The Big Picture The finances of Hollywood are a mystery. The world of Hollywood accounting is already controversial and legendary all on its own, which can make it difficult to determine what is and isn’t profitable. If Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, for instance, can be considered a bomb by Warner Bros.
The box office exploits of Warner Bros. Productions on The Numbers are quite sparse until one gets to 1978, a testament to how comprehensive box office figures from before that year are generally difficult to secure. However, it's still clear that the 1970s were a very lucrative era for the studio thanks to hits like The Exorcist, Blazing Saddles, and Superman. The latter title established a mold of superhero blockbuster cinema that would come to define the image of Warner Bros.
That shouldn't make it a surprise that Universal Pictures is quickly catching up on the heels of Warner Bros Pictures with a lifetime gross of $21.8 billion. Even in the wake of the COVID-19, Universal's in-house film division has green-lit a slew of original movies that have generated a wide range of box office results, including Ambulance, Nope, Cocaine Bear, and Oppenheimer.