20th Century Studios
20th Century Studios, originally established as 20th Century Fox in 1935, is a prominent film production and distribution company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Formed from the merger of Fox Films and 20th Century Pictures, the studio has played a significant role in the entertainment industry, producing a wide array of films and television content. In 2019, the company was acquired by the Walt Disney Company and subsequently rebranded as 20th Century Studios in January 2020.
Throughout its history, 20th Century Studios has been known for its innovative contributions to film, including the adoption of sound technology and Cinemascope, which helped propel its early successes. The studio has produced major franchises, such as Star Wars and Ice Age, and has diversified its operations to include partnerships with animation studios and virtual reality companies. Additionally, it has ventured into the amusement park sector, adding attractions in Malaysia and Dubai, showcasing its iconic films. The legacy of 20th Century Studios is marked by numerous Academy Awards and a reputation for creating beloved classics, reflecting its lasting impact on the film industry.
20th Century Studios
Company Information
- Date Founded: 1935
- Industry: Film, television, amusement park
- Corporate Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
- Type: Public
Overview
20th Century Fox, also known as 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, is a publicly owned film production and distribution company that operates globally. It was founded by the merger of Fox Films and 20th Century Pictures in 1935. The film company is owned by Fox, a conglomerate that owns properties in the film, news, television, and music industries. 20th Century Fox is a subordinate division of 21st Century Fox, Fox’s television network. In December 2017, the Walt Disney Company announced that it planned to purchase 21st Century Fox, leaving the Fox conglomerate as the owner of its news, sports, and business channels but acquiring their film and scripted television series properties. In June 2018, the US Department of Justice approved Disney’s $71.3 billion bid to acquire 21st Century Fox, with the proviso that Disney divest Fox’s twenty-two regional sports networks to avoid an anticompetitive conflict of interest with Disney’s ESPN. The merger was made official in 2019. In January 2020, Disney rebranded the company 20th Century Studios.
20th Century Studios originally produced films and distributed them to theaters owned by the company. When executives decided to divest the company from ownership of theaters, Fox retained its distribution rights to supplement its film production. Over the years, Fox has worked with other film production companies to release movies in the United States and abroad. In 2012, Fox and DreamWorks Animation signed a contract that allowed Fox to distribute DreamWorks’ animated movies for five years.
From humble beginnings in nickel theaters to contracts for movies in virtual reality (VR) with brands such as Oculus, 20th Century Studios has produced media for all aspects of the film industry.
History
Although 20th Century Studios originated in 1935 as part of a merger agreement, founder William Fox was active in the industry years earlier. As early as 1904, Fox invested in his first theater with two business partners. In the years that followed, Fox purchased more than ten theaters and used them to show both live shows and films. Prior to its merger with 20th Century Studios, Fox experimented with film screening and distribution. In 1914, he released his first film, Life’s Shop Window, which was based on a popular novel of the time.
All of Fox’s theaters were based in the New York and New Jersey areas, but in 1915, Fox Films moved to Los Angeles. Afterward, the company worked on incorporating sound into its films by investing in patents for new sound technology that Fox called Movietone. After producing several Western films and investing in new sound technology, Fox built the headquarters and studio for Fox Films at Century Park in 1928.
In 1935, Fox, Darryl F. Zanuck, and Joseph M. Schenck from 20th Century Pictures combined their companies to form 20th Century Fox. Shortly after World War II, the international film market opened and gave Fox an opportunity to rerelease films from the United States. In addition to film success, Fox owned 600 theaters in the 1940s.
Fox’s primary industry was film, but in the mid-1940s, the company expanded into the television market. The company made bids on the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), but the sale fell through. Although the company could not purchase ABC, Fox’s first television show, Crusade in Europe, debuted on the network. Fox’s second program, Fox News Reel, was screened on the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).
As the company made its television debut, Fox began investing in a new filming method called CinemaScope. Together with famed actress Marilyn Monroe, CinemaScope helped keep Fox competitive against rival film production companies. In the 1950s, CinemaScope was the only process used in movies released by Fox, the first being The Robe in 1953.
Although CinemaScope was expected to save the company, Fox experienced a downturn in profits into the 1960s. To remain solvent, Fox sold large portions of its Century Park studio lot, keeping only a few sound stages and miscellaneous buildings in the 80 acres left of its original property.
When Fox released The Sound of Music (1965), it began to reclaim much of the success it enjoyed in the 1940s in producing popular content. Its financial fortunes also began to rise. Soon after The Sound of Music came the beginning of the Star Wars (1977) franchise. Not only was the movie a hit, but the soundtrack and toys based on the film's characters generated the revenue and positive branding missing from Fox in the previous decades.
As Fox began to look for different ways to expand its film output, Blue Sky Studios was first beginning its involvement in animation. Fox bought the company in 1999 to include animated films in future releases. The first film produced from the partnership was Ice Age (2002), which turned into a franchise after its success. In 2012, Fox signed a deal with DreamWorks Animation to distribute its films along with Blue Sky and Fox’s own films. Along with animation studios, Fox worked with VR companies to produce VR films. As of 2016, the company has developed a shortened version of Wild (2014) and has worked on a full-length The Martian (2015) VR experience.
In addition to Fox’s partnerships with animation studios and VR companies, the company has diversified into the amusement park industry. Two 20th Century Studios amusement parks in Malaysia and Dubai began construction in the early 2010s and were set to open in late 2020. SkyWorld, the Malaysia park featuring 20th Century Studios attractions, opened in 2022. The name of the park was changed after Disney acquired the company. The venue features rides based on popular Fox films such as Ice Age and Planet of the Apes (2001). Nonetheless, plans for a third park in South Korea were canceled in 2016.
In 2019, the Walt Disney Company acquired the former 20th Century Fox when it merged with 21st Century Fox. In January 2020, 20th Century Fox was rebranded as 20th Century Studios. The first film released under this new name was the family adventure film Call of the Wild (2020), based on Jack London's classic 1903 novel.
Impact
From its humble beginnings in film distribution and local operating theaters, Twentieth Century Fox has evolved into a media production conglomerate. The company’s partnerships with Blue Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, and Oculus demonstrate Fox’s efforts to keep its productions relevant in the modern marketplace. After delving into the amusement park industry, Fox continued to diversify its brand to rival its largest competitors. Through the decades, many of Fox’s films have won Academy Awards and are revered as classics.
Bibliography
Anstey, Tom. "Malaysia's US $800m Genting SkyWorlds Has Finally Opened Its Doors." Planet Attractions, 9 Feb. 2022, www.planetattractions.com/news/Malaysia%E2%80%99s-US$800m-Genting-SkyWorlds-has-finally-opened-its-doors/1003. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
"Century Park: History." Century Park, Entertainment Center, 2016, www.centurypark.com/history. Accessed 27 June 2016.
Gartenberg, Chaim. "Disney Has Acquired 21st Century Fox's Film and TV Studios in a Landmark Deal." The Verge, 14 Dec. 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/12/14/16735502/disney-fox-deal-film-tv-studio-acquisition. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
James, Meg. "Disney and Fox Schedule July 27 Shareholder Votes on Merger—Upping Pressure on Comcast." Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2018, www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-disney-fox-shareholders-vote-20180628-story.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
Lev, Peter. Twentieth Century-Fox: The Zanuck-Skouras Years, 1935-1965. University of Texas Press, 2013.
Martin, Hugo. "20th Century Fox World Set to Open in Dubai in 2018." Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2015, www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-20th-century-fox-dubai-20151103-story.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
Mendelson, Scott. "Can Fox and DreamWorks Combined Challenge Disney's Animation Empire?" Forbes, 10 Apr. 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/04/10/can-20th-century-fox-and-dreamworks-combined-challenge-the-disney-animation-empire. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
"Our Story." Blue Sky Studios, www.blueskyartstudio.org/our-story. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
Solomon, Aubrey. The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland, 2011.
Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
Vary, Adam B. "Disney Drops Fox Name, Will Rebrand as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures." Variety, 17 Jan. 2020, variety.com/2020/film/news/disney-dropping-fox-20th-century-studios-1203470349. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.
Zeitchik, Steven. "Hollywood Looks to Bring Virtual-Reality Cinema to Life." Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2015, www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-ca-vr-future-virtual-reality-cinema-20150308-story.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.