20th Century Fox

By Jackie He
Photo courtesy of interpretllc.com

Photo courtesy of interpretllc.com

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

10201 West Pico Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California 90035

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

 

History

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, commonly known as 20th Century Fox is one of the six major American film studios. The company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, and Twentieth Century Pictures. The studio used to be a subsidiary of News Corporation, but now it is currently a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. The studio is widely involved in film business but mainly focusing on film production and distribution. It has released numerous successful blockbusters including Star War series and Titanic. [1][2][9]

Recent Finance

In the first quarter of 2014 which covers months of January, February and March, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation released 8 films including Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Son of God, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and etc, bringing in a gross income of $210.6 million. This is an 18% decrease comparing to the gross income the company earned in the first quarter of 2013. [3]

Rupert Murdoch

Photo courtesy of battellemedia.com

Photo courtesy of battellemedia.com

Mr. Keith Rupert Murdoch is the founder of News Corporation. Since June 28, 2013,  Murdoch has been Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., the former News Corporation and the parent company of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. [4]

Recent News

“86th Oscar Best picture: 12 Years A Slave.”

12 Years A Slave Official Trailer

12 Years A Slave Winning Best Picture

Photo courtesy of euroasianews.com

Photo courtesy of euroasianews.com

12 Years A Slave, a film released by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in october 2013, not only won Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay in 86th Academy Awards, but also become the first film made by a black director or producer to receive the Academy’s highest honor —Best Picture. The film tells a story about a New York State-born free African American man who was abducted in Washington, D.C. in 1841. He was sold into slavery and worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for twelve years before released. [5][19]

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

 

 This award winning film was also prominent in box office. With the production budget of $18 million, it earned $56,390,478 in domestic box office and remarkable $121,745,968 in foreign box office since its international release dates were largely delayed to early 2014 in order to take advantage of the attention created by awards seasons. [6]

Son of God
Son of God Official Trailer
On February 28, 2014, Twentieth Century Fox films released its new film Son of God, starring Diogo Morgado, Roma Downey and Darwin Shaw. Instead of focusing on Jesus’ arrest, torture and death, “Son of God” takes us through Jesus’ life from its humble beginnings in the barn, to the gathering of his followers, his march to Jerusalem, and all of the miracles he performed along the way. [7]
Photo courtesy of yeshacallahan.com

Photo courtesy of yeshacallahan.com

On a budget of $22 million, the film brought in $26.5 million in box office revenue in domestic theaters at the end of the first week and has earned $58,058,843 total gross till today, more than twice of its budget. Although the film is successful in the box office, it receipted many negative critiques about its quality. On Rotten Tomatoes for instance, it currently holds a 22% rating based on 59 reviews with the consensus: “The faithful may find their spirits raised, but on purely cinematic terms, Son of God is too dull and heavy-handed to spark much fervor.” [8][10]
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Mr. Peabody & Sherman Official Trailer
Approximately one year after the release of “The Croods”, 20th Century Fox Film teamed up with DreamWorks Animation for the second time in the production and distribution of the animation movie, Mr. Peabody & Sherman. The film premiered on February 7, 2014 in the United Kingdom,and was released on March 7, 2014 in the United States. [11]
Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

With the budget of $145 million, the film earned $8 million on its opening day in North America theaters. And by of April 15, 2014, Mr. Peabody & Sherman has grossed $105,465,969. in North America, and 143,100,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $248,565,969. [12]
The film was obviously welcomed by the public. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a score of 79% based on reviews from 100 critics, with an average rating of 6.7/10, giving it “Certified Fresh” status. Most viewers reached a consensus stating that “Mr. Peabody & Sherman offers a surprisingly entertaining burst of colorful all-ages fun, despite of its dated source material and rather convoluted plot.” [13]
Rio 2
Rio 2 Official Trailer
Rio 2, the sequel of the 2011 computer-animated film Rio produced by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation’s animation subsidiary Blue Sky Studio, was released internationally on March 20, 2014, and domestically on April 11, 2014. The story leads us to the rain forest of Amazon where our bird protagonists Blu, Jewel and their three kids started a new adventure. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful Nigel, and meets the most fearsome adversary – his father-in-law. [14][15]
Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

All the favorable stars presenting their voice in Rio including Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx came back to the sequel, and are joined by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy winner Bruno Mars, Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth and Oscar/Emmy/Tony winner Rita Moreno which makes the movie a great hit. On its opening day, the film earned $12 million in North American theaters, and in its first weekend, it opened to number two behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with the gross revenue of $39,327,869. Till April 18, the film has already earned $186,363,000 worldwide. [15][16]
Photo courtsey of dualshockers.com

Photo courtsey of dualshockers.com

To promote the film, three of four Angry Birds Rio episodes — all visually tied to Rio 2 have been released by Rovio Entertainment before the premiere of the film, widely attracting smart phone users and game players to buy the movie ticket. [14]
What’s up next 
20th Century Fox plans to release the next sequel of X-Man – “X-Man: Days of Future Past” In the film, the ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods. All our favorite characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves and started an epic battle that must change the past to save our future. [17]

Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

As usual, the new sequel of X-man has a strong cast including Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, etc. To attract the lucrative Chinese Market, the film also includes Fan Bingbing in the cast, one of the most popular Chinese actresses.  The film will be released on May 23, 2014. [18]
Photo Courtesy of  www.jaynestars.com

Photo Courtesy of www.jaynestars.com

X-Men: Days of Future Past Official Trailer

Sources:

[1] http://www.thestudiotour.com/fox/chronology.shtml  [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Fox [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[3] http://boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view=company&view2=ytd&compare=Q1&studio=fox.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[4] http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=35867 [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_(film)#Release [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[6] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twelveyearsaslave.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[7] http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/son-of-god-2014 [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[8] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sonofgod.htm [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[9]http://www.21cf.com/Business_Segments/Filmed_Entertainment_Businesses/Twentieth_Century_Fox/ [Ret: 15 Apr. 2013]

[10] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/son_of_god_2014/ [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Peabody_%26_Sherman [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[12] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mrpeabodyandsherman.htm [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[13] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_peabody_and_sherman/ [Ret: 16 Apr. 2013]

[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_2 [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[15] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rio_2/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[16] http://boxofficemojo.com/search/?q=rio%202 [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[17] http://www.x-menmovies.com/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[18] http://comicsalliance.com/x-men-days-of-future-past-movie-empire-25-covers/ [Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]

[19] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/?ref_=nv_sr_1[Ret: 19 Apr. 2013]


 

 

 

DreamWorks Animation

By Cori Rosen

Photo Courtesy of collider.com [1]

1500 – A Seasport Blvd

Redwood City, CA

(650) 562-9000

www.dreamworksanimation.com

A BRIEF HISTORY

DreamWorks Studios was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994. Katzenberg started DreamWorks SKG after he dashed from Disney following power struggles with Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. DreamWorks SKG built a new business division, DreamWorks Animation in 2000. Then in the autumn of 2004, Dreamworks Studios spun-off its animation division into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., a publicly traded company. [2] [3]

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Dreamworks Animation is a boast-worthy creative company that churns out high-quality entertainment. Dreamworks Animation has theatrically released a whopping twenty-seven animated feature films, including blockbuster favorites Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and this summer’s Turbo. Although the entertainment factory is widely known for its feature CGI animated films, the company also creates television specials and series as well as live entertainment properties. [4]

[5]

KEY EXECUTIVES

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation [6]

After co-finding DreamWorks SKG, Katzenberg was at the helm of DreamWorks Animation when it became an IPO. Under his leadership, DreamWorks Animation has blossomed into the world’s largest animation studio in the world and received nine Academy Award nominations and two Best Animated Feature wins. [6]

Lew Coleman, President and Chief Financial Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [7]

Previously President and Director of the Company, Coleman took on his current position in 2007. Coleman recently oversaw the formation of a joint venture that established a prominent China-focused entertainment company between DreamWorks Animation with China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd., and Shanghai Media Group. [7]

Heather O’Connor, Chief Accounting Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [8]

O’Connor previously served as Director of SEC Reporting for DreamWorks Animation and also worked within the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis departments at DreamWorks LLC. [8]

Andrew Chang, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [9]

Prior to his current position, Chang held positions as head technology lawyer and head of litigation starting in October 2004 when the Company became publicly-traded. [9]

Ann Daly, Chief Operating Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [10]

Daly has worked as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s IPO in 2004. Previously, she served as head of the animated division of DreamWorks SKG since 1997. [10]

QUICK FINANCIALS

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s total revenue for its third quarter, which came to a close on Sept. 30th, was $154.5 million with a net income of $10.1 million, and earning per share a total of $.012 on a fully diluted basis. A contribution of $120.7 million and gross profit of $55.4 million derives from the feature film segment of the company’s revenue. The films TurboThe Croods, Rise of the Guardians, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted were released in the third quarter. Television series and segment specials contributed a revenue of $18.2 million and turned a gross profit of $4.2 million. AwesomenessTV, an online channel operator that Dreamworks recently acquired, contributed revenue of $3.6 million. The consumer products segment contributed $18.2 million in revenue and $4.2 million in gross profit. [11] [12]

Photo Courtesy of SeekingAlpha.com [13]

IN THE NEWS

netflix

Photo Courtesy of Zolmax.com [15]

 Netflix
Netflix announced a multi-year deal with Dreamworks for 300 hours of original television programming inspired by characters from the animation company’s franchises, such as ShrekThe Croods, and its upcoming feature flicks. Characters from Classic Media, which Dreamworks purchased a year ago, are also a part of this deal. Therefore, shows may develop that star familiar faces like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and She-Ra. [14]

Photo Courtesy of Techcrunch.com [17]

•The Second Screen
M-Go, an online movie storefront, is a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor. Similar to Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes, M-Go focuses on transactional movie sales and rentals. It already has deals with five major Hollywood studios, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to sell and rent movies to users. In effort to get M-Go on more devices, M-Go announced on September 4th that the M-Go app will be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs.  [16]

Photo Courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk [19]

• The More Characters The Merrier
DreamWorks Animation recently acquired the library of Chapman Entertainment, a U.K.-based children’s television company. DreamWorks snagged its television portfolio, which includes popular titles like “Fifi and the Flowertots,” “Roary the Racing Car,” “Raa Raa the Noise Lion,” and “Little Charley Bear”. This acquisition directly follows DreamWorks Animation’s purchase of Classic Media in July 2012. [18]

Photo Courtesy of zap2it.com [21]

Dragons Dominates its Demographic
The second season of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk premiered on Cartoon Network on Sept. 19th. The first season of the cartoon, based on the Academy Award-nominated film How to Train Your Dragon, ranked number one in its timeslot among boys ages 2-14 versus all other TV networks. [20]

Photo Courtesy of cdn.funcheap.com [24]


Turbo
 Races for Profit
Turbo just released on home video November 12thTurbo underperformed at the box office, failing to rise to the success of last summer’s Madagascar 3. Rise of the Guardians also tanked in theaters, causing DreamWorks to take an $87 million write down. However, Rise of the Guardians later brought in $42.4 million through pay TV deals. Hopefully Turbo will see similiar results and reel in $46 million in consumer products necessary to make Turbo a lucrative endeavor. Wall Street analysts have commended DreamWorks ability to turn a mediocre box office performer into a hit on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD. [22] [23]

Photo Courtesy of Variety.com [26]

Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting
Oriental DreamWorks–a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation (45% equity stake), China Media Capital, Shanhai Alliance Investment, and Shanghai Media Group (combined 55% equity stake between the three)–is in the process of developing four feature films. Kung Fu Panda 3 in addition to one other co-produced U.S.-Chinese animated flick and two-live action projects in Chinese are currently slated for development. [25]

COMING SOON

• Mr. Peabody & Sherman

 [28]

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which features the voices of Ty Burrell and Max Charles, is set for release on March 7th, 2014. The Rob Minkoff directed film–coined as a big screen adaption of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon–follows Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they hurtle back in time to repair history and ultimately save the future. [27]

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Photo Courtesy of http://media2.firstshowing.net [30]

• And They’re Back! DreamWorks Animation plans to give audiences a shot of nostalgia with a new short film Rocky & Bullwinkle, arriving in 2014. Directed by Gary Trousdale, the updated version of the original short will feature the voices of June Foray as Rocket “Rocky J. Squirrell and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bullwinkle J. Moose. [29]

Photo Courtesy of entertainmentwallpaper.com [32]

• How to Train Your Dragon 2
Riding on the success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragona half-billion dollar player at the global box office and Oscar nominee–, DreamWorks Animation will release its sequel on June 13th, 2014. How to Train Your Dragon 2 reunites the voices of the first film, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, Gerald Butler, and Jonah Hill. [31]

SOURCES

[1] Collider.com – Dreamworks Animation Logo

[2] DreamWorksStudios.com – DreamWorks Animation History

[3] Forbes.com – DreamWorks Animation’s Complicated Legacy

[4] DreamWorksAnimation.com – About the Company

[5] Youtube.com – Behind the Scenes of DreamWorks Animation

[6] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Bio

[7] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Lew Coleman’s Bio 

[8] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Heather O’Connor’s Bio

[9] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Andrew Chang’s Bio

[10] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Ann Daly’s Bio

[11] MarketWatch.com – Third Quarter Financial Report

[12] Tbvision.com – TV Sales aid DreamWorks Animation Revenue

[13] SeekingAlpha.com – DreamWorks Animation Skg Inc StockCharts

[14] Zolmax.com – Netflix Deal with DreamWorks Animation 

[15] Zolmax.com – Netflix Photo

[16] TechCrunch.com – M-Go now on LG TVs

[17] TechCrunch.com – M-Go Photo

[18] Variety.com – Chapman Entertainment

[19] Dailymail.co.uk – Chapman Entertainment Photo

[20] BroadwayWorld.com – Cartoon Network

[21] Zap2it.com – DreamWorks Dragons Photo

[22] BizJournals.com – Turbo on Home Video 

[23] Reuters.com – Turbo failed to Match Predecessor

[24] Cdn.funcheap.com – Turbo Photo

[25] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks

[26] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks Photo

[27] Screenrant.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman 

[28] Youtube.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer

[29] Rocky & Bullwinkle Short – FirstShowing.net

[30] Firstshowing.net – Rocky & Bullwinkle Photo

[31] Deadline.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 

[32] Entertainmentwallpaper.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 Photo