THE STUDIO ERA

The Majors ("big five" and "little three"): between 1930 and 1948, the 8 majors controlled 95% of films exhibited in US: a true oligopoly

Big Five

1. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

2. Paramount Picture Corp

 

3. Fox Film Corporation/20th Century Fox

 

4. Warner Brothers established in 1924 by Harry, Jack and Albert Warner

 

5. RKO Radio Pictures Incorporated

 

Little Three

1. Universal Pictures

 

2. United Artists (est. 1919)

 

3. Columbia (1924)

 

"Poverty Row" studios

1. Essanay (1907)

 2. Monogram Pictures (1930)/Allied Artists Picture Corp.(after 1953)

           

3. Republic Pictures (1935)

 

  

Theater Seating Capacity, 1945                                                              Weekly Theater Attendance, 1925-1990                           Schatz’s Rules for Conglomerate-era Blockbusters

US Movie Theaters, 1925-2000                                                              Theaters by Population, 1945                                          Highest-Grossing Animated Films

Features Released by the Majors, 1925-1985                                      Production costs, 1920-1990                                                       The Economist on Hollywood, 2013                

The Unit Production System                                                               Clearance and Zoning                                                      Netflix Conquers the World

How Advances in Technology Help You Stay in the Same Place                             Art vs. Business, c. 1950