Predecessors

• Fox Film

• Twentieth Century Pictures

Founded: May 31, 1935

Founders:

• Joseph M. Schenck

• Darryl F. Zanuck

• William Fox

20th Century Studios, Inc. has been a major American film studio since it was established in 1935 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation through a merger of Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures, becoming one of the original "Big Five" studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. In 1985, after its acquisition by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, the studio removed the hyphen from its name, becoming Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. News Corporation later rebranded as 21st Century Fox in 2013, following the spinoff of its publishing assets. On March 20, 2019, Disney acquired most of 21st Century Fox's assets, including 20th Century Fox. To avoid confusion with Fox Corporation, the studio was renamed 20th Century Studios on January 17, 2020, and began using this name for copyrights of 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures productions from December 4 of the same year.

History

From its founding in 1935 to 1956, 20th Century-Fox emerged as a significant player in Hollywood. The studio was created when Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck, co-founders of Twentieth Century Pictures, left United Artists and initiated merger talks with Fox Film Corporation, which had struggled since its founder, William Fox, lost control in 1930. With the help of Spyros Skouras, then manager of Fox West Coast Theaters, the merger was completed, forming Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation on May 31, 1935. The company retained Fox's leadership under President Sidney Kent, with Schenck and Zanuck assuming prominent roles. Zanuck replaced Winfield Sheehan as the production chief and began signing rising stars such as Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, Sonja Henie, and Betty Grable. Alice Faye and Shirley Temple also joined, bolstering the studio's roster with several major roles throughout the 1930s.

During World War II, increased movie attendance allowed 20th Century-Fox to surpass other studios like RKO and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, making it the third most profitable studio of the time. In 1941, Zanuck left to serve in the U.S. Signal Corps, and his partner William Goetz managed the studio. By 1942, Skouras had become president, overseeing a period marked by a series of adult and provocative films such as "Wilson" (1944), "The Razor's Edge" (1946), and "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947). The studio also focused on adapting best-selling books, such as "Leave Her to Heaven" (1945), and brought Broadway musicals to the screen, including Rodgers and Hammerstein's works, beginning with "State Fair" (1945).

After World War II, the studio faced a decline in audience numbers. To combat this, 20th Century-Fox invested in CinemaScope, a new widescreen technology developed by Henri Chrétien, which provided a slight illusion of depth without requiring special glasses. Launched with "The Robe" in 1953, CinemaScope quickly became popular, with other studios adopting the technology. However, by 1956, despite the brief surge in attendance from CinemaScope, numbers began to decline again. That year, Darryl Zanuck resigned as head of production and moved to Paris, where he became an independent producer, distancing himself from the studio for many years.

Production and financial problems

After Darryl Zanuck's departure, his successor, Buddy Adler, died within a year, and 20th Century-Fox faced turbulent times. President Spyros Skouras brought in several production executives, but none matched Zanuck's success. By the early 1960s, the studio was in trouble. The production of a new version of "Cleopatra" (1963), initially cast with Joan Collins and later replaced by Elizabeth Taylor, began in 1959. As production costs soared and Taylor's romance with Richard Burton became a media sensation, Skouras' interference only delayed the project further.

Simultaneously, the studio rushed a remake of "My Favorite Wife" (1940), titled "Something's Got to Give," with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin. Monroe's erratic behavior led to delays, and after her firing, she was rehired shortly before her tragic death. Meanwhile, "Cleopatra's" budget escalated to $40 million, forcing the studio to sell its back lot to raise funds. The Monroe film was eventually completed as "Move Over, Darling" (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, and it became a hit. "The Longest Day" (1962), a war epic produced under Zanuck's supervision, was carefully crafted and well-received, further fueling his discontent with Skouras.

At a pivotal board meeting, Zanuck convinced the directors that Skouras was mismanaging the company and positioned himself as the only viable successor. He became chairman and appointed his son, Richard Zanuck, as president. This new management quickly took control of "Cleopatra," rushed its completion, and cut costs by shutting down the studio, laying off staff, and canceling the long-running Movietone Newsreel. They also produced a series of affordable yet popular films that restored 20th Century-Fox's status as a major studio. The studio's revival was solidified with the tremendous success of "The Sound of Music" (1965), which became a box office hit and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Throughout the 1960s, 20th Century-Fox produced successful science-fiction films like "Fantastic Voyage" (1966) and "Planet of the Apes" (1968). However, by 1971, several expensive flops led to financial losses, and Zanuck was removed. New management under Gordon T. Stulberg and Alan Ladd Jr. revitalized the studio by diversifying its investments and co-producing hits like "The Towering Inferno" (1974) with Warner Bros., marking the first major joint-venture in film production.

20th Century-Fox reached new heights in 1977 with the release of "Star Wars," which became the most profitable film of its time. The film's unprecedented success dramatically increased the studio's financial position, with revenues soaring from $195 million in 1976 to $301 million in 1977, and stock prices quadrupling.

Motion picture film processing

From its earliest days in movie production, Fox Film Corporation operated its own processing laboratories. The original lab was located in Fort Lee, New Jersey, alongside the studios, and another was included with the new studio built in Los Angeles in 1916. In 1919, the Fort Lee lab, headed by Alan E. Freedman, was relocated to the new Fox Studios building in Manhattan. In 1932, Freedman purchased the labs from Fox for $2,000,000, helping to provide liquidity to the financially struggling company. He renamed the operation "DeLuxe Laboratories," which eventually evolved into Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. In the 1940s, Freedman sold the labs back to what had become 20th Century Fox but remained as president into the 1960s. Under his leadership, DeLuxe expanded by adding two more labs in Chicago and Toronto and began processing film for other studios, such as United Artists and Universal, in addition to Fox.

Logo and fanfare

The 20th Century Fox production logo and fanfare originated as the logo of Twentieth Century Pictures and was adopted by 20th Century-Fox following their merger in 1935. The logo features a stacked, three-dimensional block-letter design known as "the Monument," surrounded by Art Deco-style buildings and illuminated by searchlights. In film openings, the searchlights are animated, and the sequence is accompanied by a distinctive fanfare originally composed by Alfred Newman in 1933. The original logo layout was created by special effects animator and matte painting artist Emil Kosa Jr.

In 1953, artist Rocky Longo from Pacific Title was hired to redesign the logo for the new CinemaScope format, tilting the "0" in "20th" to maintain proportionality in the wider aspect ratio. Alfred Newman also extended the fanfare to accompany the CinemaScope logo that appeared after the Fox logo. Despite the decline of the CinemaScope format, director George Lucas requested its fanfare for the opening of Star Wars (1977), with John Williams composing the film's main theme in the same key as the fanfare (B♭ major), creating a seamless musical extension. In 1981, the logo was slightly modified by straightening the "0" in "20th."