In this article we take a look at some of the notable movie companies in the world. You can skip this part and see the top 5 entries in this article by clicking 5 Biggest Movie Companies in the World.
The entertainment and film production industry is one of the largest and oldest in the world. It has also continuously evolved over the years, as new technologies have emerged to provide entertainment. In its oldest form in the modern age, the movie sector was limited to live, theatrical performances as viewers watched their favorite performers perform live. With the advent of the camera, the sector was transformed as production companies took over the charge and started recording motion pictures. These were distributed across picture houses, now known as cinemas, with viewers now watching recorded performances and letting the producers recover their investments by paying a ticket fee.
According to research by Research and Markets, the global film and video market stood at an eye-popping $234 billion in 2020. In the future, the research firm expects this industry to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% to stand at $252 billion by the end of this year. For 2025, the CAGR for this industry drops to 6%, with an estimated size of $318 billion by the end of the year. Additionally, the firm also expects drones to play an important role in the film sector in the future due to their ease of use for aerial operations and recording.
With technology spreading all over the globe, the American film industry is no longer unrivaled in its dominance in the sector. Emerging markets, such as those in China and India, are rapidly growing, and their large populations provide local companies with a large market to target. India’s film sector Bollywood is renowned internationally for its size and diversity, and the county’s large production houses with plenty of revenue.
Research from the research division of PricewaterhouseCoopers says that the Indian box office will make a strong recovery and grow at a CAGR of 39.3% to stand at 138 billion Indian rupees or $1.9 billion by the end of 2025. The segment undertook heavy losses in 2020 as the ongoing pandemic forced governments to impose lockdowns. These resulted in cinemas closing down and the producers which had made significant investments into movies taking serious losses since these movies could not be aired.
Some of the notable names on this list include The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), Sony Group Corporation (NYSE: SONY) and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
Photo by Kosta Bratsos on Unsplash
Our Methodology
To determine the 10 biggest movie companies in the world, we will use all-time annual box office gross revenue for the companies as of September 2021. This represents the revenue that a production house earns from a movie, and the more big-ticket items it has, the higher the billings are. Some of the big ticket movies released often bring in more than $1 billion, and enable the production companies to earn a return on their investments. So without further ado, let’s look at some of the biggest movie companies in the world in terms of gross box office billings.
Biggest Movie Companies in the World
15. Paramount Pictures Corporation
Box Office Gross Revenue: $33 billion
Paramount Pictures Corporation is a subsidiary of the multimedia conglomerate ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAC). It is also one of the oldest film studios in the world after being founded 109 years ago in 1912.
As of September 2021, Paramount Pictures has brought in $33 billion through gross box office revenues, and its most iconic title is the movie Titanic which has raked in over $2 billion since its release in 1997.
14. 20th Century Studios
Box Office Gross Revenue: $26 billion
20th Century Studios is also a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios which is owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). It is also relatively younger when compared to some of the other older American film production companies since it was founded ‘only’ 86 years ago in 1935.
It was acquired by Disney in 2017 and renamed 20th Century Studios last year. The studio has brought in $26 billion through gross box office revenue as of September 2021.
13. New Line Productions, Inc
Box Office Gross Revenue: $17 billion
New Line Productions, Inc is also a part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)’s WarnerMedia division’s WarnerBros. It started out in the late 1900s as an independent film distributor and was acquired by Warner in 1994.
As of September 2021, the studio has earned $17 billion through gross box office revenue, and its most successful title to date is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which has brought in $1.1 billion.
12. Legendary Pictures Production, LLC
Box Office Gross Revenue: $16.6 billion
Legendary Pictures Production, LLC is based out of Burban California, and when compared to the other film production giants, it is one of the youngest companies in the list.
It was founded in the year 2000 and was acquired by the Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group in 2016. The company has brought in $17 billion through gross box office revenue and its most successful title is Jurassic World, through its $1.7 billion revenue.
11. RatPac Entertainment LLC (Dune Entertainment)
Box Office Gross Revenue: $16.5 billion
RatPac Entertainment LLC, also known for its subsidiary RatPac-Dune Entertainment, traces its roots to 2006 when Dune Entertainment was formed. In 2013, RatPac and Dune merged to create RatPac’s subsidiary and Dune Entertainment has brought in $16.5 billion in gross box office revenue as of September last year.
10. DreamWorks Animation LLC
Box Office Gross Revenue: $15.6 billion
DreamWorks Animation LLC operates under Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)’s NBCUniversal division. It is also a young film studio, with only 26 titles having been passed since it was founded in 1994 by a team that included the legendary director Steven Spielberg.
It was acquired by NBCUniversal for $3.8 billion in 2016, and over its lifetime has brought in $15.6 billion through gross box office revenues. Its most successful title to date is Shrek 2, which has brought in $935 million.
9. Relativity Media
Box Office Gross Revenue: $15.3 billion
Relativity Media is a subsidiary of UltraV Holdings and was founded 17 years ago as a middleman between film studios and banks. Since then, it has produced several of its own titles and has had a tumultuous financial history after having declared bankruptcy several times.
The company has brought in $15.3 billion through gross box office revenues as of September 2021 and its most successful title is the Fast and Furious 6, which has raked in $789 million since its release in 2013.
8. Pixar Animation Studios
Box Office Gross Revenue: $14.7 billion
Pixar Animation Studios, also known as Disney-Pixar, is famous as late Apple founder Steve Jobs’ successful media venture which made him Disney’s largest shareholder. Pixar is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios which is owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). It has brought in $14.7 billion in gross revenues to as of September 2021.
7. Amblin Entertainment, Inc
Box Office Gross Revenue: $14.6 billion
Amblin Entertainment, Inc is another company founded by Steven Spielberg with Universal Studios having acquired a minor stake in the company in 2017. It has brought in $14.6 billion through gross box office revenue in its lifetime and is famous for its Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies, with the latter earning more than $1.6 billion.
6. Village Roadshow Pictures
Box Office Gross Revenue: $14.6 billion
Village Roadshow Pictures is a part of the Australian media company Village Roadshow’s Village Roadshow Entertainment Group division. Its co-production with Warner Bros. have brought it fame, with heavy hitting titles such as Joker pushing the company’s box office gross revenue to $14.6 billion. Like The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), Sony Group Corporation (NYSE: SONY) and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Village Roadshow is one of the biggest movie companies in the world.
5. Marvel Studios, LLC
Box Office Gross Revenue: $39 billion
Marvel Studios LLC is another subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)’s Walt Disney Studios. As opposed to other film production houses that have titles from all genres under their belt, Marvel is focused exclusively on producing films based on comic books from Marvel Worldwide Inc.’s Marvel Comics.
The studio also has the honor of having produced the second-highest-grossing film in history in the form of Avengers: Endgame. Since its release in 2019, the movie has brought in roughly $2.8 billion, as it races to beat the all-time high record set by Avatar in just three years. Its total gross box office revenue as of September last year is $39 billion.
4. Walt Disney Pictures, owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)
Box Office Gross Revenue: $39 billion
Walt Disney Pictures is the film-making subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios which is owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). The Walt Disney Group is one of the most renowned American companies, locally and globally, and is famous for its theme parks. It is also the only one of the few decades-old American production houses that have retained its brand and name, since being founded in 1923.
3. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Box Office Gross Revenue: $42 billion
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc, also known as Columbia Pictures, is a part of Sony Group Corporation (NYSE: SONY)’s Sony Entertainment subsidiary. Sony bought Columbia in 1989 and since then the production company has remained under the Japanese multinational’s ownership.
2. Universal City Studios LLC
Box Office Gross Revenue: $46 billion
Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Pictures, is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) which operates under the parent company’s NBCUniversal division. Comcast acquired Universal in 2011, merged it with its cable television division, and bought the remaining Universal equity in 2013 in order to exercise complete ownership of the production house.
1. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Box Office Gross Revenue: $47 billion
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., commonly known as Warner Bros., is a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)’s WarnerMedia division. Warner Bros.’s parent company Warner Media was acquired by AT&T in 2015. It has several sub-divisions with the Warner Pictures arm focusing on the recorded film or movie segment.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Biggest Movie Companies in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
