Jump to content

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Star Distribution)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Formerly
  • Buena Vista Film Distribution (1953–1960; 1969/1970; and 1974)
  • Buena Vista Distribution (1960–1987)
  • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (1987–2007)
Company typeDivision
IndustryFilm
FoundedJune 23, 1953; 71 years ago (1953-06-23)
FounderWalt Disney
Headquarters500 South Buena Vista Street, ,
Key people
Tony Chambers (EVP)
Services
ParentDisney Entertainment
Divisions
  • Walt Disney Studios Marketing
  • Worldwide Special Events
Subsidiaries
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3][4]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company.[5] It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by the Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and internationally Searchlight Pictures; which operates its own autonomous theatrical distribution and marketing unit in the United States.[6]

The company was originally established by Walt Disney in 1953 as Buena Vista Film Distribution Company Inc. (later renamed Buena Vista Distribution Inc. and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Inc.). It took on its current name in late 2007.[7][8]

History

[edit]

Before in 1953, Disney's productions were previously distributed by:

Buena Vista

[edit]

A dispute with RKO Pictures in 1953 over the distribution of The Living Desert, Disney's first full-length film in the True-Life Adventures series,[9] led Walt and his older brother Roy O. Disney to form its wholly owned subsidiary, the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. (BVDC), to handle North American distribution of their own products.[7] RKO refused to distribute the film.[9] The name "Buena Vista" came from the eponymous street in Burbank, California, where the Walt Disney Studios was located (and remains to this day). Buena Vista's first release was the Academy Award-winning live-action feature The Living Desert on November 10, 1953, along with Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Buena Vista's first animated release.[10] Notable subsequent releases included the Austrian film Victoria in Dover, the Japanese Daiei film Princess Yang Kwei Fei (Most Noble Lady), released in US theaters in September 1956,[11][12][13] The Missouri Traveler in March 1958,[10] and The Big Fisherman in July 1959 (the first third-party production financed by Disney).[10]

By July 5, 1957, RKO Japan, Ltd. was sold to Disney Productions and British Commonwealth Film Corporation. In allocating the foreign film licenses to the company, Disney would use 5 and Commonwealth 8.[14]

In April 1960, the company dropped "Film" from its name.[8] In 1961, Disney incorporated Buena Vista International (BVI),[15] distributing its first PG-rated film, Take Down, in January 1979.[10] The low-budget movie was not produced by the Disney studios and was acquired from an independent studio, making The Black Hole the first PG-rated Disney film.[16] In July 1987, Buena Vista changed its name to Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. (BVPD).[8]

Late in the 1980s, Disney purchased a controlling stake in one of Pacific Theatres' chains[17] leading to Disney's Buena Vista Theaters and Pacific to renovate the El Capitan Theatre and the Crest by 1989.[18] The Crest was finished first while El Capitan opened with the premiere of The Rocketeer film on June 19, 1991.[19]

In 1992, Buena Vista made production loans totaling $5.6 million to Cinergi Pictures for its film Medicine Man and its 1994 films Renaissance Man and Color of Night and were distributing Cinergi's films. The corporation purchased a 12.8% share in Cinergi with its initial public offering in 1994.[20] Soon, BVPD signed a 25 picture distribution deal with Cinergi.[21][22]

The Gaumont Film Company and Disney formed Gaumont Buena Vista International, a joint venture in French distribution, in 1993.[23] In August 1996, Disney and Tokuma Shoten Publishing agreed that Disney would distribute Studio Ghibli animated films and provide 10% of the production cost of the studio's current in-production film, Spirited Away.[24][25][26] Disney would go on to produce the English dubs and distribute 15 of Ghibli's films, through the Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Home Video, Miramax and Touchstone Pictures banners.[27]

In September 1996, following Disney's acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. was merged[8] into ABC, Inc.,[28] the parent company of that group.

For the November 1995 premiere of Toy Story, Disney rented the Hollywood Masonic Temple—adjacent to the El Capitan Theatre—for Totally Toy Story, a multimedia funhouse and a promotional event for the movie.[29] On July 17, 1998, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution purchased the Hollywood Masonic Temple building to continue using it as a promotional venue.[30]

By 1997, BVPD's share in Cinergi dropped to 5%. After nine films were delivered under the agreement, Cinergi sold on November 22, 1997 all of its 12-film library with the exception of Die Hard with a Vengeance to Disney, plus $20 million in exchange for Disney's Cinergi share holdings, production advances of $35.4 million and other loans.[31][22] In 2002, Disney signed a four animated film deal with Vanguard Animation;[32] however, only one film was released under that negotiation.[33]

In 2004, BVI and Gaumont dissolved their French distribution joint venture, Gaumont Buena Vista International.[23] Buena Vista International agreed to a distribution deal with MegaStar Joint Venture Company Limited in April 2006 for the Vietnam market.[34]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

[edit]

On April 25, 2007, Disney discontinued the usage of the Buena Vista brand in its distribution branding.[7]

In early 2009, Disney entered a distribution agreement with a reorganized DreamWorks; the deal called for an estimated 30 films over a five-year period from DreamWorks and they would be released through the Touchstone banner.[35] In 2011, GKIDS acquired the North American theatrical distribution rights of the Ghibli films, with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment retaining the home video rights until July 2017 when Shout! Factory took over the home video rights. However, Disney only handles home video distribution of the company's films in Japan and formerly Taiwan and China.[36][37]

Disney's distribution deal with DreamWorks expired in August 2016, after the two studios decided to not renew their agreement on December 16, 2015, with Universal Pictures replacing Disney as DreamWorks' distributor.[38][39] By the end of the deal, Disney had distributed 14 of DreamWorks's original 30-picture agreement; thirteen through Touchstone and one through Walt Disney Pictures.[40][41] Disney took complete ownership rights of those 14 DreamWorks films from Amblin Partners in exchange for loans made to that company.[42] The Light Between Oceans, the final film in that distribution deal, was also the last film released under Touchstone.

On December 14, 2017, the Walt Disney Company announced plans to purchase 21st Century Fox, which included 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures. On March 20, 2019, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox was completed.[43] Following the reorganization and renaming of the acquired film units, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures began distributing 20th Century Studios films in the United States, while Searchlight continued to operate their autonomous distribution unit.[44][6]

In late 2020 and early 2021, Disney reorganized the studio, placing it under the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution unit which also oversees distribution to Disney+.[45] Under this structure, the Theatrical Distribution unit oversaw the domestic and international films produced by all the studios within the Walt Disney Studios umbrella.[46] In February 2023, returning CEO Bob Iger reversed this decision and reorganized the studio again, returning it as a division under the purview of The Walt Disney Studios.

Distribution

[edit]

Walt Disney Studios has produced or distributed 35 films that have received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture: fifteen from its former Miramax division,[47] six from Touchstone Pictures, five from Searchlight Pictures,[a] four from Walt Disney Pictures, three from 20th Century Studios,[b] two from Hollywood Pictures, and one from Marvel Studios.[47][49][50][51] Of those nominated films, five films—Miramax's The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, No Country for Old Men, and Searchlight's Nomadland—have won Best Picture.[47][52][53]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures currently distributes films from across all units of Walt Disney Studios with the exception of Searchlight Pictures, which maintains its own autonomous distribution and marketing operations for releases in the United States and select markets.[44][6] Other Disney film units and some third-party studios including:

Walt Disney Studios[54] Active distribution deals Former distribution deals

Other Disney units

Former Disney units

International distribution

[edit]
Buena Vista International, Inc.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (for Disney branded films only)
Buena Vista International (non-US and non-Disney and non-Star Studios theatrical movies in countries outside the United States only)
Company typeDivision
IndustryFilm
Founded1961; 63 years ago (1961)
FounderWalt Disney
DefunctFebruary 11, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02-11) (Latin American branch)
November 3, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-11-03) (Brazilian branch)
SuccessorWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (original)
Star Distribution (Latin American and Brazilian branch)
Headquarters
  • United States
  • Spain
  • Latin America[m]
  • Brazil[n]
  • Mexico
Area served
Worldwide
ParentWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Star Distribution, Inc.[o]
Star Distribution
Formerly
  • Buena Vista International Latin America (1961–2022)
  • Buena Vista International Brazil (1961–2022)
Company typeDivision
IndustryFilm
Predecessor
Founded1961; 63 years ago (1961)
FounderWalt Disney
HeadquartersMalaver 550 Vicente López,
Buenos Aires
,
Argentina[77]
Area served
Latin America
Parent
DivisionsPatagonik Film Group (33.3%)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International was formed in 1961 as Buena Vista International.[10] On May 4, 1987, despite being industry rivals, Disney signed a theatrical distribution agreement with Warner Bros. International for the release of Disney and Touchstone films in many overseas markets except in Australia and New Zealand, where distribution went through Roadshow Distributors instead (due to Roadshow also theatrically distributing Warner films as well during this period), with Disney retaining full control of all distribution and marketing decisions on their product (one notable practice in this policy is obscuring Warner references in posters and it is credited only in very small text with the exception of some UK posters where sometimes the full logo is shown).[78] Warner previously had an overseas distribution partnership with Columbia Pictures, but it was dissolved in 1988.

In 1992, Disney opted to end their joint venture with Warner Bros. to start autonomously distributing their films in these aforementioned overseas markets beginning with Aladdin, inspiring Warner Bros. to establish the Family Entertainment label to self-distribute family-friendly films under the Warner umbrella at the same period. In those territories from 1993 to 2007, Disney reactivated the Buena Vista International name, and also sent distribution under it in countries that did not have any current arrangements with other companies.[citation needed] Disney would then continue its overseas film distribution relationship with Warner Bros. through a home video distribution deal in Europe and Australia in which Warner Home Video distributed select Disney material on DVD from 1999 to 2002, when Disney opted to self-distribute DVDs in these aforementioned territories.

Italia Film, a Lebanese film distribution and production company, is Disney's exclusive theatrical film distribution partner for various Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets since 1993, after making a deal directly with Buena Vista International at the time. Prior to this, Warner Bros. originally handled said MENA markets except in Israel where Buena Vista handled theatrical distribution by themselves.[79]

In Taiwan, MGM first handled Disney's distribution, with 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. later taking over. A local distributor called Era Communications took over distribution from 1992 to 1995. At that time, Buena Vista began its Taiwanese operations. Columbia ended its joint distribution unit with Fox and switched to Buena Vista in 1999.[80]

Rights to Disney's films in West Germany were originally released by MGM (under CIC in the early 1970s) and later to 20th Century Fox, and then to United International Pictures[81] before the Warner Bros. joint venture. In September 2004, Buena Vista International announced they would begin to start theatrically distributing certain films from Universum Film in Germany and Austria beginning in February 2005, replacing a previous deal with United International Pictures.[72] The deal ended in late 2019 after Universum was sold by the RTL Group to Tele München Group, who began to self-distribute releases afterwards under the Leonine Distribution name.

In Spain, Filmayer S.A. originally released Disney's movies, with Warner Española S.A. later taking over.

In the United Kingdom, Disney's movies were released through a collaboration of Disney and 20th Century Fox known as UK Film Distributors Ltd. before the Warner Bros. joint venture.

In Italy and Brazil, Disney's movies were distributed by Cinema International Corporation and United International Pictures before the Warner Bros. joint venture.

In Australia and New Zealand, Disney's movies were distributed initially by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, before distribution switched to British Empire Films (later Greater Union Film Distributors) following the merger of the Australian MGM cinema chains until the latter merged with Village Roadshow in 1987 and Roadshow Films took over distribution.[82] The company begin distributing films in Australia and New Zealand in 1999 after its own distribution deal with Roadshow expired in 1998.[83]

In some other countries in Europe, such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Disney's movies were instead released through local distributors, such as Filmoteka Narodowa in Poland, InterCom Zrt. in Hungary and Guild Film Distribution in the Czech Republic respectively.

Disney and Sony Pictures formed in 1997 a film distribution joint venture in Southeast Asia.[84] By December 2006, 14 joint distribution ventures with Sony Pictures Releasing International were formed and exist in countries including Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. In January 2007, their fifteenth such partnership began operations in Russia and CIS.[85] In February 2017, Sony starting leaving the Southeast Asia venture with the Philippines. On August 14, 2017, Sony terminated the joint venture agreement for their own operations.[84] On January 31, 2019, in anticipation of the then-pending acquisition of the most 21st Century Fox assets (which includes 20th Century Fox), Disney agreed to sell its stake in the Mexican joint venture named Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing de México to Sony Pictures Releasing.[86]

In Greece and Cyprus, Disney's movies are distributed through local distributor Feelgood Entertainment, which also distributes Sony Pictures films in those territories.

In Japan, to adapt Japan's theatrical and home media distribution model, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Japan and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Japan were merged as Walt Disney Studios Japan on March 1, 2010, the distribution unit was renamed Walt Disney Japan on November 22, 2016.[87]

In China, due to its regulated policies on international film distribution, all of Disney's films in China are distributed by China Film Co., Ltd. and/or Huaxia Film Distribution, but Disney still hold all promotional rights of their films unless it's sold to third-party companies.

Disney distributed the 2008 Indian Tamil film Dasavathaaram in Canada under the Buena Vista International banner.[88]

The Australian-produced film Subdivision was released in the Australian and New Zealand theaters on August 20, 2009, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under the Buena Vista International label in Australia with Lightning Entertainment handling the international distribution.

On October 3, 2017, it was announced that Disney would be handling international distribution of M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, released in early 2019, through the Buena Vista International banner. The film is a sequel to his earlier films Unbreakable (distributed by Disney through Touchstone) and Split (distributed by Universal Pictures). Through an arrangement made with Disney, Universal retained domestic rights to the film, while Disney distributed in international territories under the label.[89] The UK-produced film Patrick was also released in 2018 by Disney under the Buena Vista International label in the UK.[90] Missing Link was also released by Disney under Buena Vista International in Latin America, Russia and some countries in Asia.[91][92]

On February 11, 2022, the Latin American branch of Buena Vista International was renamed Star Distribution, as the Star branding replaced the Buena Vista brand company-wide in the Latin American region by Disney Latin America.[93]

On November 3, 2022, the Brazilian branch of Buena Vista International was also renamed Star Distribution following the dropping of the Buena Vista brand in the Latin American region on February 11, 2022. However, the Buena Vista International name is still used on Latin American and Brazilian prints of 20th Century/Searchlight titles.[76][94]

Film library

[edit]

Highest-grossing films

[edit]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has released 31[p] films that have crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide grosses—the most of any major Hollywood studios—with thirteen of the twenty highest-grossing films of all time being distributed by Disney; including the highest-grossing films in North America (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and worldwide (Avatar).[96] Of those thirteen films, six of them have crossed the $2 billion mark in worldwide grosses, the most for any studio. Disney has directly released three of the top five highest-grossing films in history (Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and has owned the rights to the other two films (Avatar and Titanic) since their release.[97]

In addition, Disney is the first of only three studios that have released at least two billion-dollar films in the same year (the others being Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures).[98] Furthermore, Disney is the only studio that has achieved this eight times, in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024. 2016 included four $1 billion releases, and 2019 included seven $1 billion releases, both records for any studio. Disney has released seven of the top ten highest-grossing animated films, the highest-grossing G, PG, PG-13, and R-rated films of all time, and sixteen of the twenty highest-grossing G-rated films.[99] In addition, four of the top five opening weekends were Disney releases.[100] In 2015, Disney achieved its largest yearly box-office gross worldwide and in North America.[101][102] In 2016, Disney surpassed $7 billion in worldwide yearly box-office gross—the first of any major studio—surpassing the previous 2015 record.[103] In 2019, Disney became the first studio ever to have seven releases cross $1 billion each in a single year. In the same year, Disney broke the previous records by making an unprecedented $13.2 billion at the global box office.[104]

 Indicates films playing in theaters in the week commencing 20 December 2024.
Highest-grossing films in North America
Rank Title Year Studio label Box office gross
(millions)
1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 Lucasfilm $936.7
2 Avengers: Endgame 2019 Marvel $858.4
3 Black Panther 2018 $700.1
4 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 20th Century $684.0
5 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 Marvel $678.8
6 Inside Out 2 2024 Disney/Pixar $653.2
7 Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel $636.7
8 The Avengers 2012 $623.4
9 Star Wars: The Last Jedi 2017 Lucasfilm $620.2
10 Incredibles 2 2018 Disney/Pixar $605.6
11 The Lion King 2019 Disney $543.6
12 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016 Lucasfilm $532.2
13 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019 $515.2
14 Beauty and the Beast 2017 Disney $504.0
15 Finding Dory 2016 Disney/Pixar $486.3
16 Frozen II 2019 Disney $477.4
17 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 Marvel $459.0
18 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2022 $453.8
19 Toy Story 4 2019 Disney/Pixar $434.0
20 Captain Marvel Marvel $426.8
21 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006 Disney $423.3
22 The Lion King 1994 $422.8
23 Toy Story 3 2010 Disney/Pixar $415.0
24 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022 Marvel $411.3
25 Iron Man 3 2013 $409.0
Highest-grossing films worldwide[105][106]
Rank Title Year Studio label Box office gross
(millions)
1 Avengers: Endgame 2019 Marvel $2,799.4
2 Avatar: The Way of Water 2022 20th Century $2,320.2
3 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 Lucasfilm $2,071.3
4 Avengers: Infinity War 2018 Marvel $2,052.4
5 Inside Out 2 2024 Disney/Pixar $1,697.0
6 The Lion King 2019 Disney $1,656.9
7 The Avengers 2012 Marvel $1,520.5
8 Frozen II 2019 Disney $1,453.6
9 Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015 Marvel $1,405.4
10 Black Panther 2018 $1,349.9
11 Deadpool & Wolverine 2024 $1,337.7
12 Star Wars: The Last Jedi 2017 Lucasfilm $1,334.4
13 Frozen 2013 Disney $1,284.5
14 Beauty and the Beast 2017 $1,266.1
15 Incredibles 2 2018 Disney/Pixar $1,243.0
16 Iron Man 3 2013 Marvel $1,215.8
17 Captain America: Civil War 2016 $1,155.0
18 Captain Marvel 2019 $1,131.4
19 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Lucasfilm $1,077.0
20 Toy Story 4 Disney/Pixar $1,073.3
21 Toy Story 3 2010 $1,067.0
22 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006 Disney $1,066.2
23 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016 Lucasfilm $1,058.6
24 Aladdin 2019 Disney $1,054.3
25 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011 $1,046.7

—Includes theatrical reissue(s)

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In its history, Searchlight has produced or distributed 22 films that have received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Of these, however, only five (Jojo Rabbit, Nomadland, Nightmare Alley, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Poor Things) have been released under Disney's ownership of the studio.
  2. ^ In its history, 20th Century has produced or distributed 64 films that have received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture.[48] Of these, however, only three (Ford v Ferrari, West Side Story, and Avatar: The Way of Water) have been released under Disney's ownership of the studio.
  3. ^ a b c d Films produced by these studios are distributed through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.
  4. ^ a b c d e Films produced by these studios are distributed through the 20th Century Studios banner.
  5. ^ International distribution only.
  6. ^ Latin America distribution only
  7. ^ New Regency began a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox in 1997. This deal was absorbed by Disney, when it acquired Fox in 2019 and was subsequently renewed by Disney and New Regency in 2021.[55]
  8. ^ Gloria Sanchez Productions began a first-look deal with 20th Century Studios in 2021.[56]
  9. ^ Lightstorm Entertainment began a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox in 1995. This deal was absorbed by Disney, when it acquired Fox in 2019.[57]
  10. ^ Films produced by DreamWorks were distributed through the Touchstone Pictures banner.
  11. ^ Chernin Entertainment began a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox in 2009. This deal was absorbed by Disney, when it acquired Fox in 2019 and was subsequently ended the following year.[31]
  12. ^ After Disney acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Studio Ghibli library in 1996; excluding the UK which were handled by StudioCanal in the region until 2024; Disney produced the English dubs and released 15 of Ghibli's films through the Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Home Video, Miramax and Touchstone Pictures banners. The North American theatrical rights to Studio Ghibli's film library were acquired by GKIDS from Disney in 2011. Disney continued to distribute the existing films they owned on home media (as well as The Wind Rises) until 2017, when GKIDS acquired home media rights to Ghibli's library, excluding The Wind Rises. The rights to that film reverted from Disney to GKIDS in 2020. Disney continues to distribute Studio Ghibli's film library in Taiwan (through Deltamac), China (through Excel Video) and Japan (through Happinet).
  13. ^ Starting on February 11, 2022, Buena Vista International Latin America has been rebranded to Star Distribution along with Buena Vista International Brazil which has also been rebranded to Star Distribution on November 3, 2022.
  14. ^ On November 3, 2022, Buena Vista International Brazil was renamed Star Distribution as Disney Latin America retired the Buena Vista brand on February 11, 2022.[76]
  15. ^ Star Distribution still uses the Buena Vista International name as legal name seen in the trailer of Un viaje al corazón: The Wingwalker.
  16. ^ This cumulative total includes three 20th Century Fox films that Disney has acquired the rights to since their original theatrical releases (Titanic, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Avatar); Disney has directly distributed the other 28 films.[95]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (January 8, 2021). "Disney Names Tony Chambers as Head of Theatrical Distribution (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Disney Launches 'Wish Together' Campaign To Celebrate Wish and Long-Standing Relationship with Make-A-Wish®". The Walt Disney Company. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "FIRST and Star Wars: Force for Change Launch 'Build My Droid' Contest". StarWars.com. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "AMC Rebellion Prize Pack Sweepstakes". AMC Theatres. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "Company Overview of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 4, 2022). "Disney Claims $1.17B, While Sony Says $1B+: The Conundrum Of The 2021 Domestic Box Office Marketshare". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Fixmer, Andy (April 25, 2007). "Disney to Drop Buena Vista Brand Name, People Say (Update1)". bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d "Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, INC". Entity Information. New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Collins, Keith (October 26, 2003). "Disney timeline". Variety. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e The Disney Studio Story, by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley, 1988.
  11. ^ Screen World 1957 Archived August 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Volume 8, by Daniel Blum, 1957. Page 218.
  12. ^ International Motion Picture Almanac 1977, by Richard Gertner, 1977. Page 411.
  13. ^ Crowther, Bosley (September 11, 1956). "Screen: Chinese Legend; 'Yang Kwei Fei,' Movie From Japan, Opens". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018. YANG KWEI FEI... released by Buena Vista Films.
  14. ^ "Disney, British Firm Co-Own RKO Japan, Ltd". Motion Picture Daily. Vol. 86, no. 3. July 6, 1957. pp. 1, 6. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Disney A to Z – The Official Encyclopedia Archived January 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, by Dave Smith, 1996. Page 71.
  16. ^ "Disney plans show for 'older' viewers". July 28, 1980. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  17. ^ Aberdeen, J. A. (2005). Hollywood Renegades: The Movie Theater Chains of the Media Giants. Cobblestone Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  18. ^ Ridenour, Al (May 2, 2002). "A Chamber of Secrets". Los Angelest Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  19. ^ Fox, David J. (June 19, 1991). "At Age 65, the El Capitan Gets a Major Face Lift". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  20. ^ Bates, James (May 3, 1994). "Company Town : Cinergi Hopes To Raise $35 Million in Stock Offering". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  21. ^ Peers, Martin; Busch, Anita M.; Fleming, Michael; Weiner, Rex (March 20, 1997). "Mouse House will absorb Cinergi". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  22. ^ a b c "Beleaguered Cinergi Pictures OKs Management Buyout". Los Angeles Times. AP. September 5, 1997. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  23. ^ a b "Columbia TriStar forges Gaumont deal for France". Hollywood Reporter. February 3, 2004.
  24. ^ Pollack, Andrew (July 24, 1996). "Disney in Pact for Films of the Top Animator in Japan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  25. ^ Hill, Jim (April 14, 2020). "The Making of Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" – Part 1". jimhillmedia.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  26. ^ "August Issue News Section:Disney Will Distribute Japanese Animation". Animation World Magazine. August 1996. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  27. ^ Spiegel, Josh (May 27, 2020). "The long, ugly history between Disney and Studio Ghibli". polygon.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  28. ^ "ABC, INC. Burbank, CA Wysk Company Profile". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  29. ^ Kronke, David (November 21, 1995). "After 'Toy Story' Credits Roll, the Fun Comes Alive". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  30. ^ Fulmer, Melinda (July 17, 1998). "Disney Unit Buys Historic Masonic Temple". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  31. ^ a b c d Vary, Adam B. (January 17, 2020). "Disney and Chernin Entertainment Parting Ways". Variety. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  32. ^ a b Verrier, Richard; Eller, Claudia (September 29, 2003). "Disney Pushed Toward Digital". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  33. ^ Kay, Jeremy (July 23, 2003). "DPS buys into Vanguard Animation, forms co-production giant". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  34. ^ "Disney's BVITV-AP brings 'Toon Disney' block to Vietnam". Indiantelevision.com. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  35. ^ a b Graser, Marc (February 9, 2009). "Disney signs deal with DreamWorks". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  36. ^ Marechal, AJ (September 7, 2011). "GKids to release Miyazaki toons in U.S." Variety. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  37. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (August 10, 2017). "GKIDS Takes Over U.S. Studio Ghibli Distribution From Disney". kotaku.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  38. ^ Lang, Brent (December 16, 2015). "Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll Bring Amblin Partners to Universal". Variety. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  39. ^ Busch, Anita (December 16, 2015). "It's Official: Spielberg, DreamWorks, Participant, eOne, Others Pact For Amblin Partners". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  40. ^ McClintock, Pamela; Kilday, Gregg (December 16, 2015). "Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll Team to Form Amblin Partners, Strike Distribution Deal With Universal". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  41. ^ "DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One Form Amblin Partners, a New Film, Television and Digital Content Creation Company" (Press release). Business Wire. Universal City, California. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015. Film projects in various stages of production include: 'The BFG', and 'The Light Between Oceans', scheduled for release by Disney in 2016.
  42. ^ Rainey, James (December 30, 2015). "Steven Spielberg Puts His Own Big Bucks Into the New Amblin Partners (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  43. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 21, 2019). "After Trying Day, Disney Sets Film Leadership Lineup". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019. Fox Animation (including Blue Sky Studios) will continue to be led by Co-Presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird.
  44. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 30, 2020). "Emma Watts Leaves Disney's 20th Century Studios". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020. Post-merger, Fox Searchlight, now re-branded Searchlight Pictures, enjoys a lot of autonomy in the Disney empire, greenlighting pics they know and operating their own distribution, publicity and marketing teams. 20th Century Studios (which recently dropped the Fox) was melded into the bigger Disney fold, fusing all its operations.
  45. ^ Hayes, Dade (October 12, 2020). "Disney Streamlines As Coronavirus Woes Continue, Creating Single Media and Entertainment Distribution Unit Led By Kareem Daniel". Deadline. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  46. ^ D'Allessandro, Anthony (January 8, 2021). "Tony Chambers Now Leading Disney Theatrical Distribution, Taking Over For Cathleen Taff". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  47. ^ a b c Mendelson, Scott (January 22, 2019). "'Black Panther' Best Picture Nod Has Given Disney A Huge Oscar Season Win". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  48. ^ Hammond, Pete (March 20, 2019). "20th Century Fox And The Oscars: A Storied Studio And Its Legacy At The Academy Awards". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  49. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn (February 7, 2020). "Disney's Top 2020 Oscar Prospects Come Through Its $71 Billion Fox Acquisition. Investors Prefer Its Box Office Dominance". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  50. ^ Faughnder, Ryan (January 13, 2020). "Netflix leads 2020 Oscar nominations with 'The Irishman' and 'Marriage Story'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  51. ^ Hammond, Pete (July 1, 2015). "Oscars Halftime Report: Can Animated 'Inside Out' Turn Best Picture Race Upside Down?". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  52. ^ Palmeri, Christopher; Gilblom, Kelly (March 16, 2021). "'Nomadland' Is Disney's First Best-Picture Front-Runner in Years". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  53. ^ Davis, Clayton (January 6, 2022). "Will Disney Ever Win Best Picture? 'West Side Story' Is Another Loophole Chance". Variety. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  54. ^ "About The Walt Disney Studios". The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Studios. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  55. ^ Vlessing, Etan (December 13, 2021). "New Regency Extends Film Distribution Deal With Disney". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  56. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 16, 2021). "Will Ferrell & Jessica Elbaum's Gloria Sanchez Productions Inks First-Look Feature Deal With 20th Century Studios". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  57. ^ "Cameron's Lightstorm Docks At Fox". Variety. December 18, 1995. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  58. ^ Kit, Borys (August 16, 2012). "'The Muppets' Producer Mandeville Re-Ups With Disney (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  59. ^ Graser, Marc (November 6, 2011). "Disney reups Mayhem Pictures deal". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  60. ^ Fernandez, Jay A.; Kit, Boris; McClintock, Pamela (October 27, 2011). "The State of the Studio Deals: Who's Doing What Where". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  61. ^ Masters, Kim (September 2, 2015). "Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks to Split From Disney, in Talks With Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  62. ^ Miller, Daniel (September 19, 2013). "Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer to end longtime partnership". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  63. ^ Kay, Jeremy (December 13, 2002). "Beacon's back: Bernstein signs five-year deal at Disney | News | Screen". M.screendaily.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  64. ^ Carl DiOrio,Cathy Dunkley (October 29, 2003). "$250 million will light Beacon's prod'n slate – Variety". Variety. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  65. ^ "Disney, Stan Lee sign production deal". Hollywood Reporter. Reuters. June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  66. ^ "Disney Expands Ties With Stan Lee". ICV2.com. January 3, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  67. ^ "Form 10-Q Quarterly Report 6/30/2014". OTC Markets. POW! ENTERTAINMENT, INC. August 14, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  68. ^ Eller, Clauida (August 21, 1998). Spyglass Offers Disney Lower-Risk Deals Archived April 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Accessed on March 18, 2015.
  69. ^ Eller, Claudia (May 23, 2000). "Spyglass Hopes for More Good 'Sense' in Future Projects". Los Angeles Times. p. C1. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2010. (Alternate link Archived November 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.)
  70. ^ Eller, Claudia (December 10, 2002). "Spyglass Signs Deal With DreamWorks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  71. ^ "Deal makes 'Sense' – Variety". Variety. December 14, 1999. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  72. ^ a b "Blickpunkt:Film | News | Vertriebskooperation mit Buena Vista: Universum Film wechselt Pferde". Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  73. ^ Yossman, K. J. (June 7, 2021). "Warner Bros, Pathé Strike U.K. Distribution Deal". Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  74. ^ Clarke, Stewart (October 31, 2019). "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation". Variety. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  75. ^ "Interscope Disney's First Indie Supplier". Variety. November 14, 1984. p. 3.
  76. ^ a b "Star Distribution Brasil". Facebook. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  77. ^ Oficinas centrales de The Walt Disney Company Latin America Archived February 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  78. ^ "Warner Bros. and Disney have a distribution pact". Los Angeles Times. May 4, 1987. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  79. ^ "DreamWorks Studios Announces Initial Strategic Partnerships with Entertainment One, Constantin Film, Nordisk Film and Italia Film". Business Wire. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  80. ^ Wang, Shujen (2003). Framing Piracy: Globalization and Film Distribution in Greater China. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 112,115. ISBN 9780742519800. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  81. ^ "UIP To Distribute Disney In Germany". Variety. July 23, 1986. p. 5.
  82. ^ Groves, Don (2010). AHL: 100 Years of Entertainment. Amalgamated Holdings Ltd. ISBN 9780958946612.
  83. ^ Groves, Don (February 17, 1998). "BVI ponders Finney for Aussie post". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  84. ^ a b Frater, Patrick (August 14, 2017). "Sony Launches Its Own Theatrical Distributors in Southeast Asia". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  85. ^ Holdsworth, Nick (December 27, 2006). "Disney, Sony team up for Russian content". The Hollywood Reporter. AP. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  86. ^ "Clarification on Disney/Fox transaction" (PDF). Cofece. February 6, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  87. ^ "ディズニー、映画配給とホームビデオ配給部門を統合 - 新組織ウォルト・ディズニー・スタジオ・ジャパン設立". PhileWeb. March 3, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  88. ^ Moviebuzz (June 8, 2008). "4 days for D- Day- CM watches the film". Sify. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  89. ^ Mendelson, Scott (October 3, 2017). "M. Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' Is 'Split 2' For Universal And 'Unbreakable 2' For Disney". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  90. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (February 10, 2017). "The Exchange, Disney UK Sit Up For Mandie Fletcher Family Pic 'Patrick' – Berlin". Deadline. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  91. ^ "'Missing Link': Sets The Pieces and Nearly Completed It". April 20, 2019. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  92. ^ E.D, Publicado por. "SR LINK, la nueva película del estudio LAIKA llega a los cines argentinos". Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  93. ^ "Star Distribution Latinoamérica". Facebook. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  94. ^ "Buena Vista International". February 7, 2023.
  95. ^ McClintock, Pamela (August 16, 2024). "Box Office Milestone: 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Becomes Top-Grossing R-Rated Pic of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  96. ^ "All Time Box Office Records". Box Office Mojo. July 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  97. ^ "'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is the 4th Highest-Grossing Film of All-Time". waltdisneystudios.com. January 30, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  98. ^ "All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses". Box Office Mojo. July 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  99. ^ "DOMESTIC GROSSES BY MPAA RATING". Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  100. ^ Mendelson, Scott (December 21, 2015). "'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Box Office: $248M Opening Weekend, $529M Worldwide". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  101. ^ Lang, Brent (December 21, 2015). "'Star Wars,' 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Push Disney Past $5 Billion Mark for First Time". Variety. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  102. ^ McNary, Dave (December 26, 2015). "'Star Wars' Lifts Disney to $2 Billion at 2015 U.S. Box Office". Variety. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  103. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 3, 2017). "Disney Crosses $3 Billion At Domestic B.O., First Time Ever For Major Studio; Global Now At Industry Record Of $7.6B". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  104. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (January 2, 2020). "Disney's Global Box Office Year: Mouse Roars To $13.2B; A Record Not Likely To Be Seen Again Soon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  105. ^ "All Time Worldwide Box Office for Walt Disney Movies". The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  106. ^ "All Time Worldwide Box Office for 20th Century Studios Movies". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
[edit]