ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the multinational enterprises that have dominated the global film industry for the last century. It focuses particularly on their distribution networks, and the importance of this global distribution infrastructure in creating and sustaining the international success. After briefly exploring the international production and distribution activities of European film multinationals prior to 1914, the chapter focuses on the US-based oligopoly that has subsequently dominated the global industry. Three distinct approaches to internationalization are identified and discussed: American expansion; American adaptation; and global integration. The evolution of these approaches points to the increasing internationalization of US firms (rather than the increasing Americanization of global audiences). The chapter concludes by questioning whether digital technologies will see control over global film distribution shift to a new oligopoly of media aggregators.
