Warner Bros. was founded in 1918 by Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner. It was initially a small film distribution company but grew with the success of films featuring Rin Tin Tin in the 1920s. Warner Bros. was also a pioneer in talking films. Over the decades, it expanded through acquisitions and produced many successful film franchises and characters, including Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings. Today it remains a major film and entertainment company through divisions like DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, and New Line Cinema.

1. Warner Bros.‘The Big 6’ By Alex Sheldon & Martyn Hollinshead

2. The History of Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment Incorporated was founded in 1918, by the Warner Brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack. The brothers acquired a film projector which they used to show films in the mining of Pennsylvania and Ohio and opened their first theatre, the Cascade in Pennsylvania in 1903. In 1904, the brothers founded the Duquesne Amusement & Supply Company, which distributed films around the country. In 1918, this finally became the Warner Brothers Studio and was based on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.In 1919, what really put Warner Bros. on the Hollywood map was a dog, Rin Tin Tin, brought from France after World War I by an American soldier. Rin Tin Tin debuted in the film Where the North Begins. The movie was so successful that Jack Warner agreed to sign the dog to star in more films for $1,000 per week. Rin Tin Tin became the top star at the studio.Warner Bros. was a pioneer of films with sound (Talkies), as Sam pushed to have this new feature included in their films. Harry, however opposed the idea with the famous line, “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”In 1927, Sam died and Jack became the head of the studio. Sam’s death however hit Jack hard, making him end up running the studio with an iron fist, firing many of the studio’s stars, including Rin Tin Tin.

3. The History of Warner Bros. Cont.Through the decades, Warner Bros. made films from mostly one type of genre, but these genres kept changing. For example, in the 20’s they made musicals, during the 30’s they were well known for making gangster films, and in the 40’s they made primarily war films.In 1936, the now famous Porky Pig made his first appearance, leading to Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon being made. Other famous characters soon followed, including Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.During the 50’s 3D films became popular and Warner Bros. jumped onto the band-wagon with the film House of Wax. Their first venture into 3D animation was with a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Lumber Jack Rabbit. The cartoon almost shut down the entire studio, as Jack Warner closed the animations department, believing all future cartoons would be made using 3D technology. Luckily, once 3D once again fell into the abyss, the company had enough back episodes to continue showing their cartoons, whilst the animation studio was set back up.Since the 50’s, Warner Bros. have continued to expand, buying up several key film companies and franchises, including Sesame Street, Harry Potter, some Star Wars cartoons and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

4. SubsidiariesMain subsidiaries include:DC Comics, creators of superheroes such as Superman and Batman

5. Warner Bros. Animation, who made Looney Tunes

6. New Line Cinema, a large film production company

7. Mad Magazine, famous controversial magazineMajor Successes & FilmsLooney Tunes seriesHarry Potter sagaThe Matrix series, one of the highest grossing box office series of all time (over $1 billion)Lord of The Rings films, world record Oscars nominationsThe Exorcist, #3 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments