“A Comcast Company” – Universal Studios slogan.
- The Universal Studios is a major film studio that produces motion picture films, and the main production studios are located in Universal City, California in the United States.
- ‘Universal Studios’ has also been known as ‘Universal Pictures’ and is officially known as ‘Universal Studios Incorporation’, and its parent company is ‘NBCUniversal Incorporated’.
- Universal Studios was founded in 1912 as the ‘Universal Film Manufacturing Company’, which was a merger of a number of other studios, making it the oldest United States film studio, and it ranks fourth oldest among the studios of the world that are still producing.
- The Universal Studios has released three films during its history that have been the top grossing film at the time: ‘Jaws’ in 1975; ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ in 1982; and ‘Jurassic Park’ in 1993.
- The Universal Studios was originally founded by 8 people, with Carl Laemmle as the first company president, who later bought out his partners.
Universal Logo from 2012
Image Courtesy of Universal Studios
- During its hundred years, Universal Studios has been owned by or merged with many organisations, including International Pictures, Music Cooperation of America, Matsushita (now Panasonic), Seagram, Vivendi and in 2004, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) which is now owned by Comcast Corporation.
- The Universal Studios have studios and theme parks in California’s Hollywood and Florida’s Orlando in the United States, and Japan and Singapore in Asia, and have more planned for the future in other locations around the world.
- In 2011, the Universal Studios had a revenue of US$4.239 billion, and its 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2012 with a new improved logo and a project of restoring and reviving thirteen of its films.
- According to legend, the Universal Studios original name was named by the original president based on a wagon he saw with the printed words on it, ‘Universal Pipe Fittings’.
- The Universal Studio logo in 1914 originally resembled the planet Saturn, and its concept is still used today, with the planet being Earth and the text wrapping around it.
Bibliography:
Gallagher B, Universal Pictures Celebrates 100th Anniversary with Restoration of 13 Classic Films, 2012, Movieweb, http://www.movieweb.com/news/universal-pictures-celebrates-100th-anniversary-with-restoration-of-13-classic-films
The Story Behind… The Universal Pictures Logo, n.d, My Film Views, http://www.myfilmviews.com/2012/02/16/the-story-behind-the-universal-pictures-logo/
Universal Studios, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Studios
