20th Century Fox (film)

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Rachel Kucharski

20th Century Fox Logo [1]

10201 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-FOX-INFO
http://www.foxmovies.com/

History

20^th Century Fox is one of the six biggest film studios in America and is owned by 21^st Century Fox Corporation. The company has released a number of successful films including The Sound of Music, Star Wars, Die Hard, Ice Age, and X-Men. They also distributed the two highest-grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic. [1]

Avatar movie poster [1]

20^th Century Fox was founded in 1935 when Fox Films, owned by William Fox, merged with Twentieth Century Pictures. Joe Schenck took on the role of chief executive while Darryl F. Zanuck became the head of production. The company enjoyed success after the release of The Sound of Music in 1965 and Star Wars in 1977. In 1981, Marc Rich and Marvin Davis took over the company, who then sold it to News Corp., Rupert Murdoch’s company, in 1985. In 2013, News Corporation split into two companies. News Corporation became the publishing arm of the company while 21^st Century Fox became its own television/film company. 20^th Century Fox came under this company. [2]

Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Emma Watts, Production President [4]

Finances

This past February, 21^st Century Fox released their second quarter earnings report for October to December of 2015 and reported revenues of $7.38 billion. Although this was a decrease of 1% ($49 million) from the prior year, this was partially offset by the success of The Martian, which had grossed over $600 million in worldwide box office by December 31, 2016. The Martian continued to grow and ended with $630 million in worldwide box office revenue with its close date on March 17, 2016. Films released during this quarter that carried over at the box office into 2016 were The Revenant, Joy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, and The Peanuts Movie. [5] [6]

Going into 2016, 20^th Century Fox saw strong box office revenues. The Revenant debuted with $38 million at the domestic box office that weekend. This was an unexpectedly strong open. The film was only predicted to open to less than $25 million. The revenue that opening weekend brought them close to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, grossing at $41.6 million its fourth weekend in theaters. [7] The Peanuts Movie also finished strong with worldwide revenues reaching $246 billion. [8] Another hit for 20^th Century Fox at the box office was Kung Fu Panda 3, which has grossed $504 million worldwide since its release in January. [9]

On April 25, 2016, 21^st Century Fox share prices were listed at $31.00. This is up from $22.50 on February 9^th when share prices fell by as much as 4%. This was likely due to the earnings report released on this day, which predicted that profits would fall due to the strong dollar [5]. Since then, share prices have seen a steady increase and are predicted to continue to rise. The third quarter fiscal report for 21^st Century Fox will be released on May 4, 2016. [10]

Awards Season

Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio win three Golden Globe Awards for The Revenant [11]

20^th Century Fox studio releases did well during the 2016 awards season. At the Golden Globes, Jennifer Lawrence won best actress in a Comedy or Musical for Joy. The Martian won Best Motion Picture for a Comedy or Musical and Matt Damon also won best actor for his role in the film. The Revenant took home the Best Motion Picture award for a Drama. Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Iñárritu won best actor and best director, respectively. [12]

At The Academy Awards, The Revenant counted twelve nominations, the most of any film nominated. Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for Best Actor. The Revenant also won Best Cinematography and Directing. [13] The nominations and wins resulted in a boost of box office revenue for those films that were still in theaters, particularly The Revenant, that’s ticket sales increased more than 80 percent after The Academy Award nominees were announced. Between the announced nominations and Oscar Night, The Revenant brought in $113 million. The film closed with a total of $523 million worldwide. [14]

The New Superhero

20^th Century Fox’s current film in theaters is Deadpool. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and was directed by Tim Miller. Deadpool is Marvel’s new R-Rated superhero movie that features a former Special Forces operative with accelerated healing powers and an attitude problem. [15]

Deadpool has broken records since its release on February 12, 2016. It became 20^th Century Fox’s largest opening ever with $132.4 million. It also had the largest opening weekend ever for an R-rated film and the biggest opening day in February with $47.5 million. [16] So far, the film has grossed a total of $760 million thus far and is approaching its eleventh week in theaters. [17] Deadpool has been a game changer for the superhero genre. As one of the first high-budget R-rated superhero films in recent years (alongside Watchmen and Kick-Ass), there was high-risk for 20^th Century Fox in the box office. But the film was widely received and praised for its snarky humor, romance, and characters rather than big-budget action scenes. [18] Following this success, 20^th Century Fox will likely make Wolverine 3 R-rated. The film’s current release date is March 3^rd, 2017. [19]

20^th Century Fox has already confirmed Deadpool 2 for production. Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds will return for the sequel as well as the creative team. The film is said to mimic the original in tone, keeping the same snarky humor and attitude. The film is currently rumored for release in 2017. [20]

Coming Soon

Independence Day: Resurgence movie poster [23]

This summer, 20^th Century Fox is releasing four films. X-Men: Apocalypse will open on May 27, 2016 as the ninth installment in the X-Men series with Bryan Singer as director and a host of famous cast members. To market the film, 20^th Century Fox released an X-Men Movies app as well as an “Apocalypse timeline” on their website. [21]

Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to the highly acclaimed Independence Day, will open on June 24, 2016 starring Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum. Ice Age: Collision Course and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates are also set to release in July. [22]

Sources

[1] Foxmovies.com. 20^th Century Fox. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[2] 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
[3] Yamato, Jen. (May 16, 2014). Fox’s Jim Gianopulos Delivers USC Film Commencement Speech; Marvel’s Kevin Feige Celebrates Rejection: Transcript. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[4] Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 14, 2014). Fox’s Emma Watts Re-Ups For Three Years After Robust Summer. Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[5] Earnings Release for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2015. (February 8, 2016). 21st Century Fox. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[6] The Martian. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[7] Fritz, Ben. (January 11, 2016). ‘The Revenant’ has surprisingly strong box-office debut. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
[8] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[9] Kung Fu Panda 3. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[10] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. CI A. MarketWatch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[11] Robehmed, Natalie. (January 11, 2016).‘The Revenant’ Wins Best Picture At The 2016 Golden Globe Awards. Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[12] Sharf, Zack. (February 24, 2016). The Indiewire 2015-16 Awards Season Winners Guide. The Indiewire. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[13] Donnelly, Jim. (February 29, 2016). Oscar Winners 2016: See The Complete List. The Oscars. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
[14] Brueggemann, Tom. (March 11, 2016). Oscar Box Office Winners and Losers 2016. Indiewire. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[15] Deadpool. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[16] Garreffa, Anthony. (February 17, 2016). Deadpool becomes largest opening ever for 20th Century Fox. TweakTown. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[17] Deadpool. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[18] VanDerWerff, Todd. (February 15, 2016). Deadpool’s box office unexpectedly broke records. Here’s what Hollywood should learn from it. Vox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[19] Siegal, Jacob. (February 16, 2016). Deadpool’s success could lead to an ‘R’ rating for Wolverine 3. BGR. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[20] Mccarthy, Tyler and Rebecka Schumann. (April 4, 2016). ‘Deadpool 2’ Confirmed By 20th Century Fox; Director And Creative Team Returning. International Business Times. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[21] X-MEN: Apocalypse (2016). 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[22] Coming Soon. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
[23] Perry, Spencer. (March 8, 2016). The Aliens are Back in New Independence Day: Resurgence International Poster. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 26, 2016.

20th Century Fox (Film)

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Derrick Owens

By Derrick Owens

20th Century Fox Logo [1] Source: foxmovie.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

10201 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90064

http://www.foxmovies.com/

Overview

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly referred to as 20th Century Fox or Fox, is an international film production and distribution company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. 20th Century Fox is a subsidy of the 21st Century Fox Corporation, which also owns assets in television stations, television broadcast networks, and cable network programming. Fox is a part of the “Big Six” film studios, which includes Columbia, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal, and Paramount. The “Big Six” serve as Fox’s main competition. 20th Century Fox owns the rights to a number of valuable franchises including, X-Men, Ice Age, Die Hard, and Planet of the Apes. Fox is also known for distributing the two highest grossing films of all-time, Avatar and Titanic, both of which were directed by James Cameron [2].

Key Executives

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO [3]

Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman [4]

History

The origins of 20th Century Fox began in 1915 when film distributor William Fox established his own film production company after moving out to Los Angeles called Fox Films. In 1935, Twentieth Pictures’ Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck left United Artists and merged with Fox Films to create the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation [6].

From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! [5] Source: Wikepdia.com

In 1981, the company was sold to investors Marc Rich and Marvin Davis. They subsequently sold the company to Rupert Murdoch, who merged the company into his own media conglomerate, News Corp, in 1985. News Corp was split into two companies in 2013. There is now the new News Corporation, which contained most of Murdoch’s print media assets, and 21st Century Fox, which specializes in filmed entertainment and is the current parent company of 20th Century Fox [7].

Finances

In the last fiscal year (June 30, 2014 – June 30, 2015), 20th Century Fox put out 25 films into general release domestically and they plan on releasing another 25 in fiscal 2016. Of those 25 planned films, Fox has already released six titles including Fantastic Four, The Martian, and The Peanuts Movie. Fox’s most anticipated movies yet to be released in 2016 include Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Independence Day Resurgence [8].

20th Century Fox produces and distributes its films through a number of internal units:

Twentieth Century Fox and Fox2000 handles films for mainstream audiences.

Logo for Fox Searchlight [9] Source: foxsearchlight.com

Fox Searchlight Pictures produces and releases smaller, independent films for specialized audiences.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation produces and distributes feature length-animated films

Fox International Productions, Inc. co-produces and acquires local-language films for distribution worldwide.

Fox generates money from its films by distributing the films theatrically (domestically and internationally), through home media formats (such as digital distribution), on premium pay and SVOD, and on television and cable networks. Last year, the domestic home entertainment division for Fox released or re-released approximately 1,268 produced and acquired titles [10].

For fiscal 2015, revenues at the Filmed Entertainment segment decreased $154 million, or 2%, as compared to fiscal 2014. Increased production and marketing costs as well as a decrease in home entertainment sales led to the change. 20th Century Fox’s parent company, 21st Century Fox Corporation, has seen their stock dip in the last year. After reaching a high of $37.49 in December of 2014, the stock has fallen to its lower point since January 2012. In September it stood at only $25.41. Even with the drop of its stock prices, 21st Century Fox Corporation saw profit increase by 54% in 2015 compared to the previous year. Profits were at $8.306 billion in 2015 versus $4.514 billion in 2014 [11].

In Theatres

The Martian

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, and Jeff Daniels, The Martian is a science-fiction adventure film produced and distributed by Fox. It was released on October 2, 2015 and posted the second highest October opening weekend of all time with a $54.3 million haul. It has gone on to be Fox’s most successful film of the year thus far bringing in over $217 million domestically and nearly $500 million worldwide. It’s production budget of $108 million means the film will be significantly profitable for the corporation. The film’s box office revenue has the possibility of growing even further as many Oscar analyst predict it will be in the running for best picture, best director, and best actor. The Martian is unique because it is a standalone, original film which has achieved worldwide success [12].

The Maze Runner: Scorched Trials

This sci-fi action-adventure film is a sequel to the 2014 hit Maze Runner. The film opened on nearly the same weekend as its predecessor and opened slightly under expectations. Scorched Trials brought in $30.3 million in its first weekend after opening on September 18, which was down from the 32.5 million opening of Maze Runner.

The film, based off of the popular novel series, is directed by Wes Ball and stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Thomas Brodie-Sangste. Even though it has only grossed $80.9 million domestically with a $61 million production budget, Scorched Trials has been saved by its international performance. It has grossed over $230 million overseas, which motivated Fox to greenlight the film’s sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, due out in 2017 [13].

The Peanuts Movie

This family animation film was released by Fox as part of their distribution deal with Blue Sky Studios. It was the first feature film in the Peanuts franchise in 35 years. It took over eight years to make, because the family of Charles Schultz, the creator of the comic, wanted the film to done with respect to his original work [14]. The film opened to $44.2 million on the weekend of November 6, playing as counter-programming to Spectre, Although there are still a few major international markets left to open, Peanuts has 92.6% of its revenue coming from domestic totals as of 11/29. The film has been a domestic hit with $116.7 million grossed so far, but international performance may need to increase before the $99 million production can be called profitable [15].

News and Developments

20th Century Fox has three films to be released before the end of 2015. The first film is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, which is due out December 18. Fox hopes to continue the success of the franchise, which has banked over $1.1 billion at the box office [16]. The other two films, The Revenant and Joy, are being distributed in limited release on December 25 before going wide in January. These two films are both expected to be major Oscar players and they star Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence respectively [17].

Oculus Video by Oculus VR [22] Source: roadtovr.com

Fox signed an agreement with Oculus VR, making it the first major movie studio to invest in virtual reality as a way of showing their films. Over 100 films from Fox’s library will be released in the virtual reality cinema Oculus Video [18].

Fox International Productions entered into an exclusive first look deal with Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-language films. The duo is known for their successes as they have overseen five of the ten highest grossing local language films in the modern Russian film era [19].

Planned 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Dubai [21] Source: variety.com

Fox announced plans to open its first Fox-branded resort in Dubai featuring rides based off of its most popular films including Titanic, Aliens, Predator, and Ice Age. It will open in 2018 and is planned to cost approximately $850 million [20].

Sources

[1] 20th Century Fox Logo. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[2] About. Fox Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[3] James N. Gianopulos. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[4]. Stacey Snider. Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[5] From the 1952 film Viva Zapata! Wikipedia. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[[6] About. Fox UK. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[7] Welch, Chris. May 9, 2013. The Verge. 21st Century Fox logo unveiled ahead of News Corp split. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[8] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[9] Fox Searchlight Logo. Fox Searchlight. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[10] 21st Century Fox Annual Report 2015. 21st Century Fox. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[11] Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. Yahoo Finances. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[12] Tartaglione, Nancy. November 24, 2015. Deadline Hollywood. ‘The Martian’ Closing In On $500M Global: How Fox Marketers Brought Ridley Scott’s Cool Science To The Masses. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[13] Maze Runner: Scorched Trials. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[14] Smith, Chris. November 1, 2014. The Press Democrat. How the Schulz family made ‘The Peanuts Movie’ a reality. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[15] The Peanuts Movie. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

[16] Alvin and the Chipmunks. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[17] Cunningham, Todd. September 8, 2015. The Wrap. Fox Fuels Yule Logjam With 3 Christmas Releases. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[18] Geier, Thom. September 24, 2015. The Wrap. ‘Alien,’ ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Among 100 Fox Movies Coming to Oculus Virtual-Reality Headsets. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

[19] Business Wire. November 18, 2015. Fox International Productions Strikes Strategic Alliance With Paul Heth and Michael Schlicht for Russian-Language Films. Retrieved November 29, 2015

[20] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[21] Lang, Brent. November 3, 2015. Variety. Fox Building Theme Park in Dubai With ‘Titanic,’ ‘Aliens’ Attractions. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[22] Oculus Cinema. Oculus VR. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

20th Century Fox

Posted on November 30, 2014 by jsnimmer

By: Yonah Nimmer

– Photo Courtesy of filmbaza.net [I]

Contact Information: [II]

Phone: (310) 369-4636

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

Website: http://www.foxmovies.com/

Key Executives:

Rupert Murdoch Chase Carey

(Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) (President and Chief Operating Officer)

– Photo Courtesy of Luxedb.com [III] – Photo Courtesy of theaustralian.com [IV]

James Murdoch John Nallen David Hill

(Co-Chief Operating Officer) (Senior Executive Vice Presidents)

– Photos are Courtesy of 21cf.com [V]

James N. Gianopulos

(Chairman and CEO of Film)

– Photo Courtesy of Hollywoodgreekreporter.com [VI]

———————————————————————————————————

Company Overview

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly referred to as 20th Century Fox, is one of the six major American film studios. The company was founded nearly eighty years ago on May 31st, 1935, as a result of the merge between Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Film Corporation [VII]. Fifty years later, in 1985, this studio continued to blossom, becoming a subsidiary of News Corporation [VIII]. In 2013 however, News Corporation separated into News Corp and 21st Century Fox, with the latter preserving Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Based in Los Angeles California, this studio is currently the second largest film studio, following Warner Brothers [IX]. While involved in all aspects of the film industry, this company mainly focuses on film production and distribution. 20th Century Fox is infamous for creating everything from their thriving Star Wars series to the highest grossing film worldwide, Avatar [X].

Financials

In 2013, 20th Century Fox had a total domestic gross of $1.06 billion dollars, a 4% growth from profits in 2012. Having 18 films released that year, each film made an average of $87.5 million in profit [XI]. So far in 2014, (through December 1st), 20th Century Fox has seen their best results of the past decade, grossing a total of $1.5 billion domestically [XII].

In the 3rd quarter of 2014, including the months of July, August, and September, the studio grossed $427 million through 9 films that played in theaters around the globe. Only 3 of these, Dawn of the Planet Apes, Let’s Be Cops, and The Maze Runner, were actually released during this time period though. With budgets of $34 and $17 million, both Let’s Be Cops and The Maze Runner were successful in breaking even during opening weekend. Nonetheless, neither of them can compare their profits to Dawn of the Planet Apes. While the budget for this sequel was $170 million, the film gathered a total gross of $708 million. From just this one movie, 20th Century Fox profited over $530 million [XIII].

In the 4th quarter on the other hand, a mere 2 films were produced and distributed, Gone Girl and The Book of Life. Both of these movies were a huge success, grossing $416 million for the studio [XIV].

GONE GIRL

[a]

Gillian Flynn adapted her best selling novel, Gone Girl, into an American mystery thriller film directed by the infamous David Fincher. This movie tells the story about NickDunne, a husband who discovers his wife is missing. Unfazed by the matter, neighbors question his strange behavior, eventually discovering his web of lies. Family, friends, and acquaintances are all forced to contemplate the same question: Did he kill his wife? [XV]

With lead actors such as Neil Pattrick Harris, Rosamund Pike, and Ben Affleck, crowds flocked to watch this film on opening night, October 3rd, 2014 [XVI]. Available in 3,014 theaters, this film grossed $37.5 million opening weekend. It topped the box office charts, making more than the new release, Annabelle. While that sounds like a large sum of money, it is merely 62% of the $61 million budget. Expanding to 3,249 theaters, the film eventually came up on top benefiting $159 million domestically and $171 million in the foreign market. Currently its in 8th week in theaters, the film has grossed $330 million worldwide [XVII].

The Book of Life

[b]

The Book of Life, an animated film directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, tells the legend of Manolo, a troubled dreamer, who embarks on an epic journey through mythical, magical, and mysterious worlds in order to protect his village and rescue his true love [XVIII].

20th Century Fox continues to castA-list actors in the film such as Christina Applegate, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube. This PG rated movie had a budget of $50 million. Released in 3,071 theaters, The Book of Life racked in $17 million on opening weekend, October 17th-19th. It was third on the box office charts, $500,000 behind Gone Girl, (which was on it’s 3rd week at the time). Domestically, this film grossed $48 million, which makes up 55.6% of their earnings. The foreign market on the other hand made $38 million, totaling $86 million internationally [XIX].

What’s in Store for the Future?

20th Century Fox has already scheduled the distribution dates for their next 46 films, all the way up to the release of Puss in Boots 2 on December 21st, 2018 [XX]. Throughout 2014, the studio has produced 13 films thus far, with the plan of 3 more to come [XXI].

This December 5th, Fox is releasing The Pyramid, a horror movie about a group of

archaeologists that become trapped in an ancient Egyptian pyramid [XXII]. Gregory Levasseur, the director, is a successful screenwriter in the industry with no previous directing experience [XXIII].

On December 12th, Fox will release Exodus: Gods and Kings, a modern depiction on

the defiant leader, Moses, as he revolts against the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses. With a great use of visual effects and 3D immersion, the budget of this film is much greater than The Pyramid [XXIV]. The director, Ridley Scott, who also directed Gladiator, exclaims that “this is his biggest epic yet” [XXV]. This movie includes well known actors such as Joel Edgerton and Christian Bale. With all that said, this film has received negative reviews, a 63% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, 98% of audience members on the website still want to see it [XXVI].

Lastly, Fox is releasing their last film of the year, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, on December 19th [XXVII]. Seeing that the original Night at the Museum profited $575 million, the company has high hopes for this sequel [XXVIII]. It is once again directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Robin Williams. The biggest difference this time is that the iconic Robin Williams passed away recently. Without a doubt, many viewers will go see the film for the sole sake of seeing one of the last roles played by Williams [XXVII].

Overall, 20th Century Fox has had an extremely successful year. With hit films such as

Dawn of the Planet Apes, Gone Girl, and The Book of Life, they have accumulated 1.5 billion domestically this year. Nonetheless, the studio hopes to end off 2014 with a big bang through there next three upcoming movies. While this year was a success, that simply means they must do even better in 2015.

Sources:

[I] 20th Century Fox Logo Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[II] Fox Contact From October 6, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[III] Rupert Murdoch Photo From July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[IV] Chase Carey Photo From May 10, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[V] Murdoch, Nallen, & Hill Photos Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[VI] Jim Gianopulos Photo From April 20, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[VII] Founded Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[VIII] Subsidiary Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[IX] Studio Size Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[X] Previous Projects Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XI] 2013 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XII] 2014 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XIII] 3rd Quarter Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XIV] 4th Quarter Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XV] Gone Girl Synopsis Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XVI] Gone Girl Cast Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XVII] Gone Girl Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XVIII] Book of Life Synopsis Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XIX] Book of Life Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XX] Upcoming Films Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXI] 2014 Statistics Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXII] The Pyramid Synopsis Updated November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXIII] Levasseur’s Past Work Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXIV] Exodus Synopsis Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXV] Ridley Scott Quote From August 17, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVI] Exodus Ratings Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVII] Night at the Museum 3 Release Date Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXVIII] Original Night at the Museum Statistics Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[XXIX] Night at the Museum Cast Retrieved November 29, 2014.

Trailers

[a] Gone Girl Trailer From July 7, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[b] Book of Life Trailer From May 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

20th Century Fox

Posted on October 5, 2014 by skim116

by Jessica Kim

20th Century Fox Logo [1]

Contact Information: [2]
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
10201 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: (310) 227-2211
Website: http://www.foxmovies.com

Key Executives: [3]

Rupert Murdoch – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

James N. Gianopulos – Chairman & CEO

Continue reading →

Relativity Media

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jatuckma

by Jason Tuckman

Photo courtesy of logos.wikia.com. (1)

Relativity Media

Contact Information: (2)

Address: 9242 Beverly Blvd., Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone Number: 310-724-7700

URL: http://www.relativitymedia.com

Twitter: @Relativity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/relativity

An Overview of Relativity Media:

Focusing on the content creation and distribution of television, film, sports, music, fashion, and digital, Relativity Media was founded in 2004 by CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. (3) Relativity Media seeks to integrate different aspects of its content throughout all of its mediums, providing the best entertainment for its customers. Relativity Media Studios, the largest division of the company, has produced over 200 films such as “Don Jon”, “Out of the Furnace“, “Movie 43“, and “The Pursuit of Happyness“. The company has made more than $17 billion in box office revenue and has earned 60 Oscar nominations. (4)

Key Executives:

CEO: Ryan Kavanaugh

President: Tucker Tooley

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Happy Walters

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Gregory Shamo

Photos and Info. Courtesy of http://www.relativitymedia.com/About.aspx (5)

Financials:

According to Ryan Kavanaugh, this year Relativity Media plans to make $1 billion in box office revenue, although the company is privately held and there is no official public documentation of revenue. (6) Kavanaugh believes in tight budgets that don’t necessarily need to be hits to make a profit. (7) This strategy is called the “Monte Carlo” approach, which is mainly used on Wall Street. This approach uses information about a possible movie and analyzes whether or not it will make a profit. Considering actors, budget, genre, and release time, Relativity Media is able to figure out which possible movies will be hits, and which ones will be flops. (8) Therefore, the company is able to use small budgets to make small profits, which add up over time to make Relativity Media successful. Currently, Relativity Media is privately held but is planning on going public in the next year once enough equity is raised. (9)

Current Movies:

Relativity Media has released nine films this year, four of which are still in theaters. The films still in theaters are “The November Man”, “Beyond the Lights”, and “The Best of Me”. “Hector and the Search for Happiness”, an action comedy staring Simon Pegg, was released in select theaters during the month of September. (10)

“Hector and the Search for Happiness”

$HATSFH_FIN_07-IN THEATERS THIS FALL-SMALL-web_{04488678-6e2e-e411-b444-4040e990bee0}$

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (11)

Directed by Peter Chelsom, “Hector and the Search for Happiness” tells the story of a psychiatrist who feels guilty that his patients aren’t getting happier, leading him on a quest to understand the true meaning of happiness. (12) The movie was only released to 183 theaters and made $938,954 in revenue. (13) It garnered negative reviews, receiving only 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The November Man”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (14)

Directed by Roger Donaldson, and staring Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, and Olga Kurylenko, “The November Man” is an action thriller about a retired spy who must come out of retirement for a personal mission. It is based off the novel “There are No Spies”, by Bill Granger. (15) So far, it has made $32 million dollars globally in box office revenue. It’s budget is disclosed, and came in sixth for its opening weekend in late August, way behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. (16) It received negative reviews, with only 34% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Best of Me”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (17)

Based off the Nicholas Sparks novel, “The Best of Me” is a drama/romance film that tells the story of two high school sweethearts that, after 20 years, are drawn back to their hometown after the death of a friend. They rekindle their high school love, but realize that there are problems after being apart for so long. The movie is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, and Luke Bracey. (18) Ranked fifth in its opening weekend, “The Best of Me” has made just under $33 million in global box office revenue, $25 million domestically. (19) It also received an underwhelming 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. In late October, B4U, a Bollywood Film and TV company invested $100 million in Relativity Media to make a version of “The Best of Me” for audiences in India. (20)

“Beyond the Lights”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (21)

Watch the trailer here. Courtesy of youtube.com

Relativity Media’s most recent film, “Beyond the Lights” opened on November 14, 2014. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and staring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, and Minnie Driver, “Beyond the Lights” tells the story of a young popstar who falls in love with a cop who is striving to become a prominent politician. Fame tests their relationship as they struggle to find peace in the madness that surrounds their lives. (22) The film has made $6.2 million in box office revenue during its opening weekend, and currently has $12 million in total domestic revenue, with a reported budget of $7 million, and received 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. (23)

On August 12, 2014, Relativity Media hired Matt Alvarez as EVP of Production and President of Relativity Studio’s newly formed multicultural division. Alvarez produced hits such as “Ride Along”, the “Barbershop” franchise, and Relativity’s recent movie, “Beyond the Lights”. He will focus on growing the studio’s slate with more diverse filmmakers. (24)

Recent News:

On October 2nd, Relativity Media announced that One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management is set to purchase Elliot Management’s stake in Relativity Media, along with Ryan Kavanaugh himself. The purchase is led by Ryan Kavanaugh, One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management’s founder, Steven Mnuchin, along with some other unnamed private investors. (25) This investment shift may hint at secret preparations for Relativity’s IPO release in the next year. Kavanaugh will still be the largest individual shareholder of the company and no specific financials were released. (26) Steven Mnucin is no stranger to Hollywood. He is known for helping to finance “Gravity” and “Avatar”.

Photo courtesy of blumhouse.com (27)

On November 4th, Relativity acquired the rights to distribute “Lazarus”, a horror film, in the U.S. This movie comes from Jason Blum’s production company, Blumhouse, and is set to be released on February 20th, 2015. The movie stars Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters, and Donald Glover. Blumhouse is known for box office hits such as the “Paranormal Activity” franchise as well as recent success, “Ouija”. “Lazarus” is about a group of medical students who discover a way to bring dead patients back to life. (28)

In Development:

“Not Without Hope”

$not without hope book cover_{5cc99a63-5594-e311-af13-4040e990bee0}$

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (29)

Based on the best selling memoir by Nick Schuyler, “Not Without Hope” tells the true story of four NFL players who go on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico that turns deadly when the ship capsizes, forcing the friends to cling to the the capsized boat while a storm rages around them. (30) This gruesome tale of friendship will star Dwayne Johnson and has recently begun script adaptation by Nicholas Mariani. (31)

“Demon House”

Lee Daniels, Director. Photo courtesy of thereelnetwork.net (32)

Directed by Lee Daniels, this movie will tell the story of Latoya Ammons and her family, whom have been possessed by demonic spirits for the past two years. Turn Left Productions, with owners Jackson Nguyen and Todd Crites will finance, produce, and distribute the film along with Relativity Media and producer Bruce Cohen. (33) This will be an interesting change for Lee Daniels, known for “The Butler”, who is now taking a turn at making a thriller.

Sources:

(1) Relativity Media Logo From 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(2) Relativity Media Contact Information From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(3) Founded From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(4) Relativity Media About From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(5) Relativity Media Executives From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(6) Relativity Media Profitability From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(7) Tight Budgets Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(8) Monte Carlo Approach Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(9) IPO Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(10) 2014 Films From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(11) Hector and the Search for Happiness Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(12) Hector and the Search for Happiness Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(13) Hector and the Search for Happiness Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(14) The November Man Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(15) The November Man Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(16) The November Man Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(17) The Best of Me Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(18) The Best of Me Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(19) The Best of Me Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(20) The Best of Me Bollywood From 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(21) Beyond the Lights Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(22) Beyond the Lights Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(23) Beyond the Lights Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(24) Matt Alvarez From 12 August 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(25) Relativity Media Purchase From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(26) IPO Holdings From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(27) Blumhouse Productions Logo Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(28) Lazarus From 4 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(29) Not Without Hope Book Cover Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(30) Not Without Hope Synopsis Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(31) Not Without Hope Development From 10 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(32) Lee Daniels Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(33) Demon House Development From 12 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

20th Century Fox

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Rebecca Drootin

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp

10201 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90035

Mail: P.O. Box 900,
Beverly Hills, California 90213
Phone: 310-277-2211
Fax: 310-203-1558
www.foxmovies.com [1]

20th Century Fox’s iconic logo.

Summary:

20th Century Fox is a film production and distribution company under Fox Entertainment

Recent Best Picture winner, Life of Pi, is a 20th Century Fox film.

Group which is a part of the media conglomerate, News Corporation. The company releases about 14 films a year many of which have been very successful [1]. 20th Century Fox formed in 1935 and has been one of the top film studios for almost a hundred years [2]. The subsidiary companies to 20th Century Fox include Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios [1]. 20th Century Fox is most notably responsible for James Cameron’s films Avatar and Titanic as well as classics such as the Star Wars series, Home Alone, the Ice Age series, Independence Day, The Sound of Music, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and hundreds more [4].

Fox Searchlight’s logo

Fox Searchlight is a speciality division under 20th Century Fox. The company tends to release smaller budget, niche-genre films. Many of Fox Searchlight’s films have earned Academy Award nominations and wins such as Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, The Descendants, and Black Swan [4].

Executives [15]

Rupert Murdoch

Chris Petrikin- Executive Vice President, Global Communications
Rupert Murdoch- Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Robert Marick- Executive Vice President
Ricardo Crespo- Senior Vice President of Global Creative
Thomas E. Rothman- Board Member
Robert Harpe- Board Member
James Gianopulos- Board Member

Financial Information

News Corp’s current share price is $30.9 up 36.6% from 19.58 at this time last year. Their revenue for the year 2012 was $34.33 billion a 2% increase from their 2011 revenue of $33.4 billion [3].

This graph represents the share price of News Corp stock since 2008 [9].

20th Century Fox is currently number 4 in the market, holding an 11.7% share. It has grossed $256.9 million. Compared to its position in April of 2012, it is down $40 million in revenue, with the same amount of films released. In 2012, they finished 6th in the market with a 9.5% share, releasing 15 films. 2012 was a successful year, having increased profits from 2011 by 4.9%, up from $977 million to $1 billion [4].

Fox Searchlight is currently 16th in the market with a .2% of the market share. It has currently grossed $4.5 million at the box office with the release of 4 films so far this year. Searchlight finished 2012 grossing $117.8 million, down 22.7% from the 2011 gross of $152.4 million. For 2012, Fox Searchlight was 12th in the market a slight decline from their 2011 position of 11th in the market. In 2012 they released 10 movies and in 2011 they released 11, most likely causing the decline in profits [4].

Competitors

The Weinstein Company is independently owned unlike most studios that fall under a media conglomerate.

20th Century Fox competes most closely with the five other major studios (Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, and Paramount.) Universal is currently number one in the market, followed by the Weinstein Company, and Buena Vista. Universal has only released 2 films so far this year, one being the successful film, Identity Theif, and have still been experiencing profits from their late 2012 releases including the award winner Les Miserables. Beuna Vista released the high grossing, Oz The Great and Powerful. The recent wild success of the Weinstein Company has caused it to become more comprable in profits to 20th Century Fox than to Fox Searchlight though they release similar types of films. This has largely been due to their award winning films Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook. 20th Century Fox has held a high position in the market due to the success of The Croods. Other 2013 releases inclue Broken City and A Good Day to Die Hard [4].

Recent News

After a phone hacking scandal in 2011 and increased pressure from shareholders, News Corp will be splitting into two separate companies mid-2013. 20th Century Fox and all other Fox brands will become a part of a new company titled Fox Group. The publishing side of the company will remain News Corporation. Fox Group is slated to be led by Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer, Rupert Murdoch, chief executive and chairman, and James Murdoch, who will serve as the deputy chief operating officer [6]. Due to this split, 20th Century Fox’s co-chairman Tom Rothman will be resigning, leaving co-chairman, Jim Gianopolus, to lead the entire film division [11].

The 2013 release of The Croods has been notable for more than just its success at the box office. The film is the first to be released under DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox’s new partnership. Formerly, DreamWorks films were distributed by Paramount but the two companies ended this agreement late last year. This new deal has been very profitable for 20th Century Fox, as The Croods grossed $44.7 million in its opening weekend alone [7].

20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios are currently preparing for the release of the film Epic. Director, Chris Wedge, known for the Ice Age films, claims that Epic shows both technological advancement and genre evolution for Blue Sky [12]. The companies are heavily promoting the film that is set to release in May. Teaming up with Rite-Aid, the film will be an official charity partner of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals [13].

20th Century Fox is taking initiative to lead the industry in the new medium of digital media. In September, the Home Entertainment division decided

to release digital copies of the film Prometheus three weeks before the DVD and Blu-ray release. In attempt to make online films more accessible and affordable, the company is also moving to dispel online piracy. 20th Century Fox is the first of the major studios to place such high importance on the release of digital content, calling the initiative Digital HD. Fox will release all recent films on Digital HD in addition to the effort to have over 600 Fox titles available on other digital platforms [8]. 20th Century Fox as well as other studios are currently in a prolonged legal battle with Google due to online piracy issues. The companies are requesting Google to remove links to pirated content but Google is responding by publishing the requests from these companies with direct links to the pirated content. This phenomenon is being called “copyright irony.” [14]

Fox Searchlight recently announced that it will be releasing the upcoming film, Twelve Years A Slave, rather than the parent company 20th Century Fox. The Steve McQueen film features Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, and the young Quvenzhane Wallis. It will premier in December [10]. Fox Searchlight currently has two films in theaters: Danny Boyle’s thriller Trance and Chan-wook Park’s Stoker which experienced festival success [10].

Sources:

[1] http://www.newscorp.com/management/20film.html

[2] http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/zanuck-schenck.htm

[3] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=NWS+Key+Statistics

[4] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studios

[5] TRF 235 Lecture Notes: Barbara Jones, Class 2

[6] http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/news-corp-announces-its-corporate-split-and-the-closing-of-the-daily/

[7] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/movies/the-croods-and-olympus-has-fallen-lead-the-box-office.html?_r=2&

[8] http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/20th-century-fox-s-mary-daily-taking-digital-lead/238751/

[9] http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=NWS+Interactive#symbol=nws;range=20080103,20130401;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

[10] www.foxsearchlight.com

[11] http://www.medialifemagazine.com/people-9-17-12/

[12] http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=101806

[13] http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1149205

[14] http://businessofcinema.com/hollywood/twentieth-century-fox-and-others-in-piracy-battle-with-google/71643

[15] http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=35867

Photos

1.http://www.foxstudios.com/data/image/teasers/category_bg_home.jpg

2.https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/495817344/FoxLogo_FanfareVersion.jpg

3.http://www.impawards.com/2012/posters/life_of_pi.jpg

4.http://www.foxsearchlight.com/media/blog_post_images/fsl_logo2.jpg

5. http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/files/2010/09/rupert-murdoch.jpg

6. http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2010/11/19/weinstein.jpg?1290168446

7. http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BODU3NzI5ODc1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODQ2NDU1OA@@._V1_SX214_.jpg

8. http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2011/09/FBI_Anti-Piracy_Warning.jpeg

20th Century Fox

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Bria Holness

by Bria Holness

Photo courtesy of fanpop.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

www.foxmovies.com

A Brief History

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, also known as 20th Century Fox, was established on May 31, 1935 when the founders of Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures decided to merge into one. It is now one of the major American film studios that produces, acquires, and distributes motion pictures. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates as a subsidiary of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and is responsible for some of the top grossing movies, including Avatar and Titanic. [1] [2]

Quick Financials

During the first quarter, which encompasses the months of January, February, and March, 20th Century Fox brought in a gross income of $256.9 million, a 13.7% decrease in comparison to the first quarter of 2012; however, this is also an 123.7% increase in comparison to 2011. [19]

Key Executives

Keith Rupert Murdoch

Photo courtesy of biography.com

Murdoch is the founder of News Corporation, in which 20th Century Fox is a subsidiary of, and has been its Chairman since 1991. Since 1992, Murdoch has been the Chairman of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and its Chief Executive Officer since 1995. He operates as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [2]

Eduardo Echeverria

Photo courtesy of variety.com

Echeverria is Senior Vice President of Latin America at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and has served as so since 2001. [2] Echeverria manages the sales and marketing operations and theatrical distribution for all Fox Filmed Entertainment product in Latin America. [2]

Michael Peikoff

Since July 1, 2007, Peikoff has been Senior Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. His duties include managing internal and external communication for the licensing division and managing retail marketing and licensed promotion initiatives in the U.S. [2]

Robert Marick

Photo courtesy of licensing.biz

As Executive Vice President since July of 2010, Marick manages the global licensing of Fox’s television and film assets across different platforms including television promotions, interactive gaming, literary publishing, themed entertainment, and consumer products. [2]

Ricardo Crespo

Photo courtesy of centralpa.aiga.org

Crespo has served as Senior Vice President of Global Creative at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation since July 2010. [2] Prior to joining the 20th Century Fox team, Crespo held several leadership positions at Saatchi & Saatchi, Mattel Inc., Bozell Worldwide, and McCANN ERICKSON. [4]

In The News

Broken City

Photo courtesy of radionowindy.com

20th Century Fox Films released its first film of the year, Broken City, starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, and Catherine Zeta Jones, on January 18th. The film told the story of a New York City cop, who one night gets involved in a scandalous shooting. He’s stripped of his badge but kept out of jail by the works of New York’s Mayor, who offers him a lump sum of money to investigate his wife. While doing so he finds himself in the middle of a much larger scandal as he realizes that the Mayor isn’t who he seems to be.

During its opening weekend, the film made about $9 million and $4 million the weekend after. With an estimated budget of $55 million, it has made an overall gross of $19,667,601 up to date. It has received mixed reviews ranging from being called a complete mess to being considered an entertaining thriller. Nonetheless, there seems to be a majority consensus—the cast and the numerous twists are great but can only keep the “weak” storyline going but so far, causing it to receive a B- from Entertainment Weekly. [5] [6]

20th Century Fox employed an interesting marketing strategy for the movie. Instead of featuring promotional quotes from legitimate movie critics, they chose to use tweets from the hashtag, #BrokenCity, in which basically anyone could be a critic.

Photo courtesy of cultureblues.com

The studio believed it was a way to be more personable and interactive and to get fans more excited for the upcoming film. However, the tactic raised many questions about the weight of movie critics’ opinions and whether or not they carry the same weight as the opinions of the fans. [7]

Wahlberg also held a special, early screening of the film as a fundraiser for the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation . He offered a chance to win tickets at Celebrities for Charity. [8]

A Good Day to Die Hard

Photo courtesy of movies.wikia.com

20th Century Fox released the fifth movie of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney, on February 14^th. This is the first of the franchise to not be released during the blockbuster summer months and instead in the cold month of February. [9] The film tells the story of a cop, John McClane, who travels to Moscow to help his unruly son Jack, unaware that Jack is really a CIA agent attempting to stop a nuclear weapons robbery. Despite their differences, they are forced to work together to keep each other and the world safe. [5]

The film was produced for about $92 million. During its opening weekend, it made $24,834,845 domestically and $45,301,894 oversees, giving it the number one spot of films newly released that weekend. [10] However, this is over $70 million less than what the last movie of the Die Hard franchise made in the summer of 2007. With this comparison, it could be considered disappointing. [11]

Very unlike the previous films of the series, the film has been largely slated by various critics. Based on 40 “generally unfavorable” reviews, Metacritic has given the movie a 28 out of 100 and based on 184 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes has given it a score of 4 out of 10. On both sites, several reasons for such low scores have been cited but the majority seems to agree on a muddling plotline with too many holes and twists as the movie’s downfall. [12] [13]

The Croods

Photo courtesy of filmofilia.com

20th Century Fox teamed up with DreamWorks Animation for the first time in the production and release of The Croods, a prehistoric comedy for the family, starring Nicholas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Catherine Keener. It officially premiered worldwide on March 22nd and brought in $43,639,736 during its opening weekend. [18]

The film follows the story of a caveman, Crug, who must lead his family across an unstable and dangerous landscape after an earthquake destroys their home. While doing so they come across a nomad who charms everyone but Crug with his revolutionary modern ways. [14] As of April 1st, with a budget of about $135 million, the film has made $93,893,394 domestically and $148,802,379 from foreign theaters, amounting to $242,695,773 worldwide. [18]

To build up anticipation of the release of the movie, DreamWorks made a deal with Rovio to create a mobile game based on The Croods, an impressive marketing strategy. In the game, the Croods, a family of cave men, find their way out of the Stone Age through the use of a new tool, the idea. They hunt and gather their way through new landscapes as they tame creatures they’ve never seen before.

Rovio released the game for Apple and Android devices on March 14, just about a week before the official release of the film. [15]

What’s Next for 20th Century Fox?

20th Century Fox plans to release another 3-D animated family film, Epic, which is based on the children’s book, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. From the creators of Ice Age and Rio, Epic follows the story of a teenage girl, who finds herself magically transported into a secret universe. While there, she must team up with a group of capricious characters in order to save their world and her own from Queen Tara, the evil spider. [16]

Starring the voices of Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Steven Tyler, Johnny Knoxville, Beyonce Knowles, and Pitbull, the film is scheduled to be released on May 24^th. [17]

Sources

[1] http://www.thestudiotour.com/fox/chronology.shtml

[2]http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=35867

[3] http://www.screendaily.com/echeverria-promoted-to-evp-latin-america-at-fox/4030307.article‘

[4] http://centralpa.aiga.org/previous-events/ricardo-crespo-creative-ronin

[5] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235522/

[6] http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20657927,00.html

[7] http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Broken-City-TV-Spot-Turns-Podium-Over-Twitter-Fans-34876.html

[8]http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/01/mark-wahlberg-broken-city-hingham.html

[9] http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/13/3852964/its-a-good-day-for-john-mcclane.html

[10] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/17/weekend-box-office-a-good-day-to-die-hard_n_2707284.html

[11] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=diehard.htm

[12] http://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-good-day-to-die-hard

[13] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_good_day_to_die_hard/

[14] http://www.movieinsider.com/m2646/the-croods/

[15] http://variety.com/2013/digital/games/the-croods-go-mobile-with-angry-birds-creator-1200001701/

[16] http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/283733/cbb/20th-century-fox-presents-family-and-kiddie-films-in-2013

[17] http://www.movieinsider.com/m3739/epic/credits/

[18] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=croods.htm

[19] http://boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view=company&view2=ytd&compare=Q1&studio=fox.htm

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Posted on December 2, 2012 by jwu17

By Jimena Wu

Official 20th Century Fox 2012 Logo – Courtesy of Google Images

Company Information [2]

10201 W. Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA, 90064 United States

(310) 369-1000

http://www.foxmovies.com

Brief Overview

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is a subsidiary of Fox Inc., owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. 20^th Century Fox Film Corporation’s motion pictures are produced or acquired by the company’s smaller units, including: Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios [1].

The company has had major success with motion pictures, including the huge hits Star Wars, Titanic, and it’s most successful in the box office yet, Avatar, released in 2009. Avatar recorded up to a gross of $749,766,139, including nine Academy Awards nominations and three wins. [23]

Top 3 Competitors [2]

The Walt Disney Studios

MGM Studios, Inc.

Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group

Key Executives [3]

Keith Rupert Murdoch – Chairman of Board & CEO

Ricardo Crespo – Senior Vice President of Global Creative

Eduardo Echeverria – Senior Vice President of Latin America

Pam Kunick-Cohen – Senior Vice President of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

Robert Marick – Executive Vice President

Brief History: The Formation of Twentieth Century Fox [5]

20th Century Fox was funded in 1935 with the merging of the Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures. It was co-founded by Joseph Schenck, president of United Artists, and Darryl F. Zanuck, former head of production at the Warner Bros. Studio.

Elaboration & Transformation of Company Logo after Fox Film-20th Century merged in 1935 [4]

The company separated itself from others, as the productions of The Grapes of Wrath in 1940 and How Green Was My Valley in 1941 won Academy Awards. However, by the 1950’s, movie attendance dropped, bringing film productions down as well. Consequently, studios couldn’t afford to keep contracts with directors and actors. This event of disappointment led to Zanuck leaving to Paris in 1956, striving to become an independent film producer. The company lost huge amounts of money in between the years of 1959-1962.

In 1962, Zanuck returned as president, and his film The Longest Day, released through 20th Century Fox, got an Academy Award nomination and earned enough revenue for the company to start producing again in 1963. During the 1960’s, Zanuck used the “blockbuster strategy”, consisting of releasing expensive productions. The Sound of Music, released in 1964, brought more than $79 million in revenues.

The 1980’s were hard times since many productions didn’t compensate for their production costs. However, with the entrance of Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corporation, in 1985, the company made it to the top spot among studios, gaining more than 18% of the box-office share in 1991.

Right Here, Right Now

20th Century Fox at the Box Office

The company began the Fall of 2012 with the release of Won’t Back Down in September 28, 2012, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. However, despite its notorious casting, this movie was ranked as the worst saturated release ever, bringing only $2,603,370 in the opening weekend. The movie made a total of $5,310,554. [6]

Taken 2 Movie Poster – Courtesy of Google Images

In October 5, 2012, the awaited Taken 2, starring Liam Neeson, was released, making $49,514,769 in its opening weekend [8]. Despite all of the critics, Taken 2 was the reason the overall box office was up more than 40 percent over the same weekend last year [7]. The movie scored $361,060,485 worldwide, showing strong results for a $45 million production [8].

Following Taken 2, Chasing Mavericks, starring Gerard Butler, was released October 26th, disappointing with a $2,268,274 debut. The movie made a total domestic gross of $5,843,722, barely one-fourth of its $20 million production budget [9]. However, Hurricane Sandy could have affected this result, as it”may have suppressed business by about 10 percent.” [10]

Wreck-It Ralph Poster – Courtesy of Google Images

As the storm passes, Wreck-It Ralph came to the #1 spot in its opening weekend with $49,038,712 [11]. This movie has actually become the biggest box office ever for Disney Animations [12]. After five weeks in theaters, it still maintains itself in the top ten, recording a total domestic gross of $159,213,887 and a worldwide gross of $203,213,887 (as of December 5, 2012) [11].

Lincoln opened in limited theaters in November 9, 2012 and released worldwide November 16, recording $944,308 for the opening weekend, and $21,049,406 in its second place, getting into the box office’s top 3. Lincoln, a film produced by Steven Spielberg, remained at #3 for two weekends, including Thanksgiving weekend. As of December 5, 2012, the movie earned a total domestic gross of $87,088,719, already compensating its production costs of $65 million. [13]

Next up for 20th Century Fox was Life of Pi, released November 21, which was considered to be “tough to sell” and a “gamble” for the company [14]. This film’s production budget will definitely be hard to compensate as it cost $120 million to produce, mainly because of its unbelievable graphic effects. The movie did pretty good in the opening weekend, earning $22,451,514, and also performed fairly well during the Thanksgiving weekend in the 5th spot, behind Twilight, Skyfall, Lincoln, and Rise of The Guardians. However, it is still at half its production budget, reporting $51,676,132 in total domestic gross as of Dec. 5, 2012. [15]

Life of Pi – Movie Poster – Courtesy of Google Images

The next movie for Fox is called Parental Guidance, which was supposed to be released during the Thanksgiving weekend but will now be released December 25th, 2012. The movie has high expectancies as it has less competition during Christmas than what it would’ve had during Thanksgiving [16].

First-Quarter Earnings (Quarter ended Sept. 30) – See full News Corp. Earnings Release

Rupert Murdoch led the company to more strong results as the fiscal quarterly earnings for the first quarter, ending in September 30, 2012, reported earnings of $2.23 billion, compared with $738 million made last year. Revenue also rose in large amounts, from $7.96 billion to $8.14 billion. As for the role Twentieth Century Fox plays in this increase in earnings, filmed entertainment reported quarterly segment operating income of $400 million, $53 million higher than a year ago, when the segment operating income was $347 million. This is majorly due to the huge success Ice Age: Continental Drift had in box offices back in July. As of December 5, the $95 million film has earned a total worldwide gross of $874,920,192 [24]. Also, Fox made a licensing deal with Netflix back in May 2012, which contributed enormously to the rise in profit [17]. Through this licensing agreement, Fox classic films were distributed to Latin America. “Our alliance with Twentieth Century Fox continues to get stronger and benefit Netflix’s members across the globe,” said Jason Ropell, VP of content acquisitions at Netflix. [25]

Deals/News

August 2012

Fox to Distribute DreamWorks Animation Movies [18]

DreamWorks has decided to shift from Paramount Pictures to 20th Century Fox looking for a 5-year distribution deal. This deal will place DreamWorks’ animated titles in Fox’s animation division, Blue Sky Studios. This deal will go into effect in 2013.

DreamWorks Logo – Courtesy of Google Images

Company Perspective: “DreamWorks Animation is a great company that makes terrific films and everyone here feels privileged and honored to have been chosen to distribute their marvelous work throughout the world,” stated Fox Filmed Entertainment CEOs and Chairmen, Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. “We are particularly excited to add DreamWorks Animation’s films to the strong and growing slate of movies from our outstanding Blue Sky Studios division, which is coming off another global blockbuster with Ice Age: Continental Drift, and has Epic and Rio 2in advanced production. Together we will be a dominant force in animated entertainment for years to come.” [19]

September 2012

Fox Hoped To Boost Movie Downloads By Offering Titles Ahead of Discs [20]

In order to increase movie downloads, Fox has decided to offer the option to downnload movies through Amazon, CinemaNow (Best Buy), iTunes, PlayStation, VUDU (Walmart), and Xbox, before the home video or DVR formats are available.

November 2012

Sony, Fox, and Universal Sign On For PGA’s Producers’ Mark Credit [21]

Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, and Universal Pictures signed on to apply the ‘Producer’s Mark’ Certification. This is a huge advancement in the industry and a step forward to protecting the right of producers and the ‘produced by’ credit.

Independence Day ‘3D’ Cancelled [22]

Independence Day (1996) – Movie Poster – Courtesy of Google Images

Plans had been made by 20th Century Fox to produce a 3D adaptation of the 1996 blockbuster, Independence Day. However, due to difficulties in reuniting the original cast, the company has decided to cancel it. The movie was due for July 2, 2013, which was perfectly timed for it to be released during the Independence weekend. This would’ve potentially help the movie top the box office during the opening weekend and gain high revenue for the company.

Coming Soon (Click to see the trailers)

Broken City

Parental Guidance

EPIC

A Good Day To Die Hard

The Heat

References

[1] News Corporation: http://www.newscorp.com/management/20film.html

[2] Hoovers: http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Twentieth_Century_Fox_Television.ff69d030bb3d82da.html

[3] Bloomberg BusinessWeek: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=35867

[4] Logo Images: http://www.closinglogos.com/page/20th+Century+Fox+Film+Corporation

[5] History: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/66/Twentieth-Century-Fox-Film-Corporation.html#ixzz2EFVbd3Ul