Universal Pictures

Aside

By Jamie Savarese


 

Universal Pictures

-Photo Courtesy of myfilmviews.com

Photo Courtesy of myfilmviews.com [1]

Contact Information: [2]
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

Phone: 818-777-1000

Fax: 818-777-6431

URL: http://www.universalpictures.com/
Twitter Handle: @UniversalPics
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/universalstudiosentertainment

Key Executives:

Donna_Langley_a_p

Donna, Langley, Chairman [3]

Peter Levinsohn, President and Chief Distribution

Peter Levinsohn, President and Chief Distribution [4]

Jeff Shell, Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment

Jeff Shell, Chairman [5]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Company Overview:
Universal Pictures is one of Hollywood’s “Big Six” film studios and is owned by Comcast through its subordinate company, NBCUniversal. The company distributes filmed entertainment for a growing global marketplace. They develop films internally, co-produce and distribute films developed by outside partners. Universal produces and distributes direct-to-DVD titles. The company has partners with a variety of leading international film companies in order to make and distribute films for wide commercial release. Their content is available through pay and free television, cinematic exhibition and subscription on-demand services. Universal has a diverse film pool and has showcased numerous classics including Jaws, E.T., Back to the Future and the Jurassic Park series. [6]

Brief History

Universal logo

Universal Logos Through the Years, Photos Courtesy of myfilmviews.com [7]

In 1912 Carl Laemmle, a film exhibitor turned producer, founded Universal Pictures. Universal is the world’s third oldest major film studio, and the second oldest in Hollywood. [8] In the early years of the studio it was a top producer of popular low-budget serials. It took the name of Universal-International for a while. In the early 1970s the Music Corporation of America purchased Universal. In 2004 Universal Pictures (as part of Vivendi Universal Entertainment) merged with the National Broadcasting Co., Inc., to form NBC Universal. [9]

Financials:
Box office wise, currently Universal is ranked 5th with 11.2% of the market share, grossing $1,023.9 million from its 17 films. This marks a 26% decrease from the prior year. In 2013 Universal was ranked 3rd with 13.1% of market share, grossing $1,433.3 million from its 17 films. The gross difference between 2013 and 2014 is -$358,971,454. [10]

Right Here, Right Now
In 2014, Universal Pictures released thirteen films and two are currently still in theatres: Dumb and Dumber To and OuijaThis fall Universal released six of its thirteen 2014 films: Get On Up, As Above/So Below, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Dracula Untold, Ouija and Dumb and Dumber To.

Ouija
This year marks the 120th anniversary for the Ouija board. Writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles White devised Ouija, a terrifying horror film based on an unexpected death. A group of friends attempt to uncover the secret behind their best friends hanging, and end up awaking the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. [35]

Photo Courtesy of imbued.com

Photo Courtesy of imbued.com [36]

Horror films are a great source of revenue for production companies because they are usually low budget projects. Ouija cost $5 million to make and left the studio with a worldwide profit of $67,840,000. This is a surprising profit considering sites like Rotten Tomatoes said only 29% of audiences liked it.[37]

Dracula Untold
Dracula Untold is a dark tale set to take place in Romania during the Turkish invasion. The main character Vlad (Luke Evans) sells his soul in an attempt to save his homeland. This choice forever dooms him as a creature of the night. Directed by Gary Shore and written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. [16]

Photo Courtesy of imbued.com

Photo Courtesy of imbued.com[15]

In its opening week (October 10-12), Dracula Untold topped the foreign box office, edging out Gone Girl and Annabelle overseas with a $33.9 million haul. [12] Universal spent $70 million on the movie, and worldwide it accumulated $86.1 million after two weeks of release. As of today, the movie’s worldwide total is $212,691,880 million. Rotten Tomatoes gave the Dracula Untold a 61% for audience acceptance, were critics only gave it 23%. [13][14]

The Years Success
Neighbors, Ride Along, Lucy and Non-Stop are ranked the top four movies of 2014 based on total gross. [11]

Lucy
This action-thriller Lucy tracks the story of a woman, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), who is accidentally caught in a dark deal. The package that her kidnappers expect her to carry ends up empowering Lucy. With this new mental capacity she turns the tables on her captors and turns into an unstoppable warrior evolved beyond the human logic. Luc Besson directs the film.[17]

lucy-poster-

Photo Courtesy of onlinemoviz.com [18]

In its opening week, Lucy accumulated a total gross of 34.7%, making around $43 million. Its widest release was 3,202 theatres. It’s total profit worldwide is $458,863,600 million compared to its $40 million dollar production budget. Luc Besson had the best opening of his career with Lucy in Turkey, Hungary, the Philippines, French-Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, where it also became Universal’s third-biggest opening of all time. [19][20]

In Other News:

oculus_film_still_a_l

Photo Courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com [21]

On 15 July 2014, Elevation Pictures’, a Canadian indie distributor, co-presidents Laurie May and Noah Segal announced that Universal will be releasing its home entertainment product locally. The deal permits Elevation Pictures to handle Blu-ray and DVD sales of current and upcoming films into the Canadian market. Mike Flanagan’s Oculus was the first film to be handled by Universal’s Canadian home entertainment arm.[22]

 

 

Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com[34]

On 17 November 2014, Universal Pictures and Comcast brass gathered for an opening ceremony in Beijing. This signaled Universal’s push into China with their new office. The company stated that this office was a sign of proof to establish the future investment they wish to have within the region. [23]

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Photo Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com[24]

 On 24 November 2014, Universal stepped up to adopt the high-profile Steve Jobs movie from Sony. The Hollywood Reporter states that their sources have the deal between the two companies priced more than $30 million. The film is based on Walter Isaacson’s biography Steve Jobs, which hit stores in 2011. The script was written by Aaron Sorkin and is set to be directed by Danny Boyle. [32]

 

 

What’s To Come: 
Universal will release its popular comedic sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, on 15 May 2015. The film revisits the Barden Bells as they progress past domestic competition, and prepare for the international acapella competition that no American team has ever won. The film is directed by Elizabeth Banks and written by Kay Cannon and based on the book by Mickey Rapkin. [25]

Photo Courtesy of imbd.com

Photo Courtesy of imbd.com[26]

The newest hype in Universal has come from its recent release of the Jurassic World trailer. The Jurassic Park series comes with many fans, and much promise for a good opening week. The movie comes out in 3D on 12 June 2015. Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce, and Colin Trevorrow comes on as director. [27][28][29]

-Video Courtesy of YouTube.com[30]

Future of Universal
The future of Universal looks positive and optimistic. The sequel movies Pitch Perfect 2 and TED 2 will bring a lot of people into theatres. Along with these, the well-known Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World, will spike much commotion. Another big prospect is the release of the popular novel adapted movie 50 Shades of Grey. With such high-discussed movies on the horizon, it only looks like the company will go up from here. [31]

Sources:
[1] Universal Logo From 16 February 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[2] Contact Information From 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[3] Donna Langley Photo From 5 December 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[4] Peter Levinsohn Photo From 1 May 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[5] Jeff Shell Photo Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[6] Universal Pictures Description Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[7] Universal Logo Photos From 16 February 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[8] History of Universal Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[9] History of Universal Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[10] Studio Market Share From 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[11] Total Gross of 2014 From 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[12] Dracula Foreign Success From 12 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[13] Rotten Tomatoes Dracula Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[14] Dracula Box Office From 1 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[15] Dracula Untold Poster Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[16] Dracula Untold Synopsis Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[17] Lucy Synopsis Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[18] Lucy Poster Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[19] Lucy Profits From 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[20] Luc Besson Success for Universal From 13 August 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[21] Oculus Photo From 15 July 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[22] Universal DVD Deal From 15 July 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[23] Beijing Office Hollywood Reporter From 17 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[24] Steve Job’s Picture From 24 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[25] Pitch Perfect imbd Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[26] Pitch Perfect Poster Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[27] Jurassic World imbd Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[28] Jurassic World Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[29] Jurassic World Universal Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[30] Jurassic World Trailer 25 November 2014.
[31] Upcoming Movies From 24 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[32] Script About Steve Jobs From 24 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[33] Ride Along Poster Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[34] China Photo From 17 Novemver 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[35] Ouija imbd Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[36] Ouija Photo Retrieved 30 November 2014.
[37] Rotten Tomatoes Ouija Retrieved 30 November 2014.

 

Universal Pictures

By Luke Lamble
Universal Pictures logo

Universal Pictures logo

History

Founded in 1912, Universal Pictures, Inc. is the oldest American movie studio and continues to be a leader in the world of motion picture production and distribution. [1] In 2004, General Electric bought Universal Pictures. [2] GE sold all of its control of Universal in 2011 to the cable provider, Comcast, creating NBCUniversal.  Universal Pictures still operates as the movie production subsidiary. [3] In 2012 alone, Universal has produced a diverse selection of award-winning movies such as the film production of Les Misérables and the comedy hit, Ted. [4]

Key Executives [5]

Ron Meyer (www.nbcumv.com)

Ron Meyer (nbcumv.com)

Ron Meyer – Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal

Meyer served as President and COO of Universal Pictures since 1995 before being made Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal in September 2013.  He currently oversees all facets of the company, while still managing its portfolio of film assets amongst others

Donna Langley (nbcumv.com)

Donna Langley (nbcumv.com)

Donna Langley – Chairman, Universal Pictures

Langley began working at Universal in 2001 as the senior vice president of production.  After being named Chairman of Universal Pictures in September 2013, she assumed the role of overseeing the production and distribution of the company’s feature films.

Suzanne Cole (nbcumv.com)

Suzanne Cole (nbcumv.com)

Suzanne Cole – Executive VP, Media, Universal Pictures

Since the beginning of her tenure at Universal Pictures, the studio has experienced some of its most lucrative successes.  Because of this success, Cole was named Executive Vice President of Media in 2008.  She now oversees all strategic activities for the marketing and distribution of the studio’s feature films.

Financials (all numbers in millions)

Recent years have been good for Universal Pictures and its parent NBCUniversal.  From 2011 to 2012, revenue for NBCUniversal grew by almost $5,000, from $19,028 to $23,812.  Filmed entertainment was responsible for approximately 21% of the total revenue in 2012, generating $5,159.  That was up from $4,239 generated by Universal Pictures in 2011. [6]

NBCUniversal logo

NBCUniversal logo

In regards to how Universal Pictures measured up against the five other major movie studios, so far in 2013, Universal holds a 14.6% market share amongst all the studios, placing it second behind Warner Brothers.  This year Universal Pictures has grossed $1,329.3 from the release of 13 movies. [7]

Competition

The main concern for NBCUniversal and Universal Pictures right now is the new technologies that are affecting traditional media production and distribution methods.  This is referring mainly to companies like Netflix and Hulu that syndicate video programming online.  A growing concern is that these companies and others like them are beginning to create and obtain their own original content. [8]

Recent Film Releases

Universal Pictures has developed a reputation for having great success with movie franchises with such iconic franchises such as Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and the Bourne series. [9] In 2013, Universal stuck with this trend and reaped the benefits of new installments in the Despicable Me and Fast & Furious series, amongst an eclectic mix of other successful films. [10]

The Best Man Holiday

A sequel to 1999’s The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday picks right up with the old college friends from the The Best Man, as they all reconvene for some Christmas celebrations.  Amidst all the fun times, sparks of old romances begin to rekindle and old rivalries that had faded away over time arise again.  Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Monica Calhoun, and Regina Hall star in this quintessential holiday comedy-drama written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. [11]

The Best Man Holiday (vibe.com)

The Best Man Holiday (vibe.com)

Released on November 15, 2013, in just three days The Best Man Holiday has nearly doubled its budget so far, bringing in $32,536,350.  That’s also $6.5 million over the $24 million it was projected to earn. [12] Tagged as “just another black comedy,” The Best Man Holiday has not only offered more evidence that generally black films can succeed, but that this is no typical movie by any sense, except for the fact that it is generally crowd-pleasing.  (No particular race or age group dominantly represents itself in the film’s audience demographics).  In fact, CinemaScore even gave the movie an A+, an extremely rare feat for any film. [13]

Despicable Me 2

Gru (Steve Carell), a former master villain, has settled into family life after adopting and coming to love his three daughters, but peace and quiet is not lasting for the villain-turned-hero, as he is called upon to save the world from a new super-villain.  And just as the world needs Gru’s help, so does his eldest daughter who has fallen for a classic bad-boy and an inevitable source of heartbreak.  Kristen Wiig and Benjamin Bratt star alongside Carell in this story of one former villain’s attempt to be a hero for the world and for his own family. [14]

Despicable Me 2 (ropeofsilicon.com)

Despicable Me 2 (ropeofsilicon.com)

 

The original Despicable Me (2010) was a tremendous release for Universal, ranking seventh all-time amongst its highest grossing movies by bringing in $251,513,985 domestically.  On July 3, 2013, Despicable Me 2 was released and has shattered that record, becoming the all-time highest grossing movie for Universal Pictures with $365,943,520 of domestic revenue.  This income has far surpassed the film’s production budget of $76 million, and that’s not even factoring in its performance in the worldwide box office.  To the delight of the studio, 60.1% of the movie’s total revenue came from foreign releases, grossing $550,100,000 worldwide.  All in all, Despicable Me 2 has brought in $916,043,520 for Universal Studios, and subsequently, is still playing in 305 theaters across the U.S. [15]

Fast & Furious 6

The very CIA agent who has been trying to track them down in order to defeat a new crew of criminal drivers who are causing chaos in twelve countries across the world calls upon refugees of the law.  In an effort to be pardoned from the charges against themselves, Dom and Brian (Vin Diesel and Paul Walker) get their old gang of expert drivers back together to take to the streets of London and defeat these mercenary drivers.  Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson star in this pedal-to-the-metal thriller. [16]

Fast & Furious 6 (teaser-trailer.com)

Fast & Furious 6 (teaser-trailer.com)

The sixth film in the Fast & Furious series was the most successful installment to date for the studio, becoming its ninth highest grossing film of all time, and reaping in the most revenue of all the Fast & Furious films. Fast & Furious 6 generated $238,679,850 for Universal, making it the second highest grossing film of 2013 behind Despicable Me 2.  In the worldwide box office, Fast & Furious 6 brought in another $550 million, bringing its total gross to a lofty $788,659,850.  Given the $160 million budget, Universal Pictures had another major box office winner with this film. [17]

What’s to Come from Universal Studios

Fast & Furious 7

Fast & Furious 7 (hitfix.com)

Fast & Furious 7 (hitfix.com)

Just a little over a year after Fast & Furious 6 came out, the seventh is already on its way, slated for a July, 2014 release date.  This time, the brother of the defeated world-criminal from Fast & Furious 6 has come onto the scene seeking revenge for his brother’s death. [18]

Ted 2

Ted 2 (collider.com)

Ted 2 (collider.com)

Universal Pictures also has plans to release the sequel to its wildly successful, raucous comedy Ted.  However, Universal did not produce the original, but acquired the rights to it and distributed it as a Universal Pictures film.  Despite not having the rights yet, the studio is confident it will be able to secure them and go forward with production of the sequel. [19]

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

[1] Universal Pictures History

[2] NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment Unite to Create NBC Universal

[3] Comcast Completes Acquisition of GE’s 49% Stake In NBCUniversal

[4] About Universal Pictures

[5] NBCUniversal Film Executives

[6] NBCUniversal 2012 Annual Report

[7] 2013 Studio Market Shares

[8] NBCUniversal 2012 Annual Report

[9] Movie Franchises by Studio

[10] Universal Pictures’ 2013 Movie Releases

[11] The Best Man Holiday Plot Summary

[12] The Best Man Holiday Box Office Performance

[13] The Best Man Holiday Performance Analysis

[14] Despicable Me 2 Plot Summary

[15] Despicable Me 2 Box Office Performance

[16] Fast & Furious 6 Plot Summary

[17] Fast & Furious 6 Box Office Performance

[18] Dwayne Johnson Tweets Fast & Furious 7 Photo

[19] Ted 2 Scheduled Release

Universal Pictures

by Moon Park

Universal Pictures logo [1]

Address: 100 Universal City Plaza Universal Studios, CA. 91608

Contact Information: 818.777.1000

Major Media Company: Comcast

Parent Company: NBC Universal

Key Executives:

Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer

Adam Fogelson, Chairman

Jimmy Horowitz, President

Rick Finkelstein, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer

James Schamus, Chief Executive Officer (Ronald Meyer)

Profile: Universal Studios Inc. also known as Universal Pictures is an American motion picture and television studio which is located in Universal City in California. Universal Pictures is owned my Comcast and is a subsidiary of NBC Universal. It is one of the six major studios in the United States and one of the longest existing motion picture studios as well. Its main purpose is to develop, produce, and market entertainment[2]. Along with making movies, Universal also has theme parks located in Hollywood, California and Orlando, Florida[3]. Through its international production group, the studio teams up with the international studios to make blockbuster movie. They also make wide commercial and special releases in not so familiar regions. For almost a century now, Universal Pictures made diverse films such as classics: Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park series, and Mamma Mia!. It also made franchise movies such as: Meet the Parents, Fast and Furious, Back to the Future, and the Bourne Series. Not only did they make high grossing movies, they also made quality movies which won them the Academy Awards such as: King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, The Pianist, and many more[4] . Over the years of movie making, Universal Pictures grossed over $25 billion all time (movies before 1982 has not been recorded)[5]. On the course of making movies, Universal is very successful and is on the top of the list when it comes to studios.

Universal Pictures History: Carl Laemmle was the man to start Universal Pictures. While he was planning to start a clothing shop in Chicago in 1905, he came across people waiting in line for a nickelodeon. At that moment Laemmle decided to change his job, and opened his first theater The White Front Theater. From then on, Laemmle started to make more branches of theaters with partners and started making money. Carl Laemmle met Robert Cochrane and expanded their theaters. They made the Laemmle Film Service, which became the largest movie distributor of the country in the early 1900s. After having problems with the motion pictures, Laemmle and Cochrane made their own movies. In 1912 the Universal Film Manufacturing Company was formed and this led to Universal Pictures’ 100th anniversary in 2012 [6].

Where the company is headed today: Most good film today push towards the holidays or before it so that it could be a contender for an award ceremony held in early times of the year. Films such as: Zero Dark Thirty and Les Miserables were nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The movie Ted also did great in the box office to end Universal’s 2012 [7].

January 2013 : On January 6, Universal renewed its domestic domestic output deal with HBO with a long term extension. This is the tenth year they are working with HBO and has been successful [8]. The epic film Jurassic Park, which was made in 1993, is scheduled to be released in IMAX and 3D on April [9]. Universal Pictures signed with Nintendo’s marketing director and assistant general manager, Dawn Paine to be their vice president of marketing mostly in overseas. In addition he is responsible for the publicity of Universal’s home entertainment business [10].

February 2013: Universal showed their new release: Fast and Furious 6 on the day of Superbowl. The movie is expected to be seen everywhere on theaters May 24 [11]. The character Ted(from the movie Ted) came out with its co-star Mark Wahlburg in the 85th Oscars. Seth McFarlane who created and played Ted hosted the show and asked Universal Pictures to pay for the appearance due to technical issues [12]. In addition, Les Miserables’ Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress and many were nominated for both Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.

March 2013: Universal Pictures were fighting for legal rights with a porn producer, who adapted a pornography adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey. Universal won the rights in the end, which turned out for Smash Pictures to pay Universal for their doing [13]. Marc Abraham and Eric Newman of Strike Entertainment (an Universal Pictures co-company) decided to dissolve the company and step away from Universal after a 15 year run [14]. StudioCanal has launched legal actions against Universal, who was their former partners. StudioCanal claims that Universal’s violation was “fiduciary and contractual obligations.” They also claim that Universal hid some payments and did not report incomes. [15].

April 2013: Jurassic Park premiered on April 5th and is made $18 million in its opening weekend where budget was just at the $10 million mark [16] . From January-April, Universal Pictures came in at number one in the studio market share with its distribution. They marked 13.1% and grossed over $300 million with five movies, two of them being released in 2013 [17].

What is coming next for Universal: Universal Pictures are pushing for roughly twelve more movies to come out for 2013. Summer movies are: Fast and Furious 6, Kick Ass 2, The Purge, Despicable Me 2, R.I.P.D, etc… [18].

Financial Reports: For the fourth quarter report of Universal Pictures in 2012, they increased 9% from 1.3 to 1.4 compared with 2011 fourth quarter financial report from films such as, Les Miserables Ted, This is 40, and Bourne Legacy. Their Operating Cash Flow decreased 4.7% from $89 million to $84. For the year, they ended $5.2 billion, which was a 12.4 increase from their 2011 revenue $4.7 billion [19]Comcast Corporation (the owner of Universal) announced on March that they will release their 2013 first quarter financial report on May 1, 2013 [20].

Competition: Competition for Universal Pictures are as followed: Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures. They are known as the Major Big Six Film studios in the United States.

Universal Pictures Affiliated Groups:

  •     Bravo Media
  •     CNBC
  •     E!
  •     Esquire Network
  •     Fandango
  •     Focus Features
  •     Golf Channel
  •     International Television
  •     MSNBC
  •     mun2
  •     NBC Entertainment
  •     NBC News
  •     NBC Owned Television Stations
  •     NBC Sports Group
  •     NBCUniversal
  •     NBCUniversal Cable and New Media Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Digital Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution
  •     NBCUniversal Television Networks Distribution
  •     Oxygen Media
  •     Sprout
  •     Style Media
  •     Syfy
  •     Telemundo
  •     Universal Parks & Resorts
  •     Universal Pictures
  •     Universal Television
  •     USA Network

Sources:

1. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myfilmviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/universal-pictures-100th-anniversary-logo1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myfilmviews.com/2012/02/16/the-story-behind-the-universal-pictures-logo/&h=811&w=1500&sz=891&tbnid=azNGy7FcyZtUPM:&tbnh=65&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__8V1u5F0D3KgGXBGBzwXIMnzueIM=&docid=XETkV1Rks8ResM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hkRiUa_mH-nh4AO5h4DQCg&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ&dur=1874

2. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

3. http://www.universalstudios.com/

4. http://www.nbcuni.com/film/universal-pictures/

5. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?page=7&yr=&view=company&view2=allmovies&studio=universal.htm&p=.htm

6. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/universal-studios-inc-history/

7. http://www.movieinsider.com/c13/universal-pictures/

8. http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/universal-pictures-extends-domestic-output-deal-with-hbo/

9. http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/jurassic-park-imax-3d-release-april-5/

10. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

11. http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/fast-and-furious-6-trailer-extended-universal-pictures/

12. http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/oscars-2013-ted-appearance-mark-wahlberg/

13. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/settlement-reached-in-universals-fifty-shades-of-grey-porn-adaptation-suit/

14. http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/producing-partners-marc-abraham-and-eric-newman-dissolve-strike-entertainment/

15. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=804881

16. http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

17. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/

18. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=distributor&id=universal.htm

19. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/pa-comcast-idUSnBw4kmz68a+100+BSW20130212

20. http://www.cmcsk.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=750147