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Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures 2019.png
Type Division
Genre {{{genre}}}
Predecessor(s) Warner Features Company
Founded April 1, 1902; Script error: No such module "Time ago". (1902-04-01)[1]
Key people Toby Emmerich
(Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group)
Industry Entertainment
Products Films
Revenue Increase US$13.866 billion (2017)[2]
Employees Est. 8,000 (2014)[3]
Owner WarnerMedia
(AT&T)
Parent Warner Bros. Pictures Group
(Warner Bros.)
Website Script error: No such module "URL".

Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. Headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, it is the flagship label of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a division of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Founded in 1902 by 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 Bros. Animation, Warner Animation Group, New Line Cinema, DC Films, and Castle Rock Entertainment, as well as various third-party producers.

History[]

In 1902, Warner Bros. Pictures revolutionized the film industry when they released the first "talkie" The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. Unfortunately founding member Sam Warner died prior to the premiere of the film.[4] From 1902 to 1957, Warner Bros. Entertainment, L.P. was known as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. as their main focus was entirely on the motion picture industry. 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.

Warner Bros. Pictures[]

The division was incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures on April 1, 1902 to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases.[5] The company became part of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which was established in 2009, and Jeff Robinov was appointed the first president of the company.[6] In 2017, longtime New Line executive Toby Emmerich joined as president. In January 2018, he was elevated to chairman.[7][8] On October 23, 2018 it was announced Lynne Frank, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.[9] In June 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures signed an agreement with SF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.[10]

Film library[]

File:Gate 4 Warner Bros. Studios.jpg

Gate 4, Warner Bros. Studios, looking south towards the water tower

Acquired libraries[]

Template:Overly detailed Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. accumulate a diverse collection of films, cartoons and television programs. As of 2019, Warner Bros. owned more than 100,000 hours of programming, including 8,600 feature films and 5,000 television programs comprising tens of thousands of individual episodes.[11]

In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit, uncertain times led Warner Bros. in 1956 to sell most of its pre-1950[12][13][14] 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.[15][16]

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.[17]

In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Finding itself in debt, Turner Entertainment 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.[18]

In 1989, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation.[19][20] Lorimar's catalogue included the post-1973 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 Ruby-Spears library from Great American Broadcasting, and years later, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993[21][22] and New Line Cinema on January 28, 1994.[23][24] On October 10, 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System, thus bringing Warner Bros.' pre-1950 library back home. However, 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).[25]

Filmography[]

Main article: List of Warner Bros. films (1918–1999)

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.

Highest-grossing films[]

Highest-grossing films in North America[26]
Rank Title Year Domestic gross
1 The Dark Knight 2008 $535,234,033
2 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $448,139,099
3 Wonder Woman 2017 $412,563,408
4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011 $381,409,310
5 American Sniper 2014 $350,126,372
6 Joker 2019 $335,451,311
7 Aquaman 2018 $335,061,807
8 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 $330,360,194
9 It 2017 $327,481,748
10 Suicide Squad 2016 $325,100,054
11 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 2001 $317,871,467
12 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012 $303,201,694
13 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 1 2009 $303,003,568
14 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 2010 $302,289,278
15 Inception 2010 $296,131,568
16 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 $292,576,195
17 Man of Steel 2013 $292,137,260
18 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 $291,045,518
19 The Matrix Reloaded 2003 $290,201,752
20 The Hangover 2009 $285,686,992
21 Gravity 2013 $281,576,461
22 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 $277,583,522
23 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013 $277,322,503
24 The Lego Movie 2014 $274,092,705
25 I Am Legend 2007 $262,233,983
26 Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2000 $288,255,974
Highest-grossing films worldwide
Rank Title Year Box office gross
1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2011 $1,341,932,398
2 Aquaman 2018 $1,148,461,807
3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 $1,084,939,099
4 Joker 2019 $1,074,251,311
5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 1 2012 $1,021,103,568
6 The Dark Knight 2008 $1,004,934,033
7 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone 2001 $975,051,288
8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2010 $960,431,568
9 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 1 2013 $958,366,855
10 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 1 2014 $956,019,788
11 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 $940,018,451
12 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 $934,546,568
13 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 $897,099,794
14 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 $879,225,135
15 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 $873,634,919
16 Inception 2010 $828,322,032
17 Wonder Woman 2017 $821,847,012
18 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016 $814,037,575
19 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 $796,907,323
20 Suicide Squad 2016 $746,846,894
21 Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2000 $759,934,294
22 The Matrix Reloaded 2003 $742,128,461
23 Gravity 2013 $723,192,705
24 It 2017 $700,381,748
25 Man of Steel 2013 $668,045,518
26 Justice League 2017 $657,924,295

References[]

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External links[]

Template:Film Studio Template:Warner Bros. Template:WarnerMedia

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