Founded: April 4, 1923
WARNER BROS. PICTURES has been at the forefront of the motion picture industry since its inception and continues to be a leading creative force in the industry.
Warner Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity and capital. Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances or co-finances the films it produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights. It also monetizes its distribution and marketing operations by distributing films that are totally financed and produced by others. Current multi-faceted co-financing joint ventures include those with Village Roadshow Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment and Legendary Pictures. Warner Bros. Pictures also has a distribution, co-financing deal with Alcon Entertainment.
In 2012, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group grossed $4.3 billion at the worldwide box office ($1.66 billion domestic, $2.67 international) with both its domestic and international divisions crossing the billion-dollar mark for a 12th consecutive year, a feat unmatched by any other studio. The Pictures Group has exceeded $4 billion globally for four consecutive years, also a milestone no other studio has ever achieved.
Among the films on Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2013 slate are The Great Gatsby, The Hangover Part III, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, We’re the Millers (NLC), Prisoners and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (NLC).
WARNER BROS. PICTURES DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION is responsible for setting the release schedule and all exhibition operations to more than 39,000 screens in North America. Through its non-theatrical sales operation, it distributes to non-theatrical markets including airlines, cruise ships, the Armed Forces, the Veterans Administration, colleges, hospitals and other smaller markets.