Distribution Dominators

http://www.soc.duke.edu/~s142tm05/corporate.htm
Major Distribution Companies of the Motion Picture Industry:. (1998, January 1). Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.soc.duke.edu/~s142tm05/corporate.htm

This particular article was posted on a page affiliated with Duke University, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States.  Titled "Major distribution companies of the Motion Picture industry", the posting delves deeper into some of the biggest brands in the business, all working behind the release of the popular films that we all know and love!  Also, it answers some of the most basic questions regarding distribution as a business. While alternative and self distribution are emerging trends for independent filmmakers, it is hard to ignore the commercial aspect of film that is ever present in the industry: big names, big productions, and big companies are behind the release of typical films that show in commercial theaters across the US and beyond.  Responsible for films such as these only a few major distribution companies that dominate the market and the industry.

Quotes and explanations:

1. "motion picture industry is very much dominated by large and very diversified conglomerates, such as The Walt Disney Co., News Corp., Sony Corp., Time Warner Inc., and Viacom Inc. which finance the development of new products, in this case motion pictures, own vast libraries of older products, and often own distribution channels for bringing these new products to the public. Sometimes the distributor will finance the movie from beginning to end and other times, they provide a portion of the finances and subsequently receive a cut of the profits."
• This quote is very informative while also being straight to the point.  Much of the film industry is dominated by a slim number of enormous companies that use cross convergence of media to dominate the market.
2. The power of the industry is very much dominated in the distribution companies, for the product, the film, can not be completely produced without the finances and influence of the distribution company. These vast entertainment conglomerates very much dominate the industry because they do have more clout with theater owners and TV networks, if they do not own their own subset within the very conglomerate. They can offer brand name recognition to the viewer, and have more connections to the creative talent and experience with effective management.
• As typical in any business, money makes the world go around.  Especially in an industry such as film where the business is dubiously as important as the entertainment aspect, distributors will look for big names in TV networks and theater owners such as they.  In turn, they will look to big distributors when deciding which films to show.  In the commercial side of film and moviemaking, being a big name distributor is equivalent to being a well-known actor, actress, or studio.

To keep it simple...

Here are six of the most prominent film distribution companies in the modern film industry, along with a brief description of their notable features.

1. Viacom Inc.
• 12.86 billion dollar distribution and production company; one of the largest entertainment companies
• subdivisions include Blockbuster, Paramount pictures, Paramount television, MTV, ShowTime networks, 19 TV stations, etc. (an international theatrical exhibition chain)
• Paramount is one of the first major production companies (roots all the way back to 1912); more than 2,500 titles
• capitalizes resources at other Viacom subdivisions (nickelodeon, MTV, etc.)
• domestic productions of Viacom (Paramount) distributed internally
• United International Pictures (UIP) handles Viacom distribution on a more global basis; Viacom has 33% ownership of UIP
•  plans to acquire CBS corp.  (30 billion dollar company) in a stock swap
2. Time Warner Inc.
• large entertainment conglomeration
• divisions in cable systems, music, film entertainment, publishing, and cable networks
• includes Warner Brothers and New Line cinema
• Warner Brothers has become an integrated global entertainment company with vast array of businesses
• over 5,700 films;
• generated $1.04 billion in one year alone, passing the one billion dollar annual mark
• New Line Cinema is the younger division, dealing mostly with independent productions, licensing its films to ancillary distribution channels (cable and Comcast TV)
• Austin Powers: The Spy who Changed me grossed more than $300 million; 26th highest domestic grossing motion picture in history
3. Fox Entertainment group
• one of the largest entertainment corporations in the nation; worth $17.2 million
• 83% of FOX owned by the News. Corp. Limited
• development, production, and worldwide distribution of feature films
• stock recently sold to the public, which increased revenues by a great margin
• responsible for 5/10 of the most popular films of all time
• three mainstream units consist of 20th century FOX, FOX 2000, and FOX animation studios
4. Universal Studios Group
• large entertainment company
• sectors in music, television, film, theme parks, etc.
• majority owned by Seagram Company
• subset of Universal pictures most directly associated with the distribution of motion pictures
• works closely with Jersey films and Imagine Entertainment in producing 'blockbusters'
• Universal studios also has a large role in distribution (take into mind the theme parks as well as the motion pictures themselves)
5. The Walt Disney Company
• one of nation's largest motion picture distribution companies
• operates at $6.8 billion dollar income
• founded by Walt Disney in late 1920's
• encompasses cartoon, motion pictures, television, theme parks, theatrical productions, vacation resorts, etc.
• owns one of the largest distribution companies in the world: Miramax
• Buena Vista International is the distributor of Disney motion pictures outside of North America; one of the top ranked distribution companies in the world as of 1998
6. Sony Corporation
• one of the world's largest international corporations
• motion pictures, television, video and dvd, cable networks, music, and electronics
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) in charge of motion picture aspect
• close association with Columbia and Tri-Star pictures, which are both also owned by Sony
• grosses millions of dollars in box office revenue alone

Many of the most successful distribution companies are so notable in their accomplishments because they are in charge of the production and marketing of their films as well.  In this sense, these conglomerations reap all the profits from high grossing motion pictures, becoming huge powerhouses in the entertainment industry.

Stay tuned for the next blog posting which will discuss the major distribution companies of independent films, rather than main-stream commercial movies.

Happy Holidays! Here is a compilation of some of the 'best' Christmas snippets of film in history.  Enjoy!