 | It has been suggested that this article besplit out into a new article titledStar Studio18. (Discuss)(August 2025) |
 Logo used since 2025 | |
| Formerly | Fox Star Studios (2008–2022) Star Studios (2022–2025) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Motion pictures |
| Predecessor | UTV Motion Pictures (2017) Viacom18 Studios (2025) |
| Founded | March 2008; 17 years ago (2008-03) |
| Headquarters | , India |
Key people | Ajit Andhare[1] |
| Owner |
|
| Website | www |
Star Studio18 (formerly known asStar Studios andFox Star Studios) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary ofJioStar (a joint-venture between Reliance and Disney India). The studio producesHindi,Tamil,Telugu,Malayalam and other South Asian language films through acquisitions, co-productions and in-house productions for worldwide distribution.
Star Studio18 was one of the21st Century Fox andStar India film production companies that wasacquired by Disney on March 20, 2019. The studio's current name was adopted in August 2025.
Starting with the international release ofBrahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022), all of Star Studios' films are now handled in the United States, Canada and internationally (outside of India) byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[3][4][5][6]
The studio was founded in March 2008 as a joint venture between20th Century Fox and co-owned by Star India. In 2009, the studio acquired the rights forMy Name Is Khan, the studio's debut film as distributor.[7][8]
In 2011, Fox Star Studios entered the Tamil film industry withEngaeyum Eppothum, as co-producing and distributing partner forAR Murugadoss's AR Murugadoss Productions.[9] In 2013, the studio released Tamil-featureRaja Rani, which won fourTamil Nadu State Film Awards.[10] In 2015, the studio entered a 9-film deal withDharma Productions as a co-producer and distributor.[11] In 2016,Kapoor & Sons was released as the first film under the arrangement.[12] The same year, the studio wonNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for its in-house productionNeerja. The studio also releasedM.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, the biopic of then Indian Cricket captainMS Dhoni. In 2017, the studio entered a three-film deal withNadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.[13] In May 2018, the studio entered a multi-film deal withAkshay Kumar'sCape of Good Films and had setMission Mangal with Kumar attached to star.[14] In 2019, the studio releasedChhichhore which it co-produced with Nadiawala Grandson Entertainment had won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi 2019.[14]
In early 2020, the studio had releasedChhapaak starringDeepika Padukone, sports-dramaPanga starringKangana Ranaut andVidhu Vinod Chopra'sShikara all of which are lukewarmly received by the audience.[15][16][17] The studio had releasedBaaghi 3 at the start of theCOVID-19 pandemic and the film ended its box-office run as the second-highest grossing Hindi-film of 2020.[18] In June 2020,Star India, the parent company of the studio decided to release the rest of the 2020 slate directly on the sister streaming platformDisney+ Hotstar under Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex Initiative. The films released on the platform wereDil Bechara,Lootcase,Sadak 2, andLaxmii.[19] In late 2020, several reports indicateThe Walt Disney Company's was not going greenlighting newer films with the studio ceasing its operations after the releases ofTadap andBrahmāstra as the studio's CEO Vijay Singh has resigned.[20][21] In December 2021, the studio releasedTadap.[22] In February 2022, the studio ended speculations of ceasing operations by announcingBabli Bouncer starringTamannaah Bhatia, co-produced withJunglee Pictures.[23] In March 2022, the company announced the release ofKaun Pravin Tambe? onDisney+ Hotstar.[24] Soon after the studio started production onManoj Bajpayee starrerGulmohar.[25] Later that month, the studio along with Dharma Productions had acquired the remake rights for blockbuster Malayalam filmHridayam in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.[26]
On 27 May 2022, Fox Star Studios was renamed Star Studios, as part of the removal of the "Fox" name from studios that had been acquired from21st Century Fox by Disney.[27]
After the 2024 merger of Viacom18 with Disney Star formed JioStar, it was announced in August 2025 that the studio would be renamed toStar Studio18, followingViacom18 Studios being absorbed into the new company.
Based on the original 20th Century Fox fanfare composed byAlfred Newman and adapted byDavid Newman, the current Star Studios fanfare retains a similar composition with added Indian instruments such as sitar, sarod, tambura, sahnai, sarangi, and tabla.[28]