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Warner Bros. Pictures

May 11, 2023

Warner Bros. Pictures[2] is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Warner Bros. Pictures Group unit, and is based at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by the Warner Animation Group are also released under the studio banner.

Warner Bros. Pictures
Logo used since 2019
FormerlyWarner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (1923–1967)
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. (1967–1969)
Warner Bros. Inc. (1969–1992)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFilm production
PredecessorWarner Features Company
FoundedApril 4, 1923; 100 years ago
Founders
Headquarters
Burbank, California
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy (co-chairpersons and CEOs, Warner Bros. Film Group)
  • Jesse Ehrman (president, production & development)
  • Steve Spira (president, business affairs)
ProductsMotion pictures
Services
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
ParentWarner Bros. Pictures Group
(Warner Bros.)
Websitewarnerbros.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Warner Bros. Pictures is currently one of five live-action film studios within the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, the others being New Line Cinema, DC Studios, Castle Rock Entertainment, and Spyglass Media Group. The final installment of the Harry Potter film series is the studio's highest-grossing film worldwide with $1.3 billion.[3]

Founded in 1923 by brothers Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner, and Jack L. Warner, in addition to producing its own films, it handles filmmaking operations, theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by other Warner Bros. labels, including Warner Animation Group, New Line Cinema, DC Studios, and Castle Rock Entertainment, as well as various third-party producers.

History

Further information: Warner Bros. § History

The studio's predecessor (and the modern-day Warner Bros Entertainment as a whole) was founded as the Warner Features Company in New Castle, Pennsylvania, by filmmaker Sam Warner and his business partners and brothers, Harry, Albert, and Jack, in 1911.[4] They produced their first film, the Peril of the Plains[5] in 1912, which Sam directed for the St. Louis Motion Picture Company. In 1915, Sam and Jack moved to California to establish their production studio,[6] while Albert and Harry on July 8, 1915, set up the New York-based Warner Brothers Distributing Corporation to release the films.[7][8][9] In 1918, the four Warner Brothers produced their first full-scale picture: My Four Years in Germany. The war film was a box office hit and helped the brothers establish themselves as a prestige studio.[10]

On April 4, 1923, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. was officially established as their main focus was entirely on the motion picture industry.[11] In 1927, Warner Bros. Pictures revolutionized the film industry when the American-Jewish Warner brothers released their first pictures "talkie" The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. However, founding member Sam Warner died prior to the premiere of the film.[12] When the company diversified over the years, it was eventually rebranded to its current umbrella name, but Warner Bros. Pictures continued to be used as the name of the film production arm of the company.

In November 1966, Jack gave in to advancing age and changing times, selling 32% of control of the studio and music business to Seven Arts Productions, run by Canadian investors Elliot and Kenneth Hyman, for $32 million.[13] Eventually, the company, including the studio, was renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts on July 14, 1967.[14]

Warner Bros. Pictures

 
Warner Bros. Pictures logo and wordmark used from 1993 to 2019

The division was incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures on March 3, 2003, to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases.[2] The company became part of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which was established in 2008, and Jeff Robinov was appointed the first president of the company.[15] In 2017, longtime New Line executive Toby Emmerich joined as president.[16] In January 2018, he was elevated to chairman.[17][18] On October 23, 2018, it was announced Lynne Frank, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.[19] In June 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures signed an agreement with SF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.[20]

As with most other film distributors, Warner Bros. Pictures struggled with releasing films during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on theater openings. After pushing several films planned for 2020 into 2021, WB announced in December 2020 that they would take the unusual approach of having their entire slate of 2021 films planned for both theatrical release as well as having a simultaneous one-month period of availability on the HBO Max streaming service, in a similar manner for how they were releasing Wonder Woman 1984 that month. After one month, such films would still be available in theaters and would then later be available via home media under typical release schedules.[21] The move to include streaming, dubbed "Project Popcorn", was criticized by production companies, directors, and actors as Warner Bros. Pictures had not informed anyone about the plan ahead of the announcement, as well of concerns of lower payouts due to the streaming options,[22] leading Warner Bros. Pictures to alter its compensation rates for the affected films by January 2021 to provide larger payouts to casts and crews of these films.[23]

In March 2021 Warner Bros. announced that for 2022 they will discontinue their same-day HBO Max and theatrical release model in favor of a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window.[24] This is part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld (who operates Regal Cinemas).[25]

On June 1, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the company formed out of the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc., announced that Emmerich will step down as head of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group after a transition period, and that it would be divided into three separate units; Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema, DC Films, and Warner Animation Group. Former MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy would serve as the co-chairs of Warner Bros. Pictures (and temporarily oversee the other two divisions until new executives are hired for them), while Emmerich would start his own production company and enter into a five-year distribution and funding agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures.[26][27] On June 8, COO Carolyn Blackwood announced that she was stepping down as well.[28]

Steve Spira returned as president of business affairs for Warner Bros. in June 2022, while De Luca and Abdy took over from Emmerich in July 2022. Former president Alan Horn was appointed as a consultant for WBD President David Zaslav, working with De Luca and Abdy.[29]

 
Secondary logo and wordmark used concurrently with the 2019 logo since 2023

In August 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures entered into a multi-year deal for distributing MGM films outside the United States, including on home entertainment. The contract included joint participation of both companies for marketing, advertising, publicity, film distribution, and relationship with exhibitors for future MGM titles.[30] That same month, plans for film distribution at the studio were changed, with the studio relying more on theatrical releases than HBO Max-only releases.[31]

Walter Hamada, the president of DC Films, stepped down on October 19, 2022.[32] President of Production & Development Courtenay Valenti exited on October 28 and was replaced by Jesse Ehrman.[33][34]

Film library

Main article: Lists of Warner Bros. films
 
Gate 4, Warner Bros. Studios, looking south towards the water tower

Acquired libraries

Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. accumulate a diverse collection of films, cartoons and television programs. As of 2022, Warner Bros. owned more than 145,000 hours of programming, including 12,500 feature films and 2,400 television programs comprising more than tens of thousands of individual episodes.[35]

In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit, uncertain times led Warner Bros. in 1956 to sell most of its pre-1950[36][37][38] films and cartoons to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.). In addition, a.a.p. also obtained the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons, originally from Paramount Pictures. Two years later, a.a.p. was sold to United Artists, which owned the company until 1981, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired United Artists.[39][40]

In 1982, during their independent years, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Brut Productions, the film production arm of France-based then-struggling personal-care company Faberge Inc.[41]

In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Finding itself in debt, Turner kept the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television libraries and a small portion of the United Artists library (including the a.a.p. library and North American rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library) while spinning off the rest of MGM.[42]

In 1989, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation and merged with Time Inc. to form Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery.[43][44] Lorimar's catalogue included the post-1974 library of Rankin/Bass Productions, and the post-1947 library of Monogram Pictures/Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

In 1991, Turner Broadcasting System acquired animation studio Hanna-Barbera and the Ruby-Spears library from Great American Broadcasting, and years later, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993[45][46] and New Line Cinema on January 28, 1994.[47][48] On October 10, 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System, thus bringing Warner Bros.'s pre-1950 library back home. In addition, Warner Bros. only owns Castle Rock Entertainment's post-1994 library.

In 2008, Time Warner integrated New Line to Warner Bros.

In June 2016, it created the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team to oversee its ownership of the Harry Potter franchise worldwide (including the Wizarding World trademark).[49]

 
Clint Eastwood's relationship with Warner Bros. began in 1971, and he has directed several of the studios best known films, including Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).[50]
 
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed several of Warner Bros.'s most profitable films in the early 21st century. Like Eastwood, Nolan has had a long creative partnership with the studio.[51]

The studio's first live-action film was My Four Years in Germany (1918), their first animated film was Gay Purr-ee (1962). Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and the Warner Animation Group are also released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio has released twenty-five films that have received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination: Disraeli (1929), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), 42nd Street (1933), Here Comes the Navy (1934), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Four Daughters (1938), Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), to name a few.

Film series

Title Release date No. Films Notes
Gold Diggers 1923–51 7
Looney Tunes 1930–present 8 In addition 1041 theatrical shorts have been produced.
Penrod and Sam 1931–38 2
Philo Vance 1934–40 5
Perry Mason 1934–37 6
Torchy Blane 1937–39 9
Four Daughters 1938–41 4
Nancy Drew 1938–2019 6
Secret Service 1939–40 4
Hanna-Barbera 1964–present 12 Owned by WB since 1996
Dirty Harry 1971–88 5
The Exorcist 1973–2005 4
Oh, God! 1977–84 3
Superman 1978–2006 6
Mad Max 1979–present 4
Poseidon 1979–2006 3
Friday the 13th 1980–2009 2 co-production with Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema
The Shining 1980–2019
Arthur 1981–2011 3
Blade Runner 1982–2017 2
National Lampoon's Vacation 1983–2015 5
Police Academy 1984–94 7
Sesame Street 1985–present 2
Lethal Weapon 1987–98 4
The Lost Boys 1987–2010 3
Batman 1989–97 4
Under Siege 1992–95 2
Unforgiven 1992–2013
Grumpy Old Men 1993–95
The Fugitive 1993–98
Free Willy 1993–2010 4
Ace Ventura 1994–present 2 distribution only; co-production with Morgan Creek
Major League 1994–98
Eraser 1996–2022
Twister 1996–present 1 co-production with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
The Matrix 1999–present 4
Deep Blue Sea 1999–2020 3
Pokémon 1999–2019 4 US distribution only. Co-production with The Pokémon Company
The Whole Yards 2000–04 2
Miss Congeniality 2000–05
Ocean's 2001–present 4
Tom and Jerry 16
Wizarding World 11
Cats & Dogs 2001–20 3
Scooby-Doo 2002–present 6
Terminator 2003–09 2 co-production with Columbia Pictures
A Cinderella Story 2004–present 6
Laura's Star 2004–11 5
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2005–08 2
The Dark Knight trilogy 2005–12 3
Happy Feet 2006–11 2
The Hangover 2009–13 3
Final Destination 2009–present 2
Sherlock Holmes
Dolphin Tale 2011–14
Magic Mike 2012–present
The Hobbit 2012–14 3 co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New Line Cinema and WingNut Films
The Conjuring Universe 2013–present 7
The Lego Movie 2014–19 4 co-production with Warner Animation Group and The Lego Group
MonsterVerse 2014–present co-production with Legendary Pictures
Creed 2015–23 3 co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
It 2017–19 2
The Meg 2018–present 1
Joker 2019–present co-production with DC Studios
Dune 2021–present co-production with Legendary Pictures
The Batman 2022–present co-production with DC Studios

Highest-grossing films

‡ - include theatrical reissues


Notes

  1. ^ co-owned by New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (the film's producers)

References

  1. ^ "Company history". Warnerbros.com. from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Business Entity Detail: Warner Bros. Pictures (search on Entity Number: C2502930)". California Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Mendelson, Scott (August 13, 2020). "Every 'Harry Potter' Movie Ranked By Worldwide Box Office". Forbes. from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner: the most famous Hollywood family, creators the Warner Bros". Russian-American Heritage Museum. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "IMDb - Peril of the Plains (1912)". IMDb. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Pawlak, Debra Ann (12 January 2012). Bringing Up Oscar. ISBN 9781605982168. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Business Entity Detail: Warner Bros. Distributing Corporation (search on Entity Number: C0080357)". California Business Search. California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "Warner Brothers Get Mutt And Jeff". Moving Picture World. September 1, 1917. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "Warners Have New Policy". The New York Clipper. May 1, 1917. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Warner's First Feature Film Turns 100". WarnerBros.com. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  11. ^ Maas, Jennifer (23 March 2022). "Warner Bros. Reveals 100th Anniversary Logo, Teases Rollout of Commemorative Content, Products and Events". Variety. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Warner, Movie Magnate, Dies: Sam Warner, Former Youngstown Man, Rose from Obscurity to Leader in Field". The Youngstown Daily Vindicator. October 5, 1927.
  13. ^ Sloane, Leonard (November 15, 1966). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018.
  14. ^ "Warner Meeting Scheduled". The New York Times. June 18, 1967.
  15. ^ Halbfinger, David (November 27, 2007). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "WarnerBros.com | Toby Emmerich Named President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group | Press Releases". www.warnerbros.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  17. ^ Lang, Brent (2018-01-09). "Warner Bros. Shake-Up: Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman, Sue Kroll Out". Variety. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  18. ^ "Warner Bros. Shake-Up: Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman, Sue Kroll Out". Variety. January 9, 2018.
  19. ^ "Warner Bros International Marketing President Lynne Frank To Exit". Deadline. October 23, 2018.
  20. ^ "Warner Bros, SF Studios Expand Distribution Deal Across Scandinavia". Variety. June 25, 2019.
  21. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Donnelly, Matt (December 3, 2020). "Warner Bros. to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including 'Dune' and 'Matrix 4,' Both on HBO Max and In Theaters". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  22. ^ Barnes, Brooks; Sperling, Nicole (December 7, 2020). "Trading Box Office for Streaming, but Stars Still Want Their Money". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Shaw, Lucas; Gilbolm, Kelly (January 9, 2021). "Warner Bros. Guarantees Filmmakers a Payday for HBO Max Movies". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  24. ^ McClintock, Pamela (2021-10-27). ""Project Popcorn": WarnerMedia's Box Office-HBO Max Experiment Gets Mixed Results". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (March 23, 2021). "Regal Cinemas To Reopen In April; Parent Cineworld & Warner Bros Reach Multi-Year Deal To Show WB Films In U.S. & UK". Deadline. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  26. ^ "Toby Emmerich Out As Warner Bros Motion Picture Group Chairman; Michael De Luca & Pam Abdy To Lead Studio". Deadline. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-06-01). "David Zaslav "Thrilled" Toby Emmerich Remaining Part Of Warner Bros Discovery Family, Outlines New Structure; De Luca & Abdy Made Official". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  28. ^ Kit, Borys (2022-06-08). "Carolyn Blackwood Exits Warner Bros. Amid Ongoing Shake-Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  29. ^ Kim Masters (July 28, 2022). "Alan Horn on Rejoining Warner Bros.: "I See Myself as a Consigliere"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  30. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-08-14). "Warner Bros Forms Multi-Year Pact To Distribute MGM Movies Overseas Beginning With 'Bones And All', 'Creed III'; How Bond Will Be Handled". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-08-24). "'Aquaman 2' Heads To Christmas 2023, 'Shazam: Fury Of The Gods' Goes To March; HBO Max Pics 'House Party' & 'Evil Dead Rise' Going Theatrical – Warner Bros. Release Date Changes". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-10-19). "DC Films Boss Walter Hamada Has Departed Studio As Warner Bros Discovery Finalizes Exit: The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  33. ^ Donnelly, Matt (2022-10-20). "Warner Bros. Pictures Names Jesse Ehrman President of Production and Development; Ups Three to Senior VP (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  34. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-10-27). "As Courtenay Valenti Exits Warner Bros, Production Boss Won't Be Idle For Long: The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  35. ^ "WarnerBros.com | Warner Bros. Unveils Centennial Logo in Advance of the Iconic Studio's 100th Anniversary | Press Releases". www.warnerbros.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  36. ^ Schickel, Richard (2008). You must remember this : the Warner Bros. story. George Perry. Philadelphia, Pa.: Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-3418-3. OCLC 191926490.
  37. ^ WB retained a pair of features from 1949 that they merely distributed, and all short subjects released on or after September 1, 1948; in addition to all cartoons released in August 1948
  38. ^ "Media History Digital Library". archive.org. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  39. ^ Hoyt, Eric (2014-07-03). Hollywood Vault: Film Libraries Before Home Video. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-95857-9.
  40. ^ Cole, Robert J. (May 16, 1981). "M-G-M Is Reported Purchasing United Artists for $350 million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  41. ^ "Faberge Sells Brut's Assets". The New York Times. January 1982. from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  42. ^ "Turner Sells Fabled MGM but Keeps a Lion's Share". Los Angeles Times. 1985-12-20. from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  43. ^ "Crash Landing Merv Adelson—TV mogul, multimillionaire, and friend of the famous—lived a show-business fantasy. His bankruptcy has shocked Hollywood. – November 10, 2003". CNN. from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  44. ^ "Warner Completes Merger With Lorimar Telepictures". The Los Angeles Times. from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  45. ^ "Turner Broadcasting Company Report". sec.gov. Securities and Exchange Commission. from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  46. ^ "Done deal: Turner Broadcasting System Inc. said it closed..." Chicage Tribune. from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  47. ^ "New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today : Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule". Los Angeles Times. 1994-01-28. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  48. ^ . ethicalbusinessbureau.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  49. ^ Barraclough, Leo (June 8, 2016). "Warner Bros. Completes Harry Potter Franchise Team With Polly Cochrane Promotion". Variety. from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  50. ^ "About". Warner Bros. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  51. ^ Masters, Kim (June 21, 2017). "Warner Bros. Eyes Slimmed-Down Movie Budgets Under Toby Emmerich". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  52. ^ "Box Office by Studio – Warner Bros. All Time". Box Office Mojo. from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

External links

  • Official website

May 11, 2023
warner, bros, pictures, american, film, production, distribution, company, group, division, warner, bros, entertainment, both, ultimately, owned, warner, bros, discovery, studio, flagship, producer, live, action, feature, films, within, group, unit, based, war. Warner Bros Pictures 2 is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros Pictures Group division of Warner Bros Entertainment both ultimately owned by Warner Bros Discovery The studio is the flagship producer of live action feature films within the Warner Bros Pictures Group unit and is based at the Warner Bros Studios complex in Burbank California Animated films produced by the Warner Animation Group are also released under the studio banner Warner Bros PicturesLogo used since 2019FormerlyWarner Bros Pictures Inc 1923 1967 Warner Bros Seven Arts Inc 1967 1969 Warner Bros Inc 1969 1992 TypeSubsidiaryIndustryFilm productionPredecessorWarner Features CompanyFoundedApril 4 1923 100 years agoFoundersHarry Warner Albert Warner Sam Warner Jack L WarnerHeadquartersBurbank California U S Area servedWorldwideKey peopleMichael De Luca and Pamela Abdy co chairpersons and CEOs Warner Bros Film Group Jesse Ehrman president production amp development Steve Spira president business affairs ProductsMotion picturesServicesFilm distributionFilm promotionOwnerWarner Bros DiscoveryParentWarner Bros Pictures Group Warner Bros Websitewarnerbros comFootnotes references 1 Warner Bros Pictures is currently one of five live action film studios within the Warner Bros Pictures Group the others being New Line Cinema DC Studios Castle Rock Entertainment and Spyglass Media Group The final installment of the Harry Potter film series is the studio s highest grossing film worldwide with 1 3 billion 3 Founded in 1923 by brothers Harry Warner Albert Warner Sam Warner and Jack L Warner in addition to producing its own films it handles filmmaking operations theatrical distribution marketing and promotion for films produced and released by other Warner Bros labels including Warner Animation Group New Line Cinema DC Studios and Castle Rock Entertainment as well as various third party producers Contents 1 History 1 1 Warner Bros Pictures 2 Film library 2 1 Acquired libraries 2 2 Film series 2 3 Highest grossing films 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditFurther information Warner Bros History The studio s predecessor and the modern day Warner Bros Entertainment as a whole was founded as the Warner Features Company in New Castle Pennsylvania by filmmaker Sam Warner and his business partners and brothers Harry Albert and Jack in 1911 4 They produced their first film the Peril of the Plains 5 in 1912 which Sam directed for the St Louis Motion Picture Company In 1915 Sam and Jack moved to California to establish their production studio 6 while Albert and Harry on July 8 1915 set up the New York based Warner Brothers Distributing Corporation to release the films 7 8 9 In 1918 the four Warner Brothers produced their first full scale picture My Four Years in Germany The war film was a box office hit and helped the brothers establish themselves as a prestige studio 10 On April 4 1923 Warner Bros Pictures Inc was officially established as their main focus was entirely on the motion picture industry 11 In 1927 Warner Bros Pictures revolutionized the film industry when the American Jewish Warner brothers released their first pictures talkie The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson However founding member Sam Warner died prior to the premiere of the film 12 When the company diversified over the years it was eventually rebranded to its current umbrella name but Warner Bros Pictures continued to be used as the name of the film production arm of the company In November 1966 Jack gave in to advancing age and changing times selling 32 of control of the studio and music business to Seven Arts Productions run by Canadian investors Elliot and Kenneth Hyman for 32 million 13 Eventually the company including the studio was renamed Warner Bros Seven Arts on July 14 1967 14 Warner Bros Pictures Edit Warner Bros Pictures logo and wordmark used from 1993 to 2019 The division was incorporated as Warner Bros Pictures on March 3 2003 to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases 2 The company became part of the Warner Bros Pictures Group which was established in 2008 and Jeff Robinov was appointed the first president of the company 15 In 2017 longtime New Line executive Toby Emmerich joined as president 16 In January 2018 he was elevated to chairman 17 18 On October 23 2018 it was announced Lynne Frank President of Warner Bros Pictures Group would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities 19 In June 2019 Warner Bros Pictures signed an agreement with SF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden Denmark Norway and Finland 20 As with most other film distributors Warner Bros Pictures struggled with releasing films during the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic due to restrictions on theater openings After pushing several films planned for 2020 into 2021 WB announced in December 2020 that they would take the unusual approach of having their entire slate of 2021 films planned for both theatrical release as well as having a simultaneous one month period of availability on the HBO Max streaming service in a similar manner for how they were releasing Wonder Woman 1984 that month After one month such films would still be available in theaters and would then later be available via home media under typical release schedules 21 The move to include streaming dubbed Project Popcorn was criticized by production companies directors and actors as Warner Bros Pictures had not informed anyone about the plan ahead of the announcement as well of concerns of lower payouts due to the streaming options 22 leading Warner Bros Pictures to alter its compensation rates for the affected films by January 2021 to provide larger payouts to casts and crews of these films 23 In March 2021 Warner Bros announced that for 2022 they will discontinue their same day HBO Max and theatrical release model in favor of a 45 day theatrical exclusivity window 24 This is part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld who operates Regal Cinemas 25 On June 1 2022 Warner Bros Discovery WBD the company formed out of the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc announced that Emmerich will step down as head of the Warner Bros Pictures Group after a transition period and that it would be divided into three separate units Warner Bros Pictures New Line Cinema DC Films and Warner Animation Group Former MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy would serve as the co chairs of Warner Bros Pictures and temporarily oversee the other two divisions until new executives are hired for them while Emmerich would start his own production company and enter into a five year distribution and funding agreement with Warner Bros Pictures 26 27 On June 8 COO Carolyn Blackwood announced that she was stepping down as well 28 Steve Spira returned as president of business affairs for Warner Bros in June 2022 while De Luca and Abdy took over from Emmerich in July 2022 Former president Alan Horn was appointed as a consultant for WBD President David Zaslav working with De Luca and Abdy 29 Secondary logo and wordmark used concurrently with the 2019 logo since 2023 In August 2022 Warner Bros Pictures entered into a multi year deal for distributing MGM films outside the United States including on home entertainment The contract included joint participation of both companies for marketing advertising publicity film distribution and relationship with exhibitors for future MGM titles 30 That same month plans for film distribution at the studio were changed with the studio relying more on theatrical releases than HBO Max only releases 31 Walter Hamada the president of DC Films stepped down on October 19 2022 32 President of Production amp Development Courtenay Valenti exited on October 28 and was replaced by Jesse Ehrman 33 34 Film library EditMain article Lists of Warner Bros films Gate 4 Warner Bros Studios looking south towards the water tower Acquired libraries Edit This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy October 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros accumulate a diverse collection of films cartoons and television programs As of 2022 Warner Bros owned more than 145 000 hours of programming including 12 500 feature films and 2 400 television programs comprising more than tens of thousands of individual episodes 35 In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit uncertain times led Warner Bros in 1956 to sell most of its pre 1950 36 37 38 films and cartoons to Associated Artists Productions a a p In addition a a p also obtained the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons originally from Paramount Pictures Two years later a a p was sold to United Artists which owned the company until 1981 when Metro Goldwyn Mayer acquired United Artists 39 40 In 1982 during their independent years Turner Broadcasting System acquired Brut Productions the film production arm of France based then struggling personal care company Faberge Inc 41 In 1986 Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro Goldwyn Mayer Finding itself in debt Turner kept the pre May 1986 MGM film and television libraries and a small portion of the United Artists library including the a a p library and North American rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library while spinning off the rest of MGM 42 In 1989 Warner Communications acquired Lorimar Telepictures Corporation and merged with Time Inc to form Time Warner now Warner Bros Discovery 43 44 Lorimar s catalogue included the post 1974 library of Rankin Bass Productions and the post 1947 library of Monogram Pictures Allied Artists Pictures Corporation In 1991 Turner Broadcasting System acquired animation studio Hanna Barbera and the Ruby Spears library from Great American Broadcasting and years later Turner Broadcasting System acquired Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22 1993 45 46 and New Line Cinema on January 28 1994 47 48 On October 10 1996 Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System thus bringing Warner Bros s pre 1950 library back home In addition Warner Bros only owns Castle Rock Entertainment s post 1994 library In 2008 Time Warner integrated New Line to Warner Bros In June 2016 it created the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team to oversee its ownership of the Harry Potter franchise worldwide including the Wizarding World trademark 49 Clint Eastwood s relationship with Warner Bros began in 1971 and he has directed several of the studios best known films including Unforgiven 1992 and Million Dollar Baby 2004 50 Christopher Nolan wrote and directed several of Warner Bros s most profitable films in the early 21st century Like Eastwood Nolan has had a long creative partnership with the studio 51 The studio s first live action film was My Four Years in Germany 1918 their first animated film was Gay Purr ee 1962 Animated films produced by Warner Bros Animation and the Warner Animation Group are also released by Warner Bros Pictures The studio has released twenty five films that have received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination Disraeli 1929 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932 42nd Street 1933 Here Comes the Navy 1934 A Midsummer Night s Dream 1935 Anthony Adverse 1936 The Life of Emile Zola 1937 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 Four Daughters 1938 Jezebel 1938 Dark Victory 1939 to name a few Film series Edit Title Release date No Films NotesGold Diggers 1923 51 7Looney Tunes 1930 present 8 In addition 1041 theatrical shorts have been produced Penrod and Sam 1931 38 2Philo Vance 1934 40 5Perry Mason 1934 37 6Torchy Blane 1937 39 9Four Daughters 1938 41 4Nancy Drew 1938 2019 6Secret Service 1939 40 4Hanna Barbera 1964 present 12 Owned by WB since 1996Dirty Harry 1971 88 5The Exorcist 1973 2005 4Oh God 1977 84 3Superman 1978 2006 6Mad Max 1979 present 4Poseidon 1979 2006 3Friday the 13th 1980 2009 2 co production with Paramount Pictures and New Line CinemaThe Shining 1980 2019Arthur 1981 2011 3Blade Runner 1982 2017 2National Lampoon s Vacation 1983 2015 5Police Academy 1984 94 7Sesame Street 1985 present 2Lethal Weapon 1987 98 4The Lost Boys 1987 2010 3Batman 1989 97 4Under Siege 1992 95 2Unforgiven 1992 2013Grumpy Old Men 1993 95The Fugitive 1993 98Free Willy 1993 2010 4Ace Ventura 1994 present 2 distribution only co production with Morgan CreekMajor League 1994 98Eraser 1996 2022Twister 1996 present 1 co production with Universal Pictures and Amblin EntertainmentThe Matrix 1999 present 4Deep Blue Sea 1999 2020 3Pokemon 1999 2019 4 US distribution only Co production with The Pokemon CompanyThe Whole Yards 2000 04 2Miss Congeniality 2000 05Ocean s 2001 present 4Tom and Jerry 16Wizarding World 11Cats amp Dogs 2001 20 3Scooby Doo 2002 present 6Terminator 2003 09 2 co production with Columbia PicturesA Cinderella Story 2004 present 6Laura s Star 2004 11 5The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2005 08 2The Dark Knight trilogy 2005 12 3Happy Feet 2006 11 2The Hangover 2009 13 3Final Destination 2009 present 2Sherlock HolmesDolphin Tale 2011 14Magic Mike 2012 presentThe Hobbit 2012 14 3 co production with Metro Goldwyn Mayer New Line Cinema and WingNut FilmsThe Conjuring Universe 2013 present 7The Lego Movie 2014 19 4 co production with Warner Animation Group and The Lego GroupMonsterVerse 2014 present co production with Legendary PicturesCreed 2015 23 3 co production with Metro Goldwyn MayerIt 2017 19 2The Meg 2018 present 1Joker 2019 present co production with DC StudiosDune 2021 present co production with Legendary PicturesThe Batman 2022 present co production with DC StudiosHighest grossing films Edit Highest grossing films in North America 52 Rank Title Year Domestic gross1 The Dark Knight 2008 534 987 0762 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 448 149 5843 Wonder Woman 2017 412 845 1724 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2011 381 447 5875 The Batman 2022 369 345 5836 American Sniper 2014 350 159 0207 Joker 2019 335 477 6578 Aquaman 2018 335 104 3149 Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice 2016 330 360 19410 It 2017 328 874 98111 Suicide Squad 2016 325 100 05412 Harry Porter and the Sorcerer s Stone 2001 318 886 96213 The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey 1 2012 303 030 65114 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 2009 302 334 37415 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010 296 374 62116 Inception 292 587 33017 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 292 382 72718 Man of Steel 2013 291 045 51819 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 290 469 92820 The Matrix Reloaded 2003 281 576 46121 The Hangover 2009 277 339 74622 Gravity 2013 274 092 70523 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 262 641 63724 The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug 1 2013 258 387 33425 The LEGO Movie 2014 257 966 122 Highest grossing films worldwide Rank Title Year Box office gross1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2011 1 342 359 9422 Aquaman 2018 1 148 528 3933 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 1 081 153 0974 Joker 2019 1 074 445 7305 Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone 2001 1 017 713 1196 The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey 1 2012 1 017 030 6517 The Dark Knight 2008 1 006 102 2778 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010 977 070 3839 The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug 1 2013 959 027 99210 The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies 1 2014 956 019 78811 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 942 201 71012 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 2009 934 483 03913 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 896 730 26414 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 879 793 86715 Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice 2016 873 637 52816 Inception 2010 836 848 10217 Wonder Woman 2017 822 854 28618 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016 814 037 57519 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 796 907 32320 Interstellar 2014 773 897 85121 The Batman 2022 770 836 16322 Suicide Squad 2016 746 846 89423 The Matrix Reloaded 2003 741 847 93724 Gravity 2013 723 192 70525 It 2017 701 842 551 include theatrical reissuesNotes Edit co owned by New Line Cinema and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures the film s producers References Edit Company history Warnerbros com Archived from the original on October 16 2015 Retrieved April 9 2014 a b Business Entity Detail Warner Bros Pictures search on Entity Number C2502930 California Business Search California Secretary of State Retrieved June 19 2019 Mendelson Scott August 13 2020 Every Harry Potter Movie Ranked By Worldwide Box Office Forbes Archived from the original on December 23 2021 Retrieved December 23 2021 Harry Albert Sam and Jack Warner the most famous Hollywood family creators the Warner Bros Russian American Heritage Museum Retrieved December 23 2021 IMDb Peril of the Plains 1912 IMDb Retrieved December 23 2021 Pawlak Debra Ann 12 January 2012 Bringing Up Oscar ISBN 9781605982168 Retrieved December 23 2021 Business Entity Detail Warner Bros Distributing Corporation search on Entity Number C0080357 California Business Search California Secretary of State Retrieved June 19 2019 Warner Brothers Get Mutt And Jeff Moving Picture World September 1 1917 Retrieved May 8 2022 Warners Have New Policy The New York Clipper May 1 1917 Retrieved May 8 2022 Warner s First Feature Film Turns 100 WarnerBros com 9 March 2018 Retrieved 8 May 2022 Maas Jennifer 23 March 2022 Warner Bros Reveals 100th Anniversary Logo Teases Rollout of Commemorative Content Products and Events Variety Retrieved 8 May 2022 Warner Movie Magnate Dies Sam Warner Former Youngstown Man Rose from Obscurity to Leader in Field The Youngstown Daily Vindicator October 5 1927 Sloane Leonard November 15 1966 Jack L Warner President Agrees to Sell His Interest In a 32 Million Deal 7 ARTS IS BUYING 33 OF WARNER The New York Times Archived from the original on March 11 2018 Warner Meeting Scheduled The New York Times June 18 1967 Halbfinger David November 27 2007 Warner s Production Chief to Also Oversee Distribution The New York Times Archived from the original on December 19 2019 WarnerBros com Toby Emmerich Named President and Chief Content Officer Warner Bros Pictures Group Press Releases www warnerbros com Retrieved 2022 12 14 Lang Brent 2018 01 09 Warner Bros Shake Up Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman Sue Kroll Out Variety Retrieved 2020 02 07 Warner Bros Shake Up Toby Emmerich Named Film Chairman Sue Kroll Out Variety January 9 2018 Warner Bros International Marketing President Lynne Frank To Exit Deadline October 23 2018 Warner Bros SF Studios Expand Distribution Deal Across Scandinavia Variety June 25 2019 Rubin Rebecca Donnelly Matt December 3 2020 Warner Bros to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate Including Dune and Matrix 4 Both on HBO Max and In Theaters Variety Retrieved December 3 2020 Barnes Brooks Sperling Nicole December 7 2020 Trading Box Office for Streaming but Stars Still Want Their Money The New York Times Retrieved January 18 2021 Shaw Lucas Gilbolm Kelly January 9 2021 Warner Bros Guarantees Filmmakers a Payday for HBO Max Movies Bloomberg News Retrieved January 18 2021 McClintock Pamela 2021 10 27 Project Popcorn WarnerMedia s Box Office HBO Max Experiment Gets Mixed Results The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 2021 12 22 D Alessandro Anthony Tartaglione Nancy March 23 2021 Regal Cinemas To Reopen In April Parent Cineworld amp Warner Bros Reach Multi Year Deal To Show WB Films In U S amp UK Deadline Retrieved March 24 2021 Toby Emmerich Out As Warner Bros Motion Picture Group Chairman Michael De Luca amp Pam Abdy To Lead Studio Deadline 2022 06 01 Retrieved 2022 06 02 D Alessandro Anthony 2022 06 01 David Zaslav Thrilled Toby Emmerich Remaining Part Of Warner Bros Discovery Family Outlines New Structure De Luca amp Abdy Made Official Deadline Retrieved 2022 06 02 Kit Borys 2022 06 08 Carolyn Blackwood Exits Warner Bros Amid Ongoing Shake Up The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 2022 06 12 Kim Masters July 28 2022 Alan Horn on Rejoining Warner Bros I See Myself as a Consigliere The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved July 29 2022 D Alessandro Anthony 2022 08 14 Warner Bros Forms Multi Year Pact To Distribute MGM Movies Overseas Beginning With Bones And All Creed III How Bond Will Be Handled Deadline Hollywood Retrieved 2022 09 14 D Alessandro Anthony 2022 08 24 Aquaman 2 Heads To Christmas 2023 Shazam Fury Of The Gods Goes To March HBO Max Pics House Party amp Evil Dead Rise Going Theatrical Warner Bros Release Date Changes Deadline Retrieved 2023 03 06 D Alessandro Anthony 2022 10 19 DC Films Boss Walter Hamada Has Departed Studio As Warner Bros Discovery Finalizes Exit The Dish Deadline Hollywood Retrieved 2022 10 19 Donnelly Matt 2022 10 20 Warner Bros Pictures Names Jesse Ehrman President of Production and Development Ups Three to Senior VP EXCLUSIVE Variety Retrieved 2022 10 21 D Alessandro Anthony 2022 10 27 As Courtenay Valenti Exits Warner Bros Production Boss Won t Be Idle For Long The Dish Deadline Hollywood Retrieved 2022 11 02 WarnerBros com Warner Bros Unveils Centennial Logo in Advance of the Iconic Studio s 100th Anniversary Press Releases www warnerbros com Retrieved 2022 07 13 Schickel Richard 2008 You must remember this the Warner Bros story George Perry Philadelphia Pa Running Press ISBN 978 0 7624 3418 3 OCLC 191926490 WB retained a pair of features from 1949 that they merely distributed and all short subjects released on or after September 1 1948 in addition to all cartoons released in August 1948 Media History Digital Library archive org Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved September 17 2019 Hoyt Eric 2014 07 03 Hollywood Vault Film Libraries Before Home Video Univ of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 95857 9 Cole Robert J May 16 1981 M G M Is Reported Purchasing United Artists for 350 million The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on September 8 2016 Retrieved October 26 2016 Faberge Sells Brut s Assets The New York Times January 1982 Archived from the original on July 1 2017 Retrieved November 27 2014 Turner Sells Fabled MGM but Keeps a Lion s Share Los Angeles Times 1985 12 20 Archived from the original on August 1 2017 Retrieved 2018 02 02 Crash Landing Merv Adelson TV mogul multimillionaire and friend of the famous lived a show business fantasy His bankruptcy has shocked Hollywood November 10 2003 CNN Archived from the original on January 26 2013 Retrieved September 2 2015 Warner Completes Merger With Lorimar Telepictures The Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on November 3 2012 Retrieved 2010 10 23 Turner Broadcasting Company Report sec gov Securities and Exchange Commission Archived from the original on July 10 2017 Retrieved November 8 2017 Done deal Turner Broadcasting System Inc said it closed Chicage Tribune Archived from the original on March 2 2016 Retrieved September 2 2015 New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today Film With more money the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule Los Angeles Times 1994 01 28 Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved 2019 10 30 New Line Cinema ethicalbusinessbureau com Archived from the original on 2016 03 02 Retrieved 2019 10 30 Barraclough Leo June 8 2016 Warner Bros Completes Harry Potter Franchise Team With Polly Cochrane Promotion Variety Archived from the original on December 1 2017 Retrieved December 12 2017 About Warner Bros Retrieved September 16 2020 Masters Kim June 21 2017 Warner Bros Eyes Slimmed Down Movie Budgets Under Toby Emmerich The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 16 2020 Box Office by Studio Warner Bros All Time Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on August 16 2017 Retrieved 15 August 2017 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Warner Bros Pictures amp oldid 1154209044, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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