The Success of Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers (WB) is known for producing some of the most successful movie series that includes Superman, Batman, and Harry Potter. Named after the surname of proprietors Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack, Warner Brothers has been successfully giving moviegoers quality entertainment throughout the years.

The brothers’ first interest in the movie industry surfaced after Harry bought a used Edison Kinetoscope projector. It gave birth to the brothers’ movie business in 1904, when they started their traveling movie shows. In May 1903, they opened their theater, the Cascade, but later on decided to go into film distribution because it gave them more profit. With the $40,000 they earned in selling the theater, the brothers went into fulltime film distribution, only to be stopped by a patents company that did not allow operations of distributors who did not pay royalty.

The brothers eventually came up with Warner Features and produced low budget films. Two of the Warner brothers then went to California for a new film exchange, and this started their venture into film production.

By 1925, the brothers enjoyed success by pioneering the production of the first movies that had synchronized speech and effects. They acquired the Vitaphone, which was used in the movie The Jazz Singer; the first ever “talkie.” WB’s initial all-talking feature was the movie Lights of New York, produced in 1928.

WB went on to produce other successful movies like Casablanca and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In 1933, the movie 42nd Street saved the company from bankruptcy. During this year, the company also began to go into animation.

Aside from numerous blockbusters, WB also ventured into television. Warner Brothers’ worldwide success is a true testament of the determination and hard work of four brothers who dreamed of conquering the filmmaking industry.