Hollywood
Warner Bros. is the highest earning Hollywood studio of 2013
MUMBAI: In a record-breaking year, Warner Bros. Pictures emerged as the top-grossing studio for 2013, ranking number one in domestic, international and worldwide market shares. Reportedly, the Studio was at the number one spot in global market share in 2013 with $5.04 billion in global ticket sales, followed by Disney and Universal.
Warner Bros.’s domestic revenue was $1.9 billion, while its overseas haul was $3.14 billion for a total $5.04 billion, up from $4.25 in 2012. While Disney’s domestic revenue reached at $1.72 billion, up 11 percent over 2012 and international revenue was at $3.01 billion; Universal’s revenue clocked at $1.9 billion domestic and $3.14 billion internationally.
Warner Bros. president of Domestic Distribution Dan Fellman; president of International Distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg; president of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Pictures and Sue Kroll made the announcement recently.
Fellman said in a release, “We are extremely proud of all the remarkable benchmarks reached in 2013. These terrific numbers speak to the diversity of our slate, which has enabled us to deliver great entertainment to a broad range of audiences throughout the year.”
Warner Bros. in the year produced a varied variety of films reaching out to audiences all over the world. Two current hits, still in theatres, are among the Studio’s highest-grossing films for the year: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in partnership with New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), at $659 million worldwide and counting; and Gravity at $663 million to date.
The Summer blockbuster Man of Steel from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, was the Studio’s top-grossing release for the year at $668 million globally. The other movies that were the highlight at Box Office include Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim with $411 million; The Hangover Part III also in partnership with Legendary, at $362 million; The Great Gatsby in partnership with Village Roadshow Pictures, at $351 million; New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring with $318 million; and We’re the Millers also from New Line, at $270 million.
Interestingly, for a Hollywood studio, it is just the second time to have achieved such a business. Earlier, in 2001 Paramount had made the same mark.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
