Celebrating 100 Years of Warner Bros. Studios!

Happy Birthday to Warner Bros.! The legendary studio was officially founded 100 years ago as of this month by 4 brothers: Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner. Located in Burbank, California, the studio is known for its endless animation, television, and film classics. So to celebrate this momentous milestone we’re breaking down some of the most iconic Warner Bros. TV shows and movies from each decade! 

1920s

The first film Warner Bros. produced was a silent film serial called The Lost City. Directed by E.A. Martin, the serial was released in 1920. Warner Bros. is also notable for releasing The Jazz Singer in 1927, the first ever film with audible dialogue, ushering in the age of the "talkies".

1930s

The iconic Looney Tunes was originally produced by Leon Sclesinger but then he sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1933. Characters like Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny became extremely popular and the face of the Warner Bros. company. The world had a variety of different spin-offs since 1930 and is still continuing to make more. During this time period, WB was also known for their numerous gangster films, focusing on anti-heros and crime lords.

1940s

Warner Bros. released what is considered one of the greatest movies of all time, Casablanca, in 1943, which went on the to win the Best Picture Oscar. 

1950s

Singin' in the Rain was a hit musical romantic comedy in 1952, with the iconic title song performed by Gene Kelly. The film took place during the 1920s transition from silent films to sound film -- something the Warner Bros. knew a little something about! The studio got into the television game starting in 1955. The first-ever WB-produced TV show was a series called "Warner Bros. Presents", which aired in September of 1955 on ABC and lasted 15 episodes. WB went on to become known for its western-themed shows and crime dramas like "Cheyenne", "Maverick", "77 Sunset Strip", and "Surfside 6".

1960s

In the '60s, The Music Man and Bonnie and Clyde were huge hits for the studio.The Music Man was based on the broadway musical and was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won one for Best Musical Score. Bonnie and Clyde, released in 1967, was based on the infamous true crime couple and was one of the first films of the New Hollywood Era.

1970s

Warner Bros. stepped into the comic book movie game with Superman, a 1978 release based on the iconic DC Comics character. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, winning Best Visual Effects. It had major box office success of $300 million with a budget of $55 million and is considered the blueprint for modern-day comic book movies.

1980s

Beetlejuice began as a cult favorite film from Tim Burton and later became an animated television series in 1989. This year also saw the resurrgence of WB as a major player in the comic book movie game with the release of Batman (also directed by Burton), another DC Comics superhero. This partnership between WB and DC continues to this day with a slew of film and television properties.

1990s

Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley starred in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997 and became a pop culture sensation. The film spawned a 3-movie series with Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember. This was also the decade that the now-classic sitcom “Friends” premiered (in 1995) and ran for 10 seasons until 2004. The show featured 6 friends living in New York City going to coffee shops, dealing with relationships, and navigating life. Viewership was ranging from 31 million to 22.1 million on average.

2000s

Accio blockbuster success as Warner Bros. won the rights to adapt the hugely popular Harry Potter books, with the first film in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, premiering in 2001. The series lasted for 10 years and 8 movies total, all of which were hugely popular with audiences.

2010s

In 2018, WB took one of its most beloved properties, A Star is Born, and remade it for the 3rd time, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. (The previous versions were released in 1954 and 1976; the original 1937 version was released through United Artists). The film premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and had a total worldwide gross of $436.2 million. 

2020s

“Abbott Elementary” is a Warner Bros.-produced sitcom that premiered on ABC in 2021 and has had huge success, winning 3 Golden Globes, 3 Emmys, 7 Black Reel Television Awards, and so much more. The show is currently in its second season and airs Wednesdays at 9pm. Meanwhile, the much-anticipated Barbie is set to premiere July 23 featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the iconic couple, Barbie and Ken. We can’t wait!

That’s all, folks! Here's to a 100 more years of entertainment!