The Shrinking Presence of Major Studios
From 1995 to 2009, Hollywood’s six major studios—Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Sony—released an average of 112 theatrical films per year. However, from 2010 to 2023, that number dropped to 83, with the disappearance of Fox under Disney exacerbating the decline.
The number of theatrical tickets sold in the U.S. has fallen by 38% over the past decade, while ticket prices have increased by 33%. This trend points to fewer high-quality films produced by the remaining studios, resulting in a reduced selection for consumers.
Between 2017 and 2019, the worldwide box office consistently hovered around $40 billion annually. However, in 2022 and 2023, it only reached about half that amount, and 2024 is lagging even further behind those already dreary figures.
