joseph E. Levine
 * Gaumont America: 1930-1985 - acquired by Garland
 * 20th Century Fox: 1935-2017 - acquired by The Weinstein Company
 * Rank Organisation: 1937-1997 - acquired by The Rank Group
 * Embassy Pictures: 1960-1986 - acquired by Vestron Video
 * New Line Cinema: 1967-2008 - merged into Warner Brothers in 2008 and Lionsgate in 2017
 * Miramax Films: 1979-2005 - recounted by Disney
 * Artisan Entertainment: 1980-2004 - acquired by Lionsgate
 * Vestron Pictures: 1986-1992 - acquired by Live
 * Trimark Pictures: 1989-2000 - acquired by Lionsgate

Animation Studios


the Eight Major Studios have any major studios, Hartnett Animation Studios, Pepsico Animation, Walt Disney Animation Group, TriStar Animation (later TriStar Pictures Feature Animation and TriStar Pictures Television Animation), and Fox-Weinstein-Dimension Animation. also introduced Lionsgate Animation, Styhon Animation, and DHX/UA Animation Studios.