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 2021, their combined market share in the two countries oscillated between 74 and 84 percent. But in the latter year, MGM's annual box office gross surpassed Paramount's by around 16 percent. More changes followed. In early 2022, Amazon bought MGM (along with its subsidiaries, notably United Artists) for about 8.5 billion U.S. dollars, announcing that it became part of its Prime Video streaming service and Amazon Studios. 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 increased by 21 percent in 2021 but still accounted for little more than half of the average seen prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

A whole new world order

Another merger shortly before the pandemic also altered the cinema business in North America. 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 three following years, their combined annual average stood below 12. Disney's box office gross in the North American market in 2021 amounted to 1.17 billion dollars, less than one-third of its 2019 revenue, which still excluded 20th Century. Meanwhile, the holding's newest outlet for audiovisual productions continued to rise. The average monthly revenue per Disney+ subscriber worldwide grew by nine percent in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021.

A solid silver medal

Whereas 2020 was a game-changing year for the industry, with Sony ranking first by market share for the first time in almost a decade, the studio kept a robust second place afterward. Despite Disney's recovery and eventual conquering of the coveted first place, Sony's box office market share in the U.S. and Canada slightly increased, remaining above 20 percent for the second consecutive year. That was the first time the studio held such a high percentage in the 21st century. Furthermore, Sony's box office revenue has caught up faster than the North American average. In 2021, the figure stood at 1.06 billion dollars, amounting to nearly 80 percent of the result recorded in 2019.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 6, 2023

Key insights

Top studios by box office revenue in the U.S. & Canada
Disney & Sony
Combined market share of the "Big Five" in the U.S. & Canada
81%
Annual number of movies released in the U.S. & Canada
449
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Box office revenue of leading film studios in the United States and Canada in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

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Box office revenue of top film studios in the U.S. & Canada in 2021

Combined market share of the "Big Five" major film studios in the United States and Canada from 2000 to 2022

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Combined market share of major film distributors in the U.S. & Canada 2000-2022

All-time film studio ranking by number of "Best Picture" Academy Awards as of 2023

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Film studio ranking by number of "Best Picture" Academy Awards 2023

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Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Film industry in the United States and Canada
Film industry in the United States and Canada
Academy Awards
Academy Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Film industry in Europe
Film industry in Europe
Box office in the United States and Canada
Box office in the United States and Canada

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