Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Jeremy Frierman

Jeremy Frierman

Corporate Headquarters

4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522

Phone: (818)- 954- 6000

www.warnerbros.com

Overview

On April 4, 2016 Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack founded Warner Bros. Entertainment. Almost a century later, they have released over 7500 films, including multiple billion-dollar productions in the same year. They are currently a division of the media conglomerate, Time Warner. In the last 15 years, Warner Bros. has surpassed the billion-dollar marker for both domestic and international box office. This includes the past 9 years of reaching over $3 billion globally.

Key Executives

Kevin Tsujihara – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros.

Edward A. Romano – Vice Chairman, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Richard J. Fox -Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Financials

Warner Bros. is a division of Time Warner Cable. Time Warner is represented by TWX, and as of April 25, they are up over 15 points from their numbers taken in February 2016. Time Warner’s first quarterly report of 2016 will be released on May 4.

Current Releases

As of April 25, 2016, Warner Bros. Pictures has garnered 12.5% of the available market share. This percentage equates to over $400 million of gross profit, tracking sixteen total movies, including four released this year. Three of the four movies Warner Bros. have released this year (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, How to Be Single and Barbershop: The Next Cut) collected the majority of the year’s total gross up to this point. However, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice has clearly been the company’s best investment as it compiled over $300 million in just one month of operation. This has lead the company to become the third highest earning distributor of market share and total gross.

Batman V. Superman is the follow up film to Zack Snyder’s 2013 superhero flick, Man of Steel. After seeing the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, DC Comics knew that it wanted to expand and compete with its dynamic array of superhero figures. DC’s model to create their own cinematic universe compares to the already executed universe that Marvel has created. Just as Marvel had started with Iron Man, DC began their approach with Man of Steel. Batman V. Superman was the long awaited follow up that would launch DC into their next phase, a phase that looks all to familiar when you consider that Marvel’s third Avengers film will already be released as of next year. That’s why the reception that it received was so incredibly important because it potentially make or break DC’s long term plans for years to come. Batman V. Superman opened to an Easter weekend record of over $170 million across North America. That is the sixth best opening for a film in cinematic history.

Marketing

In just its first week of release (Mar. 25 – 31), Batman V. Superman obtained over $200 million domestically and over $500 million internationally. Even with the movie receiving negative reviews and consistent criticism (28% on Rotten Tomatoes), it still only took Warner Bros. a week to surpass their budget of over $200 million. Much of this financial success can be attributed to the strategic and substantial marketing campaign that Warner Brothers executed. Warner Bros. has always made it a point to efficiently market its biggest movies as exhibited in the past with the Harry Potter series as well as the Dark Knight and Hangover trilogies. For this movie, Warner Bros. outlined a campaign that would consist of interactive and viral content, along with mass-produced advertising. In totally, roughly $150-160 million was spent on marketing Batman V. Superman, including about $30 million on TV spending alone.

The campaign started around the central villain of the movie, Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg). Marketers wanted to make the campaign as interactive as possible, which is why they took the fictional character and put him in the real world. Luthor’s fictional company, LexCorp Industries, was given a fictional website and a twitter account was created for Luthor in order to allow the fans to legitimately interact with the character. Furthermore, Fortune did an interview with Eisenberg (as exhibited below) as Luthor to discuss his inheritance of the company along with his future plans.

The campaign continued its interactive nature through Snapchat filters, specially made behind the scenes exclusives broadcasted internationally and even provided live streaming content for this year’s NCAA March Madness.

Warner Bros. went on to partner with a total of 130 companies in order to market the movie, including Turkish Airlines, Facebook and Amazon. Turkish Airlines even paid for an elusive Super Bowl spot, as well as advertisements in over 40 international markets.

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in a spoof trailer on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Along with making the campaign as interactive as possible, Warner Bros. certainly didn’t shy away from using its A-list actors as huge selling points in advertising the movie. Ben Affleck’s character Bruce Wayne was seen driving a Jeep Wrangler through Metropolis. Eisenberg and Affleck can be seen jetting around the world with Turkish Airlines. And of course, the stars all took to Late Night to promote the film, including The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and even Graham Norton (UK). Much of this was through a huge publicity tour that Affleck and Henry Cavill that started all the way in China.

Upcoming Releases/In Development

Warner Brothers certainly has no need to fret regarding a lack of upcoming content. Suicide Squad will be released this summer as a part of the DC universe, but instead, focusing on its villains. Other summer releases for Warner Bros. includes the comedies

Jared Leto as The Joker, in Suicide Squad

Keanu and War Dogs, along with blockbuster The Legend of Tarzan and action flick, Central Intelligence. And that’s just in the next few months. Warner Brothers will close out their year with the release of the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 2017 will see the release of the prequel Kong: Skull Island, Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic Dunkirk and of course, the all important Justice League Part One.

Conclusion

Warner Brothers Pictures has continued its tradition of producing some of the year’s biggest blockbusters in the year. Batman v. Superman is this year’s example of how far Warner Brothers is willing to go in order to see its coveted investments succeed, and succeed historically. Through an extensive marketing campaign, Batman V. Superman was able to obtain over $800 million after just one month of its release. The rest of 2016 will see the release of many more big budgeted films and with over $400 million in the books, the future looks promising for Warner Brothers Pictures.

Sources

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 →

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Dahlia Neeman

By Dahlia Neeman

The Warner Brothers logo. Image courtesy of Warner Brothers

About The Company

Warner Brothers Pictures is a major film studio founded in 1932. Their studios are located in Burbank, California. They have many divisions including feature films, animation, DVD and Blu-ray. Some of their highest grossing films include “The Dark Knight”, “Harry Potter” and “Inception”. Each year, Warner Brothers produces and distributes 18-22 films. They either fully finance or co-finance every film they produce and distribute films that are financed and produced by others. They also keep the international distribution rights. Last year they were the only studio to gross $4.3 billion at the box office. [1]

Contact

3400 W. Riverside Drive Burbank, CA 91505
877-491-8687
www.warnerbros.com

Key Executives:

Courtesy of warnerbros.com

Barry M. Meyer is the Chairman of Warner Brothers. He has been working at the company for 14 years. In 2010 he received the Directors Guild of America’s Honorary Life Member Award. [2]

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

Kevin Tsujihara became the Chief Executive Officer of Warner Brothers in March, 2013. He previously held the position of President of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. [3]

Recent News

Courtesy of sciencefiction.com

On June 14th, Warner Brothers released “Man of Steel” which became the second highest grossing film of 2013 (behind “Iron Man 3”). This Superman movie broke the opening release record for the month of June grossing over $116 million [4]. The success of this film is the start of a new franchise for Warner Brothers putting it in a position to compete with Marvel in the superhero genre. Marvel currently dominates the superhero movie platform with its countless characters, but now Warner Brothers can add Superman to its list next to Batman and The Green Lantern [5].

In July, Warner Brothers announced there will be a movie featuring Batman and Superman set to be released in 2015 [6]. In this new release, Christian Bale will not play Batman; instead, the role will be played by Ben Affleck [7]. Affleck’s presence should help to draw in a female audience to a movie genre that traditionally attracts a mostly male audience. The announcement that Affleck will play Batman has received a great deal of media attention, and as a result there is a lot of hype for the film before production has even started. This should further solidify Warner Brothers presence in the superhero genre.

Courtesy of imdb.com

In July 2013 Warner Brothers distributed the film “The Conjuring” which became a huge success in the horror film genre. Based on a true story, the film revolves around the investigation of paranormal occurrences in a family’s New England home. This thrilling motion picture broke the record for opening weekend for a horror film, bringing in $41 million. This film was also one of the top grossing horror films Warner Brothers has released. [8]

Courtesy of The Telegraph

The “Harry Potter” franchise has been one of Warner Brothers most profitable enterprises. Based on the book series by J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers has produced eight films grossing a total of $7.7 billion. After the final film in 2011, it seemed that Warner Brothers’ most lucrative franchise had departed for good. It was a surprise on September 12 2013, when Warner Brothers announced a deal with J.K. Rowling to produce a new movie franchise based on her new book series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [9]. If this series is successful, Warner Brothers will have a new potential money-making franchise under its belt.

On September 30, Warner Brothers agreed on a $450 million deal with RatPac-Dune Entertainment. RatPac-Dune Entertainment will finance 75 Warner Brothers films. Films will be from any genre, and the first film was “Gravity.” [10]

Courtesy of imdb.com

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the science fiction thriller “Gravity” became a huge international success for Warner Brothers. The cutting-edge special effects and enthralling storyline won this film renowned attention all over the world. The film stars two Oscar winning actors, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, whose prominence among both male and female audiences contributed to ticket sales. Released on October 4^th, this film grossed over $55 million opening weekend at the box office, breaking the record for an opening weekend in October [11]. 3D sales made up 80% of the gross, surpassing “Avatar” which held the record for 3D sales. With 3D sales becoming less popular, the success of this film proves that audiences will still pay for 3D films if they feel that it is an integral part of the film and not just an add-on [12]. The film so far has earned $516 million worldwide [13].

Following the success of “Gravity”, on October 17 Warner Brothers announced a new deal with Jonas Cuaron, one of the writers of the film. He will be the screenwriter for the film “The Lost City.” [14]

Financials

Warner Brothers stock value in the past year has been increasing gradually, ranging from $44.71 to $70.77. It is currently at $66.28. With the success of “Gravity’s” release in October the company’s stock value increased significantly. In the beginning of October the value started out at $65 and by the end of October the value was up to $70. This is the highest value Time Warner has had all year. This year’s stock value is much better than it had been in 2012. In 2012 it fell to a low of $34.70 and only toward the end of the year began increasing up to the mid forties. This shows that this year has been very successful financially for Warner Brothers. [15]

Coming Soon…

Courtesy of imdb.com

With the success of Warner Brother’s hits this year, Chief Financial Officer of Time Warner John Martin estimated that this year could be even more profitable than last year. Last year, Warner Brothers showed a $1.24 billion profit from its films. This year, with the help of “Gravity”, Warner Brothers has already shown a $751 million profit [16]. “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” will be released this December and it is anticipated that this film will be highly profitable at the box office (last year, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” grossed over $84 million opening weekend) [17]. Click here for the trailer. This box office success could result in Warner Brothers showing higher profits compared to last year. The third movie of this franchise is already in pre-production and is set to be released at the end of 2014. In addition, Warner Brothers already has a list of films planned for release through the year 2017 [18].

[1] Warner Brothers Company Overview Retrieved: 10/15/13

[2] Warner Brothers Executive Barry Meyer Retrieved: 10/15/13

[3] Warner Brothers Executive Kevin Tsujihara Retrieved: 10/15/13

[4] Screen Rant Article Retrieved: 11/18/13

[5] The Atlantic Wire Article Retrieved: 11/18/13

[6] Batman News Article Retrieved: 10/15/13

[7] Deadline Article Retrieved: 10/15/13

[8] Business Wire Article Retrieved: 10/20/13

[9] NY Daily News Article Retrieved: 9/30/13

[10] Time Warner Press Release Retrieved: 10/10/13

[11] Hollywood Reporter Article Retrieved: 10/19/13

[12] imdb.com Retrieved: 10/18/13

[13] “Gravity” Box Office Results Retrieved: 11/19/20

[14] Variety Article Retrieved: 10/18/13

[15] Warner Brothers Financials Retrieved: 11/19/20

[16] Hollywood Reporter Article Retrieved: 11/18/13

[17] “The Hobbit” Box Office Results Retrieved: 11/19/13

[18] Warner Brothers IMDB Retrieved: 11/19/13

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Jacob Tobias

By Jacob Tobias

Warner Brothers Pictures Logo [1]

History

Warner Brothers Pictures was founded on April 4, 1923. Since then Warner Brothers has been at the forefront of the movie industry. Founded by the 4 Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack, Warner Brothers quickly became a leader in motion pictures. Warner Brothers Pictures is responsible for Oscar winners such as, Casablanca, My Fair Lady, Driving Miss Daisy, and Million Dollar Baby. Warner Brothers Pictures is consistently a leader in the film industry. [2]

Key Executives

Kevin Tsujihara
Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter [3]

Barry M. Meyer
Courtesy of thezog [4]

Greg Silverman
Courtesy of Deadline [5]

Kevin Tsujihara is the CEO of Warner Brothers. Barry M. Meyer is the chairman of Warner Brothers, and under his leadership consistently ranks as one of the strongest and most profitable studios in the film industry. Greg Silverman is the President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production for Warner Brothers Pictures. Silverman oversees the creative development and the budget for Warner Brothers Pictures.[6] [7] [8]

Financials

In 2012 Warner Brothers Pictures grossed $1.66 billion domestically, and another $2.67 billion internationally. It was the twelfth consecutive year in which the domestic box office, as well as the international box office has exceeded the billion dollar mark. In 2013 Warner Brothers is expected to cross the billion dollar mark again thanks to blockbusters such as Gravity, which has exceeded $500 million worldwide, Man of Steel, which has totaled about $663 million worldwide, We’re The Millers, which has totaled $266 million worldwide, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is projected to earn approximately $230 million domestically. This continued success should have Warner Brothers Pictures above the $4 billion dollar mark worldwide by the end of the year. [9] [10]

Recent Releases

Gravity

Gravity Poster
Courtesy of comingsoon.net [14]

Gravity is a space thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film follows the struggle of a medical engineer and an astronaut after they are stranded in space after an accident. [11]

Gravity opened in 3,575 theaters on October 4, 2013 to a number one ranking at the box office. It raked in $55, 785,112 during the opening weekend. It has gone on to make $240, 379, 710 domestically and another $275,200,000 in the foreign box office. That totals a gross of $515, 579,710 worldwide approximately five times its projected budget. [12]

Gravity has received universal acclaim and received a score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic. Along with the incredible success in the box office there is also a lot of Oscars buzz surrounding the film. Critics believe that Gravity will receive a nomination for best picture, and may receive several other nominations as well, including a nomination for Best Actress for Sandra Bullock. [11] [13]

We’re The Millers

We’re The Millers
Courtesy of impawards.com [15]

We’re The Millers is the story of a drug dealer who creates a pseudo family in order to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the film stars Jason Sudeikis, and Jennifer Aniston. [16]

We’re The Millers opened on August 7, 2013 and grossed $26, 419,396 the opening weekend. The film is still in select theaters around the country and currently the film has grossed $150, 024,262 domestically and another $116,300,000 in the foreign box office. [17]

Overall the film was not warmly received by critics. We’re The Millers received a Metacritic score of 44 out of 100. Although critic reviews were mostly mixed the imdb rating for the film is 7.1 stars out of 10. Clearly the target demographic of the film received the film much better than critics. Considering the mixed reviews the film still did extremely well for the studio, grossing over $250 million worldwide.

Upcoming Projects

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster Courtesy of collier.com

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster
Courtesy of collider.com [18]

On December 13, 2013, Warner Brothers will release the second installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. The film is projected to make about $230 million domestically, not quite as high as the first film, but still a good number for the studio. In 2014, Warner Brothers will release the third film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Although the reception for the first film was not overwhelming the studio is hoping that the return of familiar faces from The Lord of the Rings will aide in The Hobbits release. [10]

Although the first film made over $300 million, Warner Brothers has been working hard to market Gandalf, and Legolas, as well as the dragon Smaug, in an attempt to avoiding losing out on Lord of the Rings fans who did not enjoy the first film. The studio is hoping that the return of such characters will provide a breath of fresh air for the trilogy and will bring in more than the projected sum of $230 million. [10]

Superman vs Batman

Warner Brothers owns DC Comics so there has been a ton of success with both the Batman

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck
Courtesy of Vulture [19]

and Superman franchises. The Dark Knight trilogy was wildly successful for the studio, and in 2013 Man of Steel was released. In the second installment of the Superman franchise Warner Brothers has brought together the man of steel and the caped crusader.

Ben Affleck has been cast as the newest Batman to star alongside Henry Cavill. The casting has come with major scrutiny. Director Zack Synder has given his full support to Affleck and is excited for the opportunity to work with him. The film is set to debut in the summer of 2015, and aims to piggyback off the success of the several DC Comics franchises. [20]

Grudge Match

Grudge Match Poster
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly [21]

Grudge Match, is the story of two aging boxing rivals who fight 30 years after their last bout. It is the first time that Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone share the big screen. Grudge Match has an excellent cast and there is talk that it may be this years Silver Linings Playbook.

Grudge Match exemplifies Warner Brothers ability to produce movies with star power and the studio is hoping that Grudge Match could be the feelgood movie of the holiday season. It is to be released on Christmas Day. [22] [23]

Sources

[1] Warner Brothers Pictures Logo

[2] Warner Brothers Company History

[3] Kevin Tsujihara Picture – Hollywood Reporter

[4] Barry M. Meyer Picture- Who Controls Hollywood

[5] Greg Silverman Picture- Deadline

[6] Kevin Tsujihara Bio- Warner Brothers

[7] Barry M. Meyer Bio- Warner Brothers

[8] Greg Silverman Bio- Warner Brothers

[9] About Warner Brothers Pictures

[10] Box Office Mojo- Holiday Predictions

[11] Gravity- Imdb

[12] Box Office Mojo- Gravity

[13] Entertainment Weekly- Sandra Bullock Oscar Buzz

[14] Gravity Poster- comingsoon.net

[15] We’re The Millers Poster- impawards.com

[16] We’re The Millers- Imdb

[17] Box Office Mojo- We’re The Millers

[18] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Poster- collider.com

[19] Vulture- Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck

[20] Batman vs Superman- Imdb

[21] Grudge Match Poster- Entertainment Weekly

[22] Fox News- De Niro and Stallone Face Off

[23] Grudge Match- Imdb

Warner Bros Pictures

Posted on September 18, 2012 by jdsaffre

by Jarrad Saffren

The Warner Bros Pictures logo, courtesy of WarnerBros.com.

A Brief History and Profile

Warner Bros Pictures is a major film studio that produces film, television, and music entertainment. Founded by the four Warner brothers, Albert, Harry, Sam, and Jack in 1918, Warner Bros Pictures has been a “Big Three” or “Big Six” American film studio since the development of the “major film studio” classification in the 1930s. Based on revenue and market share statistics from the 2011 fiscal year, Warner Bros Pictures is the most profitable entertainment subsidiary of the Time Warner conglomerate and the second most profitable major film studio behind only Paramount Pictures. It merges several divisions and brands including New Line Cinema, HBO Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, Warner Bros Animation, and DC Entertainment.

Financial Situation

On the strength of a lucrative summer performance at the box office that included the seventh highest grossing film of all-time (“The Dark Knight Rises”), Warner Bros Pictures had its strongest financial quarter in a year in terms of net income. Including the cost of revenue and after taxes, Warner Bros raised its net income from $430 million at the end of the second quarter of 2012 in June to $838 million at the end of the third quarter in September (1). This is the highest total for the company since it netted $822 million in the third quarter of 2011.

Unfortunately, Warner Bros’ net income is expected to drop slightly at the end of the fourth quarter. At the box office, the fall and early winter season has been a mixed bag for Warner Bros based on its two most prominent releases. Ben Affleck’s “Argo” is a smash hit that has grossed over $111 million and counting, surpassing its $44 million budget with flying colors (2). “Cloud Atlas,” on the other hand, has been a resounding box office failure in spite of critical acclaim. The film has grossed just $25 million against an estimated $100 million budget (3).

This mixed bag is not alarming because the fall movie season is typically less lucrative than the summer and holiday seasons that bookend it. As one of the most prominent film studios on the planet, Warner Bros has also finalized a steady stream of high profile releases featuring A-list stars coming out this holiday season and throughout 2013.

On a long-term scale, Warner Bros has raised its total shareholder equity this quarter to $30.02 billion, its highest total since the third quarter of 2011 (4). More people are investing in Warner Bros because the company has finally started to market its vast intellectual property holdings via alternative media sources like Flixster, a company-owned online streaming service.

Recent News

August 2012

Peter Jackson is teaming up with Warner Bros for another Hobbit trilogy beginning this December. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

In a joint announcement on the last day of the month, Warner Bros Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures revealed that the final film in Peter Jackson’s trilogy adaptation of “The Hobbit” will be released worldwide on July 18, 2014. All three films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his team adapted into an award winning trilogy of its own from 2001 to 2003. The first installment in the new trilogy “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” kicks off the holiday movie season next Friday and could provide an end-of-quarter financial boost for the company. The second “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” will be released on December 13, 2013. (5)

September 2012

In the first week of September, Jack Horner was named Executive Vice President, Theatrical Communications, Warner Bros Pictures Group. Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros Pictures, created this new position. Horner will primarily handle corporate PR issues relating to the film division. He will work closely with the domestic and international publicity units of the film division as Warner Bros tries to expand its reach across multiple platforms and cultures. Horner most recently worked at News Corporation, where he was Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications. (6)

About a week after the Horner announcement, shooting began for “The Hangover Part III,” the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ wildly popular comedy trilogy. The project is a team effort between Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha are back to star as the beloved “Wolfpack” foursome of Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug. “The Hangover Part III” is scheduled for a worldwide release on May 24,2013. (7)

October 2012

Always staying proactive, in addition to “The Hangover,” Warner Bros Pictures announced a slate of four new films set for release during 2013. “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” stars Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Carey as dueling magicians on the Las Vegas strip. It comes out on May 15^th. “The Conjuring” stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigators who are forced to take on the most horrifying case of their careers in a secluded farmhouse. It hits theaters on July 19^th. “We’re the Millers” stars Jason Sudeikis as a small-time pot dealer forced to travel to great lengths to pay off a debt to his big-time supplier. It will premiere on August 9^th. “Prisoners” stars Hugh Jackman as a desperate father who abducts the man he suspects is behind the kidnapping of his eight-year-old daughter. It is set for release on September 20^th. (8)

“All You Need is Kill” is based on a 2004 Japanese sci-fi novel of the same name. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

Looking even further into the future, Warner Bros Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and Village Roadshow Pictures announced jointly that “All You Need is Kill,” a sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and based on the book of the same name, will be released on March 14, 2014. The film is a futuristic, society-on-the-brink drama where an alien race is swiftly destroying the human race. Cruise and Blunt star as the military lieutenant and Special Forces warrior tasked with destroying the alien invaders and saving the world. (9)

Such a bright future would not be possible without Warner Bros’ landmark past. This January, Warner Bros Pictures will pop the corks on a yearlong celebration of its 90^th anniversary. On the strength of the largest film library in the world–6,800 feature films including 22 Academy Award-winning Best Pictures–Warner Bros will be releasing seven new exclusive film collections to DVD and Blu-ray. 100 of the films will be on DVD, 50 on Blu-ray. Both will be the largest such collections of their formats in history to date. Several classics will also be released individually on Blu-ray for the first time including “The Jazz Singer” and “Driving Miss Daisy.” (10)

In addition to its innovative approach for bringing old classics onto newer formats, Warner Bros is also getting in on the newest media. In the last week of October, after announcing its anniversary celebration, Warner Bros revealed that it is teaming with Paramount Home Media Distribution to release more than 600 catalog titles from the Paramount film library via Flixster, the Warner Bros movie streaming and discovery service. Warner Bros will now have exclusive rights to Blu-ray and DVD distribution of those movies in the US and Canada, expanding the company’s massive reach into the pivotal Internet streaming sector. (11)

Finally, to conclude its busiest month of the third quarter and most progressive technological month of any quarter in recent memory, Warner Bros Home Entertainment agreed to a multiyear deal with Redbox, a DVD, Blu-ray, and video game distribution service owned by Coinstar, to bring Warner Bros titles to Redbox kiosks. All Warner Bros titles will be released to the kiosks just 28 days after their initial retail release dates. In addition, Redbox has agreed to promote Ultraviolet, Warner Bros innovative streaming service that would allow consumers to buy a title once and then access it anywhere on any device. (12)

November 2012

Warner Bros picked up in November right where they left off in October, continuing its mass effort to release content across multiple platforms. The new hobbit trilogy is not even out in theatres yet, but it is already hitting the mobile circuit. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has teamed up with Kabam, a leading producer of multiplayer games for electronic devices, to launch “The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth” app for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices. The game is based on collective strategy with other users and is free for all consumers of the aforementioned devices. (13)

In the midst of these new platforms, Warner Bros did not forgot about the one that made it a player in the first place: the big screen. In 2003, Warner Bros became one of the first film companies to partner with the IMAX Corporation. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, the two sides agreed on a new 20-picture deal over the next three years. Among the anticipated Warner Bros titles that will be showcased via the IMAX experience are “300: Rise of an Empire” (August 2, 2013) and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (December 13, 2013). (14)

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