Be it recession, a shift in the entertainment habits of audiences or competition from TV, games and the internet - or a combination of all three - the film business is facing one of the most challenging periods of change in its 115-year history.
Film-makers, distributors and exhibitors all around the world are testing new ways of keeping the medium robust, while experimentation with windows, old and new, is an inevitable next step.
Screen’s August special feature explores how the world-leading Hollywood business is responding to this sea change. US editor Jeremy Kay, who has been reporting tirelessly on the US business in all its facets for seven years now, sat down with some of the biggest names in the studio and independent world to discuss the new realities.
We targeted companies which have created new business models in response to a changing global business - DreamWorks Studios, Relativity Media, Media Rights Capital, Legendary Pictures - as well as arguably the town’s leading studio, Warner Bros. We examine the success of bright new independent Summit Entertainment and gathered some of the leading independent players in two lively round-table debates at Los Angeles’ latest hotspot, Soho House West Hollywood.
The result is a picture of an industry striving to rebalance after years of excess. Companies engaged in production are conservative and cautious both in content and budget, while studios are looking to partners for finance and product. It’s a time of great opportunity, where doors and minds are open to new ways of doing business or making and exploiting movies. Indeed, for independents, entrepreneurs and foreign investors, Hollywood has never been so full of opportunity. Looking at the likes of Ryan Kavanaugh and Graham King, who are building empires of their own in league with the existing super-structure, I can’t help but be reminded of Los Angeles’ great movie pioneers such as Jack Warner or Samuel Goldwyn.
Lowdown on 2009 - 2010 in the domestic market, by film and distributor
Distributor Market Share by US Box Office, Jan 1 2010 - July 1 2010
| Distributor | No. of titles | US gross | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th Century Fox | 16 | $1,094,294,232 | 20.21% |
| Paramount | 10 | $1,026,206,293 | 18.95% |
| Warner Bros | 19 | $851,726,529 | 15.73% |
| Disney | 10 | $827,648,603 | 15.29% |
| Sony | 11 | $449,028,029 | 8.29% |
| Universal | 10 | $378,456,380 | 6.99% |
| Lionsgate | 8 | $238,668,507 | 4.41% |
| Summit Entertainment | 8 | $209,517,222 | 3.87% |
| Overture Films | 4 | $67,331,940 | 1.24% |
| MGM | 1 | $59,287,556 | 0.93% |
Distributor Market Share by US Box Office, Jan 2 2009 - Dec 31 2009
| Distributor | No. of titles | US gross | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Bros | 37 | $2,092,631,924 | 19.85% |
| 20th Century Fox | 33 | $1,637,144,717 | 15.53% |
| Paramount | 16 | $1,467,779,996 | 13.92% |
| Sony | 24 | $1,451,379,432 | 13.76% |
| Disney | 24 | $1,218,971,902 | 11.56% |
| Universal | 21 | $886,977,114 | 8.41% |
| Summit Entertainment | 11 | $481,082,283 | 4.56% |
| Lionsgate | 14 | $402,888,247 | 3.82% |
| The Weinstein Company | 9 | $204,669,112 | 1.94% |
| Focus Features | 10 | $160,850,027 | 1.53% |
Top 20 Releases In The US, Jan 1 2010 - July 1 2010
| Title | Rating | Distributor | Release Date | US Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar | PG13 | 20th Fox | Dec 18, 2009 | $465,943,948 |
| Alice In Wonderland | PG | Disney | Mar 5, 2010 | $334,178,566 |
| Iron Man 2 | PG13 | Paramount | May 7, 2010 | $307,654,463 |
| Toy Story 3 | G | Disney | June 18, 2010 | $258,826,169 |
| Shrek Forever After | PG | Paramount | May 21, 2010 | $231,388,475 |
| How To Train Your Dragon | PG | Paramount | Mar 26, 2010 | $215,815,234 |
| Clash Of The Titans | PG13 | Warner Bros | April 2, 2010 | $160,146,068 |
| The Karate Kid | PG | Sony | June 11, 2010 | $143,523,258 |
| Shutter Island | R | Paramount | Feb 19, 2010 | $128,012,934 |
| Valentine’s Day | PG13 | Warner Bros | Feb 12, 2010 | $110,485,654 |
| Sherlock Holmes | PG13 | Warner Bros | Dec 25, 2009 | $106,925,723 |
| Robin Hood | PG13 | Universal | May 14, 2010 | $103,585,075 |
| Alvin…The Squeakquel | PG | 20th Fox | Dec 23, 2009 | $98,887,330 |
| Date Night | PG13 | 20th Fox | April 9, 2010 | $97,447,288 |
| The Book Of Eli | R | Warner Bros | Jan 15, 2010 | $94,835,059 |
| Sex And The City 2 | R | Warner Bros | May 27, 2010 | $93,694,769 |
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | PG13 | Summit Ent | June 30, 2010 | $92,744,978 |
| Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightening Thief | PG | 20th Fox | Feb 12, 2010 | $88,763,303 |
| Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time | PG13 | Disney | May 28, 2010 | $87,454,170 |
| Dear John | PG13 | Sony | Feb 5, 2010 | $80,014,842 |
Top 20 Releases In The US, Jan 2 2009 - Dec 21 2009
| Title | Rating | Distributor | Release Date | US Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen | PG13 | Paramount | June 24, 2009 | $402,111,870 |
| Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince | PG | Warner Bros | July 15, 2009 | $301,959,197 |
| Up | PG | Disney | May 29, 2009 | $293,004,164 |
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon | PG13 | Summit Ent | Nov 20, 2009 | $284,512,392 |
| Avatar | PG13 | 20th Fox | Dec 18, 2009 | $283,624,210 |
| The Hangover | R | Warner Bros | June 2, 2009 | $277,322,503 |
| Star Trek | PG13 | Paramount | May 8, 2009 | $257,730,019 |
| Monsters Vs Aliens | PG | Paramount | Mar 27, 2009 | $198,351,526 |
| Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs | PG | 20th Fox | July 1, 2009 | $196,573,705 |
| The Blind Side | PG13 | Warner Bros | Nov 20, 2009 | $196,563,318 |
| X Men Origins: Wolverine | PG13 | 20th Fox | May 1, 2009 | $179,883,157 |
| Night At The Museum 2 | PG | 20th Fox | May 22,2009 | $177,243,721 |
| The Proposal | PG13 | Disney | June 19, 2009 | $163,958,031 |
| 2012 | PG13 | Sony | Nov 13, 2009 | $162,349,000 |
| Fast & Furious | PG13 | Universal | Apr 3, 2009 | $155,064,265 |
| GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra | PG13 | Paramount | Aug 7, 2009 | $150,201,498 |
| Paul Blart: Mall Cop | PG | Sony | Jan 16, 2009 | $146,336,178 |
| Taken | PG13 | 20th Fox | Jan 30, 2009 | $145,000,989 |
| Gran Torino | R | Warner Bros | Dec 12, 2008 | $141,211,171 |
| Disney’s A Christmas Carol | PG | Disney | Nov 6, 2009 | $136,889,051 |
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