has taken a grittier path. Under CEO David Zaslav, the studio has shifted from "everything for everyone" to a focus on "tentpole IP." Their production of Barbie (2023) was a masterclass in meta-marketing—taking a plastic doll and turning it into a feminist existential comedy. It grossed $1.4 billion, proving that "prestige nonsense" is a viable genre.
(Stay tuned for next week’s deep dive: "How Fan Edits Are Forcing Studios to Change Their Final Cuts.") has taken a grittier path
When discussing popular entertainment studios , Disney sits at the apex. Following its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar, Disney controls an unprecedented share of the market. Their production strategy relies on "tentpole" filmmaking. (Stay tuned for next week’s deep dive: "How
Dominates the mid-budget action and YA space with franchises like John Wick , The Hunger Games , and Saw . Dominates the mid-budget action and YA space with
The most successful studios today are not the ones with the biggest budgets, but the ones with the best and cultural agility . Disney is learning that forcing sequels fails. Netflix is learning that pure volume creates noise. And A24 is proving that weird, specific, beautiful stories are the only thing that cuts through the noise.
The global entertainment landscape is dominated by a few massive conglomerates that own the majority of film and television output.