Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, doing business as Paramount Pictures (also known simply as Paramount) is an American film and television production and distribution company and the namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global (Previously known as ViacomCBS). It is the sixth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles.[1]
For the parent company formerly known as ViacomCBS, see Paramount Global.Paramount Pictures
- Famous Players Film Company (1912–1916)
- Famous Players–Lasky Corporation (1916–1927)
- Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation (1927–1930)
- Paramount Publix Corporation (1930–1935)
- Paramount Pictures Inc. (1935–1950)
May 8, 1912
Worldwide
Brian Robbins (chairman and CEO)
- Rede Telecine (12.5%)
- United International Pictures (50%)
In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 24 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo.[2] In 1967, the number of stars was reduced to 22 and their hidden meaning was dropped. In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only.[3] The company's headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California.[4]
Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).[5]
1912
Famous Players Film Company is founded
Lasky Feature Play Company is founded
Paramount Pictures is founded as a film distributor
Famous Players and Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount
Westinghouse Broadcasting forms with the launch of KDKA-AM
CBS is founded; Famous Players–Lasky assumes Paramount's name
Paramount buys 49% of CBS
Paramount sells back shares of CBS
Desilu is founded and CBS distributes its television programs
CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films
Gulf+Western buys Paramount
Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television; CBS Films becomes CBS Enterprises
CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom
Viacom is spun off from CBS as a separate company
Viacom buys full ownership of Showtime and MTV Networks
National Amusements buys Viacom
Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications
Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
Westinghouse buys CBS
Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation
Viacom buys CBS Corporation
Viacom buys BET Networks
Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom
CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge as ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS renamed to Paramount Global
NYSE: PCI
1989
Martin S. Davis
July 7, 1994
Absorbed into Viacom
New York City, New York, United States
Madison Square Garden
Paramount Pictures
Simon & Schuster
Investments
DreamWorks Pictures
In 2006, Paramount became the parent of DreamWorks Pictures. Soros Strategic Partners and Dune Entertainment II soon afterwards acquired controlling interest in live-action films released through DreamWorks, with the release of Just Like Heaven on September 16, 2005. The remaining live-action films released until March 2006 remained under direct Paramount control. However, Paramount still owns distribution and other ancillary rights to Soros and Dune films.
On February 8, 2010, Viacom repurchased Soros' controlling stake in DreamWorks' library of films released before 2005 for around $400 million.[141] Even as DreamWorks switched distribution of live-action films not part of existing franchises to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and later Universal Pictures, Paramount continues to own the films released before the merger, and the films that Paramount themselves distributed, including sequel rights such as that of Little Fockers (2010), distributed by Paramount and DreamWorks. It was a sequel to two existing DreamWorks films, Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004). (Paramount only owned the international distribution rights to Little Fockers, whereas Universal Pictures handled domestic distribution).[142]
Paramount also owned distribution rights to the DreamWorks Animation library of films made before 2013, and their previous distribution deal with future DWA titles expired at the end of 2012, with Rise of the Guardians. 20th Century Fox took over distribution for post-2012 titles beginning with The Croods (2013) and ending with Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017).[143] Universal Pictures subsequently took over distribution for DreamWorks Animation's films beginning with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) due to NBCUniversal's acquisition of the company in 2016. Paramount's rights to the 1998–2012 DWA library would have expired 16 years after each film's initial theatrical release date,[144] but in July 2014, DreamWorks Animation purchased Paramount's distribution rights to the pre-2013 library, with 20th Century Fox distributing the library until January 2018, which Universal then assumed ownership of distribution rights.[145]
Another asset of the former DreamWorks owned by Paramount is the pre-2008 DreamWorks Television library, which is currently distributed by Paramount's sister company CBS Media Ventures; it includes Spin City, High Incident, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and On the Lot.
CBS library
Independent company Hollywood Classics represents Paramount with the theatrical distribution of all the films produced by the various motion picture divisions of CBS over the years, as a result of the 2000 Viacom/CBS merger.
Paramount has outright video distribution to the aforementioned CBS library with some exceptions; less-demanded content is usually released manufactured-on-demand by CBS themselves or licensed to Visual Entertainment Inc. As of the 2019 Viacom/CBS merger, this library now includes the theatrical distribution of Terrytoons short films on behalf of Paramount Animation, while CBS Media Ventures owns the television distribution. Until 2009, the video rights to My Fair Lady were with original theatrical distributor Warner Bros., under license from CBS (the video license to that film has now reverted to Paramount).
The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the mainstay of the company's production logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. In the sound era, the logo was accompanied by a fanfare called Paramount on Parade after the film of the same name, released in 1930. The words to the fanfare, originally sung in the 1930 film, were "Proud of the crowd that will never be loud, it's Paramount on Parade."
Legend has it that the mountain is based on a doodle made by W. W. Hodkinson during a meeting with Adolph Zukor. It is said to be based on the memories of his childhood in Utah. Some claim that Utah's Ben Lomond is the mountain Hodkinson doodled, and that Peru's Artesonraju[152] is the mountain in the live-action logo, while others claim that the Italian side of Monviso inspired the logo. Some editions of the logo bear a striking resemblance to the Pfeifferhorn,[153] another Wasatch Range peak, and to the Matterhorn on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Mount Huntington in Alaska also bears a striking resemblance.
The motion picture logo has gone through many changes over the years:
Latino and Hispanic representation
On July 31, 2018, Paramount was targeted by the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the National Latino Media Council, which have both claimed that the studio has the worst track record of hiring Latino and Hispanic talent both in front of and behind the camera (the last Paramount film directed by a Spanish director was Rings in 2017). In response, Paramount released the statement: "We recently met with NHMC in a good faith effort to see how we could partner as we further drive Paramount's culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Under our new leadership team, we continue to make progress — including ensuring representation in front of and behind the camera in upcoming films such as Dora the Explorer, Instant Family, Bumblebee, and Limited Partners – and welcome the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with the Latino creative community further."[161][162][163]
The NHMC protested at the Paramount Pictures lot on August 25. More than 60 protesters attended, while chanting "Latinos excluded, time to be included!". NHMC president and CEO Alex Nogales vowed to continue the boycott until the studio signed a memorandum of understanding.[164]
On October 17, the NHMC protested at the Paramount film lot for the second time in two months, with 75 protesters attending. The leaders delivered a petition signed by 12,307 people and addressed it to Jim Gianopulos.[165]
