Universal Pictures

Universal City Studios LLC
Universal Pictures
Formerly
List
  • Universal Film Manufacturing Company (1912–1923)
  • Universal Pictures Corporation (1923–1936)
  • Universal Productions, Inc. (1936–1937)
  • Universal Pictures Company, Inc. (1937–1963)
  • Universal Pictures, Inc. (1963–1964)
  • Universal City Studios, Inc. (1964–1996)
  • Universal Studios Inc. (1996–2014)
Company typeDivision
IndustryFilm
PredecessorIndependent Moving Pictures
FoundedApril 30, 1912 (1912-04-30)
Founders
Headquarters10 Universal City Plaza, ,
U.S.
Number of locations
3
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsMotion pictures
RevenueIncrease US$11.622 billion (2022)
ParentNBCUniversal
Divisions
Subsidiaries
Website
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (informally as Universal Studios or also known simply as Universal), is an American film production and distribution company owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast.

Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour, Universal is the oldest surviving film studio in the United States; the world's fifth oldest after Gaumont, Pathé, Titanus and Nordisk Film; and the oldest major film studio in scope of the cinema of the United States, best known as "Hollywood", in terms of the overall film market. Its studios are located in Universal City, California, and its corporate offices are located in New York City.

The most commercially successful film series from Universal include Fast & Furious, Jurassic Park, and Despicable Me. Additionally, the studio's library includes many individual films such as Jaws and E.T. the Extraterrestrial, both of which became the highest-grossing films of all time during their initial releases. Universal Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), and was one of the "Little Three" majors during Hollywood's golden age.[4]

Evolution of Comcast NBCUniversal
Comcast logo since 2024 NBCUniversal logo since 2011
1912Universal Pictures is founded
1926NBC is founded
1928Universal Cartoon Studios (later known as Universal Animation Studios) is founded
1943Universal Television is founded
1953NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years
1956NBC's peacock logo debuts
1963American Cable Systems is founded
1964Universal Studios Hollywood opens
1967NBC broadcasts the first-ever Super Bowl
1968American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast
1972Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
1975PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is founded
Universal releases Jaws
1982Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
1983Sally premieres
1985Universal's Back to the Future premieres
1986General Electric buys NBC for $6.4 billion
NBC's modern peacock logo introduced
1989NBC launches CNBC
1990Sky is founded
Universal Studios Florida opens
Law & Order premieres
1991Universal releases Backdraft and Cape Fear
Jerry Springer and Maury both premiere
1992Dateline NBC premieres
1993Universal releases Jurassic Park and Schindler's List
Homicide: Life on the Street premieres
1994DreamWorks Animation is founded
New York Undercover premieres
1996NBC and Microsoft launch MSNBC
1998Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Universal Television becomes Studios USA Television
1999PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures
Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres
2001Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan
Universal releases The Fast and the Furious and A Beautiful Mind
Law & Order: Criminal Intent premieres
2002NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo
Focus Features is formed
Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion
2003Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark
2004GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal
2005Law & Order: Trial by Jury and The Office both premiere
Focus Features releases The Constant Gardener and Brokeback Mountain
Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout
Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion
2006USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers
Focus Features releases Hollywoodland and Catch a Fire
2007Illumination is founded
The Steve Wilkos Show premieres
2010Universal releases Despicable Me
Law & Order: LA premieres
2011Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company
The name "PBS Kids" is dropped out from Sprout (Leaving the name "Sprout")
NBCUniversal Archives is founded
2012Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary
Chicago Fire premieres
2013Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU
PBS sells Sprout to Comcast/NBCU
2014Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion
Chicago P.D. premieres
NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE
2015Chicago Med premieres
2016NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation
2017Chicago Justice premieres
Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids
2018Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox
FBI premieres
2019NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting
Judge Jerry premieres
2020NBCU launches Peacock
FBI: Most Wanted premieres
2021Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort
Law & Order: Organized Crime and FBI: International both premiere
2022Karamo and Lopez vs Lopez both premiere
2023Universal releases The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and Oppenheimer
  1. ^ "Comcast Reports 4Th Quarter And Full Year 2022 Results" (PDF). cmcsa.com. Comcast. January 26, 2022. p. 4. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Contact Us". NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  3. ^ "Brad Weston Launches Production Company With Backing From Universal, eOne". Variety. May 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "Our Story". MPAA.