Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
| Company type | Division of Walt Disney Studios |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 1953 (as Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc.) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Motion picture distribution |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Website | waltdisneystudios.com |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is a motion picture distribution company owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1953, as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, the company handles distribution for films produced by the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. The division took on its new name in 2002.
History
Prior to 1953, Walt Disney's productions were distributed by Columbia Pictures (1929–1932), United Artists (1932–1937) and RKO Radio Pictures (1937–1954). However, a dispute over the value of Disney's True-Life Adventures series of live-action documentary featurettes in 1953 led to Walt and his older brother Roy Oliver Disney to form its wholly owned subsidiary the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. to handle the U.S. distribution of their own product. Buena Vista's first release was the Academy Award winning live-action feature The Living Desert (1953).
The "Buena Vista" company name comes from Buena Vista Street, the road on which the current Walt Disney Studios and company headquarters are situated in Burbank, California. Lake Buena Vista is also Walt Disney World's mailing address in Florida.
Buena Vista International was the international distribution arm, Buena Vista Home Entertainment was the firm's video and DVD distribution arm, and Buena Vista Television was renamed as Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
In April 2007, Disney decided to retire the Buena Vista brand,[1] although today, the Buena Vista name is used only for home media distribution through certain divisions of Disney's home entertainment.
International distribution arrangements
Buena Vista International was formed in 1992 after Disney opted to end a previous joint venture with Warner Bros. 1988-1993 to distribute their films in overseas markets (UK, Ireland, Benelux & Scandinavia). Distribution rights in West Germany were given to MGM and later 20th Century Fox before the Warner Bros. joint venture.
In Russia and CIS, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Disney films had been distributed in a joint venture with Sony Pictures Entertainment.[2][3]
In Turkey, Disney films had been distributed by United International Pictures.
16 of the 20 highest grossing G rated movies were now distributed by Disney.[4]
Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is noteworthy for having five films that have surpassed the $1-billion-mark in worldwide ticket sales:
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) ($1,066,179,725)
- Alice in Wonderland (2010) ($1,024,299,904)
- Toy Story 3 (2010) ($1,063,171,911)[5]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) ($1,043,871,802)[6]
- The Avengers (2012) ($1,398,085,968)[7]
Disney is the only major Hollywood studio that has released more than two films that have crossed the $1-billion-mark (in worldwide grosses). In addition, Disney is the only studio to have released two $1-billion-dollar films in the same year.[8][9]
The company distributes all features produced by the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and some third-parties including:
- Current
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Disneynature
- Marvel Studios
- Touchstone Pictures
- Hollywood Pictures
- ESPN Films
- Studio Ghibli (North America)
- Former
- Miramax Films (1993–2010)
- Dimension Films (1993–2005)
- ImageMovers Digital (2009–2011)
Franchises
References
- ^ Fixmer, Andy (25 April 2007). "Disney to Drop Buena Vista Brand Name, People Say". Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Disney, Sony team up for Russian content, The Hollywood Reporter, December 27, 2006
- ^ "Disney, Sony team up for Russian content - Disney News". Wdwinfo.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ "DOMESTIC GROSSES BY MPAA RATING". Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ "Toy Story 3 reaches $1 billion dollars globally; The Pixar Blog". The Pixar Blog. August 27, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
- ^ ""Pirates" treasure mounts to billion worldwide". Reuters. July 2, 2011.
- ^ "'The Avengers': $1 Billion In Global Box Office After Record Second Weekend". Huffington Post. May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
- ^ "'Toy Story 3' Reaches $1 Billion". Box Office Mojo. August 29, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- ^ "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Avengers' Reaches $1 Billion Worldwide". Box Office Mojo. May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
