WARNER BROS.

JONATHAN CURRAN P.4

HISTORY
The original Warner brothers Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack were very interested in the film
industry at a young age.
They opened their first theater, the Cascade, in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1903.
Eventually, the theater was in danger of being demolished. The Warner Bros. called their
current building owners to arrange and save it.
On April 4, 1923, they formally incorporated as Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated.
On October 6, 1927, Warner Bros. Pictures releasedThe Jazz Singer, and a whole new era
began, with pictures that talked, bringing the Studio to the forefront of the film industry.

HISTORY
The Warner Bros. Television story began in 1955 when the venerable Warner Bros. film studio made
a bold move into what was then a fledgling new arenatelevisionwith the debut of the western
adventureCheyenne.
In those early pioneering days, comedy was the king of the small screen, but Warner Bros.
Television targeted a different genre, the dramatic series and carved out an important new and very
successful niche.
In 1978 Jack Warner diedthe same year that the studio he had co-founded showed record profits.
In December of 1980, Robert A. Daly and Terry Semel were now in control of Warner Bros.
Time Warner now owns Warner Bros. and has made more than $2 billion with movies such as the
Harry Potter series, Batman, and other famous films.

TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION AND IMPACTS

The four brothers bought their first film projector in the early 1900s and began a small movie
theater business in the small mining towns of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Warner Bros. opened their first official movie theater in 1903 called The Cascade.
In 1918, the brothers opened their first Warner Bros. studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
In 1926, Warner Bros. began to include soundtracks into their films. By 1927, Warner Bros. released
The Jazz Singer which included very little dialogue but it was a huge hit.
The Great Depression greatly affected Warner Bros. Studios and they lost $8 million in 1931 and an
additional loss of $14 million the following year.
In 1932, audiences grown tired of musicals and the studio cut the production of musicals and
produced the first horror movies in color. Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).

TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTIONS AND IMPACTS

Throughout the 1930s, Warner Bros. and Disney teamed up to produce the first musical
cartoons. Both studios worked on the Looney Tunes series which was a massive success for
the companies.
Prior to the U.S entry in World War 2, Warner Bros. German sales head was murdered by
Nazis in Berlin in 1936. Warner Bros. responded by production many anti-German films
such as Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) and The Sea Hawk (1940).
In the 1950s, 3D films were being experimented with by many film studios. Warner Bros.
released House of Wax but was a minor failure. 3D films soon lost their appeal among
moviegoers.

TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTIONS AND IMPACTS

By 1949, the major success of television threatened the film industry more and more so
Harry Warner decided to emphasize their television production.
By 1955, Warner Bros. created three successful shows based on the three successful movies
Kings Row, Casablanca, and Cheyenne.
By 1978, all four Warner brothers have died. Under new owners, the studio successfully
made it through the 70s and 80s by focusing films and shows based around characters of
Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
By 2004, Warner Bros. became the first studio in history to gross more than $2 billion
internationally in a single year.

DISTRIBUTION PRACTICES
In 1958, the studio launched Warner Bros. Records so that they can release their films and
television shows globally.
In November 1966, Warner Bros. gave selling control of the studio to Seven Art
Productions, run by Canadian investors.
From 1971 to 1987, Warner Bros. were a joint venture with Columbia Pictures to distribute
films internationally. They both formed a third company called The Burbank Studios for
the purpose of distributing films around the world.

MARKETING STRATEGIES
Warner Bros. Pictures is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films, operating
offices in more than 30 countries and releasing films in over 120 international territories, either
directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures.
Since 1923, Warner Bros. has always been one of the most innovative and productive creators of
films, television, music, and video games. Warner Bros. has been the number one home
entertainment source for years.
The studios main goal is to maintain its lead in theatrical business and broadcast by dealing with
growing demand, while utilizing technology changes and new business models. Warner Bros. plans
to expand its well-established global franchises in order to improve margins.
The business is balanced between theatrical releases (40%), television (49%), and consumer
products and games (11%). Also, the 3D and IMAX films the company produces are charged at
premium price to gain the most profit.

DIVERSIFICATION AND CONVERGENCE

With a global network of offices and agents in key regions throughout the world, including North
America, Latin America, Asia and Europe, Warner Bros. maintains an ongoing commitment to
expand and build the power of its core brands recognition in the international marketplace through
strong and creative merchandising, promotional marketing, and retail programs.
Warner Bros. works with many film, television, and comic book studios to produce the best content
for their viewers. Some companies include DC Comics, HBO, New Line Cinema, Turner
Entertainment, and Castle Rock Entertainment.
The synergy between AOL and Time Warner to promote The Harry Potter Film Series caused the
company to make billions in revenue. Sneak previews and games to market the new films
generated a multi-billion dollar brand.

PRODUCTIONS
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Warner Bros. partnered with DC Comics to produce
television shows and films based around characters such as Batman, Superman, and
Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros. also partnered with Atari, Inc. and branched out into making video games
based around their super hero films.
In the late 1990s, Warner Bros. obtained the rights to the Harry Potter novels and started to
release their famous Harry Potter movie series in 2001.
From 2012 to 2014, Warner Bros. produced their billion dollar film series, The Hobbit
Trilogy, and acquired thousands of fans.

Sources
@WarnerBrosEnt. "Company History." - WarnerBros.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
Warner Bros. "WB Studio History." Warner Bros. Studio Tour. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.