Since Toy Story (1995), Pixar has produced a string of "four-quadrant" hits (appealing to all four demographic quadrants). Their secret is writing stories for adults disguised as children’s films.

Led by Hayao Miyazaki, Ghibli productions are the antithesis of Hollywood blockbusters—slow, spiritual, and hand-drawn. Yet they are staggeringly popular worldwide.

As the oldest major American film studio still in production (est. 1912), Universal built its name on classic monsters—Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy. Today, they are the undisputed kings of the theme park-integrated blockbuster.