Why the Big 5 Hollywood Studios Are No Longer Relevant

The “Big 5” made most of the movies and won most of awards during the early days of cinema..

Films posters from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Ralf Liebhold / Shutterstock

Starting in 1912 with the founding of Universal and Paramount and lasting a little over a century, the movies made by the Big 5 Hollywood studios thoroughly dominated the motion picture industry.

Up to 85 percent of all features released in the United States during this time were produced by these studios. In addition to Universal and Paramount, the Big 5 include Columbia (founded in 1918), Disney and Warner Bros. (both founded in 1923).