Time Magazine 2014 Annual Report Download - page 8

The Global Leader in Entertainment
Warner Bros. stands at the forefront of the entertainment industry with
businesses in feature films, television, home entertainment, videogames, and
consumer products.
Warner Bros. has entertained and captivated
the world during its storied 90-plus-year
history, and 2014 was no exception. Warner
Bros. feature films crossed the $4 billion mark
in worldwide box oce for the sixth time, led
by blockbusters including The LEGO Movie
and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies. And American Sniper was the highest-
grossing domestic film released in 2014.
Warner Bros. Television Group continued to
lead the industry with more than 60 series
produced for the 2014-2015 television
season, including the leading scripted show,
The Big Bang Theory, and top nonscripted
show, The Voice. And Warner Bros. again
led the home entertainment industry in sales
of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs while trailblazing
new business models that have helped make
digital ownership of content more compelling
for consumers.
Looking ahead, Warner Bros. plans to build
even further on its industry-leading positions
as it taps into the growing global demand for
content. Working with the world’s best talent,
Warner Bros. Pictures' and New Line Cinema’s
pipeline includes the most ambitious slate
of tentpole films in their history. Next year’s
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and
Suicide Squad launch a slate of at least
10 films based on IP from the revered DC
Entertainment (DCE) library. A series of films
marking J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut
that are inspired by her Harry Potter Hogwarts
textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them, are also in the pipeline. The smash
success of last year’s The LEGO Movie will
be followed by at least three related releases
over the next three years, including a sequel
and LEGO Batman.
In television this year, Warner Bros. is further
mining the rich DCE lineup of characters that
fueled two of 2014’s biggest hits — Gotham
and The Flash. DCE, as well as LEGO, are
also key drivers of Warner Bros.’ videogames
business, including last year’s release of
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. 2015 is
expected to be a record year for Warner
Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with the final
installment of the Batman Arkham trilogy,
Mortal Kombat X, several new mobile games,
and the planned launch of LEGO Dimensions,
combining physical and virtual play in the
popular “toys-to-life” category.
Warner Bros. is also deepening its strong
relationships with Turner and HBO. The
studio is forging a global kids partnership
with Turner that will encompass programming
and consumer products, and Warner Bros.
is producing its second series for HBO, the
upcoming Westworld, following the success
of last year’s The Leftovers.
For more on Warner Bros.’ digital and
international activities, see pages 8-11.
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Time Warner Annual Report6
“The demand for high-quality video content is
growing rapidly all around the world, as new
technologies have created new platforms
and millions of new connected consumers.
The opportunity is huge, and no studio is
better positioned than Warner Bros. to take
advantage of it.”
— Kevin Tsujihara,
Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO