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[[File:WB Logo.png|right|250px]]
{{Infobox Company
'''Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.''' (commonly referred to as '''Warner Bros. Pictures''', '''Warner Bros.''' or simply '''WB''') is an [[United States|American]] entertainment company and film studio, and a division of media conglomerate Warner Media (itself currently a subsidiary of AT&T). Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the original [[1933]] ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'', and is the distributor of [[Legendary Pictures]]' [[MonsterVerse]] franchise of ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[King Kong (franchise)|King Kong]]'' films.
|type1          =Gold
|type2          =Navy
|name            =Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
|image          =WB 2019 logo.png
|caption        =Warner Bros.' logo as of 2019
|type            =Entertainment company, film production studio
|status          =Active
|leader          =Samuel DiPiazza, David Zaslav, Gunnar Wiedenfels
|founder        =Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner, Jack L. Warner
|founded        =April 4, 1923
|hq              =4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, California, [[United States]]
|aka            ={{bl|Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen (1923-1925)|Warner Brothers Productions (1925-1929)|Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (1929-1967)|Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967-1970)|Warner Bros. Inc. (1970-1993)}}
|parent          ={{bl|Kinney National Service, Inc. (1969-1971)|Kinney Services, Inc. (1971–1972)|Warner Communications (1972–1990)|Time Warner (1990–2001, 2003-2018)|AOL Time Warner (2001-2003)|WarnerMedia (2018-2022)|Warner Bros. Discovery (2022-present)}}
|subsidiary      ={{bl|Fandango Media|Turner Entertainment|WaterTower Music|Warner Bros. Home Entertainment|[[HBO Max]]}}
|preceded        =Warner Features Company
|website        =https://www.warnerbros.com/
}}
'''Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.''', commonly referred to as just '''Warner Bros.''' and abbreviated as '''WB''', is an [[United States|American]] entertainment company. It is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate [[wikipedia:Warner Bros. Discovery|Warner Bros. Discovery]]. Founded as '''Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen''' in 1923 by the four namesake Warner brothers, the studio has persisted to this day as one of the "Big Five" major American film studios, though it has also diversified into other forms of media such as animation, television, and video games. Warner Bros.' film activities are typically carried out through the '''Warner Bros. Pictures''' brand, which is itself a member of the '''Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group''' division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
 
WB was a division of the media conglomerate known originally as Warner Communications and later better known as Time Warner and eventually WarnerMedia from 1972 to 2022. The company was acquired by AT&T in 2018, who operated it until 2022 when it relinquished control to allow for the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the original [[1933]] ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' and its [[Son of Kong|sequel]], and is the distributor and co-financier of [[Legendary Pictures]]' [[Monsterverse]] franchise of ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[King Kong (franchise)|King Kong]]'' films.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Giant monster films==
==Overview==
Warner Bros. was responsible for distributing ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' in 1953, a successful giant monster film which predated [[Toho]]'s ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' by a year. Following the abandonment of the proposed Americanization of [[Toho]]'s ''[[Godzilla Raids Again]]'' titled ''[[The Volcano Monsters]]'', producer Paul Schreibman acquired the American distribution rights to the film. Screibman produced an edited version of the film titled ''[[Godzilla Raids Again#U.S. release|Gigantis, the Fire Monster]]'' and sold it to Warner Bros., who released the film theatrically in May 1959.
Warner Bros. was responsible for distributing ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' in 1953, a successful giant monster film which predated [[Toho]]'s ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' by a year. Following the abandonment of the proposed Americanization of [[Toho]]'s ''[[Godzilla Raids Again]]'' titled ''[[The Volcano Monsters]]'', producer Paul Schreibman acquired the American distribution rights to the film. Schreibman produced an edited version of the film titled ''[[Godzilla Raids Again#U.S. release|Gigantis, the Fire Monster]]'' and sold it to Warner Bros., who released the film theatrically in May 1959.


Following a heated legal battle between [[RKO Pictures]], [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Universal Pictures]] over the rights to the character of [[King Kong]], a federal judge found that the character was owned by the estate of Merian C. Cooper, director of the [[King Kong (1933 film)|original film]], while RKO owned the original film and [[Son of Kong|its sequel]]. Eventually, RKO's library of films, including ''King Kong'' and ''Son of Kong'', was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), who assumed complete ownership of the first two Kong films. In 1996, TBS was acquired by Warner Bros., who took over ownership of the films. To this day, Warner Bros. has distributed and licensed ''King Kong'' and ''Son of Kong'' around the world.
Following a heated legal battle between [[RKO Pictures]], [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Universal Pictures]] over the rights to the character of [[King Kong]], a federal judge found that the character was owned by the estate of [[Merian C. Cooper]], director of the [[King Kong (1933 film)|original film]], while RKO owned the original film and [[Son of Kong|its sequel]]. Eventually, RKO's library of films, including ''King Kong'' and ''Son of Kong'', was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), who assumed complete ownership of the first two Kong films. In 1996, TBS was acquired by Warner Bros., who took over ownership of the films. To this day, Warner Bros. has distributed and licensed ''King Kong'' and ''Son of Kong'' around the world.


In 2009, American producer [[Brian Rogers]] approached [[Legendary Pictures]] to seek financing for [[Yoshimitsu Banno]]'s project ''[[Godzilla 3D to the MAX]]''. Legendary became interested in producing a feature-length American [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] film instead, and entered negotiations with Toho. The same year, Warner Bros. Entertainment Japan distributed ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy|Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy]]''. In 2010, it was announced that Toho had made an agreement with both Legendary and Warner Bros., who was the studio's current distribution partner, to produce at least one American-made Godzilla film. The resulting film, ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'', was released to theaters in [[2014]] by Warner Bros. in every country around the world except for [[Japan]], where it was released by Toho. Shortly after the release of ''Godzilla'', Legendary and Warner Bros.' distribution deal expired, with Legendary forming a new partnership with Universal. As a result, Universal began distributing all of Legendary's productions, including the [[Pacific Rim Uprising|sequel]] to it and Warner Bros. [[2013]] [[kaiju]] film ''[[Pacific Rim]]''.
In 2009, American producer [[Brian Rogers]] approached [[Legendary Pictures]] to seek financing for [[Yoshimitsu Banno]]'s project ''[[Godzilla 3-D]]''. Legendary became interested in producing a feature-length American ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' film instead, and entered negotiations with Toho. The same year, Warner Bros. Entertainment Japan distributed ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy|Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy]]''. In 2010, it was announced that Toho had made an agreement with both Legendary and Warner Bros., who was the studio's current distribution partner, to produce at least one American-made ''Godzilla'' film. The resulting film, ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'', was released to theaters in [[2014]] by Warner Bros. in every country around the world except for [[Japan]], where it was released by Toho. Shortly after the release of ''Godzilla'', Legendary and Warner Bros.' distribution deal expired, with Legendary forming a new partnership with Universal. As a result, Universal began distributing all of Legendary's productions, including the [[wikipedia:Pacific Rim Uprising|sequel]] to it and Warner Bros.' [[2013]] giant monster film ''[[wikipedia:Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]''.


Due to Legendary's deal with Toho including Warner Bros., the sequels to 2014's ''Godzilla'' would continue to be distributed by Warner Bros. despite the studio's current partner being Universal. Legendary Pictures began production of a new King Kong film, ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', with Universal in 2014, but was actually interested in tying the film in with ''Godzilla'' in order to lead up to a remake of ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]''. Legendary decided to include references to ''Godzilla'' in the ''Kong: Skull Island'' script, including the presence of the organization [[Monarch]]. Warner Bros. and Universal were both uncomfortable with references to a WB film being included in a Universal film, so Legendary moved the production to Warner Bros., placing all of the studio's Godzilla and Kong films under a single distributor. Shortly afterward, Legendary and Warner Bros. announced the film ''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'', which released on March 31, [[2021]], following ''Kong: Skull Island'' and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.
Due to Legendary's deal with Toho including Warner Bros., the sequels to 2014's ''Godzilla'' would continue to be distributed by Warner despite the studio's current partner being Universal. Legendary Pictures began production of a new ''[[King Kong (franchise)|King Kong]]'' film, ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', with Universal in 2014, but was actually interested in tying the film in with ''Godzilla'' in order to lead up to a remake of ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]''. Legendary decided to include references to ''Godzilla'' in the ''Kong: Skull Island'' script, including the presence of the organization [[Monarch]]. Warner Bros. and Universal were both uncomfortable with references to a WB film being included in a Universal film, so Legendary moved the production to Warner Bros., placing all of the studio's ''Godzilla'' and ''Kong'' films under a single distributor. Shortly afterward, Legendary and Warner Bros. announced the film ''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'', which released on March 31, [[2021]], following ''Kong: Skull Island'' and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.


Warner Bros. produced the [[2018]] [[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|film adaptation]] of Ernest Cline's novel ''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One|Ready Player One]]'', which featured appearances from both [[King Kong]] and [[Mechagodzilla]]. Warner Bros. also served as the distributor for New Line Cinemas' 2018 ''[[Rampage]]'' film, based on the Midway [[wikipedia:Rampage (franchise)|video game series]] of the same name.
Warner Bros. co-financed the [[2018]] [[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|film adaptation]] of Ernest Cline's novel ''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One|Ready Player One]]'', which featured appearances from both King Kong and [[Mechagodzilla (Ready Player One)|Mechagodzilla]]. Warner Bros. also served as the distributor for New Line Cinemas' 2018 ''[[Rampage]]'' film, based on the Midway [[wikipedia:Rampage (franchise)|video game series]] of the same name.
==Selected productions==
==Selected filmography==
*''[[The Black Scorpion]]'' (1957) [with Seven Arts Productions]
===Production company===
*''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018) [with Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, De Line Pictures, Farah Films & Management]
*''[[wikipedia:Them!|Them!]]'' (1954)
==Selected distributions==
===Financier===
*''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953) [produced by Mutual Pictures of California]
*''[[Sakuya (film)|Sakuya]]'' (2000) [as Towani Corporation with Toshiba, [[Nippon TV]]]
*''[[Godzilla Raids Again|Gigantis, the Fire Monster]]'' (1959) [produced by Toho; Americanized by Paul Schreibman]
*''[[wikipedia:Clash of the Titans (2010 film)|Clash of The Titans]]''  (2010) [with [[Legendary Pictures]]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-05-la-et-ct-boxoffice5-2010apr05-story.html|url-access=subscription|title=Box office: 'Clash of the Titans' leads the class|last=Flint|first=Joe|date=5 April 2010|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
*''[[Pacific Rim]]'' (2013) [produced by Legendary Pictures]
*''[[wikipedia:Wrath of the Titans|Wrath of The Titans]]''  (2012) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/company-town-blog/story/2012-04-01/box-office-greek-gods-snow-white-no-match-for-the-hunger-games|url-access=subscription|title=Box Office: Greek gods, Snow White no match for 'The Hunger Games'|first=Amy|last=Kaufman|date=1 April 2012|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
*''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) [produced by Legendary Pictures]
*''[[wikipedia:Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]'' (2013) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/box-office/pacific-rim-looking-grim-with-25-million-35-million-opening-1200560676/|title=‘Pacific Rim’ Looking Grim With $25 Million-$35 Million Opening|first=Andrew|last=Stewart|date=9 July 2013|work=Variety}}</ref>
*''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017) [produced by Legendary Pictures]
*''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) [with [[Legendary Pictures]], [[RatPac-Dune Entertainment]]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/godzilla-sequel-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-legendary-pictures-1201185365/|title=‘Godzilla’ Sequel in the Works at Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures|first=Andrew|last=Stewart|date=18 May 2014|work=Variety}}</ref>
*''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018) [produced by Warner, et al.; see above]
*''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017) [with Legendary Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, [[Tencent Pictures]]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/box-office/kong-skull-island-box-office-logan-1202004811/|title=Box Office: ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Will Try to Steal ‘Logan’s’ Crown|first=Brent|last=Lang|date=8 March 2017|work=Variety}}</ref>
*''[[Rampage]]'' (2018) [produced by New Line Cinema]
*''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018) [with Village Roadshow Entertainment, RatPac-Dune Entertainment]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/ready-player-one-steven-spielberg-opening-weekend-box-office-1202318581/|title=How Warner Bros. Sold ‘Ready Player One’ On The Spielberg Spirit & Beat Tracking With $53M+ 4-Day – Sunday Postmortem|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=1 April 2018|work=Deadline}}</ref>
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019) [produced by Legendary Pictures]
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019) [with Legendary Pictures, [[Toho]], Huahua Media]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/06/01/godzilla-is-king-of-the-box-office-with-a-disappointing-196-million-friday/?sh=4042adc25fc9|title='Godzilla' Is King Of The Box Office With A Disappointing $19.6 Million Friday|first=Scott|last=Mendelson|date=1 June 2019|work=Forbes}}</ref>
*''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'' (2021) [produced by Legendary Pictures]
*''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'' (2021) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/godzilla-vs-kong-jumps-up-to-march-in-hbo-max-theatrical-debut-1234675129/|title='Godzilla Vs. Kong' Jumps Up To March In HBO Max & Theatrical Debut|author=D'Alessandro, Anthony|date=15 January 2021|work=Deadline}}</ref>
*''[[Wikipedia:Dune (2021 film)|Dune]]'' (2021) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/dune-sequel-denis-villenevue-1235097103/|title=Director Denis Villeneuve and Warner Bros. Want to Make ‘Dune: Part II.’ So Why Hasn’t the Sequel Been Announced Yet?|first=Rebecca|last=Rubin|date=25 October 2021|work=Variety}}</ref>
*''[[Wikipedia:Dune: Part Two|Dune: Part Two]]'' (2024) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/dune-part-2-sequel-1235094974/|title=‘Dune: Part 2’ Officially Greenlit, Release Date Set for 2023|first=Brent|last=Lang|first2=Ellise|last2=Shafer|date=26 October 2021|work=Variety}}</ref>
*''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]'' (2024) [with Legendary Pictures]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/godzilla-x-kong-the-new-empire-box-office-1235868869/|title=‘Godzilla x Kong’ Will Bunny Hop To $135M Global Opening As Legendary Monsterverse Franchise Roars Past $2 Billion – Easter Box Office Preview|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|first2=Nancy|last2=Tartaglione|date=26 March 2024|work=Deadline}}</ref>
===Canceled films===
*''Monsterpocalypse''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/monsterpocalypse-movie-warner-bros-1201765543/|title=‘Monsterpocalypse’ Board Game Being Adapted Into Movie by Warner Bros.
|first=Dave|last=McNary|date=3 May 2016|work=Variety}}</ref>
==Selected releases==
*''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953) - theatrical and home video
*''[[The Black Scorpion]]'' (1957) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Godzilla Raids Again#U.S. release|Gigantis, the Fire Monster]]'' (1959) - theatrical
*''[[The Giant Behemoth]]'' (1959) - DVD (2011) and Blu-ray (2019)
*''[[wikipedia:The Green Slime|The Green Slime]]'' (1968) - DVD-R (2010) and Blu-ray (2017)
*''[[The Return of Godzilla#U.S. release|Godzilla 1985]]'' (1985) - television (2003)
*''[[The Mighty Kong]]'' (1998) - VHS
*''[[The Last Dinosaur]]'' (1977) - DVD-R (2011)
*''[[wikipedia:Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]'' (2013) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017) - theatrical and home video
*''[[wikipedia:Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Rampage]]'' (2018) - theatrical and home video
*''[[wikipedia:The Meg (film)|The Meg]]'' (2018) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019) - theatrical and home video
*''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'' (2021) - theatrical and home video
*''[[wikipedia:Meg 2: The Trench|Meg 2: The Trench]]'' (2023) - theatrical
*''[[Monarch: Legacy of Monsters]]'' (TV 2023-2024) - distributor
*''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]'' (2024) - theatrical and home video<ref name="Deadline">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/dune-part-two-moves-to-pre-thanksgiving-2023-godzilla-kong-event-sequel-dated-1235054755/|title=‘Dune: Part Two’ Butts Up Against ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel On Pre-Thanksgiving 2023; ‘Godzilla-Kong’ Sequel Dated For 2024|author=D'Alessandro, Anthony|date=30 June 2022|work=Deadline}}</ref>
==Merchandise==
==Merchandise==
Warner Bros., through its deal with [[Toho]], has licensed [[Godzilla]] to various American companies for the creation of toys and other merchandise, including [[NECA]] and [[Kidrobot]].
Warner Bros., through its deal with [[Toho]], has licensed the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' franchise]] to various American companies for the creation of toys and other merchandise, including [[NECA]] and [[Kidrobot]].
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*A sign with the Warner Bros. logo can be seen on top of a building in the film ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', during the scene where [[King Ghidorah/GMK|King Ghidorah]] is revived by [[Mothra/GMK|Mothra]]'s energy.
*A sign with the Warner Bros. logo can be seen on top of a building in the film ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', during the scene where [[King Ghidorah (Millennium)|King Ghidorah]] is revived by [[Mothra (GMK)|Mothra]]'s energy.
*Warner Bros. announced plans to produce a live-action ''Attack on Titan'' film in 2018, with Andy Muschietti as the director.<ref name="Titan">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/andy-muscietti-attack-on-titan-1203007109/|title=Andy Muschietti to Direct ‘Attack on Titan’ for Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)|author=McNary, Dave|date=25 March 2023|work=Variety}}</ref> The manga had previously been adapted to live-action by [[Toho]] in 2015 as a [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1|two-part]] [[Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2|film]] and [[Attack on Titan: Signal to Strike Back|miniseries]]. However, no news about the project has emerged since 2019.<ref name="CB">{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/attack-on-titan-live-action-update-director-andy-muschietti/|title=Attack on Titan Director Andy Muschietti Shares Update on Live-Action Film|author=Valdez, Nick|date=25 March 2023|work=ComicBook.com}}</ref>
==See also==
==See also==
*[[HBO Max]]
*[[Max]]
*[[Legendary Pictures]]
*[[Legendary Pictures]]
*[[RKO Pictures]]
==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/wbpictures Official Warner Bros. Pictures X account]
*[https://www.youtube.com/@WarnerBrosPictures Official Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube channel]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Companies}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|REL|WB}}
{{Era|REL|WB}}

Latest revision as of 22:58, 7 April 2024

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Warner Bros.' logo as of 2019

Type Entertainment company, film production studio
Status Active
Led by Samuel DiPiazza, David Zaslav, Gunnar Wiedenfels
Founder(s) Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner, Jack L. Warner
Founded April 4, 1923
Head-
quarters 		4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, California, United States
Also known as
  • Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen (1923-1925)
  • Warner Brothers Productions (1925-1929)
  • Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. (1929-1967)
  • Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967-1970)
  • Warner Bros. Inc. (1970-1993)
Parent company
  • Kinney National Service, Inc. (1969-1971)
  • Kinney Services, Inc. (1971–1972)
  • Warner Communications (1972–1990)
  • Time Warner (1990–2001, 2003-2018)
  • AOL Time Warner (2001-2003)
  • WarnerMedia (2018-2022)
  • Warner Bros. Discovery (2022-present)
Subsidiary companies
  • Fandango Media
  • Turner Entertainment
  • WaterTower Music
  • Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
  • HBO Max
Preceded by Warner Features Company
Website https://www.warnerbros.com/

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., commonly referred to as just Warner Bros. and abbreviated as WB, is an American entertainment company. It is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded as Warner Brothers Classics of the Screen in 1923 by the four namesake Warner brothers, the studio has persisted to this day as one of the "Big Five" major American film studios, though it has also diversified into other forms of media such as animation, television, and video games. Warner Bros.' film activities are typically carried out through the Warner Bros. Pictures brand, which is itself a member of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

WB was a division of the media conglomerate known originally as Warner Communications and later better known as Time Warner and eventually WarnerMedia from 1972 to 2022. The company was acquired by AT&T in 2018, who operated it until 2022 when it relinquished control to allow for the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the original 1933 King Kong and its sequel, and is the distributor and co-financier of Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse franchise of Godzilla and King Kong films.

Overview

Warner Bros. was responsible for distributing The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms in 1953, a successful giant monster film which predated Toho's Godzilla by a year. Following the abandonment of the proposed Americanization of Toho's Godzilla Raids Again titled The Volcano Monsters, producer Paul Schreibman acquired the American distribution rights to the film. Schreibman produced an edited version of the film titled Gigantis, the Fire Monster and sold it to Warner Bros., who released the film theatrically in May 1959.

Following a heated legal battle between RKO Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures over the rights to the character of King Kong, a federal judge found that the character was owned by the estate of Merian C. Cooper, director of the original film, while RKO owned the original film and its sequel. Eventually, RKO's library of films, including King Kong and Son of Kong, was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), who assumed complete ownership of the first two Kong films. In 1996, TBS was acquired by Warner Bros., who took over ownership of the films. To this day, Warner Bros. has distributed and licensed King Kong and Son of Kong around the world.

In 2009, American producer Brian Rogers approached Legendary Pictures to seek financing for Yoshimitsu Banno's project Godzilla 3-D. Legendary became interested in producing a feature-length American Godzilla film instead, and entered negotiations with Toho. The same year, Warner Bros. Entertainment Japan distributed Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy. In 2010, it was announced that Toho had made an agreement with both Legendary and Warner Bros., who was the studio's current distribution partner, to produce at least one American-made Godzilla film. The resulting film, Godzilla, was released to theaters in 2014 by Warner Bros. in every country around the world except for Japan, where it was released by Toho. Shortly after the release of Godzilla, Legendary and Warner Bros.' distribution deal expired, with Legendary forming a new partnership with Universal. As a result, Universal began distributing all of Legendary's productions, including the sequel to it and Warner Bros.' 2013 giant monster film Pacific Rim.

Due to Legendary's deal with Toho including Warner Bros., the sequels to 2014's Godzilla would continue to be distributed by Warner despite the studio's current partner being Universal. Legendary Pictures began production of a new King Kong film, Kong: Skull Island, with Universal in 2014, but was actually interested in tying the film in with Godzilla in order to lead up to a remake of King Kong vs. Godzilla. Legendary decided to include references to Godzilla in the Kong: Skull Island script, including the presence of the organization Monarch. Warner Bros. and Universal were both uncomfortable with references to a WB film being included in a Universal film, so Legendary moved the production to Warner Bros., placing all of the studio's Godzilla and Kong films under a single distributor. Shortly afterward, Legendary and Warner Bros. announced the film Godzilla vs. Kong, which released on March 31, 2021, following Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Warner Bros. co-financed the 2018 film adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel Ready Player One, which featured appearances from both King Kong and Mechagodzilla. Warner Bros. also served as the distributor for New Line Cinemas' 2018 Rampage film, based on the Midway video game series of the same name.

Selected filmography

Production company

Financier

Canceled films

  • Monsterpocalypse[12]

Selected releases

Merchandise

Warner Bros., through its deal with Toho, has licensed the Godzilla franchise to various American companies for the creation of toys and other merchandise, including NECA and Kidrobot.

Trivia

See also

External links

References

This is a list of references for Warner Bros.. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ Flint, Joe (5 April 2010). "Box office: 'Clash of the Titans' leads the class". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (1 April 2012). "Box Office: Greek gods, Snow White no match for 'The Hunger Games'". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (9 July 2013). "'Pacific Rim' Looking Grim With $25 Million-$35 Million Opening". Variety.
  4. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (18 May 2014). "'Godzilla' Sequel in the Works at Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures". Variety.
  5. ↑ Lang, Brent (8 March 2017). "Box Office: 'Kong: Skull Island' Will Try to Steal 'Logan's' Crown". Variety.
  6. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (1 April 2018). "How Warner Bros. Sold 'Ready Player One' On The Spielberg Spirit & Beat Tracking With $53M+ 4-Day – Sunday Postmortem". Deadline.
  7. ↑ Mendelson, Scott (1 June 2019). "'Godzilla' Is King Of The Box Office With A Disappointing $19.6 Million Friday". Forbes.
  8. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (15 January 2021). "'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Jumps Up To March In HBO Max & Theatrical Debut". Deadline.
  9. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (25 October 2021). "Director Denis Villeneuve and Warner Bros. Want to Make 'Dune: Part II.' So Why Hasn't the Sequel Been Announced Yet?". Variety.
  10. ↑ Lang, Brent; Shafer, Ellise (26 October 2021). "'Dune: Part 2' Officially Greenlit, Release Date Set for 2023". Variety.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (26 March 2024). "'Godzilla x Kong' Will Bunny Hop To $135M Global Opening As Legendary Monsterverse Franchise Roars Past $2 Billion – Easter Box Office Preview". Deadline.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (3 May 2016). "'Monsterpocalypse' Board Game Being Adapted Into Movie by Warner Bros". Variety.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (30 June 2022). "'Dune: Part Two' Butts Up Against 'Hunger Games' Prequel On Pre-Thanksgiving 2023; 'Godzilla-Kong' Sequel Dated For 2024". Deadline.
  14. ↑ McNary, Dave (25 March 2023). "Andy Muschietti to Direct 'Attack on Titan' for Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  15. ↑ Valdez, Nick (25 March 2023). "Attack on Titan Director Andy Muschietti Shares Update on Live-Action Film". ComicBook.com.

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