Production Glossary
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures is an American company that specializes in the production and distribution of films. Paramount was established in 1912, making it one of the oldest operating film studios in the U.S. The three original partners, Adolph Zukor, Charles Frohman, and Daniel Frohman, desired to create full-length movies that would attract the middle class, so they established the Famous Players Film Company. The Famous Players joined Paramount Pictures Corporation, the company that released their first five films, in 1916. After many mergers and name changes, Paramount Pictures, Inc. was officially established in 1936.Paramount Pictures was the first studio to require block booking for its buyers. The courting and signing of major stars was the motivation to ensure that Paramount’s movies would be shown widely and consistently in theaters across America. Throughout the Golden Era of Hollywood, which was a result of the studio system, Paramount established and maintained an employee list full of stars, and made sure to capitalize off of them. Paramount is also credited with the creation of the hugely successful cartoons featuring Popeye and Betty Boop.
A new law prohibiting block booking and the demise of the studio system led to the division of Paramount Pictures, Inc. into two divisions- one for production and distribution, and one for theater chain management. Paramount’s theater chain company ended in the 1950s, however, causing a significant financial loss to the company. This crisis resulted in Paramount losing all of its contract actors and reducing production costs by limiting the number of pictures they released.
Despite its financial ups and downs, Paramount has maintained a solid business model thanks to numerous box-office hits and its venture into television (UPN merged with WB, which still exists today as the CW).
Notable Paramount franchises and other films:
- Mission: Impossible
- Star Trek
- Transformers
- Indiana Jones
- Friday the 13th
- The Ten Commandments
- Rosemary’s Baby
- White Christmas
- The Odd Couple
- Grease
