The 10 Biggest Movie News Stories of 2012

Kevin Hart, 'Hunger Games,' Tom Rothman's exit and more

By Gregory Ellwood Wednesday, Dec 26, 2012 6:03 PM

Prev Photo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Photo
Paramount and Universal have very different 100th anniversaries

Paramount and Universal have very different 100th anniversaries

Two legendary studios celebrated their 100th anniversaries in 2012. Unfortunately, only one studio had something to really celebrate this year. Universal Pictures had its share of disappointments with the bombs "Wanderlust," "The Five-Year Engagement" and "Battleship," but it had a slew of profitable hits including "Contraband," "The Zorax," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Picture Perfect" and - it appears - "Les Miserables." Moreover, summer filler "Savages" and "The Bourne Legacy" should break even at best.  Paramount, on the other hand, really only has Robert Zemeckis' comeback "Flight" to add to its legacy archives. "Paranormal Activity 4" and "The Devil Inside" were profit makers and "The Dictator" ended up in the black (barely), but "Fun Size," "Katy Perry: Part of Me in 3D" and "The Guilt Trip" were all bombs. "Jack Reacher" should bring the Mountain some good financial news in January, however. In fact, the studio's biggest hits were "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," "Rise of the Guardians" and "The Avengers," all films it either distributed had a very small financial stake in. Moreover, Paramount's biggest embarrassments were that its own two tentpoles, "G.I.Joe: Retaliation" and "World War Z" both were delayed to 2013 (the former just weeks before its original July release date).  Thankfully, "Star Trek Into Darkness" should bring some critical and box office prestige back to the Mountain in 2013.
 

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures