.svg) Logo used since 2023 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Film production |
| Predecessor | Warner Features Company |
| Founded | April 4, 1923; 102 years ago (1923-04-04) |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | 4000 Warner Boulevard,, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Services | |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group |
| Website | warnerbros.com |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
Warner Bros. Pictures is an Americanfilm studio anddistribution arm of theWarner Bros. Motion Picture Group division ofWarner Bros., both of which are owned byWarner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at theWarner Bros. Studios complex inBurbank, California. Animated films produced byWarner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under the studio banner.[3]
The studio was founded on April 4, 1923, by the brothersHarry Warner,Albert Warner,Sam Warner, andJack L. Warner. In addition to producing its own films, the studio handles filmmaking operations, theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by other Warner Bros. labels. These labels include Warner Bros. Pictures Animation,New Line Cinema andCastle Rock Entertainment, as well as various third-party producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures is currently one of four live-action film studios within the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, the others being New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, andSpyglass Media Group (with a minority stake). The most commercially successful film franchises from Warner Bros. includeHarry Potter,DC Universe (formerlyDC Extended Universe),Batman,The Lord of the Rings, andMonsterverse;Barbie is the studio'shighest-grossing film worldwide with $1.4 billion in earnings.[4]
The studio's predecessor (and modern Warner Bros. Entertainment as a whole) was founded in 1910 as theWarner Features Company inNew Castle, Pennsylvania, by filmmaker Sam Warner and his business partners and brothers, Harry, Albert, and Jack.[5] They produced their first film, thePeril of the Plains[6] in 1912, which Sam directed for theSt. Louis Motion Picture Company. In 1915, Sam and Jack moved to California to establish a production studio;[7] on July 8 of that year, Albert and Harry set up the New York–based Warner Brothers Distributing Corporation to release the films.[8][9][10] In 1918, duringWorld War I, the four Warner brothers produced an adaptation of the bookMy Four Years in Germany byJames W. Gerard as their first full-scale picture; the choice of subject was bold given the sensitivity of the content and the war.[11] Thewar film was a box office hit, and it helped the brothers to establish themselves as a prestige studio.[12]
On April 4, 1923, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. was officially established, as the brothers focussed entirely on the motion picture industry.[13] In 1927, Warner Bros. Pictures revolutionized the film industry by releasing its first sound film (or "talkie"),The Jazz Singer, starringAl Jolson. Studio co-founder Sam Warner died before the film's premiere, however.[14] When the company diversified during later years, it was eventually rebranded with the current umbrella name; nevertheless Warner Bros. Pictures continued to be used as the name of the company's film-production arm.
The studio has released twenty-five films that have been nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Picture: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),andDark Victory (1939), as well as later nominees.
In the aftermath of the1948 antitrust suit, uncertain times led Warner Bros. to sell most of its pre-1950[15][16][17] films and cartoons toAssociated Artists Productions (a.a.p.) in 1956 . In addition, a.a.p. also obtained theFleischer Studios andFamous StudiosPopeye cartoons, originally fromParamount Pictures. Two years later, a.a.p. was sold toUnited Artists (UA), which owned the company until 1981, whenMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquired UA.[18][19]
In November 1966, Jack L. Warner acknowledged advancing age and changing times, selling 32% of control of the studio and music business toSeven Arts Productions for $32 million.[20] (Seven Arts Productions was run by Canadian investors Elliot and Kenneth Hyman.) Eventually the company, including the studio, was renamedWarner Bros.-Seven Arts on July 14, 1967.[21]
In 1982, during their independent years,Turner Broadcasting System acquiredBrut Productions; this was the film production arm of the France-based, personal-care companyFaberge Inc., which was struggling at the time.[22]
In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired MGM. Finding itself in debt,Turner kept the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television libraries and a small portion of the UA library, while spinning off the rest of MGM.[23] (The properties retained by Turner included the a.a.p. library and North American rights to theRKO Radio Pictures library.)
In 1989,Warner Communications acquiredLorimar-Telepictures Corporation and merged withTime Inc. to formTime Warner (now known asWarner Bros. Discovery).[24][25] Lorimar's catalogue included the post-1974 library ofRankin/Bass Productions, as well as the post-1947 library ofMonogram Pictures/Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.
In 1991, Turner Broadcasting System acquired animation studioHanna-Barbera and theRuby-Spears library fromGreat American Broadcasting. Years later, Turner Broadcasting System also acquiredCastle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993,[26][27] andNew Line Cinema on January 28, 1994.[28][29] On October 10, 1996, Time Warner Entertainment acquired Turner Broadcasting System, thus bringing Warner Bros.'s pre-1950 library home. In addition, Warner Bros. owns only Castle Rock Entertainment's post-1994 library.
The studio division was incorporated asWarner Bros. Pictures on March 3, 2003, to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases.[30] 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.[31] In 2017, longtime New Line executiveToby Emmerich joined as president.[32] In January 2018, he was promoted to chairman.[33][34] On October 23, 2018, it was announced that Lynne Frank, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.[35] In June 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures signed an agreement withSF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.[36]
Like most other film distributors, Warner Bros. Pictures struggled with releasing films during the 2020COVID-19 pandemic because of restrictions on opening theaters. After postponing several films planned for 2020 into 2021, Warner Bros. announced in December 2020 that they would take an unusual approach: planning their full slate of 2021 films for both theatrical release and simultaneous one-month availability on theHBO Max streaming service. This approach was similar to the studio's release ofWonder Woman 1984 that month.
After one month, these films would still be shown in theaters and would later become available via home media on typical release schedules.[37] The inclusion of streaming, dubbed "Project Popcorn", was criticized by production companies, directors, and actors. The criticism arose because Warner Bros. Pictures announced the streaming plan without informing these groups in advance, and because of concerns about lower payouts due to streaming options.[38] These criticisms led Warner Bros. Pictures to alter compensation rates for the affected films by January 2021, in order to provide larger payouts to their casts and crews.[39]
In March 2021, Warner Bros. announced that they would discontinue the model of same-day HBO Max and theatrical release in 2022; instead, they would use a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window.[40] This change is part of an agreement the studio reached withCineworld (who operatesRegal Cinemas).[41]
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is the company formerly known asDiscovery, Inc. before its acquisition ofWarnerMedia in April 2022. On June 1, 2022, WBD announced several changes:
On June 8, COO Carolyn Blackwood announced that she was stepping down as well.[45]
Steve Spira returned as president of business affairs for Warner Bros. in June 2022; De Luca and Abdy took over from Emmerich in July 2022. Former presidentAlan Horn was appointed as a consultant for WBD PresidentDavid Zaslav, working with De Luca and Abdy.[46]
In August 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures entered into a multi-year contract to distribute MGM films outside the United States, including on home entertainment. This contract included joint participation by both companies in marketing, advertising, publicity, film distribution, and relationship with exhibitors for future MGM titles.[47] That same month, the studio's plans for film distribution were revised, with increased reliance on theatrical releases rather than releases on HBO Max only.[48]
Walter Hamada, the president of DC Films, stepped down on October 19, 2022.[49] President of Production & Development Courtenay Valenti departed on October 28 and was replaced by Jesse Ehrman.[50][51] On June 9, 2023, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group was renamed as the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.[52]
Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. to 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 150,000 individual episodes.[53]
Warner Bros. owns severalshared universes. Some of these are based on books and comics, including some of the highest grossing intellectual properties in the movie industry.
| IP | No. Films | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DC Extended Universe | 15 | Movies based on DC Comics. DCEU was Warner Bros.'s first iteration of a shared universe. The DC Universe serves as an upcoming reboot, led byJames Gunn andPeter Safran. |
| DC Universe | – | Upcoming reboot of the DC Extended Universe, led byJames Gunn andPeter Safran. First movie, expected to be released in 2025. |
| Wizarding World | 11 | Film rights sold byJ. K. Rowling for 2 million $ and a net % of the profits. This shared universe became the 4th highest grossing IP in movie history. This universe includes 8 movies based on theHarry Potter books and 3 movies based onFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. |
| The Conjuring Universe | 8 | Dramatized horror movies based on real-life cases ofparanormal investigatorsEd and Lorraine Warren. This shared universe includes movies likeAnnabelle,The Nun andThe Curse of La Llorona. |
| Monsterverse | 5 | Shared Universe based onmonster movie characters likeGodzilla andKing Kong, in addition to otherkaiju characters created byToho, includingMothra,Rodan andKing Ghidorah. Made in co-production withLegendary Entertainment. |
| Middle-earth | 6 | Movie series based on the books written byJ. R. R. Tolkien, directed byPeter Jackson. |
| The Lego Movie | 4 | Warner Bros owned the rights to Lego films up until the end of 2019. More Lego movies were planned, but were cancelled afterUniversal Pictures bought the Lego film rights. Cancelled sequels include a sequel toThe Lego Batman Movie, calledLego Superfriends.[54][55] |
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| Title | Release date | No. Films | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Diggers | 1923–51 | 7 | |
| Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies | 1930–present | 8 | 1030+ theatrical shorts |
| Penrod and Sam | 1931–38 | 2 | |
| Perry Mason | 1934–37 | 6 | |
| Philo Vance | 1934–40 | 5 | |
| Torchy Blane | 1937–39 | 9 | |
| Four Daughters | 1938–41 | 4 | |
| Nancy Drew | 1938–2019 | 6 | |
| Secret Service | 1939–40 | 4 | |
| A Star Is Born | 1954–2018 | 3 | Acquired fromSelznick International Pictures; co-production with Transcona Enterprises(1954),First Artists,Barwood Films(both 1976),Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,Live Nation Productions, Gerber Pictures, Joint Effort and Gerber Pictures(all 2018) |
| Ocean's | 1960–present | 5 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures(2001–present) |
| Dirty Harry | 1971–88 | ||
| The Exorcist | 1973–2005 | 4 | co-production withMorgan Creek(3–4) |
| Oh, God! | 1977–84 | 3 | |
| Every Which Way but Loose | 1978–80 | 2 | |
| Superman | 1978–2006 | 5 | co-production withLegendary Pictures(2006); Except forSupergirl, which was distributed byTri-Star Pictures |
| Mad Max | 1979–present | 5 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures |
| Poseidon | 1979–2006 | 2 | |
| Friday the 13th | 1980–2009 | co-production withParamount Pictures andNew Line Cinema | |
| The Shining | 1980–2019 | ||
| Arthur | 1981–2011 | 3 | |
| Blade Runner | 1982–2017 | 2 | co-production withAlcon Entertainment andColumbia Pictures(2017) |
| National Lampoon's Vacation | 1983–2015 | 5 | |
| Gremlins | 1984–90 | 2 | co-production withAmblin Entertainment |
| Police Academy | 1984–94 | 7 | |
| Sesame Street | 1985–present | 2 | co-production withSesame Workshop |
| The Color Purple | 1985–2023 | co-production with Amblin Entertainment(1984–2023), The Guber-Peters Company(1984),OW Films, SGS Pictures,Quincy Jones Productions and Domain Entertainment(all 2023) | |
| Lethal Weapon | 1987–98 | 4 | |
| The Lost Boys | 1987–2010 | 3 | |
| Beetlejuice | 1988–present | 2 | |
| Batman | 1989–97 | 4 | co-production withPolygram Pictures(1989–95) |
| Pure Country | 1992–2017 | 3 | |
| Under Siege | 1992–95 | 2 | co-production withRegency Enterprises |
| Unforgiven | 1992–2013 | ||
| Grumpy Old Men | 1993–95 | ||
| The Fugitive | 1993–98 | ||
| Free Willy | 1993–2010 | 4 | co-production withRegency Enterprises |
| Major League | 1994–98 | 2 | distribution only; co-production withMorgan Creek |
| Ace Ventura | 1994–2009 | 3 | |
| Eraser | 1996–2022 | 2 | |
| Twister | 1996–2024 | co-production withUniversal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment(both 1996–2024),The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Domain Entertainment(both 2024) | |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | 1997–2007 | 4 | co-production with Kudzu Productions(both 1997–2000) and Gerber Pictures(both 2005–2007) |
| The Matrix | 1999–present | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures | |
| Analyze | 1999–2002 | 2 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures andTriBeCa Productions |
| Pokémon | 1999–2019 | 4 | US distribution only; co-production withThe Pokémon Company |
| Deep Blue Sea | 1999–2020 | 3 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures |
| The Whole Yards | 2000–04 | 2 | distribution only; co-production withMorgan Creek(2000) andFranchise Pictures |
| Miss Congeniality | 2000–05 | co-production withCastle Rock Entertainment andVillage Roadshow Pictures | |
| Tom and Jerry | 2001–present | 16 | co-production withTurner Entertainment |
| Cats & Dogs | 2001–20 | 3 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures(1–2) |
| Wizarding World | 2001–present | 11 | |
| Scooby-Doo | 2002–present | 6 | |
| Kangaroo Jack | 2003–04 | 2 | co-production withJerry Bruckheimer Films |
| Terminator | 2003–09 | US distribution only; co-production withColumbia Pictures | |
| A Cinderella Story | 2004–present | 6 | |
| Laura's Star | 2004–21 | 6 | co-production with Rothkirch Cartoon-Film |
| The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | 2005–08 | 2 | co-production withAlloy Entertainment |
| The Dark Knight trilogy | 2005–12 | 3 | co-production withLegendary Pictures |
| Willy Wonka | 2005–present | 2 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures |
| Happy Feet | 2006–11 | ||
| 300 | 2006–present | co-production withLegendary Pictures | |
| The Hangover | 2009–13 | 3 | |
| Final Destination | 2009–present | 2 | co-production withNew Line Cinema and Practical Pictures |
| Sherlock Holmes | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures | ||
| Watchmen | 2009–24 | 3 | US distribution only; co-production withParamount Pictures,DC Films(both 2009–24) andLegendary Pictures(2009) |
| Top Cat | 2011–15 | 2 | International distribution only; co-production withAnima Estudios,Illusion Studios(2011), Discreet Art Productions andPrana Studios(both 2015) |
| Dolphin Tale | 2011–14 | co-production withAlcon Entertainment | |
| The Hobbit | 2012–14 | 3 | co-production withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer,New Line Cinema andWingNut Films; Co-owned with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Magic Mike | 2012–23 | ||
| DC Extended Universe | 2013–23 | 15 | co-production withDC Entertainment(2013–16),DC Films(2016–23) andRatPac Entertainment(2016–17) |
| The Conjuring Universe | 2013–present | 7 | co-production withAtomic Monster,The Safran Company andNew Line Cinema |
| The Lego Movie | 2014–19 | 4 | co-production withWarner Bros. Pictures Animation,Village Roadshow Pictures(2014) andLego System A/S |
| Monsterverse | 2014–present | 5 | co-production withLegendary Pictures |
| Creed | 2015–present | 3 | co-production withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer andNew Line Cinema(1–2) |
| The Meg | 2018–present | 2 | |
| It | 2017–19 | distribution only; produced byNew Line Cinema | |
| Detective Pikachu | 2019–present | 1 | co-production withLegendary Pictures,The Pokémon Company andToho |
| Joker | 2019–24 | 2 | co-production withVillage Roadshow Pictures,DC Films (1)Bron Creative and Joint Effort. |
| Dune | 2021–present | co-production withLegendary Pictures | |
| The Batman | 2022–present | 1 | distribution only; produced byDC Films (1), 6th & Idaho and Dylan Clark productions andDC Studios. |
| A Minecraft Movie | 2025–present | co-production withLegendary Pictures, Mojang studios,Vertigo Entertainment and On the Roam. |
‡ — Includes theatrical reissue(s)
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