Hollywood is dominated by five major studios: Disney, Universal, Sony Pictures, Paramount, and Warner Bros. What sets these names apart from their peers is not only longevity (all five have reached their centennials; Sony’s 101-year-old Columbia Pictures is the youngest of the bunch) but also their wealth and power. These studios have the financing and distribution mechanisms to get projects made at a far more efficient clip than the indie landscape.
Below, we briefly break down the niche each studio occupies in modern-day filmmaking, as well as the opportunities they most often offer to actors. (It should be noted that this only focuses on the movie studios rather than other aspects of the corporate entities; for example, ABC as a part of Disney or PlayStation as a part of Sony.)
Disney
Founded in 1923, Disney is arguably the most powerful of the five major studios. As of 2025, it produced six of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time. Disney also went on an acquisition spree in the 21st century, gobbling up other major entertainment companies including Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and, in 2019, an entire studio: 20th Century Fox.
Although Disney does run the more independent-focused Searchlight Pictures (formerly Fox Searchlight Pictures)—which produced movies such as Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” and Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit”—the studio mostly focuses on popular IP. As an actor looking to audition for Disney, you’ll likely step into a pre-established world, whether it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a live-action adaptation of an animated Disney classic.
How to Audition for DisneyUniversal
An innovator in both blockbuster entertainment—the classic Universal monster movies “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” are still influencing the genre—and artistic achievements, such as Lewis Milestone’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930), Universal is the oldest surviving studio in America. It’s also closely tied to Steven Spielberg—the iconic director earned the outfit the highest-grossing film ever at the time of release three times with “Jaws” (1975), “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), and “Jurassic Park” (1993).
Universal has undergone a bit of a resurgence in the past decade or so. A studio that was not too long ago grasping at getting into the connected universe game (RIP “Dark Universe”) now has one of the most diverse slates in town. It still works closely with auteur filmmakers creating original work, such as Jordan Peele and Christopher Nolan, alongside successful franchises like “Fast & Furious” and “Jurassic World.” Universal keeps its horror roots alive thanks to its relationship with Blumhouse Productions, while offering family fare through Illumination (“Despicable Me”) and DreamWorks Animation (“The Wild Robot”). There’s a lot of variety to the kinds of stories Universal oversees, which means more opportunities for actors who don’t fit a certain mold of what’s easily franchised.
How to Audition for a Christopher Nolan ProductionSony Pictures
Sony Pictures, a.ka. Columbia Pictures, is kind of the wild card in the bunch. The studio remains tied to major franchises, largely thanks to its split-ownership of “Spider-Man” with Disney, as well as successful series such as “Bad Boys,” “Hotel Transylvania,” and “Ghostbusters.” (Sadly, the handful of “Spider-Man”-adjacent comic book stories like “Madame Web” and “Kraven the Hunter” were more of a letdown, although the “Venom” trilogy made money.) But it also hasn’t abandoned smaller movies that find box office profit the old-fashioned way, such as Marc Forster’s dramedy “A Man Called Otto” and Will Gluck’s rom-com “Anyone but You.”
This should be encouraging for actors; when you have smaller projects mixed in with larger tentpoles, there’s more room to make your name separate from the expectations of four-quadrant blockbusters. (Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell certainly weren’t unknowns before “Anyone but You,” but it proved their ability to carry a hit.) How Sony attempts to balance franchises with smaller, original films remains to be seen, but for now, there’s life outside of “Spider-Man” movies.
Paramount
Paramount is one of the bedrocks of Hollywood. A major player during Tinseltown’s golden age, it produced the very first best picture Oscar winner ever, William A. Wellman’s “Wings” (1927). However, Paramount has gone through a bit of turmoil recently, selling to Skydance in 2024. (It was almost purchased by Sony, which would have brought the number of major studios to four.)
Paramount’s future, for both actors and creators, is unclear right now. We simply don’t know how Skydance will seek to change the studio’s fortunes. Paramount does bankroll both major franchises (“Mission: Impossible,” “Transformers”) and smaller-scale series (“Scream,” “Paranormal Activity”), but beyond those recognizable names, it’s not clear what Skydance will do going forward. That’s not to say you should steer clear; getting cast in a Paramount project is still a significant opportunity. But the kinds of opportunities might change. Although, if we look at Skydance’s output as a production company, we can likely expect an emphasis on action blockbusters.
How to Get Cast in a ‘Scream’ MovieWarner Bros.
Warner Bros. is a storied studio, another golden-age mainstay that is responsible for both box-office-breaking hits (“The Dark Knight,” “Barbie”) and landmark cinematic achievements (it released “The Jazz Singer” in 1927, effectively ushering in sound films). However, it’s also a company going through a turbulent period.
In 2024, under the leadership of David Zaslav, the studio notoriously spiked the releases of completed projects “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs. Acme” for tax write-offs. This is something to note as talent; landing a major film is worthwhile not only for the paycheck, but for how it can advance your career by reaching new viewers. If you spend months of your time on a movie and it never gets released, that’s harmful for your career.
However, not all is dire. Warner Bros. backs Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films, the American monster blockbusters featuring Godzilla and King Kong, and the “Conjuring” movies and spinoffs, which currently stand as the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time. And although the studio’s attempts to capitalize on owning the rights to DC Comics characters have been up and down, “Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker James Gunn has been hired to right that ship. His “Superman” is set to release in July 2025.
How to Get Cast in a DC Comics Movie or TV Show
