Fox Film
| File:Fox Film.svg Final logo, used from 1931 to 1935 | |
| Industry | Film |
|---|---|
| Predecessors |
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| Founded | February 1, 1915 in Fort Lee, New Jersey |
| Founder | William Fox |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Fate | Merged with Twentieth Century Pictures |
| Successor | 20th Century-Fox (now 20th Century Studios) |
| Subsidiaries |
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The Fox Film Corporation—also referred to as Fox Studios—was an American independent motion picture production enterprise established in 1915 by theater magnate William Fox. It was the successor to his earlier ventures, the Greater New York Film Rental Company and the Box Office Attraction Company, both founded in 1913.
Originally headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey, Fox expanded its operations to Hollywood in 1917 by appointing Sol M. Wurtzel as head of the West Coast production facilities, taking advantage of California’s optimal filming conditions. On July 23, 1926, the corporation secured ownership of patents related to the Movietone sound system, enhancing its capabilities in sound-on-film technology.
After the stock market collapse of 1929, William Fox lost control of the company amid a hostile takeover in 1930. Under the leadership of president Sidney R. Kent, Fox Film merged with Twentieth Century Pictures in 1935, creating the entity known as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.
Background
William Fox entered the film business in 1904 by acquiring a one-third stake in a Brooklyn nickelodeon for $1,667. He reinvested his earnings to expand his portfolio to fifteen venues and sourced film prints from leading studios such as Biograph Studios, Essanay, and Vitagraph. By integrating live vaudeville performances with motion pictures, he progressively moved into larger venues including New York City’s Gaiety theater and the Academy of Music.
To distribute films more effectively, Fox established the Greater New York Film Rental Company. When dominant studios formed monopolistic entities like the Motion Picture Patents Company and General Film Company, Fox challenged their control through litigation under the Sherman Antitrust Act. He won a $370,000 settlement that dismantled limitations on film duration and screenplay pricing.
Reflecting his expanding operations, Fox rebranded his company as the Box Office Attraction Company in 1914. He entered into a distribution agreement with Balboa Amusement Producing Company to supply films across his theater chain nationwide. To lessen reliance on outside producers, Fox purchased Éclair's studio facilities in Fort Lee along with property on Staten Island, establishing a comprehensive film production studio. The first movie released under this new structure was Life's Shop Window.
Fox Film Corporation
William Fox was primarily a businessman focused on acquiring and developing theater properties rather than a filmmaker. The company’s initial studios were located in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which was a central hub for early American cinema. Beginning film production in California in 1914, by 1915 Fox leased the Edendale studio formerly owned by Selig Polyscope Company until completing its own facility at Western Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in 1916. In 1917, Sol M. Wurtzel was appointed to oversee West Coast operations to capitalize on California’s advantageous climate for filmmaking.
From 1915 through 1919, Fox Films generated substantial income through stars such as Theda Bara, whose exotic persona attracted audiences, and Western icon Tom Mix, who joined in 1917 and earned a weekly salary of $17,000 due to his widespread appeal. These productions significantly increased Fox’s share of the early film market.
With the emergence of sound technology in cinema, Fox strategically acquired rights to pivotal sound-on-film innovations between 1925 and 1926. These included Freeman Harrison Owens’ contributions, U.S. rights to the German Tri-Ergon system, and Theodore Case’s developments. This led to creation of the Movietone sound system, marketed as "Fox Movietone," enabling films with synchronized music and sound effects tracks. The company introduced Fox Movietone News as a weekly newsreel feature starting in 1927, which continued until 1963, broadening its media presence.
To accommodate growing production demands, Fox purchased a 300-acre site west of Beverly Hills in 1926 to develop "Movietone City," a cutting-edge studio complex that enhanced its competitive position. While William Fox remained based in New York City, Hollywood operations were managed by studio executives and filmmakers, with stars like Janet Gaynor achieving prominence by the late 1920s.
Decline
After the passing of competitor Marcus Loew in 1927, Fox aimed to purchase the Loew family's assets, which comprised more than 200 theaters along with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio. Although the Loew family consented to merge with Fox in 1929, MGM executives Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, who were staff rather than shareholders, opposed the arrangement. Mayer utilized his political connections to involve the United States Department of Justice's antitrust division, thereby delaying the merger's approval. Concurrently, William Fox endured a serious automobile accident in 1929 and lost a significant portion of his fortune during that year's stock market crash, effectively halting the merger plans.
Facing financial overextension and approaching insolvency, Fox relinquished control of his company in 1930 and was subsequently incarcerated on charges of bribery and perjury. Despite possessing over 500 theaters, Fox Film entered receivership and underwent restructuring mandated by banks. The corporation’s large scale did not prevent its downturn. Fox portrayed his removal as a conspiracy in his 1933 publication Upton Sinclair Presents William Fox.
Merger
With Sidney Kent as the new president, Fox Film entered negotiations to merge with the independent yet prominent Twentieth Century Pictures, established in 1932 by Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck. The two firms combined in spring 1935, creating Twentieth Century-Fox.
This entity was acquired by News Corporation in 1985 and rebranded as "20th Century Fox" (removing the hyphen). In 2020, The Walt Disney Company purchased it and renamed it 20th Century Studios. While initially claiming a founding year of 1915, the company later acknowledged the 1935 merger as its official origin and adjusted its anniversary celebrations to reflect this corporate lineage.
Feature films
A devastating fire in 1937 at a Fox storage facility destroyed upwards of 40,000 reels containing negatives and prints, including the highest-quality versions of all Fox features produced prior to 1932. Although some copies survived at other locations, more than 75% of Fox’s feature films made before 1930 are now entirely lost.
Newsreels
Fox initiated silent newsreel production in 1919 to compete with established series such as Hearst Metrotone News and Pathé News. The first issue of Fox News was released on October 11, 1919, with biweekly editions following. It gained a competitive advantage when President Woodrow Wilson endorsed it—one of the earliest instances of presidential commentary captured on film. Coverage included major international stories like Pancho Villa’s exploits, the airship Roma, the Ku Klux Klan, and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1922. This silent newsreel series continued until 1930.
In 1926, Fox Movietone Corporation was established to produce sound newsreels utilizing Fox’s sound-on-film technology. The inaugural release appeared in January 1927, with a significant May edition documenting Charles Lindbergh’s departure for his transatlantic flight—recognized as the first major sound news film. Movietone News began regular distribution in December 1927 and persisted through the merger with Twentieth Century Pictures until 1963, serving as a valuable archive for stock footage.
Unlike many early feature films, much of the footage from Fox News and Fox Movietone News has been preserved. The earlier silent series and segments of its sound successor are housed at the University of South Carolina, while other portions remain in Fox’s possession.
Serials
In 1920, Fox briefly ventured into serial film production with the release of the 15-part Bride 13 and the 20-part Fantômas. Nevertheless, William Fox, the company's founder, chose to emphasize high production standards over financial gains, leading to the cessation of serial film projects soon after.
Short films
Fox created a vast number of short films spanning one and two reels across multiple genres. Beginning in 1916, the Sunshine Comedy unit specialized in two-reel comedic shorts, such as the 1917 title Roaring Lions and Wedding Bliss featuring Lloyd Hamilton, which aimed to rival the widely acclaimed slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett. The Sunshine Comedy series persisted until the transition to sound cinema. Other significant short film series included Imperial Comedies, Van Bibber Comedies starring Earle Foxe, O'Henry, Married Life of Helen and Warren, and Fox Varieties. During the early 1930s, Fox broadened its short film offerings by incorporating Spanish-language productions as part of its expanded market approach.