To say that entertainment, in its many forms, has been not a luxury, but a necessity for mankind ever since time immemorial, wouldn’t be untrue.
The top 10 film industries in the world entertainment industry all over the world has proven itself to be one of the most prominently growing industries in the world.
The times that we live in today, realized a dire need for entertainment when almost all of the world was taking shelter indoors.
In these darkest times, the world turned towards artists. The movie industry not only effectively came to the aid of an audience who needed it, but has been doing so since Adam.
It is one industry that highly contributes to not only the economy of a country but has the power to shift culture and mould mindsets and create revolutions. Given below, is a list of the top 10 biggest film industry in the world.
Top 10 Film Industries in the World
1. Hollywood
- To most people, Hollywood is synonymous with ‘English cinema’. However, it is much more than the association of language and culture.
- Located in Los Angeles, California, Hollywood embodies the cinematic universe of the United States of America.
- Established in 1903 and merged with Los Angeles in 1910, Hollywood rapidly became one of the top-grossing film industries of all time.
- Churning out one timeless classic after another which set the standard for world cinema.
- Today, Hollywood is a multi-million dollar best film industry in the world (roughly chugging out $11.5 billion).
- It is also one of the most diverse film industries in the world considering the representation of culture, race, gender, etc.
- Today, Hollywood doesn’t just promote blockbusters to increase its revenue but makes sure that independent films with a stark message for the world, get a stage they deserve.
2. Bollywood
- The term ‘Bollywood’, encompasses the entire Hindi film industry of Southern Asia.
- Usually confused for the Indian film industry, which in reality includes movies from several parts of India.
- For example the Tamil film industry in India, known as Kollywood, has a huge, separate fan base and so does Tollywood i.e. the Telugu film industry
- The classifications of these film industries are language-specific.
- Bollywood is famous for dishing out the most number of movies per year, across the globe, i.e. around 1200 films every year.
- Dadasaheb Phalke, an Indian producer/director/screenwriter is considered to be the father of Indian Cinema.
- This Indian Film Industry is approximately more than a hundred years old. Astonishingly, Bollywood’s first-ever feature film was a silent movie called ‘Raja Harishchandra’.
- The term ‘Bollywood’ however, wasn’t coined until the 1960s by a magazine columnist, where ‘B’ stands for ‘Bombay’.
- Today, this industry stands fifth in terms of gross earnings, roughly earning $2 billion dollars annually.
- At its onset, Bollywood was famous for churning out movies that were termed to be overly dramatic.
- As a result, making it the ‘Masala Movie’ industry too.
- Today, it not only releases compelling, heartfelt movies but many Bollywood actors like Irrfan Khan, Amitabh Bachan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, etc. have left their mark on Hollywood too.
3. Cinema of China
- When it comes to generating high-grossing movies, the Chinese film industry, with a revenue of approximately $6.78 billion is second only to its forerunner, Hollywood.
- The fabric of Chinese cinema is woven through the cinema of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese cinema.
- China wood is one of the largest film studios in China and derives its name from Hollywood. The Chinese film industry is highly influenced by its political values.
- According to the law, the industry is forbidden from releasing movies that hurt the socialist sentiments of the country.
- Cinema in China was introduced around 1896 and the first feature film called ‘Dingjun Mountain’ was released in 1905.
- The Chinese Film industry is focusing more and more on domestic cinema each year as opposed to creating content for an international audience.
- The Chinese movie industry finds its roots in a lot of small-scale production houses which have now blossomed into a global phenomenon.
- The country has had the largest number of screens in the world since 2016 and is expected to become the largest theatrical market.
4. United Kingdom
- The United Kingdom film industry, also known worldwide as the British film industry, generates a gross annual income of $6.5 billion, which is the largest in all of Europe.
- The annual BAFTA awards hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts are considered to be the British equivalent of the Oscars.
- There has been an ongoing debate about the inclusion of the cinema of the United Kingdom under the umbrella of Hollywood since some of its most influential directors
and actors have achieved high ranks mainly because of their work in the United States’ cinema.
- The British Top 10 largest film industry in the world has grown rapidly over the last decade with the cinematization of stories based on British literature and also with the increasing support from the British Government over time.
- Some of the most iconic and highest-grossing film franchises are boasted by the British film industry. For example Harry Potter and James Bond.
5. Japanese Cinema (Nihon Eiga)
- Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world.
- Nihon Eiga, which translates to ‘domestic cinema’ is also known locally as hōga.
- Apart from the rich cinematic industry, Japanese cinema is also the highest-grossing film industry in all of Asia with annual revenue of $2 billion.
- To speak of the Japanese film industry and leave out animation would be a grave injustice.
- Japan is home to some of the best animation studios in the world like Studio Ghibli which has had a record of winning the most awards for Best Animated Feature Films at the Academy Awards for movies like Spirited Away, Ponyo, and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Apart from anime, Japan also is home to a variety of different forms of cinema like period pieces, Samurai cinema, science fiction movies, ninja movies, etc.
- In 2020, a Japanese anime film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train based on the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga (i.e. Japanese comic) series broke all box-office records in the country, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time and the highest-grossing film of 2020.
6. France Cinema
- It comes as no surprise that France along with its rich culture of food and fashion is also considered the birthplace of cinema.
- The French film industry proudly presents itself as the leading self-sufficient producer of the most number of films produced throughout Europe.
- The film industry is one of the most important sources of income for the country with box-office revenue of around $1.6 billion.
- Lately, apart from French cinema, French sitcoms too, have gained worldwide attention with many of them being reproduced by other film industries. For example: Call my Agent!
- Moreover, Cannes - the oldest and most prestigious French film festival has a huge influence on the cinema industry worldwide.
7. South Korean Cinema
- Unlike most countries, South Korean cinema is famous for producing films in their native language over international films.
- The cinema of South Korea usually refers to films made from 1945 to the present.
- South Korean films are largely influenced by the history of the country which features in a lot of its cinema.
- South Korean films have a rich history of representation of the LGBTQIA+ community through their films.
- Most of these movies have been released independently and have made a mark on ‘queer cinema’ worldwide.
- Even though Hollywood has its branches in the South Korean film industry and dominates most of the market, the Korean Top 10 movie industry in the world still boasts a massive turnout of $1.5 billion at the box office.
- Recently, Korean dramas, popularly known as K-dramas and Korean pop music, K-pop have gained worldwide attention and have one of the largest fan bases around the world.
- In 2019, ‘Parasite’, a South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho received the award for Best Picture and Best Direction at the Academy Awards which really changed the world’s perception of Korean cinema.
8. German Cinema
- It is no stereotype that the early German cinema which can be traced back to the 19th century was hugely influenced by the history of the country.
- This is why German war documentaries are one of the most consumed forms of German cinema, both nationally and internationally.
- The German film industry is the eighth richest film industry in the world with an annual revenue of around $1.1 billion.
- In the past decade, German artists like Roland Emmerich who directed blockbusters like Godzilla, White House Down, etc.
and Hanz Zimmer, who has won multiple Academy Awards for his music composition in movies like Interstellar, The Lion King, etc. have given German Cinema the international recognition that it deserves.
9. Australian Cinema
Ranked as the 9th most prosperous film industry in the world, the Australian film industry has generated an annual box-office revenue of $0.8 billion worldwide.
Many Australian actors like Margot Robbie, Chris Hemsworth, Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, etc.
have given the world some of the most brilliant performances in the history of cinema.
- The first public screenings of films in Australia took place in October 1896. Some of the highest grossing Australian movies include worldwide classics like Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby, Peter Rabbit, etc.
10. Iran Cinema
- Also known as Persian Cinema, is known for producing a variety of commercial films annually.
- Along with China, Iran has been lauded as one of the best exporters of cinema in the 1990s.
- Some critics now rank Iran as the world's most important national cinema.
- Marjane Satrapi an Iranian director of the animated movie ‘Persepolis’ not only received global recognition for the film, but also an Oscar nomination for the same.
Conclusion
That sums up the rich history of Top 10 film industries in the world evolution of film industries around the world that has not only brought the world culturally closer but has provided masses around the globe with countless hours of unforgettable cinema.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Q1. Which are the top 5 film industries in the world?
Hollywood, Bollywood, Cinema of China, United Kingdom, Cinema of Japan.
Q2. Which is the #1 film industry in the world?
Hollywood.
Q3. Which country has the best film industry?
The United States of America.
Q4. Is Hollywood bigger than Bollywood?
Yes, the Hollywood industry generates a significantly larger revenue than Bollywood.
Also Read: Check out my reviews of the best image editing software, the top choices for video editing software, and my full guide to start a blog for beginners.
