Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
Movie studios in the United States and Canada - statistics & facts
While Hollywood's mediascape may seem the same on the surface, its tectonic plates continue to move and lead to seismic shifts in the film studio segment in the United States and Canada, collectively known as the North American movie market. At first glance, the hegemony of the "Big Five" – Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. – remains unchallenged. Between 2006 and 2022, their combined market share in the two countries oscillated between 74 and 84 percent. But in 2023, these companies held 72.8 percent of the market share throughout 2023, the lowest value since 2005.
A whole new world order
Disney's box office gross in the North American market in 2023 amounted to 1.89 billion dollars, about two billion less than in 2019, which still excluded 20th Century. On the other hand, Universal Pictures ruled the international and domestic box office in 2023, thus becoming the international box office leader for the first time since 2015. For the third year running, the animated movies distributed by Universal generated more box office revenue than Disney’s productions. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", released by Universal’s division Illumination, was the second highest-grossing movie of 2023.Are theatrical releases threatened?
A stronger focus on video-on-demand (VOD), arguably accelerated by the pandemic, might help to explain the industry's hesitation to release movies in theaters. The number of film premieres slightly increased in 2023 in comparison to the previous year, but still accounted for little more than half of the average seen prior to the coronavirus outbreak. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) along with its subsidiary Searchlight, their number of wide theatrical releases plummeted. Both companies launched a total of 21 feature films across multiple cinemas in the U.S. and Canada throughout 2019. In the five following years, their combined annual average stood below ten. However, non-Big Five studios are producing and releasing more than ever.Is the future independent?
Over the last few years, the film industry has been marked by the ever-increasing success of independent cinema. Independent studio A24, a favorite among Gen Z moviegoers, saw its gross box office revenue rise and reach its peak in 2023, thanks to movie hits such as “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”. On top of being a box office darling, A24 productions are critically lauded – during the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, the studio brought home a total of 11 awards.
